The Curse of Rion Castle (The Neuro Book #2) LitRPG Series

by Andrei Livadny

  "So," I raised my goblet. "Let's skip the niceties and talk like grown-up people. I have a few questions to ask you. Do you mind?"

  Enea's father took a cautious sip of his wine and raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Tipsiness icon appeared in his name tag, detracting 1 pt. from both Agility and Intellect and giving him a Strength buff.

  Ylien took a bite of his bread roll. "It's good," he said, watching in amazement as his health bar started filling and the shackle wounds on his wrists began to heal.

  "My first question is, why did you have to take the risk, putting all our lives in danger?" I struggled to be polite, the combat adrenaline still coursing my veins. "A father worried about his daughter, I can buy that. But all this unnecessary character creating and neuroimplant capsule hiring sets my alarm bells ringing, to tell you the truth. What's wrong with a generic avatar on a white charger and an escort of top-level NPCs?" I asked, unable to resist alluding to our previous meeting.

  "I wanted to see for myself," Mr. White leaned leisurely back in his chair. Still, his pompous bravado couldn't fool me. His cheek was twitching. The black eye may have disappeared but the memories were still there, competing for his attention. "I just couldn't work out what made her do it," he continued dryly. "Besides, there were quite a few red flags in the way the Infosystems management behaved just lately. So I decided to see for myself."

  That came as a surprise. "Are you involved with the gaming industry?"

  "Didn't you know?"

  "No, I didn't."

  Mr. White cast a reproachful glance at his daughter. "Stephen, you tell him."

  Stevenal put his fork down. "What do you know of TransEnergy?" he asked me.

  "A leading brand," I said. "They produce solar power batteries, don't they?"

  "That's right. We had a standing contract with Infosystems..."

  I choked. "Wait a sec. You work for TransEnergy?"

  "I'm their head analyst," Stephen replied. "Ylien is our security chief. Mr. White is the owner."

  Enea caught my eye and gave an inconspicuous shrug.

  I took it well, even if I say so myself. I even smiled back. Virtual reality is rich in surprises. You take a walk by a pond in some local backwater, and the girl you meet there just happens to be the heiress to a financial empire.

  "Recently we started having problems with them," Stephen continued. "The energy cells we produce are highly effective, reliable and low-maintenance. But for some reason, Infosystems have stopped buying them. They'd rather develop their own sources of power by using subterranean heat whose efficiency factor is known to be extremely low. At the same time they announced the advent of the so-called 'new digital era', advertising their neural implants and predicting that humanity is just one step away from moving over to cyberspace where they'll be able to work and live their lives to the full."

  "Does that mean they're about to launch mass production of the implants?"

  "Exactly," Mr. White replied. "And that's what worries me. I'm a down-to-earth person. I don't take anyone on their word. Infosystems have built the Crystal Sphere capable of receiving billions of simultaneous users. Recently they've had quite a few inexplicable technological breakthroughs. And now they're putting virtual property up for sale!"

  "So that's why you wanted to see us," Enea's lips quivered. "Business as usual, isn't it? Nothing personal?"

  "Enea, please. It's not like that," his voice betrayed fatherly notes. "I could have done it on my own without having to disturb either you or Alex."

  Enea pursed her lips. She didn't say anything.

  The tension between the father and daughter was so thick the air itself seemed to have electrified.

  I decided to defuse the situation. Or maybe draw the proverbial fire on myself, I couldn't really tell. "How can we help you?"

  "Excellent wine," Mr. White said, apparently happy with my intervention.

  "Thank you. Our alchemist made it. He used his Instant Ageing recipe."

  "I know. Enea told me. It's Platinus, right? The unrecognized genius?"

  I nodded.

  Stevenal perked up, joining the conversation. "How much would you pay for a bottle? Have you patented the recipe?"

  "How much? I'd say, ten gold. At least. No, we haven't patented it yet. We didn't have the time. Things happen quickly here."

