Chapter 46

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We approached Weird Forest in silence.

We're not having much fun. I should make a joke.

"Nika, I thought you liked searching for quests?"

"Yeah, what? Is there one here?"

Menu, map. So, what have we got here? A woodsman, urban clearings, a patch of "Weird Forest". What would work here? And what's to come up with if it doesn't work?

"There's a peaceful NPC there who sometimes collects herbs. I can't remember what it's called."

"An assistant healer? It's a dead end, he's just a target for a messenger quest."

So there's an NPC, that's nice.

"It's not that simple. You have to know how to take this quest!"

"An expert, ha!" But her voice was interested. Keep going!

"Piglet, where is that helper? Lead on."

The helper was an unkempt elderly man, wearing something down to his heels and a basket in his hand, sitting at the moment on a fallen tree chewing something. He stared at us with suspicion and started chewing faster, apparently fearing for his munchies.

"Hi. Do you do herbs?"

"Hello to you too, Brother Paladin. I do... but it's no use doing it. All the grass has been rained on, trampled underfoot, and the animals have eaten it all up..."

The man was howling with passion. But he kept his eyes on us, just like a storekeeper I knew.

"Here," the herbalist caught the gold coin with surprising agility, sniffed it, and was about to put it in his mouth, behind his cheek, not trusting the security of his pockets, "this is for information. We need herbs for our," I winked, "not quite in touch with the law friend. You know what kind."

"No sir, no sir! I'm only collecting what's allowed here! I'm not going into town, no way! I can't do that!"

"You'll get more gold for these... herbs."

Is he dealing drugs? Nika asked in a text chat without interfering with the conversation.

Not really. And the reward depends on a lot of things.

"Well, I..."

"Two golds."

Spender!

"I would help the honorable gentleman, but I have a little business to attend to..."

You have been given the quest of collecting medicinal herbs.

Help the assistant herbalist complete the day's norm.

Progress of execution 0/50

"We will help. But I hope the reward will be exactly what I expect it to be."

"Oh, oh, I don't know, I'll have to see, I think I had something like that, but I'm so wrapped up with this order... I'll see, Brother Paladin, while you look for herbs, look for them."

Nodding, I stepped aside, taking my teammates away.

"Pal, tell me, what kind of herb is it?"

And come up with what? Well, let it be:

"There are different ones for everyone. Just don't forget to slip a coin in when you hand in your quest."

"What the hell, we're the ones who should be getting paid?!"

"That's why you don't know anything about this Herbalist. Greed is evil! By the way, if I understand anything about quests, only Piglet should get the reward today."

"Why this?"

"Because it's a 'day norm'. We only get fifty herbs for the three of us."

"Your logic is strange. A quest has been given to all of us!"

I haven't really understood my own fantasies yet. They're so weird.

"Just trust me. Loot on Piglet. He'll also hand in the quest."

"Pal, how do you do this one with the coin?"

"What's with the coin?"

"Well, throwing it."

"He is wearing virt gloves. You can use them to move objects around in the game."

Nika stepped forward and stopped.

"What herbs should be collected?"

"Which ones fall down out of the corpses will do the trick. I see the target!"

From behind the tree stepped the first tree... tree someone. Three legs, ten arms.

"Nika, with fire."

The whip of fire sliced through half the branches, causing the tree man to screech and lunge at the shaman. I met it with a swipe of my shield. I cursed - the collision had taken five percent of my life! I retreated and, pushing my opponent with my shield blows, drove him sideways, opening up on Nika's side. Two more strokes of the fire lash and the tree man scattered.

"Empty."

But we got EXP.

"Next!"

Gradually we worked our way into the rhythm of battle. A triple strike from two crossbows and a fire spell would take a third of the target's life. Then I would duck, blocking the path of the furious thing, taunting, turning it sideways toward the group, and waiting to finish it off. If there were more than one target, I would distract one or two, and the remaining one Nika and Piglet would chase with blows between them, sometimes, as a special chic, forcing it past me so that I would partake with one or two blows as well. The herbs were found in one out of ten monsters, and we killed them at most two a minute. Yeah, the quest turned out to be a Korean "kill a hundred thousand enemies for some unknown shit we might not even give you" kind of quest, but after an hour of running and jumping, I picked up a third of the experience I lacked before the up.

*alarm sound*

Damn.

Well, it's about time.

"Folks, I need to get out."

