Now all that was left for active development was monster hunting.

Dan stood by the court and watched as Leo and Tom exercised their swords under Stephan"s guidance.

He had a bad relationship with Stephan. His coach was just afraid of him, considering the appearance, cla.s.s and d.a.m.n objects. Funny and not serious, level 25 is scared of level 17.

When the players were coming home from the cemetery, the group went to the village to resupply and sell some trophies.

The locals smiled friendly and nodded to everyone except the Inquisitor.

There was an alienation lane near him. The locals tried not to look in his direction and tried to stay away from him. Dan had a nasty residue from his first visit to this village.

The only locals with whom Dan could communicate normally were Turin and Velida. It was his daughter who died, he avenged her death. Velida felt sorry for the Inquisitor, she thought life had been cruel to him.

She was wrong, everything that happened to him in that life, Dan deserved it himself. Dan had had some strange dreams. In those dreams, he shot a young man and killed him. He loved it. There was a girl behind the guy"s back. Bullets. .h.i.t her. Dan saw how surprised she was. It was a nightmare that happened again a couple of times.

I think I was a criminal. I feel more comfortable in this world. In it, I can stay away from normal people. It was fate itself that sentenced me to deal with monsters. That"s fair. They want to kill me, I want to kill them. And I really want to kill monsters! I have a strange urge to raise my level. I want to look beyond the horizon of my cla.s.s. I"m interested in transformation. What are the secrets of the Inquisitor"s new skills?

Dan was thinking about his future and watching Stefan train a knight.

"The sword above you, above you, now a direct hit. No, no, don"t lower the blade too low. Yeah, that"s it. Now right foot back and block. No, Leo, you"re in too much of a hurry and don"t bully your elbow so high, your opponent can dry your hand. Sword just down and drop your opponent"s blade. Halfway through and hitting diagonally, the enemy is covered by the shield and opening, Halfway through, he"s waiting for the shoulder hit and moving the shield. Kick and drop, now try to do it again faster."

Dan was watching in shock. It was real art! The system didn"t require perfect knowledge of techniques. All you had to do was start doing the right thing, and then it did it all by itself. But that"s what happened in cla.s.ses that have weapons skills.

And what would the Inquisitor do? Ask the scouts to teach him hand-to-hand combat? But now he has his own sword, even though he doesn"t have the skills.

Stefan didn"t know the tricks to a two-handed weapon, he only knew a few tricks to defend himself against it.

The rest of the fighters were watching the practice closely.

Behind the wall rumbled the sounds of explosions: In the morning Michael and Ron dragged a dozen logs behind the wall, and there is now fun Gandalf. Michael had Valerie on him, and the magician is now trying to impress her.

Dan went to the blacksmith"s, to find out about his order. Turin pointed to a small chest in the corner. The Inquisitor came up to him and got his updated equipment.

Battle gloves of Wrath.

Type: Rare [Enhanced]

Warning! This item combines both protective and attacking properties.

Cla.s.s: Inquisitor

Effects: +1 to Strength, +2 to dexterity.

Slot: Talakat [20% damage increase]

Damage: 540 - 610 [Critical damage: 750 - 830]

Protection: 170

Durability: 140

Weight: 10 pounds

Warning! A minimum of 40 strength is required to possess these weapons effectively.

Description: Converted by blacksmith Turin into "Battle Gloves of Wrath ".

Dan couldn"t find the words to express his admiration. This item is worth more than the two gold pieces that the clan gave to Turin for his work. What about the other order?

The face of Sorrow.

Type: Rare [Personal]

Cla.s.s: Inquisitor

Effects: Endurance +3

Slot: Ridarn [20% fear]

Protection: 400

Durability: 200

Description: This mask is forged by the blacksmith Turin for one desperate Inquisitor.

Eight gold pieces were claimed by Turin for a reason. Made in a dark iron helmet, the half mask was very impressive. It was very similar to Dr. Doom"s mask.

Now there"s something to cover the scars on the Inquisitor"s face.

But Dan didn"t care about the appearance, he cared about the possibility of increased protection! As he thanked the blacksmith, he went out into the courtyard and headed for the well.

He walked and put on his new outfit: Draugr"s forged armor, new bracelets and a mask. The cursed blade felt a pleasant weight in his hands.

Stefan nodded at him and pointed away. Leo stepped back and sat down to rest.

