Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or any other intellectual property used in this story and would like it if none of you clamed I did.
Note:
(Sounds)
"Talking"
'Thinking'
-Messages/Flashback
Special Item Name
"Special voice"
[Spoken Spell/Ability]
{Wordless Spell/Ability}
Like before the sudden change in scenery was both jarring and nauseating. Unfortunately unlike I'd done before with the arrow I was accompanied by more than just myself this time. Which is why I was nearly crushed as I was forced to endure over half a ton of flesh and metal crashing onto my back a second later. The force nearly dropping me out of consciousness as the rest of the people transported by the cash shop item materialized over me.
"What tha- where are we?"
"What just happened?"
"Where's the vampire?"
"Whose hand is that!?"
Each question came from a different person above me as they struggled to both untangle themselves from each other and process what had just happened.
It only just now dawned on me that perhaps transporting an entire group of people into a one person summoning circle was not the best of ideas. 'Next time I'll make sure to make one for me and one for everyone else. They can be the ones to deal with this crap.' I told myself.
"If you guys aren't too busy asking questions would you kindly get off me? I'd rather not survive a vampire attack only to die to the people I just saved." I said in the most sickeningly sarcastic tone I could muster.
Although I doubt they heard me the group did seem to realize that they were no longer in immediate danger and began to untangle themselves from each other before getting off the pile. It was only after they were all off and I attempted to move my arms did I realize the predicament I was in. Both my arms felt as if they had been filled with liquid lead.
Once again I attempted to move, but was met with even more shaking as my arms as they attempted to push me up. 'This can't be good.'
"Hey, would anyone mind lending me a hand?" I said while peering up at the only person within my field of vison.
The person in question was a male and reminded me a lot of the swords of Darkness' team leader, what was his name again? Whatever, either way he had a similar look to him, aside from the fact that his blond hair was slicked back they both sported a similar facial structure. The difference being the lack of a smile on this man's face as opposed to the cheerful expression Anima's leader tended to carry, that and the heavily armored equipment he had on was a clear distinction of the two.
The man didn't even look down to acknowledge my request. Rather he began to talk to another member present in the room.
"What was that Aden? Transport magic capable of moving all of us so seamlessly isn't easy to come by, tier six at least, and unless I'm mistaken nobody here can use something like that without enormous preparations first." I heard the man ask the leader.
"No, your correct Galahad. I don't believe it was one of us." I heard Aden reply.
"Could it possibly have been someone in the theocracy watching over us? Perhaps they deciding it best to call us back before things got worse?"
"I don't believe so, even if it was I am sure we would have been transported back to the theocracy. From what I can see this is no place I recognize so I doubt that's it."
At this point I was past my patience of being ignored. "How long is someone just going to leave me laying here? I clean this floor fairly often enough, doesn't mean they are meant to be slept on." I complained to the two.
This time it seemed I had gotten somewhere because the man with the lance turned down to me. "You? You know where we are?"
"Of course I do, I'm the one who sent us here." I said.
That seemed to catch his attention because soon enough he was bending down in what I assumed was an attempt to pick me up.
'Oh thank god, I thought they might forget about me and leave me down here. I have nothing against floors, but sleeping on one against my will would have just been-'Although the second his hand touched my shoulder I realized why I couldn't move. With the adrenalin from earlier gone the pain I had been unable to feel up to now shot through my body. The pain was enough to forcibly arc my body. The blood seeping from between clenched teeth unto the floor doing little to convince me that I was still fine.
Through the pain it began to become clear what had happened, why I wasn't even able to move my arms properly. My body was done.
I could feel the pain continuing to spread over me, each part of me felt as if it had been torn apart and sown back together a hundred times with nothing but a rusty knife. Before too long it encompassed by entire being and I began to see spots in my vison. Even through the pain I could feel the answer to what this was form in the back of my mind.
It was an unfamiliar feeling that encompassed my senses. Almost as if I had been forced to study and workout for days straight without rest, but it didn't feel right to pull that analogy. It was beyond complete exhaustion of my body and mind. No, this was something more, something I don't feel I would have been able to get in my past life. This must have been the pain of magic exhaustion you hear about in books and media. After all the pain wasn't from my muscles of anything akin to physical pain, but rather it welled up from somewhere deeper. Someplace I knew I didn't have in my previous body.
'Fuck do they undersell how much this shit hurts. If this body wasn't so tough I would have passed out the second it started.' I was able to tell myself through the agony.
The pain was gone the instant he stopped touching me, but felt to me it had as if it had been an eternity. My breathing was hitched at first, but slowly began returning to normal.
"What was that?" he asked.
"If I had to call it… Gahh…. anything I'd say…Hhah… it was magic exhaustion." I answered the man through worn breaths.
His eyes narrowed slightly at me for a second before looking over to someone else in the room. He gave whoever it was a nod before I heard footsteps from the direction of my right leg.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked whoever was coming closer.
I didn't get a response. What I did notice was a small green glow appear at the far corner of my vison. It faded after a few seconds.
"I am unable to confirm whether or not he is magically exhausted." The voice was that of an old man. Considering I'd seen every one of the member's earlier I was somewhat ashamed to say that I had nearly forgotten how the old man looked. Then again considering the situation perhaps it wasn't entirely shaming to forget a few things here and there.
"Are you saying he's lying Sir Zoken?"
"No, but rather I cannot gather any information from him. Whenever I try to use a scribing spell on him it is dispelled before it can activate." Zoken explained.
"Have you perhaps been effected by the transportation or perhaps we are under the effects of a spell in this palace?" I heard the leader reason.
The next response came not from old man Zoken, but rather from a girl's voice.
"Incorrect, I too have been unable to read anything off this stranger since we met him. Although I have been attempting to do so since encountering him, it has been to no avail." I heard her say.
