The Southern Comfort is just up the road a few blocks. I couldn't see it for a while because of the curve of the road. It's a five-story building that looks like a Vegas casino without the neon lights. The building itself is made of a pink sandstone material. Windows that are flat on the bottom and round on top show there to be at least ten rooms per floor. The owner must have paid a lot of money for the elegance and beauty that was bestowed upon it.
I enter the front double doors and approach the desk. The lobby has a few newer looking sofas and cushioned chairs. The decor is soft and welcoming. The staff is efficient and friendly. They have plenty of rooms left and rent two out to me. The coin Brick supplied me with is enough to cover his room, but just barely.
Slipping the keys to our rooms into my bag, I quickly make my way back to the street and turn back towards the tavern. When I am about a block away, I hear someone screaming. It's faint, but I can make it out clearly. I run towards the noise. It sounds like a woman.
The screams lead me down an alleyway that cuts through to another street. I witness two boots being dragged into the ally across from me. I keep running until I reach the ally's mouth.
There are three men, all Players. Two of the men are on their knees, each holding the arm of a woman, pinning her to the ground. They are keeping her in place while the third man, a huge guy with white hair down his back, is stripping her of her pants. After dropping her trousers to the street, he reaches for his belt buckle. I can make out the sound of it being undone. There's a scent in the air I have never smelled before. If I had to call it anything, I would have called it the smell of lust. It's like walking into a bedroom after a college party only less pungent.
When the woman feels her trousers being pulled away, she screams even louder. "No! Please! Don't do this! Name it, it's yours. Please, just don't do this." Her agony strikes me pretty hard.
I decide to act before the man has his pants completely undone. I unsheath my dagger while I make my way over to him. Part of me wants to yell out to get them to stop. The rest of me says no. Any man who could do something like this is scum and doesn't deserve to live.
I kick the would-be rapist in the back of his right knee. He drops down, losing his balance. When his knees hit the pavers, I grab his hair, yanking his head back, and slit his throat. My dagger cuts deep enough for him to bleed out but not deep enough for him to die right away. Then I kick him in the side of his head so that he falls onto his side.
"Who the fuck are you?" One of his men yells as they stand. "No one disrespects Goreton like that!"
The man on the right charges me while drawing his sword. I don't give him the chance to make it more than two steps. I step in and hunker down as his sword sweeps past where my neck had just been. Then I lunge for his gut. The blade sinks in easily. I pull my dagger out of him and roll away as a club hits the ground.
The last man doesn't even check on his buddy. Instead, he charges me too, his club raised. Using a small weapon gives me a slight speed advantage. I'm able to sidestep his second attack, slicing into his side as I continue past him.
Once clear of club guy, I punch my dagger back into the first underling again, this time into his throat. He had grabbed his stomach and hasn't moved. I think he's in shock. After he falls onto his back, choking and gurgling, I turn in time to dodge another vertical smash from the last guy. I can't help but mock him.
"What? Not such a big man now that the tables have turned?" I get the reaction I wanted. The man's face turns scarlet as he recklessly charges me. I kick him in his chest and he falls. After sinking my dagger into him a few times and I'm sure he's done for, I turn back to their boss, this Goreton.
He's the only one still alive. He's laying on his side, gurgling and clutching his throat.
"As for you, Goreton," I say coldly as I roll him over. "A real man doesn't rape. He earns his tail, like a gentleman."
His eyes squint as he studies me. Before he can do anything else, I let my rage at his cruelty out. I stomp my boot down on his face repeatedly. The cartilage in his nose then the bones of his face shatter. The noise of it almost makes me puke. I stop when his HP drops to zero.
After losing my stew all over the second guy's corpse, I make my way to the woman. She's cowering in fear, clutching her trousers. As I get closer to her, she screams again and passes out.
"Great!" I say aloud. "I was just going to help you up."
She still has her panties on thankfully. I try not to look at them as I put her trousers back on. I'm glad no one saw me doing this either. Three dead bodies and a dude is struggling with a girl's pants who appears unconscious. I know how I'd react. After she's fully dressed, I scoop her up.
She's light. She's only about four foot ten, maybe five feet even. Her hair is black and straight, just past her jaw in length. Her skin tone is dark like the silver-haired guy at the tavern. She has cat ears and a tail. The tail had been a bitch to get back through the hole in her pants. After I make sure I have a firm grip, I make my way back to the Tavern.
When I make it to the small courtyard of the South Tower Tavern, Brick is exiting. He takes one look at me and runs over. There's a pretty Elven girl with a DPS icon following him.
"Jut. What's going on? You've been gone for a lot longer than I thought you'd be. Your ale was getting warm so I came to find you." He has a look of concern as he inspects me and the Neko I'm carrying. "Oh my God, is that blood?"
"None of its mine. Can you help me get her to the Southern Comfort? They still had rooms left and I don't want to leave her unattended." I get out quickly.
The three of us make our way back up the street to the Southern Comfort Inn. Along the way, I explain what happened. The girl with Brick gasps when I get to the part about Goreton undressing the cat girl.
Once we make it inside the inn, we take the Neko to one of the rooms I had rented earlier. The other unoccupied rooms had been rented in just the short time I'd been gone. So, we didn't have a choice.
Both of the rooms have two beds in them. We turn into the closest one. Brick helps me get the keys out of my pack, giving him temporary access through a prompt that appears.
A player, Brick Almight, wishes to access your inventory. Allow him access?
Yes, permanently.
Yes, just once.
No.
I lay the girl down on the bed closest to the door.
Brick is speaking in low tones to the other girl by the door. I think he thinks I can't hear him, but I can.
"I'm sorry to cut what would have been a fabulous night short, but could you stay with her?" He asks. "Jut and I can share the other room."
The girl nods and her green hair bounces gently. "Yeah, my friend and I have a room at the tavern. Aeona won't mind one bit having it to herself." She glances over at me then looks back at Brick. "The four of us should go out later." She tilts her head and smiles gently. "I know she would love to meet a hero like him." She finishes, nodding in my direction.
"Thank you so much, Moss." With that, Brick kisses her hand and they both come over to the unconscious woman. I sat on the other bed to give the two privacy while they talked. Not that it matters when I overhear everything they say without trying.
Brick reaches a hand out to me. "Let's go, man. The girls need their rest." He winks at Moss, who blushes and looks at the Neko.
I nod and accept his help up. The two of us leave and go straight into the other room. It is identical to the first, just up and across the hall.
After we set our things down on the table, Brick sticks his hand out to me. I grab it hesitantly and we shake hands.
"I knew I was going to like you, Jut. You did exactly what I would've done." He has a look in his eyes I haven't seen from anyone recently. Respect reflects at me.
I just shrug "I can't accept thanks for doing the right thing. But, thank you for the compliment anyway." I turn toward the bathroom.
"Anytime, man. Besides, you scored a lot of points with Moss. I get some of those points too just by knowing you." He calls after me with a chuckle. "Mind if I pick a bed first?"
I shout "no" and close the bathroom door behind me. It blows my mind that this place has running water. Again, modern met medieval in strange ways. I threw up again, this time in a toilet, then soak in a hot shower for a long time.
After getting out and drying off, I dress then make my way to the open bed, closing the door quietly behind me. When I reach the bed, I fall into it. Sleep is a long time off as the long day and longer night replays in my head.