Chapter 6, Return
Aqua sighed, and stood up.
'That should be everyone, right?' She yelled out to Kazuma, who looked strangely panicked.
'Y-Yeah! Hurry up and get over here, somethings wrong with Bayard!'
The plan had gone smoothly, with Beldia distracted by the Paladin, they learned that water was a Dullahans weakness. All the available mages had casted water magic, and Aqua called down one of the largest known water spells, Sacred Create Water, to drown the Dullahan.
She also flooded half of the city.
Many of the Adventurers suffered injuries, and many more died to the onslaught of undead hordes or knights. All, including the butchered pair slain by Beldia, were revived successfully by Aqua and a cohort of high leveled Priests.
She came over the hill, and saw the gathering of Adventurers surrounding the bloodied Paladins body. Her unease grew as shouting began from the Priests.
The rest of the party spotted Aqua, and rushed her forward to the now cold body of Bayard.
'Heal!'
Nothing.
The Priests turned to her, color leaving their faces.
'We tried that already, nothing we have is working!'
Aqua frowned, and concentrated on the spell.
'Sacred Revival!'
Motes of light appeared around Aqua and her hands, before suddenly blinking out all at once.
Aqua tried again, and again.
A minute passed, her voice growing more frantic and breaking.
She rose then, face grimaced into a cold stare that wouldn't belong on a goddesses face.
'..He's gone. It's like can't reach his soul.' She turned and looked at him, and the party. 'Take him to the morgue, clean the wounds, and prepare for a burial. He deserves that, at least.'
The rest dispersed soon after, taking his corpse and those still injured to the church.
They all were crushed. Megumin, Darkness, and many of the spare Adventurers had witnessed most of the fight, crying out when he finally died. Kazuma remained silent then, only really speaking when spoken to.
She walked out to the field, finally finding the sword that had been used in the fight. Taking the longsword into her hands, she inspected the near-perfect blade. A tear fell from Darkness's face, falling onto the sword in a small rain.
She sheathed the sword silently, and walked back to the city.
Kazuma slowly drank from his tankard, barely sipping the ale. He was tired, devastated, and truly wanted to go home.
'But to where?' He thought to himself.
Right after the fight, most people went to the local church to receive additional healing, or to check on wounded party members. The rest simply went to bed early, exhausted from the fight.
It was universally decided that they would celebrate tomorrow.
Everyone around him was drunk, drinking heavily in a victory high, and to remember the dead Paladin who gave his life buying time.
Aqua was already floored, snoring peacefully on the bench next to him. Megumin had fled once they were shown the bill to repair the water damage caused by Aqua, leaving just the 3 of them to drink in silence. Darkness said nothing for most of the day, much like Kazuma, and mourned by drinking silently.
Bayard did not die peacefully, but they found his face calm, not contorted in terror.
He would be buried soon, the costs paid by the guild.
Kazuma took another sip, resolving himself.
'This world is brutal,' He thought, 'We can't let ourselves be careless now. Not after what happened.'
Setting the tankard down gently, he left the guild without saying a word.
He wouldn't let others see his tears, shining like gems in the moonlight.
I ran.
I ran faster than I thought possible, my legs pumping like pistons, propelling me forward.
I turned, whipping around the wall, sword in hand.
A horrible, wet screech sounded nearby.
'It's close.' I thought.
Turning a corner without breaking stride, I leapt forward with my blade thrust out, like a lance in the night sky.
The thing, a horribly necrotic arachnid, clicked its tendrils in fear. The radiant sword plunged deep into his shell with a bone crunching Crack!, blood bubbling up.
I pulled the sword away, dodging a sluggish swipe, and readied myself again.
In the plains, far away from town. Snow glittered like diamonds, a hard frost caked most of the road.
Kazuma trudged on, boots digging deep into the padded ground. Snow sprites were the cause of all this snow, and they were the target for the days quest. '100,000 Eris each,' The bounty had said.
He turned, looking at his party behind him. They all were wearing recently bought cold weather gear, padded and thick to protect against the harsh winds.