'Boy am I glad I have this cloak or scribing spells could be real bad for me… thinking about it I probably should have gotten something for Anima. Shit.' I cursed at the implication of someone scribing her.
"Why was I not informed of this sooner Sophia?" Said a slightly heated Aden.
"I felt it was something to be discussed in private. That and I did not expect this stranger to live past tonight considering how powerful that vampire was."
That caught both mine and Aden's attentions. "And exactly how powerful did you estimate the vampire to be?"
"Considering what we saw and what I felt I don't believe it is within our ability to face. That said I do not believe it is beyond "Her" strength." The emphasis on whoever she was talking including the fact she could beat that vampire made me feel like I should commit whoever that was to memory.
"I see… we shall speak of this later. For now on to the matter of our friend here." He said while pointing down to me.
I just let out a weak chuckle. "Aw shucks Aden, I didn't know you considered me a friend. I'm going to get all teary eyed." That comment earned me a swift kick to the ribs from the girl with the big hat and odd fashion sense Aden had just been talking to. The strike sent me reeling, but not nearly as bad as before.
"Ack, alright, now that was uncalled for." I groaned out.
"Enough Sophia, I know you are agitated, but we still require him to answer questions." The leader scolded. She just gave a slight scoff and left my immediate area.
"I swear this is the last time I save people if this is how they're going to repay me. Then again I suppose I should expect the same thing from Brita. Don't really see her as the cheery hug it out… kind of…person… shit!" My mind raced back to full throttle as I realized that the rest of the team was still out there.
The slamming of my hands on the wooden floor was all the warning my body was given before I began forcing my way back to my feet. Each inch of progress felt like I was lifting the world, but with no small amount of effort I forced my body to act. One arm at time I began to push off the ground and onto my feet. My body shook from the strain, but I ignored it and willed myself upright. Having reached my full height I had to catch myself before I fell backwards. Wiping away the excess blood from my face I stabilized my legs and decide it was time to get going. Soon as I did a blue glow below my feet caught my attention.
Looking down I saw what seemed to be a blue runic circle engrave itself below me. My taxed mind was given no time to process the new development before a large metal chain flew over and wrapped itself around me, pining both arms to my side.
Even my dulled mind needed no time to realize the situation I was in now. Up to this point I had been treating my return to home as the end of my worries for the night, but it seemed I had fallen from one mess into another.
"What is the meaning of this Aden?" I glared at the leader who I up to now had been treating as an ally.
"Sorry Erdrick, but I'm afraid I am unable to allow you to leave."
"And way is that exactly?" I asked.
"You are as of now considered a person of interest to our organization and as such will be questioned and held in captivity until we can discern who you work for." He responded calmly.
"Person of interest? You're telling me that you plan on capturing me because you think ill, what? Go out and do what exactly? Because right not all I want to do is recover what's left of my team before they die out in that forest." I told the leader through a barely contained anger.
His gaze didn't not waver. "That is not our concern. We cannot allow such a powerful and unknown individual wander around unaccounted for." At this point I had begun to lose my patience. Although my arms might have been tied, they had been caught in such a way that my hands were out of anyone's direct sight underneath my cloak.
"You expect me to just stand here and allow my team to stay out there with that monster so close to them?" I growled out. Reaching as far as I could with my left hand, I felt the sensation of my inventory activating and pulled out a cube-like object out of the invisible void.
"Once the proper questions have been answered we shall see what we can do about your team." Once again no change.
I clenched my teeth. "On whose authority?" Knowing that basically everyone, but Aden was situated behind me I twisted my hand for the best aim.
"Mine." He finished still refusing to give anything away.
"So what you're telling me is that I'm being held in contempt by the leader of a random adventurer team because they decided their so called organization might find me interesting? Yeah, sorry, No." I knew I was in no position to fight these people, not as I was now, but I had a plan.
With a flick of my fingers the cube flew straight back, out past my cloak and activated with a clank once it landed.
The cube in question held [Stasis], a tier 4 holding spell that would stop mid-level creatures for about 10 seconds, longer depending on level. Either way I didn't have a lot of time.
The instant it activated all the other people in the room became surrounded in an ethereal white glow, completely frozen in place.
With a grimace I readied my mind. 'Let's hope I can still do this.'
{Strength Up}
The liquid magma that I felt flow through my veins at having cast the spells was ignored in favor of maintaining the hopefully imposing display I was about to try. With a tug the chain strained under both my natural and augmented strength, with another pull it shattered. A single step forward and the rune on the ground distorted before falling apart, my natural magic resistances thankfully enough to render the spell useless. With the next step I looked over to confirm the state of the rest. Sure enough they were frozen behind a white barrier that hugged their bodies. With one last step I was face to face with the leader, all of his safeguards rendered completely inert.
Both my vison and magic faltering, I spoke to the last person in the room who could possibly stop me. "Understand this Aden, I have been courteous enough to play along with this superiority complex you've had going here, but try and stop me again and you'll know exactly why that vampire only went after me during that last fight." I warned while staggering towards the door.
I was a step away from exiting out the door, but stopped as Aden's voice spoke up again.
"Erdrick, if you leave that door I will be forced to-"
"To do what? Do you intend to kill me? Last time I checked you had me by the neck here and I'm still had no issue leaving… but then again it was the same with that vampire before you arrived." I taunted before closing the door behind me.
Finally outside I realized I wouldn't get far walking and decided I had to stomach it once again to hopefully get away. With clenched teeth I cast one last spell.
{Transport}
In a flash of blue I was gone.
/Aden POV/
With a click of door behind me followed by what sounded like a teleportation spell. The room grew silent.
With the pop of a bubble the white barriers that had kept the rest of the group frozen in place vanished and they were all allowed free movement again.
