[Chapter 4: The Denizens Of The Swimming City Surface]
Pyke was flying on his abyssal worm as he travelled towards the area of his quest. Enjoying every second of the wind and view, the sprawling Great Forest of Tob in front of him, the Azerlisia mountains on the horizon. The sun was shining, unblemished by even a wisp of smog, only puffy, white clouds occasionally interrupted its rays. Not to say that the cityscapes from a bird's eye view weren't impressive, but for someone who lived in a world with effectively no flora and then in a simulation, it made sense why nature would be more amazing. 'Now if only I didn't have to listen to them screaming…' he thought to himself.
Ah yes, Blue Rose. The adamantite adventurer team, champions and heroes of humanity, including even one of the former 13 Heroes, that being Evileye, secretly known as Landfall. Now however? They were screaming and screeching as if they were about to be brutalised. The only ones who took to flying even moderately well were Evileye, since she knew she had the [Fly] spell to fall back on if she needed to, and the twins who were trained to be calm in all situations. The other two, well, evidently landlubbers didn't take badly only to the seas, but also to the skies.
"Girls, know I always loved you! Give me a warrior's burial!" yelled Gagaran, hanging onto the massive worm with everything she had.
"I won't be able to Gagaran… Because I'll be right there beside you! Eeeeeeeeee!" Lakyus was faring no better, the heroic woman had her hands clasped in prayer to the God of Air despite being a priestess of the God of Water officially. The twins merely shook their heads at the antics of their comrade's, their bored expressions unchanged even when hundreds of metres above the ground.
Pyke sighed, turning to the two cry-babies, "Could you shut it? You'll be fine, they won't drop you. And you two, Ỵ̷̗̯͗̊̓å̸̧̬͌̊z̴̩̙̗͆̕h̷͇͚͋u̴̬͖͂̑̕x̵̮̮͔͂͘'̶̢̟̣̑͑̓d̵̜̀͛̈́r̴̖͈̠̄̂a̸̞̱̼͗̑͋t̸̜̥́͗͜h̵̢̗̍ and Ả̶̯̟̀ȉ̵̥͔̬̆u̴̱̝͑̓k̴̥̓͘ȳ̵̳d̴̖͕̋h̶̨̅̾e̵̻̕̕̕s̴̠̼̒ḧ̸̗́̓̌, stop fucking with them. I know it's funny, but after this long it's enough."
"Wait, you know these creatures' names?" asked Evileye, as the worms beneath Lakyus and Gagaran stopped their antics of doing rapid nose dives, barrel rolls and so on.
"Of course I know them. They are the denizens of my Swimming City. What kind of ruler wouldn't know his citizens? Speaking of, anything urgent down there? I've been gone for a while, I'll visit in a couple days."
The worms turned their heads to each other and then to their king, clacking their jaws and growling. "I told you to keep A̵̢̓͆̋m̵̤̲̎̌̃a̶̤̤͉̒̍̄l̷̝͚̻̈͆'̶̬̮̂Ṱ̷͇͚̽̋͝h̶̡͖̑à̶͖̜̫̃̾̑z̴̡̭̟͕͘â̵̧͈̓d̸̨̦̖͛ͅ out of the royal alcohol stores! Who even made a position of "Royal Alcoholic" when I was gone anyway?!" The worm from underneath him growled, snapping its jaws 7 times. "I will have a very stern talk with L̷̡̪͆u̷̦̖̖̔̓̄c̶̢̭̘̕ǐ̴͚m̴͓̯̙͝p̶̼̥͋̉̄h̷̝́̕i̵̞̚n̷̢̦͓̋d̸̳͆̋͝i̶̺͈̙̽̌́e̵̗̋̍̾ͅą̶̂, when I get back. How did the others even approve that?!" The beast from under Evileye snarled. "What do you mean, "Because it was funny, sire"!?"
Blue Rose looked at the curious sight, understanding only half the conversation and none of the names. The first revelation of the journey being that the man in front of them was a king of a, judging from the name, underwater city, was certainly quite something. So was the conversation he was having, and if those were the most serious problems he was having, his lands must have been prosperous indeed. This wasn't the first otherworldly thing they learnt since meeting this man, neither would it be the last.
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As for how Pyke knew of the status of his city and that it even was in this world, he felt it. It was an odd feeling, just like how he could instinctively use his abilities and spells, so could he feel his connection to the Swimming City. In truth, the Swimming City was basically made by him. Well, the coding was obviously done by the developers since he was trapped and was a mercenary by trade, with little knowledge of code, but a couple Ouroboroses and other specimens belong to the Twenty World item group, multiple times, and not only did they let him become a World Enemy, but even design his own raid, him being the final boss.
With the amount of World Items he had collected and the amount of requests he put in to the developers, it was the single biggest raid of YGGDRASIL. It was so large in fact, that the company, under threat from the corporation keeping him locked in there, had to expand their servers to accommodate it. Despite its size and potential to be a great experience for players, it was never discovered, the entrance to it hidden deep in a veiled underground lake beneath Helheim. The few that saw it were dragged to it by Pyke.
It had millions of NPCs in the 30-40 level range, the supposed citizenry, composed of different variations of the Old Ones race and other water dwelling races. Of course, only the description said it had millions, in reality it was only several thousands, as no kind of technology would be able to support millions. However, now that it was real, the description became real with it, the population and size scaling up to reflect that. Beasts of burden, tamed animals as pets, people going about their lives, it rivalled the massive cities created by the developers officially, such as the largest of them, Odin's Abode, the palace of the King of Gods in Asgard. In truth, it was more of a city-state. Now it was undoubtedly the biggest city in the New World, as far as Pyke has heard at least.
It was the perfect city, albeit non-Euclidian in parts of its construction. All the citizens were very well educated, food and luxury goods were in abundance, no one wanted for anything, the entire thing being magically self-sustaining. The royal council were 6 level 100 NPCs that had all their levels in combat or crafting classes, but large parts of their descriptions were dedicated to making them good administrators. They were never meant to see combat, being just flavour text to make the city more lively, but, like every other YGGDRASIL player, Pyke always prepared with a fight in mind. Geniuses in their craft and the art of politics, administration, management and fucking with their liege. They weren't going to overthrow him or anything, they loved him like a father, but they were a mischievous and unique lot.
Everyone in the city was intelligent, most on par with someone like Prince Zanac or an expert merchant. It wasn't enough to consider them geniuses on the level of Jircniv, Raeven and certainly not Renner, but if their liege required them to do some intellectual work they would be able to bring satisfactory results in most fields. The city after all was self-sustaining, giving the council, who dwarfed even Renner in terms of intelligence, more time to mess with the father of the city, much to the amusement of the people. Intelligence came in handy, but when you have resources and skills such as theirs it really wasn't as necessary as one would expect.
Of course there were a few more serious minded among the higher-ups of the city, namely some of its Guardians. These individuals were made for battle. Intelligent? Certainly, but they left that to the council, focusing on battle in order to serve the purpose they were made for as best as they could. All of them were on the level of World Enemies. They would be terrifying to citizens in most worlds, but in the Swimming City there were known as the 6 gentle giants. The kids loved them, especially the ones of massive stature who gave out piggyback rides across the city. One of each was assigned to a council member to protect them in game, although now that was more of a formality than anything and had no real impact on them.
Knowledge of all his citizens was initially given to him, thus Pyke knew all the names. This, however, wasn't something that was constantly updated, thus if someone were to have a child, he wouldn't know about them until he was told. Fortunately, Old Ones and the other races he had in the city didn't reproduce, since they were all ageless and didn't see the point, making overpopulation a nonissue.
Not all of them looked eldritch either. In fact, the designs bestowed upon them by their creator made them all look like humans, albeit unnaturally beautiful. A second form was given to all of them, one they usually used, the one you'd expect from their races, octopus-like heads, tentacles for arms or legs and the like. Not to say that they disliked their humanoid forms, in fact they preferred those, but having constantly wet hair was annoying and only a special item could nullify the feeling of being under water; that item happened to be reserved for quests and those given it by Pyke. In the end, convenience was the name of the game and a look at the city centre would cause any priest of the Theocracy to have a heart attack on the spot.
The same rule applied to all the guardians and councillors. They had their original appearance, and one for human size and shape. Their humanoid shapes differed the most from humans out of all the denizens of the city, some more and some less, marking them as special and closest to their collective father. Each of them had at least one feature that marked them as different from a conventional human. Of course, they were also the most beautiful, created in search of perfection, for most of them their unnatural features added a spice of exoticism instead of monstrosity. It made sense to everyone, they had the hardest jobs and so were given something more to stand out.
