Veres sat quietly in Shizu's grasp. She could have asked to be put down, or just escaped, but didn't feel it was worth the trouble just yet. She couldn't use any items in this form, so she had relied on the maid to avoid any traps. They had taken the long way up to the sixth-floor, per Momonga's orders, so that Veres could have some space to practice her skills and magic.

As they exited the sixth-floor teleportation gate, Veres made her move. She leapt from the arms of the maid and clumsily landed on the ground. She then took off at the fastest pace she could manage through the winding corridors of the amphitheater. It wasn't long before she had managed to find the exit.

The view took her breath away. Before her was a vast forest that seemed to go on forever. The bright sun and the gentle breeze made it hard to believe she was underground. She didn't pause for long though, as she could hear the maid searching for her after she made her getaway.

She took off into the jungle with no destination in mind. As her thoughts started to go over everything that had happened, her body started to move on its own, her instinctual knowledge kicking in. She slowly started to unconsciously increase her pace until she was running all out.

'*giggle* This is amazing! This is what it means to be free!' As she noticed what she was doing, she could only laugh at her newfound freedom. For years she had been unable to be so active. Now, she was running through a beautiful forest full of life.

Eventually, she came to a stop at the small lake that was on the floor. She dove into the small grassy plain that bordered it, frolicking through the grassy terrain without a care in the world. Everything else faded away, the panic at her situation, her feelings, everything. She just basked in the glorious feeling of living in such a beautiful place.

This wasn't something she could have enjoyed in Japan. The nature preserves with any appeal were few and far between, and were much more public. Even if it was a fake world, something she had helped create, she could feel why Blue Planet enjoyed nature so much by looking at the peaceful environment.

She finally came to rest, just sitting down and enjoying the feeling of a soft breeze through her fur in the warm sunlight. She was surprised when some time later Shizu and Aura showed up. She didn't make any movements as she was picked up again by the maid, instead choosing to be an observer for what was going on.

"Is that the creature you were sent here with Shizu?" Aura asked. She had been accosted by the maid after she lost the creature she had come to the floor with.

"…Mn." came the curt response from the maid.

"I don't recognize it. Do you know what kind of beast it is?" Aura was genuinely curious, and it showed on her face. It wasn't every day she got to see a new creature, and she was interested in the thing that Momonga had cared enough about to send with a Pleiades. She found it strange though, it was so unassuming as it sat there in the maid's arms.

"…No."

"Well, can I take a look at it? Maybe I'll be able to think of something." Aura asked innocently, more interested in sating her curiosity.

"…Mmm." Her expression hadn't changed, but it seemed she was upset by the words of the Guardian.

"Relax, I won't take it from you. I just want a better look." Aura said defensively.

"…Mn." She finally consented with a short nod.

Aura got closer to the small creature. Its general shape reminded her of one of her pets, Fenrir. However, it didn't seem particularly magical or strong.

"Uwah?!" As she leaned in, she suddenly leapt back.

"S, Shizu, why are you carrying Veres-sama!?" Aura was flabbergasted by the realization that it was a Supreme Being the maid was carrying.

"…Mn?" Shizu's face remained rigid, only a slight tilt of her head showing her confusion before she glanced down at the animal in her arms.

'Well, that's to be expected. She is a dedicated ranger class after all." Veres wasn't too surprised that Aura had realized it was her. Her current form had a lot of stealth attributes and a low agro/detection profile, making it incredibly difficult to be noticed by enemies from afar. But, without a dedicated build and items anyone with reasonably high detection skills would realize that she was a level 100 player if they got close to her.

'[Message]' Deciding that her fun was over, she messaged the two NPCs.

"[Very good Aura, I am glad to see that your skills are sharp.]"

"Ah, Veres-sama, what are you doing? And why are you being carried around?!"

"…Mn!?" Shizu was so shocked to learn that what she had been cuddling for quite some time was one of her masters that her eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

"[I'm just here to practice my skills. As for why I am being carried, Momonga thought it would be a good idea.]" She jumped down from the arms of the maid so that she was standing in front of the two.

"[Now that I am here, there is something I could use your help on. I wish to practice many of my magical skills, and this forest is a good place to do so. What I want is for us to play a little game. I will go off, and then you two will try to catch me. Aura, you can't use any of your beasts. I'll let you know when we stop if you can't catch me]"

"Really, is that okay?!" Aura asked. To chase down a Supreme Being was a little…

"[Yes, it's fine. I need the practice and it would be good experience for you two.]" With that Veres sauntered off into the underbrush of the nearby forest, leaving the two NPCs. It seemed like they understood her intentions as they both waited for her to truly disappear while they strategized together.

Soon, she activated some of her form's magic, and ghosted into the forest like a cool wave of moonlight before disappearing completely.

