SCENE I: TRANSCENDENCE
CHAPTER I: DAMNATION
An armoured gauntlet slaps my helmet roughly, breaking my thoughts and dampening my enthusiasm with a loud smack of metal on metal. I turn my head to the right in shock and bewilderment, paling before the gaze of the silver-lion helm glaring back at me. In a grave voice and with a gaze that I've been unfortunate enough to be scrutinized with before, Sergeant Patrick snaps harshly, "This isn't a training exercise anymore so stop acting like it is."
"Yes, sergeant. Sorry, sergeant-" I stammer timidly but he immediately slaps my helmet again with similar force, retorting with irritation, "Focus on the surroundings and the forest's edge."
My head nods a few times as I try to do as ordered, my mind and body reorienting into a defensive stance as I draw my sword from my hip and my shield from my back. Curiosity gets the better of me, my eyes glancing at the sergeant but he was already turning away from me and giving out his commands loudly to the other. Each member emulates my posture as we were trained, our combined shields and stances forming a wall of steel to defend.
Even to my inexperienced eyes, the formation is shamefully sloppy. All of our training was forgotten in the face of an actual threat and the presence of fully trained warriors made our formation look even more foolish. A few laughs and mumbled slurs among the greater warriors emphasizes our inexperience but before I can distract myself with more idle thoughts, the loud voice of our commander booms from behind us. His words are clear and precise, cutting through all noises.
"Men of Irlo! Great evil will soon set upon your lands! Stand fast and protect your homes!" he shouts from nearby, the words invigorating me as I exhale from my nose in anticipation. Focusing becomes easier and every man in our squad is sharing the invigoration, armour clanking and swords drawn across metal in anticipation. The feeling wanes slightly when the wind picks up to strange levels, a gentle breeze becoming a stronger gale in a matter of seconds. Hesitation starts to set in but another voice from nearby cuts through the noise.
"Focus, boy!" the sergeant snaps at me while pushing my right shoulder with his armoured hand, my focus returning to the horizon and the tree-line beyond the grass fields. Though the tall trees offer no ominous intent, the sky above them quickly darkens with black clouds. The abnormal sight intensifies my unease and I start to feel a sense of wrongness and hostility spreading from the sight. My body starts shaking slightly from the odd feelings and the men around me start murmuring things that I can't hear. Even Sergeant Patrick, the most veteran among us, starts muttering a prayer of protection to himself. I'm scanning the treeline desperately for something reasonable to explain the rapid change in weather but nothing appears from among the trees.
Unnatural lightning spears down from the distant black clouds as if taunting us, bolts of white energy lighting up the darkening landscape with ominous flashes and booms. With every guardsman in Irlo watching, the lightning strikes slowly creep closer to town, the noise and brightness increasing with every spear of light. I have to partially close my eyes just to avoid the pain in my eyes, my ears starting to ring from the noise as the lightning crept closer.
"Stand ready, men of Irlo! Do not let these tricks scare you!" the commander shouts in defiance of the growing storm, his voice surprisingly clear and calm in the growing storm. I steel myself with a quick prayer of my own, stumbling over the words as I try to slow my rapid breathing. My heart is beating hard in my chest, making me embarrassed to call myself a trainee, let along a soldier.
The black clouds part rapidly and as they do, the unnatural dread and unease evaporate as if banished by the revealed sun. I breathe a shuddering sigh of relief to try and slow my heart down to normal levels, relaxing a fraction now that the storm is gone. Others around me try to do the same, doing their best to do as our leaders instruct and steel ourselves against the darkness.
We let our guard down and our moment of relief is broken by a single phrase, spoken with inhuman, ancient malice.
Dragon Lightning!
A white bolt of power lances out of the treeline, the lightning taking the form of an ancient beast and rushing towards us with incredible speed. I brace my shield out of instinct but the beast curves upwards and over the formation, flowing past the front ranks with a howl of energy. As I feel my hairs stand up, I turn quickly enough to see the bolt arc downwards and strikes our commander in the chest. Metal blessed and sanctified by high priests splits apart as if made of wood, a roar of pain and outrage escaping our strongest warrior as he convulses. Further screams from the town follow his cry as he crashes to the ground and at that moment, I learn what true fear feels like.
Despite the screaming townspeople, everything else is silent. I wait for a few moments in denial, not believing that our leader had been struck down so easily. Then the sound of clanking metal breaks my horror as one of the soldiers near him checks the body. He shouts that he's dead and backs away from the burnt corpse in a show of shock and denial that we all feel. A chill runs down my spine at having my fears confirmed but an armoured hand slaps my helmet again to get my attention, my focus moving to the direction of the slap in fearful bewilderment. Sergeant Patrick snaps at me with conviction, "Focus! The enemy has shown their hand but now they show their form!"
