Chapter 9: The Life One Chooses

                                    

                                          
Markov looks up at the night sky and hears the joyous laughter of Nfirea and the Swords of Darkness.  They had all helped themselves to a delectable-smelling soup, Markov declined as he knew that vampires don't find taste in anything other than blood. While the food smelled good it would ultimately only taste bland and unflavorful. 
He watched as Momon had the bowl in his hands. Not even moving to consume it. It seemed as though his disguise was only visual so most likely the soup would do nothing for him as he was an undead. But that didn't stop him from making conversation. 
Momon: "I have been wondering though. Where did the name Swords of Darkness come from?"
Lukrut: "Ah, that! Tell'em Ninya."
Ninya: "Don't make me! I was young and stupid."
Dyne: "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Peter: "It's a reference to one of the Thirteen Heroes. We named our party after the swords of one of the fabled Thirteen."
Nabe: "Who are they? I don't know them."
Ninya: "Among the Thirteen Heroes, there was one called the Black Knight, who wielded four powerful swords called the Swords of Darkness."
Markov: "Hmph! "Black Knight", how old was he ten?"
Lukrut: "When we started our group, our ultimate goal was to find all 4 of the swords."
Peter: "But until then we needed a symbol. So we carry these daggers as placeholders:" On queue, the four adventurers pulled out small black daggers. 
Lukrut: "I don't care that these aren't real. They represent the creation of our team, and that's more important to me than any mythical blade."
Markov(mental): "Geez. These guys are as cringe as actual Guildies. "Teamwork, Friendship" bleh! When it comes down to it they'll turn on each other just to save their skins."
Ninya: "Were you on a team, Mister Momon?" This caused Markov to perk up as he turned and watched intently. 
Momon: "I wasn't an Adventurer, but, yes, I was. Once when I was weak and alone, a holy Knight clad in white armor saved my life. He led me to the people I would eventually call my comrades. It changed me forever. They were the best allies I could ever hope for. More than that. They were my friends and family. I will never forget the days I spent with them, as long as I live." The group watched on in silence as Markov merely rolled his eyes. If he had a dollar for every time he heard a sad sop story like that from a Guildie would've been running Yggdrasil. 
Ninya: "Mister Momon. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find more allies just like them, one of these days!" The kind-hearted comment wasn't met with the stoic answer that Momon usually gave but instead, the black armored warrior snapped at Ninya.
Momon: "That day will never come." Ninya instantly shied away like a puppy after being yelled at. This caught Markov's attention greatly. He watched eagerly as Momon excused himself and Nabe followed.
Ninya: "I think I upset him."
Dyne: "Indeed, most likely something bad happened."
Peter: "If I had to guess, they're all gone."
Markov: "You could say that again." The disguised vampire waltzes up next to Ninya as he places a reassuring hand on their shoulder. "Do not feel so bad. He simply has a hard time letting go."
Nfirea: "Do you happen to know what happened, Mister Markov?"
Markov: "Yeah. One day he had his friends and the next he lost them all. *snap* Just like that. Couldn't do anything about it. Let that be a lesson."
Peter: "Oh yeah? Care to enlighten us?"
Markov: "The downfall of any team begins with the act of trusting one another. You trust each other and give your lives for each other. You do that more and more and eventually, you'll become dependent on them. You become so dependent that one day you forget that they can leave in an instant. That's what happened. He trusted they'd be there for him but they weren't and now he's all alone with the searing pain of betrayal and loss branded on him."
Dyne: "A very...unique way of looking at it."
Markov: "The path less traveled isn't always the easiest but if traveled, glory awaits for those who do so. I didn't have a team, didn't have friends. When I was weak, alone, afraid. I had to be the one to push forward, to pick myself up. And because of that, I grew strong. And you can too. As you said the Black Knight was strong enough to wield four Swords of Darkness. He didn't need the other twelve to do so. East up. We have quite a day tomorrow, I'll take watch." He says as he begins to walk over toward where Momon sits. 
Markov: "Lovely night."
Momon: "..." He simply sat looking up at the night sky almost lost in it. 
Markov: "What about you, Nabe? What do you think of tonight?"
Nabe: "The stars are out."
Markov: "That they are. Didn't think you snap like that over a comment as weak as that."
Nabe: "Watch your words."
Momon: "It's alright Nabe. I...overreacted. I let my emotions get the better of me. It's just...do you know, Markov...do you know what's like to be alone?"
Markov: "...Yeah. Yeah, I do." He says as he sits down next to Momon.
Momon: "Is it always this quiet?"
Markov: "Yeah. But you learn to live with it. Take comfort in it."
Momon: "I don't think I'll ever be able to."
Markov: "You will. You'll have to."
Momon: "How do you know?"
Markov tucked his hand in his pocket in it was his badge as a Guildbreaker. The Breakers were a guild of their own but each member was more or less a lone wolf, each one taking on PvE'ers by themselves to satiate their desire for PvP combat. As such for being a guild each member received a badge a symbol to showcase just who exactly they were.
He contemplated showing Ainz. 
Markov: "Tell me something? Both of you. What do you think of me? When you see me, hear what I say, watch what I do, what goes through your minds?"
Nabe: "I see someone eager to kill. You speak with earned confidence and are not afraid to show others that you can and will destroy them if need be. You carry yourself with little care for anyone else except for the man you see in the mirror. For a human...I am ashamed to admit that I sympathize with your outlook."
Markov: "Well that's nice to hear Nabe. I knew we could get along." Nabe scoffs. 
Momon: "Hmm...Even when we first me you were an oddity. Every word you spoke had to be seen as a lie. And even now your words are laced with deception and hidden agendas. But you also come from Yggdrasil, as did I Which means we are a special few in this new world. And that means we need to stick together. No matter what." Markov simply sighed as he pulled his hand from his coat pocket, leaving the badge within. 
Markov: "Yeah...that sounds about right. Well, I'll leave you two to your cold food." 
Markov gets to his feet and begins to walk toward an outcropping of rocks overlooking the hillside. He sits and pulls free his badge. It wasn't anything too spectacular. A simple cloth badge with the etchings of a leopard with a jagged dagger in its mouth. In truth it was simply a randomized clan symbol, there wasn't much care put into it as its only goal was to give the Breakers a symbol. 
Markov(mental): "The road less traveled...hmph."