Veres stalked along the tree branch she was standing on. Below her she could see Aura trying desperately to pick up her trail again. She had lost the Guardian several times now, and was trying to set up an ambush to end their practice. So far, she only had been able to barely escape the two NPCs several times.

She knew escaping Aura was going to be possible if she stayed at range. Veres' illusion magic could hide her well from afar, but Aura was a dedicated ranger with a keen familiarity of the territory. Add in the fact that Veres was getting used to using her skills and magic, and had messed up several times, and she had let Aura get close enough to sense her several times.

Escaping Shizu had been an unexpected challenge as well. While not very high level, as a gunner she had a lot of detection and observation skills. She also had range, and had seemingly locked on to her signature at times, so that if she ever noticed something she could tell Aura where to go. This made escaping the two in tandum incredibly difficult.

Finally, she pounced. She didn't use any magic or special skills, she just tried to mimic the actions of an every day animal. Aura was caught completely off guard. She had detected an animal, but thought it was one of the floors residents and hadn't expected it to attack.

With her incredible agility she leapt away, but realized only too late she wasn't the target. Veres had been targeting Shizu in the ambush. Without her help Aura would have a significantly harder time on her own and would make it easier for Veres to stay at range.

"[Maximize Magic - Holy Surge]!" Veres cast her spell, and the maid was sent flying. It wouldn't actually injure her significantly, but it was clear who the winner was.

"[I think that's enough for now, wouldn't you agree?]" She called out, grabbing the two NPCs attention. They both quickly arrived in front of her and knelt.

"[You don't need to kneel. This was just some training between comrades. We must all strive to improve our skills to better protect our home.]"

""Yes, Veres-sama!"" The two stood up, but kept their heads lowered.

"[Let this be a lesson for you. The two of you together should have had no problem catching me. However, you focused too heavily on what you expected. You expected me to use an illusion or magical skill again, but a smart enemy will change up their tactics so they aren't predictable. That is why you missed me at the end when I was pretending to be an animal, and why you didn't notice I was going for Shizu. I changed my focus and you both suffered for it.]"

""Understood."" With a sharp bow the two took her criticism of their performance, before they started to walk back to the amphitheater. They stopped just outside the massive colosseum.

"[Now, I am heading back to the tenth floor. Aura, return to your duties.]"

"Thank you very much for training us Veres-sama!" Aura then disappeared in the blink of an eye as she sprinted away.

"[Shizu, follow me.]" Veres then turned away from the beautiful scenery of the sixth floor and headed for the entrance to the seventh floor.

"…Mn." The maid followed along dutifully, but Veres felt a sense of disappointment coming from her.

"[Haaah~, I guess its fine. Shizu, please carry me back to Momonga's room. I'll be in your care.]"

"Mn!" The maid was quick to return to snuggling her soft form once Veres had given her permission.

'Ah, she really is adorable.' Veres could only mutely stare at the demure smile that graced Shizu's doll-like features.

Momonga stood in front of a large mirror, Narberal quietly standing to the rear. In his hand was a longsword. His strength made it child's play to swing around, but when he struck an imaginary blow it clattered to the ground.

"[Create Greater Item]" He was covered in a flash of magic as he created a suit of full plate armor. When he then tried to swing the sword again, a shockwave buffeted the large cloak on his back as the swing struck its imaginary foe.

"Hm? Enter." He was interrupted from his experimentation by a knock on the door. He swiftly dispelled the armor before whoever walked in could notice.

He was surprised when the Shizu walked in with Veres still in her arms. Her small animal form seemed full of pride as she was carried around, completely opposite of what he expected from his usually reserved friend.

After Shizu had fully entered the room Veres gracefully leapt from her arms. He now understood the oddity Albedo had experienced earlier as Veres seemed to say something to Shizu before she quietly stood to the side with the other maid.

"[Message]. You seem to be in good spirits." Momonga stated as Veres sauntered towards him, her walk much smoother then it had been when she left.

"[Yes. It was very fun to let loose, I think I could get used to this body.]"

"Hah! Don't get too comfortable, you still haven't learned how to use your other two forms yet right?" He lightly teased. She seemed to be frustrated by the prior experience in her other forms as she huffed and turned her head away.

"[Yeah, well maybe you can be that form's chew toy for a while. I'm sure we could benefit from it.]"

"Ah, hehe." He could only laugh awkwardly while hoping she was joking. That form was technically her true self as a celestial beast, and it had been terrifying in YGGDRASIL. How terrifying would it be to see in real life?

"[Maybe it'll be what you deserve for earlier. Anyways, can you help me practice walking on two legs? I want to get some food and I don't want to eat out of a bowl.]"

