Author's Note: It's time for a celebration of Fate/Extra's anniversary, as a result, I'm releasing chapters for each of my Digital Human stories over the course of the next couple days. Enjoy!
FRIENDLY REMINDER I DON'T REPLY TO THOSE WITH "GUEST" AS THEIR NAME, PLEASE PROVIDE A NICKNAME.
xenocanaan: Glad you're enjoying the story. Things will slowly pick up, but we just had a whole 'action' bit so to speak, so it's back to the planning stages.
allen Vth: She's awful at singing for herself, which is all the time, but is remarkably good when she's singing for somebody else... If she ever does.
Engineer4Ever: All the Servants will have monster aspects in some way, so Medusa is a choice!
XenoBlaze: They're all monster Servants in some way, though they don't have to be evil aligned.
blarg7865: We'll see some shenanigans from Elizabeth, though this is still focused on Hakuno of course!
Gusts and Toes: I didn't give up the story, just IRL makes things slow, ya know?
loop2: No, Elizabeth is not considered an NPC of Ainz Ooal Gown, so she won't appear on the NPC List. And oh yeah, he would be somewhat jealous of Nero being able to say umu!
Blindfold Snake: The Moon Cell. It has been described before as basically a 'observational record keeper with power like a infinite holy grail' if you want it as its simplest description.
MHAL: Thanks! Monster Servants are going to be the choice, Jack-chan isn't a monster Servant, but she does show up in Digital/Galaxy.
The Keeper of Worlds: No, all my Digital Human Series limits it to 3 contracted Servants for Hakuno.
Kakadu538: Hakuno has plans for Foresight, their fate is averted, as well as many other canon events.
Mimifan101: Most assuredly, not that Ainz or Hakuno would think as such at first, haha.
A Supreme One, an Inheritor, an Victor, She is described in many things. But can the girl of the moon keep a new world from the destruction caused by her friends? Or will the distant star devour all before then?
Digital/Supreme One
Chapter 16: Getting Things Together
The definition of the word 'servant' did not relate to Hakuno Kishinami's experience with that same word. While she had homunculi maids and Pleiades attend to her needs in a way more befitting it, such actions done for her still paled in comparison to the length of time matching the Holy Grail War. After all, although it had been more than two months since Nazarick came to life, it had been less than two weeks since Hakuno awoke from her coma to actually experience their dedicated duties.
A delicate balance had been struck since then, a fragile thread that seperated the overzealous actions and the freedom that Hakuno Kishinami had. Nazarick was fiercely protective of her, more so than even Momonga, no part in due to that induced coma.
So when Lancer had been summoned out of the blue, the creations of Ainz Ooal Gown went almost nuclear in terms of reaction.
Almost.
The combined presence of Momonga and herself prevented it… Barely.
Even if Momonga could be included in those overreactions.
On the Ninth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Hakuno Kishinami snacked on some sweet cookies, ignoring the positive effects brought by the YGGDRASIL ingredients and cooking, eating only for the pleasure of its flavor. Elizabeth Bathory, her recently summoned Heroic Spirit, sat across from her also munching on some desserts, though of a lower quality unbeknownst to the Servant.
Hakuno glanced at the standing figure nearby, Solution, the slime race battle maid. Although commanded not to take hostile action, she and others made their displeasure known through more subtle means such as the difference in the quality of sweets. Not that the lowered quality was not delicious in its own right, perhaps it rather felt like some form of inner victory for the NPCs?
The Digital Human could feel a slight annoyance. She couldn't claim Lancer as a created NPC, as it would contradict the Servant's own words. And though technically a summon, Lancer didn't show the same level of ingrained loyalty like typical Tier Magic summons from Momonga or others.
Though speaking of which, Hakuno wondered how the other guild members would react to Lancer.
She smiled in nostalgia, picturing how Whitebrim or Beast King Mekongawa would react to Elizabeth's design and clothing, the Lancer almost had a maid-like attire for Whitebrim's obsession, and her draconic features would interest Mekongawa a lot. Or perhaps the other female members, Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, Bukabukuchagama, and Yamaiko, congratulating Hakuno for creating an NPC of her own.
That small joy faded away when the cold reality reminded her that only she and Momonga remained.
A somber moment, an ache in her heart that didn't so easily give away, not even the sweetness of the snacks could elevate the emotion.
She had spent more time with Ainz Ooal Gown than anything else in her life.
The temptation to use the Regalia to learn about their whereabouts, to know something, anything about the other members… It was frankly a terrifying prospect.
No, that line of thought was a dark one, she needed some sort of distraction.
