CLA.S.S NEUTRAL: Stranger Is Coming

Protect Narylna. Revenge. Misanthrope.

So, we ran. The whistling was coming from the side of the herbalist's house. Everything froze inside me, and my hands involuntarily clenched into fists. Gromwald stood near the house together with two strong villagers, one of whom was Prax.

They hadn't allowed the three jerks to enter Nary's house. Damned bastards! After seeing them, I was immediately full of hatred. Reena looked at me in surprise. There was an emerald flash, and I rushed towards the sc.u.mbags, taking out the stick from my bag as I ran.

"Let us come in," Sc.u.m hissed furiously, "or we kill everybody here—including the guards and the girl. I wonder how she survived because she's not a quest NPC."

"Boss, let's leave her alone. You already abused her. We must not scoff at women," Louse mumbled.

"He's right," Bad Foe agreed. "We killed that weakling. That's enough."

"Why do you need it?"

"Hit the road, strangers, and never touch Narylna—she is under the village's protection," the chief said, blowing into the fox-whistle again.

"Stop l.i.c.k.i.n.g your fox," the orc snorted. "Get out of here. You didn't protect her last time. Ah-ha-ha-ha!"

"Shut your mouth, you rotten orc! Get off our land or we'll report to the king about you, and he'll pierce your carcass with a long steel spike."

"Damn fool-"

He didn't have time to finish because I hit him over the head with my stick, and he was immediately buried up to his shoulders. I attacked Bad Foe and Louse with my second and third strikes and then threw my stick aside. While Sc.u.m's two fellows were unconscious, I took him by the collar and pulled out of the ground with one hand.

"It's time to pay the bills," I heard my voice say, which seemed somehow different, filled with cold and death.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it furiously. The orc screamed like a devil; his bones crunched like ice blocks in the North Ocean. I did the same thing with his other hand and then broke Sc.u.m's legs.

"Reena, cure him, but leave the fractures and the pain. Stop any internal bleeding."

She did exactly what I asked for without objection. I knew she was capable of it; I had no doubt.

The orc kept screaming. At first, he threatened me with the administrators and said he had already written some letters to them, but nobody arrived to rescue him—not in the next ten or twenty minutes.

He started begging me to let him go, to forgive him, but I didn't see any sincerity in his eyes and words. He was soaked with rot. I felt such disgust that I wanted to wash my hands with soap. I'll pay him back for Nary's torment and for my humiliation.

The orc howled and wept as I broke his ribs and c.h.e.s.t. I seemed to have broken all his bones except the skull—I did not want to hurt his brain and inadvertently kill him. I might have hit him on the head once, but not too hard. I beat them for about eight hours—almost as long as they tortured me and Nary. The villagers prevented Louse and Bad Foe from escaping. After hitting that bastard to the ground about ten more times, I was finally able to calm down, but my revenge wasn't over with yet.

The orc howled, staring at the ground and being unable to turn his neck after my beatings. I broke Bad Foe's arms, ribs and his nose, and he crawled five feet away from me. Then I broke Sc.u.m's nose, and he howled and disappeared. Bad Foe rolled on the ground and screamed. That's enough for today. As soon as I turned away, he disappeared, too.

Louse had tried to stop this bastard when he decided to abuse Nary.

"You know I can't just let you go, right?" I asked him.

"I'm ready to be punished," Louse said reluctantly, trying to keep his voice steady. His eyes were full of tears. I put him on the ground and pressed his shoulders, pushing him to the ground on his knees and thus breaking his legs. He screamed and burst out crying. He was a human, after all, because he realized his guilt, but perhaps my beating was useless to Sc.u.m.

I think he'll get out of the capsule, drink some tea, and then come back with some more filth, so I'd rather sit in front of Nary's house and wait for that cruel orc to come back.

After Louse's disappearance, I was sure that all the gamers were out of this world. How lucky we are that this is only a game. I wouldn't have survived their torture otherwise. The heartbeat was terribly painful. I guess I'll never find the words to describe it. I wish I could just forget it. Unfortunately, I can't do that. Any anyway, I'm not going to forget because I must remember that many people only really pretend to be people.

I didn't know how I had managed to hurt players who surpassed me by several dozen levels, perhaps it was just the adrenalin, and I had no idea why they weren't able to get out of the game at the moment of danger. All I can say is I'm glad that Rainea prevented them from doing so. It was only fair after my ordeal.

I started to breathe heavily as the hatred seemed to release me from its embrace. My conscience was silent and seemed to calm me down, knowing how I felt. The doubts about the propriety of my actions won't help me now at all. I'll think about it later.

Suddenly, I felt my strength run out, and I found I couldn't stand. Gromwald and Prax caught me by the arms, slowly lowering me to the ground.

The effect of 'Righteous Vengeance' is over!

"You did a tremendous job. If they weren't immortal, nothing would have helped them." The tanner slapped me across the shoulder slightly. "I didn't know you were so strong, and those fools were no weaker than me."

"Unfortunately, they are immortal. So, we need to get ready for a new meeting with them. For sure they will return in an hour or even earlier."

But none of them came back after an hour or two—even after three hours.

***

I was sitting near Narylna's house drinking sedative herbal tea. Reena sat on my l.a.p, and I stroked her like a cat. I asked her discreetly and then took a few green hairs from her peculiar tiara, putting them in my bag.

I tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing. The girl knew that I was protecting her from the immortal strangers and, therefore, my reputation points increased again to the status of 'Love'. Suddenly a new message appeared. I almost spat out my delicious tea when I read it.

Achievement unlocked: 'Misanthrope Ι'

Description: You think that some people aren't good and many of them aren't deserved of believing or cooperating with because rot and darkness has struck their hearts and souls. You made three such players leave Rainea forever

Reward: + 10% to the level of pain, caused by evil creatures, +10% to the chance of revealing a lie, +5% to the dealing damage to evil creatures, +5% to the chance of blocking evil creatures' attacks, +5% to defense against attacks from creatures, + 5% to resistance of the effects of mind magic, and +5% to resistance to the effects of despondency and sloth

Additional effects: 'Hatred' and 'Righteous Vengeance' may appear

Requirements for unlocking achievements: chase an evil creature away from Rainea's world

Class: unique

What does it mean? Why did they leave Rainea? Have they returned to the street gangs or decided to try sports and change their lives? I can only be happy about it. What a strange achievement! I'd never received so many bonuses. Why am I a misanthrope? I don't like people, of course, but I don't hate them—although I know there are many more bad people than good ones.

My parents and grandparents were good people. I had no friends at work, but there were a lot of good people among my colleagues. What strange effects! What does resistance to despondency and sloth even mean?

Shall I work more with a smile on my face? If there is an achievement 'Communist' in this game, this parameter is one of the most important.

Hmm, that's a very strange achievement. I stopped there as I remembered Reena wanted to discuss something with me.

Before I left, Nary kissed me again on the cheek, and I finally calmed down. She was safe now, but I asked Gromwald to talk to the villagers.

Let them look after Narylna because the players have no right to mock the residents. In addition, she is the best alchemist.

How could I hit them with the stick, when I needed to be at the fifteenth level to even use it? Did the effect of 'Righteous Vengeance' help me? I had no other explanation.

"Listen and remember," Reena said, looking at my eyes. "If you want to show what you saw, you must close your eyes, put your hand on your forehead, and then place your other hand on your friend's head. I mean someone to whom you are going to show your memories. I'll help you. You'll try to do it a couple of times and learn. I want to know what made you so angry."