The Kartoss Gambit (The Way of the Shaman: Book #2)

by Vasily Mahanenko

  "Why was Prontho sent to Pryke?" I fired off right away. That was essentially the reason why I came to Almis.

  "He did not obey the will of the Shaman Council. Next question," replied Almis, unperturbed.

  Oops. A fail. When will I learn to think and listen? I have to stop being so impulsive, it got me in enough trouble already. So how do I ask in a correct way? I started to ask questions of myself and reply to them in Almis's manner. I really do have to think before asking. So, what did Prontho break? Rules. Which rules did Prontho break? Those imposed by the Shaman Council. Why did the Shaman Council decide that Prontho broke the rules? E-ehh... Mmm... Well, it's not a bad a bad question, is it? I was about to ask it, when the answer struck me: because the majority of the Council members voted for it! I'm getting nowhere with this! Almis sat there with a smile, enjoying my attempts to arrange the information that I had and force my brains to work. Does it really look that amusing from outside? Think, head, think and I'll get you a cap like the one on Almis, with horns.

  "Mages think'... My memory brought up the words of that lady Shaman that I read before my first test. Antsinthepantsa, if I find you I'd give you one big hug. Just hope you keep playing until that time.

  "Why did you stop training Shamans?" I finally blurted out. That was the question that was really turning in my mind, but I kept putting it off for later. It did not seem that important, but something told me that I should dig in that direction.

  Almis leant back and gave me a thoughtful look.

  "A good question. I will answer it later. What is your last question?"

  Dammit! I had hopes that I would be able to phrase my third question based on the answer he would give me now. But if that's the case, then here you go:

  "What can be done to enable Prontho to teach Shamans once again? If that's what he wants, of course," I added quietly, but Almis heard me. Well, doesn't matter- if getting the reasons for Prontho's punishment out of Almis was impossible, of which I was now sure, perhaps I may discover the reason for my former boss's exile by approaching the problem from the opposite direction.

  Almis sat in the armchair for about a minute, swaying slightly back and forth, thinking something over intently, by the looks of it. Did I really guess right and ask the correct questions? Or is he now thinking how to tie my questions to what he intended to tell me from the start? I sighed. It was quite hard to understand NPCs. They were practically people and in many ways they even acted the same, copying human behaviour with startling accuracy. Imitators, that says it all.

  "You have me rather stumped, I'm afraid. Now I will have to think what to tell you and what to leave for Kornik. He won't be too pleased with me if I told you everything that I know about Prontho here and now. While I'm thinking, please make me some tea. But without the liqueur," added Almis, just in case.

  "It's simply astonishing what an unforgettable and unmatched taste a properly prepared drink can have," Almis said some time later, as he enjoyed the aromatic tea that I had prepared. Mary watched me like a hawk the entire time I was making it, probably thinking that I had plans to usurp her place. She even tried to shoo me out of the kitchen, until I told her that Almis asked me to be the one to make the tea, following which she grumbled that she didn't hold with all these random strangers stomping around the kitchen, but did furnish me with the necessary tools and ingredients.

