Godfather: House Of Ainz Ooal Gown
Chapter 3: Guards Of God's Abode
As soon as Albedo finished her order, the guardians formally introduced themselves.
"Shalltear Bloodfallen, guardian of the first, second and third floors. At your command." The vampire was of short stature and has the appearance of a buxom fourteen-year-old girl. She has pale shiny skin, seductive crimson-red eyes, and fine facial features. Shalltear's silver hair is tied in a ponytail through a large ribbon on top of it all, allowing others a full view of her face.
Shalltear wore a soft black evening dress with a big heavy skirt. Her upper body is dressed in a lace embellished ribbon and a short tailored jacket. Her hands are donned with long lace gloves, not exposing any bit of skin exterior
"Cocytus, guardian of the 5th floor. At your command." Having an enormous body size of 2.5 meters, Cocytus has the appearance of an insect walking on two feet - a fusion between a mantis and an ant. With a tail twice as long as his height, Cocytus is covered in sharp spikes like icicles and has a strong jaw that can easily snap people's hands. Two of his hands held a silver halberd. With a breathtaking cold air, the pale blue, hardened bone armor oozes out diamond dust like bright light. His shoulders and back look like uplifted icebergs.
"Nigredo, area guardian of the Frozen Prison. At your command." Nigredo had long black hair. She has beautiful eyes and teeth, but there were no lips whatsoever, only beautiful pearly teeth. There are no eyelids, only brightly shining eyes.
"Aura Bella Fiora, guardian of the 6th floor. At your command." Aura had dark skin and pointed ears, a signature trait of the dark elves. She has golden hair and heterochromia, her left eye blue and right eye green. She wears reddish-black dragon scale leather covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown. Below it, she has a matching set of white trousers and gold plated shoes, and around her neck is an acorn necklace emitting golden light. She is equipped with a whip around her waist and a giant, decorated bow on her back.
"Mare Bello Fiore, a-also a guardian of the 6th floor. A-At your command." Like his twin sister, Mare also has dark skin and pointed ears. He has golden hair and heterochromia, his right eye is blue and his left eye is green. He wears a blue dragon scale leather full-body suit, covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown and a forest green-leaf cloak. Below, he has a matching short white skirt exposing his thighs, and on his neck is an acorn necklace emitting silver light. His slender hands are donned with shiny white silk gloves and he wields a twisted black wooden staff.
"Demiurge, guardian of the 7th floor. At your command." Demiurge is a demon with dark skin and nicely combed black hair. Behind the round glasses are eyes so squinted that they are not normally visible. Wearing a British suit with a tie, he is dressed like a gentleman. Behind his back is a silver tail, covered with metal plates and six long spikes at the end. Demiurge's eyes lack eyeballs, in fact, shining jewels with numerous small cuts take the place of his eyeballs.
"[Victim, guardian of the 8th floor. At your command.]" Victim has the appearance of a 1m long bright pink fetus with an angelic halo above his head and featherless stick-like wings on its back. He does not have a neck of his own. In order to survey his surroundings, it is necessary for Victim to turn his entire body around.
"Aureole Omega, area guardian of the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary and leader of the Pleiades Seven Sisters . At your command, Sensei (Teacher)." The 8th floor denizen stated with a tender yet playful smile, unlike the other guardians, she did not sport a serious expression.
"Pandora's Actor, area guardian of the Treasury. At your command, my creator ~! " The area guardian shot his arm in the air at the end his speech before bringing it back to rest on his chest, yet he did not lift up his head as he did this, causing Momonga to silently close his eyes in embarrassment from his NPC's weird shenanigans. The other NPC's who noticed Pandora's Actor's gesture didn't comment on it, but they were truthfully weirded out by it, except Rubedo who offered him three claps for his showmanship, finding his eccentricity to be entertaining.
Pandora's Actor is an egghead with no distinct facial feature except the three holes protruding on his face. He's dressed in a yellow Neo-Nazi-esque uniform, his hat bears the crest of Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Rubedo, 8th floor resident. At your command, Papa." The angelic child kind of squealed, throwing her arms up in a cheer which almost caused her to fall off had it not been for Momonga's fast reflexes to support her back with his hand.
"Sebas Tian, head butler of Nazarick. At your command." Sebas Tian has the appearance of an elderly butler and he is dressed gracefully in his traditional black uniform. Sebas' hair is entirely white, just like his immaculate beard. He has visible wrinkles on his hollow face, which makes him seem gentle in appearance, but his eyes are as sharp as an eagle's.
"Solution, Pleiades Battle Maid. At your command." Solution is a blonde beauty with spiral curls and blue eyes, and maid clothing that emphasizes her sex appeal.
