"A teleport called Death?"

"h.e.l.lo, warrior. Yes, I had to die to avoid wasting time on foot."

"I think you came back for nothing. The guys' information is disappointing and incomplete. They were able to bypa.s.s the hive's mantis guard posts. There's a hill in the woods with a huge structure. The Mantises were able to secure the large branches and build their hive. But there are many guards around. The Mantises have been able to smell our tricks under the skill of secrecy! The other clan players couldn't get close to the hive. And Anna said there's no point in applying the 's.h.i.+ver of the Earth' to the structure where the enemies sit. It's a square spell. Destruction in such cases requires powerful fire magic spells."

Dan couldn't contain the irritation.

"There's one thing I don't understand. Why did they interrupt my exploration? The Mantises aren't responding to me. You can shake the hand of a player who's 'alive dead'. They attacked me as I walked with the aggressive intent to kill a couple of mantises. There were five insects. I killed them. Now we'll have to go back and find a way to safely approach the nest of the mantis for all the hunters. Not everyone is as smart as our scouts. I go with them. Perhaps I can get closer than a slick, invisible, living trickster."

"My boyfriend brought honey! And they screwed up," laughed Kate. "But don't count on a reward. Stop playing with death! This is disrespect for the game."

Alexander agreed with it.

"I had a serious conversation with Bella on this subject. Dan, we're crossing the line. Lethal duels have to be limited. We have enough opportunities to die with dignity. And I'm against the tactics of one ma.s.sive strike. It's a dangerous game, too. We have a location where we can hunt nicely. This honey is a miracle! And it's got a great price. We can replenish the treasury and gain experience. I don't think there are over 20000 insects in one hive. They're the size of a big man. Do you have any idea what kind of building you have to build to fit 20000 people?"

"It's not a fair question. The hive should have aisles and rooms for honey and little mantis, and the Queen of the Honey Mantis lives there. This is the lady I'd like to see," laughed Dan.

"Nick blabbed to Anne. Anna told Bella that you're working as a supplier of fresh meat for zombies at the hunters' cemetery. Is that true?"

"Nothing can be trusted to that gossip! I hunt harpies, no terror of people," replied to the sinner.

"These dead men pay you well," laughed Alexander.

"I'm not complaining. But soon the harpy will be over and I'll have to deal with vampires. Nick advised me to be very careful and only hunt in the uniform of a dead warrior. Don't worry about it. I will not draw attention to the clan."

"I don't care about the attacks of these bloodsuckers. Things are going very smoothly at our mine. But we're always ready to pull out extra tusks for the brazen creatures," smiled the warrior.

"You have one aggression on your mind," shook Kate's head. "You've ruined Betty, she keeps running around our property and destroying dead people."

Players laughed and agreed to meet at a clan meeting tonight. Kate took the sinner to her room to get the punishment he deserved.

At the clan meeting, everyone decided that the scouts should continue exploring and leave the location with the mantis beehive alone. The hunters will go hunting and will one day organize an operation inside the hive. But first it is necessary to significantly reduce the number of insects.

The next day, the scouts left the castle again. They split up. Dan walked along the river. Nick and John decided to survey the area south of the mantises hive.

Dan wasn't sorry for the time wasted. He spent four days looking for dead people who had preserved the remains of their minds. He and p.u.s.s.y were hunting the mantis. These insects reacted well to the cat, but p.u.s.s.y managed to escape from the attack and lead the mantis to their master. When Dan got the image of a many of insects from her, he just withdrew the cat from the game. And she would disappear. When he called her into the game, p.u.s.s.y showed up next to her master and her muzzle was like a happy sigh. She knew she'd left nasty, tasteless insects in the fools. Let these stupid insects now run and fly and catch a wooden cat.

Nick and John weren't happy with the reconnaissance results. They didn't see any banshees or zombies, but they were able to stock up on honey in their inventory.

