《A Game of Villains》 Prologue A BLOODY EVENING It was a typical March evening. I left the house in a foul mood and headed toward the railway station. I was lost in thought, pondering our society, which was so full of oddities. We lived in the age of new technologies, but if you were desperate for money, no matter what, you could always get a job offloading the cars that the trains brought in daily ¡ª they always needed more people. I wondered what would happen if everyone was doing well, who would sign up for such grueling work? Would the railway stop working without any laborers? However, it seemed that there had never been such a problem in our country. Either there was some fallback option, or there were always some desperate people who needed money. A few drops of rain fell. I waited for it to start pouring, but the clouds seemed to have changed their mind and moved further down, toward the suburbs. I breathed in. It felt like I could sense nature, somewhere far away; the fresh air, a clear river ¡ª the clouds seemed reluctant to ruin the tableau with their overcast gloom. Suddenly, my stomach rumbled as if speaking to me loudly. Having given it a bit of thought, I decided to buy some food; two packs of noodles would be enough to get me through the rough day. I knew that I''d get tired and become hungry later, and the familiar flavor of ramen would help me survive one more work shift. Along the way, I entered a small supermarket. Looking around, I noticed that there were few people in the store. Just a married couple in the bread department and a nerd with glasses who was meticulously studying packs of instant coffee. A couple of local punks were talking with the cashier, trying to persuade him that they were old enough to buy beer. A flock of female students who were apparently coming back from volleyball practice were chatting with each other in a corner. A good looking man drew my attention. He was wearing a stuffy, official looking jacket and stood out when compared to all the other visitors. But I quickly forgot about the man, having decided that he was just an official visiting family in the neighborhood. I shrugged and made my way over to the familiar aisle. When I got to it, the shelves flickered like a dying light bulb and disappeared. They just melted into the air. I looked around, my eyes wide. Maybe the people who worked in the shop have simply moved the shelf since I last visited this place, I thought. However, it was impossible to get rid of the thought that I''d just seen it standing there. At that moment, another shelf disappeared. A boom reverberated through the store, accompanied by the screeching sound of rending metal. Two aisles crashed together and turned into one; then it happened again, and again. We were no longer in the ''''Firefly'''' supermarket; we weren''t even in Moscow anymore. We all found ourselves in a white, nearly sterile room that was no longer than 50 yards to a side. ''''What happened, man?'''' Ahmed, the cashier, asked, his voice trembling. The old man was desperately trying to comprehend the fact that he''d lost all of his property. Strangely enough, the cash register and the counter stood untouched as he made his way around them and toward me. It seemed like he trusted me because he''d seen me around a few times before. However, I didn''t get a chance to answer him. The woman from the bread department dropped her basket and started screaming loudly. The man standing next to her hugged her. The middle-aged man''s eyebrows drew down as he glared at all of us, challenging us to say anything about his wife''s behavior. The punks and the sportswomen huddled together in their own groups, not daring to do anything, and only the four-eyed man tried to speak. ¡°My name is Anatoly. Does anybody know what''s happening here? If this is someone''s idea of a joke, then you''d better speak up right now before this goes any further. This woman obviously has a weak heart. If she suffers a heart attack, you''ll be held responsible.'''' No one answered him, but the hysterical woman, who had been crying until now, immediately fell silent. The guy had said the right thing. I was impressed by how he''d averted the crisis. ''''Well, my name is Dmitri, Dmitri Korablev, and I have no idea what''s going on here,'''' I said, my voice calm. Why had I lied just then? I mean, it was true that I didn''t know what was going on, but my real name was Vasily Kotov. This strange habit of mine was a knee-jerk reaction ¡ª I would lie if someone suddenly asked me a question. Somehow, the lies came easily and effortlessly to my lips. If I were living somewhere in Europe, I probably would have been forced to get treatment for it. However, in my country, they said that it wasn''t a big deal as long as I was able to control myself and didn''t slack off when dealing with serious matters. After looking around, I noticed something odd. ''''Wait, there was a man in a jacket here earlier¡­ Where is he?'''' I asked everyone present. I didn''t immediately notice his absence, even though I always thought that I had a pretty good memory. I had a strange feeling deep down that he hadn''t just disappeared from the store but had also been erased from my mind. ''''Actually,'''' I heard a smooth, powerful voice say. ''''I''m right here.'''' The missing man showed up, sitting on a cabinet that had materialized out of nowhere. ''''Look, I want to end this quickly. We don''t have much time, so I''m going to offer you all a simple task. Whoever gets out of this place first will survive. Everyone else...'''' He looked around, meeting each of our gazes. ''''Will die.'''' The last two words seemed to weigh on all of us as he disappeared again. But this time, a pile of various weapons appeared, laid out on the floor. A pipe wrench, a steel chain, a baseball bat with some long nails jutting out from its side, and even a rolling pin in the distance. ''''What is this?'''' one of the volleyball players asked in a whisper, her voice shaking. ''''We''re all going to die now, aren''t we?'''' one of her friends added. ''''Calm down.'''' The nerd pushed his glasses up and calmly took control of the situation. ''''Listen. I think that the exit is right here. Do you hear that noise?'''' We all nodded. There was a hole in the wall next to the guy. It was small, but just big enough to squeeze through if you crawled. The young man bent down to look inside as one of the punks ran up and shoved him aside with a powerful kick. ''''Why don''t you have a seat, four-eyes?'''' His voice was calm and strangely soft. It was hard to believe that he''d just hit someone. ''''The Jacket said that only the first person to get out of this place would survive. And that''ll be me.'''' Approaching the pile of weapons, he picked up a crowbar. In the meantime, everyone was looking at him in silence. A steady gaze was the only thing we got in return. ''''What about us?'''' one of his friends asked apprehensively. ''''I''ll get out of here and then return to help you.'''' There was no logic in his words. He had just said that only the first one to leave would survive, and after that, he was already promising to come back. However, his friends were satisfied with this. Morons and wussies. I wanted to do something ¡ª to be honest, the warning of the mysterious stranger made me feel quite uncomfortable. Suddenly, the middle-aged man rushed forward, pulling out a gun, which he had hidden inside his jacket. His wife screamed as he emptied a clip into the punk. The older man''s face became pinched and akin to a rat''s. He had just killed a man, but he didn''t look like a dangerous predator, more like cornered prey. However, those kinds of people were especially dangerous. "Hm,'''' a voice came from the corner of the room. ''''This is a violation of the rules." The man in the jacket suddenly appeared again. His eyes shone brightly, contradicting his words. It was clear that he was pleased with this turn of events. ''''I''ll take away your weapon, sir, and you will all receive¡­ a small penalty.''''This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The man raised his gun and squeezed the trigger, but he held only empty air. The firearm had simply disappeared. He took a few steps back and tried to hide behind his wife. However, the group of punks had already charged towards him with a cry of rage, and the older man disappeared under a flurry of blows. The floor around him was quickly drenched in blood. However, a moment later, the guys stopped in amazement as they heard a familiar voice. ''''What¡­ what¡­ happened to me?'''' The leader of the punks rolled over and sat up. The pool of blood he had been lying in had disappeared. I was at a loss, no one could have bled out like that and survived, but even the bullet holes were now gone. The guy was looking around, glassy-eyed and confused. At this point, everyone began slowly moving toward the heap of weapons. I couldn''t help but feel a strange threat hanging over all of us, like a sword of Damocles. I didn''t know whether it was a coincidence or not, but at this point, my gaze settled on a real blade that had appeared above the hole in the wall. Was that our small penalty? It seemed that, after stepping into this supermarket, the laws of the world around us had changed. ''''Friends, friends, we shouldn''t fight. Let''s vote on who will climb into the hole,'''' Ahmed, the owner of the store, tried to come up with a peaceful solution. ''''And what if this¡­ wizard, God, or whatever he is, isn''t telling the truth?'''' Wiping the blood off of his nose, the nerd stood up, adjusting his spectacles. He was a tough guy, even if he looked like an ordinary geek. For some reason, I knew that the only way to get out of this place without bloodshed was to support him. "Look, no one has died yet, in spite of everything