Chapter 17 – Leeches

Jenny

More than a month had passed since their arrival in this strange new world. A time of upheaval as all her beliefs were turned upside down. Everything she thought she was good at was useless here. What use was forensic archeology, when they were no longer on their home planet. Every theory that the leading scientists, including her mother, had about their civilization was way off target.

She tried rejecting her new reality, she tried justifying it as a prank, she even went as far as to theorize that this was some government funded project involving advanced neural links, but she couldn’t. Every time she settled on a half-baked theory, she witnessed things that upturned that belief.

But still, the hardest thing for her to digest was the way people treated her. This entire society was crazy. No man came to her help when she cried. Neither would any man help her as she struggled to kill a rabbit. There was no concept of ladies first, or chivalry for that matter. The people from her own world tried to some extent, but after a few days they abandoned her. Just like that demon, Erwin, did.

Trying to throw a tantrum to get her way only got her scorned and thrown out of places. She even tried using her feminine charm to get her way, but the men rejected and looked down on her. Even the other women treating her with disgust. How could she claim she was physically weak because she was a woman and should not be expected to hunt for her food, when the local women carried in boars twice their size. She had not had a decent meal in days now, living off System rations, which were by far the worst thing she had ever tasted. If not for free housing, she would have been homeless by now.

As she walked across the village, she noticed how the other people from her planet thrived. There was some initial turmoil, but after a week, most everyone had adapted to their new life. At the end of week 2, when Mike got out, she ran to him for support. She knew he was strong and wouldn’t have any trouble securing food. But he demanded something in return, which earned him a red marker and he was sent back to prison. Even now his demand sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t believe she ever liked the guy.

By the time she came to her senses, she was the lowest level member of the village, and no one wanted to work with her. She tried working for the so-called NPCs but she had burned too many bridges and people were afraid to hire her. As she collapsed on a park bench in despair, she saw a sight that gave her a glimmer of hope. There was another level 0 player walking down the street, equipped in some decent gear. She ran after him, hoping desperately that he would party up with her.

………………..

Aenon

It had been more than a month since he left the village. Coming back after so long he noticed certain differences. The players looked healthy and happy instead of lost and confused. He came across multiple parties of 4 to 5 players in the forest, their average levels being around 15. For some reason they looked miffed when he tried asking them for some information and avoided him like he was asking them for a kidney. Barring that, the village community looked livelier now.

The market he passed through on the way was jam packed with players buying and selling goods and services, from simple armor repair to player made health and mana potions. There were even some kids running around by themselves. Allie had told him how safer this new world was for kids. The System didn’t allow any threat against minors, intentional or otherwise. A kid could be dropped inside a dragon’s nest and still be able to walk out safely. The System Rations provided for kids didn’t taste bad and were extremely nutritious.

Adults, including parents, couldn’t eat the food reserved for the kids. Essentially, all the parents needed to provide was a nurturing environment without having to worry about education or food for the kids. And if the parents abused their kids in any way, they were subjected to the same debilitating penalties any third party would. Aenon really wished the System existed back on earth. Maybe then…

As he was reminiscing about his childhood, he suddenly had a very bad feeling. He turned around just in time to see the woman from earth hurtling towards him. She had the look of a starving woman seeing food for the first time. He had seen those looks quite often amongst the homeless before he moved to the forest back home. He considered making a run for it, but looking at her level gave him pause. She was at level zero too. She collapsed near him.

“Please hold on second. Please. Can I join your party? I will do anything you want. Well not anything, the System doesn’t allow certain things, but anything that is allowed, I will be happy to. I can cook, I can clean, I can do any chores you need. Just please just let me join your party…,” she went on and on while the crowd started staring at them. He was not worried about creating a scene, but the looks of disgust did bother him. He had no idea why they were looking at him like that.

“What is going on here? Why are they looking at me like I killed their cat or something?” he mentally asked Allie. Despite not needing to, she had decided to hitch a ride on his arm in her trinket form. Apparently, she had nothing better to do and Aenon couldn’t think of a reason to get rid of her. No matter how badly he wanted to.

