SCENE I: TRANSCENDENCE

CHAPTER I: DAMNATION

The formation is lined up as planned, hundreds of men in steel arms and armour standing at the ready outside of our hometown. We're all wondering what's going on and why Commander Sindre called every man to arms and formation at the northern wall but we answered the call without question. I'm proud to be here, tasting combat for the first time! I'm with the front units, grinning underneath my helmet at having being chosen for the vanguard until an armoured hand slaps my helmet on the right side. "Focus, boy. Stop losing concentration," Sergeant Patrick snaps at me in his grave voice, my form snapping back to attention and bracing my shield in front of me at his rebuke. "Yes, sergeant. Sorry, sergeant-"

"Stop kissing ass and start obeying my commands," he rebukes, my head nodding as I look quickly to my right and emulate his form. Shield in front, sword pointed outwards, body loose but ready. I glance again to see if he noticed my change in posture but he's busy eying his men and rebuking those he sees lacking. All this is forgotten when the loud voice of Commander Sindre booms from behind us, the voice clear and precise and seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Men of the Town of Irlo! A great evil will soon set upon your lands from the north! Stand to arms and protect your homes!" he shouts as I feel invigorated by his words, exhaling from my nose as I stand ready like those around me. Every man nearby seems to share my invigoration, the sound of armour clanking and swords being drawn across metal heard clearly. "Focus, boy. The enemy shows itself," the sergeant snaps, my focus returning to the forested edge of the town.

What catches my attention is the sky, now clouded and darkening unnaturally as something seems to approach us. My enthusiasm is dampened significantly as the feeling of something wrong and hostile spreads among the men, some of them murmuring things that I can't hear. I'm now eying the treeline for anything, the clouds quickly gathering in the sky above us and darkening the land around us. Unnatural lightning bangs in the sky, some of it coming down in the treeline a good distance away until I realize that the lightning is rhythmically getting closer. What the...what manner of monster-

"Stand ready, men of Irlo! Do not let these tricks scare you!" Commander Sindre shouts from above us, his voice seeming to defy the clouds and force the darkness back. I steel my soul and adjust my position again to ready myself for whatever comes next but as soon as the storm starts, it patters out and the clouds part in the sky to reveal the moon again. The relief I feel from the evil being lifted is broken by one word, a word spoken with ancient malice and spelling the doom of everyone present.

Dragon Lightning!

A white bolt of power streaks out from the forest, lancing out in the form of an ancient beast and rushing towards us. I brace my shield out of instinct but the bolt curves upwards, my head snapping around to follow its path. Commander Sindre is struck by the bolt and throw off the wall, his screams loud and animalistic as he falls into town. Is he...can he be...he can't be... Screams from within the walls follow as his body lands near the civilians were trying to protect, screams that send a chill down my spine. An armoured gauntlet slaps my helmet as Sergeant Patrick snaps, "Focus, boy! The enemy's shown his hand but now he shows his form!"

I turn back forward, bracing my shield and preparing myself to see the monster that might have killed Commander Sindre but all I see is a single figure in a strange mask accompanied by a dark warrior with a horned helm. The robed figure with a mask is larger than any man I've ever met, dwarfing every man around me easily and carrying a massive golden and jewelled staff in one hand. The other figure is a woman in dark plated armour with a massive axe in her hands, taller than the heaviest weapons I've tried to lift. She's almost the same size as the man but only slightly shorter. Who are they...and why do they fill me with such dread?

My entire body is shaking as a bone-deep fear takes hold, my breathing accelerating as I hear the sergeant snap at me again. "Calm your fear! Do not show such weakness in the face of the enemy!" he shouts not just at me but at his men but the sound of booted feet and dropping weapons can be heard in the eery silence. Some of them are ranting and raving that death had come for them and are screaming at the men on the wall to open the gate but we all know that the door is to remain sealed until after the threat. In my shaking fear, I look around me to see only myself and the sergeant left standing in front, the rest having fallen back to the rear units or tried to escape into the sealed town gates. "C..Calm...y..your...f..f..fear..." I hear the sergeant stutter and the sound of his shaking voice only fills me with further dread. Even the sergeant is scared...what is that thing?

"Novice...go...go out there...and face that...that creature...I will...I'll be...be behind you..." the sergeant stutters, my dread increasing to unbearable levels as I turn my shaking head towards him. "Sir...I...I..." I try to say but start to hyperventilate when I see the look of frenzied fear on his face. He suddenly shoves me forward, my feet tripping as I fall onto my shield and drop my sword with a bang of armour on grass. I'm so panicked that it takes me several attempts to right myself and turn around to see the sergeant wailing for the men to get out of his way as he scrabbles towards the gates and shouts for them to be opened. When I turn back towards the two figures at the edge of the forest, the man is staring at me and I feel my soul quell at his masked gaze. My left hand tightens to find no sword and I brace a shield that isn't on my arm.

