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

by Vasily Mahanenko

  "Mahan," Clouter told me off for my unacceptable table manners for the first time, "you eat fish with this fork," he pointed to one with four shorter prongs. Somewhat surprised, I changed the forks. What's the difference? Both have four prongs, only with slightly different lengths. It seems I just don't get certain things...

  "Avtondil, it is impolite to reproof adults at the table," Elizabeth corrected her son.

  "But mum! He was using the wrong fork! Why was I forced to learn what each of them was for, but no-one's correcting him," he nodded in my direction. "Tiny Tim still squeals a little when he sees Mahan."

  "Mahan is a guest and you are my son! That's the end of it. Each time you correct him will land you cleaning the pigsty."

  "That isn't fair!!! What if he starts eating with his hands? Can't I say anything then either?"

  "Avtondil!"

  "I'll do it, you'll see," he replied stubbornly. "It's better to be with pigs than eat with someone like this." Clouter threw his napkin on the table, "I'm going. The pigsty awaits."

  "Oh dear," sighed the landlady, when Clouter left. "I'm sorry Mahan. Clouter is trying to be a grown up. After all, he's the only man in the family. But he's still small and doesn't understand some things."

  From that day on Clouter always corrected me, despite the punishment. I was either sitting wrong, or using the wrong fork or passing the knife incorrectly — and so on. The daily dinner turned into a struggle with my own nerves — not to lose my temper with the little NPC. He had a strange program in him, very strange.

  "Clouter, I need your help," today I decided to break the vicious circle of my uncultured behaviour. Elizabeth and her daughter gave me some very surprised looks and Clouter sat there staring at his plate, same as always. "You are right, it's just unacceptable to be this uncivilised. Thank you for constantly correcting me, but I want to do more. Can you teach me all the subtle wisdom of forks, knives and the correct way to be at the table? It just so happens that no-one taught me this. Will you do it, or shall I ask Mariana?"

  "Why won't I do it? Mariana doesn't know anything," he fired off. "She herself eats the salad with a fish fork instead of a salad one."

  "We have a deal then? We'll start tomorrow first thing in the morning. An hour a day and I'll learn it all in a week. Once we succeed — the present's on me."

  "What is it?" Clouter lifted his head and stared at me with interest.

  "It'll be a surprise. If you teach me all this table wisdom in a week, it'll be a good one."

  "It's a deal. I will drop by tomorrow and wake you up. Mum, I'm off to the pigsty. Have to say good-bye to the piggies. I'm not going to be visiting them anymore. That place just doesn't smell very nice," a gust seemed to rush through the room and the lad disappeared. A smart kid.

  From then on I had a rather busy time of it. The mornings were given to Clouter. He would run to my summer house, shake me awake and then dump a small mountain of various cutlery straight in the bed and start teaching me what to do with it all. As I listened to the lad, I grew more and more surprised. Where would an eight-year-old village kid learn all this?

  After the lesson I went to the mine. Hellfire, Plinto and other heroes hired by the Heralds have cleaned out the surrounding area pretty well and I didn't come across any more goblins. Aside from the Tin mine, there were also Copper, Marble and Iron mines in the neighbourhood of Beatwick. Although I couldn't tackle Iron Veins yet, I took the opportunity to level up my skills through Marble Veins every day. It wasn't all that useful, however, since Marble wasn't used in Jewelcrafting and I didn't have the Sculptor profession. So I ended up saving up the Marble for sale.

  The second part of my day was dedicated to levelling up in Jewelcrafting. I had a good supply of ingots and Malachite, so I made rings and cut stones. It was monotonous and repetitive, but I had to busy myself with something...

  "You're quite deft at this stuff," said the Smith in his bass voice, after I finished forming another Bronze Ring. "But I just don't understand why you need so many rings and gems. Are you going to pickle them or something?"

