Yello ladies and gents, to this whole new rewrite of a story.
Yes, it's overhauled completely from the old one. And things will be changed, and some things will be kept as it is… Similarly. The old content will be archived in my shit, not deleted. New ones will replace the old ones, just as history intended to do with life.
BUT, expect no different from the other fics from this one.
11/30/2021 - Starting of the Overhaul Rewrite
Ainz sighed as he watched the disintegrating pixels of his friend and guild member, HeroHero, logging out. The feeling of loneliness of being the last ever Guild Member of Ainz Ooal Gown to stay online… His heart ached.
After so many wonderful adventures, moments and laughter - even disagreements -, the shadow was falling upon YGGDRASIL; coming to an end.
After 12 long years, the company decided to shut it down.
Momonga looked down neutrally, as he contemplated in silence. He understood HeroHero's condition and reason. He was grateful that HeroHero managed to send an email and login back to YGGDRASIL one last time before the servers were ending. It was enough, but it still hurts.
The urge to ask him to stay longer until the server ended still sounded through his heart and mind, but he knew it would only hurt and give his friend problems even more.
He looked up, gazing and turning upon the empty seats of the conference room… The ones where his friends sat upon…
"Let's all meet up again somewhere… Bullshit."
Just as he was about to vent his anger, a beeping sound cut his momentary anger.
"Alcatraz has logged in." Informed the familiar mechanical tone of the system. The words made Momonga happy and relieved that someone came. And this person is a good friend of his, and his comrades.
[Hmm? Momonga-sama, it seems you're here. Where are you? I logged off inside my room]
[I'm in the conference room, Alcatraz-san]
And almost immediately, a bright blue light appeared within the vision of Momonga. A figure materializing in blue pixels across the room.
"Alcatraz-san!" He greeted happily. "I never thought you wouldn't come!"
The Player Alcatraz wore a slim, yet heavy-looking dark armor. A jet-black trench coat covering it underneath, with a red faded Lesion Sigil (Warframe) on the back of it.
His head was armored, and his face was covered by a devilish styled mask. (Disturbed Band "The Guy" cover, exclude the eyes). Should his facemask be removed, there it would reveal that his skin was pale and decayed, small parts revealing muscled flesh and bone. His race was of a Zombie. His eyes' pupils were crimson red and his iris dark purple. His hair colored dark maroon as blood.
Alcatraz chuckled. "Good evening, Momonga-sama. And yes, I will answer the call whenever our Lord calls for it… Unless there's nothing for me to be busy at times and whenever I'm free to do so of course." He nodded as a smiley emoticon appeared in response.
Momonga shook his head in amusement. "You are still roleplaying as always, Alcatraz-san?"
"Why can I not? I'm a servant to you, Guild Master. And no one else." The Zombie Player bowed dramatically as he said in a serious tone. Momonga rolled his eyes in such a roleplay mood.
Before he was taken in by them, his build and style did not fit in with the survival requirements of YGGDRASIL. Combat was a big avoidance for him, and he could only do delivery quests and other non-combat related quests at the time.
He had no idea that being a Lone Wolf in this type of game was extremely difficult and almost impossible if one has no idea. That being him, he had no idea initially at the game.
But with sheer persistence and determination, he learned through the helpful tips of his fellow Heteromorphic players, forums and experience, he had gotten through.
And up until then, he managed to find his build and combat-style. A support tank… Somewhat. Although not fully equipped or properly set up a good build, he was able to take down several Human players who were acting cocky when he was ganged up by them.
With the help of being unorthodox at times, and military training, he was able to come up from the fight through and through.
He was about to go 'Last Stand' against his PKers that time, but only just in time he was saved by the Heroic Silver Justice Paladin, and the Overlord of Death. And by that, he was taken in by them during the early days of Nine's Own Goal.
He was a heavy support; being able to soak up damage, boosting buffs and support to his allies and friends, debuffing his enemies at the worst times possible to the extent where they thought he was 'cheating', he was a vital group member of the Guild.
It wasn't until reports of salty complaints that had gotten the Devs to nerf his skills and spells that whatever class job he was using, he was given a secret reward item by them to compensate the loss from his skills and spells.
[Death Sickle]. An item that almost rivals a WCI. Almost. It granted him a massive boost to his passive skills and spells twice the original form before the nerf.
It made him question the Devs why he was given such a thing, to which they simply replied: "Just wreck those snowflakes with that gift. Tell no one :D"
And by that he did… He didn't tell anyone about it though. But the screams and frustrations of 'hacks' and 'broken' helped him keep quiet in a silent sadistic amusement.
"Waiting until the end, My Lord?" Alcatraz tilted his head.
"Yes, Alcatraz-san." Momonga nodded. "Although… It seems that having the ending here doesn't seem fitting… All I could think is in the Throne Room-"
"Then let us head there post haste, of course without using the Rings of course. Walking there would add some flavor to such an end, would it not?"
The Overlord chuckled. "Yes, yes it would."
Momonga then walked up to the Guild Weapon on display, eyeing it for a moment. Alcatraz noticed this and smiled.
"My Lord, I rather you have the weapon."
"B-But Alcatraz-san-!"
"No buts, my Lord. There is no doubt behind my thinking, you are worthy of it. As is decreed by being the Guild Master."
Momonga sighed. "I know Alcatraz-san, but all of us worked hard enough to make this. It shouldn't be me alone to wield-"
"Momonga," He said, stopping Momonga mid sentence. "We may have worked very hard for it. I know… If you are doubting yourself that you alone shouldnt use it, do not think such a thing. You are fitting as the Guild Master, and none of us shall find you wanting. You took care of us just as we took care of you, some of us would no doubt thank you in the bottom of their hearts, even if they didn't want to admit it…" He chuckled before looking at him back. "Do not doubt yourself on this. Because I know that everyone of us will agree on you using this for us."
"...Thank you, Alcatraz-san." Momonga said with a happy emoticon. Feeling the encouragement, he extended his hand towards the Guild Weapon and wielded it. It radiated a bright brief red light, tormented faces releasing out from its gems before vanishing. Such are the effects of wielding the weapon.
"I wonder if they have gone overboard with the effects?" Momonga sweated at the very dramatic wielding effect of the Guild Weapon.
"That my Lord, I'm not so sure about myself." He shook his head. "Now then my Lord. Shall we go?"
Momonga nodded at him with a smiley emoticon. "Yes, let's go."
The two friends left the conference room and walked to the Throne Room. It wasn't that far, and there was no rush in their walks. They took their time just to take everything all in…
The two then saw a maid walking towards their direction.
"Hmmm… This is Whitebrim's work isn't it?"
"Haha, yes it is. Quite nostalgic, he calls their clothes "Justice". Up to this point, I still wonder if he is a justice maniac like Touch Me."
Momonga laughed softly. "He probably is, we don't know. I sometimes wonder if he is the brother of Touch Me and they didn't tell us that they are related."
"Possibilities that we will never find out."
Just as they neared each other, Alcatraz bowed his head to the maid, as the NPC simply walked past them, walking continuously to wherever their destination is.
"...You do know that they wouldn't respond back right?" Said Momonga.
Alcatraz shook his head. "No, however, with this being the last day of YGGDRASIL shutting down, what is there for me to not do it? I would rather spend my last moments doing this than continuing as it is… They served us loyally in a way, despite being programs of codes. Maybe until the bitter end that they have worked for us until the end of time, that being the Shutdown…"
"...Indeed they do…" Momonga said quietly, taking in his friend's words.
'Depressing, but it is the truth.' He thought as he grasped the staff tightly before resuming their walk to the Throne Room.
Then they saw the Pleiades standing at attention, along with the Head Butler Sebas. They bowed in response as they approached them.
"...It would seem to be a waste for them to just stand there and wait. It would be better for them to take them with us to the Throne Room, my Lord."
Momonga agreed. "Yea, it wouldn't hurt now wouldn't it?"
The Zombie Player chuckled. "No, no it won't."
Momonga commanded them to 'Follow', responding to the order with a bow, they followed behind them.
Reaching the Throne Room, they found Albedo standing beside the [Throne of Kings] with a familiar item in her hands…
"Is that…?"
"I knew there was a World Class Item here, but how is it that there are two of them here now?" Momonga said, almost annoyed.
"Probably because it is the last day of the game, there is not much to follow as everyone just does whatever they want…" Alcatraz commented. "People do that most of the time."
Momonga sighed as he silently contemplated on whether to take the WCI or not. After a moment's decision, he simply just let the WCI in the NPC's arms for now.