"Albedo, overseer of the guardians. At your command. With the exception of Gargantua, the 4th floor guardian, all of the guardians are here before you. Command us, God of YGGDRASIL and the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick."
"Marvellous! I'm sure you will serve me greatly, my children!" Momonga stated. All the NPCs were filled with joy after hearing their leader declare his trust in them.
"However, it appears that Nazarick is in a peculiar situation. Sebas, inform them of what you observed outside." Nodding, the Butler told the others about their situation.
"It appears that Nazarick was transported to another world. Albedo, Demiurge, raise the security level of the Tomb, any intruder is to be captured alive for interrogation."
"Understood."
"Mare, is it possible to conceal Nazarick?"
"U-Um, covering the walls with soil as a camouflage might be a good idea."
"You'd defile the walls of our domain with dirt?" Albedo asked menacingly, scaring the poor boy.
"Albedo, this matter doesn't concern you. Don't speak without being spoken to." Momonga warned with a narrow-eyed glare, the crimson shade of his eyes turning darker.
"Please forgive me, father-sama." The guardian overseer lowered her head.
"That's a good idea, Mare. Create dummy hills as well, so it doesn't appear unnatural."
"Y-Yes! Leave it to me!"
"Pandora's Actor, use the money you brought to summon three Hanzos, Tobi Katos and Greater Doppelgangers, as well as one Kashin Koji."
"I will do so, father!" The guardian of the Treasury replied energetically.
"Nigredo, Solution, the two of you will be in charge of all the Eight-Edge Assassins, 12 Shadow Demons and the summons of Pandora's Actor in order to create an intelligence and special operation cell. Solution will be in charge of the field work, while Nigredo will use her information magic to survey our surroundings, counter anyone who tries to spy on Nazarick or our agents outside, and keep taps on everyone who steps outside of Nazarick, including me. I will only keep three Eight-Edge Assassins in my office chamber, the two of you will take control of the rest. "
" Understood! " The Battle maid and the area guardian bowed even more.
" Furthermore, you will relocate to a room in the 9th floor, Nigredo. You're too important to stay on a higher floor so close to the surface. Inform Titus Annaeus Secundus to let you take two of his level 75 Overlords to guard your room. "
" As you wish, father. " Nigredo was beaming with happiness at the fact that her father thought of her as important, though the only way to tell what she was feeling is the way her eyes shined with un-shed tears.
"Pandora's Actor, you will give Solution a Mirror Of Gate, a reasonable supply of Message and Perfect Unknowable scrolls, three Epigoni boards and most importantly an Exchange Puppet. " Momonga ordered to which his NPC nodded in affirmation.
"The last item is for everyone. No one should leave Nazarick without having an Exchange Puppet on their person, guardians or otherwise. If one of you gets attacked by a foe they cannot defeat, then you should immediately use the item to switch places with me and I will deal with the aggressor. "
" Father-sama, we can't do such a thing! We were created to protect you with our own lives! " Albedo objected strongly.
" Papa! " Rubedo yelled in shock, all the other NPCs also voiced various objections until Momonga raised his hand to silence them.
" I understand your sentiments and worries. But, do you believe it will pleas me to see you dying to protect me? Also, I was the most powerful being in YGGDRASIL, what can be considered a threat to you amounts to nothing in front of me. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Momonga asked sternly.
" I understand, forgive me, father-sama. "
" Good. Now, back to the topic at hand… Solution, I trust your judgements, so I will permit you to use these items when you deem it necessary, except for the Epigoni, you will have to use Message and inform me of the situation before using it. You and your underlings are forbidden from taking lives haphazardly, don't draw unwanted attention."
" Yes. " The Pleiades replied.
" Aura, sweep the surrounding forest to confirm the existence or lack thereof of magical creatures in this world. If they do exist, report back to me and inform Demiurge. Pandora's Actor will provide you with a Ring Of Sustenance to keep your energy from waning. "
" I will do my best! " Aura responded, though she was confused as to why she should inform Demiurge, but her confusion was cleared when Momonga spoke again…
" Demiurge, Pandora's Actor, Aureole Omega, the three of you will recruit Tanyachō (Chief Blacksmith) and Titus to create a resource and finance cell."
"We won't disappoint you, Momonga-sama ." The three vowed.
"Solution, the first objective of your information gathering is to find resources in the area. Aura, if the magical creatures you may find have useful materials that can be made from their body parts, report it immediately, and if they're of an intelligent race, capture them alive and bring them for questioning before harvesting them. Minerals, money, items, materials from magical creatures such as hides, claws, bones and of course general information are all to be searched for and obtained in order to gain funds, create weapons, items, scrolls and potions. Omega will be in charge of the transportation of these assets through Gate. It does not concern me how you aquire them, no method is ruled out, just make sure to use the quickest and most efficient way you can think of, do not overcomplicate simple matters needlessly, otherwise the process will be slow and tedious and will end up depleting our own resources rather than increasing them. Nevertheless, the acquisition will start once we've gathered enough information."