  "Let's get back to your questions. I put off my Shaman trainer powers twelve years ago — right after Prontho was excluded from the Council. I just couldn't take the outrage that was taking place," Almis sighed, as if recalling some unpleasant moments of his life. "I had a student, a very gifted student, who had every chance to become a Harbinger. He earned the title of a Great Shaman just a year after beginning his training and had to go through just one trial to be given the 'High' title. But something inside him broke and at one tragic moment Geranika, that is his name, turned against his brothers. His strength was like that of a High Shaman and his malice like that of the Dark Lord of Kartoss. I was unable to stop him, although I did have the chance to do that right at the start — I just didn't have the heart to do it... And then it was too late, because my former student gained such immense power that even a Harbinger may not have managed to bring him down. When Geranika started to destroy Shamans to be the only one, as he put it, to command the Spirits and the world, my mentor demanded the forming of the Great Shaman Circle. That was the only thing that was powerful enough to stop Geranika. There was a terrible price to be paid for its creation — full stripping of Shamanistic abilities from all five members of the circle, but there was no other way. The head of the council, Geranika's older brother, turned down the proposal, calling Prontho an upstart, an unweaned cub and panic spreader, who could not see past is own nose. Then the orc broke the rules and challenged the head of the Council. According to our rules, if the challenger loses the duel, he is exiled from the Council and is stripped of the right to teach others. The High Shaman Prontho lost, Geranika disappeared and it has been twelve years since anyone heard of him. After this incident something broke inside me and was no longer able to teach: I am beset by fear that my new student could follow in Geranika's footsteps. This is why I watched over you earlier — I had to see whether I should let you into my house or not. As for your third question... Prontho's status could be restored in only one case: if it is proved that the duel between him and Shiam, the head of the Council, took place in violation of the law. Kornik insisted that he felt the presence of an alien Spirit during the fight, but he was unable to get a single word out of Prontho. Will you take it upon yourself to find out what really happened?"

  Quest accepted: 'Restoration of Justice.'

  Description: Following a duel that took place twelve years ago for the title of the head of the Shaman Council, High Shaman Prontho lost and was permanently stripped of his title and the permission to teach others. There is a suspicion that the duel took place in breach of the rules. Find out the truth about this duel from Kornik, Prontho and other witnesses. Quest type: Class-based unique: Reward: the return of the title of High Shaman to Prontho, a unique reward from the head of the Shaman Council, +(Variable) to the Reputation with the Shaman Council, +(Variable) to the Reputation with the Supreme Spirits of Higher and Lower Worlds. Penalty for failing or refusing the quest: none.

  "I will find out what happened twelve years ago, and will definitely discover the truth," I assured Almis as soon as I read the quest description. Today seems to be my lucky day for quests! A Unique one, a Rare one and a Class Unique one! Now I just have to weather out the three months of confinement in Beatwick and I can head out to uncover the truth. I stayed at Almis's another twenty or thirty minutes, talking about entirely irrelevant topics, after which I thanked him for the information and headed off to look for Cooking and Smithing Trainers. I had to learn how to make ingots for myself, a necessary skill for levelling up in Jewelcraft.

  Towards the end of the day the town came to resemble an anthill: you could hardly get through the streets for all the players milling about. Where did they all come from at such a far end of the empire? They should have stayed back in Anhurs instead of getting in my face here. Most of them were running around on foot, but a couple of times I saw players on horses and once even spotted a riding griffin speeding through the sky. What did a level 100+ player forget in a location like this? Or is this one of those heroes hired by the Herald? Griffins or 'flying cows', as they were otherwise called, were the most popular means of travel for players who reached level 100 and who just didn't know what to do with their money. Their big pile of money. The simplest 'flying cow' cost a million gold, but gave so many advantages that some players took out loans from the Banks of Barliona or in even in the real world to buy a Griffin in virtual reality. In my opinion, they were crazy self-indulgent rich kids. If I could get my hands on a hundred of these birdies and then sell them, all my problems would disappear.

  "A crocodile! Get him!" a shout came from an NPC, which immediately
drowned out the buzz from the players. Yeah, sure thing, NPC is announcing stuff, so everyone must listen. I turned around and looked at the source of such a wild scream. I think I'm beginning to like playing a Shaman. When I was running around as a Hunter, I either didn't take any notice of such details or simply never came across them. A real genuine kobold was walking Farstead streets. Or, rather, a player who chose a kobold as his character. A player who consciously decided to challenge Barliona. These were called by an old-fashioned word that came from ancient games: a hardcore player. Few understood the meaning of these words, but it was used for all those who dared to become a kobold, a goblin or a naga. At the same time, with his level thirty he had already proved that one could play a kobold just as well as any other race. I opened the manual and looked up the properties of the race. Yeaah.

