Newcomers had their own personal belongings, they carefully moved them to the house of Turin and now distributed them among players with a large reserve of strength.

The journey went smoothly and without incident, but took almost 13 hours. The players did not enter the village and immediately turned to the road to the castle.

Dwarves met the players in the castle. Turin and Velida met new people and the dwarf went to the smithy, and his wife ran to prepare a special dinner.

First of all, the newcomers went to the roof of the main tower and joined the new clan. Then they took oaths of loyalty to the 'Shoulder to Shoulder' clan. Dan met the next player and handed the player a piece of paper with the text of the oath. The player took an oath and left the roof of the tower, and went straight to the cla.s.s selection room.

Nick was the last one to swear. He shook his head and said:

"I hope it's worth it."

Dan smiled and handed him a piece of paper on which he used runes to write down the words of the red thief. Nick took this paper, and the paper flashed in his hands and disappeared.

"It's an interesting effect. +1 to the Spirit, a small reward for such a serious act," laughed Nick.

"You'll have plenty of opportunities to get your main rewards," smiled Dan.

Nick's gone to get the Thief cla.s.s. Dan stood on the roof, a clan flag flying above his head. The sinner looked out at the edge of the forest and waited. Anything in the game was possible, he might have misunderstood the ancient inscriptions in the ancient cemetery. A message flashed before the player's eyes.

*

[Attention! You have successfully completed a hidden quest a.s.signment: 'In the footsteps of the Greats'.

You revived Hunter's Circle.

Attention! Your Clan is honored to fulfill its duties.

Congratulations! 300 points of 'Glory' have been received.

The general status of the clan is changed to 'You can be believed in the word'.

Until the next general status change, gain 500 more 'Glory' Points.

Your clan gets the third level of fame [3/20].

Each clan member gets +1 to all characteristics, 5 skill points, 3 Glory points, +1 to Luck]

*

I hope this award will please you more, Nick, thought Dan.

He went down to the castle and walked into the council room. Alexander, John and Nick were already sitting at the table.

"You were right, Dan, we won the big prize," laughed John.

"I hope that's all the news for today," smiled Dan and sat down at the table.

"I invited everyone to join us. He wrote that new members of the leaders.h.i.+p need to learn how to use an expanded version of the castle map," said Nick.

Soon, all the players gathered at the same table. The last one entered the hall was Anna, who had already started working in the laboratory. She smiled widely and it was clear that she was rejoicing as both an alchemist and a clan magician. When Anna sat down at the table, a message appeared before the players' eyes.

*

[Circle of Hunters a.s.sembled. Head of Circle wants a special mission? Yes/No]

*

Nick looked at the players and saw that Dan looks embarra.s.sed.

"Dan, did you get a message from the game?"

"No," confessed the sinner. "I can leave the council room."

"Sit where you sit, you cunning sinner! Nick was declared Head of the Circle and offered us a special quest," said Alexander. "Dan, what do you say about an opportunity to gain new experience?"

Dan rubbed his chin and looked at Kate, and then he said:

"A lot of work in an ancient hunter's cemetery. I'm sure I need to work on my runes' craftsmans.h.i.+p. I need to be there for Kate and support her with advice early in the process. I think we should take the task! I hope the terms of the special quest will be kind to us."

"Have you received an award for fulfilling the hidden quest?"

"Yes, I received an award," replied Dan.

"Well, I don't know what it's like to be Head of the Circle, I haven't received any reports about the nature of the post. I'm just sitting in the main chair. I agree with Dan, we have a special a.s.signment to do," said Nick.

Every player has agreed to take part in a new adventure. Nick has mentally agreed to take on a special mission.

*

[Attention! Update the map of possessions! A new location is available. Location type: Dungeon. Quest type: Rare. Reward: Variative. Job time is limited to [30:23:59].

If the quest is not fulfilled, your clan will lose 200 'Glory' points]

*

"A new dungeon appeared just a pair of miles from the castle. It takes half an hour to get there," said John.

"I don't think we're going to the dungeon today. Everybody needs to be very familiar with the features of their cla.s.s. There's a special dinner waiting for us. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be able to see this dungeon if it's so close to the castle," suggested Anna.

They all agreed with the sorceress, everyone wanted to have a pleasant end of the day.

The players approached the new dungeon at noon. No one noticed any dungeon, the players were walking along the river bank and suddenly stopped.

*

[Warning] Daemon Residence location detected. Location type: Dungeon.

Attention! The temporary revival point has been detected. Do you wish to make a binding? Yes/No]

*

After the game message everyone saw in a few steps a strange place. There was a dark spot on the ground, with sparks of light running through it. No one knew what to do next, but the warrior and a.s.sa.s.sin approached this strange place.