Darkness still wore the black clothing, her armor currently under repairs.
After seeing how Darkness was left relatively unscathed after Beldia, Kazuma had no doubt that she was still the most well defended party member.
He shook his head, his thoughts drifting to the dead party member.
It had already been a few days since then, but the wound was still too fresh to talk about openly.
'We should be there soon. There's only snow sprites here, right?' Kazuma asked.
Aqua nodded, her empty vials and jars shaking with the motion. She was going to capture some of the sprites to make a fridge, constantly chilling drinks for her.
Kazuma had simply been too tired to argue, and said nothing.
The snow sprites had been easy to kill, a single strike from his sword was enough to bring them down. Aqua ran around like a kid, trying to catch insects in the summer.
'Megumin! Cast it, now!'
'Got it!' She yelled back, almost shaking with excitement.
The Explosion wiped out nearly 2 dozen, a small crater forming where the spell hit.
'Ha! This isn't so bad, I think the rest of the day will be easy..' He thought.
Ah.
'So, what happened after?' He asked Eris.
Kazuma was remembering the rest of it, how the Winter Shogun appeared.
Darkness's sword was cut in half easily, and their only trump card had just used her only spell.
'Quickly, quickly prostrate yourselves! The Shogun is a forgiving being!' Aqua shouted.
Kazuma had tried, and failed, to push the panting erotic crusader down. Panicking, he threw his sword to the ground, head facing upward.
A single, quick, swipe, and he was already dead. Blood shot up from the headless corpse, painting part of Darkness and the snow red.
'The Winter Shogun disappeared after cutting you down, no harm came to your party members.' Eris said, eyes looking downward, sorrowful.
Kazuma sighed in relief, sitting back in the chair.
'Satou Kazuma-san. You came from peaceful Japan and encountered a horrible life like this. Brave soul who came from another world, I will use my power to let you reincarnate into a peaceful Japanese family, wealthy and living a free life.'
He thought for a moment, hand holding his chin. He thought about the time he had with them. It was short, true, but it was a happy time. Leaving now would make him.. Lonely.
'Hurry and come back Kazuma! How can you be killed off so easily in such a place! It's too early for you to die!'
I suddenly heard Aqua's pleading voice.
The sound echoed throughout the place where only Eris and I were.
'Kazuma, can you hear me? I have cast Resurrection on your body, you can come back now. There's a goddess before you, right? Ask that girl to open the gate back here.'
'Okay, wait for me, Aqua! I'll be right there!'
He wasn't sure if his voice would reach her, but Kazuma still shouted into the void and jumped up happily.
'Hold on, wait a minute! No, no, I'm sorry, you've already been revived once. By the laws of the heavens, you can't be resurrected again! The other side can't hear us, unless Aqua-senpai is connected to your voice. Could you help me pass along the message?' Eris said in a panic.
'Hey, Aqua, can you hear me!? Eris said that I've already been revived once, so I can't be revived again because of some rules in heaven!'
He shouted into the void.
Followed by a moment of silence, Aqua's voice boomed again.
'Eris?! Don't tell me you're the one keeping that Paladin from being revived again! I knew you had something to do with him, your smell was all over Bayard!
Eris panicked further, facing turning beet red as she backed away in shock.
'Listen Kazuma, if she continues, just-'
The goddess in front of him quickly cut off the goddess speaking.
'I get it, I get it! I'll make an exception this time!'
A ward appeared, slowly moving with light radiating out.
'Wait, before I go. What do you have to do with Bayard?' Kazuma asked, anticipation building in his throat.
'He's a different case, and I swear to you that I'm not the one keeping him from being revived. A curse from Beldia burdens on his soul, but..' She continued, quietly explaining to him.
Finished, the goddess who had a sorrowful look in her eyes scratched her cheek. Finally, she closed one eye like a playful kid and said in a soft, cheerful voice, 'Please keep this a secret, okay?'
Kazuma smiled awkwardly as he stepped into the shifting ward.
He could hear a sound from the distance.
' -zuma! Kazuma, get up! Kazuma!'