Dan was trying to figure out a way to improve his exploration. They didn't have enough flying pets in the clan. The local hunters were already able to get three kittens and two bears for the hunters. There were no dangerous birds in the local forests. Small birds were flying in the forest. But to tame a little bird so that it could conduct scouting? It was a stupid decision.

On the fifth day of his journey, Dan met a banshee. He was happy with that dead woman as his old friend! The banshees were reasonable enough to answer questions from the former Inquisitor. The skill of 'Inquiry' allowed him to easily recognize the lies and expose any dead man. The sinner quickly approached the banshee and ordered:

"Show me the way to where you live."

The banshee stopped and looked at the eyes with the white pupils squinting. She looked at the sinner and took her time to answer. The banshee did not move. Her voice was quiet, like the whistling of the wind.

"You're weird. You're not like the others. I can't take you to a secret place."

d.a.m.n creature! We'll have to waste the point of 'Glory'. With Draugr, she'll be more agreeable!

Dan took the form of a dead warrior and ordered a second time:

"Show me the way."

"Yes, sir," answered the banshee and flew slowly aside.

Dan could barely keep up with the flying dead. He was making a quick step. He thought the banshee sometimes started giggling nasty and quietly, mocking the dead who couldn't fly.

After two hours of suffering, Dan saw a small hollow in which he immediately noticed a large cl.u.s.ter of dead people. He let the banshee go, and she flew off on her own business. Dan wasn't worried. He wasn't threatened with anything. They were just ordinary dead people who weren't worth the attention of dead hunters.

There were no structures visible in the hollow. The dead don't need any weather hideouts. At the bottom of the valley, there were several large trees with curved trunks and no leaves at all. There were different skeletons everywhere. Banshees flew in different directions. The sinner hadn't seen a lot of zombies. But three figures caught his attention.

At that moment, his game changed.

*

[Attention! Update of Quest: 'Brotherhood of Arms'. Quest type: Rare. Reward: Variable. Description: Great warriors whose Power and Glory protect their lands require comrades-in-arms to gain new strength and capabilities. You must deliver the recruits to your brothers in arms. Results of the Quest: 0/3 of the recruits have been delivered. Do you accept the quest? Yes/No]

*

Dan stood there and thought about the time on the road. Dead people don't know fatigue and can move without stopping for hours on end. Four days to the castle and a day to the ancient cemetery. One Lich and two draugrs. Good thing there are no ghouls, Dan didn't like those disease handlers. He decided to accept the a.s.signment. There was something attractive about him. He was wondering how these dead people would meet in an ancient cemetery.

Dan accepted the a.s.signment and started going down the gully. At first, he decided to talk to the dead warriors he understood more.

Draugr approached another dead warrior.

"I am ready to show you the way to your brothers in arms."

"Whose light illuminates your way?"

"Sardar," said the sinner.

Dead warriors walked through the valley and another Draugr had a short and simple conversation. Dan had no doubts about success. He was indifferent to the skeletons. They were a simple part of the world, unreasonable and simple as a piece of wood. But zombies were the material to develop into draugrs, the remnants of reasonableness forced these warriors to follow orders and their destiny.

The Lich was less accommodating. He did not respond by refusing the offer to leave the camp of a dead man. Dan realized that this dead man would have to bargain with. He offered him the only thing the magician might be interested in.

"You will gain knowledge. For thousands of years, dead magicians have kept ancient knowledge. Do you want to touch the wisdom of the ancients? Or is you going to stay here and remain a miserable ignoramus?"

Dan saw that he made the right offer. Four dead men left the valley immediately.

It was four days of grey and gloomy life. Dan had no difficulty traveling. He did not sleep or stop, walking a quick step towards the ancient cemetery. After 24 hours, he was fined for keeping his body from resting. For the player, it was a 10% fine on all character characteristics. For the third day the sinner was weakened by a third of his normal condition. No one interfered with their journey. At the very beginning of his journey, Dan managed to quickly destroy several mantises. In the hunters' territory, their group did not encounter an attack.

When the dead came to the ancient cemetery, Dan received his reward. 30 points of 'Glory' didn't bother him. The sinner entered the nearest crypt, lie on the ground and fell asleep.