*

[Attention! Successful destruction of the Demon is possible only by a group of players. The opponent's level is equal to the average level of the group members. Did you really dare to challenge the Demon? Yes/No]

*

"We're invited to a meeting with the boss, come on, let's not keep him waiting," shouted John.

When all the players approached the entrance to the dungeon, Alexander reminded the players of the rules of battle:

"Dan, activate 'Autodafe' immediately and discover all about this demon. He should have an average level, so 20, we can do it. We're calling the pets. Nick, confirm the call to battle."

Suddenly all the players got into the small hall and immediately noticed their opponent. The demon looked like a naked man who had four hands and had the top half of some beast's skull on his head instead of a helmet.

Dan was able to activate 'Autodafe' and it was the beginning of the end.

[You suffered 6000 damage]

The sinner was twisted in pain, and he shook and could hardly hold his legs. In the demon flew arrows and a spell of slowing down, but the enemy has already managed to jump to the distance of impact. A strange weapon slammed into the sinner's chest and Dan died.

He woke up at the point of rebirth and could not get back on his feet. As soon as the sinner regained consciousness, Nick appeared near him. One second later, Anna joined them. When Alexander showed up, everyone realized that the first attack had failed. John and Richard appeared almost at the same time, and behind them in the circle of revival began to appear the other players.

The girls could not calm down, for some it was the first death in the game. Some had already forgotten the feeling of meeting the cold emptiness of non-existence. Alexander took out his cloak and sheltered Jane, who couldn't get up and just lay there crying. The men nodded and also took out their cloaks from the inventory and helped the other girls.

Dan looked at Kate, who was silent and s.h.i.+vering.

"Kate, what did you see?"

She turned her head frightened towards the sinner and whispered quietly:

"It's a demon named Daros. He's an elite demon, and he's on level 21. Half a million points in life. Four hands and he kill with weird swords and daggers. He has magic. He hit me and I died. It hurts and it's scary."

"Well done, you could see a lot. Did you use 'Autodafe'?"

"I did," smiled weakly at the girl. "But he already killed you all, and he killed us all."

"It happens, it's not always as fun and right as yesterday. Thank you, Kate, now let's hear our sinner," smiled Alexander.

Dan closed his eyes and read the notes from his status.

*

Daros

Race: Demon

Type: Elite

Status: Boss of the location

Level: 21

Life: 499500

Damage: 1500

Overview: Daros, also known as Prince of Suffering, is a demon with many hands. Each demon hand is armed with different weapons, but the demon is a master of all kinds of weapons. Beware of the demon's magical attack, it can destroy any player with a weak spirit.

Improved skills:

'Master of the Blade'. The weapon in this monster's hand is as dangerous as its master. This skill increases weapon damage and allows the use of special sword tricks and techniques. [5/10]

It opens up skills:

'Cutting through the void'. This skill increases the chance to ignore your opponent's armor and cla.s.s abilities. Cooldown: 120 seconds. [4/10]

Cla.s.s skills:

'Invincible'. This skill increases protection and gives immunity from many types of damage. [5/10]

Battle skills:

'A sharp blow'. A demon strikes several quick hits in a row. Damage to every blow 1900-2500. Cooldown: 30 seconds. [4/10]

'Execution'. Demon strikes, stunning and repelling the enemy. Damage 1900-2200. The enemy loses the ability to move for 12 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds. [3/10]

'h.e.l.l Strike'. A magical demon attack that deals magical damage from a distance. Damage to 5500-7500. Cooldown: 30 seconds. [4/10]

Immunity to weapons:

Stabbing: 50%

Cutting: 50%

Crus.h.i.+ng: 50%

The magic of fire: 50%

The magic of water: 50%

The magic of the air: 50%

The magic of the earth: 50%

*

Everyone was silent and each player remembered his first meeting with the Prince of Suffering.

The silence was broken by Alexander:

"It was so. He immediately marked the Inquisitor and killed him first. Then he threw Nick away and hit Anna. He was able to counteract my blow. He is a great master of weapons. And he can do 1500 damage with each hand. He hit me with all his hands, I took 5000 damage, and then he killed me with one hand and fought John and Richard with three. Dangerous demon, we're lucky he doesn't have an attack with damage in the square!"

Nick pinned his wife down harder and confessed honestly:

"I see no need to go to the death of our peaceful part of the clan. Girls shouldn't be involved in this."

"That's right, you shouldn't go to him. Look at the demon, and that's enough. A disgusting cheeky b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You shouldn't look at any naked demons," joked John.

The girls were embarra.s.sed and no one smiled. Some were able to see the demon well enough. He wasn't completely naked. Severed human hands and paws of different animals and creatures hung from the demon's belt. Memories of that ugly skirt didn't add to the mood. The demon had a necklace made of children's skulls on its chest. The demon was tall and had a powerful physique, but was not much higher than a very tall man.

