"Sometimes I do wonder, if there is a difference between humans and the demi-humans we kill. But even if we heard them cry and beg, they won't stop the slaughter. 'They would do you the same' is what the Commissar tells me, I pull the trigger then, another dies. 'I know very well they would.'"
-Brita, Former Adventurer.
[X]
Dragons are incredibly powerful beings.
Monsters capable of destroying countries with ease, the apex predator of this world. Even on the brink of extinction, their very presence spells doom for the weak who can only beg for their lives.
And right now, the landscape bore witness to such power. The same broken mountains, craters where the hard rock had stood the test of time for eons.
Where two dragons battled, not for survival, not for territory, not for resources.
Simply over a dispute.
"It was your fault!" The Platinum Dragon Lord roared, his outstretched wings growing larger. "You brought them here! First the Players! And NOW THESE!"
The silver dragon opened its maw, releasing a plasma beam with the heat of the sun itself. Furious, choleric. The star fragment melted the rock, vaporized the snow, and the mountain was turned into a volcano.
"Why, why, why have you brought to this world even more misery?!"
A huge claw, as big as half his body, struck him in the side, sending him tumbling down the mountain, creating even more destruction.
A colossal shadow covered the sky, a golden figure that looked like the sun itself.
The Dragon Emperor needed to calm his own son.
"You were there that day, Tsaindorcus. You witnessed the curse that haunted us. If I hadn't brought the Players, if they hadn't used that World Class Item... Then the wild magic would have destroyed us, devoured us. The level system preserved us, saved us from the Immaterium."
"In exchange for the extinction of your own race!" Tsaindorcus spat. "To Preserve what!? They, the Players, only brought our doom, those damned Kings took everything from us!"
"That is why I have now brought these... I have brought the perfect counterbalance."
"You've only brought death..." The platinum dragon spat at him. "You well know what they are capable of. You yourself have witnessed the cruelty of the Imperium of Man. By bringing them here you have only condemned this world to its destruction."
"They will be able to do nothing more than what my command. That gate will hold them in check, at my command, it will close, taking from them all the resources they can use. Not even with their Primarch could they stop my will."
"What will happen when they locate this world? What will happen when their ships reach this planet? And what if their Emperor intervenes?"
The Dragon Emperor did not answer. Not after remembering the events on Iax. But after a few seconds, he finally spoke.
"That will not happen, you have my word."
The Platinum Dragon Lord shook his head from side to side, turned and prepared to leave. There was much to do.
"Your word lost its value when you decided to open that Gate."
[X]
The caravan of just over a hundred people had already gone several kilometres, all of them, mostly peasants, carrying only the bare necessities. Several were sick, carried on wagons, and all were hungry, having run out of provisions days ago.
Anyone would think this was madness, abandoning your home for a supposedly safe land in the west, following only rumours that were too good to be true. Rumours of a place where monsters and beasts cannot touch you, where there is food in abundance, where there are high impregnable walls.
But what choice did they have?
Villa Ralte had been destroyed, hordes of monsters slaughtered the residents, only a few managing to escape.
It was a common occurrence in this world.
Humans were weak creatures, they had no way to defend themselves against much stronger beings. There was also no way to call for help, as it would rarely arrive in time, and the nobleman would not care too much about what happened in his lands either. After all, the kingdom was rotten.
That was why they had decided to escape, no more than fifty people left the small village. And as they moved on, they had encountered more people in similar situations. Even some adventurers had appeared, some survivors of some group, others more like mercenaries or workers.
"Lady Tholiel, do you think this is a good time to rest?" asked the leader of the group. It was the son of the former mayor. "I think everyone needs it."
Esra Tholiel, Orichalcum rank adventurer of the Ogre Slayers group of adventurers, or at least, what was left of the group. For in their bad luck they had encountered a War Troll, who had slaughtered half of their party, only three were left, Rhomas and Liliam. The leader had died, so she was now the temporal leader, at least until they decided who the new leader would be. Though she had her doubts whether a Ranger like her should be, after all, her skills worked best on her own, commanding was something that just didn't suit her.
Esra glanced around for several seconds, her horse offered a better position, then nodded. "Yes, I think we can rest here. But it will only be for an hour, we need to find a safe place to camp."
The mayor smiled and thanked her, then went to the others to tell them of the rest. Esra was approached by Rhomas, the swordsman spoke quietly. "You know this is dangerous territory, don't you? We've reached the Abellion Hills, this place is crawling with demihumans."
"All the more reason to rest, it will be even worse at night if they don't have enough energy to escape. What's worse, there's no more food."
"And we've already run out of emergency rations," Rhomas complained. "Could you at least go hunting for something?"
Esra continued to look around. "I wish it were that easy... there's not a single living thing around. It's as if... something wiped them out, in fact, you can't hear anything."
Rhomas brought his hand to his saber, "An imminent attack?"
"No." Esra pulled out a small horn and placed it in her ear, it was an enchanted item that would allow her to detect the sound of anything for at least a hundred yards around. "This place seems empty. Too empty. But there's no sign of anything approaching to attack..."
The sound of the emergency horn sounded, Liliam had sounded the alarm. That startled Esra, how had she missed it? Liliam sounded the alarm again, the Healer of the group shouted and pointed south. There, in the distance, a herd of Werewolves, considerably strong monsters, was approaching. There were at least nine of them, running on all fours and approaching at full speed.
Esra shouted, "Get ready, they are attacking us!" The peasants, anxious and full of fear, tried to organise a defence. Useless, only adventurers of at least Gold rank might be able to survive against such beings.
Esra readied an arrow with her bow, drew it taut, and was ready to shoot.
The Werewolves were already close, they were only fifty yards away from reaching them.
It was then that a beam of golden light, as thick as a finger, hit one of the Werewolves right in the head.
It was a lethal shot, the energy beam piercing the beast's skull and vaporising its brain. It fell flat on its face.
