After cleaning up what I could in what I'm going to call my living room, I noticed those scorch marks weren't going to come out without a fight, so I decided to call it a day. I'd brushed death a little too many times to not have a little nap after all. I opened the door to my bedroom and took in the sight. It was a pretty simple sight. Really. Just a simple bed wrapped in dark purple sheets and held up by a stone framing. The room surrounding it was also rather plain looking for a fantasy MMO. Grim looking stone walls, a cold wood paneled floor, a small door built into the side for what I was sure was a smaller bathroom, and a few candles stuck either in sconces on the walls or on a few randomly placed five feet high candlestick holders. Simple, but I could work with it.
I plopped myself on the bed. It wasn't exactly soft but I couldn't complain. I liked a little firmness in my mattresses. Make of that what you will. I didn't bother putting myself under the sheets, opting to just lay there staring up at the stone ceiling until I passed out. For the first time since I got to this new world, I was blessed with a restful, peaceful sleep.
While I lay passed out in my room, the denizens of Nazarick went on with their usual business, though a few decided to make me a part of their conversations. Once again, I have to preface this with the fact that I wasn't there to witness said conversations, but then again you probably stopped believing this really happened a few chapters back.
"What did you make of him?" Shalltear asked over to the short orange elf who stood in the corner with a smile on her face.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Aura complained. "You're the one who apparently fought him?"
"I did fight him." Shalltear growled back, slipping into her signature red dress with an annoyed huff.
"Then how is he still alive?" Albedo asked back tapping a finger against the arm of the chair she was sitting in.
"Didn't you two hear the Brides? He fought with the Supreme Beings back in YGGDRASIL." Aura said not really getting the question. "Maybe he's a bit tougher then he's letting on."
"Really?" Albedo's tapping stopped. "Then why didn't I sense any power from him? A mere human who could fight with any of the Supreme ones would have some sort of air of power about him. This one had nothing!"
"I have to regrettably agree with the Succubus." Shalltear replied, appearing in front of them now fully dressed. "When we met in the wilderness, he didn't come across as intimidating in the slightest."
Aura put a hand under her chin thinking back to how they first saw Haon in the throne room. "Okay, maybe 'resourceful' is a better word for it. But then, why did Lord Ainz want to talk to him alone? That alone should prove he's hiding more power than what we've seen."
"Yes. And that's what concerns me." Albedo growled out. "If this Haon has Lord Ainz' attention, why hasn't he told us about him? Why doesn't he devote a strategy to dealing with him the same way he did with for dealing with the ones who enslaved the lamprey."
Shalltear opened her mouth to fire back at the insult but Aura spoke up just before. "Have you talked with Reina and Remna yet, Shalltear?"
Shalltear raised an eyebrow and Albedo did the same, remaining silent as she spoke. "Why would I?"
"They're the ones who spent the most time with him, I'd talk to them some more if you want to know about him." She said with a sigh that masked a slight intrigue.
"Is that what you plan to do?" Shalltear asked.
"When I feel like it." Aura replied crossing her arms and leaving the room. "In the meantime, I'm gonna go see what Mare's doing. You get your head squared straight."
"Did you just give me an order?" Shalltear called out.
"Do as you're told, lamprey." Albedo ordered, standing up from her chair. "Ainz has put more faith in you than I ever would have. Time to prove his judgment isn't mistaken and return to your duties."
Shalltear gritted her teeth while insulting Albedo under her breath with words I dare not write here. Albedo, smiling at Shalltear's annoyance, followed the dark elf out of the room. Closing the door behind them and chasing after her down the halls.
Shalltear looked down at herself and clenched her fist in fury. As much as it pained her to admit it, that loud-mouthed gorilla was right. She needed to once again prove herself to Ainz and Nazarick. And the first step to doing that was making sure she was still at fighting strength. "Reina, Remna." She snapped her fingers. The pair materialized before her, the heads bowed and awaiting their orders. "Come, we're going to the Amphitheater to train."