  "Off the top of my head, that's about a million credits per year," Stevenal did a quick calculation of the profits we'd lost.

  This felt like the arrival of several hardened sharks to our quiet waters.

  "I had no idea what the experience was going to be like," Mr. White cast a quick glance at his daughter. "Now I know. This is a young dog-eat-dog world. I might actually stake a place for myself here. That's not a problem. Just now I have the opportunity to buy a server housing several of the Crystal Sphere's locations."

  "Why would you want to do that?" Enea asked.

  "To come and visit you, maybe? I'm a bit too old to train as a warrior — or even a wizard. A nice country estate, some trusty guards and a few bottles of Chateau Rion..."

  For the first time during the conversation, a faint smile touched Enea's lips. "You're not cut out for the quiet life."

  "How do you know?" her father's voice warmed up too. "When everything feels so real, one can't help wondering about retirement. It was probably for the better, you know," he looked up at her again. "I had to get mugged and shackled to get a real feel for it all. I had to see you break down that hut's door. Having said that," he turned to me, "is it true that today's incident might trigger a clan war?"

  "It's already started," I gave him a quick update of the situation the way I saw it.

  He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Never thought I might become a bargaining chip," he chuckled. "Are these dwarves so important?"

  "Gwain has a unique ability," Enea explained, "which can decide the outcome of a big battle."

  "I hope you've already taken care of his safety?" Ylien reacted instantly.

  "We have," I said. "He's here in the castle."

  "Are you serious about buying part of the Crystal Sphere?" Enea steered the conversation back to the subject which interested her the most.

  "Absolutely," her father replied. "Today, I've seen many things in a totally different light. Now I know what Infosystems have to offer to their more affluent customers. People of my generation — those with money and at least an ounce of common sense — are bound to come here. But I’m not going to interfere with your lives, I promise. I need to ask you about something though," he looked up at me. "Alex, can I have a word with you?"

  We walked out onto the outer fortification platform.

  "I think it's enough for one day," Mr. White looked around him, taking in the surrounding vista. "Do you think you can defend yourselves from a Ravens' raid?"

  "Let them come — if they think they can cross the Moors first."

  "Do you know how many clans there are in the Crystal Sphere?"

  "Two."

  Mr. White gave me a finger. "Two hundred and seventy-five! You didn't hear about them, did you? Once Infosystems connect all the clusters into a single network, then the place will be like a boiling cauldron. Now, let's do it this way. You're Alexatis, the clan leader and the owner of Rion Castle. And they," he nodded at Ylien and Stevenal, "they're your new volunteers. Agreed?"

  "How about you?"

  "I'm not staying. In any case," he squinted at me, "I have the capsule and the implant. I might come and visit you if you don't mind."

  "Please do. We're always happy to see you."

  "Promise me to take good care of her. And yourself. I've seen everything I wanted to."

  Mr. White shook my hand and returned to the Reception Hall. He walked over to Enea and gave her an awkward hug, whispering something in her ear.

  Then he disappeared. Logged out, leaving me and Enea with two new clan members.

  Ylien, level 1. Assassin

  Stevenal, Level 1. Wizard

  * * *


  "HE SAID HE might come back in a couple of weeks," Enea gave me a long look. "Are you angry with me?"

  "What, for not telling me who he was? No, not really."

  The other two, Ylien and Stevenal, walked out onto the platform. They cast wary looks around themselves, taking in their new world.

  "It might take you some time to get used to full immersion," I said. "It can be quite confusing. You'll have your share of blood, sweat and tears. But the opportunities are mind-boggling. A couple of months ago I was just as lost as you are now. Still, I survived."

  "The only difference between the real and virtual worlds is the setting," Enea agreed. "All the rest is the same. Same emotions. Same money. I suggest you stay here for a week and try to get a feel for it. Do a bit of reading up. No need to get yourselves involved straight away. Just stick around for a bit, away from real life. Try to forget about it for a while."