  "I will sell them to free citizens when I go to Farstead or to the Merchant when he passes by here again. I have no need of the rings myself, but I must get better at my profession," I threw the rings in the bag, left the smithy and sat on a wooden block by the door. Tonight Tisha and I will be hunting the Night Monster, so I had to get some rest.

  This week turned out to be quite productive. I raised my Mining to 25. Eleven more levels and I would be able to go to the Iron mine. Mining wouldn't get any higher because I only managed to increase my Jewelcrafting to 19. Smithing did not go up that much, just to 14, but I got sixteen pieces of Malachite as I was making the ingots. With my gradually diminishing supplies this was handy. However, the one thing that levelled up the most during this week was Cartography. Each day the damned ziggurat that operated in the area erased my map and all I had drawn there the previous day. I had to draw it in again, but for a Cartographer a repeat drawing was same as a new one. This resulted in level 29 in almost four days...

  In the evening, there was a meeting of the monster hunter strike-force at the Headman's house. There was me, Tisha, the Headman and the two Vagrens from the painting — Tisha's brothers whom I met in person for the first time.

  "If I'm not mistaken, the monster is rather fond of Mahan. That's no laughing matter, Tisha," said the Headman. "Mahan, you task is simple. You have to lure the Monster out to open ground, the square would be best for that. These two," he nodded towards his sons, "will be waiting for it on the roof. When you get the monster there — dive under the porch straight away. You'll hide out there while Lloyd and Treyl will be catching him. The main thing is to spot it — then we won't let it get away. Now go, we'll meet exactly at midnight."

  After I came back home, I cooked some food to give at least a little boost to my stats, came out of the summer house and sat on a bench. Just a couple more hours remained until night time and my cue to go to the centre of the village and make myself very visible on the main square. We figured that the mist beast would come after me itself. I set up a warning message to stop me oversleeping, leant against the wall and closed my eyes. With such a busy timetable there was barely any time left to rest.

  The quiet squeaking of the front door made me tense up. Pretending I was still asleep, I half-opened my eyes and watched how Elizabeth carefully closed the door and went to the gate, constantly looking back at me, and then, quiet as a shadow, slipped into the approaching night. My landlady's hands held the same bundle as a week ago. Where could she be going? There was still plenty of time — two whole hours so I decided to follow this lady for a bit. Even if she was going on a date, something wasn't right here. I had a gut feeling that my landlady was connected to the monster's appearance. And if I had a feeling, it needed checking out.

  I let Elizabeth put about fifty meters between us and silently followed her. I was afraid to come closer, since I lacked any stealthy tracking skills, unlike Hunters or Rogues, so I moved like an elephant on tiptoe.

  Elizabeth's behaviour was becoming 'curiouser and curiouser'. She kept to the side of the street, staying in the shade of the houses. Constantly glancing back, as if afraid of being discovered, the woman moved purposefully towards the village square. Could she be visiting the Headman after all? If that's true, this guy had it all sorted — just sent off his daughter and sons to hunt the monster, himself staying at home to receive a lady friend!

  I stopped and watched from afar how Elizabeth came up to the square, looked around and instead of going to the Headman's house, turned into the neighbouring street. What the...?

  Moving as fast as I could without making any noise I sped after my landlady. My suspicions that she was connected with the monster now transformed into certainty.

  After a couple of minutes Elizabeth came up to the stockade and stopped. Glancing back just in case, she pressed something and two logs of the fence lifted, as if they were threaded through by a pole.
Bowing her head, the woman left the village, pressed something again and the logs returned to their places. That's just nuts! The fence has a secret door and my landlady is using it. Where could she be going?

  Although I saw well enough where Elizabeth pressed the lever, I couldn't figure out how to use it. Or, rather, there wasn't any lever there. Realising that if I tarried much longer I would lose sight of her, I disregarded stealth and jumped over the stockade. I grabbed the top ledge, lifted myself and dropped on the other side. It was just as well that they decided not to sharpen the top of the stockade in Beatwick — these were just simple logs. Otherwise I would have been in for an unpleasant experience. I dropped to the ground like a sack (-25 Hit Points, but this was currently irrelevant) and just had time to see the blurry silhouette of my target heading in the direction of the temple.

