The elf drew two more impressive looking steel daggers. Runic symbols flared with energy and a chilly aura surrounded the edges of the sharp blades as frost began to form on them. "Oh these bad boys? Just a little gift from the boss man." Alex's eyes flicked back up to the man who had just failed to turn him into a human pincushion.
A narrow faced elf with a crazed look in green colored eyes was staring at him. A wicked grin, showing off the sharpened canines of the wood elves made this guy look like he was a mad man.
"He told me you'd show up here, but after three days, I was beginning to think you just weren't real." The elf pressed the tip of the blade towards his own chest, "The rewards are going to be so sweet when I turn in your head."
Alex narrowed his eyes at the elf, rage fueling his stare. This son of a bitch just tried to kill him. Back on Earth he would've had no choice but to stand there and take the beating, but here? Here he was powerful. Here he was strong. Here he could fight back, and this dumbass just picked a fight with the wrong guy.
"Counter-offer. You walk away now, and I let you live." Alex spoke with a steely tone, not leaving any idea that this was a debatable point.
Unless this guy was a stupidly high level with insane stats, Alex was positive he could win this fight. In his mind, this fight was already over, and he was pondering just who had paid to have him killed.
A shrill laugh erupted from the light-skinned elf opposite him, "Ooo, we got a real tough guy here huh?" His tone was nothing but condescending, mocking Alex for standing his ground.
"But here's the thing, tough guy." He reversed one of the daggers and held it in a backhand grip, taunting Alex to come at him with the other blade. "Trash like you doesn't get to make threats."
Alex saw nothing but red. Trash? Was he still trash even after the improvements he had made? Wasn't he stronger now?
A split second of memories plagued him. All the times he had ever been called trash by someone else flashed in his mind. This guy didn't even know him, but still saw Alex as nothing but trash.
His fists were shaking at his sides, rage bubbling up inside him. "What's this? Did I strike a nerve, tra-"
The elves' words were cut off by the sound of Alex's left fist connecting with his nose. He flew back a couple of feet and was knocked flat onto his back, his nose permanently rearranged.
Alex had moved so fast he was a blur and his attack had been so strong that his knuckles stung from the impact. "I really don't have time for your shit, let's get this over with."
The elf propped himself up from the floor, blood pouring from his broken nose. Before, he had looked just as flawless and perfect as all elves tended to be, but now his face seemed to be hideously disproportionate. "Argh, you asshole! You'll pay for that!"
Alex waited for his opponent to stand back up, flexing his fists and assuming a fighting stance. Even if this guy had sought to stab him in the back, Alex wasn't going to beat on someone who was already down. He had been on the receiving end of that far too many times. Plus, he needed this guy alive. Beating him to death was out of the question.
Silence consumed the hall as the elf with slicked back golden-blonde hair took his own stance, daggers held at the ready. The other parties in the building watched with bated breath, wondering who the victor would be.
Yea, fights broke out pretty often, but weapons were never drawn and blood was never spilled. It was an unspoken rule to not fight like this unless a duel was taking place.
No more words were spoken between the fighters. They both knew what was at stake here, and they both accepted that defeat was a possibility, but both of them were sure in their own abilities.
Alex with his fists, and the elf with his daggers. They circled each other, gauging their opponent and looking for weak spots.
The elf moved first, taking a quick step towards Alex and thrusting one dagger at his stomach. The other dagger came in an overhand strike, forcing Alex to decide whether he wanted to take a blade to the gut or to the head. Neither sounded like a fortuitous decision.
Alex moved faster. He matched the elf and took a step forward, closing the distance between them and removing the advantage of reach. He grabbed the wrist with the dagger aiming for his stomach and simultaneously elbowed his opponent square on the chin, snapping his head back and taking all the momentum from his blows.
But Alex didn't relent. He followed up on the involuntary step taken backwards by the elf, keeping them locked together by the wrist he was holding on to. There wasn't much to do in this position so Alex just did what came to mind. He slammed his head into the elf's, a resounding crack echoing in the hall.
Alex's own skull hurt from the impact, but the other guy was far worse. Fresh blood spurted from the even more disfigured nose, and he could no longer keep his hold on his daggers. They clattered to the floor, but Alex ignored them.
No longer restrained in his movements, Alex pummeled into the elf's body. Left. Right. Left. Right. Each impact elicited a grunt of pain, the only sign that he was cognizant enough to acknowledge what was happening. Alex finished his punishing attack by gripping the thin neck of his would be assassin and lifting him off of the ground.
Genuine fear registered in the elf's eyes as his hands grabbed at Alex to try and stop him from choking the life out of him. Strangled garbles of noises reached Alex's ears, not caring that he was killing the elf slowly. This guy wasn't even worthy of his time, but he couldn't outright kill him just yet.
Carrying the elf like he weighed nothing, Alex slammed him into the nearest wall, all while applying more pressure. His eyes bore into the elf, radiating nothing but hatred and anger. "Who sent you?"
He lessened the pressure just enough to allow the elf to respond. A gasp of air was inhaled, followed by a light bit of coughing, "Go… To… Hell." Alex just sighed and resumed applying pressure to the guy's neck. If this guy didn't want to cooperate, then he was of no use.
