Chapter 26

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There was a lot of EXP.

We killed the monsters nonstop. A volley of two bows and two crossbows. Then I begin to reload, the mercenary running aside to be behind the target. When the warrior and I stop it, the forester strikes with their bows. Finally, the creature reaches us. The warrior challenges it to himself with his shield against its fanged snout, and the knight from behind his shoulder taunts the creature with his spear. I and the tracker spread out to the sides and start hitting where it seemed that this armored, spiked creature was more vulnerable. The mercenary, trying to hide in concealment, delivers his strong blow, sometimes taking away up to half of the monster's life. We pile in together and finish the monster, and while the tracker tracks down a new victim, I quickly say my "Heal!" and once every five minutes I renew my blessing for the sake of pumping up the spell.

If you tell someone that five warriors in armor and with weapons fit around a small forest beast without a rush, they'll believe you. It's a game, there's more than that.

The essence of the quest the Tracker explained at the first resting place - here awakened a part of (who would have thought!) Evil. And because there are no tombs here, nor any sentient, it began to remake for their insidious needs, the local animals. And because it was a weak Evil, it did not touch any of the larger beasts. It is logical - there are a lot of small creatures, and bears in this territory one, many two will be. But that's not the point - Evil was gaining power, and its army was growing. Fortunately, they fed on Evil emanations and magical power, grew from the nourishing mixture, and were about to go to war on the nearest sentient, but there they finally spotted the guardian druids and "decided to give a chance" to the young warrior of the forest.

If he can clear the forest, let a magic seedling grow, and uproot a piece of Evil, he will receive honor and respect from the Guardians, expressed in teaching an important skill. Can't? That wood will be hit with heavy magic, scorching the beasties and Evil, and everything in general. And the tracker will have to take a quest to plant trees, for which he will restore the lost reputation, but will not be given any experience and loot.

The creatures were level thirty, and sometimes there were small groups of one thirty-third and two or three twenty-eighths. Then the warrior would take the "boss," and we'd knock out the entourage as quickly as possible. No surprises there. It was a slaughter of endurance. Enemies were within the strength of a whole group of six twenty-fifth-level fighters. The main thing was that no one failed, didn't go out in the real world, left the group unsupported, or didn't die foolishly.

Either the trailblazer was a master picker, or he was lucky, but the atmosphere, even after an hour of farming, was enthusiastic. People were joking, chatting, and jokingly quarreling over a beautiful lady, who announced a kiss as a reward for the next target and gave it to the one who made the last blow with the help of socials.

This was something new to me. When I was a kid, games didn't have voice chats as much, at most when I was on a quest, there was an additional talk program, and most of the chatter was in text chat.

Now I listened in bewilderment as the group discussed all sorts of topics at the same time as they fought. Like it wasn't a serious game but a chitchat.

"Paladin, why are you so silent?" The tracker's voice sounded in unison with my thoughts.

"Tell me, Vacek, are you sitting in a chair right now?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Glasses, a headset, and a computer on a stand? Or even a tablet on your lap?"

Ila giggled.

"That's right. Is that a crime, officer?"

"This is the norm. But I'm standing on a treadmill, covered with sensors, a module in each hand, a helmet on my head, and a crossbow behind my back."

"Uh... just don't look in the mirror, you'll get scared!"

"Funny, smart ass. Very funny."

I loaded the crossbow, took aim at a smaller boar about my shoulder, and fired.

And then he quickly removed my helmet and pulled up the keyboard

The fight, as expected, abruptly changed the pattern - now and again the boar jumped on the tracker, after hitting the mercenary quickly bounced in his direction and returned only after a battle cry goblin, on the way almost knocked over the tracker. They finished the mob without any problems, but obviously longer and not as coordinated.

"Palados, what was that?! Did you fall asleep?!"

"I was playing now without modules, from the keyboard. I didn't cut his tendons, I didn't distract him right after the mercenary hit him. I didn't turn his face toward the warrior with my shield. But I could talk to you. Any more questions, my dear?"

"No, Grandpa, put on your harness and keep working."

"That's just it ... and they don't like the fact that I'm not talkative. I am a paladin, a man of the service, and I am not supposed to talk on duty!"

"Exactly. Paladin is a difficult class, since childhood I remember the rotation of skills - one, two, one, two, one."