When he woke up, the road to the castle was waiting for him. Dan didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't want to share his experience with the other players. The hollow was inhabited by the weak dead of level 19 and 20. Anyone he could handle with 2 or 3 sword strokes. Waving his sword for hour after hours? Boring, but very profitable activity.

At the castle, he informed the clan veterans of his problem and went to bed. After resting in the cemetery, his fine was reduced by 10%, but the player experienced a strange state of indifference to business, to the game, to himself.

He slept well. The penalty did not go down, but Dan realized that interest in life was returning to him. A meeting of four clan veterans was held in the presence of their girlfriends.

Bella made a simple point.

"I don't feel an urgent need to raise the level. We've already received too much from the clan. I need to control Dan's condition. If he gets to level 50, I don't see any problem with that."

Alexander supported his girlfriend.

"Can you handle it alone? That's great. Go ahead and get stronger. You're the weakest player on the team. You have advantages that allow you to survive. But you don't have our skills to survive quickly and beautifully."

"Insect control is a very interesting prospect for the Clan," said Nick. "Players get good experience and great trophies. We may have an inexhaustible source of experience and gold. It's like a mine with a valuable rock. But insects have to breed, they can recover their numbers. We will destroy them, they will regain their numbers. Everything's fine! Everyone is happy."

"And after a while, we should visit Nazgor. Maybe those special monsters are coming from all around us, and we can have a good time in town," laughed John.

"I became a Magister of Intellect. 320 points of intellect and 80 points of spirit," said Anna. "I can now use Earth's most advanced magic spells. We have a magic Teleport. This spell is very uncomfortable. Now I can create one teleport once a day, which will allow a group of players to instantly move 32 miles. When I develop this skill, we will have six teleports a day and each teleported for 320 miles. In my spellbook, it's possible to mark the necessary places.

Nick is a scout, the fastest player in the clan. In a couple of months, the clan could be in Nazgor almost instantly. Work, boys, look for new locations with monsters. Dan, let's play your game. I'm very interested in what awaits us when you take level 80."

"G.o.d will get in touch with the sinner. A G.o.d who has no desire to do this. We won't say any names. But this G.o.d will be in a bad mood. Dan, be ready," said Bella quite seriously.

"I understand that very clearly," replied Dan. "I hope the game doesn't kill me for such a horrible gameplay violation."

"You had the right to play with a cursed artifact.

You have the right to see the game to its end. That's why I'm glad you're going to go alone and go boring and hard work alone. That's fair," said Kate.

Dan left the castle and headed for the Dead Hollow. Ranger kept him company. A clan merchant couldn't pa.s.s up an opportunity to fill the clan's treasury.

Three days later, two players silently looked at the dead crowd.

"Two months ago, this sight could have scared us horribly. Remember our first cemetery? You helped the clan nicely there," smiled Nick.

"I don't feel like remembering. But you're right. It's a pitiful sight. I'm going to go crazy with boredom," laughed Dan.

"Have fun, I'm going to go ahead and explore the neighborhood. Let me know when you destroy half this crowd, I'll come back, and we'll collect the trophies," said the ranger and ran away towards the forest.

Dan took the form of a Draugr, pulled out his sword, and began his boring mission. It took almost 24 hours. He killed a dead man with a couple of sword strokes. Dead people didn't pay any attention to him. Even the banshees didn't fly away when the inevitable quick death approached them. Dan expected to make it in 18 hours, but he spent 22 hours on this bone cutting. When Nick came back and started collecting trophies, the sinner couldn't help him, he went to sleep.

Nick woke the worker up and loaded him with trophies.

"Level 57 is respectable. Congratulations. The trophies are modest, but the clan could use every gold coin. Back to the castle."

"Did you find anything interesting?"