"Didn't Lord Ainz tell you to make sure Shalltear was okay?" Aura asked to her taller fellow guardian.
"You saw her. She seems to be doing fine to me." Albedo defended. "Besides, she has to prove herself to us once again. That starts with showing she can take care of herself."
"Whatever." Aura replied with a sigh. Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her tux. "So, what do you think of the human? Really, I mean?"
"Why are you so hung up on a human?" Albedo asked right back dodging the question. "So he met the Supreme Ones back in Yggdrsil. What does that mean to you?"
"Not much." Aura admitted with a blink. "What's got me confused is why he gave the ring back to Mare."
Albedo raised an eyebrow. "Why is that so suspicious? It was a fake after all."
"That's just it. He didn't know it was. No one could've." Aura replied, knowing that Ainz's craftsmanship was second to none. "And no sane human would've just given up an artifact that powerful. If anything, he would've kept it in case he realized we knew he was there."
"Okay, so he's an insane human." Albedo replied simply.
"That or just really odd." Aura threw her hands behind her head. "'I've never actually talked to one so I can't tell. Of course, I guess there's always the possibility he's just too nice... You gonna answer my question?" She looked over to the pale succubus and tilted her head waiting for an answer.
"He's an annoyance. Nothing more." Albedo huffed.
"If you say so." Aura sighed, seemingly disappointed by the answer. The pair continued their walk in silence before arriving at one of the many rooms that functioned as both an armory and blacksmith station. Inside they found Ainz and Mare looking over the various artifacts that Haon had on his person when he arrived in Nazarick.
"Is Shalltear adjusting well?" Their lord asked.
"Very well, lord. She seems to have returned to the lamprey she has always been." Albedo replied.
"It's like she never left." Aura continued before winking to her brother. "Turn the ring back over to lord Ainz?"
Mare shuffled his feet at his sister's gaze and gave a swift nervous nod. " Y-Yes. And he just gave me my old one back." Aura's eyes drifted over to his hand and saw the ring safely back around his gloved finger. She nodded and bowed her head to Ainz.
"Thanks, Lord Ainz."
"None are necessary." He replied waving his hand. "The both of you did excellent work. Now let's get down to business. Albedo?"
"At once, milord." She said opening a menu and reading through an old catalog that had been apparently scribbled down years ago by one of the Supreme Beings.
"Haon. Warrior class. Level 90. Member of the guild, Knight's Reign." A brief list of names flashed across the screen as Ainz and Albedo made mental notes of the stats for Karly, Hanks, Tommy, Plight and a few others who had left the game long ago. "Specialized in fetch quests, oddly enough. There's not much here about taking down dungeons or fighting monsters of great strength. All in all, he seems rather plain, save for his level."
"Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and...desert you" I hummed to myself as I stretched. That nap did me a world of good if the smile on my face was indicative of anything. Plus it allowed me to really come to terms with everything that had happened in the past few days. From being sent to a new fantasy world that's as real as the one I had been living all my life to somehow surviving a botched infiltration of the deadliest tomb in existence. All of it combined gave me the impression that I'd actually done a fair bit since arriving in this world. And if I was going to find a way back home, I was probably going to have to do a whole hell of a lot more.
And the first thing was, get my stuff back and get Ainz on my side. He and I were the only players to have met so far and whether either of us liked it not, that meant something. Or at least it did to me. I won't claim to speak for the "Supreme One." I sighed at the title once again. If it hadn't already, that title was going to go to his head which only meant bad news for me if I say the wrong thing. Which if you've read this far, is something I have a tendency to do.
Skipping a breakfast sandwich, I looked over to see the still scorched black living room. An overall depressing sight to wake up to. Moving through it, I knocked on the door that led out of my generous cell. "Narberal, you still out there?" I called.
"What do you want?" came the immediate reply. As devoid of any warmth as it had ever been.
"You got a gym or something I can go to?"
"What?"
