Big boy incoming
Please Enjoy
A standoff, that was the only way Tanabe could describe his current situation. When Ainz told him he'd have to return to Nazarick in person he'd at least expected the necromancer to accompany him in order to make the confrontation with the floor guardians less awkward, though he now understood that such an event was a luxury he could not count on.
Rather than an organized retreat after their expedition the skeleton instead decided to inform his subordinates of the new arrivals through a message spell before promptly sending him and Shalltear through a Gate straight home, an action done quickly enough that the admin had no time to either object or complain. In just a few short minutes he would be standing before the doorway to the throne room, the worry settling in all too quickly.
He knew that the floor guardians weren't too fond of strangers, even less so in his case given his awkward connection to Shalltear, should he give them any reason to be suspicious they could easily turn on him at a moment's notice. In a worst case scenario he'd be in an all out war with several max level NPC each with their own unique traits and abilities that he didn't know well enough to take on, even if he could somehow force them into a stalemate with Sudden Death he was still trapped in enemy territory and he seriously doubted Shalltear would even attempt to help him, not with her current mood.
In his desperation to figure out a way to avoid having the blame pinned on him for Zesshi's destructive nature he'd practically forced Shalltear to go off and find the Captain of the Black Scripture, an action he soon regret after seeing her reluctant cooperation. He was quick to be angry with Ainz for assuming he'd force others to do his bidding but now he just felt like a hypocrite, as much as he would hate to admit it his own actions made him feel like more of a coward than someone with any real power.
In hopes of remedying the situation a bit he turned to face his companion, looking for the words that would allow him to hopefully get the guilt off of his chest, in the end though it wound up being too awkward for him to approach the topic directly.
"Hey Seashell...I wasn't exactly ready to be thrust into this so quickly, any tips for dealing with your colleagues?"
"No, I would rather avoid talking to any of them right now."
"Oh. Okay then..."
Being shot down so quickly not only made him feel worse but it also reminded him of the fact that he wasn't the only one stuck in a bit of a dead end. At the end of the day Shalltear had practically made an enemy of Nazarick along with him, even if Ainz himself seemed to trust her she would still be forced to live with whatever guilt the others threw her way, especially if it became a matter of arguing with Albedo over seducing their leader. She was in just as much trouble as he was and he could only blame himself for her misfortune. With that thought in mind the guilt became a bit too overwhelming and he decided it best to give her a reason to avoid the same fate as him, any way he could ease her conscious would at least help him feel a little better himself.
"Well I guess that is true...Maybe it's best you go get some rest while I go have this talk in private, I have a feeling there will be no progress if the two of us are standing together being interrogated and I don't feel like getting axed by Albedo again for having an attitude, if it really comes down to it I don't mind waiting in a cell until the leader gets back."
The suggestion was a surprise to the vampire who took a second to look over at him quizzically, she never thought of as him the kind of person to even consider someone else's position. Was he really worried about her? No, it was far more likely that he had another stupid plan to get himself in trouble, a prime reason for her to ignore his offer though she couldn't bring herself to do so, not when he gave her this chance to keep herself uninvolved. Taking his suggestion and leaving him to his own devices could prove to be another annoyance should he wind up making a big mess of the situation, but not nearly as much as being scolded by Aura or Albedo or whoever else felt the need to reprimand her for her past mistakes. She let out a sigh, knowing that her decision could very well come back to bite her.
Without a word Shalltear turned her back to the admin and opened a gate to the second floor, with her gone all that would remain was the anxiety that the red warrior had been holding onto since the very moment he considered the possibility of being made into a pawn for Nazarick. With no one there to possibly help him navigate through the upcoming battle of words he found no other option but to move forward.
Now the admin was stuck in the standoff he'd been dreading: Standing alone before the guardians with no guarantee he could get out unscathed. When it came to dealing with troublesome opponents Zesshi alone was bad enough but now he was trapped between what he could consider to be several Zesshi as well as the Pleiades and even a small battalion of death knights and other various undead. The only solace he had was knowing that the adversaries before him wouldn't make any drastic moves that could upset their master, that would be his win automatically if he could hold it against Ainz, all he had to do was keep calm and avoid the urge to ask Albedo how she planned to have kids with a skeleton.
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South of The Theocracy and within the city of Eryuentiu another disastrous confrontation was being held, one between a hero and a very annoyed dragon.
The city once belonged to the Eight Greed Kings, a group who much like Nazarick sought world conquest albeit through very different means. Rather than try to rise and conquer through a combined effort of political finesse and properly planned interference in the affairs of mankind the Kings instead opted to use their absolute power to hunt down demi-human and heteromorphic races, in some cases to near extinction. Their actions may have been beneficial to humanity in the long run but were still notorious even amidst the most prejudice of fanatics, after all genocide was still genocide no matter the race.
Their reign was cruel and bloody, no one in the young world had the chance to really stand up to them, even the Dragon Lords were almost completely wiped out by their sheer power. After awhile most gave up hope in stopping them, their conquest was a complete success...That is until they started turning on one another, the result being exactly what one would expect. When the dust finally settled it was the Platinum Dragon Lord who took hold of their city in a sort of vendetta to prevent others from getting hold of and misusing the power of the items they'd left behind. Unsurprisingly his job was rather easy, he even had the time to play along with humanity and become a hero himself but that was a story for another day, one such accomplice stood before him now, the news he'd shared with her weighing heavily on her mind.
"And to think we spoke not so long ago about the way the world was changing."
Rigrit spoke to her old friend with a bit of worry in her voice, an emotion that was unfamiliar to her especially when it came to this dragon. In her long life she'd experienced her fair share of catastrophic events but the vastly shifting state of war that afflicted humanity was not one she could have ever expected. Humanity had always been the underdog, they did not get along with one another but together they survived long enough to avoid being annihilated by the much stronger races existing in the world, so why now had things gotten so serious?