"Arm yourself," the man rumbles as he points at me, my dread turning to fear at being singled out by this creature. I dive to the ground to pick up my sword and shield in desperation, the metal feeling flimsy and weak in the face of such evil as I stand up and brace myself for its next attack. The figure is still looking at me and his hand turns upwards in a gesture for me to approach, my fear increasing when I see he doesn't have a hand but a skeletal claw of human bones for a hand. An undead...a powerful undead...I can't...I can't-

My right-hand drops my sword as I reach for the rosaries around my neck, squeezing them desperately to try and control my fear. Warmth flows from the symbol as I exhale in relief and the choking fear dissipates to manageable levels, opening my eyes to gaze at the two figures with clearer eyes. "Who are you!? What do you want!?" I shout at the figures in a shaking voice as I reach down for my sword again, gripping it firmly in my hand and moving into a defensive stance. The figure looks at his companion who offers him no council, the horned helm turning back towards me in time with her lord. "Come, warrior. Come and face me," he intones powerfully with outstretched arms, his staff disappearing from his other hand as he offers no defence of his body.

Without thinking, I charge at him with a roar of anger, dragging my sword behind me and bracing my shield in front as I rush at the monster. The dark plated woman steps out of the way so I have a clear shot at the undead and my sword swings around in an arc aimed for his neck. A rush of adrenaline dumps into me when I see the blade impact, my face grinning and laughing hysterically at having struck the monster and delivering a killing blow.

That face drops when the figure remains motionless and simply pushes the blade away from his neck with a casual hand. His other hand reaches towards me and snatches my rosaries from under my armour, his voice intoning words of power as his eyes seem to glow behind his mask. "Greater Break Item," the figure states as the rosaries in his hands become dust that flow down my armour, my face now horrified at having the item destroyed so easily. That...that's not possible... "What...how...how did you..." I stutter as I back away from him slowly with my shield raised but his skeletal hand casually reaches out and grasps my armour collar, an unholy grip keeping me in place as I feel my shield drop from my arm. "Detect Magic," he intones as his eyes glow again from behind his mask, my body shaking in fear at such an evil sight. He's a master of evil...I didn't stand a chance...none of us did...

A heavy object slams into my back, breaking my armour and piercing my flesh with ease as the undead releases his grip slowly. I gasp in surprise as I fall to the ground onto my back and feel my body become heavier as my arms and legs don't respond to my willpower. The dark plated woman is already above me and is raising her axe again to deliver a decapitating strike. "Albedo. Stop," the undead commands as the figure gets ready to bring her axe down, her arm swinging the weapon to her side as she backs off and bows from the waist to her master. "Yes, Lord Ainz," the woman intones as the undead reaches down and lifts me off my feet with ease, pain lancing through me as blood leaks out of the gash in my back. My vision's starting to fade as the undead says something to me while holding up a strange red liquid in a diamond-shaped vial. "Drink this and you will live but you must reach it. If you live, you will be my eternal servant. Make your choice, warrior," he intones as he moves the vile into his hands and moves his palm upwards to offer it to me.

My breathing becomes ragged as I stare at the vile, one of my eyes closing as it becomes too heavy to keep open. If I live...I'll serve...a monster...but...if I die... My left hand is reaching forward and shaking violently, the limb barely moving and taking major effort to move even the amount it can. "Albedo," I hear him intone as I keep trying to reach but my primary focus is the vile and moving my arm to get it from his hands. I'm breathing rapidly to try and blot out the pain but it becomes too much and my arm slumps to my side. "That is a shame," the undead intones as he raises the hand, the vile disappearing and replaced with a black flame on his index finger. "You will feel no pain, warrior," he intones and I feel choking fear return as he gets ready to cast another spell. "No...no, no, no, no, no..." I ramble as I try to get my limbs to respond but none of them move and the wound on my back makes my efforts more painful. "Please...please no..." I stammer but the woman cuts me off. "Just submit, worthless human. You should've made better use of your time," she taunts with a cold certainty as the black fire on the undead's fingers seems to envelop his hand, the hand moving the flames slowly closer to my helmet as I try to break free. No, no, no, no, no, no...not like this...not like this!

"NO!" I shout at the top of my lungs as light seems to surround me for a moment, the black flames disappearing from his hand as I feel my energy reach its end and my entire body goes limp. "Please..." I say one last time as I close my other eye and my head falls back to the ground, my body finally shutting down even as the pain of my back tries to keep me awake.

