Chapter 14

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The scabbard was not a pretty sight, but it did what it was supposed to do, holding the stick of the manipulator even when I was bending and jumping. I decided that if I was going to be a paladin, I had to be one to the end, so I printed the emblem of Amala, the flower of a bell on an open palm, and glued it to the scabbard. Design! But now that was sort of all there was to it.

"Comp, launching the Creators of Destiny."

Welcome... Checking...

The room was brightly lit by the sun beating through the window. By the way, the windows had small, lead-lined panes the size of the palm of my hand. Didn't notice when I first looked around. It's very pretty.

But the walls are simply painted boards, dividing the long room. It was probably a barracks and then partitioned into nooks for the sergeants and tens to lie down in.

So, visit the Martial Skills Instructor, visit the Temple, for a blessing, visit the Healers Instructor, then buy scrolls, make scrolls to sell, and visit the Khramm. Maybe he's already sold my lots... What am I forgetting? Oh yes, most importantly, to go to the library, talk to the priests, and find out what my divine patroness actually is. And whether yesterday's increase in faith was accidental or natural.

"Open the interface change dialog box. Import an external file."

The pre-prepared settings were assimilated by the computer for a few seconds, and then a confirmation message popped up. There, now it will be a little more convenient... when I get used to it.

I put my sword on my belt, and I left the room as a rookie temple guard.

The training ground was still noisy. Training only stopped when darkness fell, and now, in the morning, practically every area, track, and equipment was occupied. Beginners, in pairs, were practicing blows and defenses, and more experienced warriors were practicing on dummies, in the corner two paladins of the temple were discussing something, twirling weapons in their hands. I turned off my helmet and glanced at the monitor - from above it looked almost the same, but more cartoonish. What progress has come so far, the picture matching is just perfect! By the way, my avatar was now standing rubbing the temple of the helmet on his head, as if wondering where to start.

I put my glasses down and headed for the warrior instructor.

"Sir Instructor! Hello! You said that with enough experience, I could learn new fighting techniques?" I saluted the instructor standing next to a couple of rookies, and he turned around.

"Are you ready yet? Okay, go over to that dummy."

I obeyed, and in half a minute the instructor finished his explanation to the rookies and came over to me.

"I see you're ready to learn the paladins' basic fighting technique. Our strength is not in the sophistication of our weapons but in the firmness of our faith, which means that any blow in which your soul is invested will be stronger than a blow delivered by body strength alone. Look carefully!"

Instructor froze in front of the dummy, the sword lowered to his leg slowly pouring with white light until the whole thing glowed. A flash of movement, an arc that flashed and disappeared, and the dummy collapsed. Cool.

"Remember, this is a stroke of faith, not a stroke of strength. And if your faith has given you a worthy goal, your strength will increase! But also remember that this power will not help in an unnecessary fight - only in a fight with evil!"

Congratulations, you have learned the Strike of the Warrior of Light!

This is a class skill that has a restriction on its use (read the reference!)

Attention, the application of this technique can be set in different modes!

Calling the game menu, I activated the pre-made settings. Now the skill will be applied automatically when the recovery time expires.

"Thank you, Instructor!"

He responded to my bow and immediately turned away, going back to his beginner's training. So, I learned my first and only combat technique up to level one hundred. Now for the spells.

The priests' instructor had to be searched for. The servants and guards I met gave me mutually exclusive advice on the search, and I even began to think that this was such a new quest. It was simpler than that - the preceptor was revising the vast basements of the temple, which were a long chain of halls underground. In one of them, filled with bales and barrels and bundles of roots, I found the person I was looking for. A stocky man in a gray robe, with a book in his hands, was examining something at the bottom of a barrel in the darkest corner.

"Excuse me, sir, are you the instructor of the priests?"

He looked away, glanced at me, and stared down at the bottom of the barrel again.

"I was told that you could teach me the magic of the temple."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I'm busy!"

Insolent NPC.

"Maybe I can help?"

He looked away from what he was contemplating and looked me over.

"You can. We've got to get these five barrels to the other end of the vault, to the other ones. The stupid novices were too lazy to carry them there, so you do it."

I looked around at the front of the work. Five barrels of two hundred liters each at a distance of two hundred paces...

"We have to drag... hey, where are you going?"

He was already yelling at my back. Before you move anything, you have to know the route.

"One minute, honorable instructor!"

Half of it was enough.

"Instructor, no need to take them anywhere. There's room for three barrels, that's why they left them here."

"Then why are there not two, but five?"

"Because two of them would have been quickly used as props or covered with something. And five barrels are harder to lose than two. Besides, they are in this nook in plain sight and not on the passageway. How much..." I looked closely, "how much salted fish spent in a week?"

"Two barrels." The priest pressed the thick book to his stomach and looked at me with interest.

"It means that this corner will soon be free. And there will be room there if you need to put something up quickly and briefly, for example, when shuffling supplies in neighboring halls. I'd recommend that you put a more sturdy pole on top of these barrels. This way you won't be tempted to use them as stands for other containers. Well, and consume them first. That way the space is naturally freed up without too much hassle."

