Board and Lodging

Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or Sword Art Online

~ Great Tomb of Nazarick, Entrance ~

"Here we are!" Ainz declared happily as they arrived in front of Nazarick's entrance. Despite his undead form severely limiting his emotions, his heart always swelled with joy and pride upon returning to the place he and his friends painstakingly made and called home.

After clearing things up in the village which included narrowly dodging an invitation from the Warrior Captain to return to the capital, Ainz teleported the group in front of the tomb.

Since it was daytime the Mausoleum, the entrance and first level of the guild base, looked clean and peaceful. It almost did look like this was the place where people would want to be buried when their time came. The tombstones were neatly arranged, with no moss clinging to it and the grass was trimmed.

The entrance consisted of the building itself, which looked Greco-Roman in origin, was fairly large and was supported by large pillars thick enough for six or seven people to encircle with their arms together.

The first reason Ainz took his time to return was to avoid unwelcome speculation by the Warrior Captain about the incident by answering his questions. Second, Ainz had hoped that Gazef and some of his men would mention his 'name' in their reports and hopefully spread the word to any of his friends that might be in this world. The last reason was how to explain Walkiria's presence to the Guardians and by extension, the rest of Nazarick. They were extremely protective after all. Finally believing he had the appropriate speech ready he ended the talks with Gazef Stronoff and teleported once they were out of site, and casting the proper [Anti-trace Gate] spell of course.

"Hmm, it should have been a while since those guys from the Slane Theocracy were handed over to Neuronist," Ainz thought as they ascended the steps.

"Ara, ara, today must be my lucky day," Came a voice from behind a great marble tomb.

The three looked to see a girl whose outfit made her completely out of place in the tomb.

The girl was wore an elegant dress with frills and carried a parasol. Her platinum hair was tied in a fashionable knot and allowed to hang behind her hood. However, her blood red eyes and fangs, which flashed whenever she spoke, marked her inhuman origins.

"To bask in your magnificent image is truly a pleasure, Ainz-sama." The girl did a curtsy towards Ainz.

"Shalltear Bloodfallen," Ainz said in his dignified Overlord voice, "It is good to be back. Have Neuronist's guests been...accommodated?"

"Yes Ainz-sama!" Shalltear answered as she raised her head to gaze at Ainz's form (lewdly), "She was quite enthusiastic about putting her talents to work on those vermin."

"Ah, that's what she was made for after all," Ainz thought, "I never thought we'd actually find use for her skills."

"Very good," He said, "This is Walkiria, the player we met in the village. Walkiria-san, this is Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of the first three floors of Nazarick."

"A pleasure to meet you," Shalltear gave a small bow towards Walkiria, though her tone was the exact opposite of her words.

"A level 100 NPC to guard the front door?" Walkiria mused out loud, "You must have hated company."

"Many wanted to conquer our guild base and claim it for their own and its treasures," Ainz said darkly, remembering the 1500 strong player raid on the guild base, "Since they thought so highly of us, it was only appropriate that we gave them a warm welcome."

Ainz turned to regard Walkiria as he said this but there was another reason he was looking at her.

"I was right!" Ainz declared inside his head, "She has some kind of scanning ability! Must be a passive, but which one? Gah! I'll have to think of a way to get that information out of her without her noticing! Wait...did she see my stats too? How far can she see..."

A small headache was coming, though not physically. It was a wise decision to directly teleport her to the 9th floor guest suits. Who knows what kind of information she might glean just by looking around her as she passed the floors?

"Ainz-sama, I would like a few moments to speak with Shalltear about something," Albedo said gently, interrupting his thoughts.

"Of course Albedo," Ainz replied absentmindedly.

"Before we go, you'll need this to travel to the 9th floor, Walkiria-san," Ainz said as he produced the [Ring of Honor].

The ring was initially made to accommodate Yamaiko's sister, Akemi, whenever she visited Nazarick. Initially, Yamaiko held the ring since the guild had already voted it was alright to let her younger sister in. However, as time passed the item was given to Ainz when real life concerns took up more and more of the member's time, including Yamaiko which translated to decreased guild activity. Since Ainz was a frequent player and the guild master, it made sense to give him the ring.