"Don't worry much about it, my Lord." Alcatraz said, sensing his concerns.
"I know I know," Momonga let his head hang. "Let's just make the use of whatever time is left now…"
"That we can agree to."
Both of them approached the Throne, not after Momonga ordered the Pleiades to stand by at the base of the stairs, with Alcatraz simply walking up beside the Throne and stood by like a royal guard. Roleplaying without any shame, for this is the last day.
Momonga then opened up Albedo's console and checked the content set by Tabula. He was overwhelmed by the amount of flavorful text he set up to Albedo. It was very, very long. Only until he scrolled down to the bottom he found a… very adulterated sentence.
"She is a slut."
"Eh?" He let out a sound of surprise, catching Alcatraz's attention.
"Something wrong?" He hummed before noticing he was looking at a console screen. Curiosity took him to check whatever he was reading on Tabula's NPC. He walked by his friend's side and looked at what he was reading and…
"...Why am I not surprised?" Alcatraz said plainly.
"He really went overboard on his NPC's backstory…" Momonga mumbled as he weakly defended his friend's… interest.
"You don't say, my lord…" He hummed. "I would prefer you change it to something else, better her something than being that." He suggested.
The Overlord agreed with his friend, it would be better than… this. Using the privileges of the administrator system, he erased the certain line and replaced it with…
"She's in love with Momonga."
He was reluctant to finalize the confirmation of the new edit to his friend's NPC. Alcatraz noticed this as he paused mid-air onto pressing "Confirm" button on the console screen.
"Do not hesitate with the change, my Lord." Alcatraz said. "Whatever it is you are changing, it is better than keeping her as a slut. I would not judge your actions, nor others. Plus, if Touch Me were here, he would immediately change it and probably scold Tabula for adding such a thing into the backstory." He shrugged. "And besides, I see no problem or danger in that. The others will understand, besides, the slut is nothing but a disgrace to the world on using their bodies to get what they want but not what they need."
Momonga was surprised by his friend's words. Yet it was also expected for he sometimes gives inspiring words of knowledge and wisdom of experience. Including logic within it too. Sometimes breaking up arguments with simple words within the Guild.
The Adviser of the Ainz Ooal Gown. Or the one he took a liking, "Questionable Adviser", something that Alcatraz keeps on chuckling on and around about.
"You really outdo yourself when people call you Alcatraz-san."
"I am merely a man with a thoughtful mind, Momonga. And also having known so many quotes from books and movies caused me to make a few quotes of myself as well… But I think I can speak one or several before the Shutdown commences." Alcatraz said as he checked the time and it was close to 5 minutes before Shutdown.
"...It was really fun playing with you, Alcatraz-san. And I am really glad for you to stay with me until the end… I really hope we meet again in the future." He said. "I really do."
Alcatraz looked at him before placing his hand onto the Overlord's shoulder.
"...Everyone has their own goals in mind, but they can be changed." The Zombie player began to speak in a deep baritone, similar to a narrator. "Without it, it is almost that we are without a soul within us, existing but as empty puppets lacking objective. There would be no meaning and no purpose in our life as we continue to live. Without it, it wouldn't make life easy to live in, as it never has… But with the help from others, finding our purpose, finding something from this harsh world, finding friends to rely on, or anything that would hold you dearly… Together with it, we will surely make our way towards freedom and peace."
Momonga was in awe as he listened. From all these years, Alcatraz was not much of a talker among them, but he was not silent either. He speaks whenever he wants and silent if he wants to be. But he is known to sooth the atmosphere with words.
"Life may not be easy, but death is never the answer to that. Never. We have too many things to do with our lives in the world. Hope, is one of the things that must keep us pushing and alive until the very end of our lives, we will succeed… We must succeed."
Alcatraz stopped, looking back to Momonga who was staring at him. "A mere bundle of quotes of my own work and style, my Lord. Hopefully it sounds motivating, because I simply cannot think of one. But I do hope that with this, you wouldn't forget it at least with some of my words kept in your mind. And that it would one day help with you in your life. Just as it helped me dealt with mine."
"I… I will, friend. I will." Momonga said as he glanced down at the timer. There are now seconds left before the Shutdown.
He closed his eyes just as he heard the tick ended…
With that done, Suzuki removed his headgear and sat there quietly. His empty small room greeted his eyes.
He felt his eyes tearing up, before letting down a stream of tears down his face. He couldn't control it, he couldn't.
He cried himself to sleep that night…
Or… Was that supposed to be the end?
Nazarick, 10th Floor, Throne Room. . .
"Hey, my Lord, wake up." Momonga felt himself being shaked.
He opened his eyes and wondered why he was still in the game. Did the game halt its shutdown? What happened?
"Momonga, you broke?" Alcatraz said once more, concerned in his voice.
"Alcatraz-san… What's going on? Were we still in the game?"
He nodded. "Apparently so, and things seemed to be… changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Is there something wrong, my Lords?"
Momonga froze as he heard a woman's voice, it sounded beautiful. The two turned to where the voice came from and it was coming from the NPC Albedo.
It should be impossible, an NPC shouldnt speak unless it was a fixed voice speech. And what she was not within the voice speech!
"You… You spoke?" Momonga asked while also mentally surprised by his own voice. He sounded deep, and also sounding that demands authority and respect somehow.
"My Lord?"
"Do not mind my Lord's behavior at the moment, Albedo." Alcatraz said, smoothly saving him from whatever the fuck he might say wrong, Momonga mentally thanking him on doing so.
He realized that his friend's voice sounded… Distorted somehow, deep but distorted. And even with the mask, he shouldn't be sounding so clear yet he was.
"But I must ask, have you ever felt any change moments ago?"
Albedo shook her head. "No my Lord. I didn't notice anything, forgive me."
Winging it through the flow, he pushed. "Worry none of it then, because I was just curious… There is something wrong around here…" He muttered at the end.
Instincts brought him to focus on the attention. Things have gotten unknown and they need to know. That and he has seen too much shit in his lifetime that this may be a new kind of something that had surprised him.
Experimentally using {Message} to his friend, feeling the connection made.
[Momonga, can you hear me?]
If the Overlord had any skin, he would have jumped. [A-Alcatraz-san? How are you-?]
[This is apparently {Message} spell, it seems something must have changed its use. But never mind that, I'll be ordering Sebas and the Pleiades to head out for recon]
Ok…] Momonga numbly says as he felt a calming sensation in him.
"Sebas," Alcatraz said. "Go out of Nazarick and scout our surroundings. Take one of the Pleiades with you. If you encounter any intelligent creatures, interact with them peacefully and invite them to the Tomb. If not, retreat immediately and report back to us. Do not stray more than one kilometer from the Tomb and avoid unnecessary combat. For the rest of the Pleiades, guard the 9th Floor in case of any intruders wandering around. Capture them alive."
"""Understood, Lord Alcatraz-sama!""" They bowed as they left to follow their orders.
A great weight lifted off from Alcatraz's chest as he mentally processed what was going on. Momonga meanwhile, seemed to have a great idea as he looked to Albedo…
"Um, Albedo come here."
"Yes my love!" She said enthusiastically.
'"My love…?"' He thought confused, maybe he heard it wrong, but he doubted it.
"May I touch you?" Momonga asked. He could have sworn that Albedo's cheek's were covered in a tinge of red, and her expression turning lewd. Alcatraz looked at him with the expression of 'what the fuck is he doing?', but also in understanding for the game mechanic that prevents players on doing lewd sexual things in the game.
But if not… He'll have to stop his friend should he go too far.
"Of course Momonga-sama!" And thus, Momonga touched her skin gently. It felt smooth as refined marble. As he slowly moved towards her wrist, he felt it… A pulse.
The pulse, it was there.
She is alive!
Momonga then looked back at his hands, bones with no flesh or nerve that he couldn't check. Alcatraz noticed what he was doing and tried to check his own nerve at the wrist, but found no pulse.
It was expected, he is an Undead after all. A living corpse.
[Alive, isn't she?] Alcatraz said through the {Message}.
[Y-Yes] Momonga spurted out [This is… surprising!]
Alcatraz smiled at his friend's expression. But the next words from his friend made him look…
"Albedo, may I touch your breasts?"
"...Eh?" Alcatraz looked at him with a slight hanging jaw. He did not expect that one. Even Albedo looked at him with widened eyes.
He has already established that she is alive, what is the need there for him to touch her breasts!