"But this is a mission for all of us," said Jane quietly. "For the entire Hunter's Circle."

"Jane, we will take our time and make a second attack. But without your involvement. Dan, it's okay, we've done some recon on the battlefield. This time, make sure you use 'Chains of Sins' and go into Draugr form and call p.u.s.s.y. Pets can't go into this dungeon with their master. I had no idea to call Teddy, but it's for the best. Everybody calls the pets inside the dungeon. When the chains grab him, it'll be easier for us. Me, Dan, Richard, and Jack work with swords. Use the skill of maximum damage right away! John and Nick go into invisibility and attack with daggers. Anna and Nick hit from a distance, Anna uses the 'Swamp' first, then strikes 'Swarm's' spell."

Alexander finished explaining the new attack conditions and started waiting for a reaction.

"It's clear and simple, we have to try," said Nick. "Ladies, you wait a minute and you can join us. If that's what you want. Bella, your Blessing was definitely gone when we got to the dungeon. Betty, your earth elemental is beautiful!"

"Yeah, that guy hit that demon pretty good a couple of times," agreed John.

"I wait thirty seconds and I come in. I'm working Blessing and then healing," said Bella.

All the girls agreed to go into the dungeon a second time, too. They already had a watch, and they could take the necessary pause.

They didn't have to risk their lives. Alexander's plan had failed from the start.

Players appeared in the room and saw the demon standing right in front of them. He did not move back to the opposite wall and immediately attacked Dan, who was marked as the most unpleasant opponent. Dan managed to activate 'Chains of sins'!

The demon laughed and screamed:

"Fool, I am the Demon, I am the Prince of Suffering, and I am the embodiment of sin!"

The chains did no harm to the enemy, they just fell to dust when they touched the red skin of the demon.

Laughter and screaming did not prevent the demon from striking. Blood splattered all over the players, a deadly vortex seemed to be spinning next to them. Alexander managed to summon the bear and tried to repel the blow of the crooked dagger. But in his mask, the sharp edge of the blade stuck right in his eye.

[Critical blow! You were hit with 4,400 points of damage]

[You've been dealt 3,300 points of damage]

[Critical blow! You've been hit with 6,100 points of damage]

And Alexander woke up at the point of revival.

Dan was sitting there rubbing his chin.

"You know. We need to get him out of the door. I can't work normally under these conditions. Did you see that? It appears that demonic creatures are not affected by 'Chains of Sins'."

"Dan, they don't work on demons. And you haven't tried your skill against demonic creatures yet," said the warrior. "Here comes Anna, how did you, honey, get your insects on him?"

Anna smiled and suddenly laughed loud and not quite healthy. The girls immediately rushed to her and began to comfort her. The sorceress was best consoled and brought to consciousness the appearance of her husband.

Nick breathed the air and sat down with a wheeze. He looked at everyone and asked:

"Why are you sitting there? Why are you resting? Ladies, your trip is canceled! Men, get your a.s.ses off the ground and go! We already took 10% of his health off!"

Then the Ranger jumped up and leaped towards the spot on the ground and immediately disappeared.

Dan didn't think twice about it. He jumped into the dungeon. And he immediately activated 'Autodafe'. Then he ran! The sinner rushed to the right side. Dan ran to the wall and ran along with it to the other side of the room. He called the cat and ordered it:

"Wait! Attack only when the enemy is close to us! Hit it with all your might, girl."

A terrible picture unfolded across from him. The demon no longer killed the players with a couple of blows, but he continued to kill the players!

"Anna! To me! Run to me!" screamed Dan when he saw the sorceress.

Anna didn't let him down. At first, a dark ribbon separated from her figure. The ribbon flew towards the demon's body and circled the head of the enemy. Then the sorceress threw the curse of the 'Swamp' at the enemy and only then ran towards the sinner. Attack from this corner, I'll go to the other corner!"

When the sinner ran to the side, he noticed that the demon was fast approaching him.

"p.u.s.s.y, kill him," Dan gave the command and threw himself at the enemy with the sword.

[You caused 4800 damage]

[You've taken 3700 damage]

[You've done 4100 damage]

[You took 6100 damage]

Dan woke up in a circle of rebirth and screamed out of anger:

"What a b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How does he do it?"

Then the sinner jumped up on his feet and almost fell to the ground.

Bella whispered the word 'Blessing' activation, and Dan got better, smiling at the priestess:

When the sinner ran to the side, he noticed that the demon was fast approaching him.

"p.u.s.s.y, kill him," Dan gave the command and threw himself at the enemy with the sword.