"You know, a gym? A place you go to work out or stretch your muscles?" I asked raising my voice a bit in case she didn't hear me.
"Whatever workout you wish to perform can be done from your cell. I assure you." Her annoyed voice came back with a cold edge. I blinked in mild surprise. Did she still think I was out to steal shit from Nazarick? I knocked again.
"For the hundredth time, I don't care about Nazarick!" I yelled making sure she could hear me. "Besides, the last work out kind of scorched up the living room and I'd rather not risk ruining it further until I get it fixed."
"Then fix it." Naberal replied simply.
I put up my hand again to knock before clenching it and chuckling. On second thought, breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And I always did like to talk while I eat. I'm not sure if she heard me go into the kitchen or not, but if she didn't I made damn sure she heard me drag a chair across the floor and right in front of the door. I sat down, with the plate of sandwiches on my lap and kicked the door with my feet.
"Hey, Narberal?"
"What is it, human?" She sighed.
"Haon." I corrected her. Taking a bite from the top sandwich. "You want some breakfast?"
"I do not require….."
"We've established that." I interrupted. "Do. You. Want. Some. Breakfast."
A few moments went by with no answer so I decided I needed to bring up something else to keep the conversation going. With an old group popping into my head, I smiled and asked.
"So are the other guys here too?"
"Who?"
"Y'know, the guys you and Ainz were traveling with when we met." I said wondering if she was that forgetful. "The mercenaries."
There was another bout of silence but I could've sworn I heard her feet shuffle uncomfortably behind the door I took that as a sign of further annoyance with my questions. "I'm guessing they were actually servants of Nazarick too, right?" I asked swallowing another bite. "Just figments of my imagination or something to make me a pawn in Ainz' plans for the future? Sounds like something he'd come up with."
Just then, the door opened and Narberal walked in with a small frown planted across her face. A rather sullen expression for someone who had really been almost statuesque since I'd met her. I blinked in surprise at both the action and her frown. "Hey, what's up?"
"The Swords of Darkness." She said reminding me of the group's name. "They perished back in Re-Estize."
It's hard for me to think why exactly I had the reaction I did. I hadn't known them particularly well or that long even. But nevertheless my mind went blank at the statement. My mouth crept into a grin as at first I thought she was messing with me. But it faded almost instantly as I knew she wasn't the type to do that. I looked away from her and down to the ground.
"God…that's uh…" I tried to come up with a joke to somehow make myself feel better but my mind was still rattled by the revelation that I could only ask more questions. "What happened?"
Her reply was disgustingly simple. "They faced an enemy that was too strong for them."
"You were with them!" I suddenly yelled out surprising myself with how emotional it sounded. "You and Ainz should've been more than capable to help….."
"We weren't there." Narberal interrupted. "When we got back, it was too late."
"Too late?" I asked with a cold laugh. "You're both mages! Why didn't you just…." My mind struggled to find the right words as I waved my hands around like a madman. "I don't know, resurrect them or something."
"Three of them were already undead before we could do anything." Narberal defended. " And there wasn't enough left of the girl to risk…"
"Girl?" I interrupted this time with a puzzled look before my eyes widened in horror. I put a hand across my forehead to try and fight back a growing headache. Looks like my first impression had been right. "Fucking Ninya…." I'm not ashamed a few tears threatened to leak out of my eyes then, but I quickly wiped them away. "So what? She was tortured?"
Narberal gave a quick emotionless nod and for some reason my blood began to boil. She had traveled with them at least a day longer than I had? So why was she so calm about this?! "Just how long were you two gone, huh?" I asked rather accusingly.
"Watch your tone, Haon." She warned narrowing her eyes.
"My fucking tone?!" I said standing up. "They were GOOD people! Why the hell are they dead? And tortured?! How the FUCK is that right?!" I yelled. "We were right there! You could've….I could've…" My voice trailed off and my fists started to clench up. I needed to hit something. I needed a fight. And I think Narberal could tell judging by what she said next.
