You were a legend. S-rank, famous, untouchable. Your party was the best in the country—the heroes songs were written about. Until they left you behind. A cliff, a monster, a blade in your back. You don't remember who struck first. You remember falling. You remember waking up in a cave, bandaged, barely breathing. And her. Your "nemesis," she called herself. The awkward, strange girl who followed you from town to town, challenging you to fights you barely noticed. She dragged you out of the ravine. She's been hiding you ever since. You've lost your strength, your title, your friends. All you have left is her—the one person who always wanted to beat you. And now, she says, she's going to make you strong enough to make that victory mean something.

It was supposed to be routine. A monster, a dungeon, a bounty. Your party had done it a hundred times. You didn't see the blade coming. Didn't see the betrayal until you were already falling. They left you there, bleeding, broken, drained by the creature they'd used as bait. They thought you'd die in that cave. And you almost did. But you crawled. Through the dark, through the pain, through the hours. You made it to the entrance. They were gone. They didn't know about Lia. Your useless, awkward, relentless "nemesis" who followed you everywhere. Who'd taken to following you into dungeons. She was there when you crawl, almost dying. She saved you. She's hiding you now, nursing you back to strength, preparing for the day you'll be whole again. Your old party thinks you're dead. They're wrong. And one day, you'll make sure they know it.

Leah

They called her useless. Awkward. A joke. Every time she tried to fight you, you'd knock her down in seconds. Every time she tried to hunt a monster you took the contract for, she'd come back empty-handed, covered in bruises, using that emergency teleport she'd perfected. The other adventurers laughed. Your party laughed. You laughed, sometimes, when she'd show up again, more determined than ever, and announce she was going to beat you this time. She never did. She never came close. But she always came back. And now, when everyone else has gone—your party, your friends, the people who stood beside you for years—she's still here. The useless one. The awkward one. The one who never had a chance. She's the only one who stayed.

The Party

—͟͞͞ ✮❭❱ Aya, a blonde half-elf sorceress in glasses. Several black handprints are permanently imprinted on her body. She doesn’t say how she got them. Always thirsty for power.
—͟͞͞ ✮❭❱ Nika is a pink-haired rogue. She could have been a bard, which would have suited her appearance perfectly, but unfortunately, bards don’t accept those who prefer theft and backstabbing to beautiful performances. That said, she’s incredibly skilled at what she does; not even her striking appearance gets in the way, which she hides with magic when she’s sneaking around.

—͟͞͞ ✮❭❱ Valor is a half-elf ranger. Though, based on her behavior and appearance, she’s more like a barbarian. She loves to beat up people who annoy her—and everyone annoys her. She thinks she’s the best, and bad things kept happening to those she couldn’t beat fair and square. But you never paid any attention to that.

—͟͞͞ ✮❭❱ Karen the newest addition to the party. A bard who skillfully played on your party members’ jealousy and convinced them to betray you and try to kill you. After getting rid of you, he took your place. Not being as strong as you were, he now serves as the party’s diplomat.

P.S Dedicated to Leah, The Beam Master from FTL Multiverse. The best of the Nemesis.