Chapter 7

* * *

Contrary to logic and safety, we stay on that same lawn for another twenty-four hours, having had a good night's sleep and just a moral break from all this shit that was happening to us. Surprisingly, in all that time no one tried to kill us, eat us, enslave us, bump us, scare us, or even piss on us. Well, maybe the mosquitoes tried, but only until the first dose of repellent, I shared with my companions.

Actually, I keep getting the feeling that this world doesn't love me. It doesn't seem to love anyone at all. All kinds of orcs and goblins, all kinds of monsters of different scales and types, all the same System that directly encourages all living things to cut and eat each other, which does not add to anyone's kindness.

In such conditions, a few hours of peace and quiet can be much more valuable than a mountain of gold and a bag of gems. Material goods can be gained or taken away, but peace of mind can only be found on one's own. I will not lie about immediately settling down and embracing zen, for I am as delusional as a candidate for election. But the fear of darkness and the fear of my own shadow receded, giving me a chance to think properly about the consequences of my decisions.

And I had to solve a burning question on a topic known to every gamer from planet Earth. Namely: how to distribute stats? It doesn't make sense to wait any longer, because all the main characteristics have already been revealed and will not be increased by simple training. But six and a half dozen extra stats will be very useful.

I could, for example, throw them all into one characteristic, for example, dexterity, get a bonus for a hundred in one parameter, and then in a few levels get up to one hundred and fifty. With that kind of dexterity, I wouldn't have been a whipping boy like in the previous fight. Or rather, not like that. I'd still be the same slow lout, but at least I'd have time to block his blows with shadows.

I could do the opposite: put everything into energy, making my shadows an order of magnitude stronger, and then I might not have to fight those goblins at all in close combat. I could stand in the middle of the woods, preferably in stealth, picking my nose and watching as the shadow blades help the enemy multiply by fission.

I could increase perception, which my classes don't really need, or even endurance. But, all this would mean one thing - a skew in one, at most two stats. This is not to say that so bad, but I would like more. For example, it is trivial to raise the free growth characteristics to a hundred. I have a suspicion that the Chosen Ones have exactly this limit.

Lots of options, but no solution.

I thought.

I thought a lot.

I walked around the lawn in circles (in stealth, or they would take me for an idiot).

I did a jog through the woods.

I counted the butterflies flying within my sphere of perception.

And finally, in the morning before I left for the road ahead, I made my decision. The problem is that all my classes are magical, but what I need to survive is physics, or rather a dexterity and a bit of perception. I remember all too well the problems that my lack of speed and agility caused me, and I can be quite sure that without them I would be in trouble.

So, until I crawl out of the woods, my priority will be to improve my dexterity, and only then my energy. Then I plan to correct this flaw, but initially, I'd rather be fast and able to run far away. So, with a steady hand (I'm lying as a salesman, because I'm shaking) I get my dexterity up to a hundred, spending thirty-three points. It's only a little over half of what I have, but it's so pity, damn you all!

It even made me want to go out and kill the damn Bobik, just to become a normal Chosen One and grind my stats up to a hundred. Alas, dreams remain dreams, in this case, they certainly do.

I put the points in one at a time, while simultaneously doing my knife-fighting warm-up routine, speeding up more and more. And I can really feel my limits expanding, my movements becoming smoother and more measured, and the world around me seeming more perfect and clearer. After about half an hour of shadow training (not literally), I calm my somewhat labored breathing and give out a high-pitched one: "Fuck yeah."

It was worth it, no kidding. It was like heaven and earth. A hundred dexterity is indeed a high score, permitting something that ten out of ten Earth acrobats would chew their balls off out of envy, or sell their farts to [censored] overlords just to repeat it. It wasn't even the flexibility, but the monstrous coordination of my own movements. I didn't get lazy and ripped the mosquito's legs right off in flight. Then I got even more stoned and ripped off the next one, only the odd ones. If I had been more perceptive, I would have tied them up with trunks, too.

I would have continued to have fun, but I saw the cherished system message promising me another gift from the dear administration, so I stopped fooling around and started to look a gift horse in the mouth. The horses were given to me, purebred and beautiful, but there was only one to choose from, which was not good.