The elf's eyes started to roll back, unconsciousness threatening to take him. His struggling had all but stopped by now, and he just hung there in Alex's ever tightening grip. The rest of the building's patrons watched on, some in horror and others in amusement.
This elf had shown up three days ago like he owned the place, and had been treating all the other players like crap. He had already killed two others because they wouldn't give up their quests, so many of them saw this as justice being served.
Alex squeezed his hand one last time and choked the last bit of air out of the elf. The light faded from his eyes, and his head dangled at an odd angle.
The entire body went limp as the player's character died, and the body started to vanish. He would respawn in twenty four hours. Eventually, Alex was holding on to nothing, all signs of the elf ever being here had disappeared.
He took a moment to steady his breathing, calming himself down and clearing his mind of all the dark thoughts invading it. This elf hadn't been worthy of his mercy, he should've made him struggle more. He knew all the techniques used to break someone's resolve because they had been done to him countless times.
Cursing himself for being too rash, Alex acknowledged the blinking notification that had appeared the second the elf vanished.
[Notice! You have survived an assassination attempt by your foes. Claim your reward.]
Alex blinked before dismissing the notification and turned in the direction that his mind was pulling him. Sitting neatly on the floor where they had been discarded, the pair of daggers were calling out to him.
Normally, such an item wouldn't have been dropped on the elf player's death, but the circumstances of the situation had allowed it to be included in the drop pool.
Alex walked over and picked both blades off of the floor. They felt warm in his hands, as if that was where they belonged. The hilts were wrapped in leather, and the blades themselves were thick and sharp. Alex didn't need to test these to know they could do some serious damage. He didn't know why, but the weapon just felt right. Like it had been his all along.
The nine inch steel blades shone with a luster, as if they had just been sharpened. Small rune-like symbols were engraved on both daggers edges, their glowing from earlier having faded. The craftsmanship was impressive, Alex had never seen a blade of this quality before, except for when he and Eliza had been shopping and they came across more powerful items.
[You have acquired a rare item! Beruviel's Blades of Frost.]
A named item? Alex hadn't encountered something like that in the game yet, so it came as a shock when the item's name was given to him. Usually if an item was named that meant it was of a higher quality than others.
Excitement bubbled up inside him, his gamer senses overwriting any other emotion. The only thing better than leveling up was obtaining a piece of gear stronger than what you currently had. He quickly opened his equipment screen and scrolled down to where the daggers were displayed.
[Beruviel's Blades of Frost]
Rank: Unknown (requires Inspect skill to identify)
Tier: Iron
Bonuses and Effects: Unknown (requires Inspect skill to identify)
A bit disappointed that he couldn't know the true power of the daggers, Alex closed the menu, tossed the daggers into his inventory, and looked around at the shocked faces of the few parties, and their members, gathered in the building. They had just witnessed a straight up brutal Player Kill, otherwise known as a PK.
Even if Alex was defending himself, he had gone a little overboard by choking the elf to death. A few players here had a high strength stat, and they struggled when carrying something heavy for more than a few seconds. Alex had held up the elf with one hand for over a minute, and choking someone to death wasn't easy either.
He didn't particularly care what they thought of him, he was just ready for this shit fest to be over. He also wanted to know where he could learn the Inspect skill at.
It sounded like it was a basic skill, but he had gathered and inspected a decent amount of items already, and nothing had come of it. He seriously needed to find some skill books.
The people here might know something about the elf, or who had sent him, but Alex was too tired to care. His body ached from the travelling he had done, and his fists were starting to realize they had been used as meat tenderizers. Ice would definitely be needed.
Not wasting any more time, Alex left the adventurers hall and walked over to the tavern. He booked the best possible room, paying two gold coins, and fell into the soft cotton mattress bed as soon as he entered the room. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep, the troubles of the day all but forgotten.
Earth, Valdenci Territory, District 5
Drip
Drip
Drip
That was her blood pooling at her feet. The old man had beaten her senseless, leaving her body an aching mess. She had thought that was the extent of the punishment she would have to endure. She was wrong.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Her fingers on her left hand were all bent at awkward angles, misshapen and twisted into unnatural positions. Her throat was hoarse from all the screaming she had done, her tears had long since dried on her face. But she still hadn't broken.
Drip
Drip
Drip
The man had left moments after he finished breaking the last of her fingers, leaving her other hand untouched. The pain was excruciating and near unbearable, pushing her past the limits of what she could handle and yet, she endured.
Drip
Drip
Drip
The lights in her room turned off, surrounding her in complete darkness. Her only companion was the constant sound of her blood falling to the floor. She didn't even know how long she had been here, whether it was daylight or dark out, and the last meal they fed her felt like it had been forever ago.
Drip
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Drip
A fresh wave of pain shot through her hand as she adjusted to try and get into a comfortable standing position. All she had to do was confess to knowing something, and all this would be over. But her stubbornness wouldn't let her. She would not break, no matter what nightmarish methods of torture they used.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Alex. Wherever you are. I hope you're safe. She closed her eyes, struggling to keep them open. I could really use your help right about now. Her shoulders slumped and her body relaxed as much as possible as sleep claimed her. Her last thought drifted off in her mind. I don't know how much longer I can hold out.
Drip
Drip
Drip…