"Sir Inquisitor. Lesson repeat. Sword above you, higher, now a direct hit. Now the right leg is half a body back and..."

*

[Attention! The hidden effect of the cursed object is triggered.

A new "Memory Blade" skill is available.

Do you accept it? : Yes/ No]

*

How insolent and impatient you are! And what will you ask of me for that?

Dan gave his consent in his mind.

It was to be expected. Let"s see where it leads, he thought.

*

[Attention! The effect of the cursed object on you has increased by 10%.

Attention! From now on, outside interference in your game process is possible]

*

"The legs bend a little in the knees. The blade draws a horizontal arc, forcing the enemy to break the distance. Half a turn and half a step forward. The blade takes off and falls to the place where the opponent was standing. But it is no longer there, shifting to the right, it tries to get closer to me.

My weight makes you vulnerable. But you"re strong enough already, we don"t have that disadvantage anymore.

Half a step back, move all your weight to your supporting leg. The blade soars from bottom to top, causing the enemy to interrupt their attack. Halfway back and again a horizontal cut.

I"m longer than a normal sword that gives me a bigger radius to attack.

Half a turn again, you change the position of your legs. I"m heavier, and by making a wide swing, just hold me tight.

Thanks to the outstretched arms, our attack radius is slightly longer and the enemy has no time to get away from the kick.

What will he choose? Does he choose to lose his shield or get a severe wound on his hip?

That"s right, the shield goes down, covering his right leg. But this position is not comfortable, and given the strength of the impact, the arm holding the shield is injured.

Halfway through, the sword takes off in the upper position. The opponent does not have time to leave the attack line, he kneels down, trying to hold the shield.

Reverse after a false swing, and I draw a slanting cut on the other side not covered by the shield.

I bite into the shoulder, and I move on. Neither iron armor nor the ring on it saves him from our force of impact and my sharpness.

He screams in pain, he will die soon, such wounds do not heal.

Are you satisfied with our acquaintance? I am very pleased. It was boring with draugr."

s.h.i.t, what was that?

Dan was standing on one knee a few steps from the well, leaning on a glowing, blue foggy blade. His heart was trying to break out of his chest, and he could feel the ghost of the cold again, tested in the cemetery.

Was it me or not? Or was it me and the thing I"m leaning on now?

Trying to take his breath away, Dan looked around.

The cautious eyes of the people huddled at the training ground burned him.

All the fighters were in combat mode. Careful to stand up so as not to provoke the players, Dan put his equipment in his inventory and went into the donjon.

He wanted to warm up and think about what happened at practice.

Something hit the Inquisitor"s eye, he put his hand in his face and stopped.

Sweat on his face, wet hair, did he sweat? But it can"t be! There"s no such thing in this world. There was n.o.body smell. What"s happening to him? Could it be the sword?

Dan was on his way up to the second floor when someone called him out. He stopped and turned around. A little lower on the steps was Velida. She was holding something in her hand and telling Dan something.

"Sorry, I was thinking. Velida, what did you say?"

"There was a lot to do yesterday, Sir Dan, I didn"t have time to thank Michael for accepting us into your clan. Here, take this, please."

"What kind of Sir am I? What are you, Velida? "

He carefully took the bundle from her hands.

"The truest Sir. You are knights, monster hunters. Everyone in the village says so, and in the castle on bas-reliefs, everything is carved."

"Thank you, I"ll pa.s.s on your present."

Dan smiled at her and shaved to his favorite place.

The fireplace flame attracted his warmth.

He put the bundle aside and sat in the chair by the fireplace.

Michael walked into the room and took the second chair:

"Have you been influenced by Tarrok?"

"Yes. We met today."

"And what was your impression of the meeting?"

"For now, all I have is a bad impression."

"But it looked spectacular. You scared everyone."

"Tell me how scared it looked."

"You started moving around with your sword and making different strikes. But that"s not the important thing. Dan, it"s like you were killing an invisible enemy. It was a terrible sight. And it was clear that you weren"t exactly you like you had the spirit of an experienced swordsman killer."

"It was Tarrok, he led me and explained every move. He said he was bored with the draugr."

"Even so? Can he still talk to you?"

"That sounds like understanding his thoughts."

"Can you control him?"

"I think I can. It"s just that the first time was unexpected, and I couldn"t stop him."

