HEX: Aspect Of The Void

[The Second Floor]

"Whew… We've made considerable progress for today. Let's stop here for now!" Nathan heaved.

They had journeyed for a while, raiding nearly a dozen mob rooms they could find. The rewards they found were as Nathan expected, mediocre.

Since it was a lower floor, the level of treasures that could be acquired there was nothing glamorous, nothing special at all.

However, the Party members still cherished them, even the ones Nathan wanted to discard. They insisted on taking the little rewards with them, despite Nathan's explanation of their little use.

"Let's keep them anyway! If we see better things, we'll leave these. But for now… They are still our treasures!" They said.

Nathan sighed and let them be. They continued the process of navigating through the Second Floor, battling the golems, statues, and clay monsters they encountered. Finally, after moving nonstop, their pace began to slow down.

After observing the party members, Nathan decided it was time for them to take a break.

"They're still kids, after all…" He muttered.

The group decided to make camp in one of the safe zones that exist between two mob rooms, settling down for rest. Puck brought out their necessary supplies, a large mat, and some blankets, one for each of them.

"You should all get a short rest, I'll take first watch. After a while, we'll proceed. It's best to make the most progress, conserving our rest period." Nathan said.

They all responded positively and lay on the mat, covering themselves in their blankets to provide a sense of comfort and warmth.

Nathan made a short distance between himself and the group, watching them drift slowly into unconsciousness. He was certain there was no need to keep watch, after all, they were in the safe zone. However, it made the young lads feel a sense of security since he offered to do so.

"They'll be able to rest well now, without any worries of what may happen…" His thoughts trailed.

Their time together had been brief, no doubt about that, but he liked this party. They were all immature and naïve, perfect for being prey. However, they were also warm, friendly, cheerful, and seemingly carefree. He always wondered how they had managed to survive this long in such a messed-up world.

Most of all, they all adored and respected Nathan, more than he could bear. The party members looked at him with such eyes of expectation, reverence, and awe… Looks he knew he didn't deserve to receive. However, they warmed his heart… He thought only being with Marie could give him such warmth, but being with these people made him feel something he thought he had lost forever.

Comradeship.

Nathan suddenly felt a slow movement approach him. Immediately, he glanced to his side and found that one of the party members had left her sleep and come to him.

"S-Sir Nathan… E-Erm…" Lydia muttered, moving closer to Nathan where he stood.

She interlocked her hands and kept rubbing them against each other in nervousness. She moved slowly to Nathan, who was surprised to see her still awake.

"Lydia, What's wrong, why are you still up? You should be sleeping" Nathan commented.

She pursed her lips in uncertainty, deciding on what to say to him. After some moments of consideration, she moved forward and made a slow advance on him.

"S-Sir Nathan… I-I just…" She stuttered.

"What does she want? Is the bed uncomfortable for her? Maybe she's not used to sleeping on such a surface… Whatever Jr is, why is she coming to me?" He asked within himself.

"I want to tell you something…" She whispered.

Her face reddened and her body throbbed in nervousness, even more than normal.

Nathan observed her body movement and guesses what she was about to tell him. He sighed to himself.

He knew he was an attractive man, that was one of the tools he used to deceive a lot of people. However, he had downplayed a lot of this by acting very stern and cold, doing so to intentionally ensure they maintained a professional relationship.

"I love Marie, I can't see myself with any other woman… I should tell her that"

"However, it is very rude to cut someone short when they are confessing. I should hear her out first…" He thought.

She closed her eyes and tightened her hands to let out the words that had been squirming within her heart for so long. It was embarrassing, it was awkward, but she said it anyway. Because… Those were her feelings.

"T-Thank you for all you've done for us, Sir Nathan. I know we can be a handful at times, and you may have gotten tired of us… But you brought us this far without complaining once. You faced off against the monsters with us and even guided us with your heart. Thank you so much!" She passionately spoke with her eyes still shut and her face flushed with an embarrassed look.

"O-Oh… Is that so…?" Nathan said awkwardly, ashamed at himself for being presumptuous.

"It's fine Lydia. Your group paid me anyway, so it's only right I deliver. I'm just doing my job…" He responded.