[You caused 4800 damage]

[You've taken 3700 damage]

[You've done 4100 damage]

[You took 6100 damage]

Dan woke up in a circle of rebirth and screamed out of anger:

"What a b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How does he do it?"

Then the sinner jumped up on his feet and almost fell to the ground.

Bella whispered the word Blessing activation, and Dan got better, he smiled at the priestess:

"Thank you, Belle! It's helping! I'm out of here."

In the dungeon he saw the figure of a demon at the opposite wall and immediately called for a fight, and then Dan went into the form of Draugr and rushed towards the enemy. The picture of the cat's face was graying with dim light. The demon killed p.u.s.s.y.

None of the players knew how many times he had already died, but the players knew very well that they were doing damage to the demon. The strip of life above the enemy's head was already half empty.

Dan realized he had died 17 times when he couldn't activate the transformation into Draugr. He'd used up all the Glory points. After that, he began to do less damage, but the sinner did not have time to get upset, he was gripped by the madness of the battle. Sometimes he could hear a hoa.r.s.e breath behind his back as he walked into the dungeon. Sometimes he saw a figure of the earthly Elemental called by Betty in the room. He no longer saw the powerful shapes of werewolves and a bear, but he managed to notice the brief moments of the transformation of Alexander. Berserk struck a powerful blow and died of an equally powerful demon attack.

The demon was a clever and cold-blooded master of battle. He remembered the sinner and Alexander well, and maybe saw the level of protection and health of his main enemies. The demon dealt the strongest blows to these two enemies. He killed Anna with a two-handed blow. The demon could not dodge a.s.sa.s.sin strikes, but often repulsed the attacks of daggers with its weapons. The demon was forced to approach the ranger. Nick immediately understood the idea of the sinner and always tried to run to the end of the room before his death. Warriors also tried to keep the place of the fight as far away as possible from the place of appearance in the dungeon.

Soon, the figure of Bella became more and more visible in the room. The priestess was very useful. Her skill 'Blessing' increased the damage to the players. She spent all of her mana on a health-recovery spell that restored 500 HP and continued to use a minor cure skill that required no mana cost. Kate appeared only to apply the 'Autodafe' skill. She did not rush into battle and simply died on the spot when the demon drew attention to her. Several times, Dan also noticed Emma, who ran to the corner of the room and shot the enemy with a bow. It seemed to him that the brave girl managed to do more damage than he! The demon almost did not pay attention to the small damage from her arrows, but the girl managed to last long! All the attention of the demon was drawn to the main enemies, who as madmen died, revived and immediately ran towards a new death with the only desire to inflict more damage to the enemy for a couple of blows.

All players managed to change the armor set, the clan veterans were already running without their masks. John gave Nick a couple of daggers with the effect of poisoning. Striking and dodging the attack was all that was left to the thief and a.s.sa.s.sin. The damage from the poisoned daggers was less, the poison dealt 180 points per second for 4 seconds. But the demon stopped paying special attention to the thief and the a.s.sa.s.sin.

No one ever understood who or what killed the demon. Maybe it was Anna's spell, maybe Alexander's attack or Nick's arrow or Emma's shot. But when the demon fell to the floor of the room, all the players. .h.i.t the floor too. Dan would sit there and look at his hands. The cursed sword immediately disappeared into the inventory after the fight was over. The sinner's hands were shaking hard. Suddenly, he felt sick. The player was dizzy and nauseous, and the clarity of the image disappeared in his eyes. But he saw the message.

*

[Congratulations! Demon Daros, Prince of Suffering is defeated!

Congratulations! The Hunter Circle is honored to perform its duties.

Congratulations! 100 points of 'Glory' have been received.

Each member of the Hunters' Circle gets a new level.

Each member of the clan gets +1 to all characteristics, 3 skill points, 3 'Glory' points]

*

All the players couldn't believe in such a reward. Dan wasn't in the least bit upset that he didn't get a new level, and he had enough of a regular clan member's reward. Players looked at the sinner as a madman when he got up and staggered closer to the body of a demon. Dan pulled out a dagger and leaned over Daros' head. John laughed, Alexander groaned:

"I want a piece of demonic meat, too."

Everyone saw the sinner cut off the demon's ear and sprinkled powder from a small bottle that had appeared in his hands. No one had the strength to resent the sinner's behavior. Dan was chewing on a piece of his ear and couldn't swallow it. He took a flask out of his inventory and took a sip of apple juice. It helped, and he could swallow a piece of meat.

*

[You get +1 to the 'Cannibalism' skill.]

Immunity to weapons:

Stabbing: 5%

Cutting: 5%

Crus.h.i.+ng: 5%

The magic of fire: 5%

The magic of water: 5%

The magic of air: 5%

The magic of the earth: 5%

Endurance +5%]

*

Now the sinner felt full satisfaction.