I can only imagine how we must've looked to say a farmer or passing trader traveling down the same road opposite of us. Here we are a group of seven warriors, a cart with an alchemist, and a giant hamster, who interestingly was known as the Wise King of the Forest. A king so wise, that he could actually talk. An action that I would like to make clear nearly caused me to choke on my food two nights ago.
But despite that, he seemed harmless enough and even a little pitiful considering how meek he seemed.
"And just like that, my master Momon defeated me in single combat." His highness said seemingly proud of his loss. I looked over to Momon who shrugged slightly as if he were embarrassed. I couldn't under stand why. You now own a a giant talking hamster whose also royalty. That's badass.
After my conversation with the Wise King ended I looked back at the group as a whole or rather the Swords of Darkness.
I liked these guys. That was my overall take from spending time with this little group. Peter had a natural charisma around him that made him perfect for leadership as well as being just an all around nice guy. LukeLuther was probably the source of comedy in the group, never taking things to seriously, and facing every problem head on with a cocky smile. He also had a tendency to be a smart ass so I got a long with him pretty well. Dyne having a few more years on him than the others seemed like the group's source of wisdom. Whenever I talked to him I got the image of a guy who sort of fell into the group but nevertheless became a valued participant. Rounding out the group was Ninya, who I could've sworn sounded exactly like a girl the first time she spoke but was quickly told otherwise. He was definitely the kindest of the group but if I had to guess was also the least skilled when it came to combat, which the others made up for with their own skills. All in all, I can honestly say I was glad to meet them as we walked down the road.
"So Haon?" What were you hoping with the Adventurere's Guild?" A voice asked from the cart that we were accompanying. I looked over to the kid looking alchemist named Nfirea. A nice if meek young man who, quite honestly, shouldn't have been able to see with the thick locks of blonde hair coming down in front of his face like that.
"Well I was hoping to find a man named Ainz." I replied. Out of the corner of my eye I swore I could see Nabe stiffen for maybe a millisecond before shifting back to her regular status as she continued her walk.
"Ainz?" Nfirea asked recognizing the name. "Didn't he help Carne when they were attacked."
"That's what I hear." I replied nodding stuffing my hands in the pockets of my cloak. "I'm hoping he'll know more about these Theocracy assholes."
"Theocracy?" Peter asked overhearing the name. "Why would they be at Carne?"
"They were trying to eliminate Gazeff." Momon said. "One of the strongest fighters in the kingdom."
I looked over to the hulking blue knight curiously. "Were you there?" I asked.
He shook his helm. "Unfortunately no. I simply asked the locals about the damage that was caused." They spoke of a wizard named Ainz who helped them and killed the Theocracy soldiers." Momon replied in the same hollow tone he had used since we met.
"Great." I sighed. Well you guys are part of the Adventurere's Guild Right? You heard of him?" I asked towards Peter and his friends."
"Sorry bud. But I never heard of the guy." Lukeluther spoke up.
"Me neither." Ninya said. "He must be new if he's joined up. But if he really did help those people, I like to think he'll help you when you find him." He said with a smile in my direction. I seriously began to wonder if he was indeed a guy before Dyne spoke up next.
"It's interesting though. The Theocracy in Re-Estize trying to kill of of it's strongest warriors." The older mage said stroking his chin in a thinking posture.
"You think they're prepping a full on invasion?" Lukeluther asked.
"It's too early to tell. This could've just been a group of rouges who broke off from the main group." Dyne replied.
"Are there a lot of groups like that?" I asked noticing Momon leaning in slightly to better hear our conversation.
"I don't know really." Dyne sighed. "I don't exactly know much about international politics."
"Stuff like that's way above our pay grade anyway." Peter said with a shrug. "If things do start to get hot, then we'll handle it."
"Ah." I said nodding at their logic. These guys were simple mercenaries after all. It made sense they wouldn't know or really care too much about things like this until it affected them.
"Why did you want to know about them Haon?" Nferria asked.
"Oh….no reason." I replied lying with a smile while sending a small glare towards Nabe who luckily didn't seem to notice. We all fell back into different conversations after that and, eager to talk about something much lighter I looked over to the young alchemist.
"So, that girl in Carne. Enri I think?" I asked as he looked over to me. "She seemed nice."
"Yeah…" He said growing a rather large smile at the mention of her name.
"Pretty cute too." I said. This earned a much different reaction.
"Y-Y-Yes." He said much more nervous than he had before with even a little bit of fear coming through his voice. "Why would you say that?"