Times changed and one country would inevitably be devoured by another or collapse from within, that was simply the way of the world. The biggest countries were no exception to this, in fact while she was pained to admit it she firmly believed the Re-Estize Kingdom probably wouldn't last even another decade, not with all the corruption and strain on resources that only got worse by the day. It was only a matter of time before a conflict would send the foundations crumbling down...At least that's what she believed before the Theocracy got involved. The Theocracy was without question the strongest human nation yet in a few short days they'd accepted numerous proposals set by the Kingdom, news that was a shock to just about every noble, politician and wealthy businessman who'd heard of what transpired.
Why cede anything to the Kingdom? To delay an inevitable conflict? To form an alliance against the Empire? The people and soldiers of either country would rejoice at having a few more weeks of relative peace but in the end they were only fooling themselves by ignoring an obvious problem, the fact that the Theocracy was willing to go to such lengths could only mean that there was an outside factor the rest of them weren't aware of, someone or something was manipulating one or both sides from behind the scenes. Worrisome news, enough so that it brought Rigrit to see her friend now.
When she first arrived she could already tell that something was wrong, the dragon was both good natured and patient with all manner of issues and yet for the first time in ages he actually seemed upset...No not just upset, frustrated. What could cause someone of his stature to feel that way? The answer was one she'd regret learning.
The Dragon Lord had gone out of his way to investigate some of his suspicions regarding the resurgence of more players in the New World, a curiosity sparked by his run in with Shalltear and the monstrous power she showed off while decimating forces from both the Kingdom and Black Scripture alike. His investigation lead him to keep his armor skulking around the Theocracy, after all they were afraid to start a direct conflict with him so they had no choice but to let him keep an eye on the place.
A few weeks worth of time and all he'd found were the questionable godkin who continued to baffle him with their twisted morality, otherwise he'd considered his search to have maybe been a waste of time.
That is until the problem literally wound up on their doorstep.
He didn't get to approach them directly but he didn't need to, his perception far outclassed that of any normal Dragon Lord, he could feel their presence and judge their karma values without being anywhere near them, even tell their state of health without too much trouble and what he saw only managed to give him a chill. To his dismay he found not just one or two but four suspicious figures following the Golden Princess, an influential figure in the human world. Of the four present he could instantly tell the identity of one, the foe he'd faced on that dreadful night...For only a moment he felt confidence but it was soon replaced by dread, she wasn't the strongest of that group, two of them rung out as being just as if not worse than her. Who were her accomplices? More importantly why were they now walking with royalty of another country?
Four people of power that far surpassed humanity, power that could have likely surpassed his own, escorting a girl and her bodyguards into another country under the guise of a mere adventurer group. If this weren't already bad enough news, he could also tell that old friends of Rigrit were also present, namely the group of women known as Blue Roses. He wanted to laugh, all these people had become unknowingly entwined in the plans of a terrifying enemy.
What was their goal? He could assume that they'd not only infiltrated the Kingdom already but were also careful enough not to make their power known to the rest of the country right away, meaning they were either not confident in their own strength or they simply chose to take the scenic route rather than brute forcing their way into power as previous players had before. Just four people was a smaller group than the Greed Kings or the Evil Dieties but they were different than any he'd seen before, even by Player standards. Even now, he did his best to try to make sense of what exactly he'd witnessed.
A girl, a mage by the feel of her mana, another one, the vampire. Then the men, two large warriors, the first...No pulse, also hiding an unnaturally large mana signature and the last...A kindred spirit?
That last bit threw his concentration off completely, now he was stuck with thoughts he didn't want to consider.
The mage had potential, it wouldn't be too hard for her to come off as an average human as long as she didn't go around strutting her power, in fact he himself could easily believe she were human had it been under different circumstances. Humanity seemed to be growing more and more as time passed, it would only be a matter of time before more and more of them began stepping into the realm of magic exhibited by men such as Fluder Paradyne. Platinum saw no urgency in her existence, unfortunately she was the least of his worries.
He'd seen the vampire in action before, in a one on one he wouldn't be helpless but his efforts probably wouldn't amount to much, not without proper preparation and careful planning, a test of strength would only lead to his demise. He could hope to lead her through any manner of traps or potential bombardment from his wild magic, but even then he didn't see his chances of winning without being there in person as plausible. A grimace came to his face at the thought.
Next was the Dark Warrior himself, the supposed leader of the group and one he had the least information on. Platinum could tell right away that his demeanor was fraudulent, he was no simple warrior or anything close, he wasn't even alive. An undead with magic potential he couldn't even begin to gauge and a sinister aura about him was hiding amongst plates of metal and a couple swords, equipment which in itself was also magically composed...How terrifying. If he assumed that the magic caster was at the very least on the same level of the vampire and had already gained some control over the other nation then...The Kingdom was already a lost cause.
And lastly...The "kindred spirit", the one who scared him the most of the four he'd seen. For centuries the Dragon Lord had been using a suit of empty armor to do things in the greater world, controlling it from the safety of his new home and avoiding direct interaction with most people, even his comrades. The suit of red armor that was there on that day contained the soul of something just like him. There was another like himself within that group, perhaps not a Dragon Lord but someone with a similar origin and of considerable power. If it were indeed one of his kin then he would need to find out who immediately and learn all he could of this new group from them, the possibility of a traitor within his own kind only further increasing the stress on his mind.
This was all the information he was able to gather from the little incident before he escaped, a decision made with both haste and regret. Running away hurt his pride immensely but taking a fight against odds like that alone would do nothing but cost him a suit of armor, now he sat within his home, contemplating not only what his next move should be but also whether or not he should try to stop his long time friend from getting any more involved than she already had. Rigrit was old, sure she wasn't at all weak and he could certainly depend on her should the situation spiral out of control but there was no need to put her in harm's way before he'd even figured out the motive of these new rivals.
Players were the most dangerous and volatile creatures the Lord had ever encountered, they could easily make themselves out to be the heroes to save the world or the monsters who would destroy it. A single one could easily erase entire countries without rhyme or reason but a coordinated group of them was nigh unstoppable, it should have been no surprise that he feared what they could be capable of when they schemed international affairs behind closed doors.