Beaumarchais, wielder of the chains that had restricted Erdrick, was the first to try and give chase, but I stopped him before he could reach the door. "Don't waste your energy. That last one was a teleportation spell and for someone of his level I don't doubt he could travel half the distance to theocracy in a single cast." I told him.
He clicked his tongue in frustration, but conceded.
"He wasn't even trying was he? The way he paralyzed us he could have killed any of us without issue." Beaumarchais spat out.
"Indeed, I don't believe even Zetsumei could have done it so easily." I told him.
He simply clenched the remains of his broken weapon in clear frustration.
The next one to speak was Agon, the largest man of the group. "… I know you don't want to hear it Aden, but I have to admit. That was pretty badass."
With a light chuckle I couldn't help but agree with the large man. "No Agon, that assumption is correct. It was entirely my loss in that exchange. And it was rather 'Badass' as you say."
"What now then?" Evelyn asked.
"We do as we always do. First, I feel it best to recuperate and report our findings to the Theocracy. Informed them of our losses and to prepare the resurrection ritual. Explain to them the events of today and of the vampire's location. Also inform them that we will not be able to continue our mission to subjugate the catastrophe dragon lord." I told her.
"What should I tell them about this Erdrick character?" She asked back.
"Nothing for now. I want to have another chat with him before we report back on his existence."
"What makes you think he'll come back?"
"I believe Erdrick gave away more than he intended to because unless he is able to simply throw away complex magic circles like these I think he'll be back to use this place at some point. Second, he spoke of having cleaned this place recently so I'd assume he doesn't lives far, though he is also a welder of teleport magic so perhaps that could be considered a bad assumption. If nothing else then just call it a feeling." I explained. She gave me a warry look, but nodded none the less and went off to prepare the communication spell.
"Next, Siegfried,-" I looked to the blond haired, pink eyed member of the group. "-you and Edger-" I looked over to the spiral sword user. "-will be scouting out the nearby area. Figure out where we are and what our lines of escape are." I ordered. With a nod the two headed out the door.
"Zoken, Sophia, you two will stay here and set up defenses. We don't know what to expect and I don't need any more surprises today. If a fly comes near this place I want to know about it." They gave a nod. "Also see if you can figure anything about this circle here. If it can be used to transport people so seamlessly then I'm sure the theocracy will be very happy to know about it."
Looking over to the resident priestess. "Guinevere, I need you to prepare lady Kaira and Cedran for transport back to the theocracy. The loss of two members is unfortunate, but the cost of revival only increases the more their bodies decay. Make sure they stay as fresh as possible. Also once your done do see if you can collect the blood Erdrick left behind. The blood of a magic caster that powerful could come in handy." Without so much as a nod she went to work on casting preservation spells on the corpses.
"Everyone else I want you to search the premises for anything that might tell us more about Erdrick. Make sure everything in this building is accounted for. I don't know if we've actually been left to ourselves, but I don't want to risk being spied on." I said while heading out of the door.
"Where will you be going?" Evelyn asked as I left.
"I'm going out for some fresh air." I told her.
"I wouldn't recommend it, but considering it is you I doubt I can stop it. All I'll say is be careful, we can't afford to lose anyone else today, much less you." She said with her arms crossed.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure not to get into too much trouble." I teased. She simply gave me a small glare.
Closing the door behind me I began walking down the empty street before I slipped into a nearby alleyway.
Hand pressed against a wall I finally let it all hit me. Breathing haggard and leaning against a large trash container I finally letting my composer fall for the first time in who knew how long.
Even as I placed all of my weight on the dumpster my legs still began to wobble. I had done my best to not let the others see it, but I was shaken. That man was beyond me, he was beyond any of us. He had escaped both Zokens spell and Beaumarchais' chains as if they hadn't been there and trapped everyone else in an instant. I was unsure as to what he had used, but he had done it with such confidence I don't doubt he could do it again.
He had fought against that vampire alone and managed to wound it rather quickly while I was stuck on my ass without so much as a second thought. He said he was magically exhausted from the battle and by the way he twitched when using those last spell I could tell he wasn't lying. I thought that maybe in that state we might have been able to take him back to the theocracy for further questioning, but no. Drained and fatigued from his fight with that vampire, yet still capable of treating us like children!
"Useless!" I screamed while bashing the nearby wall, which caved inward under the strike.
"What would have happened to us had he not been there. What if we had met up with that vampire alone? How many of us would have died simply trying to escape? Could we even have gotten away from something like that? What would happen to humanity if its strongest force was torn down and turned into vampires?" Each new thought pulled be further and further into the depths of depression. I had never experienced such a soul shattering defeat at the hands of anyone. Not even Zetsumei had so thoroughly overwhelmed me.
"Could even humanities greatest weapon stand a chance…?" I asked myself. The severity of the situation finally catching up to me.
Then the revelation struck me. 'Wait a second! What is Erdrick? Ever since we met him he's had that hood on so I haven't even been able to his face, but could he possibly be human? His strength is incredible, even beyond Agon's, and yet he's no bigger than a regular man. Only non-humans have strength like that. Even so he wields magic that surpasses reason and does so with ease. Still he's shown an unwillingness to hurt others needlessly, a rather human trait. He has a clear distaste for that vampire. That could possibly just be because of his team, but the resentment I could felt in his voice was deep. It could all just be a coincidence, but is it possible he is human at least half? Perhaps he's like Zetsumei in that he's willing to fight for humanity.' At the idea my mind raced.
I had rejected the idea of Erdrick being a human after he showed such clear displays of inhuman feats, but what if he was? If someone like him was on our side, perhaps human dominance was assured, perhaps- 'No, I can't be making assumptions like that. I need to know more.' Steeling my resolve I stopped my body from shaking and pointed my way towards the center of the city we seemed to be in.
"I will find out who you are Erdrick." I whispered to myself.