that has happened. Hell, one of us even rose from the dead. But I''m not sure that the person who crosses that line won''t pay for it with their life,'''' I tried to say calmly. "Hmm... Maybe we just have to wait for the police?" The girls were staring at the four-eyed guy like he was a messiah. What a world. Why wasn''t even one of them looking at me like that? ''''I''d risk going through, but why do that when we have a hero willing to check the other side for all of us?'''' With a victorious smile, the Poindexter gestured at the punk leader who still hadn''t fully recovered from his recent bullet wounds. I noted that the nerd didn''t miss an opportunity to exact revenge ¡ª I could respect that. However, the leader of the punks didn''t seem to appreciate his suggestion. He appraised the blade hanging over the hole in the wall, looked at the girls, then at the unconscious man who had pulled out the gun, and finally at the nerd. "No, it''s his store, let him do it," he answered, nodding toward Ahmed. ''''Oh, friends, I have a family, children,'''' Ahmed immediately became agitated. "We need someone strong and fast for this mission. As for me, if the blade starts to fall, I can hold it back with a crowbar.'''' ''''Then you climb through, Dmitri.'''' The nerd immediately turned to me. I grinned to myself. It had been the right decision to say my name at an appropriate moment as it had greatly increased the chances that they would choose me and not someone else. In the meantime, the guy continued talking. "If you want, we can arrange for a vote, but I''m pretty sure you don''t have a chance. The guys over there won''t let us choose someone from their group. The same thing with the girls. So only the three of us might be picked. However, our esteemed clerk is too old, and I''m not the strongest one here for sure. It''s clear that you''re the best choice.'''' The gazes of the punks and the girls who were still picking up weapons from the heap silently confirmed his words. For some reason, they were looking at me aggressively. At that point, my eyes settled on the girl who had chosen the rolling pin as her weapon. Even if I hadn''t planned to be the first one to get out of here, it would''ve been really hard to refuse this mission. "All right, all right, I''ll do it. There''s no need for violence." Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed like everyone was looking at me as if I were some selfish jerk who had just tried to refuse a chance to save them all. I waited until the guillotine was being held up with the crowbar, then I wrapped a chain around my hand, just in case, and went in. The wall was surprisingly thick, no less than 80 inches, and the confines were very tight. I could hardly pull myself forward. I had to grip the small protrusions on the rock with my fingertips and dig the tips of my toes into the walls. Only then could I both pull and push in order to work my way through. It was a good thing that I had been keeping up with my morning exercises. However, even though I had kept myself fit, after a while, I started breathing heavily, and my heart began to beat rapidly. I didn''t consider myself claustrophobic, but to be honest, before that day, I had never been in such a tight place. It felt like a huge weight was pressing down on me. The good thing was that, in spite of all these drawbacks, I was able to move forward. Just as panic began to overwhelm me, I finally found myself on the other side. I slowly got up and looked around. Everything seemed to be quite normal. It was my city, down to the finest detail. Except for one thing ¡ª there was no one around. After a while, I turned back to the hole. "Okay, I''m on the street, but there are no people here. I guess I''ll try to call the cops,'''' I shouted, stooping down next to the hole. It was a pity, really; for some reason, I thought that something like this wouldn¡¯t end this easily. "Wait, I''ll get out too," came the nerd''s voice. After a little while, I heard the rustling of a body kneeling down, then a loud cry, followed by a blood-soaked head rolling out of the hole. ''''Congratulations on your victory,'''' said a cold voice nearby. He was standing in front of me, smoothing out his jacket. ''''Now I can finally introduce myself: my name is Abaddon, the Great Chaos.'''' With an elegant flick of his fingers, the building I''d just come out was engulfed in flames. In an instant, even the steel beams and the concrete ceiling melted into slag and ashes. It all happened so quickly that I didn''t even hear the screams of the dying people. "That isn''t your name,'''' I said the words with a strange certainty and authority. "Perhaps." My interlocutor immediately agreed. "I have had many names. To be honest, they don''t matter. The conceptual understanding of a great truth is what''s essential. I am a God of Cunning and Deceit. You have been blessed, Vasily Kotov from Earth. You have the honor of joining me in oblivion.'''' Immediately, the world around us was covered in a haze that seemed to crush my senses and darken my mind with agony. Only Abaddon''s voice came through. "I give you two presents. The first is a tombstone ¡ª hide it in a good place, and you''ll be resurrected next to it if you die. But be careful, if it''s destroyed, your next death will be your last one. The second gift is a special ability. Choose any weapon, and I''ll teach you how to use it. No, boy, I won''t train you enough to become a real master. You''ll only get a little, just one technique, but that will be enough to start your adventure.'''' I was hallucinating. The world was filled with flickering images of swords, dragons, and¡­ men who had real power over others. "Help me master magic!" Since he had said that I could choose any weapon, I knew that I had to use every opportunity and resource to survive. I was going to do my best, and maybe that would help me forget, at least for a while, about the people that had been left behind in that store. ''''That''s impossible, child. In the world that lies before you, there is no magic.'''' For the first time, I heard a note of surprised concern in his voice. ''''Deal!'''' I said instantly. I thought quickly, my mind spinning. ''''I''ll lie to everyone about my power, about magic. Isn''t that what a true disciple of the God of Deceit should do?'''' For a moment, there was silence, and then a deep, terrifying, and gut-churning laugh broke its way through the darkness. ''''Agreed!'''' A world appeared suddenly. Only, it was not my world. Everything was gray and lifeless. Stop. The voice. Abaddon. He said something about another world. What did he mean by that? A portion of space folded and blossomed into a riot of colors. A man stood there, silhouetted by a shroud of smoke and fire. He shifted from one foot to the other. ''''Hey, guys. Come out from the Gray Lands. That place is dangerous. Time is short,'''' he said, his voice alarmed. Lethargy had me wrapped up in a warm blanket of complacent comfort and ease. A small corner of my mind screamed at me to escape, to take this stranger''s offer, and find freedom. There was no need for such a rush, was there? I just wanted to lay down and have a nice rest since I was tired. The day had been long, and everything was so confusing, muddled in a gray haze. I''d figure it all out in the morning. Thin figures made of shadow and stardust slipped past me toward the flaming portal which began to shrink fractionally. Only then did a cold realization wash over me, banishing the fog from my mind. I knew that if I didn''t escape, I''d die. I looked around, and then back toward the portal. There was still time. There was an opportunity here, in this place, I knew it. If I could only figure out what I should do... I did the only thing I could think of. I stuffed my pockets full of the ghostly grass and herbs as I started moving forward. Suddenly, I tripped over a stone and almost fell. Shrugging, I picked it up as well and entered the portal. The hazy, numb quiet of the Gray Lands was shattered by the cacophony of a new world. My bones turned into putty and muscles into water. I fell to the ground as exhaustion washed over me, crashing against consciousness like waves against the shore. I fell forward and rolled onto my back. The strange stone dug painfully into my side. But I didn''t have the strength to protest as darkness took me. Chapter 1 GRAY LIGHT ''''How do you feel?'''' the stranger asked me, sounding troubled. It turned out that I had lost consciousness. I shook my head, and the pain gradually went away. For a moment, it felt like everything I had experienced before was just a bad dream. The darkness, the barely visible, ghostly figures... And then my eyes settled on a bonfire with a bunch of people around it. ''''What''s your name?'''' the man asked. This time, I recognized his voice; he was the one who''d spoken to me while I was in the shadow world. "Vasily," I mumbled. For some reason, I was sure that it would''ve been a bad idea to give him a false name. Deception was still a valuable resource, of course. But since I was somewhere new, without any information, the chances of me telling a useful lie and getting good results, weren''t that high. I was lying on some sort of a rock that was tied to me. At first, I had thought that this stone was just a hallucination. But apparently, the shock of moving to another world was something natural. "Hello, nice to meet you, Vasily. My name is Andrei." At this point, I finally made out who was talking to me. He was an unremarkable guy in his thirties, short-haired, with a barely noticeable scar on his forehead. It seemed like he was the leader of these people. I touched my head, wincing in pain. "You''ll feel better soon enough," Andrei said amiably. ''''Everyone suffers from the same thing at first. Take your time getting up.'''' Nodding, I tried to get to my feet but I failed. Feeling sick, I fell on my back and hit the damned stone once again. Some guy couldn''t restrain himself and burst out laughing, but was immediately silenced. Andrei extended his hand and one of the guys rushed over to help me. Thanks to them, I finally managed to get up. I took the chance to have a good look around. A group of about ten people, consisting mostly out of young men and women, had settled down near the bonfire. Only one old man stood out due to his age. Some of them looked lost, huddling around the fire. Apparently, they had also appeared in this world a little while ago, just like me. Looking closer, I noted that all of them had the same gray stone. Some were holding it in their hands; some had prudently put it on the ground under their feet. Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice used to say... ''''Well,'''' Andrei said quietly. It was clear that he was a bit nervous. He cleared his throat and continued, ''''I could congratulate you on getting here, but there is no point in doing that. Each of us found themselves in this world just like you did. Where are we? I don''t know. Why are we here? I can''t answer that question, either.'''' He said all of this in such a calm voice that, if I hadn''t taken part in the deadly trial earlier and then appeared in some shadow world, it would have been such a pleasure to just sit there and listen to him. It was hard to believe that no one had gone into hysterics yet. It seemed that the deadly trial had prepared us well for the unexpected quirks of fate. ''''What does it all mean?'''' a girl asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes were big, and her blond braids a little bit dirty. Perhaps you''ll turn out to be a crybaby, I thought. Although, admittedly ¡ª since she''d survived, gotten to this place and was now trying to make people pity her, the nickname ''''Fox'''' was much more appropriate for her. ''''Stop fooling around! Do you really think we don''t know what you did to get here?'''' a young, bald guy snapped at her. His voice had come from the shade and he was standing at a bit of a distance from the rest of them. For a split second, the pitiful expression on the girl''s face was replaced with a malicious grimace, but a glance from the bald man made her quiet down. ''''We don''t have any information about what''s really going on," the guy who had helped Andrei get me back up said tersely. "But it''s common knowledge that we''re trapped here and don''t know how to get out..." ''''So, we don''t have any information?'''' I decided to join the conversation. "Well, that''s not really true, we know that there is a way out of this world," Andrei added. "We know where it is, and we know how to get there. Unfortunately, it''s kind of impossible to reach that place.'''' ''''Yeah, sure.'''' Suddenly, the man who was standing out by virtue of his advanced age spoke up. "The bastard who sent me here had promised that it''d solve all of my problems¡­'''' "Valentin Petrovich," Andrei politely interrupted him. "Let me give them a briefing." The man didn''t mind, and Andrei continued. The conversation turned out to be a little bit confusing as the newcomers often asked him to repeat some things, but in the end, the picture became more or less clear. Our group consisted of ten people, and five of us, including me, had just arrived. Everybody had appeared in this world after talking with a stranger who had appeared in the form of a God, a mentor, or someone like that. I immediately remembered my new friend who had called himself the ''''Great Chaos''''. I wondered if I was the only one who had such a joker as a teacher. Also, all of us had gotten into trouble before meeting our mysterious ''''benefactors''''. Andrei made all of the newbies tell their story of how they had arrived to this world. For example, ''''Fox'''' thought that she had died in a plane crash and then found herself in the afterlife. But, frankly speaking, I didn''t believe her story. Mikhail, a tall, thin kid dressed in expensive clothes, had gotten drunk in a club. At first, he thought that he had gone crazy. He told us how, suddenly, the dance floor turned into a bloody massacre, and how people started killing each other. The guy said that he didn''t understand what caused all of it. Personally, I had some suspicions: most likely, the clubgoers had also been offered a kind of test, and the guy couldn''t remember anything because he had been on drugs and had survived by accident. My suspicions were confirmed after all the others told their stories. It turned out that everyone else had passed a test similar to mine. Unfortunately, the locals of this world didn''t tell us about themselves. Andrei had only asked the newcomers to tell their story, but even this information was enough to let us draw some conclusions. Besides ''''Fox'''' and Mikhail, whom I''d decided to call ''''Major'''' behind his back since I sucked at remembering names, a young guy who had worked as a cop, and a businesswoman that was slightly over thirty were also among the newcomers. The former cop had managed to get out of a restaurant where he had been with his girlfriend. According to his story, the room began to fill with water. This, naturally, caused panic, and people began to drown and desperately fight to get air. According to him, by some miracle, he managed to find the exit, but all of the other visitors died. He tried to justify himself by saying that he tried to save those who had been left inside. But Andrei made him stop talking as the others were shooting sidelong glances at him. It would seem that our law enforcement officer sacrificed everyone else to save his own life¡­ The businesswoman, called Olga, honestly told us that an uninvited guest, who had appeared in her office, offered her a simple choice ¡ª either she or all of her staff members would die. After telling us this, she hissed angrily through her teeth: ''''Just don''t tell me that you wouldn''t have done the same!'''' No one answered her. Then it was my turn. Feeling uneasy, I told them the truth about my own test. With one exception: I didn''t say a word about the magic.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I suddenly thought how, if Olga had been a little bit younger, I''d have been glad to talk to her a bit more intimately¡­ I needed to stop thinking about such foolish things. Andrei nodded at everyone ¡ª just like the business coach from my old job ¡ª and began a detailed survival briefing. At this point, it all became even more interesting, and I was eagerly absorbing bits of information about this new world we all found ourselves in. Unfortunately, our instructor was not really good at this sort of thing. As Andrei''s survival briefing wound up, my attention wandered towards the solidly built dark haired man apparently pondering his own problems by the fire, Suren. Noticing my eyes and that the briefing was struggling, Suren stood and cut in to clarify the basics. We learned that the world we were now in acted on some strange principles that resembled a computer game. It was possible to die and rise from the dead. I immediately noted to myself that my God of Deception had told me the truth after all. To rise from the dead or, as it was called here, ''''to resurrect'''', was possible only in the special place where you had hidden your tombstone. This information was actually the answer to the question: ''''Why do we need these stones tied to our backs?'''' The main thing to keep in mind was that if the tombstone were destroyed, its owner''s fate would be the final death. Andrei immediately calmed us down, saying that, when we got to the main camp, we''d be taken to the secret crypt of their squad, where we would then be able to hide our tombstones. On one hand, you''d want to carry such an important thing with you at all times; but on the other, if you died with your tombstone on you, it was likely to be destroyed as well. If that happened, there would be no way back. Judging by how casually the local old-timers were talking about death, this world had a lot of features, that''s for sure. However, it seemed that they weren''t in a hurry to teach us its secrets. "Can I sum up the available information?" Having decided to check whether I understood everything correctly, I spoke up. I even raised my hand as if we were at school. My image of a diligent student would probably make everyone disregard me as a threat. Andrei looked at me and nodded. "To begin with, we know where the exit out of this place is, but it''s not easy to get there," I said in a loud voice. ''''Secondly, if we die, we''ll be able to resurrect. Thirdly, if someone destroys your tombstone, all your previous efforts will be a waste of time! Did I get everything right?'''' There was a gloomy silence, and I kind of regretted having said all of that. On the other hand, it couldn''t hurt to clarify everything. "That''s right," Suren said with a smile. ''''But you forgot the most important thing.'''' I looked at him inquiringly. Fox and other newcomers followed my example. It even looked a little comical, despite the tragedy of this whole situation, since we were sitting with our mouths open, looking at our teachers. "The most important thing is to survive," Suren grumbled and turned away. "Oh, aren''t we...?" Fox asked, looking confused. ''''Hmph, no you''re not,'''' the old man answered with a grunt. ''''The previous five died.'''' ''''Valentin Petrovich!'''' Andrei said angrily. ''''Don''t you think they have the right to know? What are you going to do about it?'''' the old man asked, his face glum. I decided to call him Petrovich; a patronymic was a good nickname for this old man. ''''Do you remember Olesya? Vitalik? Have you forgotten about them?'''' ''''Stop!'''' Andrei