" Understood! " Was the resounding cry of all the NPCs present, even Rubedo.
" Albedo, you will be in charge of managing the Tomb and deploying Nazarick's forces to achieve these goals as necessary. However, do not deploy guardians or area guardians without my permission. "
" I hear and obey, father-sama. "
Rubedo finally hopped down from Momonga's shoulder and went to kneel behind her older sister, instinctively knowing that her own orders were on the way.
" Rubedo, Shalltear, Cocytus, Victim and Sebas, you may resume your duties but be on standby because you may be needed in one of these operations. "
" Yes! "
"These operations will begin in two days time, after we raised our security level and got our bearings. Future meetings will be held at the Round Table room in the 9th floor." The NPCs all tensed up when they heard that.
"If you allow me to speak, Momonga-sama." Cocytus said.
"You have my permission, Cocytus."
"It's unfathomable for us to even imagine sitting on the chairs of the Supreme Ones, I humbly ask you not to allow us to commit such a crime. We will feel undeserving of such a privilege and we'll also feel as if we are disrespecting your majesty and the Supreme Ones. " Momonga closed his eyes to not let them see his annoyance and nodded slowly.
" I heard your concerns and reservations. Then, I will create a similar round table in the 6th floor and we'll have our meetings there, perhaps that's satisfactory? "
" Indeed. Thank you, Momonga-sama. We don't deserve such kindness." Cocytus lowered his head in gratitude.
" Very well, then. I will leave you to your duties, my children and trusted subordinates. " And with that, he teleported back to his room.
'That was strange, I didn't feel any remorse when I said that I don't care about how they get the job done while knowing what they can and will do. Could it be my race and my karma value are affecting my thought process? If I remember correctly, Vampires are regal yet cruel creatures, stoic and pragmatic to a fault, putting cold logic above emotions and morality concerns. Does that mean the longer I stay in this world, the more stoic and apathetic I will become? That's daunting, but at the same time it has it's positives, being neutral can help in making the most effective and efficient decisions and judgements without being held back by moral baises or emotional attachments. It certainly did help me back there; with my knowledge about the nature of every NPC, I assigned them missions which don't go against their nature in order to avoid any complications in the future. Solution's high negative karma and her assassin job classes make her perfect for espionage and assassination, she will never feel remorse or attachment to any of her targets, regardless of age, race or gender. There's no reason to fear her sympathising with the enemy or be swayed to their cause, since she'll probably despise anyone who's not affiliated with Nazarick. Aura is just like me, neutral, she doesn't assign any moral value to what she does or sees, someone like her and her brother will probably view making love and rape with the same lense of indifference, they will probably not think of killing as something good or bad, just a task they have to fulfil. Omega is also neutral, but she will probably process things like I just did since she's supposed to be my apprentice, weighing the harm and benefit to Nazarick and taking action based on that and that alone. The NPCs with good karma values have to be given suitable missions to avoid disastrous consequences, which is why I isolated Nigredo in the 9th floor. Demiurge and Rubedo must also be kept as far away from each other as possible, those two are polar opposites and them butting heads may very well result in a quiet yet destructive civil war between the NPCs, I should avoid having them sell each other out or putting the other camp in a precarious situation or trap to get rid of them. Even worse, a third party may take advantage of their different points of view and use it to create conflict within our ranks. Ahhh, even though I don't feel fatigue as an undead, all these considerations are mentally taxing. ' Throwing himself on the large, luxurious bed, the former human now undead Vampire pondered these issues until the night fell.
'I can't sleep, guess I have to get used to that along with not needing to drink or eat. This room is very sumptuous, but it's so silent and lonely. Maybe I can visit the twins if they're still awake.' As if on cue, he heard Aura's voice through Message shortly after that thought.
' Dad? ' She asked in an uncharacteristically timid fashion, Momonga even thought that he mistook Mare's voice for hers.
' Yes, what is it, Aura? ' He replied gently, her out-of-character tone making him worry that something is wrong.
'Can you come sleep with us?' He can almost make out the "Please." at the end of her question.
'Of course. I'm teleporting to your floor right now.' He smiled slightly.
'Really!? Thanks, dad! You always fulfil my wishes!' She ended the telepathic conversation immediately after saying that. Momonga mentally smirked.
'You little brat, you were just acting all shy. Nicely played, young Bella, nicely played.' With the Ring Of Ainz Ooal Gown, the ruler of the most horrifying structure this new world will ever know teleported to the 6th floor.
TBC…
*Since the Chief Blacksmith wasn't given a name in the Canon, I just used the Japanese translation of his title as a name for him.
Average Diablo Disconnect!