The Dexterity characteristic has reached 100! Choose a perk!

- Perfect coordination (rare);

- Flexible Bones (rare);

In fact, the prospects offered by both abilities cannot be underestimated. Even now I can think of a dozen ways to use these treasures, but I choose coordination. First of all, it was only given to me because I had already managed to take a weakened version of it. And second, it fits my style perfectly.

The ability to bend like rubber would greatly increase my evasion, but I could dodge the weaker ones anyway. I'd have to fight off really strong opponents in any case, either with shadows or by heroically fleeing to the unknown direction, preferably faster. And the very ability that was given to me at the expense of the choice of strengthening bones a little earlier, was suitable for some thief or circus acrobat.

It's not that it was useless to me, but I just couldn't unlock its full potential. I had too much of a different style, with different techniques. So I chose it without pity, but with a certain touch of greed and munchkinism.

I'm going to allocate the remaining thirty-two points to energy, just like I did with dexterity, one point at a time. The training was careful manipulation of the shadows within the radius of my sphere. I was a little twitchy about touching them, but I'd already conquered the main fear. The main thing to remember is that until I accumulate a critical mass of shadow energy myself, until I feed them the lion's share of my reserve until I call them to the table, they can't come to my door.

I hope.

The feeling of the rising energy was very different, unlike the previous ones. It was as if something incredibly hot and voluminous began to pulsate inside you, and it pulsed harder and more frequently with each point it was put in. I suppose that if I hadn't been wasting my energy on shadow control, I might have crippled myself somewhat with the sharp amplification.

After another half hour and a third of my reserve was empty, my energy score was... ta-da! Ninety-four points! You know, I felt about the same sensation as a donkey with a carrot hung in front of his face, but not allowed to reach it. And you look at that carrot, you realize that it is out of reach at that moment in time, and you get wildly, wildly mad!

No, seriously!

It's not fun!

I have to wait for two whole levels until I can finally get another perk. I feel that I will have to wait for either a very long time, which I don't like at all. Or the opposite: a very short time, because I'm going to get into some foul-smelling substance again. Naturally, I dislike the latter even more than the former.

As I walked to the camp, I tried out absolute coordination, literally feeling every movement to the millimeter, both for myself and for... my shadows. At first, I froze as if I had been knocked, and then I smiled broadly and anticipatively. I suppose not all magical classes can derive such a bonus from high dexterity. Telekinetics, water mages, maybe geomancers, and other guys who can perceive a magical manifestation as part of themselves. All kinds of firebenders are out, I'm sure of it.

But for me, as a Shadowborn... I don't even know if there are mages anywhere else, besides mythical classes, for whom their elemental is so natural?

Or rather, not like that.

Shadows, as is, are not part of my body, but when combined with the perception sphere, I can perceive them as an extension of myself, albeit distantly, weakened and incompletely. This, of course, is no longer perfect control as with body movements, but it's still a huge bonus to attacking through shadows outside the line of sight and to sensory skills.

It was a smart thing to do when I took it, ignoring another perk, because the synergy is very high. It's not for nothing that the class description says that one of the main characteristics of the shadow class is dexterity.

They went out in silence, as usual.

Hans was telling a story from his time in the frontier service, Losij was listening, thinking about something of his own, and I was lurking about a hundred meters away from the couple, trying to watch the men's movements with my shadows. Not just to feel them in my sphere, but to watch them, as if through a monitor screen. It feels medium-bad and highly amusing, I must tell you! Each shadow looks different, from its angle, and gives its distortions to the images.

The only thing all these "TVs " have in common is the [censored] and [censored], or rather a monochrome image. It's a peculiar sight, especially when you consider that it is superimposed on your vision. It's like you have an extra pair of eyes. If I hadn't gotten used to the sensory load of the shadow sphere, I might have lost my mind.

I'm almost reflexively choosing the best route, scanning the terrain at the same time, but I'm thinking about something else entirely. Or, to be more precise, about my shadow class and the prospects for its development. In fact, I've completely done one section and more than half-developed the other. Now I can invest two more points and upgrade the class to the second rank, getting a new class passive and new abilities.

That's a definite plus.