raised his voice. ''''We aren''t going to talk about this right now.'''' Petrovich fell silent, as did the others. Andrei looked at everyone strangely, muttered something inaudible, and continued, ''''We have to walk about six miles to reach the camp.'''' Hearing this, one of the newcomers sighed heavily. ''''It''s tough, but you should know that it''s the only way to get there.'''' ''''Now it''s my turn to give you some instructions," Suren said loudly. ''''As Andrei has already mentioned, you''ll need to hide your tombstones. Also, I want to point out that, if you want to, you can stay here on your own, and risk your life ¡ª you should understand that we don''t force anyone.'''' ''''What kind of danger lurks along the way?'''' Olga asked calmly. There was no doubt that this woman had an iron grip on her emotions. "Who knows," Suren said with a shrug. ''''It could be wild animals, natural cataclysms, or even traps of unknown make.'''' "I see," the businesswoman answered shortly. ''''Those who put you through the test let you choose your main ability," Suren continued. ''''Out here, you should count only on that. All of your other skills are barely useful, at best.'''' ''''I got a knife fighting skill,'''' the cop immediately answered. "A disguise ability," Fox said, acting a little shy. It was definitely not a standard combat skill. As I thought, the girl wasn''t that simple. ''''Firearms.'''' Olga managed to surprise everyone. Her tightly drawn blonde hair, black-rimmed glasses, and the strict business suit were utterly inconsistent with the image of someone shooting a firearm. ''''I... I don''t remember.'''' Mikhail, the Major, looked confused. ''''I hardly remember anything.'''' Suren sighed and asked him to somehow look into his mind and then say what was written in the description of his ability. While my neighbor was wrinkling his forehead in concentration, our coach turned to me, waiting for me to reveal my specialization. ''''War scythes,'''' I lied, without even batting an eye. They were unlikely to succeed in finding something like this, which meant that no one would be able to disprove my story. And even if they did manage to find one ¡ª as a last resort, I could just say that the scythe wasn''t a war one and that that''s why the skills weren''t working. Suren exchanged a glance with Andrei, and they both sighed. ''''Why is it so difficult with you¡­?'''' our commander whispered in a faintly sarcastic tone. ''''Well, listen up, guys, I''ll help you get used to this new reality.'''' Suren''s unexpected, cheerful voice seemed to be utterly fake. ''''It''s kind of hard your first time, but then you''ll start taking this for granted. You should relax your eyes and look inside yourself.'''' Inside yourself. Easy for him to say! Looking at the other newcomers, I couldn''t help but smile: Mikhail, Fox, the ex-cop, and Olga were making weird faces and involuntary helping themselves by using various gestures. ''''I did it!'''' Fox jumped joyfully. ''''Wow, what''s this?'''' ''''That is the list of your stats,'''' Suren replied. ''''Strength, dexterity, endurance... If you''re lucky, you won''t die and will be able to increase them.'''' I didn''t know how, but after a while, I also managed to look inside my mind. It turned out to be quite easy, despite my fears. I was so surprised that I even took a step back. A translucent screen, similar to an image from a video projector or a hologram, it was hard to describe it, appeared in front of me. Vasily Kotov Level 1 Ability: magic Available spells: Strength: 10 Dexterity: 15 Endurance: 10 Intelligence: 15 I was so confused that I almost asked a question about the intelligence stat. Fortunately, my natural prudence helped me out by ordering me to stay silent. Suren mentioned only three attributes, but for some reason, I had four of them. As Winnie the Pooh, the hero of my childhood stories, used to say, the ¡®z-z-z'' sound was a harbinger of trouble. That''s why one had to be cautious. For a while, I was a little bit puzzled, but then it dawned on me that, most likely, my stats were invisible to everyone else. Everything was based, oddly enough, on blind trust. And that was a good sign. After a couple of minutes, I''d already learned how to call up the screen and how to turn it off. Looking at the people around me, I could see their name and level, nothing more. This fact definitely had its own advantages and disadvantages. Geez! I was surprised when I saw that Suren had already reached level 10! The man was probably already a true hero of this mysterious world. Although, perhaps I was just jumping to conclusions ¡ª Andrei was level 12. Alexander, the guy who had helped me get up after the shadow world, was level 9. Valentin Petrovich was at 8, and the bald Igor, the one who had brought Fox back to reality, was, oddly enough, only level 5. I thought that he was as cool as Andrei and Suren. ''''Well, let''s try to get you armed!'''' Andrei ordered. ''''Look around, don''t go far, and don''t try to do anything stupid!'''' I didn''t like it when people said something like: ''''Try not to do anything stupid.'''' At least tell me what''s stupid and what isn''t. You learn to differentiate between the two only after you''ve already goofed. By force of habit, I patted my pockets, and I touched something flat and solid under the cloth. I had completely forgotten about the stone and grass that I picked up in the shadow world. Chapter 2 THE WOODS My secrets thus far: some strange artifacts I picked up in the shadow world, a secret attribute in the form of intelligence, the magician class, and whole two spells. The only thing that bothered me was why no one had asked us what kind of Gods had led us into this world. Meanwhile, Andrei pulled out a huge backpack and began to give out weapons that fit our skills. Semyon, the one that had been a cop, got a large knife with a smooth, white handle. ''''Oh, shark leather,'''' he immediately commented on his gift and made a swift slash, which was accompanied by a dark purple stripe. So that''s what these abilities looked like, I thought, watching him. I wished that I could also practice my spells, but that had proven to be impossible so far; that is, unless I planned on breaking the promise given to my God. While Olga was receiving a gun from the huge bag of presents and Mikhail a sword (as it turned out, the Major had chosen probably the most classic option for himself), I decided to study my spells in more detail. Weakness Reduces all enemy stats by 10%. If the opponent has one or more blessings, the spell has a 30% chance to turn one of them into a curse of the same level. Cure Light Wounds Restores 10 health points. Casts Regeneration, which restores 1 health point per second (lasts 20 seconds). I could only hope that, in the end, I wouldn''t have to use them until we got to that safe settlement. ''''Hm, and as for you two,'''' Andrei said slowly. He was looking sternly at Fox and me. ''''We have nothing that fits your abilities. So, keep the swords. We have a lot of that stuff. Now, everyone, listen carefully, you should remember and follow this rule no matter what happens: stay on the trail and try not to get separated.'''' While I was trying to attach my sword to my belt, the events happening around me suddenly took an awkward turn. ''''I guess you shouldn''t compare professionals to amateurs,'''' Semyon said, grinning. As soon as the former cop had gotten his knife, his level of self-confidence started to grow. ''''I''ve been learning how to use a bladed weapon since my childhood; at first, my grandfather taught me, then I learned more in the academy. I''m sure I can handle things as well as you.'''' It was definitely a provocation and I was wondering how the old-timers would deal with this. Andrei was clearly taken aback. He seemed like a smart guy, but not a good leader. Apparently, Suren was preparing to say something, but his intervention wasn''t necessary. Igor pulled out his huge, two-handed sword, seemingly out of nowhere, and in one fluid movement, he cut off the head that had, just a moment ago, been looking at everyone challengingly. No one said anything to him. Suren waved his hand dismissively and continued to pack the bags. All the newcomers, however, stood still and gazed at the body lying nearby. Even Fox stopped playing the role of an enthusiastic girl and tried to analyze the situation. After the deadly test, each of us had unwittingly relaxed, thinking that we were now among those who were willing to help. That''s why this had struck us out of the blue. When the pause began to get uncomfortably long, the stone lying at the feet of the headless body began to glow. For about ten seconds, we waited tensely for a proof that would confirm the story about our ability to resurrect; but it seemed like nothing was going to happen. ''''What does this mean?'''' Olga was the first person who couldn''t bear the suspense any longer. "...!" Fox swore as the ground next to her broke apart. With a convulsive wheeze, the figure of the policeman appeared from within the split in the ground. It was an uprising of the dead in the most literal sense of the word. Breathing heavily, Semyon was looking at everyone with a slightly crazy look in his eyes. ''''Well, I hope that you now understand that it''s not worth dying,'''' Suren couldn''t help but tell us patronizingly. ''''Get dressed, boy.'''' After those instructions, we noticed that our newly found comrade was entirely naked. Olga immediately turned away to hide her blushing, while Fox, on the contrary, tried to examine all of the details. ''''What should I wear?'''' His sudden death had made Semyon very compliant. There were no more disputes or indignant remarks; death seemed to be an ideal educational method. "There''s your body. I hit it gently, so it shouldn''t have gotten dirty,'''' Baldy said. His voice was like the sound of chalk scratching against a board, it chilled me to the bone. Even I felt slightly uncomfortable, looking at how the man was clumsily undressing his double''s body and then silently putting his clothes back onto himself. It was creepy, but he still didn''t say a word. ''''Don''t worry about him.'''' Andrei came up to us, dragging two backpacks over by their straps. ''''The first death is hard for everyone, but people learn to deal with it ¡ª those who can''t do so aren''t taken to this world. You can rest assured that you''ll also experience this one day, but for now, your mission is to carry our backpacks. That way, you will at least be useful somehow. You can free up the real fighters by taking the excess cargo.''''Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I didn''t know whether everyone considered this an important task, or if the public punishment Semyon had been subjected to was still fresh in our memory, but all five of us just silently picked up the backpacks and moved forward. Andrei, Suren, and Alexander led our procession, we were following after them, and Igor and Valentin Petrovich were covering the rear. Honestly, it was annoying and creepy knowing that Baldy was somewhere behind me. Trying not to pay attention to the rustling and howls in the depths of the forest, I moved closer to the head of the procession and caught up with Alexander. It seemed like he was the only sane man in this group. ''''What''s up?'''' He finally got fed up with me just silently shuffling around near him. Heh. If your interlocutor was the one who started the conversation, no matter how they did it ¡ª it was much easier to keep it going. This was quite a significant advantage when you wanted to get some answers. "I was wondering why you didn''t ask us about our Gods." It was obvious that it was valuable information, and it seemed that I asked about it in the right way since I wasn''t being told to piss off. ''''Well, Andrei only recently became the leader of our group, but he honors the code. Any information about the Gods is really dangerous. It''s not wise to share it even with those who are close to you. Well, to be honest, especially with them.'''' He pointed upward. ''''Not everything is all right up there. There''s always some conflict going on; however, while only their echoes reach us, they still don''t go unnoticed. So, if you destroy the tombstone of another person who was brought here by the rival of your patron, you can get big bonuses. I heard about some groups where they kill all the newcomers as soon as they get here. They don''t care that those newcomers will die the final death.'''' It seemed like there was some sort of code in this world, something like an unwritten set of rules. Another important revelation was the fact that we were not alone here. Just as I had previously thought, the information that I had about my God of Deception was something I better keep to myself. ''''Alex, I thought that maybe you could tell me how the combat system works here, I don''t really understand,'''' I asked one more vital question from my list. After all, as I had noted a long time ago, if you kept talking about only one subject, people would get annoyed. But if you were pleased with a small amount of information and ready to move on to something else, they''d be ready to talk to you almost without end. ''''Given the fact that someone will have to explain it to you at the base, it doesn''t make much sense. However, it''s relatively safe until we reach the swamp, so listen.'''' He sighed heavily again and continued, ''''Strength determines your possibility to pierce the skin of your opponent; if the sum of your strength and the power of your weapon is less than the enemy''s armor, you have no chance in such a fight. Of course, you can try to hit the joints, eyes, mouth, throat, and so on, but not everything is that simple. If the opponent has high endurance, higher than the combination of your strength and the power of your weapon, you won''t be able to pierce even their naked skin. That is one of the reasons why we can''t get to the exit. Old Chrom from the detachment that was based nearby once told me that he had taken part in one such campaign. They had gotten only a quarter of the way there when they met level fifty monsters. Even all of them together couldn''t do anything to the local creatures that were at such a high level, and they had to retreat. Those who ventured to take their tombstones with them on that trip remained there forever¡­'''' It turned out that if I wanted to get out, I would need to become much stronger. However, there were people who had been here for a long time, and no one had reached the exit yet. It seemed like everything wasn''t as simple as I had been told. ''''What about dexterity?'''' I remembered another attribute. ''''Hm, with its help, one can make combo attacks, chaining hits together. The longer the combo, the higher the damage. Ask Baldy, he''s a specialist in doing that.'''' It turned out that I had guessed the man''s nickname correctly. ''''Well, anyway, the swamp is close now, so it would be better if we stayed silent.'''' As I was preparing to ask why he was so afraid of this swamp, Andrei decided to explain everything himself. It was surprising that so much humanity had remained in this man, in spite of everything. ''''We''ll be going past the swamp now. It''s really important not to leave the path no matter what. If you run off the track with your tombstone attached to you, even just a couple of yards, no one will be able to help you anymore.'''' He cleared his throat and was silent for a while. Apparently, he didn''t have to speak often. ''''Since you''re all beginners, I''ll explain the situation to you. Mosquitoes are everywhere in this place, and while their attacks are weak, there is no end to those damned creatures, and for some strange reason, their damage is magical. At our levels, until we find at least some rings or necklaces with magic protection, it''s certain death to go out there. If you had looked at the description of your stats, you''d have known that armor and endurance are ignored if you''re attacked by magic.'''' It turned out that most players didn''t have protection from magic at all ¡ª a thin smile appeared in my subconscious as I heard this. Having ''''looked inside myself'''', I explored my stats once again. After reading about strength, dexterity, and endurance, I checked that everything was as Alexander had just told me. And I also had something else. Intelligence Determines the power of your spells and your resistance to magical attacks. While I was standing around and pondering these things, another piece of information appeared in front of me. Physical defense: 10 (10 from endurance, 0 from armor) Magical resistance: 3 (3 from intelligence, 0 from jewelry) It turned out that physical damage we dealt was determined by two attributes, and magical damage by a single one, and I was the only person among all my acquaintances who possessed any magic resistance whatsoever. "Why have you stopped?" Fox hit me with her fist. I didn''t have time to answer her as the howling, which had been menacingly echoing through the forest, sounded out with new, panicked notes and then abruptly died down. ''''Someone just finished off a wolf pack,'''' Suren quickly whispered in Andrei''s ear. ''''Do you know who it is?'''' ''''Everyone run!'''' Our commander ordered at once. I''d never seen him like this before. ''''Don''t turn around!'''' The order was pointless as we all immediately looked back. Crushing the trees in its path, a huge carcass rushed out of the forest some 100 yards behind us. The giant cadaver, whose body was made up of dozens of drowned people, was spreading a green cloud in all directions, and all living beings caught in it were slowly dying. ''''You wouldn''t dare!'''' For some reason, Valentin Petrovich turned to Baldy with an angry yell. However, he didn''t have time to do anything as he received a blow to the head with the hilt of a greatsword. ''''Run! You were told to run!'''' Baldy barked at us angrily. ''''And don''t look at him, in five minutes, he''ll resurrect at the base. Hah¡­ maybe he''ll have to come back here for his things. But that''s none of your business, keep in mind that if you end up in the stomach of this creature, you''ll die forever.'''' With these words, he threw Petrovich''s stunned body toward the monster and once again waved his hand, indicating the direction we were supposed to run in. This time, we woke from our stupor. Fox and Olga rushed forward first, and all the others hurried after them. Baldy brought up the rear with a predatory smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying what was happening. Chapter 3 CALM The disgusting noises of the creature eating the man came from behind us. I had a strange desire to turn around, but I suppressed it and just continued to run. Even this simple run was quite hard, given the fact that I had a tombstone tied to my back. ''''Damn it, wait please, help!'''' someone shouted out in pain. It turned out that Fox had stumbled over a tree root, fell, and hurt her knee. Baldy cursed quietly to himself but didn''t stop. The other locals were also running away, ignoring the crying girl hobbling somewhere behind us. The newcomers followed the old-timers, trying not to pay attention to the girl that had been left behind. Sympathy seemed to not be a strong suit of these people. On the other hand, I didn''t have the right to blame them ¡ª I also wasn''t in a hurry to help her. Unfortunately, I had my moral upbringing¡­ Cursing myself for doing it, I slowed down, stopped, and then rushed back to Fox, who smiled happily through her tears and stretched her hands out toward me. What could I do in