Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid/OVERLORD
Two
Kobayashi used the ring's teleport function to reappear in the throne room, noting that Sebas had joined Albedo there. Which was ANOTHER surprise, as Kobiyashi had left him on standby. He shouldn't have just come there on his own...
"Lord Kobayashi, you should not go out of the Tomb alone, we wish to be there to fight beside you if you're attacked," Sebas told her formally.
"Yes!" Albedo agreed.
Kobayashi waved that off, "Later." She sat down on the throne, watching as the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown hovered beside her. "Summon the floor guardians here," she ordered Tohru, "it seems we have a new problem."
"Of course," Tohru agreed.
In moments, a spacial gate opened, and the vampire guardian of the first few floors appeared. "Oh, Mistress! I am so glad to see you," Shalltear Bloodfallen declared as she ran up to the throne. "You look gorgeous," she added, glomping her.
"AWK. Get off!" Kobayashi growled
"Awwww." Shalltear pouted. The vampiress was a bit shorter than Kobayashi, and was dressed in a (slightly padded) sexy dress. She also (apparently) liked to fool around with her female vampire servants.
Aura Bella Fiore and Mare Bello Fiore, guardians of the jungle floor, looked on in bemusement. Aura was dressed boyishly, the beast tamer elf weilding a whip, while Mare was in a girlish skirt, the druid using a staff.
"Ha! You just wish you could do that," Shalltear sniffed.
"I do not!" Aura answered, but she blushed a bit.
"Pfft. Stop fighting in front of the mistress," Demiurge second in command of the NPCs chided them both. The black haired, elegant looking demon lord scowled at the two women, though it was a sort of fond-ish scowl.
"Agreed," Cocytus rumbled, the huge, humanoid insect towering over the others. He was a incredible warrior, and had devestating ice powers as well.
"Settle down, everyone," Kobayashi said fondly, "we have a situation."
"Yes!" the group chorused, all focused on her.
'I'll never get used to this,' Kobayashi thought, then explained about the Tomb having been apparently moved to a new location. Worse, they had no idea where they were.
"Whomever moved us against our wishes will die," Demiurge said flatly.
'Not helpful,' Kobayashi thought dryly.
"If we are in a new place, we need to explore the area," Mare suggested quietly, "we need to be ready if there are hostiles nearby."
"Yeah!" Aura agreed excitedly.
"A good idea," Kobayashi agreed, and watched Aura beam in happiness and Mare smile shyly.
'I suppose we could hide the Tomb somehow,' Kobayashi thought, 'but would that be a good idea?' Among players of Yggdrasil the Great Tomb of Nazarick was widely known. If there were other Yggdrasil players here, they might come to them...
"I believe there's a scrying mirror in storage," Shalltear offered, "we could use that to search the region magically."
"Good suggestion," Kobayashi said firmly.
"Oooh, THANK you Mistress," Shalltear purred, nearly wiggling in pleasure.
'Okay, that's a bit creepy,' Kobayashi thought.
"You mentioned we're on a flat plain, Mistress?" Cocytus asked, the warrior looking thoughtful. "With no swamp, there's nothing to prevent enemies from reaching the Tomb. We need security patrols of some type."
"Agreed," Demiurge said, "and kill them all." He WAS in charge of defending the Tomb, after all.
"No, we need living captives," Kobayashi corrected. As they looked faintly surprised she continued, "We don't know where we are, or anything about the peoples around us. We need to question living captives."
"Of course, Mistress. I had not considered it fully," Demiurge agreed willingly.
Looking at her minions adoring looks, Kobayashi fought back a shudder. 'I have to live up to their insane opinions of me?!' Kobayashi thought, nearly hyperventilating. 'GOD I need a drink...'
"Mistress?" Albedo asked, looking at her in concern.
Kobayashi forced herself to relax. "Demiurge, Albedo I want you to check the Tomb's interior defences, adjusting them to capture, not kill," she instructed.
"Yes, Mistress!" both chimed eagerly.
"Cocytus," Kobayashi turned to her, "as you brought it up, organize patrols. Cover about three kilometers out from the tomb, and remember that we want captives."
"Yes mistress!" Cocytus rumbled.
"All right, return to your floors for now," Kobayashi ordered them, and the floor guardians left.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Mistress?" Albedo purred, still standing in the throne room.
Kobayashi did her best NOT to notice how Albedo was bending over so she could see down her dress. "Thank you, Albedo," she managed, "I think I will retire to my chambers, now."