And on the negative side, we'd like to point out the fear of the shadow dwellers that never let go of me after that battle. Not that I was that afraid, for that would not be entirely true. My, ha-ha, "heroism" was clearly helping to control my stress and panic, but even common sense told me not to joke about such matters because there would be consequences.

So I found myself in some confusion as I contemplated this dilemma. On the one hand, I didn't want to increase my problems with excessive living shadows to the point of pulling hair out of my ass. On the other hand, just then I stood a good chance of finding something among my newly discovered skills that would help me control or at least shield myself from the shadow-dwelling monsters.

The thoughts were heavy and unpleasant, but understanding the need for further development required me to make decisions and take action. Once again I had to squeeze an asshole into an invisible point and put two points into shadow perception.

I just decided to put it off until tonight, when we'll take a stop.

At rest, a new problem arose, namely the rapidly depleting supply of water, which became much more difficult to replenish as we left the river bank. I was not sure if I could drink the blood of the killed prey, but I had no particular desire to become a novice vampire. I couldn't help thinking about the prospect of using shadow manipulation to collect dew or filter water directly from the ground.

The funny thing about this situation is that I, in principle, am able to do something like this. A truly universal class, in every sense. The advantage of mythic archetypes over normal archetypes, as I understand it, is exactly that - the monstrous flexibility of using class abilities, allowing you to find new solutions to problems where the owners of standard classes will see only an insurmountable wall.

However, we still had water, so there was no need to bother with it. I was much more concerned about my class than about the life-giving H2O. This is the textbook case when you want it but your mind does not allow it. In my mind, I understand that I will have to develop one way or another. But that's in my mind, and all I can do is suppress panic at the thought of encountering some kind of Lovecraftian crap again.

It was also a pity to waste two class points. I mean, I realize that this is a clinical case where greed stops being healthy and starts interfering with life and survival, but remembering how hard I worked to get those points, I can't help but be greedy. Anyway, I don't have time to try to get my shadow perception up to a drop without putting in my points. So tonight, when we're camping out, I'm going to spend my stash fending off attacks of amphibious asphyxiation.

T.N.In the modern Russia the frog/toad it's simbol of greednes. It's sit on the neck and each time when you want to spend something stifling the person. And hamster synonym for loot goblin.

Everyone went to bed, and I stayed on duty. I didn't tell them that I need just one hour to sleep. Let them stay awake, too, because I save them regularly. I'm not their mommy, and they're not kids themselves, so they're on duty equal parts of the time.

After waiting for them to fall asleep, I open the statistics and quickly, quickly, so as not to change my mind, and then not to convince myself again of the necessity of my actions, I put two points in the sense of shadows.

Mom, I'm an idiot.

One sudden expansion of consciousness almost makes my brain leak out of my ears. And I also put in two at once! It was a miracle to keep from howling from the overload of sensations. It wasn't even pain, but rather a complete inability to absorb so much information and in such a detailed way. I even had to fall out of the stealth, because I was in real turmoil. I thank my balls that I hadn't climbed a tree, or I would have been the dumbest dead Hero in the history of the world. Even dumber than "poisoned by stale fish."

As I thought, each gain in the sphere doubled it. As a result of the two added points, I could see more than a kilometer and a half in all directions. Think about it - a kilometer and a half! And every shadow, every damn shadow, became an extension of my mind, became my ears and eyes.

It should come as no surprise that I spent the next few hours trying to get used to walking normally again. The clarity of perception was such that I could not even think properly, let alone take active action. Somehow I managed to narrow my perception without paying attention to the sphere, but I was definitely not ready to use it normally yet.

Fuck that!

Until I get used to it, I won't open the status, or I'll surely kill myself with my own hands. Well, what an idiot I am! But I remembered the problems of the first invested point, I remembered perfectly well! So why the fuck rushed?

The next two days passed in continuous training of the new-old ability so that I did not participate in communication with my comrades in misfortune, being in stealth almost constantly. The comrades themselves were happy as elephants - the reward they had received for their encounter with the legendary monster was phenomenally cool. And if Losij did not benefit so much from such boosts, simply because of his higher level, then Hans, who had a very humble class and level, shone like a gold coin after polishing.