With a bit of hesitation, he handed the ring to Walkiria who examined the ring. Ainz didn't really want anyone not affiliated with the guild to be inside his beloved Nazarick, but the situation was unusual, to the say the least. Thus he had no choice but to recruit outside help if he could. If he could do more than maintain Nazarick's strength it would be a great boon. He began imagining his friend's praises when he found them about keeping Nazarick in form when his thoughts were interrupted by a wail of despair.

The two players looked worriedly to the side but found no commotion, just Albedo walking towards them with a gentle smile. Shalltear looked ready to resume her duties and did a small curtsy at Ainz once she noticed him looking at her.

"Albedo, what was that scream?" Ainz inquired worriedly, "An intruder?"

"What scream Ainz-sama? With Shalltear and I here no outsider would be permitted to approach you without permission", Albedo said with her gentle voice, though there was some kind of strong emotion lurking in her eyes. It was like a giant creature swimming below the ocean, ready to breach the waves in an instant.

"Uh, never mind." Ainz momentarily slipped out of his "Imperious Overlord" character, "If it was nothing lets go then. [Teleport]."

~ Earlier ~

"Hey! What's the deal this time you gor-" Shalltear protested as Albedo dragged her to the side.

"Quiet!" Albedo hissed, "There's a situation..."

"What situation? Did some female manage to catch Ainz-sama's attention other than you?," Shalltear waggled her eyebrows tauntingly, "Hah! Only you could botch up an opportunity like that! You were suppose to be beside him at all times! Guehueheuehue!"

Albedo's face, however, remained stony at the jab.

"Wait, you're serious?!" Shalltear whispered furiously, "He didn't bring anyone else from Nazarick!"

Albedo's eyes made a sideward movement, as swift as a blade strike.

"Her?!" Shalltear almost wailed in disbelief, "How could you let this happen?!"

"I don't know, okay?!" Albedo ground out, "I don't know! Ainz-sama seemed to be eager to talk to her! In private! Did you know he made stand outside while they talked? Or that he left me to guard a few bugs while..."

Albedo recounted the rest of the events that happened in Carne.

"That's..." Shalltear took a step back, her mind in danger of breaking. It felt like a hole in the ground had opened beneath her to swallow her up.

"How...did she. What are we doing wrong?" The vampire Guardian asked weakly. She looked up at Albedo with teary eyes.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Albedo said with determination, "Since this is a crisis, I'll share any intel I get with you. Truce until its over?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Shalltear said buoyed by Albedo's conviction, "We haven't lost-shit!"

Shalltear's hands had flown to her mouth, but they weren't fast enough to stop the crass expletive.

"What?! What?!" Albedo asked. Her back was turned from her lord but Shalltear's exclamation made her turn with dread.

There, several feet away, Ainz was handing the interloper a ring. A ring Albedo had never seen before. To make matters worse, Walkiria took the ring and examined it as if looking for a flaw before finally slipping it on her finger.

"Eeeeeeiiiiiiiiii!" A high pitched scream escaped from Albedo's lips involuntarily.

"How?! How?! How?!" The overseer fumed. It took a full day for Ainz-sama to give her a ring! But this whore had already gotten one in six hours and fifty three minutes! (She was counting)

The two players turned around to see what the commotion was about. Albedo, however, had taken a step forward and made it look like she had just finished her conversation with Shalltear.

"Albedo, what was that scream?" Ainz asked, "An intruder?"

"No. What scream Ainz-sama?" Albedo replied in her gentlest voice. Good! He didn't notice!

"Uh, never mind." Ainz said.

{You were right! It is serious!} Shalltear spoke to her using [Message].

{Now you see how serious it is?! I'll talk to you later when you're free, I have to make sure she doesn't do anything else!"} Albedo answered.

In that moment Ainz opened a portal teleported the three to the 9th Floor.

~ 9th Floor, Residential Suites of Nazarick ~

"This is the residential floor of Nazarick," Ainz said as he personally escorted Walkiria to her room.

More than a third of the NPCs of Nazarick were designed for its defense and Ainz wouldn't be surprised if a battle erupted if they found an unfamiliar face wandering about. That and she didn't know which way to go. She might end up stumbling into a guild-mate's room and claim it for her own. Ainz simply could not allow either of those situations to happen.

