Chapter 5

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The gate of the sanctuary was three men's tall and two meters wide. The doors opened outward, which allowed us to see how thick it was: imposing. Each door must have weighed several tons. I hope they don't make me the gatekeeper here.

There were humans, not-so-humans, and completely non-humans scurrying by. It was hard to tell who was an NPC and who was a live player but still, I could tell who was who. A stocky, bearded man, dressed as I was, but without the insignia of the Order's initiation on his chest, was walking by. Without looking away, he approached the priest, who was busy at the altar, and barked: "Bless me."

The priest turned and glanced at him, then shook his head and turned away. The man tinkled his coins on the begging cup demonstratively, and again demanded a blessing, which he got right away. Uh-huh. We'll go the other way.

Standing beside the altar, I knelt down on one knee, then put my fist to my forehead, which was a sign of Amalah, and stood up. I bowed to the priest, and the priest bowed back.

"Excuse me, may I disturb you with a question? It's no rush, I can wait."

The priest smiled: "Come, brother Paladin, I always have a moment for a faithful son of the Church."

"I am a newcomer, just arrived. Can you tell me more about the blessing of the temple that I can get?"

A consonant tilt of the head.

"Of course. In the Sanctuary, anyone can receive a blessing from any priest of Amala the Healer. The grace of our patroness will give the warrior a quicker recovery from battle, and extra protection during battle."

"May I ask you for a blessing?"

The priest silently put his hand on my shoulder.

You got temporary enhancement the Temple Aura.

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

All characteristics increased by 1

Recovery increased by 10%

Duration - 23 h. 59 min.

"Thank you. May I donate to the temple?"

He smiled again.

"Why, brother paladin? You would rather serve the Healer with a sword than a coin."

He turned away, probably immersed in prayer and I, holding back a smirk, headed for the exit.

With kind words and politeness, I saved three silver coins for which I could buy an aura for twenty-four hours. What's more, I didn't get a beginner's version but a full blessing, giving me plus one to all my characteristics for the same twenty-four hours. And all I had to do was show a little ingenuity!

But until the main issue is resolved - I need modifiers.

In the temple shop, I found a servant, an obvious NPC who told me what to do.

When I put the ring in front of the statue of the goddess, I opened the characteristics menu and clicked on the "Use Power Rings" line. The number of rings decreased by two, and the ring glowed and shone with a beautiful aura. I had to repeat the procedure two more times, which gave me fifteen percent more experience for the month.

Now, with all these improvements, I only had to gain four times as much experience per level as the average newbie player.

However, I had to admit that I was still stronger than the average newbie. I was going to get even stronger. When I put the costume jewelry on, I marked them as "invisible to the casual eye". This option allowed me to not show the rare and valuable items that players were eager to get. What can you do, the old principle of "Don't wear what you can't protect" was in full effect in Creators. Attacking players on each other was regulated only within the cities, outside of them the right of the strongest reigned. With some peculiarities.

The Creators borrowed red designations for murderers from the defunct games. This color was not the exclusive privilege of players, as were marked many dangerous mobs, for which additional reward was given. The killer received such a decoration not immediately, but after the second or third attack depending on the level of the victim, and could only get rid of a victory over a dozen of the same "red" players or dangerous NPС. In this case, they became the desired prey, and in the cities, he was attacked by the guards.

So PvP fans were conditionally free to hunt players, but it wasn't easy for them. However, I found two sites with tips on how to kill players without getting fined.

And, of course, studied them carefully.

As I left the sanctuary, I walked across the courtyard to where I could hear the clang of weapons and the shouts of mentors. I had to do the training quests that were compulsory for all newcomers. They would give me my starter equipment, and then I could leave the temple. As far as I knew from the various guides, I now had to prove my mastery of weapons to the Instructor, and then correctly answer the Castellan's questions. I was ready for that.

On the fan sites now and then began an indignant uproar and complaints against the "dishonest developers who change the conditions of quests without the players' consent". The same initial quest could be passed in a dozen different ways and never guess how and why you can get any reward. "Creators of Destiny" was called either "Coefficientland" or "Randomcraft", and at least somewhat truthful guides always stipulated that not all quests were available even within the same archetype, and not always the reward was what you expected.

It suited me fine. I preferred to get a guarantee, always a little bit at a time, rather than a chance to suddenly get a lot. Risk is a noble thing, but an accurate calculation is much better. Besides, this game was made by people, and they were predictable, and I seemed to understand how to behave here.

"Hey, rookie! Come here!" The guy I knew was waving from the ammunition table. The same one who had been testing my gadget skills.

"Sarge! Good to see you again! You called for me?" I bowed briefly, not as deep as the priest in the temple, but still.