What followed was a hail of energy bolts, hundreds of them fired at the monsters. The power of each capable of vaporising the torso of a full-grown man. They lasted no more than a second before they were reduced to charred, smoking flesh.
Everyone was stunned, what had happened? how had such dangerous monsters been defeated so easily? Esra tried to look for where it had come from, and her ears let her hear a strange sound, something like a growl of a beast, but more… deeper. She thought for a moment that it was some larger beast, but even greater was her surprise when she saw a strange vehicle moving on its own. It had no wheels, it moved on strange chain-like things. It was huge, a huge metal box unlike anything she had ever seen.
It was then that one of its doors opened, and out of it stepped a man, a human. He wore green clothes, and armour she had never seen before.
"Refugees? The Imperium welcomes all humans. But you will have to follow us to the guard post, this place has not been fully purged of Xenos. The borders are not yet open, but that does not mean that the Imperium of Mankind refuses to shake hands with our own kind. Follow us."
The man disappeared back into the vehicle, it turned and began to move. Black smoke poured out of tubes behind it. And the earth was sinking beneath its huge tracks. Esra could only wonder what it was, was it magic? A creature? But there were people inside it.
The peasants began to follow the vehicle. Esra would have advised them not to do so, but in the eyes of the peasants there was hope and deep gratitude for their lives saved. She looked at her companions, one shrugged and the other just nodded in kind. The three moved forward.
[-]
"Unbelievable..." Said Liliam, the youngest cleric watched in awe as thousands of people lined up trying to enter through different gates of a wall that stretched as far as the eye could see. A wall more than ten metres high guarded by soldiers who were dressed like the one in the vehicle that had led them. The latter had left, warning them that he would return, and that they were not the only ones he had encountered this day wandering the hills.
"Truly amazing. I had no idea the Holy Kingdom had gained so much power." Rhomas spoke. "What should we do now, leader?"
Esra stared, everyone was passing by, stopping for a few questions. But none of them were being asked any currency in return for entering. She wondered if it was a good idea to go, after all, it seemed as if the Holy Kindom had expanded. Besides, after everything that had happened, it was better to rest and contact a guild.
"Come on, we have nothing to lose. Besides, it would be madness to return in our current state."
They formed up like the others, and it didn't take long for them to approach the entrances. However, Esra, thanks to her improved hearing, listened to the questions each person was asked before entering.
"What is your profession?"
"Farmer, sir."
The man was handed a sack full of seeds.
"You will cultivate these seeds and be sure to deliver at least a tenth of them. A dwelling will be assigned to you along with an area to grow them. Move."
It was the next one's turn, and he was asked the same question.
"What is your profession?"
"I work metals, my lord."
Four objects were handed to the man. A one-piece ochre-coloured uniform, a helmet, gloves, and a strange mask.
"You will go to the Manofactorums."
A woman's turn came.
"What is your profession?"
"I design buildings, sir."
The soldier handed her only a strange badge.
"You will go then with the architects."
Finally, it was her turn to enter. The guard looked her up and down, then spoke. "Militia."
"Adventurers..."
"Irrelevant. Report yourself and your party to your guild, they will tell you what to do."
Esra and her group passed through, apparently, the wall was considerably thick, they walked twenty feet until they reached the other side.
On the other side there were also guards, but next to them were people handing out boxes to the refugees. They gave them too, it was a wooden box without a lid. Inside were a dozen metal cylinders, she picked one up and tried to read what the label said. The language of the Holy Kingdom was known to her, and what she could decipher was only 'Processed grox meat'.
"Do these things have meat in them?" she wondered.
Rhomas had already used a dagger to open one, they hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. He didn't bother using the strange fork and spoon mix that came in the box. But when he took the first bite, he almost gagged.
"This tastes worse than whatever they served me at that crappy bar in E-Rantel."
"Maybe it needs to be cooked." Liliam said as she held up an envelope marked 'Onion soup. Empty into hot water'
"Hey, why are they getting hot food and we're getting this?" Rhomas gestured towards a long line of refugees, lined up to take a ration of hot stew and a loaf of bread.
"Refugees have priority." Said an older man, of those who had brought the boxes. "They'll start working right after this, so it won't be long before they come looking for them. The Militia, on the other hand, is a corps attached to the PDF, and therefore only the Departmento Monitorum is in charge of logistics, including food."
"What is this Department Monitor?" asked Esra.
"They are the ones in charge of military logistics. The Guard, the PDF, even the Adventurers Guild who have now become Militia."
"Wait, Adventurers can't be part of any army's forces. The guild knows full well what would happen."
"Well apparently the Imperium came in and assimilated the Guild, Miss Ranger. I don't know the details, but I don't think they were left with much choice. You can head to the guild if you wish, it's still in the same place."
The old man left again, the wagon, was taking it back to get more supplies. The three Adventurers stood there, digesting the new information they had received.
In the end they had no choice but to set off for the capital.
[X]
The capital was very different from the last time they had visited. The buildings had grown, all changed to a style of construction very unfamiliar to them. Tall, narrow buildings and statues of gargoyles and skulls littered the place. Just passing the Great Wall that now stood over fifty metres high had stolen their breath away, thousands of soldiers, Imperial Guards, as they were called. They all stood guard accompanied by hundreds of war machines and other huge weapons. Only the entrance had been even tighter and more controlled, some even refused to let them pass.
The capital was surrounded by vehicles that moved by themselves, without the need for draft animals. People's clothes changed, ranging from simple cloaks to clothes of completely unfamiliar styles.
When they arrived at the Guild, they could not help but notice how it had changed considerably. Mainly its size, up to five times larger and with architecture similar to what they had seen.
"My goodness, isn't that Brain Unglaus?" Rhomas exclaimed as he pointed to that swordsman who had almost beaten the famous Gazef Stronoff. A man known for his skill with his sword and who could be considered in the realm of heroes.
