Jim agreed to do the job quickly. Dan came out of the blacksmith shop and had already reached the well, and noticed how satisfied the players entered the gate.

Nick was carrying something in the sack behind his back. He was smiling. It was unusual. Nick rarely smiled. He always had a serious look on his face. He wasn"t grumbling, he wasn"t scolding, and he didn"t look displeased. He was serious about the new cruel world. He was a little older than Gandalf, or better yet, he looked a little older than a young magician.

Gandalf immediately ran towards the donjon. Now there will be a magician in the clan!

Dan was surprised not to see John, suddenly a voice behind his back said:

"h.e.l.lo, Inquisition."

Turning around like a cat, Dan hit the place where the voice was heard. And almost fell when his blow fell into the void.

"You look nervous, Dan."

"John?"

"Yeah."

There"s a pretty smiling John on the left side of Dan out of nowhere. He winked:

"Invisibility is a great skill. The a.s.sa.s.sin was a very interesting cla.s.s."

"Don"t do that again, please. I didn"t notice anything. And you saw my reaction. I could have hurt you."

"I"m sorry. Dan, but you couldn"t hurt me. I have the skills to dismiss. And with invisibility, it"s easy. I was moving slowly, which is why you didn"t see me. If I moved fast, I could see the silhouette, like in the Predator movie. But it"s nothing! You should have seen what Nick is doing in the woods in disguise. Rustling leaves, squeaking trees and you can walk past him, and you won"t even notice a thing."

"How did you get off, was the hunt good?"

"It turned out well. Gandalf got a level 10 on the little pigs. Velida will be pleased. When the little deer were killed, our magician threw up a couple of times, but that"s not critical," said Nick.

He carefully put the sack on the rock of the yard. And he smiled again:

"Even with a special purchase came back, the hunting went well."

The sack started to move and either yawned or squeaked. With interest, Dan whistled surprisingly. The bag had two bald little dogs of dirty grey color in it.

"Under the invisibility and disguise, the wolves were taken," said proudly John. "We"re with the pets now."

Dan held out his hand and stroked the other little wolf puppies, then he opened up a description of one of them:

*

Teen-wolf

Master: Nick [Phoenix Clan]

Type: Pet

Strength: 1

Subtlety: 1

Intellect: 1

Build: 1

*

It"s funny, it turns out you can have pets here. By stroking the puppy on the head, he pulled the skin out of his jaws. Hmm, and the teeth are as decent as a good dog"s.

Suddenly, a message from the system opened up:

*

[Cognition of Evil +1

Warning! There"s a monster in front of you.

Cla.s.s: Werewolf.

Description: Most living creatures consider magic to be good, and they are right in many ways. But sometimes there are places in nature where magic is too much, and then it becomes evil. Magic changes and twists the essence of creatures living in such places, magic generates monsters. And this wolf was born in such a place.

You must destroy this creature before it turns into a monster or leaves it at the mercy of fate.

But remember that you could have prevented trouble and done nothing. That burden will be with you all your life.

Activate combat mode? Yes/No]

*

The little wolf scared yawned and pulled away from Dan"s hands.

"Dan, what"s wrong with you? Quiet, Kill, uncle didn"t hurt you on purpose."

Nick started stroking his pet and calming him down.

"John, did you kill their mother?" Dan asked with alarm in his voice.

"The mother and a couple of wolves with her. They"re our pets now. The system said to finally tame the pet, he had to be fed meat and given a name. Now we"ll boil the meat, and our babies will have new parents. Yes, Scout?"

John"s hands were gently rubbing the second wolf.

"Feed the meat," repeated quietly by Dan.

The brain refused to calculate his options.

To do what? He was no longer surprised by the system"s tricks. The question is, can you raise a monster here that"s loyal to his masters?

Nick noticed his slow and tense state, and he was wary, too.

"Dan, what"s wrong?"

"How can I explain this," the brain was struggling to get out of its stupor. "You don"t have a wolf."

"Do you mean to say..."

"John, Nick is not a wolf! It"s a werewolf."

They stood there and kept quiet.

The game came with a new surprise. Dan wasn"t the only one so lucky.

The guys picked up their pets and took them to the castle.

Dan went to the blacksmiths to get Jim to an important clan meeting.

Michael gathered everyone in the throne room. They had to talk seriously about the trick pets.

The puppies were laid out on the table, and they, wary of the stone surface, crawled closer to their "masters".