"Y, yes. I'll do what I can." He walked over to the open part of the room where Veres sat. He was very curious to see how her transformation took place. It had been instantaneous in YGGDRASIL with a flash of light, but would it be the same here?

He watched intently as her form started to ripple. He watched her body grow and extend into its bipedal form. It was fascinating to see what her body really looked like.

Her head shifted until it looked like what he expected. The neck pivoted and reshaped until it was more human-like. He noticed the minimal change in her slender limbs, the vulpine base still obvious.

Her shoulders thinned out until they could be called feminine. Her ribs flattened out from a barreled form to a more human shape. On her chest a pair of modest C cup breasts rose up. They were covered in short, fine hair that blended with the rest of her coat apart from the dark nipples that stood perky at their peaks.

Her naval stayed thin and lean, and the hips flared outwards, but not as much as a human's. Instead they remained slightly forward cocked, so she would have to lean slightly forward when standing to balance right, as well as make being on all fours more comfortable. Her entire body was covered in soft-looking fur. Most of it was short, while areas like her neck and parts of the legs had a moderate fluffy scruff.

When he saw a soft pink slit, not masked by bushy fur or hair, between her legs he realized he messed up. Her inhuman form made him forget that she was still a woman, and now she was naked in front of him.

"S, Sorry!" he clumsily turned around, his robe flailing behind him.

"How, how does the inventory work?" Veres whispered.

"Ju, just imagine a void as you reach out in front of you. Everything should kind of click after that." His embarrassment was noticeable, even with his undead constitution. For a few agonizing minutes the only sound was the occasional flash of magic as she figured out how to work her inventory and put her clothes on.

"You can turn around now." Slowly turning around, as if afraid she wasn't dressed yet.

It felt like something was stuck in his non-existent throat as he looked at her. She sat there, legs partially folded beneath her, demure expression on her face as she looked away from him, tail tips twitching. Heat roiling in his phantom gut, a feeling rose within him that he hadn't experienced since becoming an undead.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't expect you to lose your clothes." After a lame pause he could only apologize profusely, wishing to seiza and push his head to the floor.

"It's fine." Her tone suggested she wasn't too upset.

'Ho-ho. It's fine. But! Is it really?! Your twitching tails say otherwise.' Momonga could only pray for forgiveness one day in his heart.

He had unfortunately mistaken her twitching for a sign of irritation or anger, like a cat. He didn't realize it had been Veres suppressing their desire to wag at the thought of him staring at her with such love and adoration in his gaze.

"Can you help me up now? I think I can try walking." She asked, focusing back on him in her best attempt to push past the previous incident.

"S-sure." He reached down for her as she grasped onto his arm. Pulling herself up, she was able to steady herself on her new legs as Momonga supported her weight. Keeping hold of his arm, Veres started to walk forward slowly, every step difficult to keep her balance.

Eventually, she grew more confident, only needing support when she tried to do anything too quickly. She still held on though.

The two maids stood silently, watching with baited breaths and barely schooled features at the idyllic scene of their masters arm-in-arm, like a groom leading his bride forward into their new life.

"You seem to be getting it. Would you like to go outside for a walk?" Momonga asked. He was eager to get away from it all for a while and was sure Veres would want to as well.

"Sure." She too was eager, but was surprised when his magic flashed and he became covered in full plate armor.

"Why the get-up?" Her head cocked, curious to know why he would try to change his appearance.

"It would be nice to not be disturbed on our walk, if we need to we can just teleport back."

"Makes sense, here." He watched as her form shimmered. She had applied an illusion, turning her appearance into a basic human ranger. The forest green tunic and brown leather armor were well made, but bland in design, and a hood was pulled up over her head. A black cowl covered the lower part of her 'face', masking her appearance completely.

"Please wait! It is unacceptable for us to allow our Supreme Beings to not have a guard. If an assassin makes an attempt on your lives, we wouldn't be there to throw away our lives for you. It would be unacceptable to lose the last Supreme Beings."

Narberal spoke, full of conviction. Shizu didn't comment but seemed to agree with small nods of her head. They understood the maids' sentiment, but didn't want anyone to disturb them. That was the whole point of going outside.

"We will not be going anywhere, just to the surface above Nazarick. I'm sure the security net is more than capable of protecting us." Momonga responded hastily, eager to get away. With a brisk nod from Veres, they teleported away using their rings before the NPCs could stop them.

*No, Veres won't ever be able to turn into a human. I personally would find it cheap and out of context for Overlord for either of them to change race. They have become monsters, and Overlord is very in your face at times about the fact that Ainz is slowly losing his humanity, and therefore his moral and belief structure are changing. Also, oops. I noticed I changed her name from Veles to Veres accidentally partway through XP. Veles is a Slavic god, but I like Veres more so I will keep it.*