Hi.

My work is "Roland the Archer", based on the Light Novel Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash by Ao Jyumonji. This is an attempt at an informal NaNoWriMo 2018.

Characters and 1 class with skill set are created so I don't steal the source story 100%.

I intend to use the events from "Awaken" in book 1 till Operation Two-Headed Snake in book 3.

Set some cheats and crutches.
- Not OC, so unregistered at NaNo for safety.
- The fanfic is based on an existing story to reduce the burden of having to create from scratch.

Story was finished before uploading. Also, this is my first time on this site so formatting may take time.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Awaken"

Roland woke with a start. It was dark. Whose voice was that? he thought. He didn't know where he was.

"Fuck's my phone?", a voice sounded. It was irritated and female.

Hearing her say that, he reflexively felt his pockets. Well of course not, he thought, he was in bed, and the phone would be on his bed stand at the left. Roland winced as he jabbed his fingers into a stone wall. Wait. What's a phone? It sounds familiar. He felt the wall. It was made of stone, slightly rough and cold. He then realised he was lying on stone as well. It wasn't smooth so it poked against his back. The cold wasn't helping either.

"Ah, would it kill for some proper down?", said another voice. This one was sleek, older and had a slight vibrating hum to it, like a singer who sang slower, sadder notes. Roland heard a small grunt and some movement as the man sat up.

"Who the hell are you?", asked the irritated girl.

"My, spicy aren't you? Dash of paprika", answered the man.

"Where's my phone?", asked the girl as she became exasperated. She gave a small 'Ow', her fingers likely jabbed into a wall as well. There was a slapping sound as she felt the wall and what they were all sleeping on. What's a phone? There was something sitting at the back of Roland's mind. It felt like the answer to all questions. Just as sudden as it was there, it vanished.

As their eyes got used to the dark, things were actually just very dim. Roland looked up and saw candles on a rusty chandelier. It gave off light, but not enough of it. Looking around, it seemed like they were in a cave hewn out of rock. The walls were chiseled rough but straight and they were on small bed-like platforms alongside that were also carved from the rock.

The three observed each other. The man was as tall as Roland. Fit, clean shaven, dressed in a body fitting shirt and jeans. The girl wasn't a girl at all but a lady. She was still sitting and her leg was bouncing. She wore something loose, like sports clothing. It was like she was wearing somebody's P.E. clothes; the person was larger than her.

"So who are you, and why am I stuck in a room with you?", asked the lady. The man answered first.

"Brewary."

"Roland."

"... Demit". She got up and felt her pockets. She stopped and looked like she was thinking hard.

"What's a phone and why am I looking for it?"

"I don't know, Paprika. Seems I was looking for it too", answered Brewary.

"Don't call me that-", she was interrupted by what sounded like a metal gate in the distance.

"Guess that's where we're going", said Roland. He stood up and approached Demit for a handshake. She curled her fingers for a bump. Roland approached Brewary and he took it.

"My, a man of manners."

"I figure since we don't know each other and are in it together, might as well start."

"Sounds good. One more and we'll have a fireteam", said Demit.

What's a fireteam? The three shook their heads slightly. Snapping out of the daze first, Demit went past the 2 men and walked down the hallway. They followed. The hallway was just like the room they were in; carved right out of stone, rough but flat. As they walked, they came towards brighter lights. There was a lamp and an iron gate. Demit sped up and flattened herself against the wall beside the gate. She peeked, making sure as little of her head as possible showed.

"Stairs", she said. She waved the 2 men away from clear view from the doorway. Testing it, she found it could open with a creak. She looked back at the 2 men and was shocked.

"The fuck did you come from?", she hissed. Roland and Brewary looked back, got startled and Brewary started laughing. There was another person. He was slightly taller than Demit and wore something that looked like hers but was better fitting. It matched, was all black and had 3 white stripes on each item of clothing. He had his hood up and his hands in the front pocket. Eyes and an unsmiling face stared back at the three.

"Oh sugar, you gave me a fright", said Brewary. Roland extended his hand and the man took it.

"Jakson", he said. His hand went back into his pocket.

"Don't fucking sneak up on us, man", said Demit as she extended hers. Jakson fist bumped her and shrugged. This was no talker. His hand went back into the pocket again.

Up the stairs, there was another gate. This wouldn't open. Brewary called through the gate several times. Someone came and opened the lock.

"Out", said the voice. They entered a room that was properly lit. They were surprised to see who was waiting on the other side. Roland realised he looked like he came out of a period movie (wait, what was a movie?). He was covered in armour from head to toe, with a sword at his waist. Brewary 'ooh'-ed and Demit cussed softly. Strangely, the man was surprised to see them too.

"Any more behind you?", asked the guard. Jakson shook his head.

"Well hello there handsome. Could you tell me where we are and what's going on?", asked Brewary. The guard said nothing and pulled a switch on the wall. Stone and metal crunched, the ground and wall shook slightly and a hole opened.

"Out". That was all they were going to get from that guard.

They stepped out into the morning. The sun had just risen, and something that looked like a red moon was retreating. Roland did not like the idea of a red moon. It was terrifying. To make things worse, the opening closed behind them. Jakson found a low wall and squatted on it. The four observed their surroundings. There was a town to one side, and there was the tower they were in on the other.

"We were in the dungeon of this thing, weren't we?", said Brewary.

"Do any of you know this place?", asked Roland. Everyone shook their heads. A high-pitched voice came from a distance;

"Araaaaaaaaa?! A second group so soon? This is not normal at alllllllll~!". She was short, with twin tails. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her towards them. She stopped, did a twirl and wouldn't stop talking.

"Ehhhhhhhhhh? Only four? Groups are usually larger than this? Why is he squatting on a wall? Why is she wearing her daddy's clothes? Anyway, welcome to Grimgar, my name is Hiyomuuuuuuu~", she did another twirl and pose,

"-and I need to take you to Bri-chan as quickly as possible so follow after me, don't get left behind okayyyyy?"

She turned and marched away, tails trailing. Brewary thought she was adorable and followed. Demit and Jakson didn't really find the girl amusing but came along anyway. Roland thought she looked like some anime character. But then what the hell is an anime? He scratched the back of his head and sighed. What the hell is going on?

The first thing they noticed were the gravestones. The scenery was almost perfect, with grasslands and hills and a packed earth path running between them. It was the white stones littering the hilly grasslands that were worrisome; there were so many. This is no family graveyard, thought Roland. This was a proper cemetery, with rows and rows of neatly arranged headstones. Some had flowers on them. In the distance, some people could be seen just standing or sitting in front of individual graves. There were flowers, some badges and trinkets. Gifts for the departed, Roland thought. Hiyomu continued her cute little march, humming a happy tune, unconcerned with the size of the grave site. The cemetery distracted everyone. Demit was visibly more disturbed than others, almost like she had to visit one very recently. Jakson kept his head down, his hood covering his eyes. Brewary read out a few names with a 'Hmmm'. Roland looked at a few names too. He was surprised he could read the strange yet familiar text.

"Fucking hell", said Demit. Everyone privately agreed.