The city itself was currently in what seemed to be a different dimension, one only Pyke, those from the city, or those summoned to it could breach. This meant their protective layer of souls collected by their king still functioned as usual. The whole city of course went wild with partying when they learnt that their liege was alive and well, sending Nigun's soul as a sacrifice to them. And now that they learnt he would be coming home? Let's just say everyone was a royal alcoholic over the next couple days…
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Now that the entire team was comfortable and flying steadily, the worms' pout visible only to Pyke who, to his own surprise, somehow intimately knew their body language. "So, what's the plan for this mission?" asked Lakyus, still pale from her mount's shenanigans.
"Well, we fly towards the area where the others disappeared, and we stop next to the lake to meet some lizardmen so you stop being a bigot."
Blue Rose looked at each other, they were bigots according to this man? "We saved a demihuman village from the Sunlight Scripture, how are we bigots?! What makes you so much better!?" shouted Gagaran.
"And how many have you butchered instead of negotiating? Next you're going to say all undead hate the living!" he glanced at Evileye.
"That's basic knowledge, are you saying there are undead that don't? Don't make me laugh!" answered the priestess.
Pyke sighed, a deep sigh, so heavy with contempt and annoyance it is a miracle the entire continent didn't sink beneath the waves from its weight, "You know I am part undead and part eldritch monstrosity right? And Surshana, that little skeleton, existed?"
Lakyus' eyes widened, "Now your torture of the nobles makes so much sense!"
Gagaran almost seconded that, but Pyke was quicker, "Ỵ̷̗̯͗̊̓å̸̧̬͌̊z̴̩̙̗͆̕h̷͇͚͋u̴̬͖͂̑̕x̵̮̮͔͂͘'̶̢̟̣̑͑̓d̵̜̀͛̈́r̴̖͈̠̄̂a̸̞̱̼͗̑͋t̸̜̥́͗͜h̵̢̗̍, half an hour of the worst flying experiences you can give her without injuring her." Instantly, the worm nosedived, did flips and twisted itself around its own axis at tremendous speed.
Gagaran swallowed her previous words and replaced them with a question, "Why do you even do that to the nobles?"
"Simple, I have a grudge."
She didn't bother to ask further, in fear that her fate would end up being similar to Lakyus'.
The 30 minutes passed and Lakyus, as pale as a corpse, finally re-joined the group, the worm beneath her having its equivalent of a shit-eating grin. This time it was Pyke who started the conversation, "You know, I saved your Gods from the Greed Kings in a different world. I never would have expected those kids to create a state as vile as the Theocracy…" The knowledge of Gods coming from a different world was common, so that didn't surprise them. "They weren't strong there. I was the Apex Predator. Hell, this xenophobic shit you and the rest of humanity spout was probably just meant as a survival tool, until you would be civilized; they seemed to be decent kids at first glance. Let me tell you a story…"
They all leaned in to hear about mythology from the source, "In the Old World, much like this one, heteromorphs were hunted. Surshana had it rough, he was just a weak skeleton being killed over and over. Then the humans you know as your other Gods helped him and accepted him as an ally. What would you do, Lakyus, upon finding a sentient skeleton?" He shot her a glare, "You would have killed him because he was undead. You need to be exposed to other cultures more, spend time with demihumans and heteromorphs more, so that you can understand them. That's why we're stopping here." He began descending, the others following behind him. Lakyus was mulling over his words, still in denial, her lifetime of faith fighting against Pyke's statement.
When they made it to the ground and dismounted, the worms going back to the Swimming City, they saw two lizardmen pointing their weapons at them. Blue Rose immediately drew their own, getting into combat formation. Both sides were tense, a single spark and the situation would blow. Meanwhile, Pyke put his hands up and began walking towards the two demihumans. "What are you doing, do you want to die?!" shouted Lakyus. "You stupid fucking noble, did you listen to a single word I said earlier!?" he shouted back, turning and locking eyes with her, until Lakyus broke and withdrew her gaze.
"Apologies for startling you. We'd like to rest in your village for the night. I promise on the Swimming City that no harm will come to anyone as long as none is directed at us." Pyke said, calm and collected as if the outburst against Lakyus never happened.
"Who are you?" asked the one holding a massive greatsword, his scales so dark they bordered on being black, with many scars. He was broad and had a powerful build, evidently a veteran of many battles.
"Adventurers from a human kingdom. We're looking into some disappearances in the forest. I am Pyke. Also, I wanted my companions to familiarise themselves with some demihumans. They are rather bigoted, as you might expect, and given the lizardmen's relatively peaceful disposition, I thought you might be a good introduction. From left to right they are Tia, Tina, Gagaran, Lakyus and Evileye. You may know them as Blue Rose."
The one to answer was one with a weird marking on his chest, equally large of build, with forest green scales, a club-like piece of ice in hand, "Brother, let's trust them this time. I was among humans, they aren't all bad. Besides, look at their gear. If they wanted to kill us we'd be already dead! And I heard of this Blue Rose in the human lands, they saved a demihuman village from the Theocracy once."
His brother thought things over for a moment, "Fine. I am Shasuryu Shasha, chief of the Green Claw tribe. This is my brother, Zaryusu Shasha. Please follow us." Pyke put his hands back down, motioning for Blue Rose to put away their weapons.
"Wonderful, we thank you for your hospitality." he bowed to them, surprising both the lizardmen and Blue Rose with his decorum. He didn't bow in front of the king, but did so in front of demihumans?
"If I may ask, what are you doing so far out of your village?" Pyke asked, Blue Rose silently moving behind him.
"I was checking up on my fish farm, the idea of which I picked up as a traveller, meaning I left the tribe and wandered the world." Zaryusu answered.
"Innovative, curious, certainly you are an admirable man, Zaryusu. I can show you some of the designs I know, if they'll be of any help."
Zaryusu's eyes widened and his tail wagged like a dog's might, "That'd be great! See brother? New perspectives can be helpful." Shasuryu merely sighed.
They finally made it to the village. It was nothing fancy, just a couple dozen huts built over the marsh. None of the adventurers following Pyke appreciated the muddy environment, but preferred to keep their mouths shut, afraid of what the deranged undead would do. They were startled as lizardmen children began running next to them, observing them curiously and eventually bombarding them with questions, asking what race they are, why they have such cool gear and so on. It was rather sobering for Blue Rose to see lizardmen children act exactly like what human ones might. A sense of guilt overwhelmed them, particularly the pious Lakyus, as it would happen to anyone when views they hold dear were falling apart in front of her.
They were led to a small hut, "Thank you very much, chief. We will furnish the inside with magic. If you'd be so kind as to allow me to, I would like to provide a feast tonight as thanks for hosting us. I possess a magic item for that. Raw and fresh fish would be ideal, I presume?"
Shasuryu nodded and extended his clawed hand, "It's our pleasure. If you could set it by sundown, that'd be great."
Pyke shook the chief's hand, "Of course. Thank you once again."
The two lizardmen left and immediately Pyke began casting spells, creating chairs, wardrobes, carpets, beds, all of unparalleled quality. Just as the roses were about to bombard him with questions, he held up his right hand, "Tier 8, [Greater Create Item]. Yes, it does take a lot of mana. Yes, the beds are nice. No, I won't give you scrolls of this spell. Now then, how do you feel seeing that demihumans can be more reasonable than humans that rule Re-Estize?"
Tia and Tina, as always, remained quiet and merely looked at the floor, avoiding the accusatory gaze. Evileye spoke up before either Gagaran or Lakyus, "I think I speak for all of us when I say we feel pretty guilty for just slaughtering demihumans all our lives."
Pyke clapped his hands together, "Wonderful, mission accomplished then. Think back on your sins and change your ways. For now though, relax and enjoy the foreign culture." He took out a bottle of rum, pouring them all a glass.
"But the Gods are never wrong!" Lakyus yelled out, only to immediately have cold water pour on top of her, presumably with some low tier magic.
"You are so dense. The Six or Four or whatever weren't Gods. They were just strong, for this world, beings from another world who set themselves up as Gods. Hydros was nothing but a child compared to the other denizens of the Old World. They didn't even hate demihumans! If they did, I would have killed them instead of saving them! It was probably just a message that was originally meant to unite humanity so it could grow, now twisted by the delusional and power hungry."
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Sundown came, Pyke using an item called [Connoisseur of the Sea] to summon a massive feast of seafood, both cooked and raw, with a variety of alcohols. Pyke talked mostly with Zaryusu about further development of the village. Gagaran was talking with their warriors discussing technique and having drunken arm wrestling contests. Tia and Tina also managed to socialise with the hunters of the tribe, discussing the landscape and training them in throwing weapons. Evileye was discussing magic with Shasuryu who turned out to have druidic capabilities. The only ones who seemed to be unsatisfied were Lakyus and the elders, both brooding, eyeing the other species with open suspicion.
