Path of the Shaman

4

Shaman Mahan!

Barliona Corporation is glad to welcome you back to the game. Under the terms of your release, you can choose where you will end up in Barliona when you enter.

Would you like to appear in the same place where you last left the game?

Well no

I think that everything is clear here.

As a bonus for early release, you are given the opportunity to hide your presence in the game from other players for a day.

Warning: the players you meet in the game will still see you and your stats.

Hide your presence in the game?

Well no

The corporation, it seems, decided to play along with me a little. Regardless of their motives, I was grateful to them for this initiative. The dialogue window disappeared, and I found myself in Altameda's throne room.

— Viltraks!

— Yes, master! - Waiting at the door, perhaps, a devoted dog?

“Set up guards at the entrance to the hall. Don't bother me until I get out myself!

Welcome back, master! The goblin nodded and left.

I opened the mail and said out loud:

- Malvina fled to foreign lands! Malvina is gone, my bride!

A small icon appeared in the lower right corner of the screen, where I poked twice, and then another one.

I'm crying, I don't know where to go! I added. - Isn't it better to part with the shaman's tambourine?

A black console box appeared in front of me with a green prompt. I entered another code word and entered the server. Now you can safely go about your business - adjust the logs, give the task to Iskin to simulate viewing my mail while I'm busy, and slightly adjust the picture in the logs to create the feeling that I'm lazily reading, and not frantically typing on the keys. And then - the hellish job of laying everything that I need in the near future. Of course, I'm not very interested in doing such things in a game in which I really liked the gameplay, but, on the other hand, the last half hour in Barliona before going free went a little differently than I expected. The time has come for me to remember that dancing with a tambourine is a really necessary attribute of my professional activity, and we will do shamanism to the fullest.

* * *

The raid of the Azure Dragons quickly and smoothly made its way through the dungeon discovered only the day before yesterday. The monsters rolled on, the tanks groaned, but they held on, the healers, without stopping, treated them. From behind the backs of the tanks, the archers sent arrow after arrow, crushing the shaft of infernal creatures. The monsters overheated, and the tanks took out the abilities from the stash. R-time! The semicircle that the Abrams tank described with the Legendary Rusty Reinforcement instantly laid down a dozen creatures of darkness in place, again focusing the attention of another fifty on a fighter clad in spotted armor of a delicate light brown color. Click! Click! Click! Arrows sang, destroying the remnants of the Third Level defenders. Boss was in front.

In the center of a huge cave, a beefy man, bare to the waist, stood calmly with a whip in his hand. Glancing at the strip of his life, Fingerless, who went on a campaign for the First Kill, closed his eyes and shook his head:

— How much, how much?

“I don’t understand,” Bezponiki, who was standing next to him, responded, “how does a level 400 Boss have so many hit points?”

Participating in the discussion of the battle tactics Beskisti, Beskolen, Bespontov, Besserebrennik, Disinterested and Bestolku just shook their heads.

“First, let’s get into a fight,” Bessamemucho, who had been silent earlier, suddenly gave a voice, “and then we’ll see!”

Abrams, Sherman and Merkava, who approached him, were knocked down by the Boss of the Dungeon with one blow of the whip. While the magicians resurrected tanks, Bezponiki silently moved his lips, looking through the logs. The tanks got up and went to the Boss again. Another wave of the whip - and again the magicians resurrect the dead.

- Stop! Bezponiki suddenly shouted after finishing his analysis. - I got it! So, magicians do not resurrect anyone! We’re all going to the slaughter, we must stay…” he closed his eyes, again looking through the stats of the raid participants, “here you are!”

- I? - the Robber of Bestunika was amazed, all of whose clothes consisted of a "diaper", boots and a hat. - Why me?

- Why he? asked Bespalny.

— Because the Boss's damage and hit points are equal to the total hit points of the raid members. Bestunika has 300 hit points and 4000 damage. When he is left alone, he will remove the Boss "on time"! - he turned to the Robber, holding out a scroll of resurrection: - You kill the Boss, you resurrect Incomprehension, - Bezponiki pointed to the magician standing next to him, - and he raises the rest. Understood?

Bestuniki nodded, and the Azure raiders streamed to the center of the hall to slaughter. When there was no one left in the hall besides the Boss and Bestunika, the Robber approached the man, who was cowering in fear and no longer so muscular, and gave him a flick.

- Well, come on, get it! - Fingerless commanded the hesitant Boss Winner, whose Epic Battle had already managed to disperse throughout Barliona and acquire legends. The newly registered boys all, as one, wanted to be Bestuniki, and the girls wanted to be Bestrusov. And everyone naturally dreamed of joining the Azure Dragon Clan one day. Bestuniki extended his hand to the carcass of the Boss and demonstrated the prey. Gold, a dozen epics and two legendaries. Not bad.

- And what's that? ' Fingerless suddenly asked. An inconspicuous scroll fell into his hand.