  "I'd rather get involved," Ylien said. "Steve and I have learned all the theory already. We need some practice now in order to figure out how it really works. We need to level up a bit too."

  I liked his attitude. "That's not a problem."

  "I'd start by looking into security," he continued. "You've got a mole. The Ravens had known about those dwarves for a while. The op was well thought out. They were waiting for the right moment to apply pressure."

  "I think I know who the rat is. Archibald should be dealing with him right now. His nickname is Astrum."

  "How sure are you?"

  "He was the only one present in the Practice Hall when Enea told me about her father's visit."

  "I need to think of some security measures against any leaks," Ylien promised.

  "Don't bother. Here," I forwarded him the information about the Oathing Stone. "It's my fault. I should have sworn them in earlier. I thought the oathing ceremony might scare off some of the newbs."

  My interface flashed with an incoming PM. I switched over to it. "What's up?"

  "Astrum's gone," Archibald reported. "Sneaked away while on the raid with us. He's gonna perish on the moors, that's for sure. I suggest you tighten security by the respawn point. He might be there in a minute."

  "I don't think so," I said. "He must have changed his respawn point. In which case he's already back wherever he came from. Continue with the raid as usual. Tell everyone we'll swear them in as soon as you're back. Say we're going to hold an Oathing Stone ceremony."

  "Got it. I'll tell them and see if there're any more snoops trying to sneak away for a quick death on the moors."

  "What do you want me to do?" Stevenal asked.

  "You can start looking through the logs. I'll have all the necessary files for you in a moment. The analyst's job is to know the abilities of all the clan warriors and wizards, to be able to instantly calculate any mob's potential and deliver appropriate recommendations. Your voice in the battle chat should be loud and clear."

  "Any non-combat-related activities?"

  "The clan analyst is supposed to monitor its business dealings, keep an eye on the market and work out potential development strategies. The analyst decides on the best leveling scenarios for each player or group. For instance, a level-30 warrior has no business farming level-20 mobs which offer him or her no XP. It would be a total waste of time."

  "I see. I'll look into it," Stevenal assured me.

  A new system message popped up in my interface,

  Warning! The Ravens clan has changed their Relationship status regarding your clan!

  Current status: Animosity

  From now on, all your clan members outside of safe city locations will be subject to the enemy clan's attacks who will receive no PK sanctions for any aggressive actions.

  Recommendation: In order to avoid confrontation, try to improve your Relationship status by using whatever means are necessary to achieve this goal.

  "The Ravens have just declared war on us," I said.

  "You really think they might risk crossing the moors?" Ylien asked.

  "They'll try," Enea said. "The news about a new war will encourage players' interest. We should expect a new surge of applicants in the next few days. Same for the Ravens."

  "Do you mean they might call up an army?"

  "Or a large raid at least."

  "Is the castle defense-ready?"

  "Not really," I replied. "We've managed to restore about 30% of its defense systems. Now we'll have to rebuild the rest ASAP. Enea and I might need to lock ourselves up in the library to study the manuscripts."

  "Can't somebody else do that?" Ylien asked.

  "No. These are the quest conditions. But don't worry: it'll be a few days before we face any serious threat."

  "But what if the Ravens hire some top wizards to open a portal directly to the castle walls?" Ylien asked.

  "They can't. The system deflects all incoming teleports to random swamp locations."

  "Do the Ravens know that?" Ylien inquired.

  "I think so. Which is why we might have a couple of weeks to get ready if we're lucky. You can go now. Have a look around. If you have any questions, I'll tell Archibald, Iskandar and Lethmiel to help you."

  "You going already?" Stevenal asked.

  "I'm afraid we have to," I said. "Time is an issue. If we manage to find the pictures of the missing runes, the Ravens can forget storming the castle. Besides, the dwarves are running out of things to do."