"Sergeant? Thanks for the flattering words, but I'm just an instructor." The man smirked. "And don't think flattery will help you in the test."

I don't think so. I'm sure.

"I'm sorry, Instructor, but you remind me very much of the sergeant in the training unit."

"Well, well. We have to test your skills. You ready?"

"Yes, sir." I suddenly realized that I was worried. It was strange, but standing in my apartment in front of the virtual character made me feel like a real newcomer to the temple guard.

The instructor nodded.

"Grab your training sword and shield and get in the circle. Let's see what you've learned."

As I stepped off the treadmill, I raised my arms with my manipulators and adopted a kind of fighting stance.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Virt made it possible to diversify the gameplay by making it more complicated. It is clear that a person who spams on the attack button and moves the hero with his mouse, spends much less effort than the same player, but jumps and dodges on his own. For example, the virtual allowed the use of non-standard techniques, treating them according to some rather complicated scheme, about which there were constantly more and more discussions on the forums of gamers. Now I had to check how different the combat system of Creators of Destiny was from the games I had played in my youth.

A huge warrior, a novice like me, judging by his outfit, but probably an NPC, came out to me and sliced the air with his long sword with a screech, making it spin above his head. He didn't use his shield, but it's hard to approach that "helicopter at idle speed"!

Whoo! I barely had time to jump away from the strip of sharpened steel that cut me at chest level. And I hit something with my back.

It's strange, I thought I was in the middle of the court...

Idiot! I've had the virt on!

The animation of the attack on me was so real that I jumped backward in reality, my back straight into the wall. Now I couldn't retreat, because I was up against a real obstacle, and I couldn't step forward, because that would send my character flying into a two-handed blast. Yee-ahh, damn it all!

I ducked under the swing, knocking the two-handed sword from below with the edge of my shield, and then, praying desperately, turned in a half crouch to catch up with my opponent's movement. If I could make it in time, I could strike. If I didn't make it in time, the unfurled long sword would now circle and cut me on my uncovered back.

I succeeded. Turning, I slashed my sword at my opponent's legs.

"Stop!" The instructor's shout made me freeze. Looks like I passed the test. "Well done, rookie. You have your first fight!"

My opponent rubbed his thigh and nodded, clearly approvingly. Nice character animation here.

"I can give you credit for passing the test, but what about one extra fight?"

I read about that. The next fight will be more difficult, but for the quest, I can get more experience and additional rewards.

"That would be nice, instructor. It's better to test your skills here than to find out on the battlefield that you're weak." I tried my best to keep my eloquence to a minimum, but it didn't work.

"Good thinking. Arrhy!" A young lad, armed as I was with a shield and sword, came toward me. As he approached, he looked indifferently at the instructor. The instructor nodded and he without any preparation darted toward me.

I raised my hand with my shield in defense.

Hit!

The shield imitator suddenly twitched violently on my arm, simulating a hit on the shield. Advanced technique, damn it!

Hit, another hit!

He was fast rather than strong, and I probably would have been able to get him, but, remembering the embarrassment with the wall, I was afraid to make a move.

Hit!

He got it. I mean me. I mean with the sword. The life bar shrank slightly. A normal player would have been seriously injured by that blow, but for me, with my atypical amount of life for the first level, it was only a sensitive scratch.

Hit!

Blocked. Okay, he barely moves his shield. What do I remember: how do you fight against shield-bearers? Shield to shield, and?

I took another careful step, mindful of the keyboard bracket in front of me. My opponent was just trying to rub my legs. Shield down, kick back, step up, shield to shield, push - and a stab from above, above the shield!

The blow I'd seen in some historical play was a perfectly acceptable combat technique. The blunt edge of my training sword struck the shoulder of my opponent's left arm, and his shield sagged instantly.

I swung my sword like a club, trying to hit my opponent in the head.

"Stop!"

It was hard to hold my hand, I could hardly stop.

The guy - what's his name, Arrhy? - suddenly stepped back and bowed with an unexpected smile.

For some reason, I responded by hitting my wood flat on my shield, which brought another smile.

"Very good! You are cautious, but you know how to wait for the right moment! Well, you are worthy to join the Temple Guard. What do you think?"

Am I supposed to determine whether the quest is over or not?

"Thank you, Instructor. But if you don't mind, I'd like to try one more time. The readiness to fight is the dignity of a warrior."

The instructor nodded slowly: "Good words. But since you have so easily dealt with not the worst warriors, your next opponent will be me. And I'm not going to spare you."

Bingo. This continuation of the quest was available only with a good reputation in the temple and the successful completion of two duels. In fact, I could have lost, then I would have received the weapon of the second opponent and advice to training more. But those who were able to pass the initial quest to the end promised a reward from the instructor.