  Racial penalty to Intellect: -75%. Ratio of the necessary stat points: 1:3.

  Racial penalty to Strength: -50%. Ratio of the necessary stat points: 1:2.

  Racial penalty to Stamina: -50%. Ratio of the necessary stat points: 1:2.

  Racial bonus to Agility: +150%. Ratio of the necessary stat points: 4:1.

  Racial bonus to Rage: +50%. Ratio of the necessary stat points: 2:1.

  Racial ability: Resistance to poisons.

  Racial ability: Ability to see in the dark.

  Racial ability: (+Level*5) resistance to physical damage due to thick skin.

  Racial ability: Ability to breathe under water.

  Racial skill: Slowing poison.

  Racial restriction: Reputation gain rate is halved.

  Racial restriction: Attractiveness gain rate is halved.

  Racial restriction: Experience gain rate is halved.

  Racial restriction: Stats gained from equipment bonuses are halved.

  This isn't just crazy, this is downright suicidal! You might somehow get used to or compensate for the stat penalties, by levelling up as, for example, a Hunter instead of a Mage or a Shaman — the bonuses to Agility and Rage seem to point that way. But with such penalties to Reputation, Attractiveness and gear playing should be simply impossible. How did he manage to get as high as level thirty? Did he do it just thanks to Agility? Reptilis Y'allgotohellis. Even his name choice seems to be making fun of normal players. It was strange that he was completely ignoring the screams of the crowd, including the NPC-children running away from him in all directions. He simply walked purposefully in one direction: judging by his trajectory, towards the tavern. In general, this was quite an extraordinary event for Farstead. And no wonder — there's a crocodile in town. Terrible stuff!

  "I'll show you!" An enormous NPC smith, aimed a blow at the kobold with his large club. Reptilis clenched his fists, and without saying a word continued on his way at the same unhurried pace. He really was a hardcore player!

  My first impulse was to stop the man, but I quickly thought better of it. Who was I, with my red headband, to interfere with an NPC playing out his scripting? Did I really need this? It's not like I've joined the paladins of late. I have too many problems of my own to go and get landed with someone else's. Moreover, Reptilis is probably quite aware of how NPCs see him. To get to level thirty playing such a crocodile is no walk in the park.

  Boom! The club landed on the kobold's head — or rather on the place where the head had just been — and loudly hit the ground. With an imperceptible movement Reptilis slid sideways and lifted his tail, from under which a green cloud appeared. The smith froze like a statue. Briefly holding his gaze on me as he glanced around, Reptilis headed for the tavern at the same slow pace, paying little heed to anyone else. Looks like kobolds have a rather useful air-fouling ability. Could it be transferred to someone else, I wonder?

  Chapter Four

  Swiftbel's Treasure

  I sat down on one of the benches, which were scattered in large numbers in the centre of Farstead, and decided to do a full revision of all my quests. I had to decide which of them to do now and which I could postpone until I got out of Beatwick.

  So, what did I have:

  'The Way of the Shaman: Step 2. Find Shaman trainer Kornik.' Class-based.

  'Searching for your Totem.' Class-based.

  'The Hunt for Grey Death.' Common.

  'Night terror of the village.' Rare.

  'The Last Hope. Step 3.' The quest isn't there yet, but it should appear soon. Rare.

  'The Eye of the Dark Widow.' This quest wasn't there either, but it should appear at level 100. Legendary.

  'Search for the Dark Coordinator' Unique.

  'Don't wake the wothe in its snoose.' Rare.

  'Restoration of Justice.' Class-based unique.