"Well if you're just going to stare and ignore my suggestion to ask the other Dragon Lords for help then I might as well move out on my own."
Rigrit threw out the comment to try and drag her scaly friend back to reality but he simply muttered an unintelligible response, he didn't yet tell her that he considered the possibility of one those Lords having been in league with the enemy. In her frustration Rigrit decided on a different course of action.
"I suppose I'll just have to visit the KIngdom then and ask the girls what they've been up to."
That got his head to pop up, she still knew how to make the old lizard panic. It wasn't hard to decipher his thoughts, he was clearly overthinking the situation and becoming needlessly worried while he was at it, though she could hardly blame him. World domination and endless chaos may have sounded like a childish fantasy but it wasn't so hard to believe whenever Players were involved, if she didn't take the initiative from time to time she could easily see her friend driving himself mad with concern. To ease his mind she tried adding on to her previous statement.
"Now now, it's only a precaution. Staying here in fear of the worst wont get us anywhere, I think at the very least I should warn some of the people I care about before it's too late."
"You run the risk of encountering them."
"And what will they do? Harm a retired old woman?"
She could see his gaze harden, knowing very well that that was exactly what he was implying.
"These kinds of people have done more malicious things in the past than you could possibly imagine."
"Good, I like surprises."
The exchange would get them nowhere, the dragon already knew that he could not stop one of the few living acquaintances he had left but he felt the need to at least try. Rigrit was a mischievous risk taker by nature, even if he couldn't stop her directly he thought it best to try offering whatever aid he could.
"If you will go then I'd like to give you something before you depart."
The massive mound of scales shifted slightly, twisting and turning before the item made itself visible: A small silver rod.
"Here, this should prove useful if you find yourself in a predicament."
Rigrit stared at the item skeptically, her own thoughts now having also taken a turn down a dark road. She didn't like the idea of being given something for a disaster that had yet to happen.
"It's not like you to get so worked up over something like this, even less so for you to just hand out relics that belonged to the Eight Greed Kings."
Her words had gone from playful right back to concerned. She now felt as if she were going on a suicide mission rather than to just visit her old home, Platinum's gaze letting her know that he had no intention of letting her leave without at least something to help her in a worst case situation.
"I understand your worry but I'm just heading for a visit, I have no intention of getting involved with anything all that dangerous. Honestly I'd rather you come along in the suit."
Her words were met with more silence, instead of speaking the dragon instead used his tail to block her exit, making his point clear.
"We both know that I cannot do that. Take it."
A commanding tone, no amount of arguing would change his mind and she knew it.
"Fine, I'll accept your sign of good faith for old time's sake...Don't blame me for not using it though."
She snatched the rod from the large scaled hand in front of her and turned her back spitefully, in her own opinion she was getting too old to be this stressed out over visiting some friends.
"Come back safely, Rigrit."
A few final words to send her off, the last thing he would say before descending into the darkness of the room, disappearing altogether and leaving his now distressed friend to her own agenda.
Never before had a trip home felt so guilt inducing.
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Tanabe walked to the middle of the throne room, doing his best to come off as an intimidating warrior who wouldn't hesitate to show off his power if he needed to. He couldn't hope to scare the guardians with power alone but it certainly gave off the impression he wanted, he only needed to remind them that he wasn't some average visitor to be pitied, as long as they were wary of him he had the upper hand.
A few tense moments of silence passed after he stopped moving, the denizens of Nazarick taking in his presence, comparing him to the likes of their supreme one. Most of them could see no difference between him and Cocytus in terms of strength while the guardians knew not to underestimate him based on appearances, behind that visage could lie the mind of a mastermind. Once they'd had their fill the confrontation would begin and the first to address him would be the Guardian Overseer herself, the one that could be seen as the second in command behind the king himself.
"Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick."
Albedo's voice resounded without another sound to contest it, her words functioning as both a greeting and a warning. When it came to the many tasks she often found herself handling it was often necessary to treat each individual assignment with the utmost care and patience, today however she had no intention of being patient.
As the title Guardian Overseer implied she had a hand in just about everything her colleagues were involved in, though in light of recent events she'd found herself feeling a little less important than she should have been. After the fiasco with Shalltear's rebellion the vampire had the honor of sticking side by side with Ainz, Cocytus had become quite the capable leader with his position over the lizardmen, and the twins had taken over watching the little brat that had been brought to them as a potential ally. Factor in these features with Demiurge's near complete control over every strategic move they made and Albedo was stuck feeling like a glorified housekeeper, only the maids had that part covered too. Being made almost irrelevant left her with frustration that had been eating away at her for quite some time, the admin would receive no lenience.
"Yeah, it's a nice place…"
Tanabe's response was one of caution, he did not want to risk showing any weakness, not while they were still so early on in the conversation. Just hearing his voice for the first time made all the others ready for a battle. So far he didn't seem all that hostile, as far as demeanor went he was able to fool the others into thinking he was even relaxed in this situation, his follow-up statement however would be rash.
"So you all are the guardians...Not a bad lineup, I bet you all are just as powerful as Seashell huh?"
The admin who'd made himself a thorn in the side of their glorious leader, another player and the biggest possible threat to their way of life...Referred to one of the guardians with a silly nickname, even the death knights could feel the hostility that such an action invoked out of the guardians. Had they not been informed of the player's casual attitude and apparent disregard for personal safety beforehand one of them might have shouted something disrespectful right then and there, it was only natural that the conversation would come to a brief halt.
With Ainz out and about Albedo saw herself as the first and only line of defense against the player's antics, thus she would be the only one to respond throughout this meeting. She put on a smile and continued to address him as calmly as she could.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, are you perhaps referring to Shalltear?"
"Yep, as you can see she was feeling a bit exhausted and decided to go lie down. As far as the nickname is concerned it's just something I came I came up with for her. Her name sounded like an obvious vampire cliche so I thought it was fun to call her Seashell Bumblebass instead...Or was it Batfodder…? Or maybe BattleToddler?"