/Erdrick POV/
{Transport}
The blue light that enveloped me lasted all of two seconds before a shot of pain broke my concentration. At the same time the magic, namely mine, that was powering the spell ran out. With the blue glow gone I was met with the image of the house tops closing in on me.
Grasping what it was I curled myself into a ball and slamming into the rooftop before sliding off the side. The sound of shattering roof tiles followed by the echo of several items clanking together accompanied my unceremonious fall.
'This is fine. I didn't need to make a dramatic exit. God knows I haven't been given any other breaks today, why start now.' Letting out a huff of air I pulled off a piece of half eaten lettuce from my head. Popping my head over the container I'd found myself surveying the area outside in hopes that I had at least gotten a bit of distance on those guys.
'Doesn't look like I've left the city, but I don't see any of them here so I must have made at least a little distance on them. Better wait it out a little or they'll catch me running as I am now.' With a sigh I let myself sit back into the trash filled canister. Thankfully the smell was enough to keep me from falling asleep in the admittedly comfortable dumpster.
'No sense in trying to get up yet though. Walking the extras forty feet before teleporting wouldn't make much sense considering the MP recharge rate is the same… I hope this pain disappears with enough time.' Weighing my options I let myself rest within the canister as my magic recharged.
My tranquil state was broken suddenly as a loud crash echoed throughout the alleyway my canister was situated in.
'Shit, did they find me?' Looking around within the dumpster I noticed that the sound had not been from something hitting the container, but rather just really close to my hiding place. 'Odd, doesn't seem like I've been found. But then what was that? It sounded like a truck just hit the wall next to me.'
"Useless!" I heard someone shout from outside the container.
'Scratch that, they found me? I swear I've been found out by so many people I'm starting to doubt this cloak works.' I thought as I resigned myself to a fight.
"What would have happened to us had he not been there.-"
'Wait, What? Does he actually not know I'm here?' Not believing luck I readied another item just in case.
"-What if we had met up with that vampire alone?-"
'Oh wait, he's talking about me… does he know I'm here or not?"
"-How many of us would have died simply trying to escape? Could we even have gotten away from something like that?-"
'Probably most of you would be dead. No offence, but that thing was clearly way past your ability to handle. Mabey a more experienced team could have dealt with it" I internally answered.
"-What would happen to humanity if its strongest force was torn down and turned into vampires?"
'Wait, what? Humanities strongest? Thinking a little too highly of yourself don't you think Aden?"
"Could even humanities greatest weapon stand a chance…?" I heard him somberly finish.
'Greatest weapon? Is that an actual weapon or is that tied to what that girl he talked about?' Losing myself in my thoughts I missed Aden's last comment, only realizing he had left when I could no longer hear his oddly strained breathing.
'Well, considering there leader couldn't find me five feet from himself I don't think they'll be coming after me any time soon. Though I'd rather not push my luck so…'
{Transport}
The familiar blue glow returned and soon enough I found myself outside the city walls.
"You know I have to wonder how this magic works cus I just kind of imagine being outside the city, say the words and poof, I'm out." I laughed lightly at the concept before a spike of pain shot across my body.
"Alright, seems like I'm still not ready to be using large quantities of magic just yet." Looking around for anyone who might be wandering around I found nothing. Reaching into my inventory I pulled out a crude map I had been making based off the one Ivan had been using on our mission.
Not much was actually on it, only the trail we had taken to get to the bandits was really filled out considering it was the only parts I could visually confirm, but then again it was all I needed. With my other hand I pulled out another scroll and threw it into the air.
The second scroll burned up mid-flight and imparted its magic knowledge into my mind. Looking at my poorly drawn map I was able to see three glowing golden dots bunched together somewhere along the paths I had drawn.
"Well that's a good sign. That level of scribing spell doesn't work on dead things so they must still be alive. But doesn't look like I can relax just yet because by the distance on the map they aren't too far from that vampire." Throwing the map back into my inventory I gave a heavy sigh and got up to my feet. With a mental note I prepared myself for the pain that would accompany my next action.
{Summon Tier 3: Roach}
The spike of pain was all the confirmation I needed to know that the spell had worked. Hopefully the spell understood what I wanted and I didn't just summon the nightmare from hell I was dreading.
Thankfully the universe had given me some leniency and the sound of clattering hooves reached my ears. Turned around I greeted the brown mare who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey there girl. I know I haven't used you in a while, but no hard feelings right?" I groomed the horse as I asked. The horse made a small rasp in dissatisfaction before I was given a mental feeling of forgiveness. With another shake of her head I was given the go ahead to climb on.
"Thanks old girl. Oh, and sorry about the smell, though I doubt it's any worse than monster blood." With that small apology for the dumpster smell I climbed on and gave the mental order to where we would be heading. Not a moment's hesitation as the mount headed off towards the hopeful location of the team.
I would have loved to simply teleport to them, but considering the pain I was getting from using such low cost spells I felt it unwise to continuously push my limit like that. I could see myself accidentally damaging whatever it was that my magic came from. That wasn't a fun thought if I was to fight that monster again. So unfortunately for now I would just have to sit contempt with simply riding to my destination.
'It wasn't like I dislike riding. I didn't particularly do it that often back in the game because there were just faster ways to travel, but right now I found it actually kind of soothing. The methodical clattering of the hooves and the slow sway of the…'
Without warning the day's events finally caught up to me and I began to dream. Still clutched unto back of the horse, who was doing her best to not disturb her now sleeping master, I slept without so much as realizing it.
/Jeff POV/
With a small jab a stick the flames I had been gazing at for the past hour crackled and released a flair of embers. I watched as the shadows around the fires twisted and turned under its light. Each lick of the flames would throw the shadows in a new direction before they returned to where they had been before.