We also almost encountered some kind of forest creature that passed within a kilometer of our group. The creature, which resembled a huge, three-legged, steroid-fueled pig, didn't dare pursue or attack us. Who knows, maybe it was a herbivore. I could have slaughtered it with shadows from a distance, but I hadn't gotten the hang of combat yet enough to lunge at an unknown beast.

The likelihood that the bastard I sensed through the shadows would turn out to be another legendary monster was close to zero, but I wasn't willing to take any risk at all. Not in my current state.

I did not announce this "meeting".

There's no need to worry other people and there's certainly no need to reveal my abilities to them.

Hans had gutted the deer I had killed and was now roasting its leg on the fire, driving us all crazy with the intoxicating smell of freshly roasted meat. I also found a couple of herbs, which, in addition to their magical properties, were, according to Losij, very expensive spices. Just in case, I'll make sure he's the one who eats first, making an antidote at the same time. Just my native paranoia, nothing more.

The water problem was solved without my involvement, along with the spring we found. Small and somewhat muddy, it still gave us enough water to fill our flasks and not have to worry about it for a few days. Alas, the spring was flowing in the opposite direction to our movement. Or rather, not in the opposite direction, but... Well, we couldn't follow the stream, or we'd run into the same greenies we'd been running away from.

But we played a fascinating game called "pour alchemically purified water from the pot into the flasks," which took us most of the morning, forcing us to walk under the sun.

The weather, in general, was rapidly deteriorating: it was so stuffy and steamy that even my knowledge of city life was enough to feel the impending rain, downpour, thunderstorm, and shit flying toward the fan.

It wasn't long before we found a small mound on which we set up camp. We didn't take much from the camp we'd abandoned after that battle with the orcish band. One of the two tents was gone with Gummy, and the other was torn up by the river monster and poor Tex. So we had to quickly cut the branches off the trees (mostly me), cover the ground, and build at least a tent to shelter us from the wind and rain.

The evening had not yet come, but the approaching clouds had already managed to turn the clear day into a gloomy twilight, the lightning was already glittering in the distance, and the distant peals of thunder were reaching us. Not just thunder, but the great-grandfather of all thunder in my world! Even from a distance, it seemed that the ground itself was shaking under the blows of invisible stones falling straight from the sky.

I had never been hit by such thunderstorms in my homeworld, but there were no cozy high-rise buildings left, only a hastily made tent and no insurance policy in case of lightning. And I am now quite "Thunderstruck" by one of those, thanks to my title, and I have no desire to repeat that shitty experience.

Well.

If it pours completely over the edge, I'll just cover our tent with a shadows, so it doesn't get wet.

It was raining.

It was really raining, and I was breathing with my chest full, not even trying to shelter inside the cramped and slightly smelly tent. It was the rain that helped me finally understand and accept the expanded sphere. When every petal, every drop, every gust of wind changed the picture of shadows opening to me, creating a unique and unrepeatable moving canvas...

A canvas of which I myself was a part, the center of which was my heart.

It's impossible to put that into words, and only another Lord of Shadows can understand what I felt. The point is that I was finally able to fully comprehend the whole picture given off by my ability. So I could see what was added and what was revealed to me.

Shadow Sense: 5/5

Allows you to sense all shadows within a large radius; allows you to clearly sense shadow movement and affiliation; allows you to control shadows freely even outside your direct line of sight; allows you to sense invisible persons touching shadows; allows you to see and hear through shadows; shadows within your perception zone are easier to submit to your will; shadows can point out targets you highlight or dangerous to you; if you wish, you can hear voices of shadow inhabitants distantly and vaguely; increases the Shadow characteristic by +5; increases the perception characteristic by +5.

Not bad. not bad.

I had tried all of the above a long time ago, except, of course, the ability to communicate with the shadow dwellers. It's a cool thing to do, but I didn't want to talk to them or listen to them, so I unconsciously shielded myself from shadow, not allowing myself to even think about it.

After getting completely soaked to the skin, I move five hundred meters away from the camp and still risk my health (presumably my mental health), literally listening to the depths of the world around me.

The only thing that kept me from going to the bathroom without taking my pants off, and then forgetting about my class and the opportunities it gave me, was greed. Not letting me forget about the two points I spent, and the remnants of my deeply buried pride.