And there he was, standing beside a public lamp. There was a strange figure beside him, it was difficult to make this one out, but it appeared to be a woman. She was covered in a worn red cloak, her body was made almost entirely of metal, giving an eerie appearance. She handed him a sword, a Katana. The edge of it gleamed like silver. Brain took it carefully, as if it were a new weapon, and in part, it was. Esra's keen hearing allowed her to know what they were saying.
"With this... I can cut through anything..."
"Monomolecular Edged blade." Answered the metal woman's voice, rough and stale, like a sword scratching a shield. "In theory, yes, you can cut through anything, as long as it's not some special material or covered in an energy field. I've given the blade an alloy coating of what you call Orichalcum. It barely outlasts the strength of plasteel, but for a non-augmented human like you, it will do. You sold everything you had to get this, impractical."
Brain strapped the sheathed katana to his belt. "Money can be easily obtained. But not this. Thank you very much, Phi."
The metal woman made a series of incomprehensible sounds, then turned away. "My name is Phi-54H73, Enginseer. You better remember that, militiaman."
Brain laughed, and then headed for the gates in the walls.
Not understanding what had happened, and still with questions, they decided to enter the guild.
[X]
The building had not only changed on the outside, the difference was significantly bigger on the inside. The receptionists and the job board were still present, but now there was much more. It was a huge room, a room that had been expanded threefold, dozens of pieces of equipment were on different tables, some of the equipment was inside booths that you couldn't hear anything coming out of.
Esra caught a whiff of a smell in her nose, and her stomach growled instantly. Guilds didn't serve food, nor did they act like hotels. An unwritten rule, one of many. An adventurer had to pay for their food and shelter, it was a law they had to follow. After all, a guild, even as an independent institution, wouldn't not enjoy the resources to fortify itself.
"Let's go get something to eat." Rhomas recommended. "Then we'll discuss the rules."
It was not properly a restaurant or an inn. The menu wasn't very large either, and it seemed that not many were willing to eat there, as the long bar was barely occupied.
But as they sat down, they each heard a small bell in front of them. Esra tried to look for signs of some magical object, but could find none.
It was then that they were greeted by the sight of a being, no, a person. This one was pale, what looked like a woman whose half face had been covered by metal. She moved heavily, she was not slow, but there was a certain paralysis in her arms and legs that was impossible not to notice. She was dressed in maid's clothes, which appeared to be barely new. The metal girl approached them, her mouth and nose were covered by a metal mask, and her eyes looked like those of a dead man. She was terrifying.
"Greetings." She spoke. "Welcome to the Imperial Militia's food supply unit. What would you like to order?
There were only four choices on the menu.
Soup of the day.
Synthetic lunch.
Recaff.
Protein bars.
None of it looked appetizing. The three of them decided to go with this thing called Synthetic Lunch.
"Understood." Spoke the metal woman. She withdrew, still with a slight stagger.
For a moment Liliam thought she might be undead.
"I don't think she's undead." said Esra. Esra said. "I can hear her pulse."
"A spell then?" Rhomas suggested.
"By the way..." Liliam said. "The people here... look... different than what you'd expect from an adventurer."
She wasn't lying.
Normally, in an adventurer's guild you would find people equipped to fight monsters and beasts. Warriors, scouts, druids, mages or clerics. All preparing to take up hunting and guarding jobs. But what they saw was a contrast to what they knew.
Usually, the use of weapons such as swords or spears was common among adventurers, basic weapons for combat. But they realised that very few carried anything like this. Sure, swords, daggers or even axes were part of the panoply of many warriors, but they all carried something else, many carrying it on their backs.
Esra's first impression was that it was like a crossbow, given the shape. But they didn't understand how they could shoot something like that if it didn't have a bow. But it didn't take long for them to understand that it was a completely new weapon. Off to the side, on the far side, was a shooting range. Shooting ranges were not uncommon, normal for target practice with arrows or even spells.
But what they were practicing with were not arrows, it were those weapons carried by almost everyone else. Energy bolts of mostly blue energy, moving at lightning speed, when they hit the wooden targets they were reduced to ashes. A dummy, normally used to study damage done to the human body, had its chest vaporized. Esra understood the advantages of these weapons quickly, but it was Rhomas who spoke aloud his same conclusion; "You could easily kill an ogre with one of those."
Mankind had created weapons to compensate for their limitations. They possessed no claws or fangs, no natural armor to defend against other species. But, even so, with the creation of swords, spears, axes, arrows or shields, the scales had been balanced allowing mankind to defend themselves against the monsters that stalk them.
But, still, there were things that limited mankind, mainly the individual ability to use a sword, the strength to swing an axe or the mastery to shoot an arrow.
These weapons had dismantled this factor completely.
Power now came directly from the weapon itself, not from the user's arms.
"With something like that... even an Adamantium rank could be brought down by a simple iron."
It was an idea Liliam had come up with, crazy, but evidence of the destructive power of these weapons, without even having to risk getting close to the enemy. They were a marvel in themselves.
Their food came faster than expected. They were three trays, very much the same as each other. Each a metal tray divided into five sections. One had a lumpy, pale, almost white mass. There was an amber-colored rectangular piece, with some sort of sauce covering it. On one side was a piece of what looked like meat, meat cut in a perfect circle. Green cubes waited in one corner, five to a serving. And finally, an almost transparent jelly with a bluish tint.
The whole thing tasted horrible.
"What the heck is this?" Spat Rhomas. "Is this even edible?"
"This is worse than eating a goblin's rations..." Liliam lamented.
Esra swallowed hard, her tongue begging her to get it out. The lumpy mass had no taste, she would have liked to spit it out and throw the tray at that strange girl who had waited on them.
"I think I would only eat this when I had absolutely nothing else to eat anymore." Esra admitted. "Which is the case now..."
No one else on their team objected to that, they hadn't eaten for days. Even with the bad taste, and no taste, they reluctantly finished their rations. After this they swore they would never eat here again.
[-]
Apparently, it was mandatory to report to the guildmaster.
Esra watched with intrigue as the receptionist filled out some paperwork, as if it was her first time joining the guild.
