4 The First Death (2/2)
The creature's footsteps were coming closer and closer behind his back. Dan turned and looked into the green flame that carried to death.
For a while, as if enjoying the moment, the Skeleton stood a step away from Dan. And then a swirl of metal and a moment of pain swallowed Dan up.
*
Death, Me, and the Great Nothing.
I was and I was gone.
I've never experienced horror like this before in my life.
*
The body arched out and the first breath hardly pushed air into Dan's lungs. He leaned on a stone bed and looked around the Revival Hall with a blurred look. There was a weakness in the whole body. With his legs gently down, Dan slid from the base. With back resting on the bed he sat down on a step and froze. His head was empty, there was not a single thought. The mind was stubbornly unwilling to comprehend what had happened.
There was no time for Dan yet. A message from the system shaken him.
*
[Congratulations! You experienced your first death.
Three hundred experience points received.]
*
Why did I go to the donjon alone? It was the right thing to do. For Whom? It was for me.
What for? I had to understand. Understand what? Death. And what gave me that knowledge? I experienced Fear. Will that knowledge help me? Yes... or destroy me. I don't want to experience this anymore. Then, I will die. I'm kind of immortal now.
And at that moment, Dan felt a rush of air. It was like a weak breeze of wind. And Dan thought he heard a quiet laugh and a voice that said only one word.
'Lies'.
*
[Attention! 'Vengeance' mission accomplished. 4000 experience points have been gained.
Attention! Mission 'Lost Kin' complete. 1500 experience points obtained.
Attention! Your group is honored to fulfill its duties. 50 'Glory' points have been received.
Your group's overall status has been changed to 'Rumors confirmed' and you have received the second level of fame.
Up to the next level of fame you need to score two hundred more Glory Points.
Now your group can count on more tasks and more details, the traders will give you a significant discount on their products]
*
Michael in the village gave up his quests. The status of the group blinked quickly. So now Gandalf will not have to test himself in the woods. Gandalf + 3 levels. Ron, Tom, Leo, John and Nick at +1 level. Dan counted in mind and realized that everyone, but he had fallen 3,500 experience points. He got an extra in 2000. Michael, Alexander and Jim were still on their own.
Dan got up on his feet and came to the window. The window was tightly covered with a wooden shield, but there were big gaps in it. He looked down.
Downstairs, one of the players was wrapped in a deaf cloak, standing in the rain, propping up the wall and occasionally looking down at the rope.
It was only at that moment that Dan realized that he was still in the main tower!
That creepy skeleton killer down there! It's near! The point of rebirth is not in the chapel! And how does he go down?
Dan took a good look at the shield that closed the window. He was on his way up. You could lift it up and squeeze it out the window. And then you could go down the rope to the castle courtyard.
Dan picked up the shield, threw one leg over, and grabbed his hands to the wet rope.
Then, he helped himself with his legs and crawled out and slipped straight down.
Thank God the guys put knots on it. Otherwise, Dan descent wouldn't have been without consequences. His legs touched the ground and Dan breathed out lightly.
Alexander was leaning against the wall and nodded at Dan with a smile:
\”Happy birthday, Dan. Come on, let's get warm. I've been watching you for half an hour. I'm soaked.\”
After the rebirth, the body felt weak, Dan felt uncomfortable with the raw cold. He pulled a cloak out of the inventory, put it on shoulders, and went after it.
\”Am I that predictable?\”
\”You know, the Army teaches you how to know people. When you went to get the cloak, I knew you'd go there,\” he said.
\”Are you in the army?\” asked Dan.
\”And you're not?\” he answered with a question.
\”I don't know, I don't remember. There's something I don't like about the idea of the army. Subordination,\” answered Dan honestly.
\”How many skeletons have you killed?\” he asked.
\”Six,\” smiled Dan.
He stopped.
\”Did the Elite kill you?\” he asked in a quiet voice.
\”Yes.\”
\”Don't tell others... The skeleton could have raised the level of your murder. They won't like it.\”
Dan looked into Alexander's face and realized that he liked that man. They stopped at the chapel door. Dan nodded his head at him. They understood each other.