I listened.

Stopped using the ability.

Exhaled.

I checked my pants for suspicious stains and was very surprised by their absence, after which I promised myself never to touch this ability unnecessarily again. At least now I know exactly why they put this enhancement in the first place.

The ability to listen to shadows provided not only the gray hair and maddening fear but also information. The shadows saw, felt, knew, and remembered many things that we mortals cannot understand. They remembered the blood that had been spilled on this very spot where I stood today. They remembered the death and torment, they remembered the excitement of the hunt of many beasts and birds, they remembered the agony of their victims. Thank goodness they weren't trying to communicate with me, rather just talking to each other and to the world itself. It was not even a conversation, in the literal sense of the word, but a presence, an indication of intent and transmission of the image.

And everything they only knew, everything they could give me. I could have known if I had only listened to what they had to say. I could have asked them directly about the subject I was interested in, but I knew intuitively that there would be a price to pay. And the weaker I was, the more I needed answers, the bigger the fee would be, the more terrible and unbearable it would be for my soul, body, and psyche.

Still deep in thought and not fully recovered from the flood of information, shouting and screaming, I slowly step aside and swing my dagger, not even covering it with a shadow, but just making a sharp lunge.

Two halves of some bird that was a bastard child of the unnatural union of a parrot, a scavenger, and a kitchen grater had fallen to the ground. I stared at the still twitching remains of another creature and sighed in unpretentious irritation.

The shadow sphere was already being invaded by dozens and hundreds of this bird's brethren, who lived inside the storm front and hunted exclusively in it. Well, since the trio of us found ourselves right in the path of this flock, and without any normal cover for our asses, should we be surprised? It was just another one, understandable and almost familiar to my heart...

"Fuck up."

I ran rather than walked back toward the camp, but my haste was not necessary. My companions, though they were not my equals in the fight, were no longer little children to be dusted off, either. They both seemed to have a good sense of menace, so they quickly assessed the problem and were already staring up at the sky with a wary eye.

I should be able to sense the approaching problem myself, but I am much more skilled, except that such birds are not dangerous for me, because they just can't find me. What a joy, I am just sitting here crying from happiness.

While I was thinking about the great thing, Losij managed to knock down the first bird with his sword, which both men began to look at with squeamish interest, poking at it with their blades and boots.

"There are hundreds more above, and they'll be coming for your guts soon enough." I'll show up literally behind their backs, causing both of them to flinch in surprise.

"Fuck, Tin! Can't you just show up as a normal human being, instead of scaring like a commandant the sleeper on duty?" Shouted Hans, lowering his dagger.

"Are you trying to tell me you've never done it yourself?" I ask conspiratorially.

"Each time when he was sure that he would not be beaten for it." Losius betrayed his comrade. "How far away are they now?"

"Yes, they are flying above us in the sky. They seem to be in no hurry to come down, but if they rush to attack, you'll be nothing but bones left." I reassure the anxious audience.

"Yeah. Shit." The duelist's face became darker than the clouds over our heads for a moment. "What are the options?"

"We could either dig in here or run forward, hoping to find suitable shelter. Maybe we could kick some bear out of his lair and hide there ourselves." My suggestion isn't very original, but it's better than nothing at all.

Why is everything so complicated for me? I get out of one mess, only to immediately get into the next one, which is even more bad-smelling and dangerous. Now, of course, I'm not personally threatened by anything, but I can always look to one of my lightning strike titles to remind myself that an uncomplicated situation can always quickly, decisively turn into a frenzy of binge and debauchery.

We ran in silence, trying to stay close to the trees so the birds wouldn't try to scratch our eyes out. The mud was crunching at my feet, literally kicking my shoes off, the general darkness was not dispersed by the occasional flash of lightning, and the occasional parrot dive turned an already horrible evening into a complete asshole. [censored] as a graveyard keeper's humor.

I'm fine, because I can see where I'm going, but it's harder for my companions to follow me almost blindly. But they don't have to fight off the crap that's attacking us. I have already divided into parts twenty-six... sorry, twenty-seven birds, but it wasn't getting any less. If it weren't for the woods that sheltered us and my shadows, through which I sensed them and sometimes killed them, we would have been badly beaten by now.