"Two. The boars, I mean. That one's for you because you talk too much."

"By the way, I'm the leader here!"

"Whatever you say, buddy, whatever you say."

As I went along, I compared my efficiency. The counter built into the game showed that I was third in damage (after the tracker and the knight), second (out of two) in healing, and first in activity, which gave me a five percent experience buff from the next target.

The experience, according to my calculations, increased one and a half times faster than on Companion in the crypts. And it was more fun.

"And yet, Paladin: what is your name? Confess, Mr. Wayne! We know all about you!" Ila's voice was full of curiosity.

"Um... well, you can call me Blake."

"Blake?"

"Yeah. Edward Morgan Blake."

All five of them froze, apparently switching to the search engine.

"Well, Walter would be more appropriate for a paladin," Vacek was the first to speak.

"A paladin with that name would be too serious."

"So you like to laugh, huh?"

"Who doesn't like it?"

"You're not a Comedian, you're a Paladin! Must be pathos, armored, and dumb!"

"Maybe that's the name of the heroic class for paladins?"

"Well, unless." The tracker sighed. "If I do this quest, I can get to the heroic quest by the hundredth level. I guess. All the guides say that to get a heroic warrior of the forest, you have to get taming skill with this quest till forty level."

"Can you do it without it?"

"It is possible. One hundred gold pieces, five minutes at the scroll of secrets in the sanctuary: that's how most people learn. Only then you can't get a heroic class."

"Do you want it badly?"

"Aha." Vacek pointed to a squirrel, melancholy, breaking a tree the thickness of a man's leg. "Target."

As I cocked the bowstring, I wondered why I had decided to play a paladin without a name. Was it because I wanted to show off? Or was it just that I didn't want to be distracted? When was the first time I thought about the vow? The first time I put my helmet on? Okay, if anything, call me Nobody.

"Paladin?" I shuddered. "Are you ready? Standing there, not moving. I thought you'd lost the connection."

"Everything is all right. I'm trying to understand..."

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"What is it exactly? A paladin who thinks is scary!"

And what am I trying to think of?

"I'm playing from the virt, so I thought, how do I can roleplay food? Because it's weird: I can fight, talk and bargain, but I can't eat."

Vacek hummed: "After the fight, I'll take you to a place. You can sync up there. You can eat while you're there."

"Vacek, are you going there again?!" Ila angrily threw a green lightning bolt at the tracker. In vain, the attacking magic did not affect the group mates.

"Ila, I appreciate beautiful things!"

"I wonder what's so beautiful about it?"

"Especially for you, I'll buy a ticket to the women's hall!"

"No way!"

I glanced at the warrior, shrugged, and took a shot at the squirrel. Judging from the argument, Vacek and Ila knew each other in real life.

We spent four hours clearing a patch of forest surrounded by a misty haze, slaughtering a hundred or two monsters in that time. I got a level, but I kept quiet about it. Ila got two levels, and everyone congratulated her profusely each time. The excitement of the first few days of pumping in any game, when the levels go flying. Then they are less and less frequent, and gradually there are other means to stimulate interest in the players.

"Vacek, what about the heroic class? What's it like for trackers?" Maybe I should be concerned, too.

"We have two. One common to all forest fighters - is the Forest Guardian. Bonus to all attacks, tame any beasts as combat familiars, some stat adjustments, plus a solid buff if you fight in the woods. Al wants one."

The knight confirmed with a nod.

"But there's a restriction - you have to spend a day in the woods once a week. Otherwise, you get weak. And for the trackers, the heroic class is the Lord of the Beasts. You can tame up to three Companions of your level, you know? Plus all sorts of perks, like guards but smaller, more to support their pets."

I thought about it. Yes, profitable, I guess.

"Are you going to farm?"

Wacek nodded affirmatively.

"On the hundredth with the simple grind, I'll make thirty a night. Beastmaster - it's his own group, I'm pumping a camouflage as well so that the PKs do not get me. Something, of course, will go on himself, but also to sell will be a penny."

It made me feel nostalgic. There was the same hunter in my very first guild who used to go out after raids to beat monsters for two or three hours. He was a stubborn guy.

I just launch the bot at the same time and sit down to finish the lessons. Not quite fair, but much more efficient. But in CoDs bots can not farm. Bots do not have a network account and proof of presence.

"That's it, folks, today's quota is met! Let's go back."