[...My Lord. Pardon my frank, but what are you doing?] He deadpanned.
[I-I wanted to test something out!] He stuttered, a green aura covering him. [Its s-something about the rules that I-I wanted to check if t-they still apply!]
Alcatraz didn't say anything as he just looked at him dead in his empty eye sockets.
Just as he was about to speak, Albedo spoke up.
"Of course Momonga-sama! Please help yourself." She smiled.
'WHAT THE FUCK!?' Exclaimed the shocked mind of Alcatraz. And then he felt himself calm down. He wondered what was the cause of that, but he pushed the thought aside as he was focused on scolding his friend for doing lewd things!
…Not that he was opposed on doing so.
[Do it quickly, Momonga] Momonga froze his hand mid-air as he was close to touching Albedo's breasts. [Lest I have to cut your hands that have touched the sacred twin hills]
[S-Shut up! I'll be quick!]
He steadied his hands and placed them onto Albedo's breasts, who moaned lewdly enough for Alcatraz to almost place his hand onto the handle of his weapon. Fighting the urge to slash his friend for his… Corrupted beheadst.
"Fuaa.. Haaa…" Albedo continued to moan as Ainz contemplated his experiment silently.
This would explain his theory.
R-18 actions were strictly prohibited in these types of games, and maybe also R-15 actions as well. Then Momonga would have been forcefully logged out from the game the moment he touched her breasts.
If they were still in the game world, then the company would have taken programs that would prevent Players from doing such things. And yet, he found no resistance or warning at all that would prevent Momonga from doing so.
And thus his theory of this whole thing, became reality…
The possibility of the virtual world has become reality itself…
"...Oi," The voice of Alcatraz shook Momonga's mind out of his train of thought. "Your time is up."
It took a quick second for Momonga to realize that his hands were still on Albedo's breasts, fondling them.
"A-Ah!" He snatched his hands back, away from Albedo who was taking in the pleasure of having her breasts touched by her love. "Sorry Albedo."
Although his words were not heeded, as her face was still red and her expression slightly lewded, moaning in pleasure.
"Will I have my first time here?" She asked lewdly. "With Alcatraz-sama watching us~?"
That made the two to be caught off guard by that question.
""…Eh?""
"Would it be better if I remove my dress? Or would you like to unwrap me yourself, Momonga-sama? Or will we do it while I'm wearing my dress? Although afterwards it would get dirty… no, if you want me to wear this dress, I have no objections, Momonga-sama~"
"Enough." Alcatraz snapped, even he himself was surprised by how menacing he sounded. "do not waste this time on needless things…"
To Albedo, it sounded like anger with the mix of impatience. Which was partially true. She noticed that his eyes glowed red as he spoke those words, indicating his anger.
She quickly bowed her head in forgiveness. "M-My apologies, Lord Alcatraz-sama! Forgive me for allowing myself to be clouded in a haze from the urgency of the situation!"
Alcatraz stared at her before sighing in frustration and turning to Momonga, who was looking at him in bewilderment despite having no flesh on his face so to speak of.
"My Lord, what are your orders for Albedo?"
"Please give me any command you so desire, Lord Momonga-sama."
Recomposing himself, he cleared his non-existent throat. "Umu… Tell the other Floor Guardians, with the exception of the Fourth and Eight Floors, to meet at the Colosseum on the Sixth Floor in hours' time."
"Understood, Lord Momonga-sama."
The two watched as Albedo left the room, closing the doors, leaving only Alcatraz and Momonga in the Throne Room.
Momonga sighed in exhaustion and relief. Alcatraz however…
"...My Lord."
The Overlord felt a shiver coming down in his spine.
"Before we proceed with whatever we need to discuss… I would like to inquire, what did you change in Albedo's settings? Or is it perhaps you did not change it at all, and she is a slut?"
The fact that Alcatraz was speaking with no tone of malice or annoyance just makes it more scary!
"U-Umm… Uhhh, I changed from "She is a slut" to "She is in… love with Momonga." He admitted. "Please don't kill me."
"..." Alcatraz just stared at his friend for what Momonga felt like an eternity.
"I-It was supposed to be a joke!" He quickly reasoned, although the excuse sounded weak even in his ears. "I-If I'd known this would have happened, I wouldn't have done it!"
The Zombie Player still stared at him before releasing a heavy sigh and shook his head in disappointment. "I should have known that you're that kind of a person, my Lord."
"A-Alcatraz-san! I-It's not what you-!"
"Chill the fuck out, Momonga." He huffed in amusement on the sight of his overly concerned friend. "I somehow know the reason for you doing that to Albedo… Even if I felt envious of you doing that, and the Rule 18+ didn't work and we are indeed not in a game anymore…"
"W-What do you mean by that, Alcatraz-san?" Momonga asked, feeling himself calming down once more as he processed his friend's words.
"I believe everything that we are seeing, feeling, sensing and whatever, are real now." He said, motioning the Throne Room around. "If you are doubting, then how come she had a pulse? How come we can smell her? How is it that her skin is smooth like a refined stone that has been polished many times?"
Momonga looked at him surprised. "H-How did you-?"
"I guessed," Alcatraz chuckled. "and also seeing your reaction the moment you touched her wrist." He deadpanned. "I can also smell, despite my nerves being dead. And you feel whatever… How is it you feel right now?"
"Well…" Momonga moved his arms around experimentally. "I think it feels like I'm wearing a blanket. I can feel touch but its… numbed?"
"So you can still feel, that's good." He nodded. "And besides… with everything being real… Might as well bring the full use of it, spread those wings onto the face of a new reality!"
Momonga didn't fully get what he meant, but he felt like he understood him.
Everything is real, the NPCs are alive. He is with his friend along with the Tomb… They are all real.
"Pushing the excitement aside, I suggest we should test our strength. I'm not 100% certain that the rest of the NPCs are loyal to us, so might as well check if we can protect ourselves the same as before and see that they are no danger to us."
Momonga nodded his head as he agreed to his friend's thoughts. "Let's go then?"
"Hmmm, let's check if the rings work as they should…" Alcatraz raised his ring. As there was no HUD or GUI to click around and teleport as usual, he began to imagine the place somewhere in the Colosseum, and almost immediately his vision went dark before changing for a second.
He was in a dark tunnel with {Lights} on the wall. And an exit in front of him.
'Looks like it works.' He hummed. [It seems to work as it should, although try to imagine or think about the Colosseum in your mind]
[I'll head on to you then…]
Not a moment later, Momonga appeared next to Alcatraz.
"Whoah… That was a bit… new."
"Blackens your vision for an instant moment and your surrounding changes. It's weird that we didn't get disoriented, not one bit."
"I supposed we'd just get used to this later on."
"No doubt about it…"
. . .
Nazarick, 6th Floor Amphitheater Colosseum. . .
Exiting the tunnel, they immediately see the arena, with vacant audience seats on all sides.
The clay dolls don't count as an audience and are merely just a construct of decoration for immersion.
"Impressive as always." Alcatraz commented. He had almost come here often to test and experiment on fighting styles, spells, and simply practicing. But everything became real… He's going to have to practice everything he might have forgotten.
"The twins should be around here… You think Buku placed them somewhere?" Alcatraz looked around.
"Tooooohh!"
Just as Momonga was about to reply, there was a shout coming from the VIP box and a figure leaping out from it. A child of 11 descended from the above, boring a smile that was as bright as the sun.
"V!" She made a V sign with both of her hands before jogging over to Alcatraz and Momonga. Rapidly closing in, she stopped just in time as clouds of dust threw up from the ground from her stop. The dust clouds did not touch the two Player's bodies, it was impressive.
"Welcome Lord Momonga-sama, Lord Alcatraz-sama!" She greeted with enthusiasm. Boring no hostilities and giving the same feeling of respect that Albedo, Sebas and the Pleiades maids that answered to them.
[{Enemy Scan} revealed nothing, she seems genuine] Momonga informed.
Alcatraz tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"Hello Aura, we may be intruding for a while." Momonga said.
The elf Floor Guardian looked at them with surprise. "What do you mean Momonga-sama!? You and Alcatraz-sama are our masters! There's no place that you'd be intruding if you visited!"
[She's loyal, no doubt about that. They see us as our superiors. Safe to say that they are good] Alcatraz said as he released a chuckle.
"A warm welcome for us then, Aura." Alcatraz said warmly. "Although, I don't seem to see your brother anywhere…?"
Aura blinked in response as if realizing something before turning back to the VIP box and shouted.