this situation? I grabbed her by the wrist and ran after the others, dragging the girl behind me, ignoring her crying. At least she wasn''t in the beast''s stomach. A picture of how it could have happened even flashed through my mind. The way that giant creature could''ve devoured her... I grimaced since my imagination painted a disgusting sight for me. More importantly, her tombstone would also have been in the stomach of the cadaver, and that would''ve been the end of her. "We lost it!" Suren shouted. "You can stop." Exhausted after having to run such a long distance, no one argued. Even the ex-cop, who had to be the hardiest among us, looked tired. Olga, on the other hand, had done surprisingly well; she was standing up straight and looking around. I wondered whether she had had time to do some sports, along with her business career. "We have to keep going,'''' Andrei said, breathing heavily, "we''re not far from the base." Fox fell to the ground, whimpering, looking at me angrily, and then she suddenly smiled. Apparently, it took her all this time to figure out what had meant more: the fact that I had rescued her or the fact that I had dragged her despite her wounded state. In the end, she nodded gratefully and muttered something under her breath. I smiled with an effort and immediately turned away. Maybe it looked a bit noble, but in fact, I was just afraid that I wouldn''t be able to get rid of her later. "Lera, can you walk on your own?'''' Andrei asked. Right, that is Fox''s name, I noted to myself. She had introduced herself, but I had forgotten it. "I''m not sure," she said in a pitiful voice, tears streaking down her face. Baldy snorted, showing his attitude toward such manipulations, but Alexander and Semyon quickly volunteered to help her. I realized how Lera had been living before being brought here and how she passed her deadly test. Honestly, I didn''t blame her; she managed to be the last one standing. Being able to manipulate other people even while in mortal danger ¡ª such an ability was worthy of respect. "Don''t stray from the path!" Andrei warned us once again. ''''Come on, friends, we''re almost there.'''' Our commander marched ahead, Alexander and Suren followed him, and Baldy covered the rear. Semyon helped Fox walk, holding her around her waist as she hung on his arm, periodically making pained grimaces. Mikhail was looking straight ahead, apparently being tormented by either a hangover or a narcotic breakdown. However, was it right to be so prejudiced regarding him? What did I know about addictions? Maybe the guy was just feeling sick today, and he had to run a marathon despite that. "Why did you go back for her?" Olga came up to me. "I don''t know." I shrugged. ''''I just thought that it wouldn''t be right to leave her as food for the cadaver.'''' "I would have left her," Olga said, gazing into my eyes. ''''And why are you telling me this?'''' I asked. Indeed, why was she? ''''I just wanted to warn you,'''' she answered, her voice low. ''''I don''t know all the local rules... yet. But I''ve already figured something out: if you want to survive, you should think only about yourself. Did you notice how no one else rushed over to help her?'''' "Yep, sure did," I nodded. "The same way no one would''ve helped you," Olga said. ''''Or me. Think about it.'''' We walked in silence for five or maybe even ten minutes. Only Fox and the ex-cop could be heard whispering about something. "What were you doing before all of this happened?" The businesswoman finally broke the silence. I thought about it for a moment before answering. I didn''t really want to talk about the fact that I''d been working as a laborer or about how I''ve been struggling, searching for my own path in life. "I was engaged in various... projects," I said after a while. ''''I can respect that,'''' Olga commented. ''''I like those who promote their own projects. As for me, I was the head of a bank. What exactly were you doing?'''' I wondered what she was talking about. Apparently, the woman had decided that the vague word ''''projects'''' somehow related to the sphere of business, and she saw a soulmate in me. It was kind of funny, as she didn''t really know anything about my ''''projects''''. ''''IT sphere, kind of,'''' I blurted out. At least I didn''t lie, I had indeed been playing some games. "Nice," Olga said. It seemed like she was a bit disappointed. "I guess this is the settlement we''ve heard about." The path had led us to a clearing protected by a rock on one side. On the left, there was a small brook, and on the right, a thin forest. "Congratulations for making it! Here it is. Our small camp," Andrei announced. A sigh of relief swept through our ranks, and someone immediately sat down on the ground, putting down the heavy baggage. "You''re back?" a happy voice came from somewhere. A tall, awkward boy with curly red hair came out from behind a rock and headed over to us. I noted that he was the eleventh member of our group. He approached and greeted everyone, shaking hands with the newcomers in a funny way. ''''Dmitri,'''' he introduced himself when he came to me. "Vasily," I answered quietly. "There are a lot of us now!" Dmitri exclaimed, looking around at everyone. ''''This is really great!''''This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "There could''ve been one less," someone said in a familiar, hard voice. Petrovich was alive and unharmed. He was only a little rumpled, looking wicked and dressed like a hobo. ''''Thank you, Igor,'''' he said, looking fixedly at Baldy. Then he spat at his feet. ''''Thank you for that wonderful experience.'''' ''''You''re welcome!'''' The bald man smiled impudently, looking straight into Petrovich''s eyes. "Valentin Petrovich, I''m sorry, but I hope you understand that we had to do it," Andrei intervened. ''''Why didn''t you do it to yourself, then?'''' the man asked angrily. ''''Or to this one?'''' Petrovich roughly jabbed his finger into Badly''s chest, but the young man hit his arm sharply, chuckled, and then stepped aside. ''''This one'''', indeed, was an interesting person. It was clear that the cadaver left us alone only because it was busy having lunch, courtesy of the old man''s body. Against his will, Petrovich had saved all of the newcomers. However, it was unpleasant to think about how something like this could also happen to me. If I hadn''t been a newcomer, and my tombstone had been in a safe place, I might have been in his spot. Also, I was wondering whether Petrovich had mentioned his horrible experience without any reason or if he had indeed regained consciousness before he had died. As I imagined it, a shiver went down my spine. "Well, if it had been necessary, I''d have done it myself," Andrei answered bluntly. "But I solved the problem first," Baldy interrupted him. ''''Valentin Petrovich, do you have a problem with that? Andrei is our leader, he''s not the one who''s supposed to carry out orders...'''' ''''Igor, stop this!'''' Andrei suddenly raised his voice. "As you say¡­" Baldy said amiably. "My point is simply that someone had to make this hard decision anyway." Then he turned around and left, leaving Andrei to talk with the still mumbling old man as we just stood around and watched. The redhead Dmitri, meanwhile, began to examine Fox''s leg, then ran off somewhere and brought back a box full of medicine and bandages. It seemed like, despite the tough leadership style, there were still disagreements within the group. It was unfortunate, considering that we all had to survive as a unified group. I was mostly worried about Igor since he seemed to be the most dangerous person here. It was clear that I wouldn''t want to have him as an enemy. On the other hand, despite the fact that he wasn''t at a high level, for some reason, he was the type of man one wanted to have as a protector. We were having a rest when Baldy returned and took us to another briefing, which ¡ª it is worth mentioning ¡ª was much more detailed and more comprehensible than the previous ones had been. ''''So, newbs.'''' It felt like his voice thundered over the glade. ''''Here is our current base, where we come back to life if we''re unfortunate enough to die. There is a bunker in the rock where you can hide your tombstones, Dmitri will open the door and show you everything. I hope I don''t need to explain why entering this place is normally forbidden.'''' It was hard to argue with this rule. If you took into account the threat of losing one''s tombstone, it was not an unwarranted precaution. ''''In the evening, we''ll go on your first campaign during which you will train your skills. And maybe...'''' he looked around, doubtful, examining our faces, ''''you''ll even reach level 2. Keep in mind that the higher your level and stats, the longer you can survive here. Now you''ll get some equipment that will slightly increase your chances in this world. My first lesson for you is that your endurance determines what type of armor you can wear. Is that clear?'''' ''''Yeah!'''' we answered in chorus. ''''Glad to hear it!'''' Baldy nodded. ''''Dmitri, show them where to place their tombstones and give them their starting equipment.'''' The guy nodded and, with an inviting gesture, asked us to follow him. We entered the rock through a huge, rusty door, which had been neatly camouflaged using tree branches. The small bunker, in which we saw six neat tombstones sticking out of the ground, was hidden behind that. The number corresponded to the number of old-timers. There were also some stone pieces scattered around as well ¡ª it seemed to be nothing special, except for the fact that one of the fragments had a perfectly flat edge. Was this what had remained of someone''s destroyed tombstone? "Leave your tombstones here." Dmitri made an inviting gesture. ''''It''s a secluded, safe place, so