Hey, guys! This is my second story that I'm starting to write. In this story it involves my very own character and it takes place in the third season of Overlord. I hope you guys enjoy it, and if you have anything to say about it, please review it and let me know. I don't mind the criticism, so bring it on. Without holding you back, please continue. Happy reading, everyone!
"Thoughts"
"Speech"
- 0000 -
A NEW QUEST
It was a busy day, as per usual, within the capital of the great Baharuth Empire, Arwintar. The Empire, boasting a population of approximately over eight million citizens, was located north-east of the other surrounding nations. People who lived here endured prosperity and such. It was bustling with life all around. However, as night follows day, it was until a new monarch succeeded the throne that this empire gained a bad reputation. The ruler of this grand domain was the Bloody Emperor, Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, who had ordered his entire family, as well as any noble whom he deemed a threat, to be killed in order to sustain his sovereignty. Hence why he has such a title clinging above his head. But thanks to his intellect, despite his previous despicable actions, he proved to be a very wise Emperor, which is why his citizens are able to live a life free from trouble. Though this dominion had a steady decline of Adventurers ever since the current Emperor came to be, they do have parties known as Workers. These particular groups of people, somewhat alike to the Adventurers themselves, perform and complete jobs of their own accord without going through an Adventurer's Guild. In this way, their job is mainly due to illegal business activities. They are not restricted to the laws of an Adventurer's Guild or a country, giving them freedom to do as they please, but at the same time they neither receive information or support from an Adventurer's Guild, making it difficult to find the perfect quest which involves taking into account their safety and reward. Although the risk is high, their fame as a Worker is also boosted. Talking about Workers, there is also a well-renowned group called Foresight which consists of two males and two females. This team has worked together and relied upon each other, achieving many accomplishments along the way, making them quite a tough bunch of folks. Within the empty Singing Apple Pavilion, two members of Foresight were having a little chat together. Their names were Hekkeran Termite, the blonde leader who specializes in melee, and Roberdyck Goltron, a divine magic caster who had a strong faith in religion. The reason why they were here was because the team had made this their rendezvous point to meet and discuss a matter. Of course, this inn was the best place regarded by Workers to meet and talk in private. It was not too long ago that they received a job request from Count Femel, one of the few nobles who survived Jircniv's purging, to investigate a newly-discovered ancient tomb of ruins. But they weren't the only ones who had received this request. Like them, other groups of Workers stumbled upon this chance as well. After a few short minutes, two females entered the inn. They were the other members, Imina, a half-elf and the ranger of the group, and Arche Eeb Rile Furt, an arcane magic caster. Now that all of Foresight had gathered, they decided to get down to business straight away without delay.
Huddled together at a table in the corner of the inn, with a large blind to add to their privacy, Hekkeran unraveled the details he received. "That's all that I was told concerning this job. Any thoughts on this?"
Imina, the vice-leader of the bunch, replied, "So basically, the Re-Estize Kingdom is asking us to investigate an ancient tomb within their vicinity? In other words, a grave robbery."
"Pretty much." Her leader replied. "It sounds sloppy, but that's why we're workers, right? Also, Arche, I reckon you got some details on who the client is?"
After being addressed, the blonde female responded with certainty, "Yes. The client's name is Femel, a nobleman. He seems to be losing the Emperor's favor, but he doesn't seem to suffer financially."
"Which means he has the money. The reward is 200 gold coins up front and 150 gold coins after." Hearing this was a shock to the other members. But that wasn't all. Hekkeran's ever-present smirk told them that they were in for more than a treat, "It's a great contract that we can grab hold of. On top of that, we can definitely snag a bonus pay if we find anything interesting. He's even hiring other teams too. But what makes this job even better is that the tomb has never been explored before. So chances are, we may discover some good findings."
"Oh?" Imina reacted with curiosity, "A newly-discovered tomb? Now that's rare. You don't usually come across opportunities like that. Are you sure you got all the correct information?"
Sensing this question would be asked, Arche answered her companion instead, "I never heard of a tomb in that area. I did all my research on it regarding its history in that area, but had nothing to confirm. Although, there is a small village nearby, so shouldn't we just ask them if they know anything?"
Hekkeran replied in the negative, "No can do. The client wants us to do our job as privately as possible, so that's out of the question."
"...That much is obvious." Arche said with a hint of worry. "If we're too careless, the royal Vaiself family will take their anger out on us…"
"A dirty job is a dirty job. So, are we all on board or what?"
Their leader gave a roll check to see if they were on the same page. He motioned his head to the person who sat next to him, "Roberdyck?"
