Jessica screamed as she saw a wooden club hit James in the back of the head. Tumbling forward, she was abruptly sprawled in the street with James' unconcious body on top of her. Sitting up, she heard a weaselly laugh and the sound of clapping hands as the man holding the club moved back and a man dressed in a rich red brocade coat with gold thread and white hose stepped forward. His shoes were also expensive things, and on his finger was a signet ring. He also reeked of perfume.

"Ha ha! Well done! Bring the merwoman to my estate!"

Jessica felt several hands grab her, and suddenly she was fighting and wrenching herself every which way as the townsfolk simply looked at her with disinterest or cowering looks. She screamed, only to have a dirty rag shoved in her mouth, muffling her cries. Thoroughly frightened by now, she could only watch as several men sporting insignias of what looked like a curled flame on their shields and breastplates carried her away.

James!

Several minutes or perhaps hours later James woke up to a pounding headache. He sat up from the dirty street and felt the back of his head, finding a bump and a small bit of blood. Luckily nothing seemed broken though. Going into his inventory, he pulled out some first aid supplies and began to dress and bandage his head wound. It was not long before he heard a chime and a notification popped up in a familiar blue box.

You have gained the skill [Medic]!

Pulling up his status, James saw where the new skill had been added.

Name: James Horvak

Race: Human

Age: 32

Profession: Leech

Level: 12

HP: 78/140

MP: 100/100

Strength: 13

Agility: 18

Constitution: 14

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 6

Luck: 12

Abilities:

Drain (Level 6)

Daggers (Level 4)

Haggle (Level 3)

Trade (Level 3)

Medic (Level 1)

Active Quests: Free the Maiden

Curious about what it meant by active quest, James selected it and was greeted by a new screen.

Quest: Free the Maiden

Your companion has been kidnapped by the local lord. Free her within the time limit.

2:14:56

Reward: Choice of 1 Fortress/1 Sloop/100 Gold Coins

James quickly closed the quest screen and took stock of himself and his body. He felt sore, not only from his ill-treatment but from his exhaustion. He had stayed up all night fighting monsters and making trades in an attempt to level up, and he had hoped to finally get some sleep at the inn. His fluttering eyes reminded him that he was no longer a strapping teenager and he secretly envied the vigor of the young. But his injury and Jessica's absence, along with her final scream before he had blacked out and fallen unconcious kept him going.

He got to his feet and began to ask the local townspeople what had happened. Many gave him a wary look, but he finally was able to find a street urchin who in exchange for a copper told him that the local lord, Baron Uselius Marcavus Gravitus had had her taken to the keep. From what he could tell, the local lord was something of a deviant, and was known for using his wealth as he pleased while his people suffered. Hearing this, James looked up at the towering keep and felt a sheer mountain of resolve compress firmly in his gut. There was no way he would leave Jessica or let her suffer.

With no more time to waste, he made for the keep. Knowing he could not wait for nightfall, that the tower that made up the keep was impossible for him to climb and that all other methods of entry would not work, he walked straight towards the gatehouse where guards wearing the curled flame that was Baron Gravitus' signia were standing in a group of four.

"Halt! State your business!"

"I'm here to kill the baron. So step aside, or say your prayers."

"Insolence!"

The guards pointed their halberds at him but James couldn't care less. Though they had higher levels, higher skills, and better equipment, he knew he had a better class.

"Drain."

Having raised his level, the range he could use his skill and what he could drain had expanded. When the guards came within six metres of him, he began to drain their health points. At first they didn't understand what he was doing as he danced around their weapons, but when the first warrior fell abruptly and suddenly a startled cry went up among them.

"Hey, Hansel!"

"He's dead!"

"The bastard killed him!"

"Just stab him, you fools!"

James grabbed the halberd and despite his lack of skill began swinging it, pushing the guards apart so he could use his drain skill. Within minutes he had killed the remaining guards. Looting their bodies of all armour and weapons, he quickly checked his notifications to see that he had gained 2460 experience points and a new skill with halberds.

Running past the bailey into the courtyard in front of the tower, he was met by more guards that he similarly dispatched. As he ran more cries sprang up and a call to arms was raised. Greeted by the sound of clanking armour and the firm commands of guards being mustered, James looked at the mustered troops uncaringly. Sure it was dangerous and he might die, but Jessica was...

