"Fuck! Fuck," Mazoga whined as the adrenaline rush slowly disappeared, leaving her desperately trying to assess her injuries. Dark crimson blood spilled over her skin in wide trickles, making her tremble in shock.
Anna noticed the thin veins interwoven in her skin, which were probably the main reason for their unusual greenish color. Anna forced Mazoga to sit still as she slapped yellowish mash onto her largest wound and covered it with a wide leaf that she kept on hand for occasions like this.
Her HP dropped just under 20% before slowly increasing.
"I'm sorry. So sorry. I thought I had it under control," she said, stumbling over her words and trembling as her chief patched her up. Her warm hands eased her anxiety slightly; at least she was able to think. Mazoga obediently lifted and lowered her arms when asked.
"Please don't leave me behind," she whispered, trying to grab her leg and cling closer in her desperate need for reassurance.
Anna froze. Bugak had said the same thing when she left him by the willow. She couldn't bear the memory. Not after her night with Dean.
"Don't touch me," Anna hissed. She apologized when she saw his devastated look. "Don't move for a while. The bandages will slide off. You need to wait until it dries a bit. I don't intend to leave you here. Your fight was impressive. No need to be upset," she said, trying to console her as she put another piece of the paste on the wound.
"There is someone still alive. But it's weird. They're all unconscious and tied up," Glasha called out, gently kicking something hidden in the tall grass only a few meters behind their original ambush location.
"They might be their captives from earlier," Anna called out, focusing on the shallow but heavily bleeding wound on Mazoga's hip.
"Thank you," she whined again, holding her leader's hand as she tried to hold back her tears. Her chin trembled, and she seemed so emotional that Anna just let her calm down without saying another word. They were safe, after all. Everyone in sight noticed their one-sided victory and walked around them in a wide circle. Five against sixteen. A truly honorable result.
"Chief! Come here," Glasha called out, repeating it louder than earlier.
Anna raised her head when she finally realized that she was needed. She stood up and made sure that Tameka would look over her injured patient.
"Hurry up for fuck sake!" Glasha urged, waving at her to hurry.
"What?!" Anna groaned. It was strange. She only called her leader or chief, yet she had no problem calling her over like a stray dog and rushing her like this. Anna mentally noted she needed to ask about Orc traditions and hierarchy because she found them rather interesting. And Bugak never really shared much, too busy with other things…
"Look, this one is moving. What should we do with him?" Glasha said, trying to pick up the squirming man lying by her feet. It was the first time she wasn't sure what to do. Killing someone without giving them the opportunity to fight back was despicable.
"Why are there so many of them?" Anna breathed out when she stepped closer and noticed nine other humans who were tightly tied up with their mouths covered. "Untie him, and go check on your sister. She needs moral support," she said, nodding at Glasha. She watched the man calm down as he noticed another human, while Glasha tried to come up with the meaning of moral support, deciding she will just share some snack with her injured sister.
Cherished Healer ~ Player ~ 100% HP
"They won't hurt you. Speak up. What's all this?" She asked, wondering why his eyebrows were black but his hair resembled ripe wheat.
He was hesitant at first, kneeling naked and humiliated in front of that woman.
"I am a level 36 healer. They call me Kenji. Are you the one who bought us?" He introduced himself and answered with another question, glancing at her from behind as his shoulder-length hair fell into his face. He tried to sound sassy, but he was already stressed enough. How stupid of her to untie him! He would run away as soon as they dropped their guard.
A warm, gentle touch forced him to raise his head again. She put a blanket over his shoulders and tucked it under his neck.
"I didn't buy you. My people just annihilated the group transporting you and the others. You are a free man now." She smiled, stood up, and left him alone, filled with doubt.
He watched her talk quietly to the monster on her left, ready to leave him behind. Is he really free now?
"No! Wait! Don't kill them! They'll respawn with our kidnappers and get caught again!" Kenji tried to stop the strange man who had started slitting one neck after another to free the offline players. He raised his palm and restored the HP bar of those who were butchered first.