But she was even more surprised when she was asked for her Orichalcum badge.
They did not want to part with it, they had bled to get it. But the receptionist explained to them that they would not lose their rank, only that they would change their name.
Apparently, there was a new rank system.
It was different from the metal system. And it used names they had never heard before. Now they would use the ranks under the following names.
Primus
Praelatus
Ipsimus
Praeliator
Satus
According to the receptionist's explanation, the first three ranks corresponded to the Adamantium, Orichalcum and Mithril. Praeliator encompassing the experienced Platinum, Gold and Silver, the others would fall into Iron and Copper, the latter being the lowest Satus.
"Those below Platinum must be really upset." Rhomas commented, as he held Orichalcum's piece of metal between his fingers. This was no longer a simple rectangular plate, it was a human skull atop a pair of wings with two crisscrossing spears. "This definitely looks cool..." Rhomas ran his finger over the name written in tiny letters behind the skull, there was also a number composed of four letters. "You can even make it open its jaw." As he moved the spears, the jaw of the skull opened, revealing a strange crystal inside, it was tiny, as small as the head of a pin.
"What is this crystal for?" Wondered Esra. "It's... like an eye."
"I think it's to mark something... like you're trying to identify yourself. I don't understand what the receptionist meant by Machine Spirit, though. And I don't understand this thing they gave me either." Liliam moved the data slate she'd been handed. She had only been told how to turn it on, and even if she understood the language there, she had no idea what to do with it.
"Hey Esra, your friend isn't the guildmaster here?" Liliam asked.
"I haven't seen Maria in a while... Yeah, I think she had ended up as guildmaster here."
"Then let's go see her. I'm sure we can get some information out of her about everything that's going on in this place." Rhomas suggested.
[-]
The entrance to the Guildmaster's room was very different from what Esra remembered.
Especially when there were two guards at the door, each carrying one of those weapons they had seen down there.
"Halt!" Said one of them with authority. "Show your badges and tell us why you are here."
They pulled out those winged skulls. One of the guards held a data badge in front of them, similar to the one Liliam had. On instinct, Esra moved the small spears and the skull opened its jaw. Instantly the plate made a noise. "Next." Indicated the guard. Rhomas and Liliam did the same as Esra.
"Praelatus, eh? And new arrivals... I take it you're here to see the Guildmisstress." A guard opened the now thick metal door, which swung heavily. "You're in luck, the commissary is inside too. Come in."
The interior was not so different from an ordinary office. But there were details that made a difference. There were paintings showing beings in armor, beings that were considerably large and carried huge cannons in their armored hands. There were other paintings showing endless rows of men and women shoulder to shoulder firing at an unknown enemy. On one of the walls, above the fireplace, was one of the guns they had seen so much of today, but much longer.
"Esra, but what a pleasant surprise." A woman's voice came to them from behind a desk, a woman in her 40's, but still retaining the beauty of a mature and experienced woman. She wore a uniform of sorts, gray in color, as well as plate armor that covered most of her chest and arms.
Esra couldn't help but notice the man standing at the side of the desk. She would have ignored him, were it not for the air of authority he possessed. His eyes were like those of an eagle and his back as straight as a sword. On his head he wore a strange cap, numerous medals hung from his long trench coat stylized with gold rivets. Esra almost mistook him for a nobleman, but his presence belonged more to a general. At his sash he carried a sword unlike any she had ever seen, it was very thick and had rows of teeth running along the edge.
"This is Schuld Lommer, Commissar. He has been assigned to our guild as a political and moral officer." Maria told him.
"I hope I don't run into another militia failure..." It was Schuld who spoke first. The words slightly offensive to Esra and her team. "... Don't be confused, Tholiel. Your life as a mercenary is over, only loyalty and courage are relevant to me. The Lord Commander may have given your organization a clean bill of freedom. But you are still part of the Militarum, your lives are now in my hands and if I find yours unfit... there will be harsh sanctions."
"And who-?" Esra was about to say, but Maria interrupted her.
"By Imperial law, and by Decree of Lord Guilliman. The Guild is now an Imperial institution and we must follow its rules, to the letter."
Maria's voice held a certain tension, like that of a veteran standing next to a predator, and it was evident in how she looked at the commissar. Esra simply didn't understand, what were the rules? What position did this man have to tell them that? What had happened to the guild?
"A new power has come to this world, Esra." Maria spoke. "One that, as you see, is too powerful. I had to do everything to allow this guild to have some autonomy, I negotiated to no end to keep you from enlisting in the PDF so that you could have a better job as militia. While the term 'adventurers' has been lost, but we gained so much more in return."
Maria gestured towards the Commissar. "Of course, his excellency Lommer is now the commissar in charge of this guild. His job is to watch over and maintain the morale of all of us, including me. He is above my rank as Colonel, and if he wishes he could replace me with someone else. So please, I ask you to keep your composure and address him with respect."
Esra would have reacted in different ways to this information. Violent, offended, or depressed. But she opted for bewilderment. This was simply unheard of. Adventurers were not tied to any government, the freedom to do as they pleased had always been with them since the first guild. Sure, there were governments that tried to use them to fight other humans. But the motto of never participating in wars between humans had remained strong for generations. Mainly because of the power adventurers had, able to be decisive in battles and in the realm of heroes.
But now, a power had come, a government, that was more than enough to bend them.
Esra knew that someone like Maria would never have accepted, had it not been for the power now possessed by the new rulers of this place. That machine that had devastated the Werewolves was proof of that. If they did anything to this Commissar, they would probably end up with their heads in a cage.
"We... We understand..." Esra said, nodding towards the commissar and giving a slight bow. That man smiled, and relaxed his gaze.
"Good, that will make things easier." He said. "Now then, I think I'll leave the rest to Santiago here." He turned to the Guildmistress and made a salute by touching the tip of his hat. "By the way, Colonel. The tech-priests will be arriving tonight. I suggest you get ready if you wish to have those Chimeras."