"Nothing special. Not a single location. Not a single dungeon. Not a single new monster. Deadlands. There must be villages in the west controlled by the city of Grod. This is western neighbor Dor. I don't want to spend gold on information about the 'Sunrise' clan. When the time comes, I'll visit Grod myself and scout it out. They have a kind of our property. It seems to me that these lands are not an interesting area to play, which separates the two clans. But we have a huge advantage!"

"We just have a lot of advantages," agreed Dan. "We've got a more developed castle, we've got swamps on the side and an ocean far east."

"I was talking about swamps. "It's hard to fight monsters there. We'll take our time and scout the area north of these places. There we can meet new monsters and find interesting locations."

"I'm interested," smiled a sinner.

Nick looked at him in the eyes and quietly said:

"Dan, we're sympathetic to your game. But don't forget the whole clan's decision. You're on a free hunt. If you find the location and you can handle yourself, no one will be offended. But John and I work for the clan. The locations we find, the clan is working full time. Everyone needs experience."

"I appreciate your understanding. All are fair," agreed the sinner.

"The river near the castle flows east. According to ancient maps, the river flows into the ocean, and in ancient times there was a port in that place. Now it's a swamp. Those places are of great interest to urban adventurers. They die there in dozens, but some come back with good prey. Are you going to deal with the vampire lair?"

"I'm going to change my armor completely and work without a mask in the shape of draugrs. I won't take any chances. Vampires are smart and use artifacts. They may recognize me as a player, but I will be careful."

"That's right. Don't make our lives harder. I was going to suggest that you reconnoiter those places in the future. It's a weeks' journey to the ocean. You can find other reasonable monsters and earn a reputation in the army of the dead. You can deal with the ruins of an ancient port yourself. If the Succubuses live there, it's too hard to work for the clan."

That was Dan's option. Players allowed him to develop a character. Dan was surprised to see the hunters with excitement. He didn't care about the city players' opinions. But the opinion of the twelve members of the Circle of Hunters he was worried about. The sinner was walking and dealing with the distribution of fairly earned characteristic points. It was a pleasant thing to do.

*

Name: Dan.

Cla.s.s: Sinner

Subcla.s.s: Librarian, Master of Runes.

Race: Human / Undead, the form of Draugr

Level: 57

Experience: 369,200,000/394,000,000

Strength 114 [100 +3 +2 +4]

Intellect 57 [43 +2 +3 +2 +7] [MP 570]

Dext 49 [41 +3 +2 +3]

Spirit 297 [262 +3 +3 +2]

Endurance 115 [HP 11650]

Protection: 740

Luck 8 [Pa.s.sive]

'See the hidden' 7 [Pa.s.sive]

"Eye of Wisdom" 4 [Pa.s.sive]

'Dungeon Explorer' 3 [Pa.s.sive]

'Threat to the t.i.tans' 2 [Pa.s.sive]

'Self-control' 10 [Pa.s.sive]

'Psychoprotection' 5 [Pa.s.sive]

Immunity to weapons:

Stabbing: 10%

Cutting: 10%

Crus.h.i.+ng: 10%

"Resistance to Cold" 12 [Pa.s.sive]

"Resistance to Fire" 11 [Pa.s.sive]

"Resistance to Earth" 10 [Pa.s.sive]

"Resistance to Water" 10 [Pa.s.sive]

Improved skills:

"The Cognition of Evil" [10/10]

"Calligraphy" [9/10]

"The Perfect Nature of Evil" [1/10]

"Evil Affinity" [3/10]

'Cannibalism' [1/10]

"Hammer of Witches" [10/10]

Cla.s.s skills:

'Autodafe' [10/10]

'Spiritual power' [10/10]

"Tough Will" [10/10]

'Fallen' [2/10]

'Expert in Anatomy' 5/10

'Angry' [2/10]

'Nemesis' [0/10]

'Ancient Languages' [10/10]

"Master of the Puzzles" [10/10]

Combat skills:

'Punishment' [10/10]

"Chains of sins" [2/10]

'Burnt wings' [7/10]

Extra cla.s.s skill:

'Horrible transformation' [10/10]

Available with 0 characteristic points and 26 skill points.