  Nine quests and only one of them a common one. Not a bad collection for a sixteen-level player. The first two quests, like the last, can definitely wait — until I am released from Beatwick. Number three to five are based in Beatwick — when I return tomorrow, I will decide what to do with the wolves and the Vagren. The Eye can be put on ice until the happy ever after: either until I reach level 100 or I sell it at the auction house. The search for the coordinator has to be started in Beatwick — I only wish I had some clue as to who it could be. If he's coordinating various tasks, he either has to keep travelling between different bases or receive a lot of visitors. I should ask Tisha or the guards how often there are guests in the village and where they end up calling. That leaves the old ladies' quest, which I would be dealing with today. But business first.

  The enormous mage tower, where I went to get the portal scrolls, loomed over the entire town. Inexplicably, in each town, even Anhurs, the mage tower was always the northernmost structure. Only the wall or the gates would be north of it. No-one knows why that is, and if they do – they are keeping quiet about it. Perhaps there is some quest tied to that, who knows with those developers?

  The tower met me with its standard double entrance. This was another feature of Barliona — personal development through the game. Through the main entrance you could enter the tower, climb five hundred steps and in the room right at the very top meet the local mage. It so happens, that each town has one resident mage. Within the bounds of the Empire they follow a certain ranking, but within a town there is only one, who is the local High Mage. Now then. The main entrance takes you to the mage directly, but the second one enables you to get a discount off him. When you use the second entrance, the system picks a theme at random and gives you a number of questions to answer. The first mistake stops the trial. Before the first question, the person who took the risk of choosing the second door is given a negative discount value, minus two, I think, and afterwards each correct question increases this value by one. Thus, in order to reach zero and pay the same price as the player entering the normal door, you must answer at least two questions. Then the work on the discount begins. As a Hunter I tried my skill with this only a couple of times. I ended up with questions on literature and art. In both cases I was knocked out on the second question. The nastiest part was that if you failed to buy anything from the mage after the trial, you could kiss good bye to normal prices. The extra charge amounted to 200% and was demanded by every mage in Barliona. So if you decided to try your luck — be prepared to buy transportation scrolls at an extortionate price. In the real world players set up special resources, where everyone posts the questions that they got, but the developers aren't paid for sitting on their hands either and constantly update the database. They say the corporation has a whole department focused on this alone. Never mind, good luck to them in their difficult work.

  I almost stepped through the main door, when something inside me protested. Here we go again. Why on earth do I think that I would be able to get farther than two questions? Of course, I'm not exactly low on gold at the moment, but I'm not that eager to just throw away five hundred gold either. Damn. I have to go for it! Even if I don't make it, it will set a precedent that the inner voice should not be trusted.

  You have entered the Door of Choice. The question theme has been assigned: Ma
thematics. Please confirm that you are ready to start answering questions.

  Mathematics! I nearly jumped for joy, but tried to control myself. That was some stroke of luck! With my special interest in non-standard problems! My inner voice was right! With bated breath, I pressed the virtual button and awaited the first question. Generally in Barliona any confirmation is given by pressing virtual buttons. There is no voice control for things that influence the player or their character directly. In the first years after the game was launched there were a few unpleasant investigations when players imitated voices of other players and gained access to their characters.

  Question 1. Name two numbers, consisting only of digit '1', the sum and the product of which are equal. Time provided: 4 minutes.

  This was simple. I knew the answer to this one from way back before my imprisonment: 11 and 1.1. But, if my memory serves me right, I spent quite a bit of time solving this problem. Usually the first question is easy, to get the player in the working mood. Strange. I filled in the text field and pressed the button. I couldn't help feeling good about the three additional minutes that transferred to the next questions.

  Answer accepted. Current discount bonus: -1.

  Question 2. 1000 gold was paid for a teleportation scroll and the remaining amount to be paid for it is equal to the amount that should have been paid for it if what was paid for it was equal to what is yet to be paid for it. How much does the scroll cost? Time provided: 7 minutes.

  Maaan... You'd do your head in, before you make any sense of that sentence. This has to be translated into human language: 1000 gold has been paid for the scroll and X more remains to be paid, and if X had been paid, X would have still remained outstanding. From this perspective this wasn't that hard a question.