World of Karik: A Game of Villains 79 Ready, set, go!

For starters, my squad. I would definitely take the three new guys to cover me in case of emergency. I would also need a couple of people to act as messengers. Cut off someone's head and everyone in the camp would get your message in less than five minutes. The only problem was that they could misinterpret the messages so I would have to leave some sort of a note or code to Petrovich. The codes should be simple phrases that the dead players could unknowingly without raising suspicion. There would also be keywords embedded in those messages, so that they couldn't make things up. Well, they would still be able to say whatever they wanted, but Petrovich would be able to understand that the message wasn't from me. The idea certainly wasn't bulletproof, but I couldn't come up with a better one that would confirm the authenticity of a message. I read something about such a method being used during the French Revolution.

It might come in handy, but that also meant that I had to decide who would be the messenger. If you weigh all the pros and cons, Semyon and Sergey were the best candidates as they were very devoted to our leader. They probably wouldn't lie to him. Not to mention that the two became good buddies after Major had left. Me disliking the former cop aside, all he had to do was to play the role of a carrier pigeon; no one would ask him anything else.

One problem taken care of. What's next? It'd probably be better to look at this situation not from the point of an individual, but of groups that kept secrets from one another. I knew that after having visited the old man and acquiring their geases, Petrovich and the redhead bonded in some way. Fortunately, neither of them was going with me on the campaign. There was also Vlada and her strange bond with the "abyss". She clearly wanted me to go to the Forbidden City. The question was if taking her along would be worth the effort. I wondered if she would pull some trick or follow us on her own. Did I really need to spend the campaign looking over my shoulder, expecting a nasty surprise? However, this problem could easily be solved. I would take her along and get rid of her the moment we reach the ruins. Even if she decides to return, I wouldn't have to worry about her schemes for a while.

So, the old man, the "abyss" lady, and Peculiar Armor Igor. Also, given that he had a geas, he knew about the curse, but he didn't say anything. Maybe he was another candidate for the pre-City cemetery trip. Going in alone seemed easier. However, the mysterious monsters were really bothering me. I wouldn't go there without backup.

In the end, I decided to take Igor, Egor, Anton, and Stepan with me. Semyon and Sergey would be the messengers. Vlada and Cyril would join us too, as taking the latter one with us would show that we were willing to have someone from the second detachment with us. Moreover, I wouldn't feel sorry for him. Not everyone will come back from this adventure.

So, the plan. As soon as we reach the ruins I will get rid of Igor and Vlada because I don't need people connected to the "abyss" in a place that was obviously its home. I will then make up some story and make Sergey respawn in order to send a request to Petrovich to keep those two at the base until my arrival. Judging by Vlada's story, they stayed there overnight, and were greeted by those things in the morning. She might have exaggerated the details, but the main point of the story was clear. We will set a camp too, but we won't spend the night. Instead, we will quickly advance along the border of the Forbidden City, thus covering a decent distance by morning. If monsters gather around our campfire, we should better be somewhere far away from it.
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At first glance, everything in my plan seemed logical. However, we should try to avoid fights. If we shed blood, I will immediately order a retreat. Risking everything would be a stupid move. My main goal was to get a good look at the monsters and their descriptions. With that, I wouldn't be walking on thin ice anymore and could come up with a proper strategy. Concentrating on the creature approaching me from the water, I looked at its stats using Full Mind.

Rotten Drowned Man

Level 15

Health: 1,000

Element: water

Attack: 150

Defense: 150

Magic defense: 3

Skills: Tearing Flesh Out; Poisoning

Vulnerability: fire

Speed: 2 (walk), 7 (sprint)

Turns out that I could get more information on the monsters than on people. If I knew so much about the inhabitants of the ruins, I could lure them away and calculate how long it will take them to get back! I wouldn't have to worry about anything! Raiding that place would be so much easier!

I captured my victim using Stone Spikes and paralyzed it with a burst of endurance just in case, activating Flame Flow after that. The system log showed not only the damage dealt but also something called Paralyzing Pain. So that's how the paralysis works.

I killed the undead monster, reducing its health to zero. I finally finished increasing my stats. I can start gaining levels now!

Chapter end