CHAPTER 2
The first companion of the Hero! The mage!
I awaken to find my head resting upon my soft pillows.
Damn, that was one crazy dream
[Oh? thou art finally awaketh?] I heard a female's voice say. Is that my mom? Damn, I was hoping to stay in bed longer, my pillows feel more comfortable than usual...
"...5 more minutes..."
[...] Ah, looks like my mother allowed me to sleep...Like shit she did! She would usually slap me awake at this point! Who the fuck said that to me? Wait! My mom doesn't even speak to me, she just drags me out of my bed! And she certainly doesn't speak shakespearean!
I quickly open my eyes, only to be frozen in shock by the visage in front of me. Staring straight into my soul is the frozen gaze of a ancient grey skull embroidered with gems, it's goblin-fire pupils slightly wavering once it realised that I was awake.
"ah? thee hath decided to beest awaketh?"
Ah...? I-I see, so that fight wasn't a dream...So I really am in another world? Somehow, even though I had acknowledged it in my mind, it felt as if my heart didn't. Everything felt unreal, the pulling of the talking sword, the fight against the lich, the resting of my head on the said lich's lap.
Wait a second, isn't it a skeleton?! How am I resting on its lap, turning to my side I focused my gaze upon the soft and plump thighs of the lich's legs...Wow, they really are amazin- "Wait no, what the fuck?!"
"?" The lich tilt its head...Her head?
"Don't play dumb with me! Why are you alive!? Why are you giving me a lap pillow!? Why didn't you kill me!?"
As I began to freak out, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. Forcing my neck off the lap pillow, I turn to the other side where I see my sword leaning against a cushioned golden chair which made me squint from the sheer glamour it gave out. <Boy, calm down. Do you not see the situation you are in? You are not dead, that is enough and not only that! You get to enjoy a lap pillow, You lucky bastard>
"Huh? I-I didn't catch those last words, sorry!"
"Nothing! It was nothing boy. Now, to explain this situation, I managed to a deal with the lich. In exchange for partnering with, I spare her soul from eternal purification and entrapment." Somehow, even though I knew that the sword couldn't move. It seemed as if he was puffing his chest with a smug smile on his face.
As, I calmed down. I started to sit up in order to get off the lich's lap, that's when the pain settled in. I immediately fell back down onto the lich's lap, the pain disappearing without a trace as I resumed my original position. "OW! Did I force my body too much in my last fight?"
<Haha, that might be my fault, In order for you to survive the fight I modified your body to become something similar to an A-ranked Warrior.>
"Ah, that explains it. Well, I'm not mad. You did it in order for me to survive the fight so it was understandable. Hm? But what was the thing about a B-ranked warrior?"
<Oh right, you're not from here. You see the rankings, back in my time at least, were split up into 3 ranks; Adventurer, Warrior, Hero with those three being further split up from E to A with A being the highest one can get in that section without advancing to the next rank and E being the lowest one could get in that section. Even though most of my knowledge is pretty outdated, the ranking system shouldn't have change in the years.>
"Ah, I see. Thank you, so how long will it be until I'll be able to move my body again?"
<Hm, With the Lich's help...About a few days. Don't move too much, it might damage your muscles permanently if that happens then only a cleric or paladin in the Hero rank can save you.>
"Got it, I'll rest until then...Uh..." Turning back to the Lich, I looked straight at the fire floating within the empty voids which was its sockets "So, uhh, Do you have a name? I can't call you Lich the whole time..."
"Apologies, t hast been so longeth yond i has't f'rgotten mine own nameth. May thee giveth me a nameth instead?" It's feminine voice sounded within my mind while it moved its jaw up and down.
"Okay then.....How bout..." Hmm, Oh! There was this famous lich in DnD...What was its name again? "Vecna!"
"Thanketh thee, mine own nameth shalt beest vecna. I shall beest in thy careth, mine own l'rd" It bowed its head slightly.
"No, problem!"
§ § §
<Now, follow me.>
It has been a few days since then and right now, I'm an arena Vecna created for me to train.
Andrian took an Ox stance and raised his left arm, sending the sword downwards in an arc and scraping against the dungeon floor. Following his movements, I swung my sword in an arc and as my sword neared one full arc, it struck the skeleton's pelvis. I felt the pelvis break continued by the rest of its bone being split apart as my sword flew straight through it.
It looked like the scenes in the mangas I used to read where the MC would swing his sword and create an arc of orange and red-
<Oi! Don't get distracted yet!>
"Huh?! G-Got it!" Next adrian followed through his swing and went into a tall guard and not losing his momentum, he swung his greatsword upwards. I mimicked his movements and decimated another skeleton.
<Umu! Go0d!> Adrian stabbed his greatsword into the ground and leaned on it, a smile growing on his face before he continued, <Now, do it without me guiding you.> He nodded to Vecna who was spectating who raised her hand and raised a 3 more skeleton warriors cladded in metal before disappearing back into the sword.
"Got it!" I went into a plow guard and waited, the skeletons seeing this ran towards me with their swords and spears outstretched.
Running towards them, I quickly duck under one of the skeleton's swings and matching its momentum, I swung my greatsword in a smooth arc towards it. My sword instantly tore through his arm joint, sending it flying away. Using this chance, I quickly went up and sent a lateral swing straight through his body.
Still keeping up with the momentum, I angled my next consecutive strike which allowed it to slip past the skeleton's shield and straight into its ribcage. My sword tore through the skeleton's thin chestplate and cut it into unequal halves.
Then, I made a mistake. I accidentally relaxed my grip right after that swing which costed me a few milliseconds to readjust my sword grip. That unfortunately, was enough time for the last of the skeletons to send its blade towards my shoulder. As it's blade was about to seperate my arm from my body, it stopped.
<HMPH! USELESS! HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO HUNT MONSTERS ON YOUR OWN WITHOUT EVEN BEING ABLE TO TAKE DOWN 2 «Skeleton knights»!? TELL ME! WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG!?>
"Sorry master! After I dealt with the second skeleton, I Accidentally loosened my grip which gave the skeleton time to strike me!"
<HMPH! FINE, GO AND REFLECT ON YOUR MISTAKE. COME BACK AFTER 5 MINUTES!>
"Thank you, master!"
After he finished his lecture, I sat down on the cold, hard dungeon floor and rested my head on the dungeon wall. I turn my head around, seeing Vecna walking over to me with a ball of water in her palm. I lazily open my mouth and tilt my head back letting the ball of water slowly fall into my mouth. "Sigh~ Thank you. Vecna."
She nods and sits down besides me, just like that we sit and watch nothing. Eventually, my head once again fell upon her lap. Ah~ It feels just like my pillows back home...
Right, back home. I wonder, will I be able to return back home? I don't really want to stay in this place, I'm not like those NEETs in light novels. I have an actual life at home and at times like this, I worry. I worry about if I will be able to go back home, I worry about what will happen when I DO go back home.
I wonder if...If I will die here-
<OI! FOOL, IT HAS BEEN 5 MINUTES ALREADY, HURRY UP!>
"Got it!" I reluctantly raise my head from Vecna's lap pillow and grabbed the greatsword besides me, rushing into the arena to face another wave of skeletons....That's right, let's just continue walking. I'll think about these things when I cross those bridges.