Vacek turned to us from the disintegrating pile of slain monsters. Since all the changes of the beasts were caused by magic, no loot dropped from them, only experience.

"Finally! I'm sick of it." Ila sighed in relief.

"Nadia, just be there tomorrow, okay? We agreed on the whole quest, didn't we? It's going to be hard without healing..."

"I'll be there, don't whine. But you will owe me for these three nights!"

"Ok!"

I looked at the experience counter. A third of level seventeen.

"Blake! Are you coming?"

I had to strain to understand who was being called.

"You decided I wasn't Walter after all?"

"Whatever you call the ship... He'd be too uncompromising. So go ahead, Comedian!"

"Did you watch the movie?"

"Well, yeah, just now, while we pumping, the director's cut. Boring, actually."

"I'm bouncing around like a devil on a rubber band, and they're sitting there, bored!"

"That's right! You're a paladin, you're supposed to jump, not think!"

"I can't wait until the twentieth! I'm so tired of running with my feet! I want to push the button - and go to town!"

There was laughter.

"The return crystal for the binding amulet costs one gold piece, is used once a day, and disappears after use, it is too much luxury for poor noobs".

"Ugh, you're so boring. I'll buy some gold."

"From Vacek? He's poor."

"He's gonna earn it!"

"Yeah, he has no other options, poor guy!"

I joined in the chatter, listening more than talking. The blowpipe that the knight used to speed us up was a racial ability, available once every twenty-four hours, so we walked to town. Apparently, the developers didn't want players to move around the world too quickly. I'll have to look at the forums on this topic because so far I only know about the NPC caravans.

"Pal, are you coming with us?"

"Vacek!"

"Ila, I promised the guys!"

"I'm coming. Ila is angry, and since a beautiful girl is so indignant, the show must be worth it!"

"Pf-f!"

We walked through the streets to a part of town I hadn't visited before. Judging by the signs, it was an entertainment zone. All kinds of entertainment.

All kinds for sure.

Exotic dancing of the Barra-Marra!

"It's this way."

"Are you sure? The sign doesn't have humans on it at all."

"That's the point, Pal, that's exactly the point."

"Hello, long time no see!"

A giantess stepped out of the shadows. In the light, she was just a very large orcess.

Very big. And scantily clad.

"Auntie Barra-Marra knows what you need! But do you have the money?"

Vacek counted out the coins. Judging by the price tag, it cost fifty pieces of silver per person. Ila, despite all the indignation, kept up.

"This way, this way. There's room and they're waiting for you. Auntie will take care of it, this way."

The place was like a study with a semicircular bandstand and a classical pole. There were seven chairs around it so that they were comfortably seated; in front of the bandstand, there was a semblance of a table. The office was separated from the rest of the room by a curtain, which was immediately drawn by a departing orcess.

"Pal, did I tell you about the modules? Do you have a virt for a room?"

"Yeah." I get it. "Are you suggesting we bring a chair in here?"

"That's right! And don't forget the munchies. I recommend beer, it goes great with it!"

I took off my helmet and ran to the kitchen. I'd had a quick snack in the middle of a squirrel and boar genocide in the woods, but now I was hungry again. I threw something on my plate, put it in the microwave for half a minute, and returned to the room, dragging a chair behind me.

"Have a seat at the table. Is there food on the plate? Put it on it. Sit on the chair. And say the magic word: sync".

"Synchronization." The room twitched, and one of the chairs moved toward me. Not the full model, of course, but very close."

"Can the reading be so detailed?"

"Didn't you know? In any inn, the virt has this option. You eat in real life, and here it calculates everything and adjusts."

"Does it only show food?"

"Well, I've never heard of virt being in toilets..."

I've heard. Chaos is full of virt videos of all kinds.

"Okay, don't get in the way of eating!"

"We won't. Here's the first one, by the way."

The bandstand curtain pulled back, and I realized why the sign said: "Exotic Dancing" and not any other.

"Xenophilia. Oh, gods, where did I end up!"

"It's okay, Paladin! It's a computer model, it's perfectly legal. And anyway, since you're a Comedian, you have to be appropriate! You have to smile when you look at it, and you must have a cigar. Do you have tobacco?"

"Not smoking."

"Wrong! At least in the game, it would have been possible! I wonder if an e-cigarette could be passed off as a module?"