"Understood, Commissioner." Maria made a deep bow. "Let me thank you once again for your intercession in this meeting."
The Commissar approached the door. "It is not necessary. A regiment without armor is simply insufficient. How are the Sleipnirr you were given?"
"Fantastic. Very soon we will be able to replace our mounts with them."
"Excellent." Schuld opened the door. "I will speak to the Monitorum to request artillery. Good day, Santiago."
"A very good day to you as well, and I thank you greatly again for your consideration." Maria seemed to lower her head even further until the commissary withdrew.
The door closed, and Maria Santiago collapsed in her chair.
"I don't get paid enough for this..." She pulled a bottle from one of her desk drawers, as well as four crystal glasses. She poured four drinks, then got up to open a three-foot tall metal box, an icy air was coming out of it. Maria took out a kind of tray from it, covered with frozen ice. Then she took it to another metal box, this time smaller, which she opened and put in the tray, closed it and after pressing some strange buttons that made even stranger noises, she left it there to sit down again.
"What was that all about?" Esra finally asked, annoyed, yet full of questions.
"My lunch. These coolers are really useful and cheaper than those boxes they were selling at the wizards guild, although it wasn't that easy to get that oven, but..."
"I'm talking about that commissary. About what happened to the guild, to this country."
Maria downed her basin in one gulp. Then she poured herself another. She opened a metal box and from it she took out a small cylinder. Then she used a match to light it, put it in her mouth, swallowed a puff of smoke, and then pulled it out. There was a strong smell of licorice.
You would rarely see Maria smoking, she hid a pipe among her things, but it was the first time she used these strange cylinders, plus it was the first time she had such a serious face. She sighed out a puff of smoke.
"The Imperium appeared one day... through a strange gate in the Abellion Hills. Since that day, they seized the power of the crown. Now, her highness Calca has been appointed regent of this world, and the Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, Lord Commander of the Imperium, has tasked her with expanding the Holy Kingdom to cover the entire world... With all the infinite support that invincible Imperium can offer."
It sounded like a joke, a bad joke that would be brushed aside were it not for the fact that they had witnessed weapons that could only be compared to legendary artifacts of the heroes of old.
"But why rule the world, is that even possible?"
Maria sighed again another puff of smoke. "You have seen only a very small part of the Imperium's power. Believe me when I tell you that these guys aren't playing around, they're out to conquer this world whether we want them to or not. And I, as someone who likes to live, will end up ensuring my survival and yours." Maria could never get the power that these so-called Adeptus Astartes had demonstrated a few months ago out of her mind. When the southern nobles, blinded by anger and greed, had tried to fight against the Imperium to wrest the throne from Calca and give it to her brother, they had used Workers, former adventurers of Mithril and Orichalcum rank, powerful warriors who were one step away from the heroes' realm.
And they had died as if they were nothing more than insects.
Mary pulled deeply from her Iho stick, thinking that this way she could forget a little of the carnage those monsters in yellow armor had effected, and the hundreds of nobles who had been reduced to nothing more than corpses, their fortunes and power irrelevant in such a state.
"This is madness!" Esra spat in annoyance. "The guild is an independent institution. We can't get into a war between humans, let alone when it comes to conquest."
A stream of smoke rose from Maria's lips. "They declared war on Re-Estize. They want all their lands... They wiped out all the demi-humans in the Abellion Hills... They conquered this kingdom just by scaring them... Esra... Fighting them is futile. And that's why I had to do everything… literally everything... so that they wouldn't take over this guild and turn it into a regiment."
"Still, adamantium level adventurers could..."
"They would have died... just like the rebels. You don't understand, Esra. You haven't seen those golden giants to understand that it's simply useless." Maria opened a drawer and pulled out an object similar to the weapons they had seen down there, capable of firing those lethal beams of energy. "I could kill Gazeff with this." She said. Esra knew it was true, those energy beams were fast, too fast. Just a beam of light in an instant and an explosion right away. There was nothing that could be faster than lightning, even if you were someone in the hero realm, one of those beams to the face would be fatal.
Esra sighed in defeat, frustrated at how the principles by which the guild had been built now no longer existed. But it was Rhomas who seemed to be the voice of her resignation "...I hope you at least managed to get us something good out of this whole fiasco."
The Guildmistress's face brightened a little, she gave the iho stick one last hit, and extinguished it in an ashtray. "It's safe to say that at least you'll earn more now." She pulled out a badge similar to the one they had been given, but it looked newer and more expensive. "This is a data slate, surely you already have one." She activated the slate and on its screen it showed the identification and shape of various monsters, demi-humans and beasts. From goblins to basilisks to skeleton dragons. "You are now Militia, your job is to hunt them. For each one the guild will pay you. As well as coming to the call should the Astra Militarum request it, as well as any other Imperial officer." She opened one of the many drawers of her desk and pulled out a leather pouch which she dropped on the wood, the familiar sound of coins echoed in the room. "The money has changed as well. Now you will use thrones and crowns." She emptied the pouch on the table, and six coins clattered on the desk, two of these coins were gold, of enormous quality and with a perfect engraving where a throne was shown with the legend 'Life is the Emperor's currency. Spend it well.' Microscopic engravings indicated their validity, micro-electronic conduits making their counterfeiting almost impossible. The other four coins were silver, pure and shining like snow. A beautiful crown was engraved on this one, nano-circuitry imbued in it.
"Each of you has the right to a Throne." Maria continued. "They are still working on making it a major world currency, but for now estimates reckon that in the worst cases you could get at least about fifty common gold coins for a single one of these. Crowns are worth only a tenth of each throne."
To say Rhomas was thrilled by this was to understate his ecstasy. His eyes were fixed deeply on the money on the table. His bandit days had ended several years ago now, but to know that this money was worth this much sent a cold sweat down his back. For an adventurer could begin to be priced in gold only until he reached the Mithril level, it had taken him years to reach this rank.
"Wait." He said. "If this has such value... How does it work with civilians? You know very well that most can't so easily acquire a single gold coin."