"What should we do, then?" She raised her brow and stopped the guardian with a single motion of her fingers.
"We can't carry their bodies. There are only five of us. Tameka and I are certainly not fit enough to lift them from the ground. We can take four at best. I have no intention of endangering my people."
"I can take four of them on my own, and I'm sure Glasha will be all right with two bodies. I'm not sure about Mazoga, she got hurt, after all," Arlov said, unperturbed, as he wiped his knife on the soft grass, leaving an unsightly stain of blood.
Kenji watched her nod a few times, lost in her thoughts. She glanced back toward the road where the rest of her small group rested.
Arlov, the Undead Guardian ~ Hostile ~ 100% HP
"He's a monster. How is this possible?" Kenji stared at the man towering above him, clearly frightened.
"He won't hurt you if you don't piss him off," she said, smiling as she reached out to help him up.
"I'm Anna, and my class is also among the healers. Tameka over there is our priestess. Glasha and Mazoga are warrioresses, and Arlov is a paladin." She turned around, and he followed her without a second thought. It felt so natural.
"Finish her healing. My ointments are slow to take effect. She won't be able to carry anyone in this state," Anna said, patting Mazoga's hand. Kenji hesitated; he had never tried to heal a monster before. However, he decided to show off his abilities. It worked, even though that orc woman watched him as if she wanted to murder him.
"I'm out of mana," he sighed when her HP bar stopped at 72%. It was the first time he had been unable to heal someone completely, which meant that she was probably much stronger than anyone he met before.
"Grab as many as you can. We've already lost enough time. I need to rest. I've been online for over five hours," Anna said. She picked up what she could and helped with the heavy swords so that both sisters could take care of the humans.
Arlov took four of them, using the ropes they were tied in as hangers for a better grip. Mazoga helped her sister balance two bodies on her shoulders and took two more.
They left one body behind, but Tameka didn't care. She joined the rest of her small group and tried to dig into Arlov's brain without him noticing.
It didn't take Kenji long to make up his mind. He fastened the blanket around his waist and tried to drag his friend by his feet at first. However, it was too difficult, so he started rolling the stiff body on the ground. He tried to catch up with that weird group.
Anna glanced back and stopped for a moment so that Kenji wouldn't fall too far behind.
"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked, panting heavily from the hard labor of carrying all this shit on her back and having her arms full of weapons.
"We were once members of the same alliance as them, but we didn't like the environment, so we decided to split. But we were weaker, and they held the main manpower. We had no chance. They dragged us with them and sold our bodies to others. They promised to let us go, but they never did," he finished, feeling sick to his stomach.
"Well, that sucks," Anna agreed, glancing forward to check on the rest of her group. They had already reached the city gate and dropped all the humans they were carrying onto one pile. Glasha had decided to go back and help her chief with the heavy load.
Mazoga, Tameka, and Arlov were the only three left by the gate.
"Do you think you can survive like this? I can take you in for a while if you'd like," Anna said, immediately regretting giving him the option. She just wanted to make his life easier. More bearable after all this struggle.
"We'll try our best. After all, we're all high-level players; we'll be fine," Kenji said after a long pause.
Anna had to smile. She was already close to 300, but that was information he didn't need to know.
"Chief!" Glasha smiled and took the heavy weapons from her hands. Knowing why they were moving slowly, she decided to carry the last body on her own, happy to show off to her leader.
"Thank you for coming back to help," Anna said, releasing a contented sigh and smiling as she straightened her weary back. Her gaze fell upon Tameka, who sat beside one of the motionless humans. Tameka held Arlov's hand, her eyes closed in serene bliss. The sight brought relief to Anna's heart. Maybe it was a good thing to take him with them after all. Only time would tell, but her curiosity was definitely piqued.
"Two more have woken up," Arlov said when they arrived, taking a quick gulp from his water bottle.
"Let's untie them, then. At least we won't have to carry them any further."