"We spent quite a bit on its construction," Ainz continued proudly, "But since Nazarick's defenses had reached the max level, we made a residential area too."

This was partially true. One of the limitations of Guild Base was the NPCs. Only a certain amount of level 100 NPCs could be created otherwise invading players would be outnumbered and possibly outclassed while the owners kicked back and watched the fun. Another was that there had to be a path to the main room of the base, otherwise enemies could simply be led to a dead end or locked out.

In other words, a Guild Base was only as good as its owners and if they couldn't defend it, they didn't deserve it. It was as simple as that.

The other reason was to buy time. Since any players that managed to breach the 8th Floor were all but assured of victory, the guild decided it would be fitting to meet them in throne room like the evil overlords they roleplayed. Thus, aside from having a bit of personal space among others, the 9th floor's size, Sebas and the Pleiades were for delaying purposes while the guild members gathered for a final stand. However, to date no one had ever made it past the 8th Floor.

Ainz was going to brag about how they stopped a 1500 player strong invasion with mercenary NPCs when he noticed, to his annoyance, that Walkiria didn't seem to be impressed. All the sideward glances he made while he talked showed the same response, the lavender-haired player looked at something and quickly dismissed it as if it was not what she was looking for.

This was the base he and his friends made with their blood and sweat! It was the one place he truly called home as all of his pleasant memories were here. Whenever he got home from work, he would eat a quick meal with a supplement pill then immediately logged into the game. As he had no family left in real life, Ainz considered his friends his real family. This was why their absence hurt him, though he could not really be angry at their decision to quit.

Ainz quashed his negative feelings, some of which were directed to Walkiria for her attitude, even before his passive could kick in. As long as she did not openly insult his comrades, he could let it slide. Maybe he was just imagining things. There was no way a person could read another's thoughts. Now that memories of his friends surfaced in his mind, and he was reminded of his long-term plan, Ainz decided to see if a part of his theory for arriving in this world had some merit.

"Walkiria-san, I've been wondering...did you stay until the end of the server shutdown as well?" Ainz-asked as they arrived at the designated room.

Albedo who had been quietly following them, ready to intervene in case Walkiria tried something brazen, perked up at the unknown phrase. Though her memories were hazy in some instances, she recalled hearing the Supreme Beings saying things she did not understand, like it was a language known only to them. Why would this bitch know what the words meant?!

"Yeah, I did." She replied looking at him, "Since that shithead of a developer wouldn't keep his promise by personally giving us the finger four days before, I figured I had nothing better to do so I went with some people on a last hunt."

Ainz's jaw dropped. Sensing her master's inner turmoil Albedo tensed herself, ready to strike at a mere gesture.

"You..know a developer Walkiria-san?" Ainz asked weakly.

Though players could contact the GM, the direct link to the company, they didn't really interact with them face-to-face. The activity was really no more different than emailing.

If she did know a developer...Oh the injustice!

It meant she could get lots of valuable information, news or even guides beforehand! Maybe even items or locations that players didn't know existed. Ainz was hurt by this as it was pretty much unfair. The early days were marked with much PKing- of him.

"The head-shithead actually," Walkiria answered contemptuously, unknowingly dropping another bomb, "This the room? I'm going to rest a bit and think things over."

THE head developer?! This was too much!

"Huh? Oh, yeah it is," Ainz mumbled quietly, his inner thoughts still in turmoil, "So you personally knew the head developer..."

He repeated the words mindlessly.

"Of course I do," Walkiria said as she looked back at Ainz, "I'm a Beta after all."

As the door closed in his face, Ainz's mental discomfort washed away.

"How rude! To close the door in your most handsome face Ainz-sama!" Albedo seethed, "I suggest we punish her! Maybe a visit to the Frozen Prison will teach her manners."

However, Ainz wasn't listening.

"Hehehe, HAHAHAHA!" Ainz laughed out loud, "This changes everything! No, this explains a lot of things!"

Indeed upon revealing that she was a Beta-tester many things fell into place. Her unique attire, attack animations, lack of surprise to seeing a level 100 guardian at the entrance, etc. They were all indicators of someone who worked on the game to death! Well, she may or may not be an actual employee but that wasn't the point!