"They still use the common coins." Maria replied. "Anyway, the value of the coins doesn't change, this denomination is simply much more expensive."
She took three coins and presented them to the now militiamen. But just before she handed the coin to Liliam, Maria realized that she was a priestess. "Wait... You. Ah, I almost forgot, I almost ended up with a target on my back."
The guildmistress' words made no sense. Liliam still held her hand open, waiting for the coin to drop into her palm.
"The Ecclesiarchy has tasked me with giving you this news to any priest or cleric who arrives." Maria this time stood up, leaving Liliam waiting, she walked over to an unfamiliar rectangular piece that was embedded in the wall. It had a shiny plate like a mirror, on which Maria placed her hand. There was a click and the security box mechanisms opened. It was a small box, no more than thirty centimeters long. But from it she took out another silver box. This one had beautiful engravings, an extremely precious piece of art that could be considered a national treasure. "Surprisingly, they're the ones who approached us. And well... they're filthy rich."
She opened the box, and out of it came a golden metal bar. It wasn't very big, no more than two inches long by one inch wide. Grooves of glass ran all the way around its shape, but they simply couldn't figure out what it was.
"This here..." Maria spoke, almost in a low voice. "It contains an Imperial Credit. And the Ecclesiarchy has charged me with giving one to every cleric or priest who registers. And it has also given me two choices for many like you, Liliam." Maria lit another Iho, gave it a deep pull, and blew a lot of smoke out of her lungs. "You can continue in the guild, make a life for yourself as Militia, healing your group, giving them spiritual support and all that. Or you can leave the Militia and enlist in the priesthood, abandon all belief in the six great gods and just accept the Light of the God Emperor." Mary paused for a moment. "Well... the God Emperor thing will be mandatory. They bought out all the temples and have already converted over half the population."
"What do you mean they bought them out!" Liliam shouted. The temples were sacred, and she knew very well that their guides were based fully on the worship of the six great gods. How had their followers changed their faith in such a selfish way? She wanted to go straight to them and throw [Smite] at them until they were on the ground. Such news was filling her with a hatred and feeling of betrayal that burned like a heretic's bonfire.
"Well... It's not like it's hard to identify with this Imperial Creed. After all, many people have lost loved ones to beasts, undead, demons and demi-humans." Mary pulled out an neclake from among her clothes. It was a two-headed golden Aquila, the size of a thumb, this one even had small litanies engraved on it. "And they know very well how to convince people, both with words and money. When they found out about the temple health system, they didn't hesitate to take them over and use them to give free treatments in exchange for a praise or two to the God Emperor. And well... I can't deny that this has helped a lot of people."
Liliam was still angry, her faith in dire danger as she did not understand how this Ecclesiarchy had converted so many. To her it was dirty tricks to take advantage of the poorest, but at the same time she understood that on a political level, it was a powerful move, especially when it didn't involve their taxes.
"If that's a credit... Does it have any extra value?" asked Rhomas, looking closely at that little piece. Was it some kind of coin? If it was kept in a safe then it should have a strong value.
"I don't know the details, but from what I've understood a single imperial credit could be worth, a hundred thousand gold coins? I still don't quite understand the currency conversion." Mary let out a chuckle as she remembered the chaos that had been created by revealing this information. Many clerics working as adventurers had abandoned their groups to join the Ecclesiarchy completely. And at the same time, it seemed that adventurer clerics and Paladins not affiliated with the crown had begun trying to enter the Guild. All this left a constant change, and many adventurer's teams were trying to keep their clerics with them, for without healers it was practically suicide to go hunting, even with the powerful weapons that had arrived.
And Maria couldn't help but feel the same amusement at seeing the three in front of her form the same expressions that many other teams alike had shown. Though she felt a little bad in their case, seeing how they looked at each other as they saw how they might lose their healer.
Liliam's case was no different than how many other followers of the faith had been formed.
She had given her heart to the god of fire after surviving from among so many other orphans. Those without parents had a much harder time surviving. Living among the streets of E-Rantel, eating off the trash and pity of others. It was not uncommon for maniacs to take advantage of such weakness and do unpronounceable things to them.
The worst had come when Zuranon arrived. Those heretics and necromancers had cleansed the city of paupers. Liliam watched bitterly as those monsters took away what she would have called family. She watched her friends being slaughtered to become undead. That night she wept and pleaded to the god of fire, and he answered her by making her jailer burn to allow her to escape.
Since that day she had devoted herself to worshipping this god, and after becoming a cleric, she had joined Esra to be adventurers.
"I will stay with them." Liliam said. "I cannot abandon my faith, not for money."
"Then you will leave behind such a fortune?"
"Do what you will." Liliam turned, and left the room.
Rhomas reached out and took the plate from between Maria's fingers. "I'll keep this~" He said with a smirk. He too walked out of the room, leaving Esra alone.
The latter sighed. "I'll talk to her. I'm sorry for her behavior."
"It's okay." Maria said. "Before you leave, stop by the armory. The Departmento Monitorum will issue everyone their equipment; new weapons, new armor. It's not like you should throw away the ones you have, I understand that you don't want to let go of some item you've gone to a lot of trouble to obtain. But it will be up to you to value the quality itself.
Esra thanked her and took her leave. She still had a lot to process from this.
[-]
"...M4 laser carbine, Scipio pattern pistol, standard bayonet, mono molecular edged combat knife, frag grenades, a krak grenade, light frag armor, survival kit, medical kit, personal cleaning kit, power cells, extra 10mm ammo...I think that would be all Praelatus Tholiel."
Esra gathered up everything the gray uniformed young man had handed her. She then made her way to one of the many assembly chambers that also served as a resting place. There stood Rhomas, who was inspecting the chainsword he had purchased with five silver Crowns.