don''t worry. You will resurrect here if... hm... you die.'''' Everyone placed their heavy stones and covered their bottom parts with dirt to prevent them from falling over. I considered it for a little while and decided to hide my own further away, almost at the very wall, and cover it with twigs too. That piece of stone with a smooth edge was bothering me. I then heaved a sigh of relief as the huge, cold stone wasn''t tied to my back anymore. "Now follow me, I''ll show you our shelter," said the redhead. This nickname fit Dmitri perfectly. It turned out that there was a huge cave in the rock, with a long corridor that branched out numerous times, and at the end of each branch was a small room. "This is where we sleep," the redhead explained. ''''Several of the rooms are unoccupied, so you can choose any of them. If you want, you can share it with someone, there should be enough space.'''' Olga immediately expressed her wish to sleep alone and Fox also chose this option, despite the many hints the ex-cop sent her way. Apparently, poor Semyon had no clue what this girl was all about, not realizing she was only trying to look weak and harmless. In fact, Fox was a very smart and dangerous predator; if a man succumbed to her tricks, in the end, he would get nothing more than a grateful smile. I knew something about that kind of girl; I had already made a similar mistake once. When he finally realized that he had no prospects there, Semyon asked me to join him, and then the Major proposed that we don''t break up our group and instead occupy one of the rooms together, all three of us. I didn''t really like this idea, but I chose not to argue about it. There was enough space, so I decided not to go against the will of the collective. It wasn''t surprising that there was no comfort to be had in our cave. We were supposed to sleep on mattresses stuffed with something weird, with our heads lying on not so clean pillows. Oddly enough, the bedspreads looked more or less decent. In the end, we settled down and then followed Dmitri into the big hall at the end of the main corridor. It was a place for meetings, and at the same time, a warehouse with various kinds of weapons on display. The choice of armor and clothes for our squad was limited ¡ª helmets, gloves, overalls, and high-laced boots. Apparently, the old-timers had taken all of the decent stuff for themselves. It seemed like we''d have to get all the things we needed on our own. At least we could console ourselves with the fact that we looked similar to the members of special forces in our new clothes. After I put on all of the available clothes, my protection increased by 8 points ¡ª it wasn''t much, but it was at least something. "Are you finished?'''' Andrei looked into the hall. "You can go into your rooms and rest. We''ll be on duty, but keep in mind that, soon enough, you''ll also have to do the same thing. By the way, don''t forget that you have your first military campaign this evening." It was raining outside, but at least we didn''t have to stand guard. I finally realized how tired I actually was; I hadn''t had much rest since yesterday evening, which had started on Earth and smoothly moved on to a new day in this new world. I had no clue how time flowed here, but it seemed that it wasn''t very different in comparison to Earth''s time. While we had been getting acquainted, telling our stories, and traveling to this settlement, the morning had come, and now it was already near noon. It dawned on me that I hadn''t slept for more than 24 hours. Apparently, everyone else among the newcomers was in a similar situation, but they weren''t in a hurry to rest. As luck would have it, when we got back to our room, my roommates decided to have a brief conversation. "I''m really curious about where we are," Mikhail said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. ''''They said it''s another world.'''' The ex-cop shrugged. ''''I''m more worried about other stuff, for example, how can we get out of here? No one has explained anything to us, and we have no clue where this damned exit is!'''' "Vasily?" The Major poked me in the side. "What do you think about all this?" "To tell you the truth, I don''t care," I answered, trying to hide the displeasure in my voice. I didn''t like being touched. ''''Everything will depend on the circumstances. The main thing is that there is a way for us to return home, so we just have to find it.'''' "That''s right," Semyon agreed. "I just don''t like the way the old-timers behave. Petrovich was left behind to distract the monster; no one ran to help Lera except you. Well, I also wanted to help her," he explained immediately. "But you beat me to it.'''' I pretended that I hadn''t paid attention to his words. For some reason, I was sure that he hadn''t been planning to run in and help Fox, the same way he hadn''t tried to save his girlfriend and those other visitors in the cafe before that. "This place is really scary," the Major added. ''''Do you remember what Petrovich shouted about some girl and¡­ those other people? If we can all resurrect, how did they die?'''' ''''You know, it''s not so nice to rise from the dead," Semyon recalled with a shudder. ''''It was really awful. I still remember the pain, I still feel the very last moment before my death... I can see it very clearly. Then there was this emptiness, and shortly after that, you''re already alive... with your head once again on your shoulders.'''' The guy began to re-tell how it had felt, and I didn''t even notice when I fell asleep despite my roommates'' chatter. I woke up because someone was shaking my shoulder. ''''Vasily, get up! They''ve ordered us to get out of here. We''re going on our first campaign!'''' Chapter 4 TACTICAL RETREAT Alexander and Valentin Petrovich accompanied us, sleepy and shivering due to the evening¡¯s dampness and coolness. "Can you at least give us something to eat?" Olga tried to turn the conversation to her subject of interest. "First training, then food," Petrovich failed to crack a joke, milling around us with decent speed, which was unexpected with his impressive belly. "In fact, there is nothing to eat now, but Andrei and Suren will find something upon our return." The food crisis seemed to be one of many issues here. At least it became clear why the leaders of the group didn''t go with us. As for Baldy¡­ I could have sworn that he said that he didn¡¯t give a shit about newcomers and went to bed. ¡°What do you usually eat, anyway?¡± Fox asked suspiciously. ¡°Well,¡± Alexander scratched his head, ¡°if we need a lot of food at once someone goes to the distant forest and, if lucky, brings back a moose or a wild boar.¡± ¡°And if not, they appear back in the bunker and shout for someone to come and release them,¡± Petrovich was unusually cheerful today. Perhaps because Igor wasn''t nearby. "Why don''t you all go together?" the Major asked. "It is easier to fight something big in a group¡­ You are bound to bring some meat back." It sounded fine, but judging by the smiles on the faces of the old-timers, it was not that simple. "If we meet something particularly bad deep in the forest, nobody will survive," Alexander said in a mournful voice and laughed. Petrovich laughed as well. What had to happen to people to have their attitude toward death change so much? Keep in mind that one of us was recently finished off by one of his companions. "Will you stop milling around?" the cop, who was probably still recovering from his resurrection, did not look too good. "It¡¯s impossible, Val is doing his best to raise his speed," Alexander answered calmly, inappropriately shortening the old man''s name. However, having in mind the ¡°immortality¡± that we have gained in this world the concept of time and age of people living here was warped. Alexander and the others must¡¯ve been here for quite some time already. How long, I wonder? Alex continued, "He''s a lancer, mobility is a must for him." Lancer? The statement didn¡¯t really match his awkward body. On the other hand, Petrovich had reached level 9. He was definitely worth something. Chatting, we moved forward. It turned out that we were being led to an old cemetery located right between the base and the swamp. Per Valentin Petrovich¡¯s words, ancient skeletons lived there. They were only level 2, which was perfect for beginners like us. It sounds pathetic, I know, but when a skeleton climbs out of the ground right in front of you, covered with mud, with red flames burning inside the hollow eye sockets, it is a creepy sight. Fortunately, no extreme test was planned for us. Alexander grabbed his hammer, which turned out to be his divine weapon, and quickly and efficiently flattened our bony guest. ¡°Here we are," he said, looking satisfied. "Now, here are some basic rules. First, we''ll teach you how to summon and hide your weapons. Second, we will train you. Spread out across the field. At your current level, the best choice is a one on one fight. Kill ten enemies and reach level 2. We¡¯ll head back once everyone''s done. You will think about your training over a snack. Lastly, if you encounter something really dangerous, run to us, we''ll cover you. However, if the enemy''s level is higher than ten, you can die on the spot, no one can help you. We''ll meet at the base.