Night eventually came and everyone went to their homes. The village was finally asleep, everyone content with the meal the strangers summoned. Once she was sure her teammates were asleep, Evileye stood up, cast an invisibility spell and looked around the room. She expected Pyke not to be here and she was right. She ventured outside in order to look for him and ask him to elaborate about what he said when they first met, only for the ripper's deep voice to reach her first.
"Invisibility doesn't work on me, Keno. Get up here and take off that mask, vampire princess." said Pyke, sitting on a tree branch, sipping on yet another bottle of rum he summoned up with his skill, [A Sailor's Delight], that let him create sailor themed food and drink. She dispelled the [Invisibility] and cast [Fly], making her way to the branch. Managing to find her balance, she sat down, taking off her mask in front of another person for the first time in many a decade.
Blood red eyes that shone in the moonlight, long golden-blonde hair and a cute face, befitting the body of a 12 year old girl that she inhabited. If not for the properties of vampiric nature keeping her in the body of a child she surely would have stolen and broken many hearts. "See? Better. Your teammates must think you have some sort of horrible deformity. Oh what a surprise that'll be, haha." he chuckled, taking out a bottle filled with a red liquid that Keno recognized as blood when he popped the cork, and poured her a glass. "Drink, and ask, although I think I know what you'll say…"
She took a sip, feeling energised, a true high and rush, one she hadn't fed in decades at that point. Still, she managed to control herself and take measured sips. "How did you know I'm a vampire, and even that I'm Landfall!? And what do you mean the Platinum Dragon Lord knows about the fall of my country and how I got turned?! she began shouting.
"Quiet down, you'll wake the other. Or you would have if I didn't cast an [Isolation] spell; still, let me enjoy the tranquillity of the night." They could hear the crickets and owls, the full moon shining directly on them, as if it was a spotlight and the world revolved around them.
"How? Magic. Far beyond even the 11th Tier. Well, I won't explain the details, but I know. Former Princess of the Rainbow Eyed people, somewhere in a desert area. Daughter of 2 prodigies, your father a warrior, your mother a caster." he swirled the rum in his glass and took a sip. "Don't got the details on how you turned and why your country is all undead, but it's probably fixable with Wild Magic. Or something on par with it. And since that silvery lizard tried to spy on me, I know aaaaall about him. Connect a couple dots and there you go."
"What do you mean he spied on you?" asked Keno. She always had a decent impression of the Dragon Lord. Arrogant, certainly, but what dragon wasn't? He helped them defeat the Demon Gods and Rigrit, a former member of Blue Rose and one of the 13 heroes, always spoke of him highly.
"I mean what I said. He tried to spy on me to kill me, because I am a player. Same as the Gods, same as the Greed Kings. I come from YGGDRASIL, a different world, which was a mere playground for us when we inhabited another reality. It is… complex. Point is, it seems his father did something to summon players. And even with the Dragon Emperor dead, we are dragged here every couple centuries. Those of us that were strong in the Old World, like me, could fight every Dragon Lord at the same time and win." he scoffed at his own statement.
"Of course not all of us were that strong. The Greed Kings and Gods were weak. The Slane Theocracy surely has a text describing me as some unimaginable horror… And just like how they want humanity to rule, that lizard wants his kind to be on top, trying to eliminate those like me who could threaten him. So he spied on me, but I turned the tables. And now I know that your fate and that of your country, was caused by Wild Magic of some Dragon Lord. If you want to know more, then you join me when I go to Eryuentiu to skin that fucker. And you probably knew about me being a player anyway…"
Keno was shocked at these revelations, but one thing caught her attention the most, "I had my suspicions. But wait, you will fight the strongest Dragon Lord?!"
Pyke looked at her with the pity reserved for the ignorant, "Despite your age you lack the wisdom that should come with it." He sighed as Keno pouted, further solidifying his statement, "To me, he is nothing. I could kill him instantly. I am not like the Gods or the Greed Kings. I was the strongest. A terror. I was called the Bloodharbor Ripper, a monster at the peak of the hierarchy. I am sure that your friend that led your little band of 13 told the lizard horror stories about me. So, when the time comes, I will kill him. You should come as well, maybe he'll finally tell you why you are like this."
"And if I knew of the one who did this, would you help? I can't hope to fight a Dragon Lord or something that strong!" she said, internally the embers of hatred for the Dragon Lord being sparked and starting to burn brighter and brighter.
"Ha! Anyone with Lord in their name is someone I'll end up killing eventually."
They sat there until daybreak, chatting about the world and nothing in particular, Keno feeling just a bit better, knowing that the one she has sought for so long is just one step closer…
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After saying their goodbyes with the Lizardmen, they walked into the forest, as their target may not be spottable from the sky. The members of Blue Rose were on guard, constantly looking around for monsters as the Great Forest of Tob was a dangerous place. Pyke meanwhile was marvelling at the beauty of nature. A decent amount of light made its way through the canopy, the various plants, moss and trees were clearly illuminated,
Various vines hung around, flowers were in full bloom, petals gently carried by the wind. The barks of the great trees were covered by various shrubs, mushrooms and herbs. Condensation left from the early morning was visible on the leaves. Various insects and critters made their way through the underbrush. In a word, it was serene. Peace and quiet like this was unimaginable to Pyke before he came to this world, and he certainly was glad that he arrived here.
The plan for the day was to travel deeper into the forest, camp once night came and do a thorough investigation the next day. "I wonder how much longer they will follow us?" asked Pyke.
"Talking to yourself?" said Tina.
"There is no one following us." added Tia.
"And that right there is proof the only thing you are good for is stabbing. We are being followed by, I presume, a druid." Druids were one of the few heteromorphs that were actually accepted, since they didn't tend to attack humans and were connected with nature itself.
"Well, whatever. Let them follow us. We'll go kill the Giant of the East while we're here, do the forest a favour." said Pyke.
"Wait, why are we going to fight an almost legendary monster?" asked Lakyus.
"Oh, does Miss I-want-to-save-humanity suddenly oppose killing a destructive monster? Pretty simple, I don't want to have to come back here twice to kill it later, and it's on the way so we might as well. Detecting a massive creature like that is pretty simple when you're like me." And so they made their way to the clearing caused by the trees presumably chopped down by the Giant of the East. There was no sign of any structure so it seemed the giant got bored with the idea after a few days and abandoned the project; perhaps it could have been inspired to continue it if there was a competitor? Alas it seemed that the supposed Demon Snake wasn't a large fan of civilization either.
In the small clearing was a cave. It was large, but certainly not large enough for a giant to be comfortable in, raising some suspicion among the adventurers. They ventured in, only to immediately start gagging when the stench hit them. Well, besides Pyke, "If you think this smells bad then you have never been at the Slaughter Docks. I'll do you a favour, [Sea Breeze]." In YGGDRASIL it was nothing but a visual effect, yet in the New World a pleasant breeze began to blow, and with it came the refreshing smell of sea water.
Their intrusion didn't go unnoticed by the denizens of the cave, 3 ogres that had been eating approached them, "Humans! Food! We eat you!" Blue Rose swiftly drew their weapons. Ogres weren't going to be a problem, gold-ranked adventurers could handle them easily. Pyke however merely sighed, "[Suffocating Presence V]!" It was difficult to control his aura and not kill Blue Rose, but he had enough practice by that point, and directed it exclusively at the ogres. Immediately the ogres' eyes widened, they dropped their weapons and were about to scream when they got turned into bloody paste.
"What did you do!?" screamed Lakyus, echoing what everyone in Blue Rose had on their minds. "I just unleashed my aura, the pressure of the deep is not for weaklings. Let's move, I'll just crush the rest and we'll be on our way." He motioned for them to follow him as they went deeper into the cave, finally coming face to face with the Giant of the East. And to the surprise of both Pyke and Evileye, the Demon Snake of the West, who was hiding with invisibility that the two undead ignored, since it wasn't a spell, but instead a natural ability. The signs of life were still there and thus the undead easily saw through it.
"Well, well, well. Both the snake and the war troll, perfect. You girls go have fun with the other trolls, I'll handle these two." Blue Rose collectively nodded, going on the offensive, butchering the trolls and ogres standing behind the so-called giant quickly enough to prove their legendary reputation.
"Intruder! I am Guu! King of the forest, I kill you now!" The giant actually turned out to be a war troll, trolls themselves being a step down from the evolutionary ladder of giants and not very intelligent. A war troll was one that evolved specifically for combat and thus could easily be on par with an adamantite team. For the hunter however, this was merely a test.
'I wonder how the damage based on enemy size will work in this world? Oh yea, I should probably constrict the naga.' The dreaded harpoon was pointed at the still invisible naga, who was trying to sneak away, "[Dreamer's Prison]!" The same spell that was used on Brain now constrained the snake. Of course Guu was already swinging his slightly magical greatsword, only to have it caught in Pyke's left hand.