I rolled my eyes, showing indignation, but noted to myself the relevance of the test. Just in case?

The woman standing on the stage hissed softly and waved her scaly tail.

Not a snake, more like a lizard. Dark blue scales, amber eyes, gliding movements of inhuman grace. Music was heard from behind the wall, and the dancer began her dance.

I must admit I was impressed. The sneaking plastique, the tail, the music, and the shadows from the dim light, all merged into a single spectacle that was a smashing sight.

There are plenty of virtual stripteases on the Net, and you can choose for all tastes: who of the office slaves, coming home, has not visited the appropriate site and ordered alive, or a program dancer? All you need is glasses, a computer, and an account with an age stamp. You could even get one for free; if you couldn't afford a professional, there were plenty of amateurs. But that was completely different.

There was no nudity, by the way; it was exactly exotic dancing. I once again mentally took my hat off to the developers: it was worth going to the "CoD" just for such a spectacle alone.

Throughout the entire dance program, there was not a single woman of more or less human appearance. Lizards of all kinds, goblins, beastfolk, even a sylph. Each time new music, a different dance, different outfits.

"So, Pal, did you like it?"

Ila snorted indignantly.

"Yes. Thank you, I didn't know about that."

"Ha! And I came right when I heard about it. And then I started getting pumped up."

"Did you make money for the payroll?"

Vacek chuckled: "Well, that's not the only thing you can spend money on."

"Okay, stop! I'm a paladin, a champion of purity, and I'm white and fluffy! Get back, demon, don't tempt me! Or I'll waste all the money here!"

Now even Ila was laughing.

"Don't worry, we'll teach you the bad stuff!"

"Okay, sensei, it's a deal. I have to go. Thanks for the group, guys, I hope to see you all tomorrow. Bye!" I walked out of the room accompanied by farewell jokes.

The orcess moved in the shadows.

"Dear lady, is it customary to tip dancers?"

"Auntie Barra-Marra will hand over the money. Do you like it?"

"It's an exceptional sight. It's nice to see that there is beauty in everything."

"Strange words from a warrior of the temple."

The orcess's tone was thoughtful.

I counted out three gold pieces and quickly poked the confirmation button.

"Warrior, templar, priest. It's all words. Actions matter. Thank you for the show, and pass on my thanks to the dancers. I'll probably come back and see you more than once."

"Well, I guess there's always room for a connoisseur. Bon voyage."

"Good night."

As I left the establishment, I walked slowly through the city. The evening's hustle and bustle of the townsfolk passed me by, the treadmill humming quietly beneath my feet, the nodding of the changing guards in response. The mood was thoughtful beyond belief.

The temple courtyard was still crowded but in the sanctuary, only one of the walls was being scrubbed.

I stopped at the altar. Blue flower, white stone.

"The sky is blue in a flower, In a handful of ashes is infinity; To hold the whole world in my hand, To see eternity in every moment."

"I'm sorry, brother paladin, I didn't hear you."

Can programs recognize poetry?

"It's a poem. Old, but not bad, it seems to me."

The priest thought about it, then nodded:

"And the appropriate places for it. Have you thought about Her?"

I shrugged:

"I don't know. I look at the altar, I want to give her something, but there's nothing. No loot, no purchase. And putting money on that stone isn't even sacrilege - it's just stupid."

"Put them in the donation cup. Or give it to the needy. Or renew your armor. And it's enough for Her that you think of Her in battle."

"In battle, brother, I think about how to take down the enemy. How to cover an ally. There's no time to think of high things, only how to survive."

"It seems to me that this is enough already."

You have received the blessing of the temple.

Reputation increased by 15!

"Didn't you think there were some things you shouldn't be thankful for?"

The priest was quiet. Then he shrugged.

"Sometimes. But it's better to say thank you."

I silently raised my hand.

"Her light shall be upon you!"

The rookie of the temple guard, standing beside the priest, twitched, turned his head, staring at the blue melted sparks of blessing, and then bowed with a delay. Clearly a player.

"Let's call it a day, brother. I'm going to rest, it hasn't been an easy day."

"Go, brother paladin. Her light shall be upon you"

Room. Closet.

"Comp - exit. Shutdown."

Long day.

I don't like going to bed before midnight, but the bed beckoned.

I had to do something about the workload. With that thought in mind, I passed out.

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