"The teeth on this thing are impossibly sharp." Said this one. After nearly amputating his thumb trying to test the so called mono molecular edge, he had been trying cutting with various things, he had even cut the blade of a dagger forged in Mithril, as if it were paper. "Let's see... the guy said that by pulling this lever..." The engine roared, drinking the Promethium inside. "Whoa!" Rhomas let go of the lever, almost dropping the chainsword. The vibration was tremendous, he saw the teeth spinning at an absurd speed. He quickly understood the terrible fate for anyone who was facing the blade of the sword.
"You're going to end up losing your face with that." Esra told him. "And how did you manage to only get that laser pistol? The guy wouldn't even let me take one."
"Do you even know how to use it?" Rhomas asked, pointing to the laser carbine hanging from the now temporary leader's back.
"Just pull the trigger and the gun will do the deed."
"Yeah right..."
Esra decided to ignore her partner's sarcasm. Which led to seeking to change the subject. "Hasn't Liliam returned?"
The door was heard, someone knocked, and a short time later Liliam appeared opening the door.
Once she entered they noticed how different she now looked. A priestess of the fire god would normally wear a white robe with red trim. But what Liliam wore was a bit like a uniform, white in color, but with gold trim. She wore a shirt underneath a vest with multiple pockets, a skirt that covered her knees and long boots made for traversing difficult terrain.
In her hands she carried a two-meter staff, which was adorned with a two-headed Aquila at the top. And underneath it was a golden skull, its eyes were occupied by two rubies that seemed to look furiously at whoever dared to look at it.
Liliam, being a healer, would have decided not to carry weapons. But now from her back hung a menacing chainsword, and on her sash, something the armorer had explained to them as a gun firing jets of fire capable of reducing a troll to just a pile of smoldering ashes.
"The Preacher insisted I should use them." Liliam said, trying to awkwardly accommodate the hand flamer.
Rhomas would have wanted to scoff, he wondered if she would have the strength to use something meant for a warrior. Of course it wasn't impossible, he had seen men in attire similar to Liliam's carry such swords with no problem in one hand.
"First of all, we must learn how to use these things." Spoke the temporary team leader. "I think those ranges might do the trick."
"But first, I think we should change our name." Rhomas suggested. "I don't think Ogre Slayers works anymore."
In any other group, changing the name might be a big deal in the extreme, going so far as to conflict between comrades. But in the case of this one, it had been a name taken in the heat of the moment. One they had even considered changing before.
So the long process of choosing a new name began.
[X]
Renner lowered the cup. This time there was a loud clinking sound, almost cracking the fine porcelain like a shell. The Golden Princess was upset again, angry at that maid who, once again, had scorned her Climb with that disdain in her eyes.
She would have gouged her eyes out right there.
She sighed, letting some of her anger out. She decided to pour herself some more tea. But it was already empty. She controlled her impulse to smash the teapot against the wall, it was a gift from Lakyus, and what was left of Blue Rose.
Blue Rose had left, at least symbolically. It was obvious, after revealing her true form to them, Lakyus had decided to concentrate fully on the guild and complete works purely done by everyone less than royalty or close ones.
Now she was partially alone... well, not really alone.
The Shadow Demon stirred, hiding in its own shadow. Renner tried to tolerate its presence, the little bastard thought she hadn't noticed, it was best for her to continue believing that.
The demon had appeared this morning. From the looks of it, it was spying on her, if it was trying to murder her she wouldn't have woken up. Which meant, for this demon's master, she needed to be alive.
She thought of some way to get rid of this annoying being. She thought about seeking out the temples of the six great gods, but the news of having a demon in her shadow might shatter her reputation. She thought about hiring someone confidentially and then subtly killing them, but she would have to tie up too many loose ends after she finished with the demon, if succeeded.
Finally she thought about going back to the now self-named Imperium... but something told her that going there carrying a demon would be the worst idea of all the others.
Her train of thought was stopped by a couple of knocks on the door. Climb was not to be found, she had sent him to train with Gazeff. Renner didn't mind getting up to do her chores, the idea of having a maid at all hours was especially annoying, she refused all the pages her father offered, on the excuse that she had Climb to serve her, something that infuriated the corrupt nobles even more as Climb was a mere lowborn.
When she opened the door, she was met by the same servant girl who had angered her this morning. She restrained herself from wanting to use the small dagger she kept with her to defend herself, more driven by her curiosity as to what on earth this bitch wanted back in her chambers.
But something in her told her that this time it was different, a detail that would have escaped anyone else, but for her, a Sabbant as that Custodes had labeled her, the eyes of this servant were totally different from those of the servant who had bothered her this day.
It wasn't a matter of coloration, the irises were exactly the same, nor was it the shape, everything down to the smallest detail was exactly the same as her eidetic memory recalled.
But the way she saw her, the way she watched her, it was eyes that were impossible to belong to the maid herself. It was like watching a predator that had seemed harmless until only a moment ago.
Seeming content to let the princess look into her eyes. As if she understood without having to speak, the maid entered and closed the door.
"I have brought you this gift, sent from the West."
The maid carried a small white box in her hands. It was an ordinary package. The smell of sweets emanated from it. Renner took the box, and on her table opened it.
"Oh my…!" Said the golden Princess, in her mask of surprise and joy.
Inside the little box was a dessert, but not just any dessert. It was a very popular one in the Sacred Realm: Flan. Coveted by the nobles and very difficult to obtain, as the long journey could spoil the dessert.
There was some reality in the expression she had feigned.
For next to the Flan was a small note next to a ring with a stylized lightning bolt.
One very similar to Lord Galileo's.
She read the little note.
It contained only three sentences.
The duty of humanity is absolute.
The duty to serve for our survival.
And the Emperor's answer to his faithful servants is present.
It took Renner more than five minutes to understand this message.
She laughed, a genuine laugh at something that had taken her so long to analyze and understand.
Renner lifted her gaze, to the servant. She looked into her eyes, and confirmed that this was not the same maid she had seen only a few hours ago. It was obvious that she was allowing her to see this, for in an instant she lost the difference in the eyes that made them different from each other.
But Renner already knew,
The previous maid was dead.