"Now, let's see if this'll work as intended." He scratched Guu with his harpoon, only for his entire arm to immediately explode in a shower of gore.
The troll yelled in agony, "Aaaagh! What did you do, human!?"
Pyke looked at his hook and back to the troll, "Now that is fun!" It seemed that the larger the opponent, the more the damage from the weapon scaled. Theoretically, a small cut could cause the entire beast to implode. Certainly convenient as Pyke didn't specialise in area of effect spells except a couple ones that were extraordinarily destructive and much too dangerous to use carelessly.
"The larger a dragon the stronger and harder it is to defeat? Oh aren't those lizards in for a treat, hahaha!"
The troll's arm regenerated and he was trying to begin a flurry of attacks, "Oh yea, you're still here." he took out a scroll and activated it, "[Vermillion Nova]!" In an instant a pillar of flame surrounded the troll, leaving only ashes that were soon scattered on the sea breeze. Normally he wouldn't be able to use a fire scroll since he couldn't use fire spells, but thanks to a couple assassin skills he could trick scrolls a few times a day. "Bit overkill, but oh well." he said. Not like he didn't have a magical production of scrolls from captured YGGDRASIL monsters in the Swimming City, enough to make Tier 10 scrolls for eternity.
Blue Rose was also finished with their opponents, their massacre being as quick as it was bloody and they began casting cleaning spells on themselves to get rid of the horrid stench and coagulated blood. Once that was done, they turned to the now released naga, which was vomiting from the experience of witnessing overlapping realities. "Oi, take over that stupid troll's part of the forest and don't attack humans or your going back there!" With those parting words Pyke walked away.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Why are we just leaving that monster when we just killed the other!?" screeched Lakyus.
"You will end up dead by the end of this trip if you don't learn to trust me. Do you know what kind of horrors I had him witness during that spell? Decades of mental and physical tortures experienced in mere minutes. That one will rather die than harm a human. And now we get to hunt our actual prey. Come out druid, we know you're here. We did you a favour, now do us one!" he called out into the forest.
For a second it was silent, just as a smug smirk was arising on the lips of the twins who thought they were right about them being alone, a small figure made entirely of wood came out from the tree line. Akin to an excellent sculpture with leaves for hair, it beckoned for them to come closer, and they did. "What's yer name, little one? I'm Pyke." he said.
"Pinison Pol Perlia." replied the druid, "Thank you for killing that nasty troll!"
"No problem, now lead us to that demon tree you are worried about." he turned to Blue Rose, his World Item already giving him the details of the tree and dryad, "Some tree is probably the thing that caused the disappearances."
Evileye's eyes widened under her mask, "But that Demon God was supposed to be sealed long ago!"
Pinison nodded, "But now it awakens and it will destroy the entire world!"
"7 hits." Pyke said. Blue Rose looked at him with confusion evident on their faces. "I'll kill it in 7 hits. If that pathetic band of 13 could seal it, I can kill it for good with ease. Lead us. I am stronger than whatever fools tried to fight it before."
Pinison, apprehensive, but desperate to save the forest said "Okay. But, be careful, it's twisted and really big and really evil!"
Pyke smirked under his bandana, "Big beast, biiig payday."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
They were led to a massive clearing, everything around the area dead, decayed into a lifeless mockery of what once was here. In the centre however was a massive tree, the treant Pinison said was called Zy'tl Q'ae. Pyke checked its stats, finding that it had enough health to match how it looked, being over 100 metres long. "Watch and learn Blue Rose. This is what your heroes and Gods couldn't accomplish." He walked forward, immune to the life-sucking properties of the tree as he was already a walking corpse.
The treant stirred, a great many red eyes flickering on its bark. A massive maw opened, jagged and crooked teeth of wood appeared across its trunk. 6 tentacles, easily 300 metres in length, came to life, whipping at the surroundings in a frenzy. Atop the beast was a rare flower that the guild sought. Looking at this monster, one in the realm of Gods and Dragon Lords, Pyke had a predatory grin, lowering his centre of gravity and getting a good grip on his hook.
Blue Rose stood back, on one hand knowing of this man's strength beyond the Gods, but also knowing how powerful a Demon God could be. Loud booms were heard as the tentacles broke the sound barrier, targeting the Bloodharbor Ripper. In response, another boom was heard as Pyke also shattered it in order to match his opponent. All the pieces of combat were moving beyond what all of Blue Rose, with the exception of Evileye, could process. There were only a few moments that they saw what was really happening.
A tentacle suddenly stopped with a loud crack as it met [Bone Skewer] and after a second the entire thing exploded into tiny splinters, causing cracks to appear on the main body of the tree. "One." Pyke said, once again launching into a blitz. Blue Rose's jaws were wide open, how did he do it? From merely blocking the attack he managed to destroy the entire thing! Of course, it was the bonus damage based on size from his harpoon and [Bane of the Mighty] job classes doing all the work. There could not have been a worse person to fight for Zy'tl Q'ae than Pyke.
Suddenly he appeared on top of where one of the tentacles branched out from the tree and swiped at it. Once again splinters flew everywhere, the adventurers and Pinison barely possessing the common sense to get behind some cover. The tree let out a mighty roar as its health tanked from the hit. Evileye, who before could barely make out the movements of the tree, now saw Pyke as a complete blur, moving too fast for even her vampire senses and watched in awe, as the man managed to do what she and her comrades once tried and failed to do; kill a Demon God.
"Two!" he yelled, appearing at the tip of one of the flailing tentacles, flipping off of it as he cut it vertically. He landed gracefully, impact perfectly absorbed by bending his knees. "Three!" In truth, it was a bit boring for the hunter. The splinters were annoying and the thing was only a damage sponge, even for normal level 100 players, never mind the deadliest player in all of YGGDRASIL.
Two more tentacles flew at him at a speed most could never hope to dodge, only for Pyke to cut them down like the rest. "Four! Five! Hahahah! Keep it coming, you overgrown bush!" As boring as it might be compared to a real fight, it was, admittedly, fun to watch the entire thing explode one tentacle at a time. The cracks were showing on its main body and it was leaking some viscous, dark green liquid.
In one last futile attempt, the tree used its remaining tentacle to pick up and throw trees, dirt and whatever else at the hunter, who gracefully dodge the projectiles. Pyke jumped, once again breaking the sound barrier and slicing merely the tip of the tentacle off, the cut reappearing at the connecting point between the tentacle and trunk of the treant and being severed. "Six!"
Now, the defenceless tree sat there awaiting its fate. Pyke rotated his shoulders and neck, getting the stiffness out of them following this exercise, "Not bad, but you're no Demon God! [Skewer]!" He brought the hook up and threw it, landing straight in the jaws of the beast, piercing through the other side. He pulled it back, "Seven!" and at that moment the entire tree exploded, the already dead landscape being destroyed even further by the mass of debris.
He turned to Blue Rose and Pinison, who were stunned by the display of power, "See? 7 hits."
The first one to regain their tongue from the cat who stole it was Evileye, "I guess you weren't lying when you said it would be easy…"
Pyke furrowed his brow, "You already know I'm stronger than your Gods, why is this surprising? Anyway, Pinison, enjoy your forest."
The dryad unfroze when she was spoken to and began jumping for joy, "Thank you Mr. Pyke for saving the world! I have to go tell my tribe!"
He patted her head and looked towards the Sun, "It's getting dark and there is too much negative energy residue here to be comfortable for humans. I'll see you later, Pinison. I'll be back at some point so take care of this area for me, ok? [Abyssal Gate]." He took out 5 invitations, so that Blue Rose wouldn't be crushed by the depths, drown or be considered intruders, and motioned for them to come through the hole to another reality, "Come stay a night in my city."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
They stepped through the mysterious spell and, before they could even process their surroundings, Pyke was tackled and knocked to the floor. Who managed to knock a god-like being such as Pyke to the floor? Well, she appeared to be a beautiful girl, around 13 years of age. Her long, flowing hair was light blue with a gradient towards white at the end, akin to the foam caused by the waves crashing. Her long nails were painted in a similar pattern of a tsunami, based off of the "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" painting made by Katsushika Hokusai during the Edo period.
She wore a traditional kimono, light blue in colour, with dashes of pink as if there were sakura petals on the surface of a calm pond. She had vertical iris, her eyes a light blue that would surely lead a man to be lost in them in the future. Her ears were pointed, visible from out of her hair. The unnatural feature that she was bestowed with were her teeth, sharp and akin to fangs. They were initially shocking, but didn't detract from her beauty.
Her voice turned out to flow just like a gentle river from the mountains, equally as beautiful, "Daaaaaaaaaaad! Where were you!? I missed you so much!" the girl yelled, while pinning Pyke to the floor and giving him a bone-crushing hug.
