"Kyaaaaa! No—stop!"
Loki was scouting for bosses to hunt when a scream split the trees.
"Hahaha, yell all you want. No one's coming," a man sneered, crowding a woman who was backed against a trunk, hands shaking, eyes wide with panic.
"Make it quick. I want my turn next," the lookout snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the treeline.
"Me too! Me too!"
"Keep the approaching monsters off us and shut up," the first man growled, fumbling at his belt. "Lady, get ready. You've got a lot of—"
He couldn't finish his words.
A fist came out of nowhere, and the man was sent flying.
"Eh—?"
"What?"
The lookouts froze.
For a beat, they just stared at the woman—then saw the stranger standing between them, calm and cold.
"Where did he come from?" one whispered, throat dry.
"Oi! Who are you?" the other snarled, anger covering fear.
Loki didn't look at them. He kept his eyes on the woman, voice steady.
"Are you hurt? Can you stand?"
"U-uh… y-yes— thank you—" she stammered, shoulders still trembling as tears streaked her dirt-smudged cheeks. "I… I thought—".
He made sure she could stand, then turned his back on her and walked toward the men.
"Ah, I see he wants to play the hero, hahaha."
"Crazy bastard, let's teach him a lesson, bro."
One had a great sword, and the other a staff. Loki did not take out his swords.
The greatsword brute barely set his stance before Loki slipped inside the arc and smashed a forearm into his bicep. The man's face twisted as the muscle went dead and the blade dipped.
"H-hey—" He never finished.
Loki's heel crashed through his knee with a sharp crack. The leg folded wrong, and the man screamed, high and raw, both hands grabbing for air.
Loki wrenched the sword arm past its line, and the elbow popped like a branch.
"My arm! My arm!" He sagged, eyes watering, jaw loose.
A tight hook snapped his jaw sideways, and his teeth clicked loud. A palm heel crushed his nose. Blood sheeted down his face.
"Ahhhh-Cough"
An elbow buried into his throat, and the scream cut to a wet cough. He dropped and didn't move.
The mage flinched back as he had never seen this much brutality before.
"Yo-you monster bastard!", the mage shouted with tears.
He tried to chant, but it never formed. Loki drove a front kick into his ribs. Air shot out of him in a barking wheeze.
"Gh—god—" He folded at the waist, gasping.
Loki stamped his casting wrist, and his bone cracked like dry wood.
"No, no, please—" He raised his unbroken hand to shield and caught a straight right across the jaw that knocked spit and blood from his mouth. A second shot to the temple rolled his eyes white, and he collapsed boneless.
The last man on the ground blinked awake and saw Loki above him. Panic blew his pupils wide.
"W-wait— I'm sorry, I'm sor—" He tried to crab-crawl.
Loki grabbed a fistful of hair, yanked him flat, and slammed his head into the dirt. The man's hands clawed at Loki's wrist.
"Stop, stop, please—" Another slam. His fingers scraped furrows.
Another.
Blood threaded the dust and his HP ticked down in jerks.
Another.
The pleading turned to gurgles.
Another.
And finally, the man turned to light.
"Trash," he said, low.
[Aquired 380 TLE]
After scooping up the TLE, Loki started toward the woman—only to see her flinch back, eyes wide, hands shaking.
"D-d-don't come any closer… please," she said, voice thin with panic.
Loki stopped approaching her.
"Take deep breaths and calm down", he said, calm and even. "Can you make it back to town on your own? Are you able to leave this world yet? Or do you want me to send you to town?"
She drew a few ragged breaths, then steadied a little.
"C-could you send me to town, p-please? I… I don't want to be alone in my apartment. I want to see my friends."
"Sure", he said and picked up the woman.
The woman was still shaking and crying. And Loki could understand the reason why. She had been through a lot and must still be feeling scared.
Ultimately, He gave up on hunting and decided to go back.
'I hunted a lot of bosses here, so it's a little difficult to find rare ones. I should go back and change towns. There will be stronger monsters there' he decided.
...
They moved quick and quiet until Ashen Hollow's gate came into view. Loki guided her through and stopped in the square.
"Thank you… thank you so, so much," she said, bowing deep.
"After you find your friends, report what happened to Captain Kang Sieun," Loki said. "She'll handle the rest."
He'd just turned to leave when a shout cracked the air.
"It's him! That's the guy who killed us!"
Three men shouldered through the onlookers, with Captain Kang and Sergeant Han approaching at an even pace behind them.
"Th-this f*cking monster," the greatsword user spat, pointing. "He assaulted us and started beating us for no reason!"
"That's right," the mage stammered, eyes wet. "He broke my arms, my jaw, and… and…"
"He's a brutal murderer in real life for sure," the third said, louder now that a crowd was listening. "Captain Kang, arrest him and lock him up."
Kang looked at Loki, then back at the trio. Her face stayed calm.
"Mister Loki," she said, voice even, "care to explain?"
Before he spoke, the woman raised a trembling hand. "Captain, it wasn't for no reason. They attacked and killed my friends in the forest. If Loki hadn't—" Her voice failed. She swallowed, eyes shining. "He saved me from these monsters."
The greatsword user forced a laugh. "She's on his side! She was watching and laughing while he beat us."
"That's right. She's crazy like him."
"Arrest them both."
"They're lying!" the woman shouted.
Captain Kang studied the woman, then the men, and nodded as if deciding. She turned to the trio with a sympathetic look.
"You've clearly been through a lot. Don't worry, I'll take care of this."
Surprise flickered across their faces,
'She believed us.'
"You three go outside and make a report against these two and describe the incident in detail."
The woman drew breath to protest, but Loki caught her hand and shook his head.
"We'll go now, Captain."
"Haha, you bastard, prepare to be thrown in jail," the brute sneered.
"Your life is over. Yours too, bxtch," the third added.
They tossed their threats and left GFS.
When they were gone, Sieun called Sergeant Han.
"Send someone outside, and the moment they step into a station, tell them to lock these fxckers up."
"Right away, Captain," Han said, and moved off at a jog.
"Thank you, Captain Kang," the woman said, stepping in to hug her.
"It's going to be alright. You don't have to cry," Sieun said softly.
After a while, the woman's friend came, thanked Loki, and left. When everything was settled, Sieun invited Loki for a private chat.