Renner turned to look at her shadow. A malevolent smile was plastered on her face. She knew she was being watched, she knew this demon's master was behind it. She wondered what its expression looked like if it knew its plan had fallen apart.
She turned her gaze back to the maid. This one now wore a smile, as if the two could communicate without speaking, understand each other without even making a sound.
"What is the task you have been given?" Renner asked her.
In an instant, impossible for her eyes to follow, the maid had moved. She hadn't even managed to blink when she disappeared from her vision. But a sound came to her, something unfamiliar that seemed to vibrate the very air.
"To assume the shape of the accursed, and deliver death from the purity within you."
Behind Renner, right in the center of the silhouette of her shadow, the maid had stabbed the ground with a sword protruding from her right hand. It was a sword of immaterial power, of technologies so powerful they bordered on the supernatural. The Phase Sword leapt between reality and the ether, destroying the very composition of the very being it had stabbed. An inhuman scream of agony was heard from Renner's shadow, and a black sludge in humanoid form writhed on the ground. It was trying to pull the sword away, to free itself, to flee. But the Assassin swung the blade upward, cleaving the demon in two, killing it as if it were nothing more than vermin.
The Phase Sword, of spectral green glow, disappeared from the hand of the servant. As if it had never been there.
The latter turned around, and bowed slightly to Renner, as if thanking her for witnessing her act.
"I guess my task has begun." Renner affirmed. She was measuring the ring, the gold reflecting the light that illuminated the room.
The maid only nodded. She seemed to notice something, and from one of her pockets she pulled out a silver spoon and handed it to Renner. Renner took it with a thanks, and sat down to taste the Flan.
"Am I to assume you have a name?"
Renner took the first taste of the Flan, truly, a delicacy.
The maid cocked her head slightly. And after a few seconds, she replied.
"Zonia..."
[X]
Demiurge sensed the link he had with the shadow demon. His ability allowed him to sense what that being had felt. It was weak, yes, but that it had died so easily was of some concern.
But what he had caught a glimpse of was far more concerning. That woman, that servant, had moved so fast that he could only compare her speed to that of a member of Nazarick, it had only taken her an instant to reach that demon and stab it with that strange sword. Which was the second most concerning thing about this event. That sword had pierced the demon when it was inside the princess's shadow. Normally, you would need a special ability to accomplish that, and only a high-level item could accomplish something like that. That sword was something unique, something beyond him, something that, for the first time, he was struggling to comprehend.
But where would someone like that have come from? It was simply impossible for someone of that caliber to suddenly appear. After a long and exhaustive investigation, they had discovered that there was no one in the Kingdom stronger than Gazeff Stronoff himself. Even Clementine, a supposed Elite warrior could not win so easily against him. And they were both just bugs against any Nazarick guardian.
So where had this woman come from?
"The west..." Demiurge grunted.
If there were golden warriors who could compete with Nazarick, that meant it wouldn't be uncommon to find strong individuals like this one. He had to prepare a countermeasure against her, and eliminate her as soon as possible before she became a real threat.
And there was still the matter of the Princess.
Indeed, his spies had not collected much information unique to Renner. After all, their investigation had been too short-lived. But it was obvious that the human had something special about her, with her little tantrum he could barely and might have glimpsed something, but too little to come to a conclusion.
He had no choice, he would have to change targets. His attention turned to the Second Prince of Re-Estize.
Zanak.
Demiurge smiled, adjusted his glasses and retreated down the hallway to exit through one of the private staff doors of this compound he had built on the Great Lake. But not before turning to look at his new creation.
It was barely a prototype. It was a composition of minerals and crystals that could be imbued with magic. By the claims of his master, of Yggdrassil.
These crystals could be imbued, but there was a limit to how much magic they could contain. And, according to Lord Ainz's words, these crystals would usually explode releasing the contained spell if the imbued magic was too much. According to his Master, it was a sort of compensation to prevent others from spouting an absurd amount of preloaded spells without spending MP.
Demiurge wanted to know if he could use them to plant them in key locations and use them as tactical weapons of mass destruction. After all, the idea had come from that crystal the Sun Scripture had used in Carne Village.
He still needed to experiment more before deploying one of these.
[X]
It is really hard to write when you have to work a 12 hr shifts. Sometimes I wondered if I would be able to make it before end of the year.
But, well, here it is. I hope you like it. I can see this got a good reception with just one chapter. Worry not, I'm still working in my other projects, I want to continue with Gate of False Liberty next, tho, I already started with the 3rd chapter of this one.
Concerning the fanboys, I never say they deter me. Of course I'm gonna ignore them, even more with their insults both in PM and Reviews. Even as we speak, they keep raiding pta917 just because Aizen is actually stronger than Ainz. I wonder how much salt of them I will get once this advances.
Anyway, things are getting interesting. I think fights will take longer to arrive, since Nazarick and Imperium still haven't got any contact. Ainz already got some info of them via Nigredo, only partially since, well, Sisters of Silence. But Imperium is practically fortifying the whole Holy Kingdom since it connects to Holy Terra. The only active card they just started using is Renner's new personal maid. And I think you already realized who she actually is.
Regarding Renner. I must admit this Renner looks a little AU. Since I think I'm giving her a more serious air compared to the canon Renner, who, in my opinion, is pretty childish and quite short sighted for ending as just an Imp. I think this story will need a Renner with a little more of ambition, and I think that her encounter with a Custodes has allowed her to finally break out her traumas and see there are beings who surpass her.
You can also see I practically made a new Adventurers Guild… well, it is more like a new Institution, but I think this is what Guilliman would do with something like the Guild. Paying mercenaries for pest control seems lucrative, and as you can see, Imperium and Ecclesiarchy are insanely rich which attracts even more Militia. And giving them better equipment makes them even more alluring.
This is also a contrast with Ainz's adventurer's guild since Imperium's adventurers value monster extermination over actual adventuring
Well, that is all for now, hope you like this and leave a review.
See you soon.