I got a decent chuckle from the question as I inwardly pat myself on the back at my guess. "You like her don't you?" I asked towards him. I'm pretty sure his entire face went a red though I could only see below the nose due to the hair.
"I…..I…" He stammered.
"Relax kid." I said reaching up and patting him on the back as he continued to hold the reins of the horses who pulled the carriage. " You don't have anything to fear from me. Just a simple question."
He sighed after a moment or two thought whether it was in frustration or relief, I really couldn't say. "Yeah. I do. A lot actually." He said, his head drooping a little.
"Well, have you told her?" I asked back to the alchemist.
He shifted his head down to his feet. "I've tried, I've tried so many times to but…..I just can't say the words."
I had to hold back a sigh. This kid needed a confidence booster and luckily, I was here. It always started with a little nudge of desperation. "Listen Nferia, you are aware that she's a good looking girl?"
"Yes." His hair flopped as he nodded. "Of course I am."
"Well, do you honestly think that you and I are the only ones who can see that?" I asked. "How long befor esomeone better looking than us stumbles on her in Carne? What's she gonna say if she doesn't have someone already?"
A panicked breath expelled from his lips as he realized I was right.
"Not long right?" I continued. "So everyday you don't tell her, the more time passes for someone else to. But don't make it seem too desperate though, most women didn't take too kindly to the I'll die without you mindset. Just tell her the truth. Don't meander around it. Don't say something like, 'I'll always be there for you, or you can always count on me.' No. Tell her to her face that you like her."
He was quiet for a while as he put his thoughts in order. "B-But what if she doesn't like me?" He asked understandably.
"That's the chance you have to take." I shrugged. "But here's a word of advice that was given to me." I thought about a few times in my life where the answer had been just that. " If you wait around for a girl to say whether she likes you as more than a friend or not, you'll be waiting the rest of your life."
Nfirea pondered my answer for a while before replying with a smile. "I guess your right. Thanks Haon."
"No problem, man." I said waving him off. "Glad to help."
"If I can ask. Who gave you that advice?" Nfirea asked curious.
"My dad." I replied with a smile. "Too much of a smart ass at times but always had enough wisdom to redeem himself." I ended with a nostalgic laugh before remembering something important. " Oh and also be careful of the one liners."
"What?" He asked.
"Lines like the ones Lukeluther uses." I replied. "Remember the one about the food a few nights ago? About cooling her soup in his mouth"
"Oh. Right." Nfirea replied with a light laugh.
"Hey! You talking about me?" An eavesdropping archer asked from a few feet away.
"No. Just your effortless romancing skills." I called back. "How's that working by the way?"
"Screw you man. The women love my words." Lukeluther yelled back.
"I'm sure." I replied sounding as sarcastic as possible as a chorus of laughs went through the group.
A few more hours passed and we finally came within view of what I guessed was our destination, a huge sprawling medieval city that seemed to almost glow in the growing night.
"E-Rantel." I said glimpsing the city for the first time. It definitely was a sight to behold. When we finally made into the city it didn't take long for Momon and Nabe to take their leave.
"We're gonna escort Nfirea back to his lab. You taking the Guardian to be registered?" Peter asked.
"Yes. Nabe and I will meet you back at the lab." Momon said leaping onto the hamster's back.
"Sounds great. Drinks are on me when you get back." Peter replied waving towards the figures who began to disappear into the night. I waved as well and I can't be certain but I thought I saw Nabe give one last look in our direction.
"What about you Haon?" Ninya asked. "You coming with us or going off on your own."
"Well, I've gotta try and find this Ainz guy. So I'll catch up with you later." I said with an annoyed shrug. "Where's your home?" I asked to Nfirea.
"Down that way." He said pointing down a particular road that led deeper into the city. "It's got the name Bareare written on the front of it." He said.
"Nice. I'll meet you there later." I replied waving at them as each they made their way towards his home.
Alone again, though this time in a city, I sighed aloud and just sat down on a small step thinking about where exactly I was going to start my search, or even if should search for him. I mean it looked like Nabe might have an idea but for all I knew she could've just stepped on a rock. And in any case, I still needed to find a job before I started going hungry as well as accomplish a few more million things like finding any others from Yggdrasil. I ran a hand down my face desperately trying to not to sigh again at the enormity of all the the shit that had to be done when I heard a pair of footsteps walk by.
"So? You hear about the catch Zack made?" One man asked.