He points his sword at something towards the treeline and I follow the direction of the pointed blade, bracing my shield in panic and preparing myself as best I can. The panic slowly dissipates when all I see is a strange robed figure accompanied by a warrior in dark plated armour, both figures making no further moves to approach the town. My initial calm dissipates as the two forces view each other, details becoming more apparent as I'm allowed to analyze them in silence. The black-robed figure is far larger than any man I've ever met, their size at a distance towering over everyone I've met up close. A massive, golden staff with inlaid gemstones is held in one hand, the staff glowing with abnormal light that slowly fades away. What draws me the most, however, is their face concealed by a strange mask with unusual patterns and glowing red eyes, a visage that terrified me with its strangeness.
Though slightly smaller, the dark-plated warrior radiated threat with her discipline. The plate armour is that of a woman given the design yet the axe she holds is almost twice her size, held casually in her right hand as if it weighed nothing. Where her colleague did not indicate a threat, her stance gave off the clear message that she would harm us greatly given half the chance.
My entire body shakes with a new, bone-deep fear, my breathing sounding rough in my ears as my heart begins to race again. The sergeant snaps at me again and grabs my right shoulder, causing me to jump slightly in panicked surprise. His voice has lost some of its conviction when he shouts at me, "Calm your fear! Do not show such weakness in the face of the enemy!"
The rallying cry doesn't work on his squad, the sound of booted feet and dropping weapons the first indication of their flight. I turn around to see our squad start ranting and raving that death has come for them and that fleeing was their best option. My sense of duty is the only thing keeping me in place and against my survival instincts telling me to follow them, I turn stiffly back around to face the strange foes again. I glance around me to see if anyone else shares my urge to defend our people but find, to my growing horror, that only the sergeant is left standing with me. Turning around again in a panic, I see even the veterans retreating into town, hardened warriors forming a fighting retreat facing the foe instead of standing their ground. I don't know what to do and when I turn to the guiding force I rely on, his next words fill me with dread rather than direction.
"C..Calm...y..your...f..f..fear..." I hear the sergeant stutter lightly, the sound of his shaking voice is horrifying. I can hear his armour clanking from his body tremors, his sword is shaking in his grip. His helm keeps glancing between me and the opponents fervently and he stutters to me while pointing a shaking sword at the two figures, "Novice...go...go out there...and face that...that creature...I will...I'll be...be behind you..."
He suddenly shoves me forwards with his left arm, my armoured boots snagging on the ground and making me fall onto my shield. I drop my sword in panic, fear choking my mind and making it difficult to rise quickly. It takes me several attempts to right myself, my body shaking uncontrollably and feeling incredibly weak from the fear. When I'm finally standing upright and shaking in place, I look around me to see the sergeant running to town without grace or discipline, his sword and shield discarded behind him as he follows the others in retreat. The sight of him abandoning me unnerved me more than anything else I've seen today, the second strongest man I know fleeing in terror instead of fighting for his people or his home.
Panic rises when I remember what I'm facing, my body spinning around and raising a shaking shield to defend myself. The two figures are closer this time, both of them over me at such proximity. My left hand tightens on a missing sword and my shield arm shakes violently in mounting terror from the sight of such evil this close.
"Arm yourself," the being rumbles in a deep voice no man could have, their skeletal hand pointing at me in challenge. My fear paralyzes me on the spot, my body shaking as the figure stares at me for long moments with an outstretched hand. In the same rumbling voice, he repeats his demand a second time as if I didn't hear him, his hand gesturing to the ground in front of me. I snap my head down and see what he's pointing at, ungracefully diving to the ground and scrabbling for the weapon he pointed at. The metal that once felt strong and offered comfort feels flimsy and weak, my grip tightening around the hilt more out of fear than surety. My armoured boots slip again as I try to stand up, my entire being fearful that any moment, their patience will run out. The fear of being killed on the spot only made my attempts more futile, the choking fear making even moving a struggle.
I finally manage to go upright with a weapon in hand, the tallest figure gesturing for me to approach with the same skeletal hand. My right-hand drops my sword in numb shock and I reach for the rosaries around my neck, closing my eyes and squeezing them desperately to try and control my growing fear and dread. An odd sensation of warmth flows from the symbol and I feel my breathing slow, strange power blotting out the choking fear as I mouth a silent prayer of thanks for the divine assistance. Opening my eyes, the two figures are gazing at me curiously but I no longer feel terrified of them as before. I swiftly reach down and grasp my sword, moving into a defensive stance with as much surety as I can manage.