The man who remained silent all this time finally spoke in his usual calm manner, "Sure. I don't mind."
After that, he focused his eyes on the half-elf in front of him across the table. "Imina?" The purple-hair lady responded in kind, "Most definitely. It's been a while since we got a proper request like this."
Happy to see two of his friends agreed, he finally asked the girl who sat next to Imina. "How about you, Arche?" The little woman was a bit hesitant, "Sorry, but if you're thinking about me, then please stop…"
As to why she was feeling unsure, it was because her friends always thought about her situation she was in. She was of noble prestige, and ever since her family's noble status was stripped away by Emperor Jircniv, Arche's parents refused to accept the current state they were in and continued to borrow money to live a life like a noble should. Because of that, they experienced debt and her parents failed to think ahead for themselves and their children's future welfare. She needed the money to help her and her little sisters, which is why she was forced, with no other option, to become a Worker, even before joining Foresight.
While she was reluctant to participate, her friends only encouraged her. "What are you saying, Arche?" Imina said in a playful tone, "Think about it, the rewards are massive! Don't you think, Rober?"
The religious believer answered likewise, "Indeed. It is an unexplored ancient ruin with many hidden gems waiting to be found. Right, Hekkeran?"
"Yeah. So what are you waiting for, Arche?"
Being met with gleeful faces, she couldn't turn down her best friends whom she looked up to. In response, she met their beaming faces with a smile of her own, "Thanks, you guys. I'm in."
Now that everyone was on track, the matter was finally settled. As leader, Hekkeran spoke up to bring an end to their meeting, "All right! Since we came to a clear conclusion, the ancient tomb is our next objective."
With nods of approval, the quartet cleared things up at the table and decided to head out of the inn. But before they could leave, the entrance door in front of them began to creak open. Everyone paused in their place as the door's squeaky hinges continued to protrude inside the pavilion. There, their eyes rested upon one individual who made his way in. This particular person was 175cm (5.7ft) tall, weighing in at a healthy 70kgs. He had a lean, yet beefy, body structure. He wore a dark brown gambit long leather trench coat, revealing beneath it simply a black shirt, a belt, black combat trousers, as well as black tactical boots. He also carries on the left-hand side of his waist a powerful sword which remain hidden beneath his coat. On his head a black cowboy's hat, a gold sphere earring on each ear, and a white mask to hide his identity.
As he was walking towards them, their eyes remained stern on the individual. Though he paid it no heed since he was deep in thought, "Hmm… Super strange, now is it? I could've sworn I saw that face somewhere before… And that voice, it sounded familiar…"
This person was contemplating a random encounter earlier during the day. At the time, he had returned from doing illegal businesses and was looking to sell some things he found on his way back in the busy markets of Arwintar. It was in those occupied streets that he met two Adamantite class Adventurers; a tall warrior clad in jet-black knight's armor, carrying two large swords on his back and a red cape which added to his coolness, and his companion was a stunning female who had a cool expression with narrow eyes and black hair.
For hours his mind continued to send him flashbacks to that event, because this was one thing he couldn't get out of his head. As he walked closer upfront towards Foresight, he murmured some words that were audible for them to hear, "The more I think about it, the more I consider it a possible chance…" Having enough of this too-complicated-to-think situation, which had bothered him since, he sighed loudly. "Forget it. All that matters is the present. Now that I'm here at my favorite place, it's about time I get my daily allowance of good brew. Haha- huh?"
It seemed the stranger bumped into something. He looked down and saw someone, "A little girl?"
While he was looking down on the small figure, the said little girl, Arche, gave a strong look of her own back at the stranger. "Please watch where you're going. You almost shoved me to the floor."
The foreigner gave an acceptable apology, "Ahh, sorry about that. I just had unsettling things going on in my brain that caused me to lose focus on my surroundings." He then proceeded to pat her head twice before making his seat at the counter, hoping to buy one of his favorite drinks. But he noticed that the person who served him regularly wasn't here. "Old man?" The stranger called out. "Hey, old man? Where are you?"
He didn't hear a noticeable response. Usually, the old man who ran the inn would be ready to serve the guy's brew whenever he came at the specified time. But looks like this wasn't that time now. "He's not here," Hekkeran said to the stranger, causing the person to turn and look at him. "He's out shopping."