Megumin was lying on him, sobbing.
Shifting his gaze to the right, Kazuma could see Darkness by his side, down on one knee as she held his hand in her hands. Her eyes seemed to be closed in prayer similar to what Bayard would wordlessly mouth.
He could feel breathing at the top of his head, and looked that way.
Aqua met his eyes. Rising, she had an air of satisfaction after reviving him. Noticing that he was awake, Megumin and Darkness wordlessly gave Kazuma a tight hug. He saw the blood on her face, and the sanguine color painting most of the snow where he once was.
Walking back to Axel, supported by Darkness after losing so much blood, Kazuma remembered and thought on what Eris told him.
'Oi, Aqua, all of you.'
They didn't stop walking, but turned their heads to him.
'We might have a way to get his soul back.'
Kazuma explained to them what Eris had told him, a plan forming in the back of his mind.
'Come! Let us show our fury, in the name of the Emperor!' I shouted.
'In the name of the Emperor!' They shouted back.
We charged, footfalls breaking apart fleshless bones or charred corpses.
We were shouting, howling prayers and oaths of destruction, a chorus of barks from helmet grills.
I was the first one to reach the enemy. Axe burning bright, I slammed into the beast, digging deep into its crimson armor. A fellow battle brother was just a step behind, his sword slicing clean through one of the enemies veterans. My axe rose and fell methodically, ending lives as we powered through their lines. Battle brothers charged again and again, sometimes successful and tearing into open flanks.
Sometimes not.
I saw it too late to react, to shout out to him. The projectile shot past me and slammed into his helmet, blowing out the back in a splatter of gore. One of the crimson warriors gained the upper hand on a fellow brother, his gnarled and bladed fist pulping the black chestplate. He died silently.
Hours passed, and our numbers slowly dwindled. But for each one of us that fell, we took hundreds of their number. My arms burned from the constant fighting, but I ignored it, I had to, as another crimson plated warrior lunged at me. My pistol barked once, shooting deep into its thigh. It crumpled, hands raised almost as if begging for mercy.
I shot it again, ending the life wordlessly; not breaking marching stride.
24 hours passed, but the sun never set on this land.
'Ah! Brother, you've arrived. Now we may begin the cleansing.' The Castellan said to me. Scars tore across his face, ruining once what would have been beautiful features. Deep etching of prayer, oaths to the undying Emperor, snaked across his shaved head. Studs were bolted into his head, marking him as serving for nearly 6 centuries. He stood fully, black armor covered in white tabard moving with the motion of the hundreds of battle brothers. Sword stuck into the ground, he looked like-
He looked like Bayard. Like me.
I shook my head, regaining my senses as I responded.
The enemy made themselves known a few moments later, a sea of crimson swarmed to us.
'It seems they intend to face us here, brothers! Give them no quarter. No pity, No remorse, No fear!'
Our brethren mirrored him, swords raised as they charged into the tide of crimson.
'No pity, No Remorse, No-'
I never finished the shout.
One of their projectiles shot true, ending my life as my body fell forward with the motion. My last sight was one of the younger brothers, a warrior in training, taking my ancient axe. He charged with the rest of them, howling in rage chorused by all of my brethren in black.
A life led over millennia ended on that world.
Or was it a week?
A day?
How long has it been?
I suddenly felt disconnected, no longer feeling anything. Memories rushed to me, of my life, of them, of my death.
Of Eris telling me that my soul was lost, that heaven had no direct control anymore.
Panic and sensation rushed to my throat, a familiar feeling now, and I stifled vomiting for I had nothing to throw up. I was scared. I was simply, scared.
'Eris, where are you? Where am I going?'
My vision blurred, and I saw a realm of fire. Of ash and mountains.
Of hell.
'Oi, say that again.'
It was a few days after the beheading in the snow. Kazuma had rested since then, the loss of blood had nearly exhausted him immediately.