"Sorry N̵̰̅̌ẏ̸͉̈́m̵͉̐͒p̴̙̜̃h̵͍̻͗a̷̺̅͛ē̷̡̾a̸̞̹͂͝, I was busy. New World and all of that." he said, stroking her head as she nuzzled him.
"You have a daughter!?" yelled all of Blue Rose collectively. Another figure came into the room, an extremely tall man in his mid-twenties and dwarfing even Gagaran, being around 220 centimetres tall.
He was pure muscle, with shoulders so broad he would struggle to fit in many doors. He had golden eyes with vertically slit pupils that just screamed of a predator. Scars covered his body, ones in the shape of eyes, wings and maws. Evidently a veteran of many battles with many tales to tell. He had a braid going down his back, his hair very well-kept, almost shining with its silvery colour. Lakyus looked at him and blushed crimson almost immediately. Rightfully so, as the man would surely turn heads in human society. The unnatural feature of his that was visible were his nails, that turned into claws that looked like they could cut through adamantite.
He wore a variety of furs and skins over his plain fabric vest. He had a chequered skirt that any denizens of Earth would recognize as a kilt in the classic red and green colours. He walked up to the girl that was holding onto Pyke and began to peel her off. "You're no fun, G̸̜̈́̏a̶̻͠l̷͉͘ȃ̸̹̝k̸͎͗r̷̙̮̈́̃o̸̜̗̓ñ̵̥͓ḑ̷̔̈́!" yelled the girl. With the powers of the newcomer and Pyke combined, they managed to get the girl off of him.
Pyke brushed off his clothes as the man bowed, "Welcome back, my Lord. Please forgive N̵̰̅̌ẏ̸͉̈́m̵͉̐͒p̴̙̜̃h̵͍̻͗a̷̺̅͛ē̷̡̾a̸̞̹͂͝'s behaviour."
Pyke chuckled seeing the girl's pout, "It's fine, I was gone a while so it's understandable. And you know you can call me father, stop being so stiff."
He turned to Blue Rose who were gawking at him, "What? Oh yea, all this." he gestured to the room they found themselves in. It was massive, everything in various shades of blue, many pillars dotted the area, lamps in the shape of various sea creatures and made out of weird crystal that glowed with a pale light hung from the walls, a massive skylight showing the depths of the ocean they found themselves in above them. A dark, navy carpet covered the entire area, huge enough to contain even the massive treant Pyke fought several times over. The walls showed Pyke and his guardians fighting massive monsters, tales written on the very body of the throne room. At the edge of the room was a throne, radiating power as if it was the centre of the world itself, which here it was.
Carved out of dark blue ice, called True Ice, it was the World Item, [Core of the Swimming City]. It facilitated all the magical procedures that made the city self-sustaining, removing any need for upkeep gold and keeping it in this isolated reality. It would be claimed by the ones to defeat Pyke in YGGDRASIL, alas, such a time never came. Behind the throne was the same emblem that was flown when he strung up the corpses on the kingdom square, a harpoon in front of a glowing blue eye.
"I created all of this, including the citizens, thus I am their father. This handsome man is G̸̜̈́̏a̶̻͠l̷͉͘ȃ̸̹̝k̸͎͗r̷̙̮̈́̃o̸̜̗̓ñ̵̥͓ḑ̷̔̈́, Galakrond in mortal speech. He's one of the 6 guardians of my city, who actually use their human appearances since they have the same items as you do, that negate the feeling of being underwater and since water doesn't get in the palace. All of them are comparable in strength to me. He is the guardian of the entrance to the royal palace, the royal gates. If you think you know what a Dragon Lord is, you are dead wrong. He is the only one worthy of the title, the incarnate of madness and progenitor of dragons!"
Galakrond bowed to the adventurer group, "Welcome to the Swimming City honoured guests." His deep baritone voice caused Lakyus to once again burn up. This time it was noticed by the guardian, "My lady, it appears you have a high temperature. Do you wish me to provide aid?" Gagaran and Pyke chuckled at the dragon's obliviousness .
Tia looked at Tina, "Oni boss is thirsty?" she asked, pointing to Lakyus.
Tina nodded, "Parched."
Gagaran put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "I'm sorry Lakyus, but you are not in his league."
Galakrond was still confused, until Pyke spoke up, "It's fine Gal, she just finds you hot, hence the blood rush to her cheeks. You can go now, bring me L̷̡̪͆u̷̦̖̖̔̓̄c̶̢̭̘̕ǐ̴͚m̴͓̯̙͝p̶̼̥͋̉̄h̷̝́̕i̵̞̚n̷̢̦͓̋d̸̳͆̋͝i̶̺͈̙̽̌́e̵̗̋̍̾ͅą̶̂."
The guardian, slightly flustered, obliged, "R-right away father!"
Pyke turned to Lakyus, "And here I thought you hated monsters. Guess not as long as they're attractive huh? What a principled priestess you are." Lakyus turned her gaze away from the king of the city, shame cooking her from the inside out.
The girl from earlier had the ecstasy and excitement of seeing her father again wear off and began her own introduction, "Heya! I'm N̵̰̅̌ẏ̸͉̈́m̵͉̐͒p̴̙̜̃h̵͍̻͗a̷̺̅͛ē̷̡̾a̸̞̹͂͝! Lily in mortal tongue! I guard the treasury for dad!" Her youthful charm and demeanour distract from the fact that in her other form she was a humanoid monstrosity of tentacles, teeth and death. Being the strongest sword wielder in the city, her swords only brought oblivion to intruders her father brought in as play things.
"This girl guards something? Ha! Maybe one day, look at how small she is!" exclaimed Gagaran, who towered over the 150 centimetres tall girl. At that moment Lily walked up to the warrior, grabbed her by the arm and flung her across the room, several hundred metres through the long hall. "Hmph! How does that feel?" said Lily. Pyke stroked her silky smooth hair, offering her the comfort she needed after such a grave insult.
"Don't insult my children, their occupations in particular. They were lovingly made for their duties by me and are far beyond your comprehension!"
As Lily was snuggling against Pyke and Gagaran was making her way back from the other side of the throne room, her fall broken by the water mattress created by Pyke when she was about to land, in walked a figure in a white cloak. The cloak was trimmed with gold accents, its face unseen in the darkness beneath the hood, out of the sleeves and base of the cloak came multitudes of pale tentacles. Lakyus drew her weapon and yelled, "Monster!"
The figure stopped in its tracks, "Ah, so I'm a monster, but Galakrond is attractive enough to overlook his nature? Father, I didn't know we would be hosting such an idiotic bigot today."
Pyke sighed, well used to Lakyus' antics, "Forgive her L̷̡̪͆u̷̦̖̖̔̓̄c̶̢̭̘̕ǐ̴͚m̴͓̯̙͝p̶̼̥͋̉̄h̷̝́̕i̵̞̚n̷̢̦͓̋d̸̳͆̋͝i̶̺͈̙̽̌́e̵̗̋̍̾ͅą̶̂. She was instilled with religious and human supremacist views from the beginning. Believe it or not she isn't even in the worst half of the New World's prejudice. Change is a gradual process, let her acclimate."
The figure bowed, "I understand, father." And then it began to shift, the cloak turning into a white suit, gold accents on the sleeves, the high collar and next to the golden buttons that featured a swirling pattern. The tentacles receded, hands covered with white gloves emerged. His shoes were also white with gold accents and screaming purity just like the rest of his outfit. His face turned to one that seemed to embody dignity and class, featuring sharp, heterochromatic eyes of white and gold. His ears, much like Lily's, were pointed. His unnatural feature was a tongue akin to a snake, rather fitting for a politician. He had a handlebar moustache, perfect for twirling when in thought, and short hair, both of a pure white colour. Combined with his pale skin, he looked like an apparition.
On top of his head was a white top hat, the edges of it outlined in gold, and on its sides an intricate pattern of spirals. A monocle was on his right eye, pure white trim of course. He had a handkerchief in his pocket, one that seemed to be embroidered with gold. On his waist was a belt, made of white scales, a golden buckle, akin to a serpent, in the centre. From the belt hung a pocket watch, designed after a compass, matching his colour scheme.
He took out a cane from seemingly nowhere, its head akin to that of a dragon-shark. After dusting off his immaculate suit and spinning his cane, he bowed, "Minister of the Interior and Royal Economist of the Swimming City, L̷̡̪͆u̷̦̖̖̔̓̄c̶̢̭̘̕ǐ̴͚m̴͓̯̙͝p̶̼̥͋̉̄h̷̝́̕i̵̞̚n̷̢̦͓̋d̸̳͆̋͝i̶̺͈̙̽̌́e̵̗̋̍̾ͅą̶̂, Lucius Neron in mortal tongue." He stood up, smoothing out the creases that appeared in his suit, "What is it you require of me father?" Pyke looked over his creation, a ruthlessly efficient manager came to life, just like he imagined.