And so we move.

I even have time to look at the status from time to time, trying to read the information given out. I didn't really participate in the conversation, because I didn't have enough concentration for talking, either. The swearing of both of my companions remains unanswered.

We're supposed to be pretty stupid when we try to find shelter. Even the Shadow Sphere couldn't see any suitable hole we could all burrow into. But everyone was already soaked and tired, and my reserve, though almost imperceptibly, had already managed to sink a little. I could make it through the morning at this rate without a problem, but there were more birds, and the problem was getting clearer.

Once again I am distracted by status, and more specifically, by the description of my shadow class. It has indeed expanded, presenting new perks and revealing new abilities to be developed.

Class: Lord of Shadows

Rank: 2

Basic characteristics: shadows, dexterity, perception.

Abilities:

Shadow Control: 5/5

Allows you to masterfully control shadows in your field of vision, giving them full physical embodiment; shadows can freely take solid form and are suitable for creating obstacles and barriers; the range, speed, control, and stretching of shadows is greatly increased; shadow density is greatly increased; shadows can inflict energy damage and impose effects that reduce target characteristics; wounds from shadows are worse; with maximum tension and concentration of the shadow on a certain area, you can turn the shadow into a door to another plane; increases the Shadow's characteristic by +5.

Shadow Sense: 5/5

Allows you to sense all shadows within a large radius; allows you to clearly sense shadow movement and affiliation; allows you to control shadows freely even outside your direct line of sight; allows you to sense invisible persons touching shadows; allows you to see and hear through shadows; shadows within your perception zone are easier to submit to your will; shadows can point out targets you highlight or dangerous to you; if you wish, you can hear voices of shadow inhabitants distantly and vaguely; increases the Shadow characteristic by +5; increases the perception characteristic by +5.

Steps of the shadows: 1/7

Allows, with time and effort, to step into one shadow and out of another by walking on the edge of the shadow plan; the step distance is short, but the time, effort and concentration are considerable; of little use in combat.

Stealing of the shadow: 0/7

Summon of the shadow: 0/7

[undisclosed]

Bonuses:

Shadowborn: stealth skills grow five times faster; in case of danger, shadows will shelter you as their brethren.

Dexterous: Dexterity grows faster.

Shadow Seer: Allows you to apply a special type of vision that allows you to superimpose the shadow plan on reality; allows you to see through disguises, obscurations, and illusions; the power of the gaze depends on characteristics and class ability development.

Blood of Shadows: Other blood flows in your veins, giving you a piece of its power; increases the characteristic of Shadow by +5, makes it easier to communicate and negotiate with the inhabitants of Shadow.

[undisclosed]

That's it.

If you think about it, it's very promising at first glance. And even more, promising at a second glance than at first. Alas, as I'd feared, I'm having to deal more and more intimately with creepy things. Shadowblood, my ass! I hope I don't get chewed on my appearance now, because I'm going to use at least the first of the three new ones.

First of all, one point has already been invested in it. Which gave me the opportunity to develop the ability with my own efforts. And secondly, and most importantly, it's a fucking teleporter. It's a quick way to get the fuck out of any trouble if you just let me cast it. I'm still wary of visiting the shadows in their world, but no stick would make me refuse such a carrot, even if I were to be fucked with it as well as with a stick.

Just think about it!

With the perception sphere and invisibility, I would become truly elusive. To catch me, or at least to impose a fight on me, will be possible only by a huge advantage in raw power and numbers to cut off all escape routes. And I dare to hope that I won't get to the situation where such forces are thrown at me.

I was already thinking about burrowing into a waterlogged ravine about a mile south of us, just to wait out bird activity, when a structure appeared at the very edge of my perception. It seemed like it should be good news, even great news, but my shadows sensed much more than just a structure.

They sensed stones, very old stones, soaked with time and dampness and dead ashes. And some part of me told me that the people who lived there would be welcome, but there was nothing to be said about the guests' joy.

On the other hand, there are nasty birds coming at us right now, whose deaths give almost no experience, but whose numbers are guaranteed to finish off, if not me, then the guys I'm protecting.