Fast forward to today. Kazuma was prohibited from strenuous activities, so he was looking for simple quests on the bulletin board, such as carrying luggage–
'I can say it as many times as you want. You mentioned a luggage-carrying quest? In a party full of high-tier job members, can't you take on a harder quest? You're the dead weight holding them back, the man with the weakest job, right?'
The man dressed like a warrior said as his companions at a table laughed with him.
'I have to bear with it,' Kazuma thought, 'I can handle this, even if some of what he says is true.'
But, that man thought I was afraid of him because I kept quiet.
'Hey, say something, Adventurer. Really, bringing three pretty ladies around, are you planning to create a harem? And all of them have top-tier jobs so you gotta be creating wonderful memories everyday with these onee-sans, right?'
Hearing this, the guild exploded in laughter.
But there were some who knew of our exploits. They were frowning and trying to warn the man.
Kazuma couldn't help clenching his fists, but felt that with these people in the crowd, it would be easy to get over this.
Megumin, Darkness, and Aqua came over to encourage him.
'Kazuma, don't bother with them. I won't mind no matter what they say about me.'
'That's right Kazuma, ignore those drunkards.'
'Yeah, that man is just jealous that Kazuma has us. I don't mind, so just leave them be.'
The man was just a typical troublemaker, one that reminded Kazuma of a Manga was no need to be concerned with him. He grit his teeth, but the next sentence from the man made him lose a bit temper.
'Being surrounded by top-tier classes is so blissful. How envious it is to not know suffering! How about switching places with me, bro?'
'I'll gladly switch!'
Kazuma shouted out loud, slamming his fists into the table.
The adventurer's guild turned silent again.
The man who was harassing him held his beer with one hand, and made an awkward sound.
'I said that I would switch with you! Hey, you think I'm a pushover because I didn't say anything, right? Ah, that's right, I have the weakest job! I'm fine with that, but you? What did you say after that?'
"Ka-Kazuma?"
Aqua timidly approached him after the sudden outburst.
But the man, who backed off a few feet, spoke before she could say anything more.
'After that part? Uh, bringing three pretty ladies and creating a harem..'
He slammed his fist on the table again..
The sound made everyone in the guild tremble.
'Pretty ladies, huh? Harem?! You said harem! Hey, are those things in your eye sockets made from glass?' Kazuma's voice begins to crack, 'Where are the pretty ladies?! My eyes are bad and can't see any pretty ladies, all right! Why don't you change your glass eyes with my lousy ones!'
'Ah, W-Wait hold on a m-minute, huh?'
Kazuma made to grab the man by the collar, when a timid voice came from behind him.
'Well.. About that..'
That was the soft voice of Aqua, who was representing the three of them, raising her hand.
He ignored her, and carried on.
'And after that? Being surrounded by top-tier classes is so blissful? How envious it is to not know suffering?'
'..Uh, well, sorry.. The alcohol got to my head..But! The grass might look greener on the other side, but your situation is better! You said you want to change with me, right? Just one day. How about just switching with me for one adventure? Hey, you guys are fine with that, right?'
The man whose collar was grabbed by Kazuma turned to his companions for confirmation.
'I-I'm fine with that… The quest today is just hunting goblins.'
'I'm okay with it too. But Dust, don't say you don't want to rejoin the party because it's too comfortable there, all right?'
'I have no problems, either. Even with a rookie, the goblins are no big deal. As compensation, I hope you bring some great stories back.'
Each one responded as they turned and discussed amongst themselves.
'Hey, Kazuma. You guys seemed to be chatting happily, but aren't you going to ask for our opinion?'
'No.' He said, curtly. Kazuma turned to his new companions. 'Hello, my name is Kazuma. It might just be one day, but please take care of me.'
The three companions simply nodded to him.
A few minutes before they would make to leave, Kazuma returned to his original party members.
'Ah, you're back already, hm? Well, we might consider hearing you out-'
'That's not it, Aqua. You all remembered to bring your white soapstone, right?' Saying that, Kazuma produced a dagger like quartz, part of it wrapped in cloth.
The others repeated him, each showing their own soapstone, its surface murky white.