Ainz felt his jealousy evaporate. As a beta player it was her duty to explore every nook and cranny of the game. She was probably told to do whatever she wanted in order for the developers to discover any glitches or other things that might improve the game in her reports. This meant that there were probably no privileges given and that she had to explore as much as everyone else, the only difference was that it was her job!

"Ainz-sama? Are you alright?" Albedo asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine! Quite fine!" Ainz responded cheerfully, "So she's a beta! That explains a lot."

"A Beta?" Albedo asked.

The only Beta she knew was Lupusregina Beta, a mere battle maid, but the connection seemed unlikely.

"Ah, yes, you don't know about them," Ainz said, finally calming down.

"I am most sorry for my igno-"

"No, no. That's alright." Ainz cut her off, "I will introduce her to the guardians soon, as well as my plans for the future."

"I see. Are you going back to your rooms Ainz-sama?" Albedo asked with a lewd smile, "Perhaps to do some...de-stressing?~"

"N-no, I'll be heading to the Throne Room."

He'd be safer there, if that look she was giving him was any indication.

Just then a maid rounded the corner and Ainz called her over.

The maid rushed over as fast as she could and Ainz was afraid she'd trip in her haste but she approached without anything untoward happening. In fact she looked quite happy that Ainz had noticed her.

"There is a guest here," Ainz instructed to her, "See to it that any of her requests are met."

"Yes master." She bowed respectfully.

~ Nazarick, 9th Floor Guest Room ~

Walkiria shut the door in front Ainz as soon as she gave her answer. She couldn't wait to get out of his face and his attack bitch who was shooting death glares her way the entire time. Not with the situation as it was.

She looked around the room, which had the appearance of the presidential suit of a five star hotel. Walkiria approached a chair and ran her hand on the seat.

Real. But it wasn't to her taste.

Moving a bit deeper into its luxurious interior she found a high-back chair in front of a non-lit fireplace which promised a bit of comfort. She sat in it and was not disappointed.

However, she was not here to relax but to think. It might take a while so it would be best if she was comfortable.

First SAO, now she was transported to a different world?

However, what was bothering her was not the fact the she was transported to a different world. When a lunatic held your mind and body hostage with a "death game" some things suddenly didn't seem unbelievable anymore. No it was what she had observed ever since coming here.

After being "selected" to beta test, and a crash course on how to do the work properly beyond playing, Walkiria's observational skills were further sharpened beyond the self-taught street-smarts players in SAO were forced to learn. As a result she began to notice things on a technical level that most people would have dismissed or glossed over. All of them pointed to Ainz.

After their initial encounter, Walkiria noticed a few odd things. One of the first was the gear Ainz wore. His speech clearly indicated he was a player as he dropped some words that only people from Earth would know, but she had never seen equipment like that.

ANO's equipment had a distinctive look to them and his equipment matched nothing of the sort. There were gaudy designs, but his were on a different level.

Then things snowballed from there. Whenever Ainz used a spell she couldn't understand a word he said. It was like a foreign language to her. Then when they arrived at his precious little clubhouse (which he wouldn't stop talking about) no item ever looked like it was from ANO.

Being a Beta Tester was harder than people realized. Walkiria spent hours cataloguing items, sending reports and other duties her "job" required of her. No matter how big a game was, there would always be a couple of familiar things to see. None of them were here.

Neither did she hear of the Guild "Ainz Ooal Gown". With the small Beta population in ANO, it was difficult for a guild to go unnoticed, because there were only seven of them. Plus, the name simply did not make sense. Guilds in ANO had real words to them and generally meant something which was the basis of their founding. None of them sounded like an internet meme.

The final nail to the coffin though was during their earlier conversation in the cabin when Ainz mentioned DRMMO not VRMMO. Walkiria dismissed it as a slip of the tongue, but with all the evidence in front of her she was now convinced that they weren't from the same game...or even the same dimension.

She sighed and massaged her head.

Okay, maybe that last one was a bit too farfetched but the other theories in her head were equally weird. So...other universe it is. It appeared that some higher power wasn't done throwing shit at her life yet.