She lifted the hand not holding the Regalia, while she did wear a full ten rings during combat, it was unnecessary within Nazarick, not to mention felt a little uncomfortable. On her other hand, there were two rings, one which she normally refused to ever take off [The Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] and the other [Ring of Message] which allowed her to use the Tier Magic [Message] without knowing the spell.
"[Message]," Hakuno spoke and fell a phone call-like ringing her ear. "Momonga?" She inquired.
["Hakuno? Did you need something?"] Momonga responded.
"I need something to do, I… I reminisced a bit too much and I need to take my mind off things," She asked.
["Reminisced? Ah, right, I understand."] Although it was a bit harder to tell, Hakuno identified Momonga's slight change of tone, he identified with her plight. ["What about your Traveler Project? Don't you need to create a headquarters for them in Carne Village?"]
"Foresight won't appear for a few more days," Hakuno replied. "Wait, did Sebas return? He did what I asked?"
["Ah, yes. I think he mentioned a few figures in Re-Estize think of him as a Traveler like you wanted him to advertise? Oh, I did take the liberty as Momon to also be a little knowledgeable in it, so I did advertise it a little as well while I was with the adventurers in the capital."] Momonga said.
"That'll help… What about the old childrens' book idea?" Hakuno said.
It was an idea she had during the Traveler Project's inception, a way to explain the whole 'Goddess Kishinami' idea, well, it wasn't referring to her as a goddess at first but it escalated to that point recently.
["I had Mare and Demiurge on it, I believe Mare is currently with Cocytus at the Lizardman Village. Demiurge-']
"I'll visit Mare and Cocytus then," Hakuno interrupted. "As for Demiurge… Did you think of a reason?"
["Working on it, I was thinking you could use your new Traveler team to stop him. He'll roll with it if we explain that it's to boost their reputation."]
That wasn't a bad idea. It'll stop Demiurge's practices while also promoting the Travelers, it'll also spread the word to the nearby Holy Kingdom if they manage to save people who weren't too far gone yet. Not to mention, Demiurge would have to set it all up, which meant less time doing evil deeds and more creating an elaborate act.
If Hakuno knew Ulbert, more than anything, he loved good playacting, Demiurge displayed similar likes with the demon incursion.
"Alright, thanks, talk to you later," Hakuno ended the [Message] and looked at Solution and Lancer. "We're going to the Lizardman Village."
Solution bowed, "As the Supreme One commands."
"Is this the start of my world tour, squirrel?" Lancer spoke excitedly, "Wait, Lizardman? Well, I'm not entirely picky of my audience... "
"No, it's not the place for it," Hakuno replied, trying to find an excuse with what she knew. "It's… A swamp?"
"Eh, then I'll just stick around then," Elizabeth voiced her displeasure and vanished away to her spiritual state.
Hakuno looked at Solution, "Let's go."
Ainz Ooal Gown, also known as Momonga, sat in his office on the Ninth Floor of Nazarick working through various reports that required his attention as both its ruler and guild master. At least, that's what he may look like to those looking from the outside, but internally, Ainz was doing his best to use his past experience as a salaryman to apply to his current work period.
After all, his work here in this office was the closest parallel to his old job, which didn't give him pleasure whatsoever, as he hated his life on Earth. But he understood the need for structure and response, especially considering that he was basically the equivalent of the CEO for the Great Tomb of Nazarick. He had been escaping this work by using his Momon persona as an adventurer, but with the latest influx of wealth from a combination of the demonic ploy in the Capital as well as the complete takeover of the Eight Fingers… Well, there was less of an excuse now.
Not to mention, he would feel incompetent if he left it all to the Floor Overseer, Albedo, and his fellow guildmember, Hakuno.
Though now, Hakuno had left Nazarick to visit Mare and Cocytus at the Lizardman Village, leaving Ainz total control of the Tomb in a similar light as it was before her awakening.
Only, less tension and more work stress.
The door to his office opened, revealing the Guardian of the 7th Floor, Demiurge, who walked forward before stopping just a few paces away from the desk. Demiurge presented himself with a respectful bow before greeting him, "Evening, Lord Ainz."
"Evening, Demiurge," Ainz greeted back, wondering if now was the best time to halt the demon's scroll production.
"My Lord, I believe it is time to expand Nazarick and expose Ainz Ooal Gown to the world," Demiurge began and proceeded to start explaining a detailed plan involving the Bararuth Empire.
Ainz wouldn't have normally interrupted Demiurge, but thoughts back to Hakuno's opinions served as a strong motivator. He raised his skeletal hand, halting the demon's explanation. "Your plan is excellent Demiurge, but I will have to temporarily stall our world domination goal."
"Of course, Lord Ainz, one must sometimes observe jewels before making a decision," Demiurge replied, accepting the temporary stop quite easily.
