"EEEEEHHHHHH?"
Momonga's mind was temporarily overloaded by questions. He just stood there, looking blankly at the smiling woman beside him, unable to conjure up any coherent thoughts. Then, like turning on a facet, they poured in, one by one, gradually filling him up with worry and anxiety. What did that spell do? Why was the NPC suddenly talking like an actual person? What was that bright light? Why wasn't the command window responding, why wasn't he kicked out of the game since the time ran out….
*Emotional suppression activated*
Suddenly, a feeling of calmness washed over him, all the thoughts that had burdened him before were now as light as a feather. His mind could now analyze all the information available and properly construct several hypotheses. First things first, he turned his attention towards the woman beside him, who seemed completely unbothered by the fact she was being ignored.
"Kiara, about the spell I just conjured, is there anything in YGGDRASIL's database that match it?"
The scantly clad nun barely spared a glance at the offending item. He had the impression that he was looking at him as if nothing else in the room was even worth noticing.
"Fufufu… I'm afraid that is not something that could exist in the Nine Worlds-" Momonga's non-existent eyebrow shot up.-"The item your Majesty is currently holding is none other than the Holy Grail?"
"A magic item outside the gam… I mean, YGGDRASIL?" That didn't sound right. The possibility that magic was real was at the bottom of his list for explanations of what was happening right now.
"I apologize, memory is a bit….fuzzy, on the matter, but from what I can recall it was created as a wish-granting device. If Master used it to make a wish, that would certainly explain the surge of power I felt right now. Although-" she absentmindedly bit her lip. Momonga didn't notice when had she gotten so close to him-"I couldn't imagine why someone as great as a Supreme One would have no need for such an insignificant trinket. After all"- his mind was getting hazy. Those sweet words were spoken loudly, but they felt like a whisper, meant only for him-"there is nothing that you can't get if you so desire. Just say the world, and anything you want will be yours."
All thoughts and questions faded from his mind. The only thing he could focus on was the woman in from of him, on how her clothes slowly fluttered with every move she made, how her face had a slight blush to it, like a fair maiden, of the warmth of her body he could feel even from the distance. The very small distance. He wanted to keep hearing her speak, he wanted to stare at her for longer, he wanted….
*Emotional suppression activated*
Just like before, the words echoed inside his mind and he quickly regained his control.
"I…. see. Something strange has happened to Nazarick, Kiara. We need to remain vigilant and swiftly deal with this crisis."
Kiara didn't seem taken aback by the not-so-subtle rejection. On the contrary, her smile only seemed to widen, the fire in her eyes burning brighter than ever.
"Of course, Master. I have no doubt that under Your leadership, we will be able to face any hardships that come our way."
Momonga hummed in approval. He was mostly just relieved he had managed to get out of that situation. Something in the back of his mind was screaming that he had just narrowly avoided a great danger. Had Kiara used a skill on him? He had always found her attractive, but that level of attraction was unnatural, even for a repressed middle-aged salaryman. And there was another thing.
For some reason, it appeared that the system was forcibly suppressing his emotions when they reached a certain threshold. He remembered in the flavor text that ended was supposed to be lacking human feelings, so was this a new update? Even if it was, was such a thing even possible with the currently available technology? More questions piled up, if the Floor Guardian wasn't with him, he would have pulled up a notebook to write all of them down for later. Speaking of The Floor Guardian, Momonga subtly touched one of the rings on his finger and spoke up, trying his best to make his voice sound dignified.
"But before anything, there is something I need to make sure of. Kiara Sessyoin, can you guarantee your loyalty towards me, towards The Great Tomb of Nazarick?"
Kiara pulled a hand over her mouth to trap in a chuckle.
"What an amusing question, Master! You are our creator, the last of the Supreme Ones who refused to abandon us. I speak in the name of every Servant here when I say that we pledge our life to you, and we shall serve you to the best of our meager abilities!" she declared while making a small, but a sincere bow.
The Overlord glanced over to the ring on his finger. It was a special item, capable of detecting the lies of an NPC. In the forums, it was considered a highly controversial item, as it had the potential to ruin the enjoyment of some story quests. A mystery thriller wasn't nearly as engaging when the murderer can't conceal the truth. For the moment, he was incredibly grateful it wasn't removed. Since the color didn't change and Kiara had no skills to nullify the effect, he could surmise there weren't any lies in her words. "Unless whatever you did with The Grail somehow changed her and she doesn't qualify as an NPC anymore" an annoying part of his brain pointed out. It was certainly a possibility he should be wary of, but it was safe to put some degree of trust in her for the moment.
"Are you perhaps doubting my words?" She asked, perfectly guessing his thoughts. "Then let me prove myself to you. What would you like for me to do for you?" Her playful tone did nothing to hide the silkiness of her voice.