Eris had explained to him, and he in turn explained to the rest of them, that Bayard's soul could possibly be found at a warp gate and returned to the world. However, they would need something to act as a beacon of light to, 'Show the way for wayward lost souls…' as Eris put it.
Visiting Wiz's shop, they found these white soapstones that could produce a light for souls, allowing them to pass through the gates.
However, these gates shift daily, no single one ever remaining in a known spot for long.
Thus, as Kazuma returned to Dust's group to leave for the quest, the plan would simply be to have these stones on your person, and hope that he would return.
They didn't have the luxury of options, so the 4 placed their hopes into this plan.
As they left the city, the tall man in a heavy set of armor sized Kazuma up, and introduced himself.
'I'm Taylor. I'm proficient with a one-handed sword, as well as being a Crusader. I'm the leader of this party, so even though It's just temporary, you're still part of our team. Please listen to my instructions when I give them, all right?'
'Of course. I was always the one issuing the orders for my previous party, following your instructions should be a refreshing experience. Please make use of me.'
Taylor seemed shocked to hear what Kazuma said.
'What? That party of top-tier jobs is led by an adventurer?'
'That's correct.'
The girl in front of them played with the string of her hoodie as she introduced herself.
'I'm Lynn.' She stopped playing and summoned a small flame on her finger. 'As you can see, I'm a mage and can use Intermediate Magic. Anyway, nice to meet you. And don't worry so much, Goblins are a piece of cake!'
Kazuma turned to the last one, a lanky man with a bow on his back.
'I'm Keith, an Archer. I'm confident with sniping. Anyway, pleased to meet you.'
The lean man finished curtly with a sly smile.
'I'll be in everyone's care. I'm Kazuma. My job is adventurer... Eh, should I talk about things I'm good at?'
The three of them burst out in laughter.
'No, no need. By the way, weren't you looking for an easy quest? Kazuma, just help us with our bags. A simple quest of hunting goblins will be fine with just the three of us. Don't worry, the bounty will be split equally four ways.'
They made their way out of the city and onto the plains, leisurely walking across the grass sea.
The goblins they were hunting would be at the foot of the mountains, most likely in wooden defences outside of caves. 20,000 Eris would be given per goblin killed, and these encampments could harbor anywhere from a couple dozen to hundreds, depending on the time of year and circumstance.
'I didn't know how strong the goblins were, but they had to be easy since Lynn said so. Also, I get a share of the reward just by following behind these three with their bags.'
Kazuma slowed his pace, smiling to himself.
'This is great!'
Keith wiped his forehead, the soreness in his arms causing him to wince. 'Kazuma, Kazuma! How many more are there?'
Kazuma ran to him and slammed into the rock wall next to him, ash and dust covering his young face. His short sword was coated in goblin blood.
'Enemy Detect is pinging another 5, 2 to the left, 2 directly in front, and another in the trees.'
Keith cursed, his voice breaking. Nocking another arrow, he whipped around the cover. The first arrow flew true, striking the goblin directly in its neck, corrupted blood spilling out. The next arrow wasn't a direct kill, but it dig deep into the unprotected chest.
'A-Aha! I don't think that one will be walking ho-Urk!'
One of the goblin archers, hidden in a tree, let loose a flurry of primitive arrows, one of them striking Keith's abdomen.
Yelping in pain, he nocked another arrow.
'Snipe.'
The tree goblin was launched away from its branch, head caved in.
The remaining two goblins rushed them, shouting and cursing in fear and rage. Kazuma stepped forward, hands shaking from fear and excitement. The first swiped at him in a wide swing, its rusted scimitar just barely missing Kazuma. He lunged forward, skewering his lightly clothed chest. The second goblin struck his knee hard with its club, giggling with glee as the leg buckled. Kazuma lashed out with his sword, the blade cutting a wide gash across its belly, awful smelling bowels spilling out.
The goblin howled in pain, dead as it keeled over.
'I think that's the last of them.. Where's Taylor? And Lynn?' Keith asked.
'I saw Lynn get knocked out cold by a rock when they ambushed us, I don't know what happened to them then.'