"Umu, that's accurate," Ainz answered, his slight verbal tic coming out without his guildmate's presence to respond. "Furthermore, your farm may be used to help Hakuno's project expand. She will give you more details, but you should make preparations to return to production of scrolls using plant material as a replacement."
"Very well, I will begin the transition once the details are presented," Demiurge replied, his expression didn't betray any sort of disagreement or disapproval, if anything he seemed happy to serve.
"We can use Jaldabaoth as a scape-coat to avoid connections to Nazarick," Ainz further said. "I might also include Momon, but we'll see what my kouhai comes up with."
The 7th Floor Guardian grinned with excitement, "Yes, Lady Kishinami will undoubtedly come up with plans exceeding my wildest expectations."
"She has learned much, but may lack some information, still I am looking forward to it." Ainz said.
In including Momon, it will serve as a break from the monotony of paperwork! He could spread not only the budding reputation of Darkness, but an Adamantite Adventurer's presence can serve as a solid launching point for the Traveler Project's formation as its own guild. And since the perpetrator was Jaldaboath, it made it all the more believable.
It was like hitting two birds with one stone!
Like with Carne Village, the Lizardman Village had rather close proximity to The Great Tomb of Nazarick's location, just north of Carne within the Forest of Tob, underneath the mountains and next to a lake. However, there were no established roads or flat terrain within the forest, so instead of arriving with a fancy carriage, instead, the Tier Magic spell [Gate] was used. That particular teleportation magic was probably Hakuno Kishinami's favorite, even if she couldn't personally use it, it allowed her to teleport along with her guild members to areas around YGGDRASIL.
As Hakuno stepped out of [Gate], she examined her newfound surroundings, and the humid summer air immediately made itself known. Frankly, it was a hot temperate, but not to the level of uncomfort, likely due to her equipment resisting environmental effects. It was remarkable how much gear from YGGDRASIL could affect her senses, yet not to the point where it negatively affected her.
It was a swamp, but not exactly like one she'd seen outside Nazarick back in the game, rather it was more a mix of swamp and forest, there were large patches of dry land where the lizardmen made their primary village, a combination of different tribes joined together due to Ainz Ooal Gown now working and progressing in unity, with Cocytus as the lead.
Speaking of the Floor Guardian of the 5th Floor, Cocytus walked up to them, no doubt knowing of their arrival shortly beforehand, he kneeled down in relevance, behind him two lizardmen of different appearances did likewise. Aside from them, the young dark elf, Mare, kneeled alongside Cocytus.
Cocytus spoke, his voice low but carrying great discipline, "I. Greet. The. Supreme. Being. Lady. Kishinami."
In contrast, Mare's voice was young and higher-pitched, and could be mistaken easily for a girl's, "I-I greet the Supreme Being, Lady Kishinami!"
Hakuno tilted her head at the giant insectoid's unique manner of speech, not recalling ever hearing it before. This was the first time she had met with Cocytus since their arrival in the New World.
There was an odd reaction among those in front and Solution behind her, like a sudden gasp for air directed at her.
Well, not the first time that had happened, she was used to it from other people.
Still, all this kneeling and bowing to her still felt a bit embarrassing, she might never get used to that.
"You can stand, thanks for greeting me," Hakuno said, allowing them to stand and remind her how tall Cocytus was.
She almost forgot how big he was, in contrast, she was tiny! If not for Mare, Hakuno would be the smallest figure in the area. Well, Cocytus wasn't the largest creature in Nazarick, he was indeed sizable, but the reward for that belonged to the 4th Floor Guardian, the golem Gargantua.
"What. Can. I. Help. You. With?" Cocytus questioned.
"I need Mare for a bit, but," Hakuno glanced behind the two Floor Guardians, examining the two lizardmen, then redirected her attention back to Cocytus. "Looks like I need to talk with you afterward as well."
Team Foresight was predominantly a human group but did have a half-elf in their party. Hakuno Kishinami wanted her Traveler Project to included races outside of those classified as humanoids, so demi-humans and heteromorphs would be included, not that she'd seen any of the latter outside of those connected to Nazarick. But there seems to be a lot of tension between humanoids and demi-humans, in fact, there was even racial tension among humanoids themselves.
Mare stepped forward, "How can I s-serve, Lady Kishinami?" The dark elf boy asked.
She smiled, "I wanted to know the progress of those childrens' books for my project."
After this, Hakuno felt like she might as well catch up with what Cocytus has been doing in his governing of the lizardman, Mare could also help with building the headquarters in Carne Village, or maybe Aura would be better suited considering she helped direct a fake Nazarick of some sort?
The Digital Human wondered how Momonga was dealing with Demiurge.