And, as always, there was a 'BUT'. I had no idea whom Marina was playing. Perhaps she's a hardcore player and had chosen an unusual race for herself - kobold, lizardfolk, goblin or something else even more extreme. In Barliona, aside from just playing, you could make it a goal to prove yourself a good player. For this purpose unique races were introduced, with deadly racial bonuses, aggressive mobs in starting locations or negative reputation with almost all the factions. Just so you could prove that you could play such a character. When a player decided to test his strength that way, the old character didn't even get deleted, but simply disabled. If the attempt was unsuccessful, the player could have his old character back. What if Marina was a kobold? I don't think I'd... dare to go with something like that into a brothel. Although I would like to meet and have a proper chat: I don't like girls who get what they want by selling their body. Why did she treat Peter like that? He seemed an all right guy. If we meet, I'll tell her exactly what I think about all this.
My thoughts were cut off by a portal that appeared in the room, from which an energetic young man of about twenty emerged, with a sharp professional look about him: in a suit and tie and a neat haircut.
"Good day, Daniel, let me introduce myself: I'm Alexis, the junior assistant of the parole secretary, and here to read you the minutes of the meeting of the committee on your parole," he fired off. "Thus, under article 78 section 24 of the Penal Code, you have the right to be relocated to the main gameworld. Because you were in prison less than half a year, your place of settlement will be chosen at random. To determine the place of your settlement you must return to your mine, where the destination will be chosen. The incident with your going back to the real world has been examined, it has been noted that you have conducted yourself in a correct manner, and a decision has been made that no punishments will be imposed upon you.
"In response to your unasked question - you ended up in the technical location by accident. It should not have happened, and the portal has since been removed. During your time in the main gameworld you are barred from accessing any gambling establishments, such as casinos, races and other official games of chance. You may use the auction house only in Anhurs, but for no longer than one hour a day - so use this time wisely. Visits to Tolerance Houses are permitted, but there are some small restrictions: no more than 24 hours a week. I will remind you that you cannot deal damage to another player as long as you have the armband on you, but if a player attacks you, you have no such limitation against him.
"That's it from me. Do you have any questions or requests? No? That's great. Here is your portal, have a happy game." Another portal appeared next to his, which led, as I guessed, to the Pryke mine.
Alexis checked that my portal was stable and then with a sure step disappeared into his own, leaving me alone. Wait! What was that? I saw some boy run in, looking like he'd been dragged away from his toys, quickly read out the committee's decision and run back to continue playing.
Weird. What about a chat? Or about setting me on the right path? Great justice system we have here! But he did make me chuckle: no more than 24 hours a week in a Tolerance House. That's some high standard our lawmakers set. I don't even know if I'll manage it.
There was little else for me to do but jump into the portal. So now I'll return to Pryke and the orc will allocate the place of settlement for me. So far, so good. I'll have time to say good bye to all my fellow prisoners. I'll hand things over to Sakas - now he can be the head of our craftsmen 'gang'. 'I mustn't leave any unfinished business,' I thought as I headed back to Pryke.
I stepped into the mine and took in all its beauty. It was worth it too - if the sun stopped burning and the dust disappeared once my reputation reached Friendly, now the mine was full of colors. Blue sky, green grass in the common part of the mine - there were even flowerbeds. Is that how the orc and Rine see it? Or do they have Exalted programmed into them (which would take me 12 thousand more reputation points to reach) and see the mine as some sort of a resort?
"Mahan? What are you doing here?" I heard a surprised shout of one of the guards.
"I got bored without you lot and decided to come back," I replied to the overseer and was surprised not to get a rude response. Instead he offered to walk me to the administration building and get things sorted out with the orc.
The governor sat at his table, inscrutable as a statue.
"Shaman. Who got Respect not thanks to, but in spite of his actions," said the orc. Once again hairs stood up on the back of my neck. There was something very life-affirming in this calm, low and confident voice. I'll miss it when I get out. "Your place of settlement will be appointed in the evening. You can go."