Panic washed over Keith's exhausted face, eyes widening in fear.
They found the two not long after, Taylor covered in blood, shield protecting the still unconscious Lynn. He nearly struck them as they approached, only stopping at the frantic shouts from Kazuma.
'W-We thought you were dead when we got split up.. How did they do that, anyways?' Keith said, sitting down and washing his face with water.
Taylor, much repeating the same motion, responded to the Archer.
'The damned goblins sprung a dozen traps on us, I think. Lynn panicked and a goblin got a lucky shot off with his sling. They rushed us then, cutting us off. I thought you dead men once you both ran for higher ground, a sea of green following you.'
Kazuma was about to respond, when he felt a sudden warmth to his side. He quickly unbuckled the pouch, and produced the white soapstone.
It was faintly glowing, its murky surface warm to the touch.
'Oi, what's that? I saw you and your friends take those out at the guild, mind explaining what they are?'
Kazuma hastily explained that it was a summoning stone, and would shine when ready to summon.
'It's not entirely a lie..' He thought, standing up and looking around the valley they were ambushed in.
Lynn began to shift, murmuring incomprehensibly. Taylor rushed to her side, eyes beginning to open.
'How many more should there be?'
'There's usually a hobgoblin leading them, and probably another dozen guarding it. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet already..'
Kazuma shook his head, walking to the cave where most of the goblins came out of.
A faint white light was radiating out of it, followed by screams and yells.
He rushed back down to the valley, running to the resting group. Lynn was awake now, a small lump on her head where she was struck. Shoving down the urge to throw up from the sudden sprint, Kazuma quickly explained what he saw.
'Yea, that sounds like the hob cave..' Lynn said, wrapping a small bandage around the wounded Keith.
'Though it is a bit strange for so much yelling to come from them, maybe an animal used for traps got out? If more of them die, its less for us to deal with.'
Kazuma was about to rebuke her, before stopping. He sat down, a wave of exhaustion washing over him from the fighting.
'How about we rest and heal for a bit, then we'll go check it out, alright?' Taylor said, handing him a small flask of water.
Kazuma said nothing, taking a sip from the water and nodding thanks to him.
They cleaned their weapons, Lynn using minor healing magic to close wounds that the medical kit couldn't, and regained their strength. Looking at the Adventurer cards showed that they killed twenty one goblins in total, each raising them a level or two.
Kazuma put his skill point into a basic healing spell used by Lynn, casting it upon a small gash on Taylors head. The wound closed immediately, and the three stared at him.
'You.. Just learnt that?'
'Mhm, I can learn any spell or skill just by viewing it, albeit at a higher cost and weaker output.'
They stared at him in silence again. He simply shrugged, smirking to himself.
When they finally walked to the cave, they heard nothing. The silence was deafening. Goblin blood had ran a thin river through the cave, confirming their suspicions that whatever attacked them, slaughtered the hob and its guards.
They found the bodies soon after, most butchered and bloodied. The hobgoblin laid splayed out, blood running fresh.
Fear sank into them, for whatever could mercilessly kill these creatures, could pose a real threat to the four.
'Oi, K-Kazuma..' Lynn said, 'That light over there looks kind of like that soapstone light. Is that it?'
He turned, looking to where she pointed. It was a set of writing completely unfamiliar to him, but it radiated the same warm light as the stone. He walked to it, the stone in his hand. Kazuma waved it over the writing, the light increasing before blinking out.
Enemy Detect pinged him.
'I got 2 enemies coming,' He said, turning to Taylor. 'Approaching fast..'
The wall next to them blew out, stone shrapnel pricking all of them.
'U-Undead Knights!'
Three figures walked into the room, malefic mana palpable as they approached. They wore black full plate, its design crude and dented. The first one engaged Taylor, its black blade smashing against the Crusader's. Keith moved back, nocking and letting loose a flurry of arrows.
All struck useless against the knight's black and gold shields.
Taylors shield barely blocked their devastating sword blows, his feet digging deep into the cave floor.
Kazuma drew his short sword as Lynn prepared a spell.