"There is an Amphitheater you can go to but it will be under the strictest of guards and if you even move to escape…."
"Let's go." I growled out moving past her and out of my room.
"Looks like he was the highest level out of all of them." Aura yawned. Clearly not impressed by what she saw.
"S-So he's dangerous then?" Mare asked.
"Obviously." Ainz replied. "He's survived Shalltear and the Vampire Brides. It would be wise not to underestimate him. Albedo, what was the first time he came in contact with Nazarick?"
"The Black Dragon Battle Royale." Albedo replied as her eyes scanned through the record. "It seems he moved through the tournament remarkably. Well, until he faced Lord Touch Me."
"He faced Lord Touch Me and survived?" Aura asked, surprised by that particular fact. "Just what kind of human is he?"
"A well-equipped one." Ainz replied, moving past my cloak, knives, necklaces and finally to my pride and joy. My trusty pure green sword that almost always sat strapped to my back. Now laying in its leather sheath on the table before the Lord of Nazarick. "It seems he's kept Jade around."
"Jade?" Aura asked looking over it. "Kind of a plain name isn't it?"
"Perhaps." Ainz consented while looking over the weapon himself. "But make no mistake, this weapon is perhaps most responsible for how he managed to stand against myself and the other Supreme Ones."
As a wave of shock and surprise went through Albedo and the twins. Just then, Ainz received a message.
"My lord?" Narberal's voice rang through his mind. Ainz put a hand up to his cranium to respond.
"Narberal. How's Haon coming along?"
"Angrily, lord. He didn't know about the Swords of Darkness."
"Ah." Ainz sighed. He himself had nearly forgotten about the fate of the mercenaries and was quick to realize that Haon must've not taken the news too well. "So what is it you wanted to tell me?"
"He's requested use of the Amphitheater on the 6th floor...And I believe it is safe for him to use it. If you'll allow it, that is." Narberal finished after a moment's hesitation. Ainz was a little taken aback by the trust she had placed in the Nazarick's newest occupant but that didn't mean it was a bad thing. If Haon managed to gain even the tiniest bit of trust from the notoriously human hating Narberal, then he might have a brighter future here than he thought.
"I see." Ainz said with a hint of a chuckle. "Very well, Narberal. I will trust your judgment. I'll be on my way to the sixth floor soon enough."
"Thank you, lord." Narberal replied before cutting out. Ainz lowered his hand and looked back towards the confused looks his servants were giving him.
"It appears our guest is going to the Amphitheater to blow off some steam."
"Is that wise, my lord?" Albedo asked as Ainz moved to the exit. "If he's to be a prisoner here, why allow him to do so?"
"Because, I plan to make him more than just a prisoner." Ainz replied. "He's yet to make a move against us and if it is true that he wishes Nazarick no harm, then I believe he can be a valuable pawn to have going forward. A replacement for my thwarted plans with the Swords of Darkness."
Albedo acknowledged the logic and followed her master out of the room, along with the twins who seemed more than a little excited at seeing the human again. "Shall I call for the Guardians to join us and get a proper education on our newest pawn?" She asked.
"If they wish." Ainz replied extending his hand out towards her. "They'll have to meet him eventually. Come." With a more than a light blush on her face, Albedo took her lord's hand and vanished in a white light. Aura and Mare did the same, on their way to the Amphitheater.
So turns out we didn't need to walk to the Amphitheater. Narberal grabbed my shoulder from behind and simply teleported us into the stadium with a ring Im sure Ainz has gifted her at something point precious to this. Despite the rage I felt at the moment, I allowed myself to feel a bit more than a speck of awe at the sight. I'm certain the design was based upon the original Roman Coliseum but I'm also certain that's where the influence ended, the stadium was a shimmering dark purple that seemed far more gothic in nature than Rome's ever was and the size of the stadium probably could fit four or five inside it as well as dwarf it in height by two or three times. Above us, a dazzling purple sky shone down with millions and millions of bright stars that seemed so real you'd almost forget you were in a tomb.