"Who are you!? What do you want!?" I shout at the figures in defiance, bracing my shield in front of me and watching for any sign of attack. The figure in robes looks at his companion, both of them holding each other's gazes in silent conversation before coming to a decision. Tense seconds pass by but the armoured warrior steps away from the robed figure, keeping her focus on me but giving her colleague room.
"Come and face me," the robed figure intones powerfully with outstretched arms, their staff disappearing from their other hand as they offer no defence of their body. Seeing a moment of weakness, I charge at them recklessly with a roar of anger, dragging my sword behind me and bracing my shield in front to defend against the counter-attacks they might attempt. They remain motionless as I approach and I swing my sword around in an arc aimed for their neck, a rush of savage joy dumping into me when I see the blade impact their robes. I put all on my strength into the blow, cutting through the strange material and slashing the bones of their neck.
I laugh hysterically at having struck the monster at all but the sword eventually stops, the beings bones strong and resisting the steel. My triumph quickly turns into fear as the figure uses the skeletal fingers of their right hand to move the blade away with irresistible force. My grip on the sword slackens and the robed figure plucks it from the hand and tosses it aside gently. Their other hand snaps forward and grasps the rosaries from under my armour, their movement so quick that I don't even register that he moved.
"Greater Break Item," the figure states ominously and with his words alone, the rosaries in his hands become fine dust that flows into my armour. Pure horror replaces the fear, the item I thought indestructible destroyed in an instant. My left-hand grasps with futility at where the item used to be, finding only dust and grime where it once was.
"What...how...how did you..." I stutter as I back away from the being slowly but the same hand that destroyed the item casually reaches forward and grasps my armour collar, his grip holding me in place as I try to back away. I feel my shield drop from my arm as a sense of futility takes hold, my fear choking out all other considerations as he lifts me off the ground slowly. The shaking returns, paralyzing me in his grip as he stares at me with something akin to curiosity.
"Detect Magic," the figure intones as the mask's eyes glow bright crimson, the sight maintaining my paralysis and making my heart race faster. But as he holds me in place, something heavy slams into my back, metal sundering and flesh tearing as I'm cut open. Wetness flows out of my sundered armour, a gasp of surprise escaping me as the robed figure releases his grip. My body flops back first onto the ground and becomes heavier, my breathing more rapid and irregular as my heart hammers in my chest.
"Albedo," the robed figure states to someone else, my head barely able to turn to the left as my body grows colder and harder to move. The dark plated woman is standing over me with her axe raised but with a simple affirmation, she lowers the raised axe in her hand and returns it to its idle position. My vision starts to fade away but I can still see the robed figure crouch down and offer me something. Though the blurriness of my vision makes it harder to see, I can still see the glowing crimson eyes set in a strange mask, the offered hand holding a diamond-shaped vial.
"Drink this and you will live. You must reach it first, however, and if you live, you will be my eternal servant. Make your choice," they intone, my breathing becoming more ragged by the second as I try to focus on anything but the pain. Something wet crosses my lips as I cough painfully, wetness running down my chin as my body starts to spasm slightly.
My right-hand tries to reach forward, the arm shaking violently as I put all of the energy I have left into the action. The robed figure says their companion's name again, looking up at them before focusing back on me. My breathing sounds loud in my ears and everything continues to fade as I try to reach the vile. All I manage to accomplish is tapping the tips of my fingers against the glass before the pain becomes too much and my arm slumps to my side.
"That is a shame," the robed figure intones as he places the vial back into his robe and raises the hand in front of me. A black flame appears on their index finger as they tell me the fire will be painless. The promise of no physical pain made the fear worse, my body wanting to flee but no limbs responding to the thoughts. Words of cold certainty follow the robed figure's proclamation, spoken down at me by their ally without dispute or compassion. "Just submit, worthless human. You should've made better use of your time."
The black fire envelops the hand in front of me and slowly moves closer to my helmet, my body still trying to flee despite the futility. The helmet around my face turns black, hard metal blowing away as if made of leaves. I try to shout one last time as the black flame touches my skin but I don't have the energy, my eyes closing so that I don't have to see my demise. My heartbeat starts to slow and my hearing fades completely, a sense of ease filling me that the figure spoke the truth when he said there would be no pain. That small comfort made the moment less dreadful and helped my last thoughts be more comforting.
This is the end...
My heart starts beating again and when I open my eyes to a world of black emptiness, the memory of being burnt alive by unnatural fire is still fresh in my mind. At first, I think I've been blinded but when I look down, I see the damaged armour coating my body. I undo the side straps on the chest plate, letting the sundered metal fall to the ground. The plating disappears into the blackness and in the silence, I say to myself, "Am...I dead?"
"You will be my eternal servant...and somehow, you have lived," a familiar voice intones from all around me, my body shaking in fearful recognition of the voice. I snap my head around to find the source of the voice but the blackness all around me reveals nothing and the voice chuckles at my actions. The sheer power of their deep mirth terrifies me and I start to glance around me for a weapon or the damaged armour.