'Firebolt!'
The lead Knight simply held his shield out, the fire washing out on its blackened surface. Fear held Kazuma in place, unable to move his legs he watched as their resolve slowly dissolved.
kazuma's face was contorted in fear, unable to do anything when the Knight came to him. It battered him away with its shield, Kazuma slamming on the cave wall.
'This is it.' He thought, blood running down his head. 'This is how we die.'
His vision blurred, his hearing reduced to near nothing as the screams of shouts and cries melted to one sound.
'Smite!'
He managed to open one eye.
One of the Knights writhed in pain, dropping his sword.
Someone picked it up.
The person thrust forward, the black flamberge like blade emerging on the other side of the knight.
He walked forward, decapitating the Knight in a single swipe.
'There you are. Come to me, Demons! Show me your wrath! '
The man lunged forward, dodging a stab from one of the Knights. He slashed upward, digging deep into its gut. The Knight was brought to its knees. He spun, the flamberge blade separating its helmeted head off. Black blood fountained out for a moment, the armored body falling to the ground.
He changed his stance, holding the blade out as the final Knight approached. The Knight struck, the black shield held to the side. The man rolled under the blade, whipping around and stabbing at the unprotected back. The Knight gurgled out black blood from its helmet, turning its head to the man.
He swung, removing the head.
'K-Kazuma?'
The man approached, dropping the sword and picking Kazuma up.
He said nothing, tears running down his face.
The man hugged him tightly, silently weeping.
'I thought you dead, Bayard. We all did.'
Bayard cried harder, bear hugging Kazuma.
I had spotted the light when I was in hell, the unmistakable warmth a cold difference to the ash and fire of that realm. I entered the cave it came from, eager that this could be the gods finally retrieved my wayward soul.
I was not the only one to enter.
Hell Knights, fallen Adventurers or soldiers succumbed to a Demons will, also entered the gate.
I explained this to the party before me, healing their wounds dealt by the errant Knights.
'So, you lived a thousand lifetimes, all filled with strife or war, but you also only remember living just a week's worth of memories?'
I stopped.
'I suppose so, yeah. Time works differently in those realms, what may be a year here could be a thousand there.'
The Archer, Keith, stood and stretched.
'Well, I think that's enough action for awhile, so how about we head back to the city?'
We left the caves, exhausted and ready for a meal. It was then that I noticed I was still wearing the simple chainmail armor at the time of my death, a clear hole ripped through the mail and gambeson into my chest.
The Knight's bodies dissolved to ash, leaving nothing to loot. As we walked back to town, I answered the flurry of questions asked by the mage, Lynn. The woman seemed enthralled by my experience, soaking up every detail I told her. I left out some experiences, of course.
I held no doubt that because my soul was locked away from the heavens, creatures like The Demon King could torture lost souls like me.
I told them of one of the first things I could remember. It like I was run through a gauntlet, forever trapped in a dungeon facing off against increasingly difficult beasts. My life was short, my death quick. Some basilisk like creature had ripped me apart effortlessly.
I kept the last two experiences to myself, resolving that only holy beings like Aqua would hear of it.
I held onto the hope that she could help with what I saw. With what won't leave my mind.
Kazuma informed me as to what happened to them. Guilt built in my heart as he told of how devastated they were, and how my loss changed them. They bet nearly everything on the plan that I could see the soapstones light.
The weight of the situation nearly crushed me.
We continued walking, the setting sun turning the horizon a beautiful orange, finally spotting Axel, the city of beginners.
Opening the door to the guild, a wave of sound overcame us. Aqua had a horrible gash on her head, and was wailing, tugging on the shirt of a man the four around me recognized. Megumin was on his back, with Darkness sitting down nearby, nursing a tankard.
'Ah! Kazuma, good, you're here! I apologize, please take your party back!' The man, looking incredibly tired and dirty, pleaded to Kazuma.
He thought for a moment, before simply shaking his head.
The man looked like he was about to cry, much like the goddess next to him, before I stepped forward.
'Heal.'