"Still… I know we're slowing you down. Even when fighting the monsters, I could tell you were holding back for the rest of us. And even now, we are resting, but you're not tired yet… I'm sure if you were not stuck with us, you would have reached a much higher floor by now and gotten even better treasure. Yet, you're always looking out for us. You want us to use our strength and improve, but you also don't want to push us hard, you're a considerate guide… Thank you sir Nathan…" She added

"It's fine. As I said, I was just doing my job… But, to be honest… It's been a while since I've been a member of a Party, especially one as lovely as this one. I actually enjoy your company…" Nathan smiled warmly at her

"But why? Mister Nathan seems like a nice person, and you're also powerful. Surely, you should be able to easily find yourself a party. What happened?" Lydia asked innocently, drawing her face curiously toward Nathan.

Immediately he heard this, Nathan's face darkened a little. He has just been reminded of a memory best forgotten, his dark and gory past... How he lost his previous party and had caused the death of the members.

"I... I actually had a Party in the past… But…" His voice trailed.

"What happened?" She asked.

"They all died… We went for a job, I mean, a Quest… We thought it was going to be a simple break-in, so we carried it out… But, we didn't know just how horrifying the place we ventured into was…"

"O-Oh, n-no way…

"We were attacked and picked off, one by one… I heard screams and saw the blood of my comrades… Their gory body and then apart limbs. It was all so vivid, I can't forget till now. I was captured by the monsters who did such a horrific act, and I was bound to die! But…" He said in a gentle and tired whisper.

"H-How did you survive? How did you escape?" She asked him with blazing curiosity.

Lydia felt huge remorse for the tragedy that befell him and his comrades. However, she was also curious as to why he was still standing before her.

"I… That's a secret… A story for another day…" He smiled, as he spoke in a sad tone.

She felt like asking and prodding further but decided against it. She was already being too imposing.

"O-Okay, that's fine… Sorry if I overstepped my bounds…" She muttered in withdrawal.

"No, it's fine. It's just… I'm not ready to talk about it yet…" He smiled at her.

She nodded and smiled back.

"You should really have some sleep. I'll be pushing you even further by the time I wake you all up" Nathan said in a playful tone

"A-Alright! Roger that!" She saluted nervously.

A moment of awkward silence enveloped the room, however before they knew it, they both burst into snickers, graduating to become laughter.

"Fufufufufuahahahaha"

Nathan let out a burst of hearty laughter, one he hadn't had in a while.

"You know… This is the first time I've seen Sir Nathan laugh…" Lydia commented.

"R-Really?" Nathan said, flustered by her observation.

"Yes! It doesn't look bad on you" Lydia responded with a cheerful smile.

This was also the first time he had seen such a look on her, but he didn't want to overstep his bounds by saying that. He merely chuckled at the thought.

"Since there won't be any monsters attacking us, you should also get some rest." She added, looking at Nathan with concern.

Nathan shrugged at her statement and smiled casually.

"I'm not tired. I'll join you guys soon enough though."

"O-Okay then. Goodnight!" She said, hurrying back to her blanket and covering herself wholly, hiding her blushing face.

She still couldn't believe she had managed a decent conversation with him, something she had always wanted to do.

"He seems nicer now that I've talked to him…" She thought to herself.

She squealed in delight as her face reddened even more. However, she did have one regret concerning her talk with him.

"In the end, I didn't confess… I didn't tell him my feelings for him… Maybe, maybe next time… I'll tell him that… I-I… I love him…"

As she muttered these words to herself, sleep slowly crept in and she gave in to it. Before long, she was also in the realm of dreams, same with the rest of the party, all except Nathan.

"Stupid! She was only being a nice girl, yet you had to assume something else was up. What's wrong with you, Nathan?!" He grimaced, slapped his hands on his head in embarrassment.

However, it wasn't a bad feeling, what he had.

To think he would feel the need to talk to another woman but his lover.

"I really have changed, haven't I?" He smiled.

The night was still young, and while Nathan or anyone else could not tell the difference between the time of day, he felt it within him that it was the time for rest.

He decided to also join his party and venture into the world they were in.

He slept off too… With a smile on his face and warmth in his heart.. Truly, he found himself a good party.

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