"N-no... It will not be necessary." It was only thanks to the deepness of his voice that he didn't stutter. Apparently, emotion suppression did not mean he could no longer feel anything, just that the sensations were muted. His emotions were still lurking just beneath the surface, ready to pop out at any time. What he needed was to get some space from her, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. That worried him, just what kind of prey desires to be entangled in the spider's web?
"I see, that's too bad." She didn't sound disappointed at all. "If you ever change your mind, please don't hesitate to call for me. Even one as great as yourself might find himself in need of respite, and it is as Bodhis…." That was as far as she got before an unidentified object made contact with the back of her head. All Momonga could do was stare at the offending item. A book.
"Excuse me, Master! I came here to raise a complaint, but it looks like a filthy parasite is trying to attach itself to you. I shall return later", a deep, tired voice announced themselves.
Coming into the room was what looked like a small, blue-haired child, dressed in formal clothing, with even a bowtie to match the hair. If the suit's purpose was to give off a dignified air then it had failed spectacularly, instead making its wearer look more endearing, in a way only a child wearing adult clothing could manage. The only sign of the person's true age was in his eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick-framed glasses. They shone with wisdom as if their owner could see right through everybody in the room with but a mere glance.
"Mr. Drunkard, I know you must get frustrated reading the garbage you are putting out on page, but if you throw something else at me, I guarantee you I will make you wish your end was as nice as the Matches Girl's." Momonga didn't think a person's voice could carry that much venom, nor that such an angelic face could make such a disgusted expression.
"Your cow face being the last thing I see would most definitely make for a horrendous way to die."
"It would certainly make for a more entertaining story than whatever third-rate pornography you could muster up."
"Both of you, mind yourselves!" Although he said it more out of irritation than genuine anger, the dark aura that he somehow ended up conjuring around his skeleton visage gave off the desired effect.
"Of course, I apologize Master!" Kiara immediately composed herself. The young kid hesitated for a second, but he still muttered an apology.
Internally, Momonga sighed. Those two should have never interacted before, yet they instantly jumped at each other's throats. That would not do, a company, much less a monster guild, could not be run if the employees were at each other's throats the moment they see each other. Back at his office, if two department heads would refuse to collaborate, it would end up derailing work for everybody, and that meant more hours spent slaving away in front of a computer (for him). He would not allow that. If he thought about it, he was basically the CEO of a company now, so it was up to him to keep his subordinates in check. There were more pressing matters at the moment, but this was certainly on the upper half of the seemingly never-ending to-do list.
Momonga turned his attention to the newly-arrived NPC. Hans Christian Andersen, the Guardian of the 8th Floor. Judging by pure strength alone, he was perhaps the weakest member in all of Nazarick, but his special talents made him an undoubtedly valuable asset.
"I believe you were here to raise a complaint, Andersen?" Momonga actually kind of looked up to the short NPC at the moment. He wouldn't have the courage to confront his boss, especially when his superior was a skeleton sitting on a literal throne. Now that he thought about it, he must have looked quite intimidating, right?
"What? Ah, Yes!" He blinked owlishly, having momentarily forgotten his original objective. "It was about the transportation of Nazarick, you might not have felt it here, but the move caused quite the tremor. Some ink spilled and it ruined the manuscript I have been working out" Hans sighed wearily. For once, he really looked his age. "I just want to be warned before anything like that happened again."
"I'm sure nothing of importance was lost", Kiara helpfully added, earning a glare from the author. Momonga however was more concentrated on another part of the conversation.
'Nazarick has been teleported?!"Emotional suppression thankfully kicked in before he could give voice to his thoughts. When he actually spoke, he hoped he seemed calmer than he really was.
"I apologize for that, but this move was something outside my control. More importantly, what do you know about the current situation?"
"Nothing much, just what I've heard from the Marines I was passing by. They were quite frantic, running all over the place, but I suppose it is to be expected of them. They are but different aspects of the same servant, a stubborn man whose obsession for control could only fit the title of Captain, fragmented shards of a mere phantom who refuses to acknowledge himself as more than…"
By this point, Momonga had mostly tuned out Andersen. Not like he understood half of what he was saying anyway. One thing was for certain though, he was desperate for some time alone to think. After he seemed finished he cut him off with a large gesture, trying to imitate some king he watched while half-at sleep on his couch.
"Announce all personnel: Nazarick is under emergency level: Midgard! Every Floor Guardian is to prepare their respective areas for the possibility of being attacked. Kiara, announce The Overseer to report to me after all preparations are done."
