The Phantom Castle (The Way of the Shaman: Book #4) LitRPG series

by Vasily Mahanenko

  “I received this here item through the mail,” I produced the scroll and offered it to the Herald. “It states quite clearly who the rightful owner is, so I summoned you. If it was stolen, I wish to return this missing item. Otherwise, I would like official confirmation that I am now the rightful owner of this item. I wouldn’t like the Emperor to bear any ill will towards me.”

  The Herald’s eyes filmed over with a white patina for a moment or two, as though he had sunk deep inside himself. Then he returned to this frail world:

  “Please follow me.” A portal appeared beside me and the Herald beckoned me towards it. “The Emperor wishes to speak with you.”

  “You will be admitted in a few minutes. Please wait here until then,” said the Herald, having brought me to the palace garden. The garden had changed since my last visit—the aftermath of Geranika’s attack had been remedied and the garden had regained its earlier grandeur and beauty. The only difference was that, now, in comparison to its previous form, everything was a bit sharper, more aggressive and martial. It was as if some militant architects had been given the restoration contract. They had replaced the previous romantic outlines with a terse, Spartan style, demonstrating thereby that even simplicity could be lovely as long as it was properly implemented. I couldn’t say that the result was worse—the garden was as splendorous as before, but the fact that a change in the Emperor had ushered in a change in its design, was interesting in of itself.

  “Mahan, the Emperor will see you now. Come with me.” The Herald appeared beside me again and, interrupting my examination of the fish in the pond, directed me to pass through the arch.

  You have gained access to the Office of the Emperor. Current level of palace access: 54%. Next interior: The Library of the Emperor.

  The Office of the Emperor had also been remodeled in the new style: a massive table, a pair of armchairs, three whiskered sentries as still as shadows among the room’s niches and walls decked out in red velvet. Everything else was cold marble—even the floor, which was bare of rugs or furs.

  “Have a seat,” said the Emperor, unfurling the scroll that the Herald had given him and studying it. Tisha sat like a mouse beside Naahti, not daring to look up at me. There were still three months left before Slate’s rebirth, so I understood why my Attractiveness with the Princess had fallen to 30. These things happen. What can you do? I’d be upset too.

  “Before we begin our conversation, you need to answer two questions,” said the Emperor, laying the scroll aside. Naahti seemed utterly unlike a mighty monarch and ruler of an enormous Empire. At the moment, sitting before me, was a man who had suffered much in life and who now bore the weighty burden of power. “Did you steal the scroll? And if not—did you commission its theft?”

  “No to both questions!” I replied, never having imagined that the Emperor would start our conversation in this manner. “I am prepared to attest my words with an oath!” Even if the Emperor had not requested such evidence, my sixth sense told me that adding these words wouldn’t hurt. It could even help.

  “Very well,” said Naahti with relief and a white sphere suddenly appeared around me. Phew! I hadn’t imagined that my readiness to speak the oath might be interpreted as me taking it. I am starting to like this turn of events. “I had to make sure that you are innocent,” the Emperor explained his actions, while Tisha smiled shyly for the first time during the meeting.

  +300 to Reputation with the Malabar Emperor. Current level: Respectful. You are 2000 points away from Esteemed status.

  “Since we’ve settled the matter of the scroll,” Naahti twirled the item in his hands and then offered it to me, “it’s yours for the time it takes you to craft the chess set. I cannot impede the recreation of the Legendary Set and must do everything I can to assist in this process. As for now, I must thank you, Mahan—for Tavia! I knew that she had concealed a dagger and I was prepared to lose that lovely girl. I don’t much like these dynastic marriages.”

  “It wasn’t me alone,” I instantly spoke up, remembering Stacey. “If it hadn’t been for Anastaria, I would not have succeeded. It was only because she has the ability to meet with you whenever she likes that what happened, happened.”

  “I know,” Naahti smiled wearily. “I have already sent her a Herald to express my gratitude and deliver a present. After all, she could only request one meeting with me and she used this single request for you without even asking for the reason. Such trust does not come cheaply.”

  Stacey had used her only admission to the palace on me? She could have sold the admission for…Hadn’t Eric said 250,000? But why? I’m beginning to understand this girl less and less. To be honest I didn’t understand her so well to begin with; however, at least her actions used to make perfect sense. Now though, I get the impression that she is acting on her emotions—like me.

  “How is it going with the barbarians?” Naahti asked. “The deadline for summoning the Herald expires tomorrow and if you don’t set out to the dwarven lands, you will lose the castle and the title.”

  “I remember your Grace. Thank you for reminding me,” I thanked the Emperor. “We were training with the Patriarch for the past month and returned to Anhurs only yesterday. We will summon the Herald this evening. Neither I nor anyone in my clan wishes to miss out on such a unique opportunity.”

  “When Tisha found out what you did for Tavia,” the Emperor smiled suddenly and leaned back in his armchair, “she pushed me against a wall and demanded in no uncertain terms that I give you a reward. All my attempts to explain that your reward was the Ying-Yang fell on deaf ears. According to my daughter, he who helped unite two hearts deserves more than some ordinary stone. I have updated information about the barbarians, so you will not need to fly anywhere. In fact, this assignment has turned out to be more complicated than it first seemed…”

  “Your Excellency?” I looked quizzically at the Emperor when he trailed off abruptly.