"You seemed shocked at the spectacle Nazarick contains." Narberal smiled as I refocused from what was no doubt an everyday sight to her.
"Hearing about it is one thing." I replied looking down from the balcony we had materialized on to get a better view of the ground. In the distance towards the other side of the stadium I saw a trio of figures engaged in what I guessed was a spar. "You let the others know we're here or something?" I asked over to Narberal.
She looked over in the same direction and her eyes widened breifly at the sight. One of the figures was clearly out classing the other two ducking and dodging past their swipes with little to no effort and giving back a decent amount that were far more effective. Narberal for her part recognized the dominant fighter immediately."Lady Shalltear?"
A monster sized grin spread across my cheeks. That was perfect. Who better to fight than people you already had history with? I looked back over to the trio correctly guessing the other two must've been Reina and Remna. And threw myself into the air. "SHALLY!"
My cry actually distracted Shalltear to the point of freezing her and allowing Reina's swipe to connect, causing her to stumble back maybe two steps. Reina immediately looked worried as did Remna and the pair paid me no mind as I landed a few feet away. Shalltear was blank faced as she straightened herself back out and rubbed her cheek. Her ruby eyes went immediately to me and a low snarl erupted from her mouth. "You."
"Me." I replied with a wave. "Reina, Remna. Good to see you're doing well."
The pair remained quiet save for a quick glance my way that gave the distinct feeling that I didn't have to worry about them holding grudges. Like they were a sort of 'live and let live' pair. Ironic, considering they were dead but definitely preferable to them hating me. Shalltear on the other hand still gave off the vibe that she wanted to torture me to death with a rusty fishing knife. "What are you doing here, Haon?" She growled.
"Wanting to punch something." I replied looking at her with a smile. "I see you're feeling the same." I took care to make sure Narberal was still in the vicinity and after seeing her still up in the stands, I continued. "What do you say to a little spar?"
Her growls ceased and a small evil smile graced her lips. "Well, feeling a little brave since Lord Ainz let you live? You'd be wise not to do something foolish with his chance."
"What's so foolish about a little spar?" I asked. "Let's have a fun little match and not try to kill each other." I said, knowing full well that I'd be the only one worrying about that.
Shalltear's smile got bigger as she too took notice of Narberal. The pair seemed to share a silent conversation that concluded with her looking back to me. "Okay. Perhaps at the very least, you'll prove more entertaining than these two." she said, flicking her wrist to motion the Brides out of the way. They did so without hesitation, much to my annoyance. Looks like they still needed to be taught some backbone.
I raised my fists as she remained perfectly still. "Want to really prove you're back to a hundred percent?" I asked her. Her confident look gaze broke at the question and I knew then that she hadn't really recovered from what happened to her. "Show me what you can do without your vampire powers. No tricks. No magic. Just some down and dirty, man to vampire fist fighting.
Her calm demeanor didn't change all that much at my words but I could tell she was stiffer than when we met back at the forest. That, combined with remembering that I had actually hurt her with that head-butt a few nights ago made me think that despite her having more physical strength than me, maybe the gap wasn't too big to cross. Especially now that I could hopefully fight her without risk of getting killed. "What da ya say?" I asked.
She took a moment to look over her dress before looking back at me. "I don't need magic to beat a lowly human like you." She said raising her hands.
"We'll see, Shally." I said, throwing myself at her. "Let's dance!
A/N: Well, I'm back. Really sorry about the wait. A lot of shit happened all at once and I had to do some soul searching on other shit but it doesn't matter. I'm back and hope you guys enjoyed this latest installment in the tale of Haon. Hope to see you guys at the next one.
On a side note, I really want to thank you guys for your reviews, favorites and follows. Whenever I see one added, it always makes my day a little bit better. So thanks guys. You're the best. :)
As always special thanks to PervySageChuck for being a badass beta.
See ya later.