At the very least, this place is worth checking out.

"Are you sure that's where we're going!!!?" The whistle of the wind, the pounding of the downpour, and the thunder strikes had Losij literally screaming his questions to be heard.

It was easier for me, with my improved hearing, but it was still disturbing. I had to yell to be heard, just like everyone else, even if I could hear everyones without yelling.

"There are no other places, and we won't survive the morning if we stay here!" I answer and immediately confirm my words, cutting through four birds with a few strokes of my daggers.

We were now standing in the middle of a small clearing, in the most exposed spot, and the attackers were not just multiplying and arriving, but threatening to bury our company under their bodies. Literally, they were going to bury our company with their bodies.

But the place of our supposed hiding place did not inspire confidence either. Personally, I would not have gone there, preferring to sit out the problems in the stealth. I saw only small stone ruins on the surface, with the remnants of walls and without a single whole room. But a small passageway led downward, resembling the doors to a crypt, and there were vast networks of tunnels under the ground, in which even my sensory system failed, literally suffocating in ash, decay, and the cold of the grave. I didn't even want to think about the inhabitants of such a place, because it was clear enough.

"Are you sure there aren't some creeps out there just waiting for us to show up!!!?" Losij, swinging his sword, wouldn't let up (I wasn't doing enough to cover the three of us at once).

"Oh, I can clearly sense a crowd of undead out there!" I answered immediately, watching Losij and even Hans, who had turned to me, look pale. "Wake up, you fools, if we stay here, we're fucked! We can stay on the edge without going into the depths of the dungeons!"

I could see the struggle on their faces, but another small flock, which I had to chase away with shadow ribbons, convinced them I was right, and we squeezed our way into the narrow corridor of the underground crypt with our backs to the front.

For the first twenty meters it felt like you were crawling through the narrow intestines of some monster, but then the passage widened slightly and brought us into a small, dark and empty hall. We squeezed our way in with silent fumbling, and Hans immediately started to light a torch.

It's funny, but we took them from the first camp, just in case. Since then, we lost a large part of the crew and all of our tents, and we had a hard time getting through the local woods, but we managed to keep the torches. And they came in handy!

A loud flick of a flint, a flash of flame, and the hall is illuminated by a dim light, revealing its guts to us. The walls are flat, covered with a centuries-old layer of dust and some incomprehensible pattern, several marble sarcophagi - broken and empty - hanging on the walls under long-decayed torches, and several doors leading into the depths of the underground tomb. I have a rough idea of the layout of this dungeon, but I don't venture to look more closely, for my attention directed through the shadows might be detected.

In the same way that I saw the consequences of the death of the Skin Taker on the orcish temple, just as I understood the way the birds who had driven us here lived and fed: the foresight: skill, as the practice had shown, allowed me to get information out of nowhere. My intuition and commonplace logic told me that not many people had this skill, but experience insisted that I would be fortunate to come across such an individual.

"Our appearance was ignored, there is no undead in the hall itself, and the closest one to us was... about 300 meters ahead and down that corridor over there." And a finger pointed at one of the passageways, so they wouldn't go to that way.

The two fighters swallowed loudly and took a step back, following my finger. I'm not afraid of a couple of skeletons after my adventures with shadows, but they're clearly uncomfortable, knowing exactly what can live in such places.

"W... well. Let's get something to eat, shall we?" Hans went first, apparently because of his experience.

"Ah, let's do it." I agree."The smell of meat is hardly likely to attract anyone."

"That's it, I got it, Tin, no need to be humorous." The pathfinder backtracked right away. "I admit I fucked up, I wasn't thinking. We'll just sit and play cards till morning."

That case where you weren't kidding, but in all seriousness agreed to do something epically stupid, but your comment was taken as wise advice and they thought you were cooler than you really are.

While they were setting up some sort of place to sleep, I started to look around the place more closely. I even activated the Shadow Gaze, which I wish I hadn't done. The world, which was not very bright as it was, became faded and monochrome, and the shadows became dense and three-dimensional, finally turning into openings, windows, and doors to another world. I even saw a couple of small Shadows, not scary or intelligent at all, but capable of showing me what had happened earlier, if I could get them drunk with power or even blood.