“Well, that is because you are level zero. In this society, being level zero after a month means that you either do not have the drive or conviction to level up. Essentially, you are going to be branded a leech by society. Just look at the pitiful girl in front of you. They probably think you are worse than her, since you have decent gear for your level. Most will assume you either stole it, or someone threw you some scraps.”

As though summoned, a soldier marched over to see what the commotion was about. And to make matters worse, it was the ill-tempered woman from his first day.

“Quiet. What is going on here?” the moment her eyes fell on him she scowled. And as she looked him over, her frown deepened until finally she sneered maliciously. Aenon regretted not putting on the mask before entering the village. He was trying to be nondescript, but it had failed miserably due to these two women.

“What do we have here? A couple of leeches disturbing the peace. And this leech here even managed to steal some gear. You are both under arrest. Follow me quietly or you will be charged with resisting.”

Aenon coldly stared at her with indifference. Looking at his defiant stare, she backhanded him violently. He barely took a step back and turned around to continue staring. Surprised that he was still standing, and feeling angrier, she punched him in the gut.

He coughed up blood due to the hit but stood tall again and continued to stare. Puzzled at her inability to make him kneel, she withdrew a pair of shackles. He presented his hands without a word and with the same blank expression as before. The cowering woman on the other hand tried to explain and was rewarded with a slap that knocked her out cold.

“You, leech, carry your partner,” the soldier commanded and drew her sword. Aenon casually picked up the unconscious girl with one hand and put her over her shoulders. His display of strength unnerved the female guard, but she steeled her gaze and poked him with the sword.

“Start walking. You are going to prison. One night in the cell, and you will start singing like a bird.”

“This is not how a village guard is supposed to behave,” Allie whispered in indignation. “Just do as you are told, for now. She is going to pay very dearly for this.”

“Calm down. I don’t need anyone to fight my battles. This is the second time this woman has crossed me. I will deal with her myself,” he calmly informed Allie.

He marched without a word, even with her sword occasionally cutting into him. As they approached a building surrounded by soldiers in training, they attracted the attention of a couple. He cast identify on the one overseeing the training and pointedly stared at his eyes.

Looking at his cold gaze, the level 62 guard captain, as per his nameplate, walked towards them. The female soldier punched the back of his head when she noticed who he was staring at, again failing to knock him over.

“How dare a leech like you stare down our distinguished captain,” she bellowed as the captain got closer.

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“What do we have here soldier,” the captain asked sternly as he stopped near them. Aenon had not stopped staring at him for a second.

“Just a couple of leeches suspected of stealing high level gear. They were causing a commotion in the market. Nothing to concern yourself with captain,” the female responded nervously.

“That is a blatant lie,” for the first time Aenon said a word in front of the woman, although his gaze was still fixated on the captain.

“How dare you…,” the woman was about to hit his head again when the captain raised his hand to stop her.

“Enough. You, boy, speak. What is it that she is supposed to have lied about? You are level 0, are you not? You are wearing high level gear, are you not?” the captain stated.

“First off, I know this soldier. I respectfully asked her for directions on my first day here. When she started insulting me, I ignored her and left, probably hurting her fragile ego in the process. Secondly, there was no commotion. I was merely minding my business when this unconscious woman started begging to join my party. That’s when this lady showed up and without explanation placed me under arrest and demanded I be quiet. So, I have been quiet. And lastly, I have earned this gear myself.”

“A bold claim. Can you back it up?” the captain asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, I can. She has hit me 3 times so far. If you believe I am still standing because of my gear, I have a challenge for you. I will unequip all my gear and hit her 3 times. Depending on the outcome, you can decide if I have earned this gear or not,” he said in the same calm and collected voice with a hint of threat in it.