Players sat on the sides of the table. Interestingly, Michael did not sit on the throne. But it was the leader who started the discussion of the important topic:

"We will all hear the story from the beginning. John, make sure you tell us exactly what the system wrote about them."

"We found a lair of wolves. They were ordinary wolves. Level 3, no problem for us. Gandalf took his level 10. Then, Nick saw the little wolves. We took the wolves in our arms. And right away, a message came out from a system that suggested we take them as pets. There was nothing wrong with the description, not a word about werewolves. We made it our wish to have pets. I got a new window with instructions on how to tame them. We have 12 hours to get them to a safe area with a renaissance point where we have to feed them ourselves. Then we"ll be able to link them to the rebirth point. There was also a line marked with the exclamation mark that it"s better to start feeding them with meat. Raw meat or boiled meat that was not specified. The first five levels of pets only grow from the feed. Then they"ll get at least 50% of the experience we"ve gained. There was no information about skills or cla.s.s bonuses. That"s all."

Michael looked over with Alexander and started his story:

"Now I"ll tell you something. The clan made the quest when Dan killed the werewolf. But it wasn"t a real werewolf, it was a player at the beginning of his game. Of all of us, only I and Alexander saw the real Werewolf.

A Werewolf is a creature with dark-colored wool, larger than a normal wolf by three or even four times. I can"t say for sure because we were sitting on tree ten yards above the ground at that moment. We were lucky, maybe the werewolf had a mind, realized he couldn"t reach us and left.

It"s also known that the Werewolf took out the local medicine woman. According to the villagers, the attack was in the evening, the people just rushed to their homes. The werewolf jumped a 5-yard (4.57 m) high barrier, killed the medicine woman in a couple of moments and disappeared with her body, jumped over the barrier again.

And now we will think carefully about what kind of power the creature should have to quickly jump 5 yards high, and at the same time to keep the body of his victim in his teeth. Whatever you think, say it."

Dan immediately thought about killing these puppies while he could. If the monsters grow up and gain strength, they could attack. Then, their resurrection will turn into a real h.e.l.l, given the player"s weakness in the resurrection.

"Dan, do you have any more information?" asked Alexander.

"It"s strange that at least this message has come up. I have a condition of upgrading the "The Cognition of Evil" skill to fight monsters. To say more about monsters, I have to upgrade the skill before I have only one point. Just a warning and came out."

He told everyone in detail about the information from the system. The guys were excited to learn more about the Inquisitor cla.s.s.

Alexander got up and said in a low and strict voice:

"I suggest you think about an important problem. We are, in fact, in a nursery right now. My son was playing computer games. The nursery is a zone for beginner development. The area of our activity is three miles at most.

What real monsters can do, we don"t know. But we"ve met bears under the thirtieth levels. And it"s safe to say that nothing good can come from expanding our zone of interest.

Such strong opponents will have to be killed one by one, and only by a group.

I think that you can"t kill the wolfs!

If they become opposed to us, they will be reborn with us at our point of rebirth after being tied up. What will happen next, everyone understands.

I am not afraid! Yes, we may face a threat. But we will control the level of that threat from the very beginning. We will be able to kill the young werewolves if they betray their masters.

We evolve, we become stronger, which means we"ll be able to deal with them.

The game is cruel but logical. On second thought, you"ll all agree with that. And if it allows us to tame the monster, then we have a chance of success. Given the realities of this world, we must take our chances. We can"t give up on such powerful helpers."

"Have you thought about us, and what do you say about Turin and Velidaа living with us now?" objected to him, Jim. "What happens if those cute little animals attack Velida? Turin will be easily defeated."

"I suggest we increase our security. We must restrict access to the castle to anyone outside the clan. Turin and Velida must live in the chapel. The chapel has enough room for two and is comfortable there. The carpenters will work here for a few more days. Turin and Velida can arrange their own homes to their liking. In the castle, all halls are closed with strong doors. Until the situation with the pets is clear, no open doors.

An indispensable condition for our existence is that we must learn everything about the world around us. We have no reference to the game, no desire to help the locals with information. Knowledge is power. We must not only acc.u.mulate knowledge but also carefully guard our secrets.

Tomorrow we"ll go to the cemetery. I suggest we actively improve our detector and all those who have skills against monsters.

And by the way, Michael, it"s your big mistake to let the selfishness choose your cla.s.s. It"s a mistake as a leader."