The priest thought something over.

"Yes, that sounds logical. I'm not much of a stock expert, but the brother storekeeper is away at the fair, and we'll have to fill in for him this week. Well, if that's all right, let's go to spellbinding rest!"

He slammed the book shut with obvious relief.

As everyone knows, the first thing you learn in the warehouse is how to properly explain to an impertinent supervisor that the thing should lie exactly where the loader is comfortable. Ah, that first internship, I'll never forget! I wonder if the priest really didn't figure out that it was the two barrels that were supposed to stay here as a week's supply? Or maybe he just got bored in the dark and cold cellars?

The spell chamber was a bit of a mouthful. It was, in fact, a simple room with vaulted ceilings and a small altar of Amala in the center. I caught myself putting my fist to my forehead.

"Come on in, brother. Stand in this circle."

In front of the altar, a mosaic circle was laid out on the floor, and I stood in it. The priest mumbled something, and with almost no visible effect I began my training. A minute, another, and the room trembled a little.

"That is all. Now you carry a part of the Patroness's power, and as long as you are faithful to her way, that power will help you. Go, brother."

Congratulations, you have learned a new spell - the Blessing of Amala the Healer!

Congratulations, you have learned a new aura - Combat Aura!

I bowed to my instructor and walked out into the hallway. So, the first rank blessing, available once every five minutes, increases all primary characteristics by four per rank, plus the random primary by another two per rank, plus increases defense by three percent for the same rank. The expiration time is one hour.

The aura simply increases protection against any damage inflicted by evil monsters or characters by ten percent - plus one for each rank of faith. Works on all allies until cancellation or paladin's death. Does not count in battles against neutrals or light, only against evil. Well, my presence at any party is already justified.

"Bless me, Healer!" A blue light flickered on my open palm and scattered a cloud of sparks around me. Simple and tasteful, with no unnecessary glow or magical patterns. And the bonus gave me a boost in intelligence. That's good!

Catching one of the servants by the hood, I asked where the temple library was and headed there.

Again, the absence of pompous chambers with their gigantic ceilings and cupid stucco. The library was as vaulted as the spell chamber. There were desks and counters arranged along the walls, and in the middle were cabinets with thick rolls of records. Makes sense: a book would be hard to leaf through. And a roll would be easy to fasten into holders and rewind.

The librarian, a skinny, lanky young man in a short cassock and sandals, did not give me the scroll, but carefully fastened it in the holders himself.

Hint - use the manipulator to rewind the scroll

I will.

Amala's story was quite simple. An orphan girl from a seaside village was picked up and raised by a powerful sorceress, then sent to defeat her mentor's many enemies. In long and successful battles she won the love and respect of her army and then learned that the sorceress was in fact a dark sorceress and that all wars were unrighteous and invasive. When the avatars of the light gods descended from the heavens to punish the dark destroyer, the girl freaked out, killed the avatar, picked up her adoptive mother's corpse, and departed in an unknown direction. The warriors of her army, seeing her adored leader reach a divine level of power, swore an oath to the new goddess and became the first servants of Amala. To whom, in a divine revelation, she appeared and explained that henceforth those who follow her must heal, not destroy. No one saw Amalah herself after that revelation, but the altars erected in her honor were surrounded by divine power, hinting that she was somewhere, alive, and indeed a goddess.

Anyway, it reminded me a lot of something; I think I read something like that when I was a kid. The general principle is clear: ministry is available to anyone, and regardless of one's proclivities, those who destroy evil increase their level of faith. Well, those who destroy traitors increase doubly. It is unclear why the Companions are considered enemies but in principle, it is clear that destroying them will continue to give an increase in faith. Okay. That's it, now move on.

When I came down from the library to the sanctuary, I approached the priest still standing next to the altar.

"Greetings, brother. I see you have grown in skill and prowess?"

I bowed and, holding out my hand, said in a low voice: "The blessing of the Healer be with you."

I set up a dozen voice formulas, for all occasions, so that the difference counts as intensified use of the module.

The priest smiled and tried unsuccessfully to catch one of the sparks. Then, in the same gesture, he extended his hand toward me.

"The blessing of the temple be with you."

You received a temporary enhancement - Temple Aura.

Your defense is improved by 1, your endurance is increased by 2

All characteristics increased by 1

Recovery increased by 10%

Expiration time - 23 h. 59 min.

I bowed:

"Now I have a part of her with me, and I can do more. Perhaps you have an errand for me to run?"

Your reputation has increased by 5

Vivat, proper role-playing!

"Later, brother, later. For now, focus on developing your fighting skills; dark times are coming, and we need strong fighters!"

Interesting. Coming, you say? New darkness? Or the activation of an old one? Either way, it's a chance to get a bunch of quests. Thanks for the info, buddy!

"In that case, I'll go practice."

I bowed again, and in a minute I was out of the temple.

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