"Mare! Hurry up and get down from there! You're being rude to the Supreme Beings!"
'That's how they see us? Seems extreme.'
"B-But it's too high for me, sister!" Replied back a boyish voice.
"Mare!"
"I-I got it!" With that, Mare jumped down from the ledge, a bit wobbly from his landing but he didn't seem to be hurt in any sort of way. He then jogged over to them as quickly as he could, though he was slower than Aura's speed.
"Hurry up!"
"Y-Yes!" Mare replied meekly.
As he arrived, he quickly bowed and apologized to them.
Alcatraz hummed before speaking. "Do not worry about it, Mare. It is alright. Wouldn't you agree, my Lord?" He turned to his friend.
Momonga nodded. Seeing that the two Supreme Beings didn't seem to be offended, Mare gave another thanks as the two relaxed.
"Aside from that, we are glad that the two of you are in good spirits." Alcatraz added.
"I'm positively overwhelmed with energy! Although it's been a bit boring recently… It would be nice if we had an intruder or two…" Aura grinned at the thought.
"I-I would rather not have to meet the intruders… They're scary…" Mare said timidly.
The twin elf sister frowned.
"...Momonga-sama, Alcatraz-sama, please excuse me for a while… Mare, come with me."
"O-Oww. Nee-chan, that hurts…"
The two watched Aura dragging Mare by his ear away from them and began scolding him.
Alcatraz sighed. "She really made them as she imagined it would be."
Momonga smiled, the scene really does remind them alot of a certain brother and sister of their Guild.
"Little brothers should listen to their big sisters!" Was how Bukubukuchagama put it.
"...They died once before, right?"
Alcatraz looked at him in confusion before frowning as he realized what he meant.
"Maybe during the Invasion… They did reached until the 8th Floor… Are you thinking that they might have remembered it?"
"Im implying that all of Nazarick knows about it, but nothing of an issue to be tackled later on."
Alcatraz frowned. "An issue that could be better settled down properly sooner. And that would mean questioning if resurrection works the same as from the game."
Now that is the big question with an important answer to know.
From the game, resurrection would cost at least 5 levels penalty alongside their items. That was for Players.
For the NPCs however, their levels stay the same after being resurrected through the payment of gold. Depending on their level and value, it would reach millions at max.
Momonga wanted to verify if they can remember the Invasion, but he felt like it would disturb them greatly. Asking young children if they can remember their deaths? It was… cold. But they need to know something that they can ask about later.
Plus it would be unwise to ask about it now when they are still unsure about the NPCs' loyalty to them.
"If I am thinking what you are thinking, my Lord… I imply that you do not think about doing that." Alcatraz said quietly. "It is too early to think about it. For now, let's just focus on where their loyalties lie before proceeding to other issues."
His friend had a point, there was still time, and plus the NPC- no, Floor Guardians didn't seem to react too violently towards them. Instead, recognition, awe and respect was shown to them.
"I think it's better to stop Aura from hurting Mare any longer, my Lord." Alcatraz hummed.
Momonga agreed. "Aura, that's enough for now."
"B-But Momonga-sama! As a Floor Guardian, he should-"
"Leave it be, Aura. It's fine. It is only natural that you would feel unhappy if Mare, a Floor Guardian, said such a cowardly thing. However, I believe that if anyone would try to invade Nazarick, I have no doubts that the two of you would fearlessly step forward to engage and stop them. There is no need for scoldings between the two of you so long as the deed is done and required for when the time comes."
Momonga walked up to them. "And Mare, you should be grateful to your kind sister. Even if I were angry, I could not remain so after seeing how your sister scolded you."
"Eh? No no no, it's not like that! I wasn't scolding him to show off in front of you, Momonga-sama!"
"Its fine," He hummed gently. "It doesn't matter what you have in mind. I understand your intentions, Aura. However, I will tell you that I am not dissatisfied with Mare's performance whatsoever as a Floor Guardian."
"Um, ah, y-yes! Thank you, Momonga-sama!" Aura replied cheerful as ever.
"Th-Thank you very much…" Mare replied meekly, with his cheeks tinted with a fade of red.
It was uncomfortable for Momonga to see the two of them bow to him. Though he felt particularly at ease when they looked at him with shiny bright eyes. The showings of a child. Camouflaging his embarrassment, he was about to look away just as Alcatraz walked up to them.
"Aura, you did say something about being bored because there were no intruders?" He asked.
"Ah, no, that, um… About that-" Aura spoke in such a fearful reaction, something that Alcatraz felt a bit bad on that.
"I do not intend to reproach you for your answer, Aura." He said as calmly and gently as he could. "Feel free to speak your mind at ease.
"...Yes, a little." She admitted. "There's nobody around here who can spar with me for more than five minutes." She touched her index fingers together.
"Would you like to spar with me then?" Alcatraz said politely, his hand slightly away from him, ready to materialize his weapon. There was a small hint of excitement in his voice.
"N-No, Lord Alcatraz-sama!" She quickly replied, waving her hands around. "I didn't mean it that way! I'm pretty sure you would massacre me within minutes, Lord Alcatraz-sama!"
Alcatraz chuckled. "I'm just teasing you, Aura. Ease yourself… but what about Mare then?"
Mare just almost immediately cowered and trembled in fear at the idea of sparring his sister.
The two looked at the pitiful boy and thought it wouldn't be much of a good idea. "Never mind then…"
Aura just sighed, unconscionably releasing a sweet-scented breath into the air. Unlike the fragrance that Albedo radiated, the scene was somewhat persistent. Momonga took a step back from the scented breath, while Alcatraz just stood still. He was confident that he wouldn't be affected due to being an Undead, and the magical protection that being his equipment.
Aura noticed the Supreme Being's strange action before she realized and hurriedly dispersed the scented breath with her hands. How can she be so careless!?
"Ah! I'm sorry my Lords!"
Among Aura's skills as a Beast Tamer, there were certain passives that have buffing and debuffing effects. The scented breath was one of her abilities that has a range of several meters long, maybe even longer if boosted or buffed.
With the effect of certain skills and the aftermath effects, the radius area can be boosted to unbelievable proportions. In the game, icons would appear on their screen letting them know if they are having buffed or debuffed effects. However, with no HUD and this not being a game any more, it made things more troublesome to detect.
"It should be fine now, I cancelled it!"
"Is that so…?" Momonga hummed in thought.
"Although, you're Undead Lord Momonga-sama. So the mind-affecting effects shouldnt work on you, right?"
Alcatraz let out a mental chuckle on Aura's seemingly innocent voice of a question.
"...Were we within the effective radius?" He asked.
Aura looked down to the ground in fear, so did Mare beside her.
"I'm not angry, Aura." Momonga said in the most gentle sounding voice he can manage. "Aura, you don't have to be afraid. Do you think such a simple skill would be the inconvenience of me? I was simply asking if were we within the effective range of your skill."
"Yes! Just now, you and Alcatraz-sama were within my skill's range!"
"Hmmm… Aura, I am also thinking about whether your skill should have not an effect on people from the same guild… from the same group."
"Hm?" Aura and Mare looked at him in confusion, tilting their heads to the side.
"Am I mistaken?" He inquired.
"Yes… Could it be that you mixed up the ability to freely change the race of one's skills, Momonga-sama?" Based on their reactions and the comment, it seemed that they did not get what he actually meant.
[What is it you are trying to ask?] Alcatraz opened up a {Message}.
[I was wondering if friendly fire is in effect… It seems it is]
[Hmm… This is new]
[Looks like we'll need to be careful in the future from now on]
"Now, if both of you are wondering why we're here, we'll be conducting a little bit of training and experimenting here."
"Training!? You and Alcatraz-sama!?" Aura asked excitedly, same goes to Mare as they looked at them with stars sparkling in their eyes. It was cute and adorable.
"Indeed." Momonga tapped his staff once.
Aura gasped as she realized what was her Lord holding in his grasp.
"Is that the legendary weapon of the highest order that only you can wield, Momonga-sama!?"
"Indeed it is, this is the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. Created by me and my friends." He raised the Staff, immediately it radiated a beautiful glow that lit up its surroundings.
"The seven gems in the Staff's snake mouths are all divine class artifacts. Since they all belong to a set, having them together unlocks even greater power beyond their base abilities. Gathering them all required an incalculable amount of time and effort, and many of our members stated that they wanted to quit during the process. I can't remember how many monsters we farmed for their drops… anyway, in addition, the Staff's power is beyond that of a divine class item. In fact, it almost approaches that of a World Class Item. Its most potent feature is its automatic engagement system... Ahem, or. . . something like that."