  * * *

  THE TEMPLE OF OBLIVION had changed a lot in our absence. A thick curtain of hydra skins shielded the entrance. The holes in the ceiling had been repaired. The temple was warm: Mossy Yorm made sure the fire never went out. Thanks to his frequent forays out on the moors, he had plenty of food and firewood.

  The temple walls were lined with heaps of scrap cargonite: our clan's strategic supplies. After we'd redirected the ancient portal to Rion Castle, this isolated location was perfect for storing our vital supplies.

  "Hi, Yorm," Enea said, waving to the troll.

  "Hi to you too, Forest Nymph," Mossy Yorm replied, apparently happy to see us. "Alex! Come over to the fire. I'll make you some tea! I've got a nice big cauldron!"

  "Thanks, man. Later, maybe. We need to see the library."

  We walked through the rock tunnel until we came to the cave. The slab of stone covering the entrance had been dragged aside. A soft light illuminated the stone stairs.

  The calligraphers I'd hired were busy copying the manuscripts.

  "That's enough for today," I told them. "Go back to the castle and tell Lethmiel I've excused you."

  "So where do we start?" Enea asked, walking along the shelves groaning with books. "We don't have much time. We need to come up with a search system."

  "We can use our implants," I said.

  "How do we do that?"

  "We can connect them into a network. Do you remember what I told you about the mind expander?"

  "I think so. I haven't used it yet."

  "You don't have to. It's automatic. This is what we can do. Keep walking while focusing your eye on the books' spines, scanning the data. I'll process it. We both know what the word 'rune' looks like so we can't miss the right book."

  She liked the idea. "Are you ready?"

  I nodded and closed my eyes. Enea started feeding me the data. My mental view filled with a sequence of fiery vertical inscriptions. I had to rotate each picture 90 degrees in order to read the titles horizontally and search through them.

  My implant was a fast learner. After about a minute, I developed a light headache but I didn't have to turn each scanned spine anymore.

  Most of the titles were impossible to translate. Familiar words were few. I opened two more windows in my interface: one with the Founders' alphabet and the other to copy all the titles into, creating a rough book database. We could use it in the future.

  Gradually the process began to slow down as the implant started founding logical connections between the two windows, highlighting frequent combinations of letters. I tried to translate them but fai
led.

  "I've finished the first row," Enea's voice barely reached my mind. "Want to take a break?"

  "Keep going," I mouthed. I was in a strange state akin to a trance. I could sense the pressure on my mind growing, all the while sensing I was close to some mystery — a mystery that might have nothing to do with the purpose of our search but crucially important nonetheless.

  "Alex,' Enea's voice trailed away. "There's something wrong with my eyes. I've got a headache, too."

  "Take a seat," I mouthed. "Look away from the shelves."

  "I'm sitting already. I've closed my eyes but it just won't stop!"

  Indeed, the fiery titles continued to fill my mental view.

  I tried to abort the process but couldn't. Now I could see the books' translucent outlines which began to merge, forming what looked like a massive database.

  "What's going on?" Enea whispered, unable to shake off the implant's effect. "Alex, we can't stop this..."

  Our minds went into overload. I was staring at the billions of symbols I absolutely had to read.

  One after another, snippets of phrases left the gigantic lump of data and zoomed into view. Why so many numbers? Where were all the words?

  Every new word was now followed by a long trail of digits. This is how it looked,

  Steel Mist

  3623 4863 0931 9846

  2471 5092 6178 9326

  3519 2074 8362 8934

  ... — ... — ... — ...

  You've... studied... Steel Mist

  ... — ... — ... — ...

  My consciousness was in meltdown, dissolving in all the data. I was struggling to keep my mind in control. My eyes were still moving, mechanically copying the words followed by the chains of numbers. The headache was now excruciating.

  The runes... Enea...

  What was happening to us?

  A black flash exploded in my mind, scattering the numerical towers built with ancient symbols.

  I was dropping to my death down a bottomless chasm.

  Long plumes of digits trailed after my fading mind.