"All right, we'll take care of it. Go, don't be afraid for your life!"

"I'm more worried about my wallet. I need to go for a long time. Piglet, trade, I'll give you my weed. How much is it?"

"Eighteen. Out of fifty. What did you sign us up for, Paladin? Are we going to fight till tomorrow?"

"Just a few more hours, and you'll get some experience. Her blessing be upon the valiant toilers!"

"Pal, have you got a second rank of bless?"

"Be envious in silence, Nika."

"Screw you!"

"Yeah."

Ducking behind a tree, I waited, leaving the group and dashing towards the ravine. There was a ravine around here somewhere. Where was it?

Fi... nd!

"Heal. Heal."

It's dangerous to fall down, you might bump into something. But if I'm being followed...

Inventory. Potions. " Potion of invisibility of the third rank." " Potion of acceleration of the third rank."

Thirty seconds, the clock is ticking.

"Jump!"

I flew over the stream at the bottom of the ravine, darted towards the sweeping clay, slipping and cursing to myself, and crawled up.

Fifteen seconds.

My legs, my feet, carry my... me all and please, in an undivided state.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Five seconds. Inventory, potions, second dose. Two golds per minute, just to get away from whoever might be following me! Breaking through the bushes, I ran out onto the road, turned on the map mod, and ran after the pointing arrow.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Inventory, potions. "Potion of Wolf run of the fifth rank." Toad howled wistfully: five gold per minute of acceleration! And plus invisibility, of course. The hell with it, buying a spell for scrolls for rings would be more expensive, and there's just gold here.

Accelerating almost as fast as an elf's "blowpipe," I raced down the road to the point marked "Big Mountain (dwarves, tavern, two quests)," abusing the treadmill and my legs. The second batch of Wolf Run followed the first, invisibility I drank on a timer, not letting it drop. Hardly likely to be waiting for me at this distance from the city, but meet the occasional mercenary who has you as a target, and get out of the city again? No, better to splurge.

"Halt, stranger! Identify yourself!"

The bald, short gnome waved his crossbow invitingly, and I hopped off the treadmill and canceled the action of the fifth vial of 'Wolfrun'.

"I am a peaceful traveler. I come to meet an old acquaintance."

"What's his name? Can he stand up for you?"

Gnomes are far less open people than their distant cousins, the Dwarves. There was no cordiality in the voice of the guards.

"Iglis. He is sometimes called an Owl."

"Apothecary?" He looked at me, cleared his throat, and gave me the standard: "The fee is a silver coin. The village is under the patronage of the Gnome people, no dark business, sleep only in the tavern, and if you are disorderly, we'll send you to work it off. Pay up, and you're free to come in."

I paid.

"Where can I find my friend?"

The gnome, losing interest in me, waved his hand behind his back:

"The tavern, it's the only one. He sits there."

I walked through the village, looking around curiously. Here, almost at the pass, everything was "mature". The guards were unfriendly, the villagers were busy doing their own thing, and the town was no longer "public" but someone else's property, even if it was only a game faction. But overall, it's a pretty normal place, with a couple of recurring quests to gather resources and a quiet tavern where you can rent an inexpensive room.

The character I was looking for was sitting at one of the six long tables.

"Hello. Are you Iglis?"

The man moved the goblet on the table and looked up reluctantly.

"I am Iglis. What do you want, warrior?"

Interesting. All the NPC addressed me by the name of the class, and only this one like this,

"I would like to ask a few questions."

"Everyone wants to ask questions. Why should I answer them?"

Sitting down at the table, I looked at his face. Not young, in his forties, and with surprisingly round eyes.

"Old Owl. Very appropriate for you."

"You're cheeky, boy." He finished what was in the cup. "Wolf or Fox?"

"Both. I am looking for explanations for some of the questions."

"Innkeeper! More wine!"

"And juice, if you don't mind."

The round and smiling innkeeper came up. He apologized profusely and offered a berry concoction instead of juice. I had to get up, go to the kitchen and pour myself some cherry compote diluted with iced tea for flavor.

"Synchronisation."

"What?"

"I would like to know why blue armor is so important?"

Iglis snorted. Then he sneered and laughed. He laughed for a long time, with gusto.

"Where did you find it?"

"Taris Watch, this is..."

"I know. Did you find it?"

"I did."

"Did you notice anything interesting?"