"You will not die yet. You have shown me your potential and I will give you this chance to live. We will see, however, if you will live beyond this moment," the voice intones powerfully, my head still snapping around desperately to find the source of the voice or something to defend myself with. As if conjured by my panic, the robed figure appears out of the blackness, standing grandly in front of me as if they had always been there. Crimson eyes bore into mine and I feel dread grip me into paralysis, my body shaking as the figure explains my fate with a hint of grim amusement.
"You now belong to the Great Tomb of Nazarick and Ainz Ooal Gown...but please...just call me Ainz..."
My eyes snap open as I scream in bewilderment, my left hand reaching for a sword on my hip that isn't there. My left arm swings anyways as if I found a weapon but as the arm completes the arc, I start to glance around the room rapidly in confusion. The swift movements spawn sharp pain along my back and shoulders, my eyes closing as I groan of agony. I try to focus past the pain, listening to the sound of wind and animals filtering in from somewhere as a means to distract myself. Though I'm curious about the noises, an uncomfortable cough forces something out of my throat and feel my heart beating too quickly. My body starts shaking uncontrollably as I try to will the suffering to end to no avail.
"It's about time you got up!" a strange voice shouts from nearby, my eyes snapping open again and my body jumping slightly from the sudden change in noise. Despite the pain and the shivering, I try to find the source of the noise, glancing around fervently but finding nothing in my line of sight. I start to think that I'm delirious from pain, my mind focusing back on the pain unwarranted as I close my eyes again.
"Do you humans ever look up?" the voice states but I'm too disoriented to make full sense of their words this time, my eyes opening again but vision unfocused and blurry. A thump rings against the ground nearby and something touches the skin of my right shoulder, a wave of warmth flowing from the point of contact into my body. The shaking and pain subside as I gasp in surprise, my vision clearing as I snap my head to the right. A dark-skinned child comes into view, their wide grin confusing and intimidating. Their left hand is on my shoulder but when I try to move the hand away, my arms feel numb and fall to my side.
"To be honest, I expected you to be dead from that wound on your back. Albedo was very sure that she severed your spine with her axe yet...you're in good health! That's not something I'd expect from a worthless human!" the child explains excitedly, giggling as I recoil slightly when they lean over me. Her mismatching green and blue eyes and the strange smiles she has on her face put me on edge and every instinct that's working is telling me to flee.
Up close, the child is smaller than me yet they project an aura of authority underneath the carefree smile. Their hand reaches forward and moves me into a sitting position, a loud groan of pain flowing through my teeth as another jolt of pain lances through me. Fingers touch my back with pokes and prods, making the pain worse with each moment of their curiosity. I don't know how long the child tests the wounds on my back and chest but it feels like an eternity.
"Not much scarring! Lord Ainz was right! You're special to survive Albedo's wrath!...but that's Lord Ainz for you!" the strange child shouts happily but my face fills with apprehension at the mention of the two names. Memories of the previous events are dislodged and made known despite the pain. I start to piece together the previous events, remembering the futile attack on the robed figure and how I was cut open with a heavy blow. I remembered being burned alive by unnatural fire and the proclamation in a black abyss that I was now enslaved.
"Why the long face!? Serving Lord Ainz is the greatest joy anyone can have!" the elf shouts as they slap me on the back, another groan of pain escaping me as I feel my wounds sting again. I turn to the child angrily but the anger only makes her smile wider as if my pain amuses her. Her right arm reaches forward to grab my left hand and I follow the movement with my eyes, my body tensing when she shows me my left arm. My shock causes them to tilt their head in curiosity and move the index finger of her other hand slowly along the dull brown scales coating the back of my hand. They trace them up towards my shoulder as I follow their movement in mute horror. In a strange whisper, they tell me, "Between you and me? I don't think you can qualify as human anymore-"
"What is-" I try to say while turning to them but I stop myself, my eyes blinking as strange colours and images appear around the child for a moment. I have to close my eyes again to cope with the sudden feeling of dizziness, a hand moving to the left side of my face and tapping the skin near my eye. The child's tone shifts from excited to something akin to soothing, my body laying down on its own as I start to feel disoriented again. They say to me in a soothing whisper, "Relax, will you? Your heart can't take this much abuse right now. Go back to sleep."
A small part of me tries to refute their words and stay awake but her words prove true. A bone-deep tired settles over me and the urge to fight fades rapidly. I let my hands get placed at my sides and have blankets move over me by a child. While I start to doze off, they hum a strange song that I don't recognize and whisper one last thing into my right ear before I fall asleep.
"Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick by the way."