There was one thing that bothered him however, "Tell me Lucy, how did the position of Royal Alcoholic get established, with A̵̢̓͆̋m̵̤̲̎̌̃a̶̤̤͉̒̍̄l̷̝͚̻̈͆'̶̬̮̂Ṱ̷͇͚̽̋͝h̶̡͖̑à̶͖̜̫̃̾̑z̴̡̭̟͕͘â̵̧͈̓d̸̨̦̖͛ͅ being appointed of all people?"
The man broke out into cold sweat as his eyes widened, "Um, f-father, we thought it would be," he gulped, "funny. A-and also someone needs to taste test the alcohol! Maybe an assassin poisoned it!"
Pyke sighed, "I have poison immunity, most of us do. You are such handfuls. Whatever, just don't destroy the entire city and revoke that position. Now then, I need you to gather the people, I shall give a speech and the citizens should see their king. Also, organise a feast for the Council of 13 and our guests."
Lucius bowed once again, "The citizens are already gathered, ever since news spread of your return. If you'll excuse me, I will go and execute your will."
Pyke waved his hand signalling for Blue Rose to follow him, as they gawked at their surroundings. Soon they made it to a raised dais in front of the castle gate, where the king took his place. How was the area lit up even though no light seemed to penetrate from the surface? Well, there seemed to be magical lamps on the streets, but the main cause was the invitations they were given. They would simulate how the area would look like on the surface for those who weren't accustomed to the deep. In front of them were millions of creatures, eldritch humanoids, beings similar to naga and mermen, but twisted. Massive sea creatures hovered above the crowd and many more smaller ones were with their owners. The moment Pyke appeared, a cheer loud enough to be heard in the entire ocean resounded. He raised his hand to quiet it.
"My citizens! My children! We have arrived in a New World, yet our city still stands almighty! None shall breach our realm! Forever shall we rule the depths beneath the tides! I will do my gruesome work on the surface world, but know that you shall never be forsaken as I was! Tonight we feast! Tonight we drink! Tonight! We! Live!" The crowd once more erupted into wild cheering, drink being pulled out from the inventories, the massive sea creatures taking people on rides. They enjoyed their creator's speech, short as it was, but they did look forward to the alcohol as well.
Blue Rose meanwhile was both awed and terrified. These creatures in front of them, even just the citizens and their pets, were on par with an oricalcum or adamantite adventurers. Some of these monsters could probably rival even Dragon Lords! The city itself was however beautiful, in various shades of blue and purple, the abstract yet fascinating architecture could surely have been only devised with magic, the roads paved with massive sea shells. It was an underwater heaven for the denizens and a watery grave for unwanted visitors.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The feast was swiftly prepared and so they followed Pyke to the dining hall. The second they entered they were assaulted with wonderful scents and sights. The hall itself was structured in a manner similar to the throne room, except in the middle stood a massive, aquamarine table, with enough seats for a hundred people at the very least. The chairs were also luxurious, with cushions that made you feel as if you were sitting on a cloud.
On the table itself was a variety of seafood. Anything from sushi to grilled fish, various pastas and so on. The drinks also looked divine, with whiskey, wine, beer, rum and whatever else that wasn't drunk by a certain former Royal Alcoholic. In front of the table stood 12 people, bowing to their king. 3 of them were familiar, Galakrond, Lily and Lucius all being present. The other nine were more of the guardians and ruling council.
A youth with long, fiery red hair that flowed down his back took a step forward. He was a bit taller than Lakyus, standing at 175 centimetres, he was dwarfed by most of the other male guardians and councillors. He looked to be around 19 years of age, youthful yet handsome enough for queens to war over his hand. He wore a gorgeously ornate vest, which was a mix of red and green in intricate patterns. His skin was of a healthy tan colour, not something you would expect of a denizen of the depths.
His pants were long, going past his ankles, and seemingly made of scales of some great beast, same as his shoes, both in a subdued dark red shade. On his waist hung a curious instrument that had a cylinder connected to a tube and a handle with various engravings. Needless to say, it was a gun designed after the Smith & Wesson 500 magnum revolver, a favourite from Pyke's mercenary days when he had to resort to firearms. In his eyes, instead of pupils burnt small green flames. "Ah, Ŷ̸̖ǐ̵̤͆w̸̡̄ṳ̵̣̌̈́w̸̛̰̃ȩ̸̀͂ǐ̸̡̼͌ṣ̴̭̌ī̷̞̐v̵̜͙̄a̸̛̝͋r̷̢̹͗ä̸̪́, good to see you once again my son! I hope you are not overwhelmed, since you'll have much more work to come!" said Pyke
"Worry not, father. Working for you is the purest joy, I'm looking forward to what the New World may bring." he gave a bright smile to his father, then turned to the guests, "Prime Minister of the Swimming City, Ŷ̸̖ǐ̵̤͆w̸̡̄ṳ̵̣̌̈́w̸̛̰̃ȩ̸̀͂ǐ̸̡̼͌ṣ̴̭̌ī̷̞̐v̵̜͙̄a̸̛̝͋r̷̢̹͗ä̸̪́, Winston Winchester in mortal tongue. Pleasure to meet you." His voice filled with determination and energy made him impossible not to like.
He stepped back and another man stepped forward. This man was clad in icy blues, an exuberant magical robe covered him, glistening as if it was frozen over. His skin was an unnatural light blue, as if he was the incarnate of snow itself; small icy crystals manifested on his skin like freckles on a man's face. His eyes likewise were the colour of the palest ice; his long fingernails were pure snow-white. His shoes were simple open sandals, wooden and covered by white bark, tied together with string.
In his hand he held a staff that looked like an icicle torn from a cave, yet smooth as can be. His fingers were adorned with various rings that radiated magical power like a fire did heat. In various pockets and around the waist were various scrolls and magical items. He had a short, well-groomed beard along a jawline that could chisel sculptures, with equally short hair, both like fresh snow. If one were to summarise him in a sentence, he would be called a smaller and more scholarly frost giant; his inhuman feature being the paleness of his skin that could match a vampire's with ease and crystalline patches of skin. Like for most councillors, it was a relatively subtle feature. Still, he was broad and tall, around 185 centimetres and looked strong enough to give many warriors a run for their money.
He did a small half bow, "Minister of Magic, A̵̢̓͆̋m̵̤̲̎̌̃a̶̤̤͉̒̍̄l̷̝͚̻̈͆'̶̬̮̂Ṱ̷͇͚̽̋͝h̶̡͖̑à̶͖̜̫̃̾̑z̴̡̭̟͕͘â̵̧͈̓d̸̨̦̖͛ͅ. To your mortal ears, Amal'Thazad. I deal with all things magical, primarily research. It is good to see fellow magic casters among your number. You can find me in the library, as I also hold the position of Royal Librarian." He glanced at Evileye and walked back, his staff hitting the floors as he used it as a walking stick, despite his fit appearance and large stature. He was a calm man and one of the most reliable figures out of the 12 higher ups of the city. Although as reliable as he was, giving him access to alcohol was never a good idea if you wanted to keep any.
Forward skipped a woman who was just as bubbly as Lily. She wore a weird garment of thick white cloth. It shimmered with the distinct shine of magic, imbued with many protective spells. On her head were strange glasses that clung tightly to her face. She took them off to reveal pure black pupils that shone with youthful energy. Her lipstick and nails were equally dark, midnight made manifest. Her black hair was made in a bun, making sure it never got in the way.
On her hands were weird, stretchy, white gloves, also evidently protected with enchantments. Besides her face, little to no skin was shown and her figure was hidden inside the baggy clothes. It was however obvious that she was still tall, around that of Lakyus, being 170 centimetres or so. Certainly, she was beautiful, but her energetic and cheerful demeanour made her more cute than anything else. On her backs were small, scaly, black wings that somehow managed to carry her a few feet off the ground as they fluttered.
She gave them a very energetic wave of the hand, truly like Lily's sister, "Hey! I'm A̵̛͓̾q̸̮͂͝u̶̺͛̀a̷̪̘̒̔t̶̜͓̓͝o̴͓̤͌f̴̺̤̔â̴̦͘n̸̯̰̍i̴̪̥͒, Trise in mortal tongue! I work in my lab on all kinds of crazy things! Oh yea, I almost forgot, I am the Minister of Alchemy! Come around if you need anything! Love potions, poisons, elixirs, I can make anything!" She puffed out her chest in obvious pride. And she wasn't wrong, just like Amal'Thazad before her who specialised in magic item creation and enchantment, she specialised in alchemy and natural magics. Whether Pyke needed a chemical weapon or a strength potion, she would be able to make it.