"Shopping? So that explains it…" He gave another sigh, filled with fatigue, as he hunched over, giving a downcast look behind his mask, "And here I was hoping I could grab a few drinks or more thanks to all the hard-earned money I racked up today…"
Nothing feels better than celebrating after a day of hard work. Seeing this guy was clearly having it rough, Hekkeran thought best to why not help him out. Perhaps, if he was right, maybe this man can join his group of Workers if he isn't already a Worker himself. He can start befriending him first of all in order to get their friendly gears spinning. "Say, pal. I know a place where you can get what you're looking for?"
The foreign man was ecstatic, "Oh! A good Samaritan indeed. Please, show me the way."
While he was happy, three others were a bit doubtful. "What are you doing, you idiot?" Imina whispered to Hekkeran, "We barely know the guy."
"What Imina says is true. What if he turns against us?" Roberdyck questioned.
"He might be some weary foe." Arche sternly replied.
Their eyes looked intently into their leader's, and he could feel the pressure of worry emanating from them. "Wait, wait. Hold on you guys." Hekkeran said, waving his hands dismissively in the air so as to ease their troubles. "Believe me when I say this, but I have a weird feeling in my gut that this guy is a really good person. He might even save our asses some day if he decides to join Foresight."
Imina only scoffed, "You're really going to believe that? I think you need to stop drinking so much." The blonde leader could only deadpan hearing that, "I think it's the other way around…"
Roberdyck replied, "I don't know for sure, but if our leader says so, then I guess it can't be helped. I mean, we've always been following Hekkeran's orders, and sometimes it comes from his own instincts, and it turns out to be beneficial to us in the end."
"Yeah. That's true." Arche agreed. "Besides," her eyes glowed as she stared at the stranger apart from them, "I don't sense any magic coming from him. So maybe he only fights in one-on-one combat or melee. That might be an advantage to us if he decides to retaliate out of thin air?"
Hekkeran responded, "Hmm… But still, he may be using something to hide his magic capabilities, so we can't be sure. And the other thing is, we don't know his skills. That's another factor to take in… It's just that part of me says we definitely need him, especially for the job we're gonna tackle."
While they were quietly whispering amongst one another, the stranger only stood there examining them. He had his arms crossed the whole time while tapping his foot on the floor in a steady rhythm, patiently waiting for them to finish talking. Seeing no end to it, he decided to break up the conversation.
"Okay, so are you guys with me?" Hekkeran asked. His team seemed concerned as it was shown on their faces. But their state of unease depleted gradually as they all nodded in the affirmation. They had their complete trust in their leader. Not wanting to delay the random person's patience, he hurriedly turned his attention to him. "Hey man. Sorry to keep you waiting- huh?"
Hekkeran looked back and forth, but he saw no one. His teammates also noticed this strange phenomenon. "What the? Where did he go?" Imina questioned. This was the exact same thought of the other two.
"I literally saw him standing there. What's going on?..." This time, Hekkeran placed both of his hands on the two swords which he carried, one on the left and one on the right. Foresight, who saw his subtle action, knew that something wasn't right. So they also decided to prepare themselves for the unexpected.
But as quickly he disappeared before them, the stranger rapidly re-appeared in front of Hekkeran in just a blink of an eye. "Hey, dude!" The person said with slight annoyance in his voice, causing the blonde to fall backwards on his rear with startled surprise. "How long are you guys gonna keep talking? If you're gonna help a brother out, then hurry up and let's get going."
The sudden burst of appearance sent a wave of discomfort and shock to the four. Except for Hekkeran, the other three who stood their ground grunted at the unknown person. They couldn't exactly understand how he was able to do what he did. "So fast!..." Arche wondered, "I barely saw him make a move. He just showed up out of nowhere… Who is this guy?…"
"Listen, man." The stranger said, "I don't mind you having a chat with your friends, but, whatever it was, can't you guys just talk about it some other time?"
Seeing the members of Foresight holding their guard against him, he knew that they were being hostile. But nonetheless, he wasn't in the least afraid. He gave a sigh, and continued to speak, "Sorry about that. Just couldn't help myself. That was foolish on my part." He outstretched his hand to Hekkeran who was still sitting on the floor. The leader of Foresight was probably still trying to wrap his head around the few seconds of that moment. If it was an enemy, who knew if he would've survived or not.
The hand in front of Hekkeran snapped him back to reality. He took hold of the firm grip as he was gently raised off of the floor. His teammates automatically withdrew their hostile intent, but they still had their sharp gaze set on the person. "Ah- Thanks. I'm sorry for ruining your patience. We should head out now. Follow me." He said, giving a thumbs up and a smile.
"Don't mind if I do."