¡± It was easy to hide and summon the sword; I just had to imagine it disappear into an imaginary bag, and then imagine it appearing in my hand. Semyon took the longest to get used to this technique. He even called his knife blade down once and almost cut off a couple of fingers. After that, we had to listen to a short, but extremely boring lecture, from Petrovich. As it turns out, you can easily lose a limb here. A usual wound, no matter how bad, could be healed within a couple of hours with bandages, but injuries like a cut off finger had only one cure ¡ª premature death and rebirth. We went forward and slowly moved to the sides. Oddly enough, no one argued if this training drill was really necessary. There would have probably been more indignation had we been thrown in here without a reason or a proper explanation. "Vasily, aren''t you scared?" Fox asked quietly and got closer. The recent events seemed to have changed her opinion of me and made her hold me in high regard. Did I really need this trust, though? "Not a bit," I lied cheerfully and stopped. The ground in front of us moved ¡ª my first opponent was about to appear. Ancient Decayed Skeleton Level 2 As we had been taught, I checked its description first. There were no surprises. I didn''t have any special abilities so I went up and swung my sword at it. The hit was hesitant; the blade shook and I almost lost my weapon, but the system awarded me with a successful hit. Damage dealt: 20 (weapon: 10, strength: 10); blocked: 8 So I dealt twelve damage. I was strong enough to cope with this opponent barehanded. Then it was the skeleton¡¯s turn. I slipped past the first hit, but it seemed to have predicted my move. I ducked and ran right into a blow, delivered by the skeleton¡¯s free hand, which threw me a couple of feet aside.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Damage taken: 20, blocked: 18 (endurance: 10, armor: 8) Although the skeleton''s blows looked intimidating, I only lost two health points, which made me realize why Petrovich and Alexander didn''t worry about us at all. My understanding of how our training was organized also improved. They gave us poor armor on purpose. We wouldn''t die this way, but we would come to understand what damage was and would get used to it. Having understood how things worked, I quickly dealt with the skeleton, received the experience points and had a look around. Fox had already dealt with her first enemy and was fighting her second opponent. I had a feeling that the skeleton would lose the sight of her sometimes. I wondered if that was how her disguise worked. Two beaten skeletons were already lying near Semyon who was experimenting with the third one, trying to strike at individual limbs and deprive the enemy of mobility. Mikhail, it seemed, was moving aimlessly in circles. Hasn''t he found one yet? As soon as I had thought that, a couple of skeletons climbed out from the ground just in front of him. Letting out a girly shriek, the Major raised his sword. It lit up with white light, went down and smashed both opponents into pieces with one blow. Mine didn¡¯t go down like that. His special ability was really powerful, that was for sure. "Don''t bother about that." As it turned out, Fox had been watching me the entire time. "You''ll find a war scythe and become stronger, too." Why, thank you, how reassuring. I would better practice my spells, but I couldn''t do that while everyone was nearby. One should note that Fox was constantly pretending to mind her own business, but she heard and remembered everything about my chosen weapon. I gave her the right nickname. "Thank you," I pretended to be flattered by her attention, and moved forward in search of my next undead opponent. "Aaaaaah!" Olga''s cry came from the opposite end of the field. Eyes widened with fear, she ran to us with a small wooden spear, a dart even, stuck in her shoulder. ¡°Skeleton Warriors!" Alexander''s quiet voice did not match what he said next. "We can¡¯t cope with them. Everyone, retreat to the base! If you get lost along the way, just die.¡± That was all the help we got; both of our guards were out of sight in no time flat. Petrovich hadn¡¯t powered up his speed for nothing. He ran faster than I could have imagined. All in all, I understood them ¡ª why die if you can''t do anything? Not like anything would happen to us. On the other hand, however, it was still unpleasant. Take Baldy for example, he played fair when the cadaver was chasing us. I finally spotted Olga''s pursuers ¡ª seven skeletons; all level 12, according to the system. They looked much more impressive than their level two cousins; they were all clad in armor, and the fire inside their skulls seemed to burn a little brighter. One of them flashed with a blue flame, accelerating his movement twofold, and turned into a blurry silhouette. The skeleton instantly caught up to the girl trying to escape and cut her in half. "...together we can!" Seeing this display of power, Semyon, who had been trying to unite us to fight the enemy, stopped, turned around and ran toward the base without saying a word. Fox and the Major had done this maneuver even earlier. Was I the only one left? What was next? Would I have time to run away with everyone, or should I take a moment and try to test one of my theories? "Run! I''ll try to get them out of the way!" I shouted. Even if it doesn¡¯t work out, I will at least continue being taken for a naive fool who does not interfere with anyone''s plans and therefore lives the longest. Fox stopped for a moment. Did she want to help me? Fortunately, she changed her mind, allowing me to play it cool and run toward the swamp. Well, not exactly cool, as the skeletons were still trying to kill me, but at least I had a plan. Andrei said that magic-firing mosquitoes lived in the swamp. He said, and I quote: "Their attacks are weak; there is no end to those damned creatures." Because of that I had put much hope in my unique magical protection. If those bloodsuckers hit me for less than three damage, I would survive and escape. My plan had a second stage in case that didn¡¯t work. If the cadaver had eaten the wolves, the monsters here were at war with each other, which meant that there was a chance that the mosquitoes would kill my pursuers. I was running out of breath when the forest suddenly became thinner. Something squished under my feet. Did I manage to escape? It was too early to rejoice. Trying not to rush, but not daring to stop, I made a few risky jumps from one hummock to another, and ended some sixty feet from the shore. There was nowhere else to go. It was only when I had calmed down a little, that I noticed a cloud of insects swirling around me and that my health had fallen by almost ten percent. Looking inwards, I realized that most of their attacks dealt only one or two points of damage, and that they were being completely absorbed by my resistance. However, critical strikes occurred sometimes, removing four points at once, gradually lowering my health. Fortunately, I had the Cure Light Wounds spell, which healed me constantly for 20 seconds. This didn¡¯t mean that I could relax, but I could survive. My pursuers appeared on the shore at that very moment. All of the mosquitoes left me alone and flew toward them. Was this going to work? My heart fluttered with excitement as I watched the life points of my pursuers disappear slowly. They had no blood, of course, but the local mosquitoes did not seem to mind. One by one, the skeletons fell to the ground. Unfortunately, one remained standing. It seemed that I was not the only one with basic magical resistance. Captain of the Skeleton Warriors Level 15 Not paying attention to the gnats buzzing around it, the creature moved toward me. Would it manage to reach me? Taking a step forth, it sunk waist deep into the swamp to the waist. Despite the swamp reaching its chest, it continued pulling itself forward stubbornly, though slowly. I had to do something or I would be killed. What could I do? A sword wouldn''t help ¡ª using it against an opponent of this level would be suicide. All I had left was magic, but no attacking spells. Feeling desperate, I threw a curse which slowed the skeleton down. However, that was not all. Weakness Reduces all enemy stats by 10%. If the opponent has one or more blessings, the spell has a 30% chance to turn one of them into a curse of the same level. Would regeneration, cast by healing, be considered a blessing? Shivering, I cast a Cure Light Wounds spell on the skeleton. Now, the curse. Regeneration replaced by Reduced Accuracy. I updated the healing spell and waited for the successful completion of the curse. Regeneration replaced by Roots. Very well, this time the skeleton was generally stuck. Once more. Regeneration replaced by Weakening the Undead. Regeneration replaced by Poison. The last two were especially nice. I didn''t know what Weakening of the Undead really was, but its effect was beautiful ¡ª it looked like a small sun rising above the skeleton which even moaned resentfully. The poison started to hack away at its health bar. It went slowly, but the effect hung for a while. After countless curses and swears, the skeleton finally ran out of health. You killed the Captain of the Skeleton Warriors. Experience: +1,500 Level 5 achieved. Stats: +10 Skills: +2 Great rewards, and I was yet to examine its body. A Game of Villains on Amazon! As mentioned in the first note, the first book of the series is now live on Amazon! It''s up to you if you want to get a copy. I didn''t hold back anything to try to trick people into buying it: the book is the same story you read, just with a bit of extra editing, plus short stories about Baldy, Fox, Innokenty, Petrovich. Nothing fancy, but if you want a collected version in ebook format, it''s available. (It''s also free on Kindle Unlimited if you''re looking to reread.)The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. One thing Iwillask: if you''ve enjoyed this story and want to see it succeed,pleaseleave a review on Amazon! Getting a higher number of reviews is critical for the success of books, so the more the merrier. You don''t need to be long-winded or eloquent: what the algorithm wants to know is that a decent number of people thought the book was worth their time. If you feel that way, leaving a review would help me a lot. ^-^