Mazoga sighed. When she received her chief's nod, she began cutting the ropes binding a buff man with no hair and a small woman with nearly white, blonde hair.
"Michi! Nelli! Don't freak out. Everything's good. We're on our own from now on. This woman saved us," Kenji said, getting excited as he helped one of his friends get up.
"We used to log in around this time to play. Some of us are still trying to claim our bodies back. Thank God," he explained briefly, leaning over to help Nell stand up, too.
"Did you buy us all?" Mich mumbled, his eyes glued to the woman covered in mud. "And where the fuck are they?" He looked around cautiously and was confused.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to explain again. I'm sure Kenji will clarify everything," Anna sighed. She turned to Glasha, who was standing closest to her. "Let's take the rest of them and go."
"No, I'm taking four," Arlov growled when Mazoga tried to take the last one. "It pulls me to the left with only three of them. You can carry the rest of our things."
"You are so spoiled. That one was mine," she growled. But she obediently picked up the swords and shook her head when Glasha walked past her with two humans on her shoulders and a satisfied smirk on her lips. It was a competition among the strong ones. To show their power. To flaunt their skills…
"We'll drop you off somewhere safe while you wait for them to arrive. I need to log out soon, so we need to hurry," Anna explained as she hurried to walk beside Arlov. He made his way through the crowd like an unstoppable force.
The feeling she had about the city changed drastically as they walked through the second gate. Crowds of people filled the narrow, granite-paved streets, and loud, excited voices resonated all around them. It was a true maze.
"Hey, you," Anna said, stopping an NPC girl from running around. She crouched down to her level.
"We're looking for a room. Do you know of anything quiet?" Anna smiled and showed her three golden coins in her palm.
"I want five," Kid said, her eyes glued to the gold.
"We have a deal. Lead the way," she said, laughing. She straightened her back and glanced at Kenji, who was still chatting with Nelli. "Try to keep up, or we'll get separated," she said, trying to sound friendly. It was hard, though. Even though she knew they were probably harmless, a quiet voice in her head told her to stay cautious.
They turned off the main street and walked through narrow alleys lined with dried mud houses and countless wooden doors adorned with dried flowers and colorful clay ornaments.
They are not a threat. You don't need to worry. You are much stronger than all of them combined. And we are in a safe zone."
Anna overheard Tameka consoling her and looked behind her shoulder to meet Tameka's all-knowing smile, barely visible under her veil.
"It's me! I brought guests!" The girl disappeared behind one of the doors, loudly announcing her arrival. Anna carefully pushed the door open to see inside and was surprised by how spacious and clean the abode was.
"Wait for me. I'll be right back," she said, stopping Arlov, who was closely following her, and stepping inside alone. She was worried that he might startle the poor inhabitants to death.
"Hello. We're looking to rent a room for a few days. I'll pay well."
She tried to adjust to the dimness of the area before her gaze stopped on a tall, skinny figure partly hidden behind a broken closet door. Its eyes glowed. It was captivating.
Anna watched the yellowish light emanating from them as it slowly moved through space, leaving a soft trail of light behind. They looked like two fireflies dancing in the dark. It was beautiful. Enticing. She realized the danger too late, stepping back just as the man charged forward with bared teeth, pinning her to the ground.
She yelped when his fangs sunk into her flesh and he desperately sucked at her blood-covered wound. Even though he was thinner than she could have imagined, his weight was too much for her to push off by herself, even when she tried to kick him off.
Mazoga was the first to react. She broke through the door, leaving it hanging in a deformed frame.
"Don't hurt him! He's just hungry! He is—" That small girl rushed to help him, hitting Mazoga in the ribs with her tiny fists. Ignoring the small nuisance, Mazoga grabbed the night hunter by his jaw and carefully pulled his head back to force him off her leader without deepening the wound.
He was so skinny that it was clear even through his light, blood-stained garments. His shoulders, ribs, and even the back of his hands were shoved with bones and dry sinews, and the dark bags under his glowing eyes only deepened the unpleasant feeling radiating from his body.