What? What did he think of her? Was she a companion, or did he want her to be something more? With distracted thoughts racing through his mind, James was soon cut by a spear that came flying towards his side, slicing him open in a narrow, shallow gash. Gritting his teeth against the pain, James kept killing the guards with his skill, but it took longer for those with higher health pools. At last he was the only one standing in the courtyard. Since it was only a tower and not an actual castle there were fewer guards, but James still chaffed at the delay as he checked his quest screen to see how much time had passed.

Going to open the door to the tower, James discovered that it was locked. Taking out a halberd, he awkwardly swung it at the door. But the wood was thick and the halberd was not meant for such a task. After several minutes of hammering and making no progress, James stopped beating on the door and desperately tried to think of something else to use. But during the fight several guards had hammered on the door begging to be let back inside, which told him that it was highly likely the door was locked from the inside. With no other options left, James bit back his impatience and pressed up against the wall, waiting patiently. As the minutes passed he chaffed at the delay, but soon enough his patience was rewarded when after about twenty or twenty-five minutes a faint clatter of a key being fitted in the lock sounded and as James watched hardly daring to breathe, the door opened a crack. For a moment everything was still again, then the door opened wider as the person who unlocked the door made enough room for them to step out and take a look at the grounds outside.

This was what James had been waiting for. Without a word he pounced through the open door, startling the maid who looked at him with fear and alarm as panic bubbled in her eyes. James raised his arm to kill her, blinded by the desperate need to destroy anyone and everything between him and Jessica. But at the last moment he stopped himself and instead tensely spoke two syllables.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Leave."

The woman bobbed, and in the time it took to blink was past him and through the door, her long skirts flapping behind her in her rush to escape. Taking a glancing look around James saw that the bottom floor of the tower was like a one room living space. There was a small bed in the corner, perhaps for the maid who had just left. There was also a fireplace where a fire burned and crackled, along with a larder or pantry where roasts hung and sacks of supplies were.

And then he saw it. Or rather, he saw her. For sitting on a stool beside an open trunk was Jessica. But not as he had last seen her, for now the woman looked like she had just bathed. And indeed, there was a large tub of water nearby. He hair was neatly combed like a sheet of shimmering silk, with a gold headband bearing a blue diadem on her brow with long chains running through her hair. In her ears dangled hoop earrings, and on her arm was a curled snake armband. She also wore a tight choker necklace of pearls wrapped around her neck and a pink clamshell bra to match the color of her tail. But James barely noticed all of these details as in an instant he was bounding to her side.

"Jessica!"

"James?"

He practically crushed her as he grabbed her and pressed her to him, not caring about the sweat and blood that covered his disgusting, smelly body. She didn't complain though, and as he held her relief that her terrifying ordeal was over crashed over her and before she knew it she was balling her eyes out. James let her cry into his chest, not saying anything except offering soothing noises as he gently rubbed her shoulders.

"Ssh."

James waited until she finished crying, then stood back and wiped her tears.

"I'm here. It's okay; it's over."

She gripped his shirt with her clenched fists. At that moment James was her anchor; the one thing that kept her going. Gone was her slightly haughty egocentric attitude, and in it's place she felt like a little girl in James' protective care as he gently picked her up and together they made their way to the stairs that led up along the tower wall.

"Let's go."

Baron Gravitus had heard the first attack outside his tower walls. Being a coward, he had immediately ordered his guards to go out and kill the intruder while he remained in his chambers. Then he waited, content to let the peasant peons die for him until his guard captain came and told him that the intruder was dead. Outside the door, he had no idea that James was placing one finger over his lips in the quiet gesture.

He heard a knock, and a 'Sir!'

"Finally, Raymond, it's about time you dealt with that-"

Opening the door, the baron's words died in his throat as he saw a dirty human carrying his prey. His hand went to his sword, but the human just calmly walked past him.

"You don't need to do that."

"Oh, good, you brought her to me. Now get out-"

"No."

"No? A mere peasant dares to-"

"Shut up."

"Shu-...you dare!"