"So these moves with the sword from him?"

"Yes. The system offered to take a hidden skill from a cursed subject. I did, and now the blade can affect me by 10%."

They didn"t keep quiet for long. Then the leader said quietly:

"No more deals with him, Dan. We discussed your situation and made a decision. If you attack any of the players, I"ll remove you from the clan and cancel the rebirth point binding. I have that option."

"Alexander offered?"

"He offered to lock you up in the bas.e.m.e.nt. And that"s my decision. Do you agree?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You do. The one written in your cla.s.s description."

"Bad alternative. I agree with your decision. What are the newcomers" plans, you talked to them, right?"

"Yes. I told them all the highlights of clan life. Alan"s planning on going the dexterity path. The guy"s going to make it easier for him to decide which cla.s.s to choose. Valerie spends a lot of time with Gandalf, she"s probably going to be a magician."

"Did he manage to charm her?" Dan didn"t hold back the smile.

"She was enchanted by magic, and our magician must find another woman to enchant."

"Gandalf must be in sorrow."

"What can we do? She has a husband there, and she has no plans to cheat on him. That"s a moment she and I discussed, too."

"Was she outraged?"

"Of course, but I don"t care about her resentment. I won"t have any trouble because of the woman among us. I"ll cancel the tether right away."

"That"s tough."

"There"s no other way. Yeah, we"re not all in this world forever. Yeah, most of us still have families there. But we"re not on a holiday cruise here. And we"re mostly male and stressful. Anything can happen. Everybody"s got a weapon, cut whoever you want. A man is such an a.s.shole, he can do anything."

"You sound like the vice police."

"What I"m saying concerns you, too."

Michael got up and quietly walked out of the hall.

Lock me up? Expel me? No, dear clan boys, you will not succeed.

I already have two points of rebirth, Dan thought, and he got out of the chair.

He turned the package around and looked at the gift that Velida had prepared. I should have given it to Michael while he was in the room. The beautiful thing, did she do it herself? Amazing work by a true master. Dan went downstairs to the craftsmen. He tried to ignore the guys staring at him.

"Jim, come with me?"

"Why?"

"We"ve got about ten minutes of work to do. And please look for a wooden pole two yards long. Preferably smooth."

"What"s that for?"

"Go ahead," said Turin in his beard. "And take the tool, you"ll need it."

Players entered the donjon and went up to the library. There were iron staples made in the wall. They led to the roof of a rectangular tower.

Dan strained his arm and threw the heavy hatch aside. And he climbed upstairs.

An empty platform, surrounded by stone teeth.

Jim went up to the roof following him and circled the tower, looking out over the area. The height of the local forest prevented him from seeing the area far.

Dan pulled out a bundle and turned it around. A dense white cloth fluttered in his divorced hands. The phoenix was beautifully embroidered with silver threads in the center of it. There was a beautiful pattern at the edges of the cloth.

Jim took a s.h.i.t and started looking at the pattern.

"Jim, can you make pole bindings on a corner tooth?"

"Of course I"ll do it now. Wait, I"ll fix the pole a little bit," replied Jim.

Ten minutes to work. Dan would put the flag on the pole and fasten it. Jim would screw two mounts on the tooth into the solution between the rocks. Five minutes to set the pole, and then...

There was a phoenix over the tower in the wind.

*

[Congratulations! The hidden task "Symbol" from the series "In the Footsteps of the Greats" has been completed.

A safe radius around Preceptorium increased by fifty yards.

Preceptor wall strength increased by 20%]

*

It"s impossible to live without an all-knowing system! Sometimes it is desirable to switch off the ability to see messages.

They stood and admired the developing banner, then climbed down.

Dan spent the rest of the day in one of the offices. The room, which was on the same floor, was now fully owned by the Inquisitor.

The paranoia of his comrades knew no boundaries. They moved him away from themselves.

Dan had no choice but to accept the players" demands. But out of harm"s way, he worked in outfitting. At least Dan wouldn"t take off his mask. Although he didn"t have an effect on his allies, they still felt bad.

Michael laughed and shook his head.

But Dan got even cozier in a separate section of the castle. He took out the chronicle and continued to supplement the text with the details and events of the past day.

He did not know what to report at the beginning of his contact with the living sword. This is crazy!

It"s a game.