Nullform #1: RealRPG Series полностью

It was not so much a platform as a huge bulge made from large, curved metal plates. Three paces long, two paces wide, about six feet high. Sturdy, solid construction. The metal was welded tightly, but not well. It hadn’t been built too long ago — the metal looked bright and clean, much newer than the rest of the hall. A shelf, about a foot wide and six feet long, was attached to the steel hump. A half-inch of metal siding along the edge made it more of a tray than a shelf. Metal cubes lay on the tray.

These cubes were huge, with faces over a foot wide, and slightly rounded corners and edges. They looked like giant dice, except there were not markings on them other than a few scratches. I could tell right away that the cubes had been in use for many years. What were they used for? I had no idea, since there was nothing on them. Still, I was sure they were the blocks mentioned in today’s job description.

“What the hell is that?” I asked, looking somewhere between Yorka and the blind guy.

I waited for a response. One of three things would happen: both of them would answer, one of them would answer, or they would both ignore me. Sadly, it was the third option. Neither said anything — they were too busy. Yorka moved one of the blocks a little, wrapped her arm around it, and pulled it off the tray with significant effort. The blind guy was still fiddling with his cloth, which turned out to be three handkerchiefs tied together. He was making an intricate harness to help him carry the cubes. Working by feel, he wrapped a cube in a loop, pulled it, and lifted slightly… And the block hung in the harness, putting weight on his back and shoulders, but not his arms. He turned, striding silently and confidently towards the stairs. When he had almost reached the wall, he stretched out a hand, waving it in front of him until he grabbed the railing of the nearest staircase. He found the first step with his foot and began to climb.

Well, at least now I knew how he managed to survive and even keep his rented limbs, despite not being able to see. There was no secret to it — he was just smart, focused, and organized, and he thought ahead. These were priceless qualities.

“Grab a block, goblin!” Yorka panted as she carried her cube to the stairs. She grunted with the weight.

I began to dream even more fervently about a backpack. A backpack and one of those jackets!

I wondered why Yorka was grunting so loudly. Why were all her muscles engaged? Why was she leaning to one side?

I went to pick up a block...

And everything fell into place in an instant. The cubes were heavy. Like, really heavy. Each one had to weigh at least fifty pounds. I might have been able to carry one if I had two working arms — it wasn’t too far to the stairs, I could take breaks, and the hardest part was dragging them up the stairs. But carrying such an awkwardly-shaped object with just one arm… My ribs were going to learn the meaning of pain.

I didn’t complain. I watched the other two, copied their movements, and got the cube to the top level. I sat on the top step, panting, and started massaging my legs vigorously.

Muscles… stamina, strength… I recovered at a surprisingly fast pace. A lot was unfair in this place, but the food, water, and medicine certainly deserved some praise. The system was generous with the shots — my arms and legs were getting noticeably stronger, and all the hard work helped them along. The ‘vitamins’ must have had some kind of additive that sped up muscle growth. Once again, I wasn’t about to complain. I needed that strength, stamina, and speed. I would agree to a double dose of whatever it was, if it was safe to do so. I knew where to get it. All I needed was more sol to buy it — and I was going to earn those sol, starting today.

Job: Insert twenty blocks into the receptacles in rows A, B, С and D.

Description: Fully insert twenty blocks into the open receptacles in the specified rows.

Job location: Zone 1, Block 2.

Deadline: Evening end-of-work alarm.

Compensation: 15 sol.

The funniest part of today’s job was that there were at least twenty holes in each of our four assigned rows. At least half of them were open at the moment, and they weren’t going to close until the blocks were inside.

“Get up, goblin. Get up,” I said to myself.

I got up and grabbed my cube, dragged it to the nearest square hole, lifted it, carefully put it inside, and pushed gently. Something clicked, the hatch closed slowly, and it clicked again. The block count in my task log went down one. Easy. Easily said, at least. I still had to get back down the stairs, walk back to the metal bulge, grab another heavy cube, drag it back here, climb up the stairs, and put it in a hole…