Th captain’s eyes narrowed, and he observed the man in front of him. He smiled and nodded. “Very well then. Stand in the training field soldier. You are not to defend yourself and take the punches. If this man is lying, I will personally deal with him. But if he is telling the truth, and you cannot stand 3 hits from a level zero, I am inclined to believe that he has earned his gear. Moreover, it also means you have abused your authority and will be punished accordingly.”

The female soldier looked shocked for a second before complying. She walked to the middle of the training field while the other soldiers cleared out, making a circle to enjoy the spectacle.

“If I detect any tricks, you will regret it, boy. Remove your armor”, he commanded the waiting soldier while removing Aenon’s shackles.

“Let her keep her armor on. I don’t want to accidentally kill her,” Aenon said while cracking his neck and moving towards the now nervous soldier. He unequipped and stored all his armor, except the trinket, which he dropped on the ground. The audience started whispering amongst themselves as the unknown man walked up confidently towards his opponent.

The woman defiantly stared him down with hatred in her eyes but stayed silent since her captain was watching. Aenon looked at her for a few seconds before announcing loudly.

“Twice. That’s how many times you have wronged me, unprovoked. The first time, I showed you respect, and you insulted me. The second time, you blamed me without proof and threatened to put me in a cell for the night. And additionally, you hit me 3 times. The reason I am doing this publicly is for the insult. The three hits are for the three times you hit me. So, whatever happens from now on, I want you to remember. You made your bed, so now lie in it.”

Having said his piece, he backhanded her the same way she did, with all his strength. The blow knocked her to the ground while also severely denting the helmet covering her head. The strength surprised her, and she looked at him with horror in her eyes. She was bleeding from her mouth as two teeth fell out. He stared at her with indifference before commanding, “Stand up. The next blow is to your gut.”

Realizing her plight, she turned to her captain with pleading eyes, “Captain, I am sorry. I…”

“Stand up, soldier,” the captain barked.

With shivering legs, she managed to stand straight and addressed him directly, “I am sorry sir…”

Aenon punched her in the gut, without holding back in the slightest. She flew back 4 feet and collapsed; her chest piece dented severely. She started vomiting blood as she broke down and cried.

“I am sorry captain. Please have mercy. I was in foul mood that day because of my husband. I should not have tried to take it out on the citizens. I also should not have tried to unlawfully arrest this man. Please. I will resign from the force and give up my class voluntarily. Please don’t let him punch me in the back of the head. I will not survive it. And I cannot afford to pay for a resurrection spell.”

Aenon merely looked at the captain to see what he would decide. It was true, even with armor, she would not survive a full force punch to the back of her head. The captain stared down the crying woman sternly before turning to him.

“You have proved your point. You are worthy of that gear, and she has also confessed to mistreating you. I am also honor bound to let you have the last hit as per our deal,” the woman started wailing and begging for mercy at this.

“However, could you spare her life and not hit her the third time? I swear on my honor you will be compensated.”

Aenon stared into the captain’s eyes before replying coldly, “I always settle my scores. So, no.” He charged at the woman before she could move. And flicked her with a finger to the back of her head. The sudden shock of his charge scared her enough to make her pass out, despite it being a casual finger flick.

“We are even,” Aenon declared as he walked away from the speechless crowd, carrying the unconscious source of all this mess.

He walked straight to his house, ignoring all the stares he got for carrying a body. Once inside, he unceremoniously dumped the troublemaker on the couch and went to his bedroom after a quick shower. The moment he collapsed on his bed, Allie popped out to the side.

“Nicely done. Those extra titles from the dungeon runs must have come in handy. Although, you will now have the attention of some very high-ranking people. Hope you are ready for that,” Allie said as a matter fact. “What do you plan to do with the extra baggage though?”

“Haven’t decided yet. Don’t even know why I brought her to be honest. Anyway, let me get some shut eye, will you? Haven’t slept in a bed in forever,” he said sleepily before falling asleep. He woke up fully refreshed the next day. As he made his way to the kitchen, he saw the unconscious form of his house guest.

“Is she alive? Don’t want to get blamed for murder,” he said in a worried voice as he grabbed some plates from the kitchen.