It had been like this ever since Erdrick's spells had worn off. I had done my best to get away, but once those spells ended I found the most secluded area I could and made what little camp I could. Ever since then I had been looking at every dancing shadow just waiting for-for-for something. I didn't know what I was waiting to see the cheeky face of that bastard peak around the tree stump so I can smash is face in or if I was waiting for that monster to show up holding what remained of Erdrick in its mouth.
The idea of either had been grinding on my nerves and if I had been alone I would have just taken my chances and fled from this god forsaken forest. But a look at the two sleeping individuals I had carried here squashed whatever feelings of leaving I may have had.
I didn't know what it was. 'I mean sure I owed Ivan a lot for what he'd done for me and Brita and I were friends, but that alone shouldn't have been enough to keep me here.'
I had lived a long life of adventuring and bounty hunting. Never had I felt a need to risk myself so carelessly for someone else before. It was a simple rule I had learned over my years of adventuring, what good were others when you yourself were too dead to make use of them. 'No something else must have-'
"Trust me… go… Now…"
My jaw clenched at the memory. I had been asked many times to save people, but whenever I thought it might get me killed I'd refuse and just leave. "But now…"
"Trust me… go… Now…"
Again it echoed in my head. The words had been forced and cracked, but considering what I'd seen him survive I couldn't blame him. 'Probably why he didn't say much else.'
Yet it hadn't been his words that compelled me, but rather it had been his eyes. Unlike the dozens who had pleaded with me before, I saw something different form him. With all the rest I could see that I was their last hope. That I was their only way of surviving, I could always see the fear of death in their eyes even with the few I went back for, but with him I saw none of that.
'He didn't expect to die back there.' I didn't know if it was overconfidence or that he never actually planned to fight that monster. Which would have made sense considering how he had been manhandled by that creature. Even so I still couldn't catch even a hint of doubt in those eyes of his. He seemed so sure.
Made me wonder why he trusted me so much. If I hadn't been there I'm sure he would have found another way to get those two out. Whether it be that strange magic of his or something else he would have been fine. 'But for some reason he chose me. I saw those things he brought in or called up. They were fast, could have just used those, but no, he chose me.' The thought had been eating at me. 'Even if they weren't fast as me I could have stayed to help while one of those things left with those two, but he still chose me.'
Yet another question that had been spinning in my head ever since. There must have been a reason why. Originally I had assumed some sort of limit had been reached by the kid and he couldn't do it again, but considering the confidence I was almost certain that wasn't it. Next came the idea that he intended to run away and use us as bait, but that was dispelled by the fact that he wouldn't have rushed into the fray to help in the first place, that and those spells he used would have been more useful on himself if that were the case. It simply didn't add up.
No, the only thing that made sense was that he wanted us out of the way. Whatever he had planned required us gone from the area to accomplish, which considering he was a magic user was not too farfetched. 'Still… exactly how powerful is Erdrick if help from us is considered a hindrance.'
Before my brain was able to make another loop of the same thoughts a rustling from one of the two people sleeping pulled me back to reality.
The person in question was Brita, who seemed to get up as if she hadn't just been pulled out of hell. She gave a light yawn while stretching her arms upwards.
"Oh man, how much did I have to drink last night? I don't remember even making camp." She lazily said.
My mind took a double take. The casualness in which she spoke caught me off guard more than if she had woken up in a fit of panic like I'd expected. Bewildered I didn't even notice that I asked her what it was she did remember.
"I remember packing up after our skirmish with those goblins, but after that nothing. Then again I'm not surprised, after getting that nifty potion from that guy back in the inn I went a bit crazy with the amount of booze I brought along. Have to make up for lost time after all." She said with a cheeky grin and no real hint of regret.
"Speaking of which you mind passing me some. Not sure why, but I don't feel all that hung over. Must have been all that time I went without drinking paying itself forward." She gingerly laughed.
I on the other hand was left speechless. How was it possible to forget something like that? I had been sure she would wake up a mess after something like that, but this was somehow more disturbing. Was it possible Brita was some sort of psychopath? No, I may not know Brita all that well, but she was not someone to brush off something like this. It must have been something Erdrick did. 'But why?'
Deciding it best to hold off telling until both were awake so as not to cause unneeded chaos I held off and handed her what she asked for. There was a long pause as she downed half the bottle in a single swig before letting out a gasp in pleasure.
"Dang that hit the spot." She said as she gave the camp a once over.
"Say Jeff, who set up camp, it looks like crap." True enough I had not placed too much effort into the putting up the small camp I had made considering the circumstances.
I was about to answer, but she cut me off before I could. "It was Erdrick wasn't it? I tell you the guy isn't cut out for this line of work." She said while taking another drink.
My hands involuntarily balled up at the statement.
"I will admit he ain't a bad spell caster, but he's too passive for what we do."
My jaw was the one to clench this time.
"I mean did you see how easily he gave into my stupid plan. It wasn't even a good plan, but he's so timid he can't even say no, or how about the fact that all he did during the mission was glare at me. I wouldn't be surprised if he left just because I started calling him-"
"Shut it Brita!"
The words may not have been mine, but they mimicked my thoughts anyway. No, the words had come from the only other male in the camp.
Ivan rose from his laying position and was clearly still agitated by what Brita had been saying. "What right do you have to say Erdrick isn't capable? You should know better than anyone that we would be dead if it weren't for him!" The tone of the man hid nothing of his mood.
She was taken aback by the words and tone. With a look of confusion she responded. "What? I know those spells he used helped, but I'm sure we could have taken them without him."
At that Ivan seemed about ready to blow a casket. It was then that I realized unlike Brita, Ivan still remembered everything. Placing my hand on his shoulder I stopped him and whispered to him of Brita's Condition.
"Hey what are you two talking about?" Brita asked.
He looked at me like I was crazy for suggesting that was what had happened, but another look at Brita solidified it. Her posture was relaxed and entirely free of fear, her only worry seemed to be that Ivan might explode on her again.