Walkiria didn't know how much time passed but by the time she looked up she saw a young girl dressed in a maid outfit standing near dividing door to the room.

"What is it?" Walkiria asked, sounding a bit more irritated than she intended.

"Ainz-sama has ordered me to see to your needs." The maid replied with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Great. Another one of his bootlickers.

"You can start by standing there and not bothering me."

The maid bowed wordlessly and moved out of sight. However, Walkiria caught a flash of hostility in the maid's eyes and she smiled humorlessly.

The days spent in Aincrad had taught her, and presumably anyone smart enough to survive, to know when someone was wearing a mask. Despite all those years that had passed the harsh lessons never went away. It would take more than a pretty face to lull her into complacency. Still, it would be amusing for the maid to try something.

What could a level 1 NPC do to a Level 140 Player anyway?

~ Throne Room, Nazarick, One day later ~

"Ainz Ooal Gown Banzai!" The roar of approval echoed throughout the gigantic room.

"Hmmm." Ainz nodded positively. He expected in the worst case scenario someone would disapprove but none had done so even after her ordered the Guardians to be honest.

Ainz had announced his adoption of the guild name in order to spread it across this world. Hopefully it would reach any of his friends that were transported here as well. His talk with Walkiria earlier had greatly boosted his hopes that his friends ha arrived. After all, staying at the time around the server shutdown seemed to be the common factor.

Hmmm, but did that mean there were more players transported? It would be troublesome if that were the case.

Ainz had spent a day and a half readying his speech in various forms. These ranged from the use of certain words to the pitch of his voice. He also prepared to answer any foreseeable questions they might have.

All in the privacy of his room of course.

He couldn't let word spread amongst the NPCs that the Guild Master of Nazarick was anything less than what they expected. To do so would bring shame to the memory of his friends.

There was brief silence after the shouts, which was quickly turning awkward.

"Hmmm, If this were a TV show this would be the part where the ending credits rolled," Ainz mused.

He was in fairly good spirits after the Guardians' unanimous approval, but this was the real world (now) and there was work to be done.

"Mare, how goes the work to conceal Nazarick?" Ainz inquired.

"Y-yes! I-it is finished Ainz-sama!" Mare stuttered but he fidgeted slightly indicating there was something else he wanted to say.

"Come now, speak up." Ainz urged him gently.

"Ainz-sama! Ainz-sama!" Aura raised an arm and waived it excitedly.

"Ah, Mare must have told her first," Ainz thought as he gave his permission for Aura to explain, "They are siblings after all."

"We found a nest of Rock Griffs while Mare was putting up the finishing touches of the landscape!" Aura said happily, "The mother ran away when Mare approached, leaving her nest and hatchlings. Can I raise them? Please?"

"Rock Griffs?" Ainz wondered.

Rock Griffs were Hippogriffs in Yggdrasil that had the Earth and Air attributes. So they were here as well. Still...their level was too low to pose any threat to Nazarick, even if there was a flock of them. Their level was randomly generated from Level 30-35. Aura probably wanted them as pets rather than support creatures. It looked like she really was a kid at heart.

"No harm in saying yes," Ainz decided, "Plus, I could see if we can tame or even breed animals from the game."

"Very well."

Aura thanked Ainz profusely but he waved her off after the fifth bow.

"Now then, do you have any questions?" Ainz asked the assembled Guardians, "I will answer any you may have as best as I can."

The mood instantly shifted and became more serious.

"Ainz-sama, we have heard that you brought an outsider within Nazarick..."

It was Demiurge who voiced the Guardian's question among themselves. He spoke slowly, respectfully, for fear of offending his master. None of them could comprehend the thought processes of a Supreme Being and they all stumbled to catch up to their plans.

"Ahh, yes, you mean Walkiria." Ainz replied, stroking his chin.

"Yes Ainz-sama! Did you bring her here for interrogation?"

Demiurge broke out in a cold sweat. This time it was Albedo who spoke up.

"You're too forward!" Demiurge wanted to shout, but instead kept his cool.

She might be able to get away with such things because she was the Overseer, but that didn't mean the Supreme Being's patience was infinite.