"Lots of strong and tough creatures, dust, old bones, the wreckage of armor. And a ghost watchman who called me a traitor."

"Did he disappear?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"It doesn't make sense to me."

"Sure. Do you want me to tell you what happened or just tell you where the treasure is?"

"To the dark gods the treasure. Tell me what happened! Why did one of the first to follow the goddess call Her paladin a traitor?"

"Well, listen."

The story was long. I ordered dinner from the innkeeper, ran to the fridge once more for a plate of slices, turned on the record, and tried not to miss a word.

There were three warrior friends, the Fox, the Wolf, and the Owl. They served in the Temple of Adar. They served as honestly as young, full of strength and excitement as boys could. They fought with evil, sometimes even with Evil, and a couple of times fought local feudal lords who decided to go over to the side of the same evil. Fox hiked in the woods, Wolf spent all his free time swinging sharp iron, and Owl preferred libraries. Career was slowly moving, and not far away was the coveted title of Paladin of the Temple. But then Owl found a strange entry in an old chronicle and told his friends about it. They found it interesting to help the historian, and they began to clarify the details. They got to the bottom of it.

There appeared to be an old, centuries-old, carefully concealed rift in the Temple. The Goddess gave power to her warriors generously, but some wanted more power and less duty. Such 'slackers' began to collect the items worn by the warriors of the Dark Mistress's army when her apprentice was not a goddess. Blue armor is infused with 'soul power' rather than 'deity power', for the latter has high requirements for use, while the former is simply power available to anyone. The coming Time of Darkness forced the two factions to rally together for survival, but the rift remained.

The three friends got into the heart of this unhealed old wound, reviving an old argument.

Fox and Owl were thrown out into the street and excommunicated from the power of the goddess. For men like them, accustomed to living, thinking, and acting like temple warriors, it was almost worse than death. Wolf was demoted: that must be why he looked so strange when I called him sergeant - he used to be a full-fledged 'Warrior of the Temple' once.

The papers that spoke of the schism were destroyed. Owl had only kept a map of the place where one of the warlords who had followed Amala had fallen at the hands of the early templars, remaining loyal to her as his Lady, but not as a Goddess. And there was reason to believe that in the grave with him lay something to help pump more actively from my divine patroness that portion of power that did not require restrictions on faith, reputation, or generally belonging to the light camp. Why the three friends remained alive, Owl did not know, but he assumed it was because of the summons of the "light aliens," which had begun just shortly after their exile.

"That's the story, warrior. Do you want the map back? I don't want it. I'm done playing with it."

I looked into the round grey-yellow eyes of the former Templar.

"It's a bit too easy. Go over there. Here's a map so you don't get lost. Kill the bad guy there, take the stuff to the Temple, and everyone is happy. It's like a silly children's book."

"What did you want, warrior? Do a lot of unthinkable feats and die a hero's death? Then don't take anything to the temple, and use it yourself."

"Why has no one made their way there over the ages?"

"You aliens call such places Misty Spot."

"And only our people can get in?"

"Yes."

"Why not hire a team? Surely there would have been willing participants?"

"Why? Because for the last hundred years, the struggle between blues and whites has been winding down. The blues have been fighting, and the whites have been healing and praying. And then along came you light ones. Kind of light."

"And the balance has collapsed?"

"And the balance has collapsed."

"We've moved the Darkness months away from the old line."

"And now, where once everyone was united by a mutual enemy, there is a reason to wonder who is praying to the goddess more correctly."

"And to ask Her?"

The round-eyed man smiled, a bit sadly.

"She gives us power. She accepts our sacrifices. But She does not answer our questions. We are Her warriors, but we don't even know what Her goal is."

I was quiet, mashing the rest of my compote in my cup.

"In none of the worlds do the gods answer. Maybe they don't exist?"

"Maybe. But I'm too tired to think about it. Here's a map."

You have received an item - the Iglis the Apostate Map

With it, you will find that place. The general's remains should still be there, and on his chest is the amulet bestowed by the Healer, a token of her favor, bearing the glow of the power of the warrior who followed her adoptive mother into battle against half the world. Take care of this map, for it has shattered many a fate.

Iglis stood up, threw the silver coin on the table, and, without turning around, walked out the door.

Map. Combine.

Yes, the Mist spot mark appeared. A light-green mark high fidelity. I wonder: it's not a dungeon, so does that mean it has to be raided? Or... whatever.