The wound closed, and the four of them looked up and stared at me, eyes widened.
'I die for nearly a week, and you're already like this?' I said lightheartedly. 'Geez, maybe-'
Aqua stormed to me and clocked the side of my head, knocking me back. I was immediately tackled to the ground, losing all the air in my lungs.
The blue haired goddess hugged me tightly, murmuring silently. Megumin and Darkness were close behind, also rushing to me. Darkness nearly crushed me, separating herself for a moment, contemplating something as her face grew red.
I barely got them away before I could suffocate, taking deep breaths to refill my deprived body.
Aqua stared at me, face red with tears. 'Don't you ever do that again, and you better start explaining how you are alive!'
I hastily did so.
I spent the next hour answering questions asked by my party, wolfing down a feast of meals set out in front of us. The tight knot of guilt in me slowly went away as we ate, our spirits high to just be alive and here again. Many of the guilds Adventurers noticed and came by, my shortened story repeated over a thousand times as I informed stunned comrades.
Dust, who I learned traded his party for ours early today, eventually reunited with his old party, almost crying in joy.
I did not know why he was so happy to get away from us, but the four of them left soon after.
Later in the night, when most of the Adventurers either left or were too drunk to leave, Darkness approached me. We were all tired and exhausted from the day, but I gave her my full attention as she spoke.
'I.. Wanted to give this to you. It seems to have served you better than I.'
She held out her sheathed longsword, its gold etchings catching and shining in the firelight.
I took the sword, inspecting it once more.
'It's as beautiful as I remember.'
I did nothing to stop the tear growing in my eye.
'What about you? Won't you need another sword?' I asked her
She looked away.
'Don't worry about that, that sword has a sister back at my family house.'
She smiled at me, a warm, longing, smile.
A light dusting of red grew on my face, and I smiled back.
'Thank you, Darkness.'
When I finally was able to go to sleep at the stables, with what few hours of night remained, I thought on what happened.
On what I saw, of the lives I lived.
I fell asleep easily enough, but I was tortured by nightmares, visions of what I experienced.
I woke up at the crack of dawn, warm light slowly appearing on the horizon.
The night before, I heard that my deceased body had suddenly vanished from the church's morgue, no signs of broken entry reported. I gave the church of Eris workers a curt surprise when I arrived. Once calmed down, they gave me what little items I had on me: My Xiphos, my coin pouch of Eris, and the small pack I carried, undamaged.
I visited Lorenz's shop, the forges smoke just beginning to rise as I walked there. Entering, I called out for him.
I heard then saw him, his face covered in soot as he wiped his hands with a cloth.
'Oh, Gods!'
Lorenz dropped the cloth and immediately went for one of the swords on the rack.
After a quick and frantic explanation of my situation, he sat down on a stool, eyes wide.
'We all thought you permanently dead, the priests unable to revive you. I completed your armor, by the way, as well as something special.'
He stood, grinning as he motioned for me to follow. Entering the back workshop, a wave of familiarity washed over me as I took in the sights and smells of the forge. He showed me an armor stand, the commissioned piece standing empty.
It was a set of plate armor painted black, a white cream tabard over the plate, a solid Black cross as its heraldry.
As I stood in awe, Lorenz moved behind me and brought me the item.
The crossbow pistol he presented was compact, the limb vertical and shortened, allowing it to be carried in a holster. There was space for a clip to be inserted in front of the trigger, filled with bolts.
'How.. How did you do it?' I asked.
'A friend, a crimson demon, visited not long ago. He was the one who gave me the idea for how the mechanism works. It draws the users mana, filling the manatite crystals built into the pistol, and expels that energy in a contained blast, projecting the bolt forward.'
I smiled at him, taking the pistol.
I sold my damaged chainmail, Xiphos, and Knife to him, using the Eris gained to purchase a Dagger, and to cover the rest of the costs that the commission required.
I stepped out of the shop wearing my new armor, the pistol holstered to my left and the sword sheathed on my right. The tabard cloak moved slightly in the wind.
I eventually reached the Adventurers guild, and pushed open the door.