Gazef Stronoff viewed his surroundings with extreme caution. He and his men had been on the trail of armored knights who had been destroying villages in the area. They were quite far ahead of his men and catching them was proving difficult. But this village was different. He could immediately tell that something was off when he saw most of the village still standing, all the others had been totally destroyed.
His trepidation and weariness grew as his men got closer. He could see villagers going around to repair the damage that had been done. On the ground around them, there were mangled and dismembered corpses of several armored figures. The corpses were barely recognizable as human, and several appeared to have become undead during the fight.
He didn't see any dead defenders though. Of course, its possible that any casualties had already been buried, but the way the corpses seemed to lead into the village suggested otherwise. Finally, he saw the village square. The village chief was waiting for him, wondering about the strange riders. Gazef looked around suspiciously, wary of an ambush.
Then, his breath caught. Off to the side, just on the peripherals of the village square, were a trio of monsters. The hulking armored frame of a massive beast that radiated malice was at the back of the group, and the least impressive. Next, an otherworldly beauty with two horns gently curving from her head stood at the ready. He had no doubts about her horns' realness. Her armor was something that he, as a warrior, immediately coveted. It was an intimidating full plate suit that was filled with a magical essence and oozed quality.
Finally, the obvious leader of the monstrosities, a skeletal undead. No, that was an insult to such an imposing creature. Its fleshless skull gleamed with an unholy radiance, with two crimson flames in the eye sockets drawing him in. It wore a magnificent array of magical gear that seemed to radiate power. When one viewed its large frame, it seemed to suck in the surrounding light.
Looking at these beings, Gazef could only feel helpless. He had no doubt in his mind they had slaughtered the knights and would easily slaughter him and his men. He schooled his features, a necessary trait in the world of Noble politics. Approaching the chief, he vowed in his heart to discover the truth and protect the Kingdom however needed.
"I am the Kingdom's Head Warrior, Gazef Stronoff. I've come to investigate the attacks on villages by armored knights. However, I must ask who that is." He cut straight to the point. He was internally relieved by the villagers' reverence of him. It meant that he was still known and trusted by the citizens.
"Head Warrior. You grace us with our presence. Those individuals are our saviors from the knights when they attacked. They intervened just in time to rescue most of the village. They are…" The chief gladly gave him useful information. Perhaps more useful than he realized. And when the chief looked over to the skeletal being, everyone's focus moved with him.
As they stared at the monstrous beings, they seemed to grow before their eyes. In Gazef's heart, he felt like a small animal in front of a large predator.
"… How do you do? My name is Ainz Ooal Gown." The imposing voice of this Master of Death shook him to his bones. Its menacing voice matched its figure so well it almost seemed made for it. Mustering his courage and steeling his soul, Gazef spoke.
"Greetings, Gown-dono. Thank you for your service to this Kingdom. You have done us a great favor by saving our people." With a small bow of his head, he surprised both his subordinates and the villagers. His response was civil and courteous. They didn't think he would be so respectful to an inhuman monster.
"Think nothing of it. We were just passing by and decided to help." Gazef felt there was more to it, but didn't feel inclined to press for an answer.
"Still, thank you. You put yourself in danger to save innocents, and that is worthy of respect. Could you please tell me more about the attack? We wish to put an end to this violence." Dismounting his horse, he tried to appear as approachable as possible. By now his men had started to relax. So long as their leader was willing to talk they wouldn't start a fight with such terrifying monsters.
"Of course. Chief, may we impose on you the use of your home?" Internally, Gazef was relieved. The fact that such a powerful being was willing to show proper courtesies to a lowly village chief bode well for any discussions they may have. It showed he was willing to think things through and not just act on impulse.
His attention was drawn back to Gown. He seemed to be distracted by something. It took him a moment to realize he was probably talking to someone magically.
"Is something wrong Gown-dono?" he asked. Something that could worry a monster like him must be truly terrifying.
"No. My companion was just telling me about something. It's not that important. I have asked her to come join us for our talks, is that alright with you?" The nonchalant way in which Gown responded to Gazef calmed him.
"Of course! If its your trusted companion, I see no reason to not include them." He affirmed. He sympathized with the humans present who were uncomfortable with more monstrosities appearing, but really didn't see a reason to stop it. Although, just for a second, it felt like a complex emotion appeared on the horned woman's face when he referred Gown's companion.
They waited there for Gown's companion to arrive, fully expecting whatever appeared to be an intimidating monster with a terrifying visage. After all, what else could be trusted by a Skeletal King? All eyes were drawn to a shimmer that appeared next to Gown. What materialized next was unlike anything they had expected to see.
The being was clearly not human, like her companions, but that's where the similarities ended. Instead of having a near human form like those present, she appeared to be some sort of bipedal fox. She had a long and slender muzzle, with a body covered in snow white fur that shimmered in the gentle breeze. Behind her a multitude of large, bushy tails swayed gently.