"She will be of great aid to my plans in the future," Ainz finally answered, "To that end I have secured her cooperation. We can't let such useful abilities wander about, it would be best if we add her strength to Nazarick's-"

A clatter could be heard followed by a wail of grief.

"Ainz-sama! Ainz-sama!" Cocytus sobbed prostrating himself before the throne looking like the insect he was based on. His weapon had fallen to the ground, such was the despair of the warrior NPC.

"We. Have. Failed. You!" He continued to cry, "To. Have. To. Resort. To. Finding. New. Servants... We. Promise. Not. To. Fail. You. Ever. Again. Please. Forgive. Us. This. One. Time."

Since he couldn't cry, instead steam vented from Cocytus' mandibles as he cried in front of Ainz.

"Eh? What's he talking about?" Ainz wondered, completely perplexed.

"T-that's right Ainz-sama!" Shalltear spoke up, "We're not as brilliant as you, so we might have messed up somewhere...but if you give us orders we will follow them to our dying breath!"

"Oh! They think they misinterpreted an order from me and that I was disappointed by bringing in new help!" Ainz realized.

Sometimes he could forget how loyal they were and it gladdened his heart.

"There, there. I am not disappointed in any of you in the slightest," He reassured them, "Cocytus, stop crying."

"Yes. Ainz-sama. Thank. You." Cocytus sniffled. The rest of the Guardians breathed sigh of relief.

"I brought her in not because you have failed me, but because during our time together I noticed she possessed certain unique skills that would be of great benefit for Nazarick." Ainz explained.

"Time together...noticed..."

Demiurge heard Albedo mumble but he ignored her as he tried to focus on his master's explanation. He would learn so much every time Ainz-sama spoke! Next time, he would choose a position far away from Albedo so as not to be distracted.

"...And these were the indicators of why she could do these things and she had confirmed it when we arrived." Ainz finished.

Damn it Albedo! I missed the good parts!

"Well, then if there no more questions..."

"Ainz-sama if I may?" This time it was the "elderly" Butler of Steel, Sebas.

"No you may not!" Ainz panicked internally, despite giving the go ahead.

It simply did not do to be caught unaware during a corporate presentation. The presenter was expected to have studied the reports carefully when reporting to the boss, so any question unanswered was the fault of the researcher, not the presenter but in this situation there were simply too many factors for Ainz to consider.

"What is a Beta?"

"Oh! I know this!" Ainz thought relieved, almost tempted to sag with relief, "Still, news or rather gossip travels fast even in Nazarick."

Ainz felt that his secret practice and preparation about acting the part of an overlord was vindicated.

"Hmmm, how shall I put this?" Ainz said. In reality he was considering on how to present real world terms to the NPCs since they didn't know what they meant.

Wait! That line was good for delay! It would definitely be entering his notebook on compiled lines, phrases and actions.

"Before there were any players, no before there was even Yggdrasil as we knew it, the world was a chaotic mess..."

"Oooh!" The Guardians let out a collective sound of wonder. Some had their mouths in the shape of an "O". They had never before heard of any of this, being concerned with their duties above all else.

"Looks like Aura and Mare aren't the only children here." Ainz thought. Yes, they were in a sense, the children of his comrades.

"During those times there were certain...anomalies in the world itself that could make life a living hell for players," Ainz continued, as he attempted to find synonyms for bugs and glitches, "Some could be as harmless or annoying as being unable to traverse the terrain, items disappearing or unable to be used, others are not so humorous. Spells could fail to work as they should and players could even end up in places they should not be."

He could see he was losing them so Ainz decided to limit his examples here.

"It was thus the duty of Beta-Players, also known as Testers to find and...deal with these anomalies. Without them, it would not be a stretch to say any of us would be here."

Everyone would quit due to how buggy the game was. That was what Ainz wanted to say.

"But Ainz-sama, what if that creature turns out to be hostile?" Albedo asked with concern.

The residents of Nazarick had acknowledged that the Supreme Beings were of the class known as "Players" aside from the race their own form took. Based on this, they knew there other Players out there but while their power could challenge the Supreme Beings, their masters could never be truly defeated. Though their loyalty came by virtue of being created but most of them had remembered the terrible battle wherein an alliance of 1500 villainous players attempted to capture the home of their creators but were repulsed by their cunning and strength.