  “Castle Urusai, which I intend on granting you, is located here.” A detailed map of the Empire and its neighboring lands appeared on the massive table. The Emperor took a moment to study the map and then pointed at one of the outlying areas. The thin line of imperial lands, like a wedge hundreds of kilometers long, separated the Free Lands from Kartoss on their way to the ocean. My potential castle was situated not far from the port city of Narlak, the only Imperial city with access to the sea on the southern part of the continent.

  “The dwarven lands are here,” the Emperor indicated an expansive region on the map, which was densely dotted with mountains and began not far from Narlak, just past the Free Lands. “The barbarians used to reside in this region,” Naahti outlined another area among the Free Lands and right beside my future castle.

  “Why did the barbarians flee in the direction of the dwarves, instead of attacking Narlak?” I asked surprised. “All that lies between them and the city was Urusai. Why would they journey so far away?”

  “Therein lies the complicated part. According to our reconnaissance, there is some kind of monster in the castle. Narlak is very well defended from any magical attacks—after all, it is our only corridor to the ocean. As a result, it seems that the barbarians became the only available fodder for the monster. Not one of the thirty scouts we sent to Urusai has returned, so we simply don’t know what we’re dealing with. In general, I figured out the reason for the barbarians’ flight from their lands and their attack on the dwarves without you. Now we just have to decide what to do about that castle.”

  “Since you started this conversation, I assume you’ve already come to a decision?”

  “You are correct. I have. In the Dark Forest, you demonstrated that you are capable, so I want to give you the opportunity to not only acquire that castle, but also the fame for having vanquished the monster. If you agree, I will name you the owner of the castle right this instant and bestow upon you the title of Earl. You will have three months—until the next clan competition to deal with the monster and Castle Urusai. If you manage
it, the castle and the title will be yours forever. If not, you will receive Castle Drangor, which is located right here.” The Emperor indicated another point on the map, not far from Sintana, the dwarven capital. “But you will lose your title.”

  “And if I refuse?” I asked just in case.

  “You will receive Drangor right away. I am not in the habit of making presents to those who cannot handle them. What do you say? Are you prepared to discover what lies concealed in the depths of Castle Urusai?”

  Update of the ‘Inevitable Evil’ quest—the cause of the barbarians’ flight is a monster inhabiting the castle’s dungeon.

  A long text appeared, recapping everything the Emperor had just told me and culminating with two buttons: ‘Accept’ and ‘Decline.’ Before pushing anything, I took some time to examine the situation from all possible angles. The pros were that I had Plinto and Anastaria, who could smoke any monster out from any dungeon. Narlak, as I understood it from the map, was a location for players of Levels 150 to 220, so there was unlikely to be anything that dreadful or high-level lurking there. Likewise, that location would be well-suited to leveling up both me and my low-level Officers. We had not yet reached even Level 100 and would therefore gain extra Experience against Level 150 monsters, both for quests completed and monsters slain. Another pro was the proximity to one of the Imperial trade centers, which would allow us to trade with NPCs in addition to other players and earn bonuses. My own personal castle and title. What else? I think that’s about it. Now onto the cons. There weren’t many of these, but they were quite significant—a great, even humongous, distance from Anhurs. Considering that all of the main events take place in the capital, wasting hundreds of thousands of gold on portals (and even then, if we got lucky with our Mage), was a serious expenditure to keep in mind. Naturally, maybe it wouldn’t come out to hundreds of thousands—that was a bit of an exaggeration—but it’d be a significant expenditure either way. The distance from Urusai to Anhurs was about thrice the distance from Farstead to Anhurs. Next—the monster. What could have forced an entire tribe, living peacefully in the Free Lands, to flee its home? Surely this was a bit worse than a crocodile. Another con was the extreme proximity to the Free Lands and Kartoss, both places I could expect other players to attack from. Opening the map, I had to add to my list of cons the proximity to a third Empire—Geranika’s capital was also located in the south of the continent, albeit deep in the Free Lands.

  The textbook way to handle this is to reject the Emperor’s offer and take the castle near Sintana. Why bother with extra troubles? On the other hand, receiving a title in a game in which no other player had ever received one, with or without a castle…

  “I knew that you would not be frightened by some monster,” the Emperor said with satisfaction. The world around me wavered and melted and we suddenly found ourselves in the throne room. Naahti approached the throne, which was surrounded by the Stones of Light and pierced in its center by the black dagger of Geranika. He turned to me and said triumphantly:

  “Bend your knee!” A shining sword appeared in the Emperor’s hands. “I hereby bestow the title of Earl on High Shaman Mahan for a duration of three months! If he manages to vanquish the monster of Castle Urusai, the title shall belong to him and his descendants forever! Arise, Sir Mahan!”

  Clan achievement gained: ‘Masters of a castle.’

  You have earned the achievement ‘Earl’: +60% to worker production and gathering speed.