"Ah," Albedo actually looked disappointed.
Later that morning, Kobayashi made a horrifying discovery: apparently liquor had no effect on her 'undead valkyrie' body.
"Noooooooooooooooooo!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Touch Me-san, this is another fine mess you've gotten me into," Kobayashi complained as she elbowed a knight, carefully so she didn't kill him on the spot.
"Pardon?" Sebas asked, surprised, as he punched a fully armored man out with one blow.
"Long story," Kobayashi said. "Children! Don't fall behind!" she called.
"Yes!" the two clearly terrified young girls answered as they followed.
A few hours earlier, She, Sebas and Demiurge had been using the scrying mirror to try to figure out where they were, and what was around the tomb. What they saw was worrying. Scattered, defenseless villages, monster infested woods not THAT far away... lizardmen, and several wrecked towns.
"Someone is attacking the villages systematically," Demiurge noted, "I presume to draw out the local military."
"They're also tending in our direction," Sebas noted.
"I almost wish they'd find us. We'd kick their asses," Kobayashi mused. She 'shifted' the image on the mirror with a flick of her finger, sweeping by a village near the forest.
"Mistress, back," Sebas pointed.
Kobayashi returned to the village, realizing it was surrounded. Soldiers in armor were driving the residents towards the center of town, cutting down anyone who resisted. She zoomed in, then nearly choked as she saw a man be cut down in a splash of gore.
'This clearly isn't a game,' Kobayashi thought.
"Mistress, are you well?" Sebas asked, and for a moment Kobayashi was reminded of his creator, the knight Touch Me.
'And you know what Touch Me would be doing right now.' Kobayashi thought. She stood up, "Sebas, you're with me." She looked at Demiurge, "Raise the tomb's security, these guys may be tougher than I think. Also have Albedo ready to follow us if needed."
"But Mistress...," Demiurge started.
"No time," Kobayashi cut him off. "GATE," she waved the guild staff.
In the Carne Village, Enri Emmot ran with her little sister Nemu, trying to stay ahead of the attacking soldiers. The men in armor had attacked with no warning, killing villagers as they drove them towards the main square.
Nemu gasped and nearly stumbled. "Hurry, Nemu!" Enri ordered, the pretty blonde looking around for anywhere they could go. A group of soldiers barred one way, sending the two girls racing down another street. Yet again they were stopped, and Enri felt a surge of fear and despair.
"GATE," a voice came from nowhere.
The soldiers stumbled to a stop, and Enri looked up in surprise. From the swirling portal a tall woman emerged, sword in hand. She wore light armor in a soft grey color, along with a helm with wings on either side. Her expression was grim and angry.
"Get her!" the lead soldier cried and charged.
"Hyaa!" the tall woman swung her sword... AND CUT THE MAN IN TWO, showering blood and gore on Enri.
"Eeep," Enri managed before falling over in a dead faint.
"Well fuck," Kobayashi blinked at the torn body at her feet.
"It appears you are too powerful for such weak opponents, Mistress," Sebas noted.
The two other soldiers were looking at her in pure terror. "Right, hand to hand it is," Kobayashi sheathed her sword. "Sebas, don't kill them."
"Yes mistress!" Sebas charged one of the men, casually batting a sword aside with his gloved hand. Then, just as casually, he punched him through his open faced helm, dropping him with a single blow.
"I would suggest surrendering," Kobayashi offered the third soldier.
"Yeahgh," he made an incoherent noise of fear.
"Never mind," Kobayashi shrugged, and slugged him in a much more in-elegant fashion than Sebas had. She was astonished at how strong she seemed to be, compared to these guys. It barely felt like she tapped him...
"The children appear unharmed, if messy," Sebas said calmly.
"Let's try something," Kobayashi murmured as she gestured, "PURIFICATION: Level One."
Sebas watched as the splattered blood just... lifted away from the two children as Kobayashi used a Priest skill. "Impressive," he agreed, "Why just Level One?"
"I seem to remember a Priestess changing blood to water once on higher levels," Kobayashi admitted.
"Urk," Sebas made a face at that idea.
To be continued...
Notes: Yeah, starting the divergences next chapter, pretty much. I always wondered why Momonga hadn't brought Sebas with him in Overlord. Maybe the author hadn't decided Sebas was going to be a badass, and was originally going to have him be a regular butler? The 'blood to water' thing is a Goblin Slayer reference.