Demiurge, however, was intrigued by what he heard. Beings who manipulated time and space- the very world itself- so it would be safe for Players to live in Yggdrasil. Could such a power really exist?

"Do not worry," Ainz assured her, "We have an understanding. You see those hooligans that attacked Nazarick in the past had a reason. Greed. Hatred. Rivalry. Walkiria, however, is different. From what I gather she was preoccupied with her prior duties and so she is not even remotely interested in bringing harm to Nazarick."

"So busy with work that she didn't even bother to listen to Yggdrasil news!" Ainz thought annoyedly. How could she even work like that?

Repelling that invasion was no mean feat. Any guild could make the top twenty based on numerous factors but that event had helped put Ainz Ooal Gown's name on everyone's lips. Well, everyone except the game company and its employees apparently. Probably more interested in making money off players. Those shitty devs.

Ainz unintentionally scowled, though it could net be seen due to his skeletal face.

"As expected Ainz-sama!" Demiurge thought with admiration, "To have convinced another Player to work for the glory of Nazarick within a day!"

If he worked hard maybe his master would reward him with some knowledge. Much like how Cocytus fantasized about training and protecting Ainz's heir, Demiurge imagined a scene where Ainz taught him all sorts of things and how he greedily devoured the information. However, the image was ruined when he heard the grinding of teeth from Shalltear and Albedo. After that, his master seemed to shift moods...almost like he was frowning.

These constant questions by Albedo were probably irritating the great one.

~ 9th Floor, Nazarick, Cixious ~

Homunculus maids. There were forty one of them. For this particular one, her creator had blessed her with long golden hair and amber eyes. The maid, Cixious was her given name, now stood in the dark, standing dutifully to one side as she strove to obey her master's orders.

To answer to an outsider.

While Cixious was as loyal as they could get that didn't mean they had their own opinion of things. To even the maids of Nazarick anyone born outside of Nazarick was to be pitied, deprived of the glorious presence of the Supreme Beings. It was therefore natural for her to be apprehensive of being so near to a foreigner of her creator's home.

At first she was delighted to be selected by Ainz-sama for a task. Even if he ordered her to clean the entirety of Nazarick with just a cloth and a bucket of water she would be happy. Indeed numerous happy thoughts floated in her mind during the short walk into the guest room.

Wait till the others hear about this!

Teehee!~ Notice me more Ainz-sama!~

However, once she entered the room she was assaulted by a vile pressure as she struggled to see in the darkness. Her master's presence made the air heavy, and made her want to bow down in reverence but the aura emitted by the player in the room felt...wrong. It was not the mere hostility the denizens of Nazarick felt for outsiders, but rather a primal feeling that something shouldn't exist.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark she could make out the "guest's" silhouette.

Thankfully, she was not human.

Two large, curved wings spread out behind her while two smaller ones, about the size of Cixious' arms, draped themselves comfortably on the armrests.

"What is it?!" The player snapped irritably when she noticed her enter.

"Ainz-sama has ordered me to see to your needs." Cixious replied emotionlessly.

"You can start by standing there and not bothering me."

Sounds simple enough.

What Cixious did not expect though was that the player would remain immobile for over a day. As a Level 1 creation she suffered from certain penalties such as having to constantly eat. By now she was getting dizzy, and the fatigue was getting to her. It was almost 29 hours since she last ate. More than once Cixious thought she could hear white noise, but she remained not only standing but upright in order to fulfill Ainz's orders.

Still the player did not move from her spot.

"Okay, that enough for now." Cixious her say a couple of hours later.

She stood up and stretched, wings included, and looked around the room.

"Still here?" the guest asked in what Cixious presumed to be a mocking tone, "I thought you'd have left by now."

The guest moved towards her with serpentine grace. In a few moments, what little light there was in the room was obscured by her form. Her red irises glowed, leaving them the only source of "light" for Cixious at the moment.

"Ainz-sama has given me an order," Cixious replied, unafraid, "And I will not disappoint him."

"And what a good little NPC you are!" The player replied scornfully, "I heard the last few times your stomach growled you know? In fact, it reminded me that I was hungry as well."