  Unique achievement gained: ‘First Free Earl of Barliona.’

  “I thought you promised you’d take it easy,” instantly came a chat message from Anastaria—Baroness Anastaria. “Earl!”

  “Talk about punching above your weight!” Plinto could not refrain from commenting on such an event. “Mahan is as much an Earl as I’m a ballerina! No but seriously—has he seen himself in the mirror lately? All he’s good for is breeding nightmares!”

  “Baron Plinto is as ever a fine wit.” To my great surprise Clutzer chimed up in my defense. “Considering the terror of his own mug…”

  “Let’s have it, Mahan—how did you manage to complete the quest?” Clutzer asked. “We haven’t even gone anywhere yet!”

  “I think I know,” Anastaria sent another message.

  “Oh don’t worry. It’s nothing special. I’ll tell you guys all about it this evening.”

  “Evening? Forget evening! Let’s have it now—where are you? We’re all suddenly Barons and he wants to put off explaining until evening!”

  “Sorry guys, it will have to be this evening. Have some patience, please!”

  “In two weeks the Herald will take you and your people to the castle,” said the Emperor, once I closed the chat window. “You will be able to buy portals to Anhurs in Narlak. The price of one portal will cost you and your clan mates only 50,000 gold. I will make sure that the Mage of Narlak is apprised of my decision! Remember, Mahan, you have three months to vanquish the monster.”

  * * *

  “How can I be of service, oh my brother? Do you come seeking wisdom as last time, or to improve your skills and expertise?” said the Mentor as soon as I entered the Shamanic Residence. As I understood it, the news that a player had just earned the first title in Barliona had already managed to percolate through the various news channels of the game, since I was already being overwhelmed with new messages. The players were congratulating me on this triumphant occasion and asking me for money, clan admission and an introduction to Anastaria. Basically, it was life as usual. I still had a good while before our clan meeting at the Golden Horseshoe, so I went to the training grounds to complete my quest with the shamans. I didn’t want to put that off for later, and I could take my time to enjoy the palace at some other date.

  About ten players were picnicking right on the green grass, another group was swimming in the pond and only two were doing what Shamans should be doing on the training grounds—sleeping, that is.

  “Thank you for your offer, Mentor, but I’d only like to meditate at the moment.”

  “A worthy pursuit, brother. Call me as soon as you need any assistance.”

  The Mentor left and I found a suitable place to contact Kalatea—a patch of green grass under one of the trees. There were no picnickers here and no one would bother me. Very good. All I had to recall now was how I had made the call last time.

  Having reshuffled the Spirits available to me, I finally found one who could help me: the Air Spirit of Communication. Rank 10. Hmm…How had I summoned him last time? Considering that I was Rank 9 and the Spirit was Rank 10…It’s funny how it’s sometimes easier to do things when you don’t know what you’re doing. If I’d have to summon a Rank 20 Spirit, I’d be at a real loss. Maybe the problem is simply that I’m thinking too much as of late. It’s not healthy. Where are you Shaman?

  The Shaman has three hands…

  Attention! The summoning of the Air Spirit of Communication cannot be interrupted. Because this type of Spirit is beyond your rank, every minute, your Hit Points will be reduced by 5%.

  Kalatea didn’t pick up for an entire three minutes. And I mean ‘entire,’ not ‘only.’ I was familiar with the sensation of losing life, which reoccurred every minute, so I managed to overcome and ignore the intermittent stabs of pain. My Endurance began to crawl upward lazily in increments of just 1–3%, which wasn’t anything to be happy about. As of late, this stat really does grow too slowly. Maybe I should go looking for another little turtle?

  “Is that you, Natalie?” a pleasant female voice spoke in my head.

  “Not exactly. Greetings, Kalatea! My name is Mahan. I just read your letter and…” A flash of pain coursed through my body, causing me to fall silent and miss the beginning of Kalatea’s sentence:

  “…are you?”

  “Could you repeat that, please? I don’t use this form of communication frequently and have trouble keeping my concentration.”

  “Where are you?” the girl repeated.

  “On the Shamani
c training grounds in Anhurs.”

  “Oh! Excellent! Go ahead and end the communication. The emotions you’re sending me are making it difficult for me to concentrate as well. I’ll jump over to you in a second.”

  Kalatea hung up somehow, leaving me on my own with the Spirit. I’m constantly stunned by how little I know! But who could even explain to me how someone could end a communication like this? First Geranika, now Kalatea—they’re all such great and outstanding Shamans that I’m even beginning to feel sorry for myself. It’s like I’ve been home-schooled.

  “So this is your favorite student?” the same pleasant female voice sounded from behind me, causing me to whirl about and jump to my feet. Two Harbingers appeared beside me: Kornik, smiling wryly as if the Dark Forest never happened, and a woman with bright red hair. The woman’s appearance was stunning: high cheekbones, a wide jaw, deep-set hazel eyes and small, green ears, jutting like straws in opposite directions. Kalatea was an orc—more precisely an orcish maiden. Hmm…Or is it orcess? I don’t know what the proper term for her was, but the main gist was evident—she was large and green.