In that moment Albedo's face contorted in an almost unnatural way, her brow furrowed and her disapproval readily visible. His words had brought out more frustration than she could have anticipated. It was disgust, disgust at the the thought of a guardian being referred to in such a way by an outsider, disgust at his ridiculous reasoning behind said naming, and disgust at the thought that it could have been anyone one of them who was stuck in that situation instead of Shalltear. It took all she had to continue speaking without losing her composure.
"And she accepts that name?"
"Oh absolutely not, it makes her violently angry."
Her eye twitched, with just a few lines of dialogue the conversation had taken an entirely different route than what was expected. Rather than trying to decipher any hidden intentions that the outsider may have had the succubus instead found herself dumbfounded, trying to take this man seriously was a difficult task all on its own, though she would not be done in so easily. It dawned on her that there was a possibility that the warrior was only talking in such a manner to upset her on purpose, the only explanation that would allow her to continue seeing him as a serious threat and reply.
"Well I hope she's not caused too much trouble for you, after all you have become our honored guest."
The admin put his hands to his hips and tilted his head slightly, an odd pose that suddenly made the others in the room feel a bit uncomfortable. He looked as though he was deciding whether or not he was upset or simply disappointed and he didn't seem to mind keeping them in suspense until he felt the need to speak again.
"Well I'm glad you all don't seem to have expected too much from me, if you consider me a guest then that eases my mind a bit."
Albedo bit her lip, a subtle acknowledgement to the misstep she knew she'd made. The red warrior had come back with more than just permission to lie around as he had in the Kingdom, now the overseer would have to be the one to go on the offensive.
"I do have to ask, did Lord Ainz only have you arrive to await his return? He seemed rushed and didn't give as many details as I'd hoped, even your name is still a mystery to us."
Making her supreme one seem like the kind to gloss over details didn't feel too good but allowing the man in front of her to pretend he was nothing but a "guest" was even worse, not with the crimes he'd committed thus far. Tanabe on the other hand felt more relieved than he had been since he left the Kingdom, Ainz was quick to send them home but he hadn't quite filled them in on everything that had happened, meaning that information was on his side as well as fear.
"That sounds about right to me, the only thing he really asked me to do was have a talk with the rest of you about my residence within the tomb. As far as what he wanted out of me in our upcoming partnership I don't think he wants us to worry about that just yet."
His opposition froze, even their breathing seemed to stop. "Partnership" was the word that he used, not service or even agreement. Partnership implied equal parties working together for a common goal, the key word being equal, this random man who they'd never met was placing himself on equal footing with their supreme one...And he didn't seem even slightly doubtful of his own statement..
Tanabe, knowing what he'd done continued to act as though he'd said nothing unusual, even neglecting to give them a name to call him by. The pride of the guardians and their complete submission before Ainz made them dangerous for anyone who didn't align with their ideals but his plan was to force them to accept his presence regardless of what they thought of him. He wasn't lucky enough to come into the world with a loyal set of followers and while his ring gave him the power to defy the logic of the world he still felt that he was at a complete disadvantage if he needed to rely on it. Any material desires such as money or even lodging could be his with the wave of a hand but no amount of these things would give him an advantage over Ainz and his people, being the confident imposing figure that he was now was the only way to guarantee a relatively safe stay. They only needed to believe that he truly was as terrifying as their king, if he could make them resign to seeing him as a creature relative to a supreme one then he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked in his sleep at the very least.
He had their full attention, he didn't have to raise his voice or even threaten them, it was as simple as attacking the ideology they lived under. Even now they would not act in a shameful way by contradicting their "guest", it was funny to consider how different a reaction he got in comparison to the old farts in the Theocracy. To top off his transgression he decided to act even more relaxed.
He took his helmet off.
"I guess it would be strange for me to start living here for no apparent reason, but it's obvious the skeleton wanted to give us a chance to get introductions out of way before he got back."
A moment slipped away in abject silence after he spoke.
The most dangerous thing about Nazarick's new "ally" wasn't just his own agenda but the authority he would be given within their home. Aside from Ainz himself the floor guardians had almost complete control, another man with the same relative power as their king would have to be given some form of control, though that then raised the question of just how much power he would hold.
Obviously Tanabe likely wouldn't be given authority over anyone directly but leaving someone with the power of a supreme one as anything lower than such also made no sense. To be a "partner" could place him anywhere on the spectrum from just a voiced opinion all the way to rivaling the words of the guardian overseer, even if Ainz would never put the admin's words over those of his guardians it was still a thought that scared even Albedo, especially with how confidently he stood before them now, not even slightly concerned with the idea that his opinions could be challenged.
"Anyway there's no point in thinking too hard about it now, I think the King's word is a bit more trustworthy than my own considering I've been causing some trouble. If it weren't for me some nation would have probably been taken over by now, I'll take responsibility for that and try to make amends if I can. Any ideas as to how I might be able to do so?"
The question was aimed at no one in particular, he just felt the need to throw it out and see if anyone could really answer him. Unsurprisingly Albedo was still the only who was willing to talk to him today, even Demiurge seemed reluctant to open his mouth.
"No...It is quite alright, if Lord Ainz doesn't seem to think you need to repay him then neither do I...We."
Her reply was slow and rather quiet, Tanabe knew he had the initiative to do what he wanted.
"Great, then I guess for now I'll worry about getting settled in and we can pick this back up when Gown is back, I'm sure you all agree that making decisions without him is a bad idea."
At this point he was tightrope walking over a pit of fire and spikes and pretending he didn't care, his personality too huge of a stark contrast to Ainz for the guardians to even have an idea of how to deal with him, they were as afraid of him as he should have been of them. If it were anyone else trying to bluff the guardians like this he'd probably be laughing at their misfortune, unfortunately he was the one stuck with the job. One could only imagine how much worse it would have been if the other guardians were trying to forcibly separate Albedo and Shalltear before they started fighting, sending her off was a good call.
"Oh, that's my job."