The five then left the inn, and made their way down to a lavish bar. They were currently at a tavern which supplied delicious meals and drinks for their customers. "Now this is acceptable!" Said the person who came along with them, as he ate and drank to his heart's content. The only thing was, he didn't take his mask off. But instead, he only lifted it up slightly above his face, barely showing much of it. "I was hoping to see who was under that mask…" Hekkeran thought while he, along with Imina, drank. As for Rober and Arche, they were just having a simple meal to digest.
"Now you, sir, have good taste! That I can say. It was worth spending my money here."
"Don't mention it… By the way…" Hearing this, the stranger paused as he waited to hear what the man wanted to say next. "We weren't able to properly introduce ourselves. My name's Hekkeran." He then gestured to the half-elf woman on his left, "This here is Imina." She gave a lazy "Hello~" since she was busy drowning down all the brew she could get her hands on. He also motioned to the man on his right, "He's Roberdyck, or Rober for short." The bearded-man waved to the fellow. "And the one next to you is Arche." The girl known as Arche turned to meet eye level with the stranger who also looked at her. "Hi." She said.
With their introductions laid out, Hekkeran then asked, "What's your name?" Foresight, with the exception of Imina who was heavily drunk, listened in. Then, the person answered, "My name is Nox."
"So that's his name?" Rober and Arche thought alike. As for Imina, even when she was drunk, she was still able to pull off her sensitive hearing, catching hold of the person's name.
"Oh?" Hekkeran was delighted to be able to get to know the once-unknown Nox. This put a genuine smile on his face. This meant that Hekkeran was starting to form a foundation to a strong friendship. "Nice to meet you, Nox."
"Likewise." He replied. With that settled, Nox continued on with his delicious meals, savoring every bit of it, as well as being sure his taste buds enjoyed the exquisite beverage which washed down his throat. He had no manners when it came to food and drinks, but that didn't bother Hekkeran, Rober, or Imina as much as it had bothered Arche. Now, she neither cared nor took into account when a person ate or drank, but she was bothered because Nox was getting all of his mess on her face. She became irritated having to constantly use a napkin and wipe off the little leftovers that clung to her left cheek. But, after receiving an apologetic face from Hekkeran which told her 'Sorry, I'll make up for this somehow,' she kept her head cool.
Seeing that Arche was co-operating thankfully, he let out silent breaths of relief. "Nox, if you don't mind, why don't you tell us about yourself? Not your personal details, of course, but what you normally do. Again, if you don't mind."
"Hmm? Oh, well, if you wanna know, then sure." After wolfing down an entire family-sized meal, he said, "So far, I've been trying to live a normal life in this strange world."
"Strange world?" Roberdyck inquired.
Taken back from what he said, he quickly re-iterated his words, "Ah- I- Uh- I mean-" He saw the faces of the four individuals staring intently at him, though they couldn't exactly see his eyes thanks to the mask. "Come on, think." A light bulb then clicked in his brain, "By 'strange world' I meant that I was just trying to adapt to the new city life, you know?"
Imina, in her intoxicated self, asked, "So you're not from around here?"
"Yeah. I was just moving away from the countryside, looking to make some money for a living. And if you wanna know what I did in the countryside, then all I can say is that I suffered from boredom. So here I am."
"By any chance, are you a Worker?" Arche pondered. Hekkeran also wanted to know that. It was a reasonable question indeed. In the countryside, not much money was made for Nox, and life over there was non-existent. He was trying to get by, by planting some crops and selling them to nearby villages if any. If there were villagers, he would either be turned down on the offer since they already have crops of their own, or they wouldn't even bother themselves to buy from a stranger who had just entered their village. He could've taken his rewards at a city, but it was too far for him to walk and carry all that load. Plus, all those fresh greens would turn rotten in no time. It left him no other option but to leave everything behind and find a city where he can be able to do some form of job, which led him to the capital of the Bahaurth Empire, Arwintar. His short stay allowed him to gain some information from the citizens. He learned about the Adventurer's Guild and people known as Workers. This was what he needed, what he wanted. He couldn't decide between choosing the two, but after tossing a coin in the air only to land on heads, it was then that his career began. "Yes, I'm a Worker for sure."
This was great news for Hekkeran. He instantly asked, "Then, in that case, why don't you join us? Become a member of Foresight!"
While the three of his teammates would object to this, they had already discussed the matter back at the inn concerning the guy. They didn't do or say anything to go against their leader's decision.
"Me? Join you guys?" Nox could only laugh, which caused Hekkeran's smile to fade. "I don't know about that one, buddy."