"I'd like to become a Shaman. Where can I learn this?" I decided to ask the orc. Barliona had a rule that any NPC could be asked about profession or class trainers. If they knew about it they'd tell you and, if not, would point you in the right direction. Why would the orc do less than any guard in the capital?
"A Shaman... What do you know about Shamans?"
The question was so unexpected that I struggled with an answer.
"Shamans? Firstly, I'm a Shaman. We can summon Spirits with which we can heal or cause damage. We also have to go through an initiation to stop losing Hit Points for summoning. We have a Tambourine, we sing songs and dance dances. I think that's it."
"Although you're a Shaman, you have no idea what it actually means."
"Being a Shaman," began the orc after a pause, "is not about dances and songs. That is all superfluous. Shamans are those that speak to the Spirits. To be a shaman is a great responsibility. Are you ready for it?"
All I could do was nod in agreement and mumble something incomprehensible. I just hoped the orc would tell me a place where I could find a Shaman trainer. I never thought that he would start to tell me anything of his own accord. Was that the effect of Respect on him? Quite a useful thing it was, then.
"If you're ready, then listen. There are six steps in a Shaman's development. Currently you're on the lowest one." The orc began to describe each step and I went to the manual and started to read. Although he described everything very well, you remember information better when you read it. At least this was true in my case. So, what do we have for Shamans in terms of leveling?
0. Uninitiated Shaman (Aglarat bo-oh). A step zero Shaman can summon lesser Lightning and Healing Spirits. Offerings do not decrease the penalty for Spirit summoning. External attributes: none. The next step is reached by Shaman Initiation (the initiation may be attempted once a month).
1. Initiate Shaman (Yabagan bo-oh). The first level of initiation; the Shaman is able to summon Younger Elemental Spirits. The Shaman embarks on the search for his Totem (Spirit Guardian). To decrease the summoning penalty by 50% you must perform the following weekly offerings to the Spirits: milk or tea. External attributes: Shaman's Tambourine. The next step is reached by finding the Totem.
2. Elemental Shaman (Hayaltyn bo-oh). A Shaman with a Totem. A second step Shaman can freely communicate with common Elemental Spirits. To decrease the summoning penalty by 50% you must perform the following weekly offerings to the Spirits: bread. External attributes: Shaman's Cloak. The next step is reached by successful completion of a trial (the trial may be attempted once every three months).
3. Great Shaman (Sheraete bo-oh). The third step deals with the strengthening of the powers acquired during the previous stage. The Shaman strengthens his link with the Spirits and is able to communicate with the Great Elemental Spirits. The Shaman no longer needs a Tambourine to summon Spirits. To decrease the summoning penalty by 50% you must perform the following weekly offerings to the Spirits: roast meat. External attributes: Shaman's Staff. The next step is reached by successful completion of a trial (the trial may be attempted once a year).
4. High Shaman (Tengeryin bo-oh). A Shaman of the fourth step can communicate with Supreme Spirits of Higher and Lower Worlds. No penalty for Spirit summoning. External attributes: Shaman's Hat with deer antlers
. The next step is reached by gaining Exalted reputation with Supreme Spirits of Higher and Lower Worlds.
5. Harbinger (Tabilgatai zarin bo-oh). For the fifth step the Shaman has completely mastered all the Shamanistic powers. The Shaman gains the ability to be transported to any place, levitate, communicate with any being either in physical or spirit form throughout Barliona. No penalty for Spirit summoning. External attributes: none.
I didn't remember any of it, but realized that I must go through the initiation as soon as possible.
"But first you need to go through the initiation," said my former governor, as if reading my thoughts. "Come, we don't have that much time until your allocation," a portal appeared in the governor's office. Did that mean that I could become a real Shaman right now, instead of waiting three months until I leave the settlement? Great!