He gave a grimace and looked back to me. "Why haven't you told her?"
"Told me wha-"
"I wasn't sure if you remembered and didn't wanted her to go through this without you." It was no secret in the group that Brita had a crush on Ivan.. Even he knew, but refused to act on it because he considered it a bad practice to date someone in your team.
'Probably why Erdrick had been getting the short end of the stick with her after what happened at the guild with his sister'
"Hey stop ignor-"
"So what, now I have to be the one to tell her?" Accused Ivan.
"I can still do it if you're not feeling up to it." I assured.
"No. It's my responsibility, I am the Leader of this team after all. Whatever little that means anymore." He resigned himself to the coming storm.
At this point Brita seemed to have had enough of being ignored and inserted herself into the conversation. "Seriously, what are you two talking about and why is my name a part of it!" A blush of drunkenness evident on her face.
Ivan just gave a heavy sigh and gestured for her to have a seat. She complied with another sip of her drink. "So, what's so important that you two have to keep quiet about it? And what's it have to do with Erdrick? You're not still planning on keeping him are you?" She asked.
"No, I don't think Erdrick will become a part of the Vigilance Committee." Ivan said, head downcast.
Still not grasping at the gravity of the situation Brita spoke up again. "That's good. Couldn't stand the way he acted. Always seemed too calm. Seemed to think he knew everything. Liked to think he knew me too, he doesn't know the first thing about me." She grumbled into her drink.
Ivan didn't grow angry like before, but rather just continued speaking. "You are mistaken Brita. The reason Erdrick won't be staying with us is because we have nothing left to offer him. Even if we did at some point I don't think that will be the case anymore." He gravely finished.
"Huh? You can't be serious Ivan!" She said while standing up. "That guy wouldn't even last a second in a real fight and we're the ones who can't offer him anything? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were losing your mind." She rebutted.
There was a moment of silence between the two before Ivan crisply spoke up. "Brita, where is everyone else?"
She seemed confused for a second and gave the camp a once over. She gave it a seconds thought before replying. "Probably off hunting or something. They'll be back soon, right?"
"No. I'm afraid the rest of the team won't be coming back to camp tonight Brita." At this point I could see Ivan had begun to lose patience with Brita's apparent loss of memory coupled with her disdainful tone towards the person he knew was the reason they were still alive.
"Why's that? You call off the mission last night while I was smashed?" She said jokingly before she grew slightly panicked. "Please tell me you didn't do that. I need the money to pay off the tab I raked up back at the bar."
For a second there I had thought that she might have remembered, but it seemed Ivan would have to take this all the way if we wanted her memory back. I did not envy the man's position.
"They won't be coming back because they're dead Brita." The words were cold and direct, but I couldn't blame the man. If he didn't emotionally distance himself from it then he'd be just like Brita would be in a moment.
It took a moment for the words to process through her drunken mind, but soon the words began to sink in. Shakenly she spoke. "W-What are you talking about Ivan? I saw the yesterday before I passed-"
"What your remembering happened two days ago Brita." He said stalwartly.
She took a step back in shock. "That can't be true. We were just going after a few bandits. We should have been fine…"
"It wasn't the bandits Brita…" Her eyes grew wide at that as her mind tried to repress the memory further. It was not given the chance "… It was the vampire." Like a dam that had been broken all the memories of the previous nights events came flooding back into the girls mind.
The first signs of its effects was how the bottle in her hand seemed to fall out of her grasp, hands too shaken to keep it held. Next was how she began to step backwards until she hit the closest tree which she soon slid down, hands having found perch around her head. The finally came the repeated whispers of "Nonononon" each reiteration more distressed then the last.
It was once the words stopped that Ivan realized she had found her limit and rushed over to her. Bearing her face into his shoulder just as the despair reached its peak and she began crying into the older man's armor.
Even though the sounds had to be muffled, for our own safety, there was little it did to hide the absolute hopelessness within each anguished cry the seasoned adventurer let out. The same way I myself had found myself not too long ago.
The stifled cry would continue for several minutes before Brita could build up the mental fortitude to resume speaking properly. Eventually she did regain enough for Ivan to let her go. Wrapping the only blanket we had left around the girl for reassurance he sat next to her.
Her hands griping the edges of the blanket she spoke. "So t-there all gone?" she said through a repressed lumps in her throat.
"They are, yes…" This time it was me who replied.
"Where are their bodies?"
"…" I was unsure of how to proceed. Unlike Ivan I did not have the finesse to maneuver such a delicate situation such as this one, I was too straight forward for that.
"Jeff. Where are their bodies?" Her voice a bit more forceful this time.
"I don't know. I was forced to flee with both of you before the fight was over." I truthfully answered.
"Fight? Don't lie to me Jeff. You and I both know what we experienced wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter." The words were harsh, hallow and filled with a deep sorrow, but also made me realize she still either refused to or could not remember a very crucial fact of that night.
"Brita, do you remember who saved you two?" I asked.
"Weren't you the one who brought us here Jeff?" She replied.
"Yes, but who saved you from the vampire originally? I was more than a quarter mile away when it started attacking so it would have been impossible for me." I corrected.
She gave a squint of her eyes before turning to Ivan who shook his head in denial. I could see the gears in her head turning as to who could possibly have saved them. The realization came a minute later when she whispered out "…Erdrick…"
"Bingo." I confirmed.
"B-but how?! He was with you when it started wasn't he?! You yourself said it was impossible to help from there!" She argued.
"Correction, I said it would be impossible for ME to help at that distance." I clarified.
"It still should have been impossible!" she retorted.
Before the conversation could make another loop, Ivan decided to step in. "How did Erdrick cross that distance so quickly? I don't remember much, but I do remember facing down that vampire the all a sudden he was throwing us down to the ground? And if I'm remembering correctly an arrow flew over us and sent that monster with it. Was that you?"