*
There was a noise coming from the chapel.
When Dan walked into the room, he was surprised to see the players having fun at the tables.
There was a fresh pitcher of wine and leftovers from yesterday's food on the table.
Gandalf was most excited and laughed.
When Dan got there, the players calmed down a little, but Dan smiled and shaved past the table to the fireplace. The noise behind his back resumed.
As Dan laid the cloak on the stone floor, he sat closer to the fire. Dan opened the window with characteristics and serious thought.
Leo came up to him and put a cup of wine next to him, then came back to the table.
*
Name: Dan.
Race: Human
Level: 8
Experience: 19100/20700
Strength: 12
Intellect: 10 [MP 100]
Dexterity: 12
Spirit: 15
Endurance: 15 [HP 1500]
Luck 1 [Passive]
Available with 10/+5 characteristic points and 8/+5 skill points.
Before a character is assigned to a class, the distribution of skill points and the skill tree is blocked.
*
And how do I develop my skills? While analyzing my fight in the Donjon, I tried to think over my next steps. If I hadn't been beaten up, could I dodge the Warrior Skeleton like a normal Skeleton? No! He had level 15. A monster. A swordsman sharpened to murder. But even so. What did I get? Six dead skeletons in one death. I got the level! But they were level 1.
Does it make sense to put points in strength and dexterity? Or I have to continue to increase the spirit and intellect.
Strength increases the power of the close attack, as well as the chances of parry and block.
Dexterity increases accuracy, evasion and a chance of a critical hit and long-range attack.
Battle in the Donjon has shown that creatures have weaknesses by hitting them, causing them to take critical damage. How is the damage calculated in the game?
Yesterday, when I talked to the guys, I found out that the damage to the weapon depends directly on the strength of the character.
In my description, the club had 30-40 points of basic damage. How much damage did my 12 strength points add?
Status. Battle Records. I did 50 damage in most cases. Strength is added to weapon damage. I thought so.
On the other hand, there were already a majority of warriors in the group.
The system directly writes about the presence of magic in this world, and I have reason to think about another way of development. Then, I need to increase my Spirit and Intelligence.
Dan didn't like the laughter of the players. And that's when he realized that he didn't want to be like them. He has to wait for a while.
Dan didn't drink wine. He was just holding a cup in hand. His eyes froze on the fireplace flames.
After a while, Dan fell asleep.
He woke up to the sound of the door slamming. A cup of wine was in his hands the whole time.
Dan put it aside, went up sharply and moved to the exit.
The sky was so tight with clouds, the rain stopped, but the water slurry continued to hang in the air.
Alexander stood in the center of the courtyard and talked to Michael about something. And near the gate there was a lively vanity.
Dan came closer and froze, his jaw rushed down. At the opening in the wall leading to the gate mechanism, there was a dense shorty with a huge red beard to the waist. The rough features of his face were as if carved in stone. The short man was fat, but his thickness was solid, powerful.
He had thick arms and legs. How does he walk in general?
\”Shut your mouth,\” said Michael.
He came up to Dan and watched at the reaction with a smile:
\”Dan, really, shut your mouth and doesn't stare at him. It's indecent.\”
\”Who's that?\”
\”It's a dwarf. I told you, there are a lot of races living here. Why are you so surprised?\”
\”You know, when you see something like this in a picture, its one thing. And when he's standing next to you, it's different. Who is he?\”
\”Turin, the former village of a blacksmith.\”
\”Why former?\”
\”And he is the main award for the werewolf assignment.\”
The expression on Dan's face made Michael laugh. He made it clear:
\”We finished off his daughter's killer. He swore to serve us for that. His son stayed in the village.\”
\”Violent order here.\”
\”I heard you went to the donjon.\”
His look got serious and it was like he was trying to look at something in Dan.
It was a subject for a serious conversation.
Dan did not hide anything:
''I wanted to get to know the Lady better. I had to find out what it is. Death. And rebirth too.''
Michael frowned and shook his head:
\”Met. What's next?\”
\”I have suggestions. We can defeat these monsters.\”