A cute voice was the first to break out in the silence aside from the admin's, Entoma rushing forward from the line alongside her sisters, her outburst startling both them and just about everyone else. The situation had been tense, Tanabe thought himself to be the only one who'd been taking it easy from the start but that mentality was very much proved wrong once the tiny maid stepped forward.
"Okay your room's over here."
She spoke again, not the slightest amount of concern present in her voice.
"Oh...Okay, lead the way then."
Did she seriously feel no fear in this situation? Was the admin not that big a deal to her? In truth the girl had just been zoned out for the entirety of the conversation, she didn't see it as her place to worry about what the stranger did or how he interacted with others, she'd had enough of that already in her little errand for Demiurge, if there were any important details she was sure Yuri would hammer them into her head at least a dozen times after this was all over.
With a tug, she pulled on his warrior's arm, the man himself both confused and worried. He took a look around, a bit nervous to see that the fate-deciding topic they were just on was being left behind so quickly, he even considered the possibility that it was a trap of some kind. Sure enough when he took that glance around he could see Yuri sighing, Lupusregina trying to stifle a giggle and a hard gaze coming his way from Sebas whom he was surprised to see was already back home and not with Solution in the Kingdom. It was then that he knew that he wasn't just being set up and knowing that he'd already crossed the point of no return felt no need to even care for making their opinions of him any worse.
Not wanting to be hunched down the entire time while being led away he instead opted to pick Entoma right up and set her on his shoulder, it felt much less embarrassing and this way if there really was a trap he wouldn't just be led into it so easily.
"This way you said, right?"
He strut forward confidently, doing his best not to pay any attention to the gazes aimed at him like loaded rifles. Out of all the moves he'd made this was probably the one time he seriously considered his life to be in danger and yet they let him go without even a slight argument, the room settling back into a brief silence once he was out of sight.
"His. Audacity. Is. Admirable."
Cocytus respected the warrior mentality almost as much as he respected Lord Ainz, standing in the face of danger and not showing any fear was deserving of his admiration, even if the receiver was a danger to them and what they stood for.
"I think he was kind of cool...Not as cool as Lord Ainz though…"
Mare made his thoughts known though his sister didn't agree in the slightest.
"Are you kidding Mare!? Don't fall for the same tricks Shalltear probably fell for!"
Aura was more upset out of concern than actual dislike for the person they'd just met, even she didn't get along with Shalltear they were like a family, having that family put in danger would make her upset regardless of circumstance.
"He's even more interesting than I first took him for, I look forward to seeing how he behaves in front of the supreme one."
Demiurge was the last to speak, amused at the thought he'd mentioned, the only man who could possibly challenge Ainz's authority had a personality just as unpredictable as Entoma mentioned, seeing how him and Ainz would interact in person made him a bit excited, though he soon saw that not everyone felt the same. To his side he could hear a bit of a grinding noise and he turned to see Albedo biting into the tip of her thumb, his smile vanishing for the first time in a long while.
In her frustration she'd gone through the skin and started biting away at the tissue below, blood now streaming onto the rest of her thumb as she attempted to regain her composure. Having someone insult Ainz was punishable by death, having someone insult the whole of Nazarick and be allowed to simply walk away however filled her with rage. Her adversary was nothing in comparison to the man she loved, of that she was sure and that is exactly what made his attitude so insufferable for her.
"What an infuriating man."
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"I have repaired the mask as you asked, Madam Shalltear."
A lone vampire bride stood amongst the mess of clothing that had become her floor guardian's room, the true vampire herself coming out from behind a sizable pile to claim the accessory.
The news of Shalltear's rebellion had never really been publicly addressed due to Ainz's concern of causing a massive panic among his subjects, though his silence on her sudden relocation following his trip to the kingdom did little to inspire confidence.
It was no secret that the true vampire had gotten herself involved with a dangerous entity outside the walls of their home but most denizens of the tomb simply chose to mind their own business, not just out of respect for the guardian herself but also out of sheer confidence in their leader's decisions. The economy of the tomb was one built upon trust and loyalty, if Ainz didn't feel the need to share details then no one would pry for information. Except maybe Demiurge.
With that being said the residents of the first, second and third floors were essentially left in a state of disarray without their floor guardian, not because they necessarily needed her there to actively govern their actions but because it was simply disheartening to be the only floor left without one, volatile as she may be. Shalltear was notoriously cruel to subordinates who made mistakes but that really only inspired them to be better than they were, in fear of being both inadequate to serve and of death. In the case of the vampire bride she was overjoyed to have Shalltear return, though said excitement was currently overshadowed by two other thoughts that plagued her mind: The absence of her sisters and the strange behavior of her mistress.
Normally Shalltear would have no less than two of them around her at any given moment while going about her daily duties, during her personal time that number could easily reach nearly a dozen of them. They weren't particularly powerful on their own but they were more than enough to deal with anyone who would cross her, save for a few special individuals such as Brain Unglaus who'd proven to be more than a match for them.
Today however, Shalltear only called for one of her many brides to deal with the mess before her, an act her subordinate could not figure the reasoning behind, after all the range of tasks they were left responsible of could be as simple as carrying junk or as obscure as accompanying their mistress to the bedroom. (Hey, they aren't called brides for nothing)
Secondly Shalltear herself seemed far less unforgiving than she usually did, enough so that it was almost as if she were showing compassion for her servant...A worrying sign. She'd heard rumors that Shalltear changed drastically personality wise but this was a nothing close to what she expected, she seemed mostly normal but something was off...If it wasn't stressful enough standing around Shalltear before it surely was now.
"Your staring is making me uncomfortable."
"M-My apologies ma'am."
A snappy comment forced the bride to look away, she hadn't meant for her own curiosity to come off as rude but she couldn't help but wonder whether or not the circumstances that lead to this moment made her either lucky or doomed. With all that Shallear had been through recently along with her somewhat odd behavior it wouldn't be too hard to believe that a single bride would be no more than a target for stress relief.
"If you have something to say then you should let me know now."
"I am...Unsure what it is you need me for, Madam."
