“No one is killing anyone.” The words were low and raspy and decidedly nonhuman.

I looked at the entrance, and sure enough, one of the Kurs was leaning casually against the wall. His scales were light green, and he wore a cowboy hat and chewed on a long piece of straw. He wore a thick, brown leather jacket and some rugged pants that reminded me of Carhart. Something told me this lizard watched too many Earth movies.

When the burly man saw the Kurskin, his face went white, and his eyes darted back and forth between me and the cowboy Kur.

“I ain’t got a fight to pick with you. This man insulted me,” the man bellowed, pointing at me. “I demand satisfaction.”

The Kurskin unrolled a yellowing piece of paper and showed it to everyone. There was a portrait drawn on it. “And I demand you come with me, Arlo Reed.” He tapped the paper with a claw. “Says here, alive or dead. Now, I did say no one’s killing anyone, but if you cause problems, your warrant does say I can bring you in dead.”

“I think it would be best for you to leave, Ethan,” Val said. Her avatar was still seated, and she looked nervous.

Arlo’s face turned red with rage as he stared the Kurskin down. “If you’re scaley ass can beat me, you can have me.” He pointed at me. “But none of that’s gonna’ happen until I’m done with him.”

And just like that, big Arlo Reed was charging directly toward me. For a moment, I stood there, shocked by his sudden approach, but I regained my senses just in time to activate Devastating Strike and swing my fist at my opponent's face as hard as I could.

He must not have expected my hit to faze him in the slightest because he didn’t attempt to dodge. He planned on taking my full punch to his face, expecting it to be weak, but when my triply enhanced fist struck his face, it sent him sideways. He flew a solid yard before hitting the ground, profoundly unconscious. Everyone in the bar sat in stunned silence, the patrons shocked by my incredible feat.

A notification flashed in my interface, but I ignored it.

The Kurskin started clapping as he walked toward me.

‘Oh shit,’ I thought. ‘What do I do?’

“Mr. Reed is likely the target of a bounty-hunting quest,” Val said. “Don’t tell the Kurskin your in-game name , and don’t let him touch your hand.”

“I’ve seen plenty of hard hits in my day,” the Kurskin purred. “But I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a hit like that.” He whistled.

I was obviously surprised to discover that a lizard could whistle.

I shrugged. “Lucky timing, I guess.”

He shook his head. “Luck has nothing to do with it, my friend. I can see the fight in your eyes.” He stopped before me, looking me up and down. Then he stuck out his hand. “I’m Prajio Vrentris.”

Panic consumed me momentarily as I thought of a way out of this. I looked down at my hand and saw my knuckles were bloody. Whether it was my blood or Arlo’s, I didn’t know.

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I lifted my hand to show him the blood. “I’m Ethan. I’d shake your hand, but mine’s a bit bloody, and I, uh, I’m the sanitary sort.”

He smiled a wide, sharp-toothed grin and pulled his hand back, unoffended. “Pleasure to make you acquaintance, Ethan.” He removed his hat and bowed to me. “I owe you my thanks for apprehending this ruffian. It was brave of you to stand up to him all on your own.” Prajio gave him a sad, distasteful look. “Arlo is more dangerous than he currently appears.”

I had never met a Kurskin like this before. For starters, he wasn’t an asshole. And he thanked me. During my short time with them in the army, I had never heard a Kurskin thank anyone for anything. Not even other Kurskins.

“It was the right thing to do.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.

He laughed. It sounded like someone playing low notes on a broken trumpet. “You have done my job for me. Is there any way I can repay you for your assistance?”

I thought about how to answer him. The correct response would be ‘no thanks, bye,’ but I was intensely intrigued by this Prajio fellow. I had an idea that would make Val lose her mind completely, but the more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

I knew so little about the invaders of my world. My only knowledge of the Kurskins was from stories, my short time as a soldier, and what Val told me. I couldn’t remember who said, ‘Know your enemy,’ but whoever said it was smarter than me.

It would be risky, and Val would hate me for it, but I felt strangely compelled to take a leap of faith. If I gained some joy from irritating Val beyond belief, that was just icing on the cake.

Perhaps Val’s attempt on my life had broken something inside me, causing me to be more impulsive than usual. Or, perhaps I thought doing this would gain me power over Val in some deranged way. It didn’t matter. I was going to do it. I’d sort out my psychology later.

“Actually, there is something a man like you could help me with,” I said. Prajio’s bright orange eyes sparkled.

“A friend of mine had something stolen from him, and I intend to retrieve it. However, the place is guarded, and I fear one man may not be enough. Are you interested? I’m going to try to do it in secret, but if I am caught, there could be violence, and I’d feel better with someone there to watch my back.”

Prajio’s smile told me all I needed to know. He was in.

“Just what do you think you are doing?” Val stood and hissed the words. “Are you an idiot? He is a Player!” She stomped her high heel. “Why should I even speak to you if you won’t listen to me?”

I ignored her. “Meet me here tomorrow morning, and I’ll fill you in on the job.”

“We have a deal,” Prajio purred. He blinked and looked briefly confused. He muttered something to himself.

“He thinks you are a Quest Giver, you imbecilic meat stick!”

Whoops. “Everything alright, Prajio?” I asked, worrying that I had greatly miscalculated the risks of interacting with another Player.

He waved the question away, “Yes, yes, nothing you need to concern yourself with, my friend. I shall eagerly await the sunrise.”

Prajio bent down, pulled Arlo’s body off the ground, and threw the big man over his shoulder like he weighed nothing.

He tipped his hat to me. “Goodnight, Ethan.”

Having had enough excitement for one evening, I decided to head to my room so Val could berate me for a few hours.

On my way up, I checked my experience. I gained 40 points, but I still had a way to go before I reached Level 4. However, I planned to reach that milestone by tomorrow's end.

I also had that notification pop up after my fight with Arlo. I opened it.

SKILL UPGRADED: DEVASTATING STRIKE

You have become proficient in utilizing Devastating Strike. Please select from one of the two following upgrade paths.

1. Increase Multiplicative Force Effect by 1%

2. Reduce Skill Cooldown by 25 seconds.

Wow! I didn’t know my skills could be upgraded. I pondered my choices.

Devastating Strike had a five-minute cooldown and could be used thrice daily. Twenty-five seconds was a significant chunk of time, but the cooldown was still very long. The only times I wanted to use Devastating Strike in quick succession had been during encounters that lasted less than a minute.

I picked Option 1.

I was growing stronger, even if it was only by one percent.