O brave man who defeated the wicked Abu Simbel, who brought so much trouble to the house of Ali the Black, destroyed his house, drank the pool and dishonored all the eunuchs in his harem, may Allah grant you long life and a place in paradise after death.

Do you want to continue revenge? Will you be able to return to Ali the Black that priceless thing that the cruel Abu took away from him - the Shroud of the Salamander?

You have been offered a unique task Return of the Priceless

We need to find the Shroud of the Salamander and return it to Ali the Black

Deadline: 8 hours from the moment you receive the task

Reward:

1500000 gold

2 unique items

1 legendary item

Penalty in case of failure / refusal: - no

Accept a task?

- What do you think? the clan head asked the raid leader.

- What is there to think about? Is there no penalty? he replied.

Fingerless pressed the button, and the Boss's body lit up again. Bezponiki reached out and pulled seven scrolls from the carcass.

Unknown Scroll

Quest item

You have obtained the scrolls required for the quest Return of the Priceless. They must be activated at the same time in all points marked on the map with circles. After activating the latter, the Shroud of the Salamander will be found at the point marked with crosses.

Note: There is a ten second delay between scroll activation and triggering. If not all scrolls are activated within this time interval, then none will work, and the task will be considered failed.

— I am tormented by vague doubts! Bezponika rubbed his chin.

- Why? The clan leader was surprised. - I think it makes sense! If we want to pick up an artifact in the clan treasury, then we need to attack all seven castles at the same time.

“No, I'm worried about what we get in return from the Phoenixes,” the raid leader remarked gloomily. “Besides, those scrolls… It is not known what exactly they do…”

- Do not worry! The Death Knight clapped him on the shoulder. - It's a game! Let's leave the observers to report the effects. Come on, we've got to hurry! The Legendary and two uniques are not lying around on the road, not to mention the Phoenix clanstery!

* * *

While waiting for the hour, the Azure raid was trampling around at the gathering place not very far from the main Phoenix castle. In principle, I could have made my way to the Dragons in the castle, but the gathering in the forest was even in my favor. Above my head hung a green stripe with the inscription "Idler" and the badge of the Azure clan. I promised myself that the ability to assume the guise of anyone you meet for eight hours is the last cheat that I will allow myself. After all, I came here to play, not to break code.

"[Besfaras] are in place"

Flashed in the raid chat. The last, eighth kamikaze. Bezponiki very quickly realized that the scrolls did not carry anything good in themselves, and sent comrades on a mission in rags and almost without weapons. The open door policy allowed almost anyone to enter the clan castle grounds at certain hours. Of course, not in a protected area, but that was enough for me.

“[Insomniacs] Ready ten for all immortals. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go!"

Even from here, from a distance of a couple of tens of kilometers, I felt the ground under my feet pushed. A message came from one of the suicide bombers.

"[Spineless] Managed to hit the bubble"

"[Spineless] In about thirty seconds, there will be no one left alive!"

The raiders fell silent. A minute later, a message came from Bezponika.

“[Reckless] Move out! Magicians and shamans - to decontaminate the territory!

And immediately someone put a massive portal to the attacked castle. Leaving the portal, the "Dragons" were built in accordance with a predetermined schedule. The eyes of the fighters were riveted to the castle. There was complete silence, even the birds somehow calmed down. Someone turned his nose and involuntarily grimaced. This is ten percent of sensations. I had nose plugs inserted in advance, and the boots on my feet were by no means ordinary fighting boots, providing me with complete immunity to aggressive environments. Someone exclaimed in astonishment at the sight of how a swaying brown-green mass appeared above the walls of the castle, froze as if in doubt, and then began to roll outward, sliding along the walls. The stench became unbearable. The substance vanished like it never existed, barely touching the grass outside the castle. The same thing happened with that stream,

The detachment moved to the castle. The magicians were clearing the passage, with the last of their strength scattering the disgusting slurry to the sides. Well, that is, I knew that I could quite well imitate a sewage mass coming out of the ground, since the mass had been a nightmare for me for months, but I didn’t know that I, it turns out, is a real master of my craft, Artist and Creator. It is not known from where the numerous hatches that appeared gurgled, releasing new portions, but besides this, (it) was bursting with might and main from the basements, ventilation grilles and doors. "Dragons" literally turned inside out not only by the smell, but also by the sight of my brainchild, but they did not forget to pick up numerous bags left at the place of death of other players. The raid chat was filled with questions.

"[Unstars] Is that what I think?"

“[Immortal] Yes. Apparently, the sewer broke, and (it) all rushed out!”

“[Bessarabian] Where are the collectors in Barliona and (it)?”

“[Neznal] (It) is everywhere. It’s not clear why it didn’t explode earlier! ”

And here is the gate of the protected part. Now I have to test how justified my chivalry was when I did not allow myself to create a god mode to clean up the Phoenix clans. I quietly separated from the raid and began to go around the wall so that it completely hid me from the "Dragons". Now I myself have to become a Dragon, moreover, a real one. For everything about everything - one hundred and ten minutes, although the Azure, most likely, will break through the passage faster.