“She is…,” Allie said with some hesitation. “She is the reason I had to come back to the village. Her companion did a number on her. I’ll let her explain. Don’t mention me in front of her.”

The redhead chose this exact moment to regain consciousness. As she groggily got up, her eyes met his. Her mouth dropped open before taking in her surroundings. “How did you get inside my house? GUARDS. GUARDS. HELP. SOMEBODY HELP ME.”

Aenon merely raised an eyebrow at her antics. He slowly walked towards the couch she was lying on before, with her walking backwards till she hit the wall. He sat down with one leg crossed over the other. For some reason her face went white while her voice faltered. She started trembling and collapsed to her knees, sitting attentively with her palms clasped together in her lap.

“What are you doing,” he asked questioningly. He had no idea what was going through this woman’s head, but her submissive body language baffled him.

“I am sorry master,” she blurted out in a timid voice.

For a moment, his eyebrows flew up while he stared at the scene before him, while trying and failing to come up with an explanation. He had an inkling that maybe this girl had a multiple personality disorder or something. She went from begging, to accusing, to completely submissive at the drop of a hat

Even now she was shivering but trying her hardest to stay still. She was obviously traumatized, but try as he might, he couldn’t deduce why. Thinking that perhaps this needed a different approach, he got up and walked over to her. Her lips quivered as he got closer, and her knuckles went white as she balled her fists.

“Have I displea…sed you, ma…ster?”

He crossed his legs and sat in front of her. As he gazed into her eyes, he noticed the terror, the anguish, the feeling of being lost. It brought up some bad memories, but he squashed them. Now was not the time.

“Are you ok? Did anyone hurt you?” he asked with genuine concern.

Her eyes started watering while she chewed her lower lip. But she still refused to talk. He sighed and withdrew a rabbit skewer from his inventory. It was still steaming hot, and the aroma was tantalizing. Her eyes stared hungrily at the skewer, while tears started rolling down her cheek. He put the skewer on the plate in front of her, and gently backed away.

He grabbed some more plates and glasses from the kitchen. When he got back, she was still frozen like a statue, looking anywhere but the skewer. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears freely flowing down. He placed the utensils in front of her and sat down again.

“Please eat. That skewer is for you, and it is not poisoned,” he took a small piece and put it in his mouth. Looking at her pained expression, he placed a few more skewers on the plate and walked back to his room.

Before entering, he turned to her and said, “No one is going to hurt you, while you are in my house. I will be in my room, so please eat.”

He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath before looking at the trinket.

“What was that about?” he asked Allie softly.

The woman’s reaction reminded him of many painful memories. He knew what psychological trauma looked like.

“Her companion, Erwin I think he was called. He was essentially putting her through psychological torture. I… I didn’t know humans were capable of such things,” she said sadly.

“I thought it was not possible to hurt each other?” he asked.

“There are always loopholes to exploit in any law. He was smart enough to identify one, and she was gullible enough to fall for it. He started with threats to keep her in line. When he was beginning to lose control of her, he took her deep into the forest and let her be captured by a spider queen. Unfortunately for her, spider queens don’t kill their prey. They lay their eggs on them. The spiderlings then eat the victim alive when they hatch. Her resurrection token got used up, but she is too scared to leave the village now,” Allie sighed as she informed him.

“Why not get the help of others then? Why stagnate in the village all alone?” Aenon asked with confusion.

“Because it was too late. She was still level 0 by the time I sorted that mess. And now she has been branded a leech. That jerk is in prison, in case you are wondering. The moron thought he was being smooth and would not face any consequences if he was not directly hurting her. Hmph. Not very smart after all,” Allie said in disgust.

“Hmmm,” Aenon said while thinking what to do next. Dealing with the woman would be a headache, but he couldn’t just leave her either. So, he headed out to the living room. She was frantically stuffing her mouth with the skewers but started choking when she saw him come out.

Aenon gave her a stern look before pointing to the couch and saying, “You and I, are going to have a talk.”