Next came a woman who rivalled Gagaran in height and build. Short, practical length hair of deep purple colour. She wore the attire of a traditional smith, with heavy, navy overalls and a flame resistant vest. Her arms were muscular, her physique able to put quite a few of her siblings to shame, and she was scarred with the marks that distinguished a true artisan. Calluses could be seen on her hands. A toolbelt hung from her waist, on it were hammers, tongs and so on.
Her eyes were like amethysts, sizing up the visitors. As much an ox as Blue Rose's warrior and even stronger, she stepped forward, each step being accompanied by a clang as her metallic shoes hit the ground. From her back came a tail, much akin to a dragon's except this one was practically a third limb with its versatility. Needless to say, the adventurers were rather intimidated.
She shook the hands of each of the guests, her voice deep, but still in a distinctly womanly octave. "Pleasure. I'm V̴̝͉̏ì̷̕ͅs̶̥͚͌͠h̶̭̦̓̈v̷̺͎̑a̵̖̬͘k̶͖̉a̵̛͇͝n̵̡͗a̴̼̮̓, Ferra for mortals. I deal with all things blacksmithing and construction." Simple, curt, direct and to the point, as you would expect of a smith. A no-nonsense attitude and serious demeanour made her one of the few voices of reason when Lily and Trise were trying to pass another ridiculous vote.
Lastly came the opposite of Ferra and the embodiment of femininity. Long sky blue topaz hair reaching to her waist, with eyes of a similar colour. Long, perfectly manicured nails had a refractive pattern painted on them. She wore a very form fitting, light blue, silky dress that was cut at the sides to expose her legs. She had turquoise boots that reached past her knees and put her at around 170 centimetres with the heels. Her figure was, of course, one to kill for.
Her small smile was one of a seductress, and she moved like one, sashaying her way to greet the guests. Her generous bust was rather revealed, leaving little to the imagination. Of course, this was all for a reason. Who ran worlds that were around the mediaeval period? Kings, queens and male nobles. What better way to conquer a kingdom swiftly than playing to your enemy's desires?
She curtseyed with her dress, her voice more sensual than the flowing silk she wore, "Greetings mortals, I am D̸̟̏͜z̴̺̘̆̕a̶̺̒̌ͅd̵͙̺͊͠r̶̞͎͋i̸̱̳̾́l̴̪̇̈́a̶̖̐, or as you may come to know me, Lillith. I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I'm sure given your esteemed gear and personage, we will interact much in the coming years. It's my pleasure." Merely with her appearance could she start wars, her skills were all about boosting her charisma. The thin tail, that ended with a heart, would discourage no one.
These were the 6 ministers, intellectuals of the highest capacity. Even though they have many good natured sibling squabbles, they still dutifully work for their creator. All 6 of them were fonts of power the likes of which dwarfed the entirety of Blue Rose several times over. These were the politicians of this place? They already met two of the guardians and Gagaran could attest to at least a part of Lily's power. What kind of monsters would the other guardians be?
A man of around 188 centimetres of height walked forward with a confident stride. On his belt was a curious thing, merely the hilt and guard of the sword, which could actually unfold into an actual sword, designed after an assassin of ages past. His jawline was chiselled, but his hazel eyes were kind. He had short black hair and was clean shaven, certainly a catch fitting only for royal women. Under that short hair however, small black horns were hidden. Young, perhaps not much older in terms of looks than Winston, appearing to be around 20 years of age.
He wore a flowing dark trench coat with red trim, made of a curious metal fibre, allowing for high defence and good mobility. His boots had built-in [Silence] spells in order for his footsteps' sound to be eliminated. With strong, calloused hands, scars of valour on his arms and being lean like steel, it was evident this man was a swordsman of great skill earned through years of effort. Skilled in a variety of magics, assassination and divination, the guardian bowed in front of the adventurers.
"I am H̸̠͐́å̸̻͙k̸̢͆ā̴̡̭̉r̵̩͙̿s̷͙̟̏w̴̢̭̃͝ő̶̟̈́m̷̻̔͜d̴̨̜̈́ḯ̵̺̟̚.. However, for you ladies I'll make an exception, call me Lillius, Lillius Voss. I am the Shadowblade of our glorious king, a spy and killer, Guardian of the Royal Halls and the second greatest assassin in existence, after my father of course." With just these few words he endeared himself to Blue Rose as if he was their closest companion. How you may ask? It was his passive skills and charisma stat at work. Not only was he a great assassin and divination magic user, but he was Lillith's male counterpart, meant to charm the queens and noble ladies of the land. Of course that effect would be cancelled by him, lest Lillith threw a tantrum about being a proper gentleman again. Still, seeing fellow assassins, at least judging by the twins' weapons and dress, was a very pleasant surprise.
Next came a man that looked exactly like Amal'Thazad, except his colours seemed to be the opposite. Black hair and tanned skin, nails and eyes the colour of the moonless night. Instead of an aura of purity, his robe gave off of an aura of corruption with orange accents on his black clothes, as if it was cut from hell itself. In comparison to the seemingly cold and serious demeanour of the Minister of Magic, this man had a confident smile on his face, revealing just a bit of his fangs behind his lips.
In his hand was a curious grimoire featuring an 8-pointed star. It was heavy, thick enough to be useful as a bludgeoning weapon, yet this man held it as if it was a feather. His hands themselves had exposed blood vessels, except instead of blood, magma ran through his veins. A curious sight, as a denizen of the ocean seldom would have an affinity for fire.
He bowed to Blue Rose, "A pleasure to meet you Blue Rose, I am B̴̨̟̳̀a̴̝̘͙̅́e̴̯̫̬͒ļ̷̗́͛͊s̷̻̯̯̰̿̂̒͝a̷̖͙̹͌̾͜m̵̻̪͛͊̂͘i̷̢̧̤̯͘g̵͈͗̀ï̸̧̬ͅn̵̢͚̳̙̑̈̀̈a̵̪̝͑̽̄̕. Given your lack of comprehension however, call me Jericho Agares. I am the guardian of the library and all knowledge in this realm. Unlike my closest twin in Amal'Thazad who has an affinity for ice, angels and alcohol, I'm the premier expert on fire and demonology. I dabble in necromancy a fair bit, enough to summon the highest tier undead; yet I believe they lack the subtleties of a demon, I'm sure you understand."
Next came a man who looked undoubtedly human from afar, only for the truth to be revealed up close. He didn't have skin, but subtle scales of the regular, human, pinkish colour. A stern look on his face, built in a way to rival Galakrond's human form, he certainly was handsome, but his demeanour made Blue Rose want to stand at attention and salute.
He wore a flexible chainmail-like armour from an unknown metal of blood red colour, bent in order to accommodate as much movement as possible. His hair was white, contrasting with his blood red chestplate, leggings and sabatons. Scars from battle adorned his face, the most notable one being a scar from a claw that ran across his right eye. Along with a white Van Dyke beard, giving him the aura of a true commander. His hands were odd, one being pure bone, the other entirely mechanical.
A salute was shot at Blue Rose, "Greetings, I am the first line of defence of the city, General K̶̪̜̮̐h̵͖̝͓̟͐͘a̸̢̧̟̞̒ṇ̶̢̝̯̀́̄g̷̢̈́͊̈́a̵̤̣̾̓͐ŗ̴̎̃̍͜i̶̱̲̘̺͂̎̚͝ḿ̶͍̠̤, Valodan Whigrane for mortals such as yourself. I command the beasts and monsters of this city. I pray we don't find ourselves on opposite sides of the battlefield." They say an army is only as good as its commander, and Valodan seemed like he could elevate any army to myth.
Finally, the time came for the last one. A titan of a man, even taller than Galakrond, around 230 centimetres tall, came out. Adorned in strange gold and blue armour, that left most of his sides still open, it glowed with an uncanny light blue, as if souls themselves fuelled it. On his face an uncanny, golden mask that revealed only his lower jaw. His skin was also dark blue, like a decaying water-logged corpse.
On his back was a scythe, but not just any scythe. The handle of it was caked in gold around the edges, the inside of it shifting with a light blue liquid, an infinite amount of lights seemingly swirling inside it. The blade itself however, was like a constellation of stars, each one being an amalgamation of souls. It seemed to warp space around itself as the man walked, leaving rifts in the air.
He gave a tiny bow, "I am I̴͇̚n̴͕̩͌ş̵̤̳̀̽ẖ̸͍̣̏̄̅u̵͚̍͠c̵̡̥͉͊ȉ̴̟̀c̵̹̼̙̆̋ò̶̳̱̭ḽ̷͆̂. You may call me Vacuus. My status is the guardian of the Throne Room, the Unmaker being my title." Certainly, as a final line of defence, this man proved to be more than adequate.