A hand reached out and grasped her throat, tightening ever so slightly. In one swift move, Walkiria's sharpened nail cut off part of the collar of Cixious's maid outfit to reveal her bare neck.

"This-this outsider dares damage the equipment given by my creators!" Cixious remained silent, but she was raging within her mind.

She felt a pressure as her head was slowly tilted to the side with monstrous ease and the Player brought her face close enough...and sniffed her neck.

This time, Cixious' eyes widened with fear when she saw from the corner of her vision the Player's canines extend outwards.

"Hmmm...smells good. Itadakakimasu~"

~ Somewhere in the Kingdom of Re-estize ~

"What should we do Captain?"

"I don't know yet Alyssa, I'll consult-"

"Hey! He's waking up!"

"Huh? What?" the unconscious form blinked his eyes groggily as he slowly raised his head.

The clear blue sky's view was blocked by two people. One was a young man with black hair and red eyes. Though he did not wear a helmet the rest of his body was covered with ornate armor. In one of his hands was a spear, ready to be used but casually held. It was the most humble looking of his gear.

Beside him, bending over the recently unconscious young man's form was girl with blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. She wore a white and green outfit that covered most of her body and part of her head. Something about the apparel gave off a feeling of warmth and security just by being around the wearer.

The two took a step back as the stranger righted himself into a sitting position.

The person was a person apparently in his twenties with black, slightly curly, hair and deep brown eyes. His physique was well built, but not enough to considered muscled. He wore a pair of deep black pants while his arms and feet were covered with matt dark gray armor, though both looked to be in terrible condition,...and that was it. Aside from the those equipment, the young man wore nothing else.

"Where am I? What happened?" He half mumbled.

"You're in the Kingdom," The girl, Alyssa, replied, "We found you by the roadside as we were passing by."

"What happened? Did you get into a fight?" Now it was Alyssa's turn to ask the questions.

"I..."

A sharp pain tore through his head as jumbled images appeared in his memory.

Black wings...

A black and red scythe screaming towards his neck, its owner with murder in her eyes...

"I...I don't remember much." He answered, fighting down the pain, "But I definitely remember a fight."

"I see." Came another, voice. This time it was the young man with the spear.

During the conversation, he had tilted the spear slightly so that if the stranger suddenly attacked all he needed to do was let his opponent impale himself.

He had accompanied Alyssa when they detected a faint life presence while they were traveling through the forest. It was faint, but it was also felt...different.

Alyssa was their youngest member, and looked the most non-threatening and was thus "volunteered" to investigate. If it was just some random passerby, maybe a lost adventurer, they could simply brush it off as a chance encounter. If not, if by some freak turn of events they might run into the traitor Clementine, then the captain was confident he could protect Alyssa and buy a few seconds of time for the others who were lying in wait.

Despite Clementine's fearsome (and sadistic) reputation he was sure of himself. This was because he was Kairon, Captain of the Black Scripture of the Slane Theocracy.

Thankfully it was not their former psychopathic member. Just someone who looked like they got on the bad side of an Ogre. Probably an adventurer who decided to hold off said Ogre to let his teammates escape. However...there was no sign of a fight anywhere.

"Who are you?" Kairon asked in a quiet but authoritative tone, "Surely you remember at least that?"

"My name?" Though they could not see it, there was another lance of pain through the stranger's head as he tried to recall what exactly happened to him.

Ah, that's right...

K-

It began with a K...

"My name is Kazuki..."

Author's note:

Well, Here's chapter 4. I'll be the first to admit that there isn't much going on here. This should have been at the end of chapter 3 but these two were getting two long for me.

While the explanation here of Betas has some real life elements I added some fanciful elements that I gleaned from the early parts of the SAO anime such as how Betas continue to play even after the "Final Version" of the game is released. Besides, who's to know what changes there may be to the job in future.

With this out of the way we can now resume the adventure starting from vol. 2. The last segment was a massive fix to problem with the plot that had a pre-planned event...but no way to connect the two. So its fixed now.

I know that some of you have been waiting for the "We stopped 1500+ players from invading!" conversation. However, given the surrounding events in this chapter there is a much better event to drop that coversation in the succeeding volumes cannon.

Until next time.