  Damn! Could she be visiting the Priest instead of the Headman? Vlast didn't seem to be too hung up on chastity. And here's me suspecting the poor woman of all kinds of vile things. But my inner worm of doubt completely chewed through my certitude of Elizabeth's innocence, stating: trust everyone, but always cut the cards. When I see her go into the temple I can relax and go back to Beatwick.

  The woman went around the temple and headed to the cemetery. I carefully approached the cemetery fence and looked inside. Elizabeth settled down on a small patch in the centre of the cemetery which was free of graves, took out some candles from her bundle, placed them in a particular configuration, then lit them and sat at the centre of the figure that they made. In a couple of moments I heard her voice, which was mumbling some sort of an incantation in anything but the common tongue.

  And what are we doing here? I looked at my internal clock: it was an hour to midnight. Soon I'll have to run to the square to lure out the monster and I'm still here spying on Elizabeth. Although I was very interested in what it was she was doing. Especially why it happened to be during the night when the mist beast came out.

  Elizabeth continued to mumble the incantation and I felt someone's hot breath on my neck. Slowly, trying not to make any sudden moves, I turned to face my predicament.

  I was greeted by two red eyes and the mist that covered the beast head to toe.

  "I'm happy to see you too," I wrinkled my brow when the thing snorted right in my face. The furnace-hot breath of the beast, which was mixed with some unpleasant sharp smell, made me veer away. "How's it going? Let's negotiate — I have a proposal. There must be something that you want and I'm prepared to help you get that something," I wasn't even a little afraid. I thought I was heading in the right direction. I had to get this thing talking, and the next bit could be figured out later.

  The beast snorted again, engulfing me in another wave of hot air, and in one blurred movement was right next to me. It was so close I could touch it, something I had exactly zero intention of doing. I was no longer scared of dying, but I wanted to live all the same. I stood still as a statue, hoping that the beast may not recognise me, when two clawed paws shot out of the mist and grabbed me by the neck. Immediately the 'No Air' status bar appeared, measuring the two minutes I could survive without the said substance. I resisted, but to no avail: I couldn't kick the misty bastard, its arms were too long, nor could I unbend the paws clenching my neck. The level difference was too big. Was I really looking at yet another respawn? Tisha sure would be happy when I turn up with a confession to make... Instead of waiting for the monster in the square, I went looking for it myself.

  But I did find out how it turned up in Beatwick: the secret entrance known to Elizabeth. And it looks like she happens to be a common demonologist, who summons this terror on the village once a week. But why would she do that? And what kind of a beast is this?

  The air bar flickered one last time and my Hit Points started to fall with frightening speed. Never mind. A plan had already ripened in my mind on how to stop the beast appearing in a week's time and expose Elizabeth for who she is. If she was the Vagren, I would have given some thought about what would happen to her children, but if she's the one summoning this horror on the village, there isn't much else to be done — she had to be handed over to the authorities.

  Attention!

  In connection with your death, your level of Experience has been reduced by 30%...

  "I see you're becoming a familiar face around here, my son." The priest of Vlast was standing by the temple when I respawned there. "Did you decide to mend your ways and hand in the Vagrens? Yes, I know everything about the Headman and his family. Even if they have come over to the side of light, any priest would immediately recognise them in their human guise."

  "The Vagren is innocent. There's something else at work here."

  "And what is it?" the priest looked at me with interest.

  "We'll know in a week's time; I thought up of a way to catch this little monster. But I need your help. Can you make me a scroll with the Movable Prison spell?"

  "Eh. I don't know how to make scrolls — I don't have the Cartographer skill."

  "What does Cartographer have to do with it?" I was very surprised by the Priest's words. Is there something I don't know about my profession?