"STAY OUTSIDE!" Anna screamed when Arlov tried to step in.
"Everyone, calm down," she grunted as she desperately tried to stop the bleeding. But there was no blood. No wound. Her skin was intact. How? She was sure she had felt the sharp pain and pressure before her skin tore under his sharp teeth.
"Kid, Speak! What the hell is this?" Disturbed, she whined as she tried to stand up, still shaking all over.
Mazoga held the man's neck in a chokehold, trying to keep him still as Anna tried to take a better look at him, but it was not a pleasant sight. His dark skin was covered in bites and scabs, and he had only a few sparse tufts of hair left on his head. His eyes were bleary with unbearable hunger.
"I just—I just wanted to help him! He is starving," the girl cried out, sobbing with ugly tears and barely able to speak properly.
"Okay. All right," Anna said, massaging her head as she tried to come up with a solution. "Are there any other creatures like him nearby? Or is he the only one?" She asked and waited for a reply, which came as an uncertain shrug.
"I don't have a fucking time to deal with this now! You are unable to feed yourself in human cities, you stupid moron! It's a safe zone…" She whined but tried to be patient with that pathetic creature and turned her head back to the girl: "Are you living here with him? Are you alright?"
"Kid is a friend - I did nothing to hurt -" That man wheezed and twitched in Mazoga's arms, his face turning a shade of ashy black.
"No. I live down the street with my family. I found him by accident. I wanted to help," She whined and wiped her nose.
"Here is your payment. You took us to quiet room, after all," Anna sighed and handed her 5 golden coins "Go, run away, before I can get mad. I'll take care of him, I will help him, that's a promise," She reassured her and pushed her out the door.
Anna examined him closely, holding his jaw to take a closer look. After a minute, she instructed Mazoga to release him. He dropped to his knees, coughing and panting heavily. His thin shoulders trembled, and tears appeared on the floor under his face.
Vampire prince ~ neutral ~ 14% HP
"You fucked up kiddo. But you are lucky I don't have a need to hold a grudge against you. I will help you. I will clothe you and I will feed you, because you are a lost pup I found, and I feel like taking responsibility for the state you are in," Anna said and pointed to one of the darkest corners "I need you to hide in there, don't let other humans to see you. Stay quiet until I call for you,"
" – fine," He said quietly and did exactly as she said, after accepting her alliance invitation.
Mazoga had her doubts but said nothing. She held the door open for her leader so he could step out comfortably.
"Everything's all right. Just a small inconvenience," she sighed. She turned to the rest of her group. "Take the players upstairs, then return to the first floor. I need to speak with you." She waited for Mitch to get inside, then sat down comfortably and watched them walk upstairs, following Arlov and Glasha with their small group.
Kenji understood that they were no longer welcome and hurried his friends into one of the vacant rooms to catch up.
*I'm sorry. I should have looked into her mind more carefully,* Tameka apologized. She took another chair so she could sit with her comfortably, he legs not used to this amount of walking and standing
"Can you tell me what he's thinking about?" Anna whispered, nodding toward the shadow in the dark corner.
*I can see only hunger and hopelessness from not being able to fill his stomach. I'm curious what's under all that. We should keep him. I want to know.*
But Anna just shook her head, knowing it wasn't so simple.
"I smell blood. What happened? Are you all right?" Glasha asked quietly, trying to check on her. She touched her shoulders and sniffed her again, all confused, trying her best not to freak her out."Ask our newest member," Anna chuckled, pointing to the young man in the corner. "I need to log out and rest. Wait for me. We need to leave once I'm back."
"Do you need us to get anything before you come back?"
Tameka stopped her with a hand on her elbow, trying to be useful after recklessly putting her in danger.
"You know what? That's a good idea. Take Arlov with you, and make sure to sell the things we don't need to make more room. If you can, try to look for some backpacks for Glasha and Mazoga, and we also need some thick clothes for that boy over there."
"I'm Bela. I am no kid," a weak voice said from the dark corner. Weak, but proud.