"I am honored... and very fortunate. I think even the defeat of your sword will teach me more than a victory over a novice."

The instructor laughed: "I told you flattery won't help you!"

"Flattery?" I tapped my sword on my shield again, saluting. "Then I'll tell you this, Instructor, I intend to beat you!"

"No more words!" A blurry shadow darted toward my neck. The instructor was only armed with a one-handed sword, but I could only shield myself. Shield in front of me, sword parallel to the ground above my head, hoping to deflect the blow.

Both hands were twitching from the imitators showing the blows being thrown at me. This warrior was just playfully attacking me from different sides at the same time, shredding the edges of my shield, and I was completely helpless.

Okay, Vova, let's do something!

The strike from below, the shield is down.

Strike from the right, the shield is shifted.

The strike from below, the shield is down.

Strike... I jerked the shield to the left. Strike!

"Get it? Yes, inexperienced fighters are easily caught in repetition! So don't be monotonous!"

And again a blow from below.

I'm tired of this! A strike from above... now!

Step up, shield behind the sword, and my first strike of the whole duel - vertically from top to bottom, against the rising sword of the instructor!

"Got it." He sounded surprised. "No, you really did. Although..."

I lowered my eyes. Yes, I did. But the blade of the instructor's sword was pressing against my thigh. Damn it.

"You have proven yourself worthy. Don't feel bad about losing, I was once a temple warrior, and you're still a rookie. But promising."

The next thing I heard was the standard ending to a successful quest - blah, blah, you're worthy, blah, blah, wear it with honor. At last, the instructor finished his speech and held out his sword to me.

The best weapon available to the novice warrior.

Quest complete - pass the training.

You gained experience - 100 points

You got an item - Training Shield

You got the item - Training Sword

Reputation increased by 5

Good...

The hidden task completes - pass the full initial training.

You gained experience - 200 points

You received the Sword of the Guardian's Mentor

Reputation increased by 5

Perfect! That's what I wanted.

But, as promised on the forum, the quest was not easy.

I stepped away from the instructor, who had already turned away, and opened the inventory screen. The swords took up two cells each, the shield two more. There were twenty-one cells in all, with a total weight of no more than fifteen kilograms. Hmm, in the real world I would only be able to carry things of that size in such a bag by chopping them up into pieces. And the weight of what I was carrying in the bag had to be added to the weight of the armor. I would have to pump up my strength to carry more weight, and my agility, to increase the number of cells in my inventory. Where would I put my trophies?

Better yet, pump up your intellect to figure out how to get others to carry everything for you.

The training weapons cost a few coppers and were only good for the first level tasks - like killing rats in the storeroom or bunnies in the garden. But the sword of the guardian mentor was, as they say, ideal for a beginner - good damage, can be taken in any hand, plus great durability. There's a reason I was snooping around the threads yesterday about initial quests and their intricacies.

Okay, now the Castellan.

I discovered him thanks to the advice of a servant caught in the corridors.

He was a stern, fat man with a furrowed brow, and he greeted me unkindly:

"So, another newcomer? And surely you need armor and weapons?"

I bowed politely: "I apologize to the worthy sir, but I have already provided myself with equipment and do not consider it possible to ask for anything from the temple."

"Hmm, it's nice to hear something other than requests. So you're ready to fight already?"

"Not really. I would ask you to give me a recommendation from the temple to merchants I could buy from." And after a moment's hesitation: "Unless, of course, it is not inconvenient for you."

Castellan tapped his palm on the table.

"That's what I like! He solves his problems instead of pestering me with demands like the ultimate outlaw! Here's a letter of recommendation for you. By the way, there's a lot of noise in our barracks at the moment because of the new arrivals from the capital. How about a private room in the junior officers' house? It's not bad at all. And it'll only cost you gold a month."

A private room allowed for the storage of possessions. Of course, some classes specialized in theft, but stealing from a low-ranking tavern room or the guarded barracks of the temple guard was a different thing. Thieves that advanced wouldn't be interested in my belongings.

"Thank you. It has been a long journey, and I could really use a room where I can sleep before I go on my quest. Here, please accept two gold pieces for the needs of the temple."

I summoned the exchange menu with the NPC and handed over the money.

"Wonderful! Welcome to the temple, newcomer! You're one of us now!"

Quest completed - a visit to the castellan of the temple.

You got experience - 200

You got an item - the Temple Letter of Recommendation.

You have been granted access to a private room (please see reference)

Reputation increased by 5

You have been promoted to the rank of Rookie of the Temple Guard!

Altogether a reputation of sixteen, plus a letter in my inventory, giving me five more as long as it's in my bag. Quite enough for my plans!

Okay, now, one important thing...

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