[Heheh, so basically it's your big bad toy huh?] Alcatraz grinned.
[Don't make me feel more embarrassed, please Alcatraz-san] He begged.
[Too bad, my Lord. This is going to be burnt within the decaying retinas of my eyes until their existence ceases to exist!] Laughed through the {Message} spell, that being Alcatraz.
"That's amazing!"
"That's totally awesome, Momonga-sama!"
Alcatraz chuckled a bit more from their response. Momonga felt his embarrassment fading away, and chuckled from their reactions. He did feel quite proud in showing the Staff off to them.
"It is why I want to run experiments with Alcatraz-san, to test it. I hope you can help me with it."
"Yes! Understood! We'll go prepare right away!" Aura nodded furiously. "Then… could we see the power of the Staff?"
"Mmm, that's fine." Momonga hummed. "I shall show you a fraction of this Staff's power."
"This will be interesting… I'm also curious about its power level as well." Alcatraz smiled and hummed at the thought.
"Awesome!" Aura exclaimed, jumping up and down in delight. Same goes to Mare, seeing his ears twitching in excitement.
"...And one more thing, Aura. I have already ordered the other Floor Guardians to be here. They will arrive within the hour."
"Eh? Th-then we need to get ready for-!"
"No, there is no need. All you need to do is stay here and wait for them."
"Is that so? Hmm… All of the Guardians, would that mean that Shalltear is coming too?" She asked with a pout on her face.
"All of the Guardians."
"Ha…." Aura's ears drooped when she heard that.
[Probably should have remembered that the two do not like each other]
[Eh? What do you mean?]
[If I recall properly, the two created their NPCs to hate each other like they hated each other personally. It seems their attitude rubbed off on the two of them…]
[Now you mentioned it, they do seem to resemble it in some way…]
. . .
"Preparations complete! We're gonna go off to the side now, my Lords!" Aura shouted as she and Mare skipped over to a safe distance, giving the two Players space.
Momonga nodded in appreciation as they turned to face the straw figures used for testing their abilities.
"So, do you want to go first or should I?"
"My Lord should have the first go," He bowed almost dramatically.
Momonga rolled his eyes over his friend's exaggerating replies and simply just raised his hand towards the straw figures. Mentally casting a spell that he had somehow known in his mind. His objective was to verify if they can use magic as before.
He sighed softly, knowing the chances that he would awkwardly do it horribly would destroy the expectations in the eyes of those who are watching - that being Aura and Mare.
And yet somehow, he managed to tap the power within him and casted a very simple magic spell.
"{Fireball}"
An expanding globe of fire shot out from the fingertip of Momonga, engulfing the targeted straw man in fire before exploding in a fiery shower.
"{Fire Impact}" He casted a different spell, but the reaction this time was almost immediate. His targeted strawman was suddenly engulfed in a fiery explosion, leaving only black marks on the ground.
"...So it is as usual?" Alcatraz inquired.
"It seems so…" Momonga hummed. "Would you like to try?"
Alcatraz smiled as he took a step forward and raised his hand towards the direction of the straw men.
"{Unholy Scythe}" A circular spinning-like object appeared on the palm of Alcatraz and was fired upon the dummies in a very wide range. It sliced through the dummies without any expected resistance, leaving black flames of trail behind as it ate the dummy straws slowly.
The scythe spell dissipated once it hit a wall, causing a black burnt line mark behind.
He whistled in awe. "Not bad."
"That was 6th tier right?"
"{Unholy Scythe}." Alcatraz nodded. "Not a bad spell that I acquired. Grants an annoying debuff on enemies that won't be killed. The amount of spamming with this back in the PKing days… Heheheh, it was glorious." He chuckled. "Although, I am wondering if we can do something like…" He paused.
"What? What is it?"
Alcatraz didn't answer and just simply casted {Unholy Scythe} floating around his palm, and readied another spell {Lighting} on his other hand.
With a silent prayer, he did the unthinkable and combined the two.
What he expected was a wave of force the moment he put two magic spells into one, there was no expected explosion that he thought would happen.
Rather, it was only the sounds of lighting cackling around his hand, with the {Unholy Scythe} still active.
He then pointed it towards the last dummy straw still standing, and released it. The results were similar. A wave of lighting and black fire mixes together, slicing through the dummy straw and engulfing it in fire and lighting, exploding at the end once it hits the wall.
Alcatraz smiled in satisfaction at his experiment. It worked, something that he couldn't expect to work but it did!
"Alcatraz-san… What did you do just now?"
"It appears… That I just combined two spells into one."
Momonga's eyes glowed briefly. Indicating disbelief. "What was the result? I thought that was some kind of a lighting spell."
"Oh it was, I combined {Unholy Scythe} and {Lighting} into one… Looks like we can meta-magic our way through this world without any restrictions at all."
Oh the many possibilities with this newfound knowledge and power! So many ways to think of it!
Aura asked if they need more strawman, as there are no more targets for them, they told them that it's good enough. They just need to check their powers after all.
[Momonga-sama] Sebas voice spoke through Momonga's mind.
"Sebas called me." He informed his friend, who simply nodded before conversing with the twin elves.
[I hope everything went well without any problems?]
[Yes my Lord, although there may be some unexpected news]
[What are the surroundings like?]
[My Lord, we are surrounded by plains in a large radius, no intelligent creatures on sight]
[A plain…] He muttered. [Not a swamp?]
The Great Tomb of Nazarick was located in the misty, poisonous swamps of Hel. For their location to change is… concerning at least.
[Correct my Lord]
[I see… Then the Great Tomb of Nazarick has been wholly transported to a whole new place. Sebas, is there anything in the sky? Or is there anything like a message appearing?]
[No, there is nothing like that. The heavens are as boundless as the 6th Floor's night sky]
[Is there nothing suspicious around you?]
[No my Lord. I have not seen anything unusual. Besides the Tomb of Nazarick, there are no other man-made structures in sight]
[Is that so…] He mumbled quietly, pondering what should be his decision next. [Return in 20 minutes. Head to the Colosseum. All of the Floor Guardians will be coming, so when you arrive, I hope you inform them what you told me. Gather as much information before you return]
[Understood] With that, the {Message} ended.
And just like that, he sighed. Just as he was about to relax, he saw the eyes of the twins looking at him with expectations. He was confused about what they wanted before remembering that he told them that they will witness the power of the Guild Weapon.
He went through numerous spells before choosing one that would make them busy for a while.
"{Summon: Primal Fire Elemental}"
In accordance with Momonga's will, the Orb of Fire on the Staff pulsed. He could feel the movement of the mighty, invisible power swelling up. He pointed the supposed location of the summon to where the ashed dummy straws were, and a vortex of roaring fire appeared with a globe of radiance.
Despite being Undead, the bright glow made Alcatraz and Momonga unconsciously squint their eyes due to the sudden glare hitting their sight.
And despite confirming friendly fire is active, they didn't bother as they were protected due to equipment and status passives. For Aura and Mare however, they were shielded by the Dragonkin from the scorching heat wave.
"Uwaahhhh…" Aura let out a sound of awe and admiration as she looked at the Primal Fire Elemental. She was like a child who had received her favorite piece of candy unexpectedly.
"You can go ahead and fight it."
"Ehhhh?" Aura looked at Momonga in wonder before grinning innocently. "Can I!?"
"Don't worry," Momonga nodded. "It will be fine even if you defeated it."
He doesn't mind anyways, the cooldown on summoning Primal Fire Elemental was once a day. Nothing to worry about such a minimal loss.
"A-Ah, I just remembered that I have something to do-"
"Mare!" Aura grabbed her brother before he could walk away. "Come on! Let's have some fun!"
"Alright you two, do your best and be careful." Alcatraz waved at the two like a caring parent.
"Kay~!" Aura responded energetically as she dragged Mare - despite his inaudible and reluctant reply to even want to fight against the summon.
Momonga then commanded the Primal Fire Elemental to attack the twins. Immediately it did, with the twins dodging its attack within chance.
The two players watched as the twins went well against the summon.
"Well… It seems it's going to be an easy fight." Momonga commented.
"I'd give them a minute or two for them to beat it." Alcatraz said. "And what was it that Sebas talked to you about?"
"...We're not in Hel anymore. The Tomb isn't surrounded by swamp, instead we're surrounded by a grass plain. The skies are clear and no man-made structures to be seen."