"No actually. What's he got?" His friend said.
"A beautiful blonde this time. Some high born bitch." The man replied with a low chuckle. "Word is their gonna have a little fun before ransoming her."
"Freaking figures. I'm here in the city when they finally ambush a good one. " His friend replied with a sigh. "Ah well. Let's get to a tavern and see if we can have a little fun of our own."
A high born lady was about to be captured somewhere outside the city. Naturally, the good and broke samaritan inme kicked in and I looked back up to the night sky and saw that the moon was still low in the sky.
"Yeah, I've got time." I said aloud before running off towards the two talking men. "Oh gentlemen. Might I have a word?"
"What the hell do you want?" One asked annoyed at my presence.
"Just some information, namely where that little ambush is happening?" I said cracking my knuckles.
It didn't take much to make them talk surprisingly. They had looked pretty intimidating so I thought that an appropriate use of force was more than warranted. Especially seeing as how these guys were part of a kidnapping ring. So after half a dozen broken bones and two severally bruised egos, I got my information and left them tied up and unconscious outside a popular tavern with a note that read "Kidnappers" on their persons and charged back out of the city towards the direction of where they planned their little surprise.
It turned out this particular group's hideout was a nearby mine that led inside a tall mountain that Lyra had told me about when she described the outskirts of E-Rantel. When I saw a decent gathering of armed men with swords and torches in the distance, I knew this was the place. Thanks to their lights, I got a good approximation of their numbers. Maybe ten or fifteen of them and all surrounding what I correctly guessed was a carriage that held the "beautiful blonde" the men had talked about.
"Well I better stop this before it starts." I said picking up my pace again. When I got within shouting distance though, I froze. I started to hear screams. Not from the woman as I initially feared but from the bandits themselves. One by one they began to fall to the ground dead but the scariest part of the whole ordeal was the gathering of blood that was rising from each of their bodies and over the carriage. When the last bandit fell the ground headless, I dove straight towards a nearby bush hoping I hadn't been spotted. For a while it was quiet before I heard one last scream echo through the area. This one lasted longer than the others and instead of just suddenly stopping it began to fade. Like the poor bastard's voice was being drowned out before finally it disappeared completely.
The silence returned lasting for maybe a minute longer as I heard pretty fast footsteps run around the area, probably searching for survivors. Drowning out those sounds though, I instead focused on some voices I heard from the carriage.
"Oh dear. It looks like we've managed to do nothing but waste our precious time." A young voice said in a strangely uncaring tone. Clearly she was used to killing people and I pegged her as being the one responsible for the blood ball floating over the carriage.
"Yes. It would appear so." An older, gruffer voice said equally as uncaring.
"Lady Shalltear, we've located the nest of these humans. There leader is a man named Brain who reportedly is quite skilled in martial arts." An entirely new voice spoke up sounding almost colder than the either of the others.
"I've heard that name. He's regarded as one of the best fighters in Re-Estize." The gruff voice said.
"This Brain might just prove to be an excellent candidate." The younger voice said with a noticeable giggle at the end of her speaking.
Well my plans for a payday were dashed. So I naturally and moved to run right back where I came only to look over and see a woman standing beside me and looking down with an unsettling smile. She was fairly tall, with almost golden blonde hair, green eyes, and dressed from head to toe in a, frankly revealing maid outfit.
"Uh….Hi?" I said.
"Lady Shalltear, I'm afraid you missed one." The woman said her smile growing even more unsettling. Predicting bad things about to incur. I leapt away from the woman and back onto the road.
"Well now. That's interesting." The young girl, named Shalltear replied looking over to me as I landed unceremoniously back on the road. Dressed in a Victorian Era dress, even with the pale skin she didn't really come across as dangerous until you saw her blood red eyes and two small sharp as knives fangs reach down from her upper jaw. Next to her stood tall brooding man wearing a fancy almost butler like suit eying me with what I could only describe as cold curiosity.
"He seems a little younger than the others were." He said looking over me.
"I'm not with those guys." I said maybe a little too quickly.
"Is that right?" The blonde asked stepping nest to the older man. "Then pray tell, why would a man like yourself be here?" She asked never losing that creepy smile that actually seemed to get bigger the longer you looked at it.
" I heard back in E-Rantel that a high born lady was going to get ambushed so I thought she would need some help." I said looking back over the corpses before continuing. "Clearly, I was wrong."