When I open my eyes, I'm being grasped in the undead's hand but the pain is gone and when I look around, all that surrounds us is black emptiness. The undead uses its free hand to reach for its mask and with a gentle motion, its face is revealed to my growing horror. A wisened skull stares back at me with glowing red eyes and it speaks to me with a voice of power and wisdom. "I said that if you live, you will be my eternal servant. You will survive due to your outburst of magic and so your oath is made," he intones as he lowers me to the ground, my body now shaking as I stand close to an ancient being a head and shoulders taller than me. He places a skeletal hand on my shoulder and my shaking stops for a moment, a face previously full of malice and knowledge now displaying a comforting and empathetic guise. His next command removes that comfort, my body and mind once again afraid of the being in front of me.

"You now belong to the Great Tomb of Nazarick and to Ainz Ooal Gown. Please call me Ainz."

My eyes snap open as I reach for a sword that isn't there, my head snapping around frantically to analyze the room I'm in. The wooden furnishing and comfortable sheets make the place homey and the sounds of wind and animal noise from outside cause me to relax a fraction. I'm clutching my chest to stop my rapid breathing and calm my mind of the sudden rush of fear but it takes me long moments to calm down as the memories of what happened to me start to trickle in. I...I was captured...I charged at that undead...and he...I belong to him now...

"About time you got up, lazy human!" a voice shouts from nearby, my head looking around to try and find the source of the voice but finding no one in the room. The voice sounds feminine and giggles at my antics to find it. "Do you humans ever look up? No wonder we get the drop on you all the time!" the voice states as I follow the voices advice and look up. A dark-skinned elf in a white suit is swinging their legs in the rafters looking down at me with a wide grin, the sight both confusing and unnatural. "To be honest, I expected you to be dead so I could feed you to the Arena monsters but you lived! That's not something I'd expect from a worthless human!" she shouts as she leaps off the rafter and descends towards the floor, her form springing upwards after touching the ground as she moves next to the bed I'm in.

I recoil slightly when she gets close, her mismatching green and blue eyes and her strange smile putting me on edge but she continues to grin despite my discomfort. One of her hands touches my back, poking and prodding it for some unknown reason. "Wow, not that much scarring! Lord Ainz was right, you're special and you survived Albedo's wrath!" the strange girl shouts happily at me but my face fills with horror at the mention of the two names. Lord Ainz...my capturer...and now my master...and that dark plated warrior...Albedo... "Aw, why the long face!? Serving Lord Ainz is the greatest joy anyone can have!" she shouts as she slaps me on the back but I gasp when my body vibrates strangely from her touch, the odd light from before brightening the room for a moment. I look back at the strange girl to see her smiling face now gone, a whip of strange material in her hand glowing with power and flicking towards me.

I surge away from it, leaping out of the bed as the whip bites into it with a sound of furnishing collapsing into itself. My body rolls along the floor and upright as I breathe hard in fear, shock filling my body at the burning slash mark she put through the furniture and the floor that reaches towards my feet. Her smiling face returns as if nothing happened and she puts her whip away while extending her other hand, the bed repairing itself and the damage she did to the room undone to my surprise. "Whoo-wee! This human has skill with a z! I apologise for my rash behaviour, human," she shouts as she bows from the waist and rights herself with a grin.

She moves faster than I can see and is suddenly pulling me by the arm, my body bending forward as she grabs me by the throat firmly. Her grip is surprisingly strong and her menace returns as she states her next words coldly. "If you ever even dream of betraying us, I'll make sure to keep you alive and have parts of you fed to the Arena animals one by one. I'll make sure you stay alive to suffer an eternity of pain and misery as each of your limbs is removed, regrown, and removed again. You got that?" she growls into my face, my head nodding more out of fear than loyalty. Her wide grin returns as she rights my posture and drags me by the hand towards the wooden door, my awkward pace and her giggling accompanied by her foot slamming the door open to reveal the scene beyond.

Outside is breathtaking, a forest of grand serenity and a sky that's clear and calm with a bright sun beaming down. I breathe in the fresh air, smelling the grace of nature in all its scents and feeling a calmness that I've never felt before. "What is this place?" I whisper as I eye my surroundings, marvelling at the tall trees and the flocks of animals and birds moving about without hindrance. The sounds of nature are interrupted by the odd girl's giggling as she starts to pull me again, my feet skipping a beat as she runs incredibly fast along a beaten dirt path with me trying to keep pace.

"You're on the 6th floor, human! Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"