Alcatraz processed the information and nodded. "I see… Something that we may need to plan."
"You're… not surprised?"
"Oh I am, I'm just taking the whole situation very… very much well." Alcatraz said. "Glad that you ordered the Floor Guardians to be here for a meeting."
"To be honest, I wouldn't have thought of that if it wasn't for you."
"I do not know what you are talking about, my Lord. I just merely told you to give Albedo orders, you did the whole thing without me." Alcatraz played ignorant.
Momonga then felt the connection to the Primal Fire Elemental cut, seeing that it was beaten by the elf twins. It took them over two minutes, surprisingly.
"Yeesh!"
"W-Whew, f-finally… It's done…"
"Lord Momonga! Lord Alcatraz! Did you see that!? How did we do!?"
"You two did marvelous, Aura and Mare. I am proud of you two."
"You did good. Although I know you two can do much quicker and better should you try again."
"Can we do it again!?" Aura asked, much to her brother's dismay.
"Sadly no," Much to Mare's relief. "That was for you two to do something for now, because we'll be having a meeting along with the others… But you did put up quite the show." Alcatraz said.
The twins smiled at the praise from their lords.
"Thank you, my lords! It's been some time since we worked so hard!" Aura wiped off the sweat from her forehead.
Momonga hummed as he silently pulled out a [Pitcher of Endless Water] from his inventory along with two empty cups. He gave them to the two and filled them up.
"You two, drink up." Said Momonga. "You've done well."
Just as the two were about to express their hesitancy and reluctant gift from their Lord, Alcatraz gestured for them to drink encouragingly. They drank the offered water without any more worries.
Aura drank it and almost downed it in several gulps, while Mare took heavy sips but slowly drank it. The differences on how the two drink was obvious as it was shown.
"Th-Thank you, Momonga-sama!"
"To-To think that you would pour water for us, Momonga-sama!"
"I just happen to have it with me, and the two of you deserved it." Momonga chuckled. Was it not a common courtesy to give someone a drink after the hard work they've done?
"Would you like one?" Momonga turned to Alcatraz.
"...I would like some, thank you."
Momonga filled up a cup and offered it to Alcatraz, who took it in stride before taking an experimental sip. Alcatraz widened his eyes in surprise by how good it tasted. It tasted like some kind of a soda, but unlike the filtered water, this tasted more cleaner and fresh!
He felt refreshed. "…Genuine."
"How was it?"
"Almost like I've been refreshed 30 times in life."
"What?"
"Nevermind what I said." He gulped down the remaining water, and was surprise to realize that he can drink it without any problems as he was an Undead.
"Do any of you want more?"
"Er, thanks! I've drunk enough!"
"T-Thank you, my lord. I-I don't feel thirsty anymore…"
He turned to Alcatraz who silently put his cup into his inventory. "I'm good, thank you."
Momonga put the cups and the pitcher away into his inventory.
"I thought Momonga-sama would be scarier than this." Aura muttered.
"Oh?" Momonga commented. "Really? Well, if you feel that way…"
"No no no no no! Now is good! It's the best!" Aura spurted out quickly. Mare nodded furiously in agreement.
The two's reactions made them chuckle.
"Is that so then…" Momonga smiled at Aura's reply.
"Um… Lord Momonga-sama, Lord Alcatraz-sama, are we the only ones that you're nice to…?" The two mentioned were unsure on how to reply to that. Momonga responded with a pat to her head.
"Ehehehe…" Aura giggled as she enjoyed the touch of the Supreme Being.
Mare looked absolutely jealous of this, something that Alcatraz noticed. He smiled in amusement with the small thought of doing so wouldn't it hurt. Plus they are children, they need attention and praise as they grow up to be better.
Alcatraz then patted Mare, who was slightly surprised but then came to enjoyed the touch.
'...I wonder how he is doing…' Alcatraz pondered. 'I hope he grows well without me to watch over him…'
They stopped after a good moment, much to the twin elves disappointment, Aura began to stare at Alcatraz. More likely at his face.
"Is there something you wish to ask, Aura?"
Aura then realized that she was staring and began to apologize profusely, but Alcatraz quickly stopped her from doing so.
"I am not offended, Aura. I do notice you wanting to ask… So ask, and I might answer."
After some moments of hesitation, Aura shook her head slightly before speaking…
"I… I just wonder why you wear a mask, Lord Alcatraz-sama."
Alcatraz looked at her before laughing softly. Touching his mask, he is wearing it. Though he felt like there was nothing on his face unless he decided to feel around it. It was weightless. Perhaps the workings of a magical item?
"So you are wondering why I wear this. Hahahahah… Well, I don't suppose it would hurt for you to know about it." He slowly placed his hands onto his mask and removed it. Letting his dead flesh feel the air…
Though the twins looked at him with widened, panicked concerned eyes. Their Lord's face was… terrible and horrible. His mouth was gone, as if it was torn apart. His face would look like one of those typical zombie mobs roaming around on the First Floor, but… His eyes radiated power that made him different from the zombies.
And he is one of the Supreme Beings.
"L-Lord Alcatraz-sama! Your-!"
"Calm yourselves, this is no problem. This is how I look… Unless you are rather indifferent about my appearance are you?"
"N-No my lord! I didn't mean that-!"
"Ahahahah!" Alcatraz smirked. "This is nothing you need to be concerned about, though that is one of the reasons why I wear a mask. To hide my face from anyone, and I am rather polite in knowing what others would think…" He slowly put on his mask. "And do you forget that I am a Zombie you two?"
"U-Um-!"
"I'm sorry, Lord Alcatraz-sama-!"
"Again, you gain no sin from that. There's no need to apologize, being curious and all." He patted her head.
"Uwaahh~" Aura felt blessed as she felt the Supreme Being's hand rubbing her head gently.
And then, a {Gate} appeared nearby, and came out Shalltear.
"My my, am I the first to arrive?"
Aura parted away from Alcatraz and turned to her fellow Floor Guardian.
"Weren't you told not to frivolously use {Gate} in Nazarick? We are warded against teleportation after all. You should be able to walk here, so shouldn't you have to come on foot, Shalltear?"
Mare was slowly inching away from his sister and went slightly behind to his Lords, who were watching the interaction in silence.
Shalltear seemed to ignore what Aura said and turned to the Supreme Beings.
"My most sincere greetings to you, my Lords' Momonga-sama, Alcatraz-sama~!" She greeted them dramatically with a formal bow while dipping her skirt to them.
"...Something stinks." Aura spatted. "Don't tell me you started rotting because you're Undead?"
Out of their sight, Momonga reflexively raised his hand close to his face, secretly sniffing to see if he was starting to smell but there was a very bewitching smell that seemed to come from… Shalltear. She looked at her in disdain and furrowed her brows unhappily.
"Is that not distasteful? Momonga-sama and Alcatraz-sama are both Undead as well!"
"Haaah? What are you talking about, Shalltear? The Supreme Beings are not just Undead, they are… Super Undead! Godly Undead!"
Alcatraz almost choked - despite not having to - at Aura's words of them being a special and higher kind of undead. He was glad that we wore a mask that covered his expression otherwise…
"B-But Aura, maybe you shouldn't have said that…"
Aura paused, realizing what she said before clearing her throat. "I-Is that so? Alright, then take two… Ahem. Don't tell me that you started rotting because you're a rotting corpse!"
'Still the same…' Deadpanned the two Players.
"That, er… Well, it seems kinda… Ok? Sort of…" Mare, unsure whether to agree or not.
Shalltear didn't seem to care before lounging into Momonga, embracing her arms around his neck. Her carmine lips parted, revealing a moist, slick tongue. It moved like a living creature as Shalltear lovingly licked her lips. Her fragrant breath wafted out from her open mouth.
She would have been perfectly suitable for the role of an alluring seductress in all other ways, but she looked too young for it. The discrepancy between her expectations and reality was laughable…
In addition, she was far too short.
'...What in the fuck am I witnessing?' Alcatraz stared at the very erotic scene. It would be very erotic if not for Shalltear in a childish appearance. 'Am I in some sort of a weird erotic dream right now? Did I get drugged high into the sky like Peroroncino used to do? What the fuck?'
"...That's enough for you."
Shalltear tore away from Momonga and turned to Aura and spoke in a mocking tone. "Ara, are you still here shortly? I couldn't see you, so I thought you were gone~"
Aura twitched. Shalltear turned to Mare.
