CLA.S.S NEUTRAL: Stranger Is Coming

Heavy burden. Return to Downhill. Solving the Murder.

Skill 'Search for Death' increases, current level: 3

I didn't care. Now we needed to bring all the bodies back to the village. It took me about an hour to build a kind of stretcher, like for the bones of that Bony Bear from the Gardens of Death. I nailed the plate with the sign of the feather into one of the sticks.

Skill 'Inventor' increases, current level: 2

By this time, Eleya had come to her senses. I still couldn't perceive the girl in her werewolf form: a tall white wolf with a long muzzle and slender legs.

Only her eyes didn't change: the same painful and tearful gray eyes. By becoming a werewolf, she helped me to carry such a heavy burden. Unfortunately, I wasn't as strong as I wished to be able to cope with it alone. I hadn't even managed to get the sword out of the ground without her help.

Katta was silent all this time and couldn't utter a word. However, I understood her. I hoped Kurbakht was still in the tavern; I would need his help. I thought he would be interested to find out some information. I wanted to find the killer. Even if one of the gods protected him, nothing and nobody would save him!

For a long time, we walked to the village through the forest, but not a single creature dared to approach us: no one wanted to deal with the werewolf, and perhaps they felt my rage and hatred.

Katta carried Eveletta all this time, so she was also stronger than me. I needed to pump up urgently.

It was morning by the time we arrived in Downhill, and we were all very tired. We left our burden not far from Nars' house. Then Katta went to her home, carrying Eveletta in her arms. After waiting for her, we went to the tavern together.

The carriage was still in its place, and the guard carefully watched the street, pretending to be napping. He was well-trained. I thought that all guards usually slept, but this one was responsible. Kurbakht had breakfast and drank herbal tea from a porcelain cup.

"How is it going? You looked rather satisfied," he looked at the girl. "A werewolf. So you found the killer. But why aren't you happy?"

I explained the whole situation in detail to him. The royal gatekeeper got a little surprised, and then he pondered as well as I did.

I'd missed something, but I couldn't understand what. Nars, who loved to drink, had been a perfect scapegoat, but the killer hadn't expected to run into someone else.

He had been a little frightened by the death of someone who could be blamed for everything, if something unordinary happened. However, this fear hadn't lasted long, and he'd continued to kill.

The shred of gray fur definitely belonged to a werewolf, even Kurbakht confirmed it, but Eleya's second form had white fur. Was there another werewolf?

No, that was unlikely. She would have told me about it, and she would have quickly found the killer by the smell. Who was this monster? Stop. Think! We had alcohol, a shred of fur, extensive knowledge in people's psychology, many available ingredients for creating all sorts of potions, and a permanent alibi… Well, I needed to check out my guess.

"I smell blood," Eleya said suddenly, and she moved toward the kitchen. I followed her.

The Search for Death turned on by itself, and I saw footprints with purple spots. These traces led to the next room. Throwing back the coverlet, used as a door, I saw the innkeeper sitting in a chair, leaning back, with his eyes closed.

Blood was on his boot. This blood undoubtedly belonged to one of the girls, and more precisely to Eveletta. Rage, strong rage awakened in me, and hatred flared with it.

"Wow! What a thirst for murder!" A smile appeared on Nolg's face, who abruptly jumped up from the chair. "To what do I owe your visit?"

I didn't see the point in speaking to this monster. The main thing was not to kill him with the very first blow. I got a stick and hit his head with force. The blow made him spin in the air twice and hit the wall.

"Let Att Khalar curse you! Ouch!" the innkeeper cleaned the blood from his temple and licked his hand. "So, I'm exposed. Where did I screw up?"

I wasn't a soft movie detective, who explained everything and then sent a criminal to prison. Nolg would die long and painfully. Therefore, I struck his chin immediately after his phrase. My own strength impressed me. Nolg slammed into the ceiling, hung there for a while, and then fell.

"I'll kill him!" Eleya roared in rage.

"STOP!" my voice was like a rumble of collapsing rock, and I looked into the beauty's eyes. "Death is a too easy a punishment for him."

There was fear in the girl's eyes. She was frightened of me, as well as Nolg. He reached for something that was lying near the table, but Kurbakht's foot blocked his way by stepping on his hand.

"What are you doing, Nolg? Or is it better to call you Gardik Ridd?" Unlike me, the royal gatekeeper was absolutely calm. "Long time no see. I didn't expect to find you here. So, we should add ten more victims to your fifty. You did the same thing in Kavarnak five years ago. So, you ran away with the help of this thing. Let me see.

An Arkvey small mirror. Where did you get it? A personal teleport for short distances, but it costs the same as half of our kingdom. It was bad to fumble the royal treasury."

"F.u.c.k you! Kill me and that's the end of it. I'm not afraid of death." Gardik smiled, cleaning blood from his split eyebrow with his second hand. "What can you do to me? You know that I don't feel pain, and even your most sophisticated torture won't help to return my victims. Ah-ha-ha."

"You aren't afraid, you say?" I was overwhelmed with hatred, the murderer seemed to get scared as if death itself looked at him through my eyes. "Well, you'll meet it soon enough."