Her hesitation made it obvious that she was hiding more but Shalltear didn't mind indulging the bride a bit, confusion wouldn't do them any favors.
"You are here to help me find suitable clothing to wear with this."
The guardian held up the mask once again, the pristine surface shining in the light. Such a problem seemed rather straightforward but really didn't answer her question all that well. Simply finding something to wear didn't seem like all that pressing an issue and the bride couldn't help asking for more.
"If you do not mind me asking, do you plan to wear that mask more often?"
"Only outside of Nazarick, I don't plan to leave anytime soon but a moron decided to inform me that it's a waste to have so much clothing and have a preference for only one outfit, therefore I am experimenting."
The "moron" in this situation was obviously Tanabe, even the bride with her limited information could tell that much, though it only confused her more. Why would she even listen to that man to begin with? She couldn't hope to move on while stuck with that thought.
"I thought Lord Ainz was the only man who's opinion mattered to you, ma'am."
That assumption made Shalltear sigh, it was obvious that statement hit a nerve.
"Unfortunately Lord Ainz has yet to give me an honest opinion related to how I dress, I only consider that of the other man's because of how often I was forced to listen to it while I was away."
Of course that made perfect sense in its own way but it wasn't really enough to satisfy the curiosity of the bride, the entire situation was just too strange to be left alone even if it was a bit disrespectful to ask so many questions.
"Then why did you only ask me to come along? If it is clothing it would be much more efficient to have many more of us here to dress you and clean up afterwards."
Prying for information wasn't something that could at all be considered as a good idea but for whatever reason she felt almost compelled to ask for answers regardless, for as long as the guardian was patient enough to indulge her she might as well take the chance right? Shalltear did not answer right away however, she seemed to instead be caught up in a new thought that surfaced.
"Well I picked you because-"
She paused for a moment as if contemplating her own reasoning before turning to face her bride and asking a new question entirely.
"Do you have a name?"
It caught the bride off guard, her entire train of thought disrupted by this new topic. Her own thoughts aside this was not something she ever expected to have to answer, not for someone who normally couldn't care less if her subordinates lived or died. For a second the bride stood quietly, pondering how she could answer the question in a way that would hopefully make sense.
"I do not...Myself as well as most others lost our identities long ago."
Names were not all that common amongst the brides, they were classified as pop monsters after all, they lived short lives dedicated in service to their mistress, something like a name was a not a privilege they either wanted nor cared for. If they spoke to one another then there were of course different ways in which they'd make a distinction but such interactions were few and far between. The sad truth was that Shalltear often considered them as disposable and most could not be expected to survive outside the confines of their home, a point that had been proven just recently. Both of the brides she'd brought to the Kingdom with her were far too weak to deal with the opposition, once they died they were easily replaced, which as a result led to the true vampire always referring to them as "You" or "it" without regards as to what their opinion might be, therefore it only made sense that the bride would be a bit perturbed at the idea.
"However I don't believe that matters-"
"Then from now on I'm calling you Julia."
For that moment the bride was speechless, being named was not something any sensible person would expect in this situation.
"Ma'am there's no reason for-"
"Shut up, Julia."
The bride stared forward in bewilderment, just like that she'd lost her privilege to have any initiative in the conversation, the time she had to ask questions coming to an end much quicker than she'd hoped. She was now dubbed "Julia", a thought that filled her with more concern than enthusiasm. It almost felt like a joke having her mistress care enough to give a lowly bride a name then proceed to use it so nonchalantly, even now she was simply holding the mask and looking through various other cosmetics as if the thought didn't weigh on her mind at all.
For a little while the two sat in a bit of silence, sorting through all manner of dresses, accessories and even costumes, most of which were simply tossed to the side and stacking up into even more messy piles on the bed and floor. As the servant Julia felt quite a bit of pressure but she wasn't the only one feeling a bit awkward.
Shalltear looked over at her bride and sighed before moving closer, instantly causing the bride to freeze up. Speaking so freely to begin with was not a common occurrence, she couldn't hope but feel for an instant that she'd gone and thrown away her privilege to ever open her mouth again, even an undead could feel the anxiety something like that would induce. Luckily for her it seemed that a much brighter future awaited her.
"I've given you a name for the purpose of convenience, from now on you will be my own personal assistant."
If her heart hadn't already died long ago it would have surely stopped right then. It took some time for those words to be processed and even longer for an actual reaction to come about, for a denizen of nazarick this was akin to winning the lottery, the only possible step up from there was being a personal attendant for Lord Ainz himself. The only follow-up that the bride could possibly manage to get out was the very same that one would expect from the overly loyal servants present within the tomb.
"But I'm not worthy and…"
Honestly what other reaction could be expected?. If it were Ainz he probably hold up his hand to shut her up immediately or tap his staff impatiently, it wasn't fun trying to convince others to simply accept being treated better than slaves. The true vampire had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, by now just about everyone had heard enough of this little rant, even the Pleiades had the habit of doing this whenever they were offered a reward of some kind. To stop the pointless banter and get her point across Shalltear instead decided to clamp her fingers into the face of the lesser vampire, squishing her cheeks as if she were a child and preventing her from talking.
"Because you aren't worthy you shouldn't be complaining either."
Her methods weren't exactly the most the most efficient but being forceful was the only way to make these kinds of situations dissolve without a misunderstanding.
"For now you'll be seperate from the other brides and their activities, instead you will stay here and interact only with me, do you understand?"
The only response she recieved was a slight nod between her clamped fingers.
"Good, then we have a lot more to do."
She let go of the brides face and turned her back to her, conscious of the strange decisions she'd made today. Having subordinates that actually had personality and were capable of curiosity was a scary reality, it should not be forgotten that the guardians were not the only ones who were capable of learning and of growth. Originally Shalltear only intended to have a singular servant assist her in hopes of avoiding having to interact with too many people but now she'd gone and given someone an unnecessary amount of importance, slowly she could feel the influence of that man rubbing off on her.