"What do you mean? This is like a one-in-a-million chance." The 20-year-old leader wanted to get Nox to join them for the sole future of Foresight. He didn't want the team to disband, but at the same time he couldn't help but accept the fact that everyone would have to go their own separate ways. But just for now, if he could delay that time before it arrived, this was a chance he didn't want to let go of. He asked, "We're a famous tough bunch of friends. Don't you know who we are?"
The cowboy person responded with a blank face, "No, not really."
"Huh?" Was the reaction of the members.
Understanding those reactions, Nox indicated, "Look. I've been working independently on my own since I became a Worker. I was busy tryna find some quests to do so I can get paid. I had no time to dive into other people's businesses."
"Well… Then, maybe if I can get you up to date about the one and only Foresight, perhaps you might-"
"Please don't. I don't want to be lectured about your accomplishments and feats… It's gonna be too much of a headache to listen to a long story anyways."
"O-Okay…" Hekkeran was shot down in an instant. The conversation subsided for several minutes. Harsh words coming from another fellow Worker. He felt as though struck with a wooden stake to the heart. It seemed Nox wasn't all that interested in joining his group. His companions looked at him with sad faces, understanding their captain's feelings. But there was nothing they could do about it. If it had come down to that scenario, they would then have to call it quits and move on. At least they got to know a little about Nox, and maybe he also about Foresight.
"Leader…" The members said in unison.
While Hekkeran thought that he had failed, Nox then decided to break up the moody situation. "I don't know where you're getting at with me joining you guys, but whatever it is, what do you want?"
As if regaining that little spark in his soul, the blonde boy lifted up his head, "Please, if you are willing, I would like you to accompany us on a job request."
Now this was something. "A job request?" His curiosity piqued. If it was a job, then he would definitely do it. He just needed to know the sum. Whatever the risk was, he didn't care as long as he could get the job done.
"What do you want me to do? Guard you guys on your travels or something like that? If that's the case, gimme the appropriate amount and I'll do it." This wasn't a necessary thing to do for a well-known group. The fact that Nox was hooked on made Hekkeran's heart rest a little. "Ahh, well, we're actually going to take on a high-rewarding request, and with high rewards comes high risks."
"High rewards?... Sounds perfect to me!"
"I have a feeling that the job we're gonna do is pretty dangerous, and it would be great to have a few extra hands on board."
This was an interesting deal. "Wait… Why me though? I mean, you guys probably never heard of me, and there might be other better Workers out there who can accompany you instead."
"True, but they're also taking part in this quest as well so that's a no. Besides-"
Hekkeran was interrupted by Imina, who looked super intoxicated now, "What our leader wants to say is he has a deep feeling in his gut that you're gonna save our butts if anything goes wrong."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
"I-Imina! How many bottles have you been drinking?!" Arche said with concern. She was only met with hiccups, causing Imina to numb her speech.
"Basically," Nox said, calling attention from the quartet, "The job is, you want me to guard you guys on your quest from any dangerous hazards that might be too much for you to handle?"
"Yes."
"And what do I get in return?"
"The job we're doing is investigating a newly discovered ancient tomb. Chances are that you may find some good stuff. So for that, you can keep whatever you find in the tomb for yourself."
"All right!" Nox was fired up, "I'll definitely do that! Count me in!" Hekkeran was super stoked to have Nox join them in their quest. "But one thing I wanna clarify, I am not joining your group. I'm only doing this because you asked me, okay?"
"I have no problems with that. We'll rendezvous back at the Singing Apple Pavilion and from there we'll make our way to the tomb where the other Workers will be gathered."
"Sure thing." The two exchanged cheers with their jugs filled to the brim with brew as they chugged down on it. From there, each went their own separate ways for now. While walking down the now dark streets filled with dim lights, Nox pondered upon what he learned today. "The giant dude in knight's armor with that familiar voice, the lady with a recognizable face, and an ancient tomb of ruins… Somehow, they all link up… Is it just me, or am I missing something? Well, ever since coming to this world after that incident, I just happened to fall from the sky and hit my head pretty hard…"
Nox yawned loudly as he stretched his stiff body, "Who cares. I'll just have to try and remember once I arrive at that tomb. For now, I'm gonna need some sleep." He then walked on as his figure drifted off into the night's darkness.
- 0000 -
Well, that is all this story has. Thanks for reading it! If you found it really fun, then, if you like, go ahead and give it a follow or a favourite. Whichever you prefer. Stay tune for the next chapter y'all.
See you guys later!