"Indeed. These men proved much less entertaining than I had hoped." Shalltear said with a noticeably disappointed tone. "Still though. Noble of you to try and come to the rescue of a damsel." She finished turning her gaze back to me and smiling lightly.
"Right." I said, sounding a little more creeped out than I would've preferred. "Well thanks, Ms. Shalltear." I said bowing ever so slightly. " I wouldn't wish to trouble you further so I'll just take my leave and…" I finished backing up maybe a step before two other figures appeared behind me. I looked and saw two more pale figures though taller and much more stoic than Shalltear garbed in simple white clothing.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Afraid so. We can't afford any witnesses." The older gentleman said not sounding the least bit sorry.
"Right…..This is what I get for trying to do a good deed." I said sighing to myself which I think only confused the three near the carriage. I gave one last look to the two behind me before taking a breath.
Their stoic faces disappeared almost instantly when they saw just how fast I was. I twisted around to face them before sending each of them each a powerful kick to the face that launched them back towards several feet away from me. They got over their shock pretty quickly and were back on me in full force. I spun around their initial swipes which I'm sure would do pretty of damage and began to sidestepping each swipe from one and misdirecting from the other taking great care not get hit by either of them.
You're probably asking why the hell I didn't just draw my swords, but at the time I couldn't really tell if the two I was fighting were just unfortunate servants to Shalltear or full on vampires. And on the slight chance it was the former I didn't want to kill them.
We kept our little "dance" on for a few seconds before the pair began to loose energy. I sidestepped on particular strike aimed for my head, before moving in for the finisher. One more strike barely missed my head as I cricked my neck to the side and grabbed the arm of one of the warriors. As accurately as I could I threw a soft jab to a point on the back of her neck. A second later she fell to the ground, out like a light. Her comrade didn't take kindly to that particular attack and made a beeline straight for my neck. Thanks to that, I was forced to be rather unceremonious with my attack on her. Slogging her across the cheek, and sending her crashing into the dirt.
I groaned afterwards, rubbing my fist trying to lighten the slight sting I got from the impact before making sure that she was in fact unconscious. After that, I looked back over to where the carriage to where the trio still stood. Whatever reaction I expected them to have, excitement wasn't one of them.
"Impressive. He defeated them both rather soundly." The old man said.
"Quite. He'll definitely prove useful." Shalltear said.
"A human who can actually fight, this is a treat." The blonde said aloud with the same smirk on her face which I'd had just about enough of.
"You want to go next blondie?" I called over pointing to the maid. "Keep smiling like that and you can join these two here."
"Rather rude to threaten a lady." She said back not lessening her smile in the least.
"Your working with a vampire. I wouldn't exactly call you a lady." I replied. That did it. Her smile dissolved into a look of anger aimed squarely at me.
"Permission to have him?" She asked tightening her hands and shifting ever so slightly.
"Denied." The older man answered. The blonde looked over to him disappointed and he continued. "This is Shalltear's task. Lord Ainz has given us another."
My brain stopped working for several seconds which allowed the three to carry on a small conversation. Why the hell was Ainz employing a vampire? He was supposed to have saved Carne. Been a good guy. I rattled that question around my head for a while before a voice caused me to focus back on the now. I looked over to see the carriage disappearing into the night further down the road, leaving behind only one person.
"Well now. Just what are we going to do with you?" She asked lightly stroking her cheek in a rather unnerving move as she walked towards me. Well I was in full fledged fight now.
"Well I'd offer to buy you a drink, but I don't think I can spare the blood." I said putting my hands back at my sides over the hilts of my blades.
"Ah, you're a confidant one." She said with a glare at my sheathed blades. "It'll be fun to watch it transform to fear."
i"Right back at you. Shally." I said with a wink.
I think that annoyed her as a frown grew across her face and her gaze narrowed. "You should say my name with a bit more respect human?" She practically growled at me.
"What? Would you prefer Fangs? Vampy maybe?" I asked gripping the hilts of my blades and leaning forward as she continued her walk towards me though with a little more force than before. Getting a kick of how annoyed she was getting I gave her a cocky smile. "All right Vampy, let's dance."
And like that, I leapt towards her drawing my swords. She did the same though unarmed and like that, my fight with a Master Vampire began.
A/N: Think I'll call it a chapter here. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I know the timelines of Shalltear beginning her mission and the Swords of Darkness returning might not exactly line up but for the sake of the plot I had them happen on the same night. They didn't seemed that far removed from eachother anyway.
Anyway, if you leave a little review, I'd really appreciate it.
TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.