Dan was surprised. What a twist on the conversation! Turns out the leader doesn"t take his place so well. Dan had something to argue with Alexander about his so-called selfishness.

"And how did you plan to distribute our cla.s.ses," he asked.

Alexander caught a challenge and a mockery of Dan"s words. He answered in a calm voice:

"Three warriors, three scouts, and the rest of the magicians or priests, Jim"s trade had already fallen. This clan"s development path is optimal for our existence."

"I think you forgot one important thing, Alexander."

Dan stood up and wrapped his hands around everyone at the table. For the first time, he wanted to be a little honest and express his real thoughts:

"We"re all gathered here on duty. None of us chose this life of our own free will. We"re not a battle group, not a player who knows how to exist in a guild or clan situation.

It"s weird, but we"re all here so-called "white collars", collected by common misfortune under one roof.

Anyone can take the binding off the rebirth point and leave the group, this is a possibility, I checked. The only thing that keeps me from taking this step is the possibility of dying and finding me at a point near the location of the monsters.

I said that because we are children of our time and culture.

We are not made for the world of "Sword and Magic", we are not people of the Middle Ages. We all have our fears and our problems with our heads. But inside each of us, the foundations of our civilization sits tight.

Alexander, if you are so nervous to play a tough leader with a dictatorship that will undoubtedly be based on a strict order, I a.s.sure you that soon you will be all alone.

Your freedom, the rest of your freedom will not be crushed.

As for your own will in choosing cla.s.ses, you said yourself that the game is logical. It means that there is no useless cla.s.ses in the game, all of them are important. Now we have several unique ways of development. And each of us has made a conscious choice.

My choice was influenced by a very gracious gift that encouraged me to choose the Inquisitor cla.s.s. I admit that I acted spontaneously. But I a.s.sure you, I know for sure that there were many spontaneous decisions in my life, and all of them eventually helped me to achieve my desired goals.

As for the situation with pets, I fully support Alexander"s decision. We have to take our chances.

Now I"ll talk about the cemetery battle.

The improved development of only those cla.s.ses that have skills against monsters, I think its wrong step. We must all seek our unique advantages against monsters. I repeat. This is the Castle of the Ancient Monster Hunters. There are no useless cla.s.ses here. Tomorrow, everyone has to check their skills at the beginning. But then we must act as a complete group, improving the levels of all partic.i.p.ants evenly. And this will continue until we master our cla.s.ses at a sufficiently good level. Only then will we be able to consider options with free hunting.

"Dan, but don"t you deny that we need strict leadership?"

"Alexander, I don"t deny and welcome strict leadership. Today we"re going to talk about clan leadership. I repeat that army discipline and game guild and clan rules do not work in our case.

The player behind the monitor does not feel the pain of the blade of the sword cutting his body, and the soldier dies only once. Going the way of a regular army unit, we risk becoming psychopaths after another death. That"s also worth considering.

We have a whole month to clean up two locations. The cemetery is a good area to start developing our cla.s.ses. And if I have to sit next to it for a couple of weeks, but avoid unnecessary reincarnation, I"ll sit there and not consider it a waste of time."

Dan finished his speech and sat down. He said a lot of things, he didn"t want to be more open about his thoughts. Everybody was quiet. Dan understood Michael. The boss has to listen to his employees" opinions. Then he can do the a.n.a.lysis and make the right conclusion and the result.

The silence broke Nick"s voice:

"I"m tired of waiting. Are you sure you want to please us with the spectacle of the Inquisitor fighting the warrior? Sorry for the crude joke. As for my pet, I"ll say it responsibly, I"ll try to take my chances. I understand and take responsibility for the clan for my decision. In cla.s.s, I agree with Dan, we have a right to choose. For development, I support Alexander! Dan"s right, every cla.s.s is unique and needs development. But first, we need to develop those who have the opportunity to reinforce the whole group. I insist on the development priority of the Soldier and the Spiritual.

Tomorrow we will practice the interaction of warriors and dexterous, supported by the magician and the Spiritual. The cemetery will become our testing ground, and the idea to spend a decent amount of time there is correct. The detectors and monster hunters will fight under the supervision of coordinated groups. Until then, our knight will act as a tank. Leo, you chose your path. Dan will be watching the fight, I hope his detection isn"t just about personal involvement in the fight. But we"ll always have our Inquisitor and Magician"s back. Thank you for your attention."