"It must be pretty hard for you, having such a crazy older sister~"
'Oooo, low blow.' Alcatraz thought.
Aura growled before smiling.
"Fake boobs."
Mission completed - Counter Strike "Bombshell" has confirmed a hit on the target.
"What!?" Gasped the loli vampire.
'So that's why her breasts seem bigger than before…' He hummed. Same thought by Momonga as the two of them watched in nostalgic amusement as both the Floor Guardians bickering with each other. Mare stands aside along with them, avoiding being involved in their argument.
A sound decision.
"What a ruckus." Spoke an inhuman voice, the bickering between Aura and Shalltear died down to see who arrived.
Cocytus approached them as he breathed out in a shrouded air around him. Each step he takes, the ground seems to freeze at immediate temperatures.
"You stand before the Supreme Beings, contain yourselves." He breathed out.
"This brat started it!"
"I told the truth!"
Shalltear and Aura continued to lock gazes upon each other.
As much as he enjoyed watching the two bicker around - maybe Momonga does as well, he wasn't sure - he couldn't stand this nonsense any longer… That being the embarrassment.
"Shalltear, Aura. Playtime's over, quiet down." He said coldly.
The two of them shuddered in fear before lowering their heads simultaneously and apologized.
Alcatraz nodded in satisfaction as Momonga greeted the arriving Cocytus.
"Cocytus, you've come." Momonga nodded his head in greeting.
"I've come immediately upon receiving your summons, Lord Momonga-sama. Lord Alcatraz-sama." The mandibles of Cocytus cackled as he spoke. Alcatraz nodded at his greeting.
"You must have been very free with no intruders around, no?"
"Indeed," His mandibles clinked together, as if he was chuckling. "even so, there are still things that must be done, so I am not idle."
"And what are those things?" Politely inquire Alcatraz from the side.
"Training. In order to be ready to deploy at any time."
"A sound mind, however, it is also helpful to train with the mind, and not simply just your body." Alcatraz said. It was something that he could understand, being that he was a former soldier…
"Such wisdom imparted by the Supreme Being, I am undeserving."
"And you are granted of it." Alcatraz waved the overly dramatic exaggeration of their praise. He felt like it's going to be a normal thing in the future.
"And it seems Demiurge and Albedo have arrived." He said, cutting all those who were about to speak and look upon the direction where Alcatraz was staring.
Indeed Demiurge and Albedo have arrived.
"Forgive me for keeping everyone waiting."
"We do not mind… and it seems everyone is already here." Momonga said.
"Momonga-sama, there is one more who has not arrived yet." Informed Demiurge.
"There is no need to call them. Victim is only to be moved under special circumstances. Gargantua is an exception. Albedo will inform Victim of whatever we shall be discussing now to them later.
"Understood, my lord." The imp bowed respectfully.
"...My allies have not arrived yet."
Aura, Shalltear and Albedo froze as they heard those words.
"The Area Guardians won't be attending this meeting. However, it would be good to inform them. That, I leave that task to the various Floor Guardians."
They nodded in acknowledgement. What would happen next was something that they did not expect.
"Then everyone, let us pledge our loyalty to the Supreme Beings!"
The Guardians lined up behind Albedo, who was in front of them.
Shalltear stepped forward.
"Floor Guardian of the First, Second and Third Floors, Shalltear Bloodfallen, presents herself to our Masters." She went down on one knee, bowing her head deeply.
Cocytus next…
"Floor Guardian of the Fifth Floor, Cocytus, presents himself to our Masters."
The twins…
"Floor Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Aura, presents herself to our Masters."
"Floor Guardian of the Sixth Floor, M-Mare, presents h-himself to our Masters!"
Demiurge…
"Floor Guardian of the Seventh Floor, Demiurge, presents himself to our Masters."
And finally, Albedo…
"Floor Guardian Overseer, Albedo, presents herself to our Masters…" She was the last one to knelt down. She continued on, speaking in such a high and clear voice.
"With the exception of the Fourth Floor Guardian and the Eight Floor Guardian, all the Floor Guardians are gathered before you. Thus we offer up our utmost loyalty to our Masters."
The two Players were silent, dumbstruck by this act declared by Albedo. Looking down upon their kneeling figures. Alcatraz however, was reminded by such a similar scene from his long veil past…
Momonga, in his confusion, had accidentally activated one of his passives. A dreadful aura roiled out over his body, along with the appearance of a black halo filled with radiance formed behind him.
He had no time to cancel the passive as he frantically racked his brain cells trying to find an appropriate response to them.
Alcatraz, having no idea what to do, simply followed his friend's actions by activating his aura passive.
The Floor Guardians shivered on the ground, the aura pouring out from their Lords was just… extreme. Momonga took awhile to regain his bearings before deactivating his passive, letting loose the dreadful atmosphere over from the Floor Guardians. As they felt the heavy pressure bringing down on them dissipated.
"...First, I would like to thank you all for coming here."
"Your thanks is wasted upon us, Lord Momonga-sama. We are the Supreme Being's creations, and we are all here to pledge ourselves to the Supreme Beings.
However, if Momonga-sama gives the order, we - all the Guardians will accomplish any task set to us, no matter how difficult or arduous, with every fiber of our being. We hereby swear that we will never allow the Forty One Supreme Beings of Ainz Ooal Gown, our creators, to be disgraced by our actions!"
"""This we swear!"""
They yelled in unison, in absolute certainty of power within their voices and unbreakable loyalty. He almost felt bad for doubting their loyalty…
The scene was almost a reminder of his past… The pledge, the oath, the conviction in their voices…
He deactivated his aura, although he didn't see the Guardians over any movements, he noticed the elf twins to sigh in relief, and the others to look at him with wide eyes.
He sensed Momonga seemingly relaxed and also deactivating his aura passive after what the Floor Guardians presented themselves to them.
"Excellent. Now, Guardians, I know that you understand my aims and successfully carry out my commands. There may be some things which are difficult to understand, but I hope you pay attention and listen. The Great Tomb of Nazarick has been caught up in some kind of unknown situation."
Their expressions didn't change, but they were listening intently.
"Although I do not know which has caused this incident, the Great Tomb of Nazarick has been transported from a swamp to the vast plains. Have any of you noticed anything different or unusual happening?"
Albedo looked back to the Guardians, to which they all replied negatively.
"There are no abnormalities in the Seventh Floor."
"Same with the Sixth Floor."
"I-Its as nee-chan says."
"The Fifth Floor is the same."
"Nothing strange has been sighted from the First to the Third Floors."
"Lord Momonga-sama, I shall investigate the Fourth and Eight Floors right away."
"Then I shall leave that matter to you, Albedo. However, you must be careful on the Eighth Floor. If situation arises on that Floor, you may not be able to handle it."
Albedo nodded sternly, indicating she understood.
"Then I shall handle matters on the surface." Shalltear spoke.
"No need," Alcatraz said. "Sebas should be taking recon on the surface…"
The Guardians' expressions twisted into surprise and shock to what Alcatraz stated. There are four NPCs who were exponents of melee combat. Cocytus having the strongest attack power when using a weapon, Albedo having impregnable defense with her armor, and Sebas in his true form being stronger than either of them in melee combat.
Although there is one more who was superior to the three of them…
"And he should be returning… soon." And just as he said that, Sebas was jogging his way towards them and kneeled along with the Guardians.
"My Lords, forgive my lateness."
"You came just in time. Your report on the surroundings?" Alcatraz inquired, wanting it straight and direct. No time wasted.
"Yes. To begin with, the terrain surrounding us is about a kilometer radius. There are no signs of any man-made structures. I spotted some small animals, but there are no indications of them containing any intelligence, nor did I spot any humanoid or large creatures in the area."
"Are the animals monsters? Threatening in any way?"
"No, they are simply life forms with no combat power." Sebas shook his head.
"...What about the plains? Are they covered in frozen grass that would cut you should you pass them?" Momonga inquired.
"No, it was simple grass. There was nothing special about it."
"No unusual objects flying in the sky?"
"No, my Lord. There is no sign of any man-made illustration in the sky nor land."
"So it's just a normal sky then…" Momonga muttered. "Thank you for your hard work then, Sebas."
"I exist to serve the Supreme Beings." He bowed.
Momonga was disappointed because he had not obtained any useful information. Just as he paused in order to process the information and ponder the best decision he could do right now.
Alcatraz however, did not waste time in taking reins of command.
