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, breaking into a grin. 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 — 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.''

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.