  "Yes, you see, one of the Cartographer specialisations is 'Scroll Scribe'. Only they are able to transfer their spells or recipes onto scrolls."

  Wow! I'll have two of those! I just happen to have some original recipes that I produced! If I manage to transfer them onto scrolls and put them up at the auction, I could earn good money. There are plenty of collectors of various recipes in Barliona.

  "All right, I'll think of something myself. Thank you for the advice."

  "Don't mention it. What do you have in mind?"

  "I have a certain suspicion. I'll check it out in a week's time."

  "I will await your news," the priest turned around and stared into the distance.

  I heaved a deep sigh, anticipating my conversation with the Headman and Tisha, and headed off to Beatwick. I made a decision not to tell anyone about Elizabeth until next week.

  “Mahan! where were you?!" Tisha flew out of the house and run up to me. We waited and waited for you last night, but you never came! Just vanished without a trace! What happened? We had an agreement!"

  "Just a moment, Tisha, calm down," I heard the Headman's quiet voice behind me. I turned around and saw him giving last-minute instructions to his sons, who were already on their horses, ready to head out to the next village. "Mahan is a free citizen and they are not so easy to destroy. When their Life is reduced almost to zero, they travel to the Grey Lands. Then twelve hours go by and they return to the nearest graveyard. A very interesting trait that only free citizens possess. If I remember correctly, the cemetery is exactly the place you've just come from. Right?"

  I gave a resigned nod.

  "So the beast got you before you could lead it to the square, eh?" I started and was almost ready to give the Headman a big hug. He asked the question himself and was ready with the answer — an answer that happened to get me off the hook. I love NPCs like that.

  "Yes, I wasn't fast enough. We should start right on the square next time. The thing is just too fast."

  "Then in a week's time we'll meet right on the square. This time we'll get it for sure. It's really into you for some reason."

  I exchanged a couple of phrases with Tisha and went home. Although now I could hardly call this abode a home. Elizabeth was ordering the workmen about as if nothing happened — sending some to chop the wood and others to fetch the water.

  "I see you like taking night-time walks," she remarked, turning to me. "You should go to the gates and scare off the children that keep scratching them. We end up having to fix them every week."

  "I will, for sure. Is the kids' next trip to the gates scheduled in a week's time?" I was watching the woman's reaction very carefully. "I'll just go and have a look at who it is that's scratching those gates. Then I'll drag them off to the Headman for sure."

  Did I imagine it or did Elizabeth tense up? That's fine —
this is good for you. I have a week to think of a way to deal with you, dear landlady. Or, rather, I already know what to do – all I need is to hop over to Farstead and back. I wouldn't even be too stingy with my gold for something like that.

  I took out my last portal scroll. Time had come to get to grips with my Totem...

  Farstead met me with drenching rain. It didn't get in the way (the droplets flowed down a transparent sphere around each player), but it didn't do much for visibility or NPC spirits. The majority of shops were closed when it rained, the prices in the tavern doubled and the town itself acquired the status of a 'conditional safe zone'. During the rain it was permitted to kill other players in the town if you managed to avoid getting seen by the guards and waited out the eight hours in some hiding place afterwards.

  This is why bigger towns had a so-called 'safe-zone'. It was a zone where it never rained, where players knew they had nothing to be afraid of. But the prices in this zone were several times higher than in the normal zone a few streets down. As I understood it, Eric and Co. holed up in such a zone, so their money was disappearing at an alarming rate. Never mind, they should last a couple of months or so.

  Ignoring the gremlin, who habitually inquired how he could be of service, I entered the Personal Room. There were two letters there. The letter from Hellfire was not unexpected, but the other, from a player under the nick of Nurris, was a surprise. I had no idea who this was or what he wanted from me. Well, we'll see, I guess. I opened the letter from the head of Phoenix first:

  “Hello Mahan. As you asked, I'm sending you the holograms of the top twenty players of the Phoenix and the Dark Legion clans. Good luck."