I guess I don't need that yet.

I continued to look around and noticed a small, elegant brooch of solid gold lying in one of the broken sarcophagi. It was as if a grave robber had dropped it in a hurry and forgotten about it, while it lay there waiting to be recovered. I would have thought so, if in my shadowy vision (not just perception) it had not been braided with a dozen ugly, pulsating veins that stretched like a telephone cable into the depths of the dungeon.

A definite fool's trap, I thought, trying to gently and cautiously probe with the shadow sphere where the rope led. Who would ever be dumb enough to pick up something while here, I thought...

"Fuuuck!" The Shadow lunged forward, literally yanking Losius from the sarcophagus, but the shit hit the fan. With a single touch, the abomination went straight down, like a wave, into the depths of the dungeon.

With a not-so-loud, but ineffably audible, breath, the gut-shaped corridor leading outward simply collapsed, leaving nearly fifty meters of earth and stone between us and the surface.

"Fuck!!!"

With the silent rustling I heard through the shadow sphere, I felt the undead begin to stir throughout the ancient burial ground, rising from their centuries-old positions and coming into motion, in which I sensed an alien will and intelligence.

"Fuck!"

"[Untranslatable wordplay and complex idiomatic expressions!]" Hans is now so furious that he has forgotten both Losij' aristocratism and his formal status as a boss and his much higher level, and he is badmouthing him wholeheartedly, and only for the cause.

"Gentlemen, I, I apologize and... my guilt is clear, but I give you my word, I will fight for your lives to the last, and I will die to redeem... " Pale as death itself, the duelist cannot even say a word to justify himself, became only more desperate.

"[Untranslatable wordplay and complex idiomatic expressions!]" Hans yelled back and then cursed profanely. To be honest, even I didn't understand half of it, though I tried my best, just out of academic interest.

Okay, it's time to stop this farce, because the undead is slowly but steadily moving in our direction. And it looks like they're going to be here any minute now. I doubt they'll come, just to politely escort us to the exit and give us some gold for the road.

"Shuuuut up!" I wait for them both to shut up and continue. The undead will be here in three... a minute and a half, so end your discussion, pick up your weapons, and get ready for a long and painful battle. Then, if we all die, you can make all your wishes come true, Hans. Especially since half of them are impossible to fulfill while alive, and the other half is guaranteed to kill your victim."

Both Hans and Losius were pretty ashamed of their nervous breakdown, getting ready for battle. I think the main reason for the panic was the atmosphere of the dungeon-the stones soaked in death and decay don't add up to any mental health. It's fine for me with heroic defenses, but it's much harder for ordinary people.

"Do you really think we can still survive?" The swordsman's voice is as dead as his gaze.

He had already buried himself the day all his men died, and now, having personally signed the sentence on the three of us, he was close to breaking down completely.

"Fuck, Losius! Grab your stick and get ready to slice some dead meat with it! I didn't go through Darkest Dungeon to die in some fucking ruins! Pull yourself together and fight while you're still alive!"

Surprisingly, my words really helped. Now I'm sure it's the result of the title because I've never had any talent for inspiring my companions.

"As long as you're alive," Losius repeated after me and got ready to fight for his life.

"So far, motherfucker, alive!" Grim Hans picked up on that, standing a little away from me, getting ready to sell his guts for the highest price.

From the corridor we heard the clanking sound of iron and bone clattering against the stones, indicating the approach of undead foes eager to make us undead, too. The shadows smelled their hunger, their thirst for flesh and blood. They sensed their unparalleled hatred for all living things, their thirst to kill and kill until there was nothing left in the world but themselves. This should have frightened me, but I didn't feel any of that. Not after all my adventures, not after so much dancing on the edge of an endless cliff leading into the void.

No, seriously, my shadows frightened me far more than the undead coming toward us. Because the undead, for all their otherness to the living, is still very understandable, and relatively easy to get rid of. All you have to do is beat them until they're done, or until they're done with you.

It's about time I said something inspiring to get the blood flowing and to lead my "innumerable army" into battle.

But I didn't say anything, I just thought that I was pretty fucked up by all this heroic overpowering.

And someone - I even know who it is - is going to get pay for it.

* * *