James calmly sat Jessica down on a piece of unfamiliar furniture that was ornate and might be called a chaise longue.

"Wait here for a moment."

"I'm talking to you, peasant! I could-"

"Ugh, you're so loud."

"Aaah!"

Gravitus finally attacked with his sword, only to be blocked by a worn halberd that suddenly appeared in James' hands. It was the same halberd he had used to try to break down the door to the tower. Being a noble though, the baron's swordplay was leagues better than the skills of his guards, and he quickly overpowered James' clumsy attempts to disarm him. Pricking him in the side, the baron twirled his sword in a graceful pirouette. Understanding that he couldn't defeat the baron in this way, James gave up using the halberd and instead simply used his drain skill again. After that it was simply a matter of avoiding the baron while still staying in the range of his skill. At last, the man known as Baron Uselius Marcavus Gravitus toppled over, never knowing what had killed him in his madness to simply kill what he thought was just another peasant. With the baron dead, James ignored the decadent opulence of the grand room and return to Jessica's side.

"I'm sorry Jessica. I wanted you to be the one to kill him, to get closure. But it appears I am not so great as to be able to disarm a crazed lunatic yet."

She smirked.

"Don't be sorry. Just promise you won't leave me again."

"I didn't leave you; I was attacked!"

"Doesn't matter. Don't leave me again, alright?"

She smirked as she took his hand, the playful look in her eyes clashing with the look of a woman who had recently been crying.

"Alright, I'll remember that the next time I get stabbed!"

She chuckled and James didn't hesitate any longer. Leaning down, he took her hands and placed them around his neck, placing his own hands around her waist. Despite being filthy and bleeding from numerous cuts and bruises, James kissed Jessica and she kissed him back. Like a princess and a pauper, the two spent that moment savoring the joy of each other before James broke the kiss and turned away.

"Let's see what we can find and get you out of here."

He quickly raided the room, taking everything that wasn't nailed down. The chaise longue she was sitting on, a wardrobe of rather ostentatious clothes, the baron's secret stash of money and jewels, even the artwork on the walls. With the room being stripped bare, Jessica smiled as she watched James come to collect her, holding up her hand as if she were a queen waiting for her escort. Playing along, James scooped her up and turned towards the door.

"My lady, shall we leave?"

"We shall!"

They quickly repeated their actions on the bottom floor, taking all the food and anything else that might be useable. James also as a last second thought took out a purple cape and wrapped it around Jessica's shoulders before they finally exited the tower.

"What do we do now?"

"We? I, I am taking you to the river so we can leave."

They quickly left the tower. James couldn't help himself and quickly looted the bodies of the guards. At the very least their armour was made of metal and the weapons could be reused. With everything safely in his inventory, James carried Jessica to the gatehouse and stopped. Standing in front of them was the rest of the city guards, including those who had been guarding the city entrances. And all of them had their weapons drawn and pointed at them.

"Surrender! You will answer for the baron's murder!"

"Yeah, I answered the call to do something about that sick pig."

"Kill him! He murdered the city lord!"

James just looked down at the merwoman in his arms.

"Let's get out of here."

He slowly walked away towards the docks.

"Stop!"

Although James' level was low, he had walked past them while using drain. So those few seconds were all that he needed to drain the guards of their health, causing them to start dropping like flies. Once the first few died, the rest turned and fled in terror. So it was simple for them to board a small fishing boat and cast off. While James would have felt guilty about stealing the boat, he remembered that none of the city townspeople had done anything to help Jessica; that he had had to pay for the smallest piece of information. And if they were not willing to stand and defend her, why would he stand and defend them?

As they made their way out of the city, James set Jessica down near the tiller. The moment was almost romantic and magical as the suns dropped towards a sunset, but James was so tired by now that he could barely stand. Not to mention how badly he smelled by now.

"I'm sorry to say this so abruptly but...I really need to sleep now. Please wake me up in a few hours. And if you need anything, don't be afraid to wake me up. Goodnight."

He quickly lay down on the floor of the boat, finding himself asleep in minutes. As Jessica sat on the bench steering the boat along the river, she couldn't help but look at him and remember the impression of his lips on hers.

"Fool..."