The portal took me to the mountains, right by the entrance to a dark cave. The orc appeared next to me, holding a gnarled staff and wearing a strange cloak with feathers and a hat with horns. Now I really was surprised. The Pryke Mine Governor was a High Shaman! This piece of news was quite mind-blowing. I could bet all my gold that his Totem was a Wolf Spirit. Definitely a White Wolf Spirit. But why is he stuck here in the mine? There aren't that many High Shamans, even among the NPCs. I quickly looked in the manual to check. That's right, only 3381 players ever reached that step. There was no data on the NPCs, but I was sure that the numbers were similar. I made a note for myself to make a special effort to find out why the orc was in the mine. The developers wouldn't have put him here without a good reason, so there must be a story behind it. To be honest, I liked the orc - he was a very colorful personality, so I would have liked to find out more about him.
"Whom did you bring, brother?" sounded a voice that made me jump in my place. It seemed that the wind itself was speaking - the voice came from all sides at once. Was this some kind of a Spirit?
"I have brought a Seeker. He is on the path to find himself and it is our duty to aid him," replied the orc.
"Is he ready?"
"No-one but the Spirit of the Forest knows this."
"Will he find what he is seeking?"
"No-one but the Spirit of the Mountains has this knowledge."
The orc continued to refer to different Spirits and I stood nearby and listened, savoring every moment. The designers of this class really outdid themselves. Of course, they may have gone a little 'over the top' with 'brother' or 'no-one but the Spirit', but it was still beautiful and interesting! The class role play for Shamans was top notch! The initiation of the Hunters was not as interesting - you had to find a master bowman, go through a class quest line and then come and accept the honorable title of the Hunter. Although with this the difference was that as a Hunter I went through this quest chain at level five to ten, levelling up in the process. With my fourteen levels going through a quest chain like 'kill 10 mobs with the aid of enchanted arrows' would feel a bit stupid. However, bringing down twice as many mobs would seem well worth a scene like this one. I know that many players complain about unnecessary insertions from the world's history or about NPCs playing their characters to the full. All of this slows down the levelling process and increases game time - everyone is eager to become someone great, so they don't pay any attention to these trivialities. But I'm not in any particular hurry for the next eight years, so I can easily spend an extra half an hour and enjoy a beautiful spectacle.
The orc lifted his hands and started to whisper something. A whirlwind began to form in his hands, which stabilized a minute later and turned into a two-meter tornado. I only had enough time to think that Shaman really wasn't such a weak class if it could do things like that and then heard the orc's voice:
"Bow your head, little brother. You are seeing the Great Spirit of Air, that has come to witness your initiation."
I went down on one knee and bent my head. I decided to trust the orc's words completely. If he tells me to bow my head, I will. If he tells me to jump on one leg, I will. I'd even jump into a chasm, if he tells me. I was sure it'd be a test.
"Are you ready, Seeker?" the Spirit's voice echoed in the mountains. If I previously thought the orc's voice could make you tremble in your bones, I was wrong. The Spirit's words made my whole body quiver, as if it was resonating with the surrounding world.
"Y-yess, r-ready," I managed to utter, controlling the jittering of my teeth.
"To become a real Shaman, you must prove that your spirit is steadfast, that your spirit is pliant, that your spirit is strong, that your spirit is gentle. You must enter the cave, where four trials await you. What you do with each - is a choice that your spirit makes, let it guide you. If you fail even one trial, your initiation will be postponed by a month. Every shaman has the chance to become a Harbinger, but not all take this path. It is up to you alone whether you become a real Shaman.
Quest chain received: 'The Path of the Shaman'.
'The Path of the Shaman: Step 1'. Go though the labyrinth of trials.
0 of 4 trials completed (next attempt in 30 days).
"Enter the cave and trust in your spirit. It will help you make the right choice," was the orc's parting advice to me.