"Guardians, increase the readiness of each Floor by one level. We are unsure of what has happened, so act cautiously. If any of you encounter any intruder, do NOT slay them. Capture them at all costs, and as minimal harm and damage as possible. Albedo," Alcatraz turned to Albedo. "How is the exchange of security information between the Guardians of various Floors?"
"Each Floor is administered by its respective Floor Guardian, but Demiurge is the overall defense commander and everyone can share information with him." She immediately answered.
"Good. Demiurge, Albedo; the two of you will be in charge of drawing up a more comprehensive administrative system for Nazarick. Overcomplicating would only slow down progressiveness."
"Understood. Will the plans for the management system include the Eight, Ninth and Tenth Floors?"
"Hmmm… Exclude the entry to the Eighth Floor, it will strictly be forbidden from any entry whatsoever. By my permission, undo the seal and permit access from the Seventh Floor to the Ninth Floor. After that, plan for the Ninth and Tenth Floor as a whole. Do not worry about the freedom of movement of the minions. We may need extra sets of hands for security purposes. Unless there would be changes in circumstances, it will stay as it is until then."
Albedo and Demiurge looked at the Supreme Being with widened eyes.
Momonga, on the other hand, looked at his friend with surprise and disbelief. He managed to create a plan within such a short time. He felt not wanting to butt in the thought of messing up his plans.
This was because Alcatraz had an experienced set in managing… That being acquired from playing RTS games. Dealing with logistics in strategy games are a pain in the arse, but they are one of the major fundamental parts of establishing stabilized control.
"Understood. I shall select only the finest and most potent troops for this duty."
He nodded before turning to the twins. "Mare, can you conceal the Tomb's surface without the usage of illusions?"
Mare began to contemplate ideas in his head. Only a moment later did Mare spoke up.
"I-If we exclude magic… We may have to use mud to cover the walls, and maybe add in plants for camouflage."
"Do you intend to soil the glorious walls of Nazarick with base dirt?" Albedo, despite her back facing Mare and her voice sounding sweet and velvet, the words didn't seem to carry any kindness in it.
Mare trembled from her words, although the other Guardians remained silent, they shared Albedo's opinion.
In contrast, Momonga felt that Albedo was being too busy. The situation was hardly serious enough to warrant such a reaction. Just before Momonga could call her out on that, his friend acted first.
"Albedo… I am addressing Mare, not you. Do not speak out of turn." He frowned.
"A-Ah no! Forgive my imprudence! My deepest apologies, my Lord!" Albedo bowed so low that her forehead was inches from touching the ground. Her face froze in fear. The Guardians stiffen up from the neutral but threatening tone from their Lord. As if thinking it was also directed towards them as well.
A twinge of remorse struck Momonga at the sight of the Guardian's fear-struck behavior, but he had to let them experience that. And also, he was extremely used to seeing his friend Alcatraz acted so… different and serious.
Most of the time he would be laid back, chilling, and not all the time serious but would get serious enough to handle problematic situations and get them out of it.
Turning his attention back on Mare, he continued. "Mare, you'll be concealing the walls with dirt, heaping it onto them. And since we're in the location of the flatlands, make sure to create dummy hills around Nazarick. And make a forest within it too, with trees tall enough that no one should be able to see Nazarick from a distance. Gather those who can help you in that assignment."
"Y-Yes. Understood!"
"And before I forget," He turned to the Guardians. "Once Mare finishes with the cover, some of the mobs form squads - Skeletons specifically - to patrol around Nazarick's perimeters within the forest. Once that is implemented, inform me afterwards. Anyone that stumbles within the perimeter must be captured alive for information, it is our top priority at this moment."
Momonga felt his jaw slacken, seeing his friend actually giving orders that covered almost all weak points that he might have overthink of. And it was really, really weird considering he has never done this before! Not even the past 12 years!
If he were acting this before, he would be comparable to Punitto, who was known to be the greatest strategist among them all in the Guild.
"Momonga-sama," Alcatraz turned to him, almost startled at being called. "if you wish…"
"A-Ah, thank you Alcatraz-san." Turning his attention to the Guardians. "All of you are dismissed for today. Everyone, take a small break before beginning your duties. There are many things we do not know, and pushing yourselves too hard would risk some things to be overlooked."
The Guardians nodded their heads as one, indicating they understood.
"And finally, I have one question for each Guardians… To begin with - Shalltear. What kind of person, I and Alcatraz, are we to you?"
"You are the crystallization of beauty! The most beautiful person in the world! Even jewels pale in comparison to your snow-white bone body. And Lord Alcatraz-sama is the handsomest of them all!"
The two players died a bit on that exaggeration.
"...Cocytus?"
"Lord Momonga-sama is the One mightier than all the Guardians. Deserving of the title of the Supreme Overlord of the Great Underground of Nazarick. Lord Alcatraz be the most vengeful and ruthless executioner of the Supreme Beings, worthy to be feared."
Alcatraz perked up on that, raising a brow on being called an "executioner".
"...Aura."
"Lord Momonga is a merciful leader with great foresight! And Lord Alcatraz executes those who oppose your rule!"
'That's kinda out of hand too much isn't it?'
"...Mare."
"M-My Lords are merciful, protective and caring people!"
"...Demiurge?"
"My Lord is a wise leader who is unmatched when it comes to thinking outside of the box, your mere presence is a blessing upon us. And for Lord Alcatraz are a man who doesn't waste any unnecessary time to execute commands."
"...Sebas?"
"My Lords are merciful but their will, staying by our side until the very end."
"...And finally, Albedo."
"The man who rules over the Supreme Beings, our most highest, most exalted Master; my Lord Momonga. Whom I adore. And my Lord Alcatraz, is the man who glorifies the act of the Supreme One!"
'Sensing a slight bias on that one.' Alcatraz thought he could feel a slight, non-existing headache forming up in his skull now…
Momonga was speechless from hearing this and could not find any proper words to say… Right other than wanting to finish this and process everything and anything that he could try to see what on earth is going on.
"...I see. I have heard and understand your opinions…" 'No I don't! They're way too exaggerated!'
"Carry on with the tasks given to you. Do it faithfully and with care." Momonga nodded before vanishing somewhere, leaving Alcatraz behind without any warning.
"..." 'Oi! Did that prick just leave me behind!? Ah fuck it, I'll do what I need to do before leaving! It would just seem so awkward leaving so immediately after that damn pause.'
"...I do not need to repeat what needs to be done, no?"
"No, Lord Alcatraz-sama! We have our orders! We will do our utmost to meet your expectations!"
"...We shall see." He tilted his head before teleporting away using the [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] to where Momonga went. The scenery changed from the arena grounds of the Colosseum and into the chambers of the Golems of Lemegeton.
"You left me without any warning, my Lord." Alcatraz scolded.
"I-Im sorry about that Alcatraz-san! It's just that…" Momonga sighed. "I'm just tired… Those guys… Why do they think so highly of us?"
"Superiors that they must not disappoint whatsoever in any case," Alcatraz shrugged. "they are quite the exaggerating bunch, I'll give them that."
"Are you… How are you not bothered about it?"
"Oh I am, I just don't show it. Plus, I've experienced something similar like this before…"
"You were an officer right?"
Alcatraz nodded, not wanting to go into details and just giving the answer to the question. "I take it, you want to take a break?"
"Yes please, I feel like I'll be having mental issues that will last for a while…" Momonga sighed.
"Hahahaha, what a day huh?" Alcatraz laughed at his friend's mental despair.
Shit is technically the same, with slight changes.
Next chap would probably bring in some big changes.
OC Stats
Name: Alcatraz
Epithet: Death Bringer, The Guide
Race: Heteromorphic Race, Zombie
Allegiance: (Former) clan-master of "Hateful Eights", member of the Ainz Ooal Gown
Residence: Great Tomb of Nazarick
Karma: negative 361 moderately evil
Level: 100
Racial Level:
Highlord of Hel (3)
Ancient One (3)
Elder Undead (4)
Zombie (10)
Job Class:
Death Bringer (5)
Necromancer (10)
Armored Mage (10)
Weapons Master (4)
Fighter (10)
Mage (8)
Blacksmith (2)
Enchanter (2)
Others (5)
XXXX
HP: 100+ (Exceeds Limit)
MP: 74
Phy. Atk: 76 (Exceeds limit when transformed into Death Bringer Form)
Phy. Def: 87
Mag. Atk: 68
Mag. Def: 80
Agility: 65 (Exceeds limit when transformed into Death Bringer Form)
Resistance: 100
Special Ability: 71
Total: 721+