"Thank you ma'am...I do think together we can get this all sorted out in a few hours."
It was unnerving to realize the reality of the situation but for now Julia could only be glad, she'd been prepared for death and yet she was rewarded with the best possible promotion, there was no shortage of enthusiasm flowing through her now. Not until Shalltear reached her closet door anyway, the contents of which revealed that they'd only scratched the surface when it came to what lie ahead of them.
A dejected sigh made its way out from both women. Peroroncino had given her enough clothing that she could wear something different everyday for decades straight.
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Darkness, that was the only thing Zesshi could remember.
Charging head on to provoke her fated one into combat sounded like an amazing idea at first but her current situation did little to support her decisions. She could clearly remember latching onto his back, biting into him and sending him into a near rampage, everything going perfectly as planned. Then there was the fall into the abyss, an event that robbed both her consciousness and her memory beyond that point.
As she was now she couldn't feel a thing, in fact it felt as if her senses in general were non-existent, no matter how she tried there was nothing but an encroaching darkness that seemed to consume her very being. The first assumption she made was that she had fallen into a lower floor and was currently buried in rubble, if that were the case then her current numbness and inability to move would make sense but even that was eventually disproven as rubble wouldn't have kept her like this, even if every bone in her body was crushed and the entire palace had been brought down on top of her she could have still found a way to escape.
Where was she? She tried everything she possibly could to find out: Magic, skills, martial arts, even swallowing her pride to try calling out for help but it was all useless, she didn't even have a voice to shout with. An hour of putting up with this and she was seriously considering the possibility of already being dead, fortunately a literal light in the darkness gave her the opportunity she needed.
A large hand grabbed onto her collar and pulled her free from her confinement, tossing her back out into the open world.
The first thing she noticed was an unusual softness to the ground, secondly was the intense pain in her head and body that stopped her from simply propping herself up to see where she was. It was like coming back to life or waking up from a coma, going from an empty darkness in which she couldn't even breathe to suddenly being struck with her once blocked senses all at once, it took her a minute just to have her eyes adjust to the light in the room.
A bit of struggling and she was able to turn her head and take in the world around her. The "ground" she thought she was on was a dark purple, soft enough that she could leave an indent in it just by laying a there.
A bed?
Not just an average bed either, a ridiculously large one, wide enough that it was no surprise that she thought she was on the ground. With the space she could see on just one side it would have been possible to easily fit another six or seven people, maybe more. Moving up and and getting her head on a pillow she was able to get a better perspective on the environment. To be frank the room was huge, adorned with a needless amount of furnishing, aside from the bed there were several other places to sit or lie down, even the floor seemed to be covered in a huge rug that looked like the fur of a massive creature. The room was different from any she'd seen in the past, she'd not seen anything this luxurious even in her own home.
Then a loud metallic thunk caught her attention, a sound that matched movement just out of her sight at the foot of the bed. She attempted to lift her head slightly, just enough to peer across at the end though she wouldn't have to try very hard. The man stood up on his own, giving her full view.
Before her lied the classic warrior stereotype: A large back littered with scars, messy dark hair that had clearly seen the inside of a helmet, and a swollen figure that could only be attained through years of training. She could tell immediately who she was looking at from behind, the lack of armor not throwing her off one bit, there was no other person it could have been.
The man in question looked over his shoulder, the large amber eyes taking in the scene before him. Zesshi Zetsumei was both awake and observing him and despite his usual indifference he couldn't help but feel a little self conscious, this was after all his first time going around without armor or at least a helmet on. Back in Yggdrasil he might have been mocked for the lack of creativity when it came to his avatar, just about any edgy teen could make a giant buff guy with dragon eyes, as if that wasn't weird enough he still had to get used to the foreign face he was now stuck with. Ainz had a skeletal visage and the mentality of an undead, thus such a problem would probably never cross his mind but it was a much different story for the self proclaimed executioner.
His body may have seemed like that of a trained elite but obviously the size, shape and even the scars had all been designed by him long ago, they'd naturally been part of his body since level one, there was no story he could give for his muscular body nor the scars that adorned it. Apart from that he never really planned to walk around unmasked so his face wasn't all that much to look at, bland and normal, eyebrows constantly furrowed giving him a permanent aggressive look, nothing especially standing out aside from his eyes. For this reason he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous when it came to others seeing him for the first time, despite his insecurity however he would learn just how little of a difference it made. If there were more than just one player to criticize him it may have been a justifiable worry but in this world it wouldn't be right to describe him as anything less than a monster. There were already those who looked at the facade that was Momon and called him a being that defied imagination, just how would they react upon seeing someone like him? He didn't even want to imagine it.
"Well I didn't expect you to already be up after I brought you back out...Actually I didn't think it'd work to begin with so I count this as a success regardless."
He spoke quickly, hoping to breeze past any awkwardness that may have been caused by their exchange of glares.
"So I bet you're wondering a million questions right now like 'Where am I?' or 'How did you get those cool scars?', right? Well rest assured this is nothing for you to worry your little head about, now that both of you two troublesome girls are up we can figure out how to resolve our connection without any of us having to meet the twisted tentacle torture machine."
Anyone would have gotten stuck on his strange description of Neuronist Painkill but for Zesshi she'd stopped listening the moment he said "two troublesome girls". The situation she'd found herself in was already a lot to take in at a moment's notice but sure enough he hadn't been joking when he said two. Sitting on the bed next to Zesshi was the tiny wind goddess, the sight of which blew her mind.
"Yep, you just go ahead and stare her down 'til you reach a conclusion, I'll wait."
Tanabe's sarcasm wouldn't solve any problems but honestly he didn't exactly have a working explanation regarding the small girl with power of a Player, Ainz himself had already pieced together that the two of them weren't affiliated. In terms of knowledge she seemed to know about Yggdrasil and how that world functioned but outside of that she was completely blank, a few memories of her comrades and their exploits perhaps but almost literally nothing aside from that. In the short time he'd gotten to talk to her he realized that she either wasn't an actual human player or was nothing more than the remnants of someone who once existed. Sure she retained a good amount of the strength that she had when she was alive previously but the reality of the situation was that she'd been dead a long time, what was left of her mind and soul had all but rotted away in that tomb, the person he spoke to now was little more than an empty shell, a very annoying empty shell.