I just gave a chuckle at that. "No, unfortunately I was too shocked to do anything when the vampire first showed up. Although it seemed Erdrick was holding out on us a bit. Because while I was basically shaking in my boots Erdrick pulled out a bow from who knows were and fired a perfect shot at the vampire."
Brita piped up at that. "Seriously Jeff a bow. I may not know a lot about spell casters, but they sure as hell can't use bows. Where could he even keep that? I could understand hiding a knife, but a bow? The guy doesn't look like he's ever even touched a bow let alone made a quarter mile shot in a crowded of people. Be serious here, it must have been some sort of spell." She reasoned.
Ivan seemed ready to say something, but I cut him short. "No, I think your right. What could I possibly know about a bow? I'm only the team's scout and the finest archer this side of town, but who am I to judge."
My smug reply had the intended effect of both silencing the red head and amusing Ivan. "Though I will say, calling it just a bow would be insulting. I'd say something like great bow would be more appropriate. The way it gleamed in the moonlight, it must have been silver. And the size of it, I tell you the thing should have needed a horse to pull it, but the kid did it like it was nothing." Shaking my head of the image I continued.
"Now if there are no more interruptions I'll go on. While I'm sure the bow was magical in origin I am unaware of any spell that can summon weapons so easily." I told them.
"I'm sure I've heard of the theocracy employing some sort of summoning magic when they need a bit more muscle in a fight." Ivan added.
"I thought the same thing, and if you'd let me finish I'm sure you'd agree." This time it seemed to have stuck and the two seemed ready to hold their tongues until the end.
"Now where was I, ah right. After he fired the arrow it seemed like a sure shot, but then that vampire dodged it. I was sure that was it for his trump card, but then Erdrick said something I couldn't quite catch and suddenly everything but his bow vanished. Next thing I knew the arrow I had seen fly away before flew by again and he was somehow tackling you two down just as the arrow hit the vampire." I explained.
I gave the two a second to absorb that before I continued. "At this point the fight was pretty far away for me so couldn't see everything, but I think I've got the gist of what happened. After grabbing you two he managed to fend off the other two vampires without letting go of either of you. Though I do think he was reaching his limit because he had to pull out another one of his trump cards. He did something I would never have imagined, other things he had done recently notwithstanding, he summoned up two knights."
Ivan's head perked up at that, but I didn't let him cut in again. "Yup, if there was anything that might be the theocracies magic it be that, but I've never seen it in person so I won't jump to conclusions. Although I might call them knights, I hesitate to call them human. The things stood at least seven feet tall each and wielded full silver armaments. Actually now that I think of it they looked somewhat like the bow Erdrick used, maybe there linked?" I began to contemplate.
Though Brita was less than amused. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't keep us in suspense Jeff! What happened next? What was the fight like?"
I just shrugged a bit. "Not much to tell about it. They just showed up and killed the two vampires before I could even blink. I was actually kind of let down by it. I had been hoping to see how monsters like that fought, but they had been so precise in their attack I was back to wondering if they were actually knights from the capitol with that level of training."
"So that's it huh. I was expecting something more dramatic after all that build up you know." Brita said mostly relieved, but somewhat disappointed.
"What happened next Jeff?" Once again Ivan spoke up. It appeared he still had memories up to before he passed out.
"What next Ivan? The vampires were dead and we were safe. Isn't that it?" The redhead interjected.
With a sigh I continued. "Ivan's right, if that had been it we would be having a proper burial for those who died, but unfortunately it wasn't." I could see her gulp at that.
"For whatever reason, Erdrick hadn't used that ability he used to teleport to you two again. That proved to be less than advised because that first vampire hadn't been killed by the arrow. It moved too fast. Neither I, Erdrick nor his knights were able to react in time for the attack. The result was that it got him by the neck." Both Ivan and Brita grimaced and looked away fearing the worst.
"Though somehow Erdrick survived." That pulled their eyes back to me.
"Don't ask me how he did it, but he did. Call it a power of friendship or a simple battle frenzy or a body of steel, but even as he was plowed through the earth by the neck he still refused to let either if you go." This time Brita had the courtesy to look away ashamed for her previous actions towards the young man.
"Now I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but when it seemed like it was finally the end there was a small paused by the two fallowed by a large spray of blood between them. Next thing I knew the bow he had left behind vanished and the three of you were there. And well the rest is rather self-explanatory. I also assume however he teleports is why you two passed out, but that's just an assumption." I decided it best to leave out the fact I had shot at who was essentially our savior.
The two took a moment to digest the story before speaking. "And where is Erdrick now? Did he die from his injuries? And what of those two knights you mentioned, are they still around?" Ivan asked.
"I can't give you a solid answer for any of those."
"Why not?" he stonily asked.
"…Because I don't know…" I replied.
"Jeff, what happened after Erdrick left us with you?" At this point Ivan had gotten up and was standing in front of me.
"He choose to stay and fight while we fled."
The punch that meet my cheek was less painful than the realization that I had essentially just admitted to possibly having let our savior commit suicide.
Not given time to recover from the punch, Ivan heaved me up by my shirt to eye level. "You mean it wasn't dead, and you let him go back?" he growled out.
"What was I supposed to do Ivan? I could barely keep up with their fight, and if I had stayed we'd all be dead!" I shouted back. Though I knew that wasn't entirely true.
The taller man gritted his teeth in frustration, but he knew better than me that none of us would have been able to help. He was the highest rank of any of us and he had been unable to do anything.
With a frustrated huff of air he pushed me back to the ground. "How long has it been?" he asked.
"…Two hours…" The answer was short, but telling.
The grip at his side tightened. "Pack up whatever you can. We're leaving." He commanded.