I rose to my feet and cautiously headed to the dark cave. Was I to go through this trial in the dark? However, as soon as I crossed some unseen threshold the cave was filled with light and four passages appeared, followed by a message:
Information for the player! You have begun the quest 'The Path of the Shaman. Step 1'. You have two attempts for completing the trial; if you fail, you can attempt the trial again in a month's time. If your first attempt fails, press the red stone by the entrance to make your second attempt. Have a pleasant Game!
I quietly swore under my breath. This just spoiled the feeling left by the previous beautiful scene - with two attempts even an idiot would be able to get through four trials with the help of the manual and the forums. Speaking of which...
I sat on the stone, brought up the forum and began to study the process of the Shaman initiation. This wasn't just simple, it was elementary: four rooms with a particular situation played out in each. You had to perform certain actions, depending on the situation. That's it. The forum described what should be done in detail, so I had no reason to expect any difficulties. I could understand the reasoning of the developers - if you make the Shaman initiation complicated and difficult no-one would play this class. It would be easier to run around as a Hunter or a Paladin. I got up and went to the corridor labeled '1', which brought me to a closed door.
As soon as I stepped into the room I felt my head spin a little. Well, that was normal, since the place was turning by 180 degrees. In order to exit it you had to choose one of the available paths. So, what did we have here? The room was divided into two with a partition. One side of the partition contained a hole, from where a fawn's head was sticking up, on the other a wolf was growling, teeth bared, its paw caught in a trap. If the forum information was correct, this was simple: it was a test for gentleness of Spirit; you had to take out the fawn and leave the room without a second thought. Easy said - easy done. I carefully took the trapped animal out of the hole and left, that's all there was to it. What did Shaman initiation have to do with any of this?
Quest update - 'The Path of the Shaman. Step 1': 1 of 4 trials completed.
Corridor number 2. A turn of the room and this time there was only one path to the exit.
There was an ordinary five-meter hole filled with water. A centimeter-wide bridge spanned across it. It was more of a tightrope than a bridge. You felt lucky not to see it sagging under its own weight. This was simple too - a trial of the pliancy of the Spirit. Walking across the tightrope was practically impossible and the Shaman's task was to humble himself and simply swim across the hole. Nothing difficult, but everyone recommended leaving this room for the last. Otherwise the remaining trials would have to be tackled while wet. Well, never mind. I left the room, water running off me, and saw the next message.
; Quest update - 'The Path of the Shaman. Step 1': 2 of 4 trials completed.
Corridor number 3. Again there was only one way out.
Ten human statues made of stone, clubs in their hands, stood in my way. Test for the strength of Spirit. You had to walk through the statues, taking no notice of their blows - a perfectly 'suitable' trial for free players whose sensory filters have been turned off. Now I'll have to feel all of this on my hide. Damn, when I read up on it, I had an immediate dislike for this trial. It hasn't really been designed with prisoners in mind. I clenched my teeth and managed to walk to the other end of the room. Damn, that hurt a lot. Even Rats didn't bite this hard. My Endurance went up by no less than 10% while the statues tenderized me head to toe. Having hit me, each statue crumpled into dust, which settled on me layer after layer. Wet and dusty, I started to resemble a dummy, but the message that appeared next told me I had not endured this in vain:
Quest update - 'The Path of the Shaman. Step 1': 3 of 4 trials completed.
Now all I had to do was show steadfastness of Spirit. Corridor number 4 took me to a room with a mixed pile of rice and peas in the middle. I was glad to see a bucket of water next to the pile, which allowed me to wash the dust off my hands and face. They were right about taking the trial with the water last - at least you'd come out clean. The fourth trial simply involved separating the mixed pile into two within an hour of entering the room, making a pile of peas and a pile of rice. It was a test of your nerves and endurance. I crouched and set to work. In this test I could beat any free player: they never spent a day in a mine, forced to swing the pick, or they'd know what steadfastness of spirit was all about. The dust falling off me stuck to the rice, but I decided to take no notice of this. I had to work and not get distracted by silly details.
Survival Quest (The Way of the Shaman: Book #1) Page 28