Pyke clapped his hands once the introductions were over, "Well, with that out of the way, let's eat!"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
At first the conversation merely flowed between the Council of 13, Pyke admonishing Amal'Thazad about his alcohol consumption many times, as Blue Rose was too occupied with enjoying the food, easily worthy of the Gods. Truly his entire realm must have belonged to a God. Even Eryuentiu that Evileye visited many decades ago didn't compare. And it was the first time she was able to eat as magical food was actually consumable by vampires who usually fed off of only blood. She shuffled it under her mask, trying desperately to not make it all greasy, but failing miserably. "Compliments to the chefs! I need to meet them, they are for sure better than any of the kingdom!" Winston chuckled at Gagaran's outburst, picking up a shrimp.
"Well, our chefs were created by our father as well, they resemble these creatures called shrimps. With multiple arms they are rather efficient, although I still don't know why they have a particular affinity for fried rice…" Pyke laughed wholeheartedly at that, but deigned to not enlighten his son.
Pyke truly felt at home with his NPCs, no, his children. Just like he imagined them, from the lively Lily to the stoic Vacuus. He felt a connection unlike the comradery or friendship of the past, a true familial bond. God help anyone who would dare lay a finger on his precious denizens... This cheerful atmosphere was however interrupted by Lakyus, "But you are all monsters! Don't you hate humanity?!" She was shot a cold glare from Tia and Tina who were having a wonderful time chatting up Lillius until they were interrupted.
"Galakrond and Lucy, it's between you two!" said Jericho, who was currently balancing Amal'Thazad on his shoulder, the holy caster having drank so much alcohol he ran out of magic to cleanse it from his body, despite the fact that his mana pool was enormous. "Galakrond, she is more likely to listen to you," said Lucius. "Why me?! I represent us the least!" answered Galakrond. "Simple, she finds you attractive so half her brain turns off when you speak." said Lillith. The incarnate of madness sighed and cleared his throat.
"Why would we hate humanity? They are just another species. Each person is unique and their race matters less than the situation they find themselves in. Plus, we are so ancient that race is a young concept compared to us." said Galakrond, looking directly into Lakyus' emerald eyes, the heroine blushing fiercely.
"Well said, my draconic brother! Humans can be just as effective as soldiers. Father has told us tales of this Gazef, a man like him is worthy of respect no matter his race!" said Valodan.
The dinner lasted well into the night, until eventually Lily got sleepy, despite her not needing sleep, and Pyke had to go put her to bed, like the good father he is. Her siblings were jealous at how spoiled she was, acting like a baby at her age, but that was how she was created so they kept quiet and began cleaning up. Blue Rose left to go to their massive suite, easily as large as a mansion itself, with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and so on.
They sat down in one of the rooms with 2 massive beds, which felt practically divine, but they still resisted the urge to sleep, for they had much to discuss.
"So… What do we make of this place." began Lakyus.
"I travelled to the city of the Greed Kings in the South and this is far beyond it. I mean, creating beings like the Guardians and Councillors? This is nothing short of a Godly realm." Upon the mention of Gods Lakyus fell quiet, wondering if the Gods she followed her entire life could be eclipsed so effortlessly by this man.
"If they wanted to do something, there is nothing we could do to stop them!" yelled Gagaran.
"It's fine, they seem nice." answered Evileye. Tia and Tina were too preoccupied with thoughts of Lillius to contribute anything meaningful to the discussion. Lakyus sighed heavily, "I suppose we should relax, Pyke was brutal, but the nobles were corrupt and the others were members of the Eight Fingers."
Evileye was rather conflicted, this city of otherworldly monsters and its ruler, no, its God, accepted her when the human countries she tirelessly worked to save didn't. Would her teammates even accept her if they knew the truth of her vampiric nature? Given Lakyus' constant outbursts throughout the trip, she couldn't be too optimistic…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Late in the night the council assembled, with all 6 guardians and 6 councillors being present, rounded off by Pyke also being there. It was a rather informal thing, as no major things were in planning as of now. All of them already knew of the information Pyke had collected in the New World, as he told them all of it during the feast, such as the Draconic Kingdom being under attack by the beastmen, the existence of Dragon Lords and Wild Magic, and the need for some heavy reforms in the Slane Theocracy.
"It's just so hard to have people listen to you when you are only one man with no structure, you know?" he said, opening the meeting.
"True, you can manipulate a couple rulers, but wider change is too complicated for individuals, even you, dad. Not to mention you have to interact with those disgusting humans." Lillius said, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Vacuus.
"Our father could surely manage, it is only tedious."
"No, no. Lillius is right. It's too much even for me. If only there was some way to just take them all over…" said Pyke.
"Why don't we just take over the whole, wide world for dad?" asked Lily. A moment of silence followed as all the guardians and councillors looked at one another.
The first one to speak was Valodan, "Lily, you may just be right. Winston, could you create a centralised state that accomplishes our fathers goals and creates a world true to his vision?"
Winston brought his hand to his chin, "It'd be hard if we can only work with what we have now and with mortals, but if we use angels, demons and undead as staff we should be fine by my estimates. Is that something you two can do?" he asked, looking at Jericho and Amal'Thazad who both nodded in the affirmative. Bodies for possession or reanimation were in no short supply as the world was already full of death and such a change in their spells would surely have infinite practical uses. Sending out the variety of mercenary monsters they had in store for retrieval would be simple and from there they could experiment freely.
"If we want an obedient and effective workforce and guards, I propose undead. We don't exactly have to pay skeletons a wage now do we? Perhaps we can figure out how to use the naturally spawning undead; with that we could create them indefinitely and dominate them. I'll get on that." said Jericho.
"I suppose I shall see if the angel summoning has changed. If these fools believe them divine then we will make our father the God he should be. Angels shall obey you without question, unlike these insects." added Amal'Thazad.
"I'll reach out to this Renner girl. If she is as intelligent as she is mad, she will prove a valuable asset. With the promise of immortality for her and her puppy she'll be as obedient as any creation. Maybe there are still diamonds in the rough among lesser races." said Lillith.
"Guess I'll sneak into the Theocracy and rob them blind. Maybe their Gods left a World Item? How unfortunate that they don't work on us guardians, fufufu." chuckled Lillius.
"What do we do with the Draconic Kingdom? They are on the verge of collapse, just like Re-Estize. We can take both over in one swoop!" said Trise.
Vacuus shook his head, "The Empire of Baharuth would be in-between our borders. Shall we not intervene during their war? The Kingdom is large, but mismanaged. Our rule shall be accepted quickly, given our father's reputation."
"What about our citizens? Don't they want to go to the surface world? We'd need maximum security, not a single hair falls from their heads without me knowing!" said Pyke, already stressed about his precious creations being hurt.
"With all due respect, father, none of our citizens want to leave into a world that isn't controlled by you. We won't have to deal with any of that until the world is already ours. I'm sure we can take the world from these pathetic races within a few centuries; they won't have to wait long." said Lucius.
"So first we build our forces before the war, convince the princess and take them over? Then the Empire and Draconic Kingdom?" asked Ferra.
"Seems so. But, let us take this slow. We are here to be saviours not conquerors, at least when possible." said Winston.
"Lillius, you deal with that Holy Queen and I shall get the Emperor dancing to my tune. They won't even realise what is happening until it is too late." added Lillith.
"What about the Dragon Lords and the possibility of World Items? We can't operate in the open without such threats being answered!" said Galakrond.
"Relax, son. All the ministers will take a World Item. We have plenty from my years of hunting. They should nullify the Wild Magic and other World Items, besides that the Dragon Lords are just overgrown lizards." The ministers nodded, almost tearing up at the idea they were valued more than the greatest prizes of the hunter.
"It is settled then. Ferra, Trise, keep working on your specific research. I want Project, Psyop and Sentinel to be operational soon. Vacuus, Valodan, marshal our forces of mercenary monsters that will be useful during this time, particularly to collect bodies for our resident mages. Hanzos, Eight Edge Assassins, Shadow Demons and everything else is authorised for use. Coordinate with Jericho and Amal'Thazad in order to have our basic monster forces enhanced by other summons. Keep our beasts out of the limelight for now. Winston and Lucius, internal politics are up to you. For now you'll have to manage all of this, but start training the summons quickly, employ the citizens for jobs that don't require going to the surface. For the first time in history, the denizens of the Swimming City surface!
An ear-splitting cheer erupted in the spacious room, where the very fate of the world was decided.
(AN: Bit of an info dump chapter but I had to describe the main cast somewhere! Look forward to getting to know them better soon enough. But if this new cast isn't your thing and you're still looking for an OP MC and all the things you love in an Overlord story, today's recommendation is [Overlord - The Nephalem Emperor] by Aterro. Author's nice, the story is nice, go read it! Anyway, I still can't believe a fucking shrimp fried rice and I wrote this! As always, more coming soon and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next one will be a short intermission, but we'll have a long one after that so no worries!)