"It's now our job to inform the city of the threat this vampire poses. Mabey an adamantine team will take the job and we can sleep easy." Everyone there understood the undertone of the sentence. And as much as we would have loved to wait longer, the idea that Erdrick had fought the monster for upwards of an hour, let alone two, was impossible.
With a somber mood clouding our movements we collected what was useful and what was left. Heading out we all gave one last look in the direction of the battle. 'Mabey the kids a fan of dramatic entrances.' I thought.
Though nothing, but wind rustled leaves caught my vision.
'Hoping for a little much I suppose.' With that we headed out
(Clonk)(Clonk)
The few weapons we had left were in our hands in a moment's notice. All pointing in the direction of the noise.
(Clonk)(Clonk)
We all knew it most likely was not the vampire. It had come from the opposite direction and was clearly the clattering of a horse, why would a vampire that fast need a horse after all. Didn't mean it left us any less on edge.
(Clonk)(Clonk)
We were deep into bandit territory, few trade caravans ever used these roads because of that so it probably wasn't that and although the odd bandit was usually no problem, we were currently in no shape to fight any. Weapons held tightly we prepared for the worst.
'Rather dull way to go if you ask me. Survive a vampire attack only to die to bandits? It'd almost be funny if it weren't so tragic.' I told myself.
(Clonk)(Clonk)
Slowly the cause of the sound slowly crept right out of sight range. It wove through the trees towards us, somehow keeping most of itself hidden between the cacophony of branches. Soon enough it broke through and we saw what it was.
As expected it was a horse, but unlike the many I had seen before something felt… different about it. I was unable to pin down what it was, but it felt as if the horse was judging me. Almost like it held some sort of deeper intelligence that was analyzing me.
Shaking my mind of the idea I focused back on reality and realized there was no rider. Not even a saddle was present on the animal.
Brita was the first to drop her guard and gave a heavy sigh of air.
"Oh thank the gods it's just a horse. I swear if it was another monster I might have actually lost it." She said while falling to her knees in relief.
"I have to agree. I don't think we're in any shape to fend off any sort of attack. Though it is odd to such a beautiful horse out in the wild. I didn't even know they roaming this area." Ivan mused.
"They don't." I on the other hand was not convinced.
Ivan just shrugged at that. "Either way we should get going. Can't be wasting anymore time." He commented.
Though when he tried to walk past the mare he found his way blocked by the beast.
"Who, hey. Look girl, I don't want to make enemies, but we have to leave right now." He told the horse before attempting to force his way through.
Not intent on letting us through the horse once again cut the man's attempt and pushed Ivan back with the side of its head.
The shove was strong enough to send the large man flying back. Not in the best of shape Ivan just tumbled backwards from the push and found himself with a few more scrapes than before.
"Agh, that's some serious punch that thing is packing. Is it even a real horse?" Ivan asked wondering if he had instead ran into a golem.
Both Brita and I were now back on guard and holding our weapons at the ready. The horse seemed to pay that no mind and instead stomped its foot on the ground a few times. It swayed its head, the opposite direction to were Ivan had been headed, in an almost directional fashion. We were to on guard to understand.
Once it realized neither of us was intent on moving it gave wat sounded like a frustrated huff and began moving in the direction it mentioned.
"I-I think it wants us to follow?" said a befuddled Brita.
"Like hell I'm following something like that after what we've been through." Seeing this as my opportunity I nocked an arrow and fired straight at the back of the things head. Even through the protest of the other two members the arrow flew.
'I will not allow another slaughter dew to our overconfidence again! I will kill this thing and head back to tow-'that thought was split short as the shot I had watched race towards the horse was swatted out of the air by the beast's … tail? My mind stalled at that.
The absurdity of it preventing me from realizing that the beast had moved until it was directly in front of me. Once I did my reflexes kicked in and I raised my bow. Only for it to be caught between the things teeth.
Not sure how to respond I attempted to pull out the weapon, but was met with the sound of shattering wood for my efforts. In a simple movement the horse had snapped my bow like it had been nothing more than a twig.
Contempt that the object of annoyance was gone, the horse returned to gesturing us to fallow. Too dazed by what had happened all I could do was walk as someone pushed me forward from behind.
I'm not actually sure how long we walked behind the horse considering I had been so lost in the destruction of my weapon, but once we stopped I found my legs only slightly acing so it must have only been a few minutes.
Though it wasn't the stopping of our journey that returned me to my senses, but rather it had been the sudden cry from Brita that had. It hadn't been a cry of fear or pain, but instead one of surprise. Looking away from the shattered remains of the weapon still in my hands I looked up and my mind froze once again.
Sitting at the base of a large tree, being nudged awake by the horse from earlier was someone I never expected to see again.
"Hey guys. Sorry I took so long." He said. Clearly weak and ragged, yet very much alive was Erdrick.
A/N: Well that's another chapter down. I must say this one came much easier than the last. It's by no means fast, but the ideas themselves were rather easy to grasp in comparison to my last few chapters. Not sure why, maybe it's because I'm finally getting into a flow or maybe that's due to a loss in quality. Who knows? Though I suppose that's up to you to tell me. Either way I hope it was enjoyable even if it was rather dialog heavy.
Regardless I think it's prudent to remind people. Just because a character thinks or says something does not automatically make it true. I have intentionally had people make wild speculations about each other in an attempt to mimic how the situations they find themselves in are stressful enough to them to make a few assumptions. Everyone has been forced to step out of their element and are having a tough time dealing with it. Also no, Erdrick is not exempt from this either. Now on to the future chapter discussion.
For those of you who are were unable to tell which black scripture member is who, please PM me. I understand the confusion considering the fact they don't have actual names (aside from two of them) in canon and thus I would like to clear up any confusions. It is also unfortunately not a list I'd like to fill the N/A section of this with.
Anyway, I've taken enough space on this so I'll leave you for now. Till next chapter readers.