"Yes, Master!" For once the two NPC spoke without insulting each other. They all bowed curtly to him before taking their leave. The only person remaining in the large room, Momonga, wondered if he managed to sound intimidating enough. He'd never been big into roleplay, after all.
It has been quite some time since Tsaindorcus Vaision enjoyed the light breeze caressing his face as he soared through the sky, wings whirling the air, nothing more than a blur as mountains, plains, and forests passed beneath him in the blink of an eye. The difference was that this body was not that of a dragon, the pinnacle of beasts whose mere passing would cause any man or creature to tremble in fear. It was instead but a mere bird, an inconspicuous little silver creature that passed by unobserved. The Platinum Dragon Lord rarely used this body in favor of his armor, so this occasion was a nice change of pace. With all that said, he couldn't allow himself to relax in the present circumstances. Even after all this time, he knew his and his partner's alliance was more of a matter of shared interests than trust between them, yet the information he provided was seldom wrong. The possibility of the emergence of a new Player was a matter grave enough he couldn't have ignored it anyway. Just the thought was enough to make him burrow himself in his cave, but if those bringers of calamity had returned, then it was up to him to protect the world from their wrath. That didn't stop the lump in his throat from forming when he arrived at the specified destination. Where not long ago laid nothing but a large field gushing with greenery, now a gigantic structure stood a couple of feet above the ground. A huge wall encircled the tombs, each one located at one of the four cardinal points and one larger one in the middle. The architecture seemed old, yet he had never seen anything resembling it.
Slowly, stealthily, the bird began his descent. The reason this body was special was that it had been perfectly created for reconnaissance missions. The small, agile form equipped with an absurd amount of speed already made for an ideal spy; add to that numerous cloaking and presence-erasing spells and you had a scouting tool countries would empty their treasury for with a smile on their faces. The Dragon Lord could not risk engaging recklessly, the smallest mistake could bring about certain doom. He had to be calm and methodical, to gather information on his foes while building up his own forces. That was the only way victory could be guaranteed.
He landed on the stairs next to the largest tomb. So far he hasn't seen any sign of life, yet he was reluctant to proceed forward. He could count the magic users who could even be able to glimpse past the doll's protection charms on one hand, yet Players could not be held to the same standard as normal people. They were monsters among monsters, beings capable of bringing down a God's powers to the level of the common man. He would have liked to hide around here and wait for the opponent's move, but for every second he wasted he felt closer to being discovered. There was no other choice but to advance.
"I was planning on brewing some tea to enjoy in this pleasant afternoon, but it seems a lost little swallow has wandered my way."
The Dragon Lord froze. A man dressed in strange, purple clothes, stood in front of the entrance, resting his back on a nearby pillar. His posture was aloof, relaxed, as if he had been standing there the whole time despite Vaision not being able to sense anyone's presence until just now. A strange weapon that looked like an oversized katana lay strapped to his back. The enemy didn't make any move to reach for it, but he felt as if he was pressing it against his throat. He didn't need any magic to tell that this man wasn't human or anything else he had encountered up until now for that matter. It was a strange feeling, the person in front of him felt like he shouldn't be allowed to exist, yet he felt more "real" than anything he had ever encountered before.
"It is common courtesy for one to announce himself before entering another person's house, is it not?" His voice carried an air of tranquility with him. For some reason, Vaision was reminded of a slight breeze scattering about the newly-bloomed cherry blossoms.
Seeing as he wouldn't receive a response, the swordsman finally started to slowly make his way down the stairs.
"It appears fate has deemed once more for me to serve as gatekeeper-" he sounded slightly amused by the irony of the situation "-and I do intend to do what is required of me, no matter how vexing I might find it."
The Platinum Dragon Lord knew he would only have one chance to escape. He was roaring to take off, but he knew he must bind his time for the perfect opportunity. The man stopped a couple of feet away from him, waiting. The air felt still with tension, everything around them seemingly frozen in time. They both stood there, expectantly. Then, it happened. The sun made his way out of the clouds and Vaision disappeared in a burst of speed towards it. He felt the opponent's sword cutting through the air towards him like a specter of death, but he wouldn't make it in time. Temporally blinded by the sun's brightness, he would be a fraction of a second too slow. He twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging the incoming blow...
Only for in the same instant to be cut apart. A surge of pain suddenly assaulted his mind as he found himself back in his real body, his ear still ringing with the gatekeeper's last words.
"Alas, one more pair of wings have been clipped. Sorrowful little one, the skies shall never again welcome you"
The Platinum Lord hurriedly checked his gigantic wings, a wave of relief surging over him when he found them still intact. For now...
I initially wanted to give each chapter a proper title, but I suck at naming things. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Also, I'll try to update once a week, but don't hold me on this.