Why did the old warrior never once call his Goddess by her name? Her brother... Hell. I'd been convinced for a month that Mal and Amala were two different incarnations of the same being. Mal the Destroyer, with his blue armor, had been reborn as Amala the Healer, all in a gleam of whiteness. That's why the temple guard hides the blue armor so no one will know the true story. Turns out they don't. Or is that local heresy? I provoked this quest: so it did exist, or this story was born right here, while the NPC Iglis the Apostate, under the control of the Plot-AI came up with explanations for the task given to the player?

A schism in the Temple? This is not a single traitor. It affects thousands and thousands of players. Amala is one of the twenty-two light gods, patroness of Healing and the Fight against treachery. If she falls...

Why is she even light? Wasn't she slaughtering an avatar of the divine? And, as it turns out, her former powers haven't gone anywhere. Maybe the plot is heading toward the dark gods becoming four? And what am I supposed to do in that case? Memorize the gameplay features of the Knights of Death.

*alarm clock tune*

I quickly slammed my palm down on the alarm clock. If you choose a melody as your alarm, it should be one you can't stand for extra motivation. The evening came too soon, and I had an appointment. You don't want to be late for your boss, albeit a game one. Pulling out the amulet of binding, I began my return to the Temple.

"Here he is, Brother."

There were a priest and a stranger in clergy white and blue robes standing at the altar. He was as big as the moose, carrying a wand and a pair of two-colored ritual chains. Blue gold? Or is it the paint?

The big man suddenly smiled in a friendly way and stepped towards me.

"Kneel, paladin!"

"No way."

The priest behind him gave a strange hum.

"What? You have been given the greatest honor..."

"The honor is to serve Her. What has this got to do with you or any other mortal?"

"You dare..."

"I dare. I have seen the deeds of my temple brothers - I will bow down and listen to them. But I do not know you and see no reason to kneel down."

"I am Her Abbot."

"I am Her Paladin. We are all equal in our service... brother. It is written in the temple regulations. One may kneel only before Her altar. But one can and should pay respects to those gods who stand beside Her. But you're not a god, are you?"

"Isn't the Abbot of the Capital Temple worthy of respect?"

"Do you really want my respect?"

He smiled slyly, spreading his hands:

"Well, you paladins can be harsh with your words, but your deeds speak for you much better. Kneel before the altar; I only wanted to give you the initiation you deserve." Abbot took two steps sideways, and I strode forward to the white stone altar.

What is it like when you touch it? From the looks of it, it should be cool and smooth, just a little rough under your fingers on the edges, once long since scraped. Or maybe it's warm? Or even hot? No, then the flower would have wilted much sooner. I wonder: there's winter here - where do they get the flowers? A greenhouse? Or maybe it's imperishable? I've never thought about it, and I've been playing for three months and going to the temple every day. I'm a fool. While doing the quest for Piglet, I should have found a Campanulal... I went down on one knee.

"The Capitulum of the Capital examined your deed and decided by a majority vote that it is worthy of the title of Paladin of the Temple!"

I wonder why the Capitulum is in the Capital if the place where Amala gained her power is somewhere nearby?

"I have to refuse."

Now shouts of surprise were heard from all sides, and even a couple of players on the sidelines said something profanely indignant.

"The brothers highly commended my humble act. Too highly. I ask to be allowed to pass another test. I think my next act will be more like a feat for Her glory."

Abbot looked at me carefully, ran his fingers through a couple of links of his chain, looked back at the priest, and made up his mind:

"I am not aware of any rules that could prevent you from giving up the title of Paladin of the Temple. If that is your decision, Brother, I respect it and agree to wait. But understand this, too - I will be forced to take appropriate action if it turns out that..."

"I agree. I apologize if my words were too harsh..."

I reached out my hand towards the altar. My hand hung in the air, feeling nothing.

A gauntlet stroked the white stone with a rustling sound and shifted the flower.

A beautiful world, very beautiful. Interesting, vivid, and authentic.

Pity, it's not real.

It's time to go back - I've played around, and that's it. I've got to finish the job, get the thing from the dead general, turn in the quest, and go. I need to find a real job, not a virtual one. Idleness makes me think stupid things.

"Comp, exit from the Creators of Destiny. Open link - COD, people, Danil.

Tone.

"Hi, it's Vladimir. I sent an email yesterday. Am I bothering you? Yes, I would like to hire you."

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