As for Zesshi's experiences with said shell the story would only get more and more complicated and he knew he had no chance of explaining it in a way that would make sense to them or anyone else, therefore he thought it best to simply throw the two together and listen to their thoughts. Zesshi would likely come up with some outlandish theory regarding what she was currently seeing, all Tanabe would do was take it as inspiration and meld together a believable enough story to satisfy the skeleton and his subordinates, the same strategy he used to try explaining the concept of a "real world" to Shalltear.
"You...Have we met before?"
Unless of course...Zesshi managed to throw yet another curve ball his way. He should have known by now not to depend on this woman for anything but trouble, her response was enough to make him punch himself in the face, the sound stealing the attention of both ladies before him.
"Well that's going to be a lot harder to do than I thought...I guess we'll move on and cover the other important topics first."
He let out a huff before speaking again, dealing with two people who seemed both indifferent but also capable of killing him in his sleep would not be a fun venture.
"Alright first things first, I guess...Zesty I'm gonna need your full attention for this."
Acting commanding and imposing like Ainz, a good strategy for getting people to listen. If there was ever a moment he could get Zesshi to listen to him it was now.
"You are within a specialized underground tomb known as Nazarick, its filled undead, demons, monsters and maids. I was able to drag you here by stuffing you into my shadow, just like putting an item in my inventory. Honestly I wasn't sure it would work on a person or if you even know what an inventory is but that's beside the point. You're here now, stuck under the thumb of a necromancer who could wipe you and your nation out in the blink of an eye, so if you want any opportunity to survive you should shut up and listen to everything I have to say."
That introduction was meant to engrain the idea that she should definitely avoid making trouble but the look in her eye suggested that she'd do the exact opposite, it was only natural that the dragonkin would move to his next thought quickly.
"This place is not some dungeon you can tackle just for fun, if you manage to get caught by any of the Floor Guardians or their boss you'll be killed of immediately and while I'm sure you're eager to commit suicide like the battle junkie you are you should know that even I probably don't stand a chance of getting out alone."
That statement caught her attention, he didn't need to give unnecessary details as long as she understood just how trapped she was.
"Now any sensible person would probably be wondering just what this place is and where it came from but I doubt you even care about that sort of thing, instead I'm going to have your attention placed on the plan I have here. I realized that leaving you alone in the Theocracy was a huge mistake, if I'm ever going to get any peace of mind I'll either have to kill you or give in to your stupid plans…And while I'm all for hitting on a pretty lady the thought of having someone like you chasing me scares me a bit."
He took a moment to let out a bit of an exaggerated shiver, being hunted down and assaulted by a crazy woman was probably the dream scenario for a man out there somewhere but he was not that man.
"I have a bit of a proposition for you. I noticed that whatever technique you were using to bash away entire chunks of wall and floor during our little battle was unlike any skill or spell I've seen in the past. I can only assume it was among those strange attacks called martial arts, am I right?"
She gave him a strange glare, it was clear that she was waiting to hear his declaration before deciding on whether or not to give him an answer, with the amount of information running through her head she was probably fully intent on doing something rash and violent the moment she could move again and he would have liked to subdue that will to fight before it was too late.
"So here's my idea: You start showing me how to do those fancy little tricks and I won't just throw you away to be tortured and turned into a rotting flesh bag by the rest of the people here. If you're cooperative you might even get the chance to uh...Have kids or something, whatever you were saying before."
He coughed a lot at the end of that statement, dealing with women was not his strong suit, especially when they had ideas like that. As far as his agreement went he knew that they probably wouldn't be able to keep Zesshi down if she had the opportunity to recover but for now he just needed her cooperation, once the commotion settled down and he could move a bit more freely then he wouldn't mind moving on to more pressing issues regarding his hostage.
"I refuse."
"Excuse you, that's not an option."
He wasn't expecting such a quick denial however, he was sure that putting her in a corner would make her submit much easier. Unfortunately the half elf didn't seem to have her resolve even slightly broken.
"If you cannot kill all of the so called threats in this place then you are weak and I won't listen to you."
"Are...Are you serious right now?"
It was the most unreasonable thing he'd heard her say thus far: He was weak for not trying to take on the whole of Nazarick? If he wasn't so confused he would be rather upset to hear someone call him weak.
"If you aren't going to listen then you won't get the opportunity to move ever again."
His threat didn't even make her flinch, a realization that frustrated him further.
"Fine, we'll talk about it again after you spend a bit more time in the dark."
She seemed surprised to hear those words come from his mouth but even still she didn't plead for help, as the shadow loomed over her and she was dragged back down she only had the strength to give him a fierce glare, her intentions echoing loud and clear without her saying a word.
You won't break me.
Tanabe could understand it completely, even after she was gone he felt like he was the one being punished.
"God, what was I thinking bringing her with me? Of all the stupid decisions I could have made this unruly woman has made thing ten times harder for no reason."
He let out a sigh before sitting at the edge of the bed, taking time to finish removing the gauntlets he was still wearing. With this his entire upper body was bare, his greaves being the only thing he kept on and his ring now adjusting to fit his open finger. A few seconds later and he managed to find something in his inventory that looked much more comfortable: A robe that draped over his body, one of the few things that would let him get away with not having to wear a shirt.
His hopes for today's talk with Zesshi had been dashed, now he was stuck trying to figure out a way to bring her in line before Ainz showed up searching for the hostage he mentioned. He let out a sigh, at least he didn't have to worry about the guardians coming to pulverize him. He took a look over the small wind user still sitting on the bed with a look of indifference, in the end she seemed completely unaffected by the entire exchange. Getting someone like her to cooperate was a hundred times easier.
"Wanna go get some lunch?"
Those words were headed without hesitation.
Took forever because it's way longer than usual