"I agree, I like that point of view," said John.

Leo was smiling and wouldn"t say too many words. He agreed and probably thought that tomorrow he would have to be the first Knight. Tom and Ron were also silent about their decisions. Jim was sitting with a frowned face. He was worried about the fate of his teacher. What was interesting was that he had one thing in common with Leo. They had lips that kept a constant smile of weakness.

"Who"s against keeping werewolf pets?" asked Michael.

There were no opponents, and the happy werewolves jumped out of their seats.

They were about to leave with their pets to start taming. But that"s when Michael stopped their impulse:

"Not so fast, Nick! We have to make an entire clan decision on another important question. It concerns you and your development as Clan Scout.

I"m the clan leader, but I can"t decide all the important issues alone. We"re moving to a new level of development. It"s about the position of clan trade representative and clan financier. Turin has been successful in our business. But he is not like us. One of us has to lead trade operations. This case requires intellectual development. I"m sorry, Gandalf, but you and Jim have too much work to do. You"ll have to work a lot on your own. Nick, you have good connections in the village, you need intelligence to develop your Scout skills. You understand me. Nick, are you willing to take over as the clan"s chief trader?"

"No problem. I like the future. And I don"t mind trading. I"m ready to be a sales agent for our clan." answered Nick.

"Any suggestions? Do you have an objection? Any requests?" said Michael.

All agreed that Nick could be a great clan merchant.

Dan felt like no one wanted to take extra responsibility. He was smiling and thinking about the benefits of his cla.s.s. Dan didn"t rush into leadership. He wasn"t interested in the villagers, he felt a little contempt for the village.

The fact was, he was well aware of the new position of the players. The castle is the foundation of life under the Sword and Magic. Players took the position of local authorities. And all these villagers would become subordinates in the future. Players will pay for power with their blood. They will die for power. And no local aristocrats from the towns have any meaning.

The players have occupied the castle of the ancient monster hunters. They will grow in levels because they have no choice.

When everyone realized there were no more questions, John and Nick ran to the kitchen. They had to feed the little pets. Most of the guys left after them.

Michael, Alexander, and Dan were left in the room. Alexander had a cold look at Dan:

"You shouldn"t have done that, Dan. The clan needs to be united and united hard."

Dan grinned and shook his head.

"Do you think we"re immortal, Alexander? And I think our immortality is a lie that hides a terrible danger in itself. Every death will change us, whether we want it or not. It"s already changing. Think about it."

"It"s just an interesting a.s.sumption, Dan," said Michael. "Alexander, why didn"t you choose the Soldier cla.s.s? You"re an officer. I was the head of the company."

"I"m tired of war. I"m tired of killing. I can"t give up the Warrior"s way, but I was able to give up the Army"s way," said Alexander calmly.

"One thing is clear to the three of us. We make up the clan leadership. You and I are natural leaders. With the nuance of leadership development of the combat side of our lives, we can handle it. Dan has become the chief specialist for our enemies. Alexander! Why didn"t you choose the path of a.s.sa.s.sin or Scout? Secret Service is necessary," said Michael.

Alexander smiled and stroked his bald head:

"Michael, I don"t know which warrior will grow out of Tom. But he"ll never defeat me. The clan needs a better warrior. And we will keep our secrets without my involvement. Dan, pick up a jacket with long floors in your a.r.s.enal. Your new equipment catches the eye and raises unnecessary questions."

Dan nodded his head. Alexander was right, but he never answered all the leader"s questions.

Dan got up and went into the hall with the fireplace, leaving the two alleged leaders to seek common ground between them. Dan was not interested in the leadership theme.

At dinner, he learned what had been left in the hall of the Renaissance. After the first meal, they fell asleep and still have not woken up. A turn out there"s a new picture on the owner"s menu. They could put the Baby Pet to sleep until the owner returned.

Turin and Velida accepted the news of their new home calmly and even with grat.i.tude. Dan thought that they felt some discomfort from the company of players.

The players were different.

At the table, they had fun discussing the upcoming fight with the undead. Everyone was happy with the opportunity to raise the levels and improve skills. n.o.body was afraid to die.

This new life attracted by its adventures and opportunities. A cemetery with many skeletons, ghouls, and zombies! What kind of game can do without destroying the undead?

Tomorrow they"ll see what their new cla.s.ses are worth in a new fight.