Her appearance was radiant. Not attractive in the conventional sense, but it drew the eye. Her clothes matched her appearance with a clean white tone, and she seemed to have a holy air about her. When she stood next to Gown, the harsh difference was mind boggling. Their presence made one think of apposing Gods, not close and trusting companions.
Gazef, and everyone present, clearly didn't know how to react to the appearance of another inhuman being of unknown power. They all reacted differently. The tension returned to Gazef's men as they tensed, fearful of an attack. The villagers seemed ready to worship the beings who had saved them, seeing them more akin to the Gods they appeared as than mortal monsters. Gazef, as a representative of his King, could do nothing else but tighten his expression and forge ahead peacefully.
"Amazing, I never would have expected this to happen." The attention of this new being snapped to Gazef as he uttered these words. She had been taking in the atmosphere of the situation but now focused on him, the clear leader.
"Who are you?" She seemed curious about the sudden change in atmosphere. Her large ears and expressive face made reading her surprisingly easy compared to the unmoving face of Gown. But her posture was tense, she could clearly read the unease in Gazef's men.
"I am Gazef Stronoff, the Head Warrior for this Kingdom." He was glad when she appeared to relax as Gown's hand went to her shoulder. It did make him question the nature of their relationship though. Were they lovers? If so, his mind threatened to break at trying to figure out how that would work with Gown's skeletal body.
"I'm Veres." Her curt response surprised him. It was unusual for someone of standing or power to have a name with only one word. He figured it just meant that she and Gown shared a name, implying they were family, or even married by how Veres moved closer to Gown. He didn't dwell on it, instead he was forced to focus on his subordinate that came running up.
"Chief! Chief! The village is being surrounded!" He came running in to the village square from where he'd been on guard. His gaze then followed everyone else's.
"Ieee!" His men stationed on watch at the edge of the village weren't aware the inhuman guests, so the soldier was terrified by the sight of such imposing beings. He scrambled to draw his blade, causing the tense atmosphere to explode. Quickly, all of Gazef's men were drawing their blades for a fight, while only the two female monsters seemed to react as they readied their magical weapons.
"Stand down! We're not here to fight! Gown-dono, are these possibly more of your companions?" Luckily, his men stopped at his order, but they still tightly gripped their weapons. He highly doubted Gown would be so underhanded as to trap him, especially when he was obviously much more powerful. Still, he had to ask.
"No, they appear to have been waiting for you." Veres' response was disheartening, but not surprising. He had always been the center of controversy, and the King's enemies would greatly benefit from his death.
"I see. Chief, is there anywhere for you to hide the villagers?" He could only focus on protecting the innocents from the coming battle.
"Ah. Y, yes. There's a storehouse just over there." All of the villagers rushed to the storehouse, hoping to avoid another attack. Everyone funneled into the large building as they waited for the ambushers to be drawn in.
Gazef struggled to stand. His breath ragged, and his men beaten around him, he knew that he was about to die. They had all fought well, but they couldn't overcome the elite mages of the Slane Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture.
"Really, is that all the great Gazef Stronoff has? I'm disappointed." The leader of the magical priests taunted him from afar. Gazef had tried his hardest to strike down the ringleader, but was overwhelmed by the shear number of angel summons in front of him.
"After we kill you, we are going to slaughter those worthless villagers. You have failed to defend your people, Head Warrior." The arrogance and certainty in the man's voice amused Gazef. He obviously had no idea what exactly was protecting that village.
"No, there are ones much stronger than me protecting that village." Gazef was confident that Gown and his companions could protect the village. But, his answer seemed to frustrate the magician.
"Really!? He's bluffing. Kill him." A crazed look in his eye, the magician gleefully looked forward to the impending slaughter. As Gazef readied himself to die, he heard a voice whisper in the wind.
"I think its about time to switch." Suddenly, he and his men were back in the storehouse with the villagers. He looked around in confusion, unsure as to what had happened. Before him, Veres looked at them with disinterest.
"What happened?" He allowed his guard to drop as he tried to figure out what happened.
"We saved you. I'll make sure none of your men die. [Heal]." Her voice was like sweet nectar to his ears as relief washed over him. All of his painful wounds seemed to close on their own and he felt completely rejuvenated by the magic infused into him.
"Thank, thank you. You saved us all a lot of trouble once again." He bowed deeply to the magical creature which had just healed all of them. He wasn't at all surprised by the ease with which she did it.
"Don't mention it." The dismissive way she waved him off after performing such an impressive feat of magic affirmed his belief in these beings' greatness.
"Still, if there's anything I can do for you or Gown-dono I will try to do it. I, and this Kingdom, owe you a great debt." He tried to express the real gratitude he felt for being saved by those so different from him. They had gone out of their way to help him and his men when they didn't have to. Although he was curious when her ears twitched at Gown's name.
"There isn't anything you could give us. We just helped out because we wanted to. So long as we aren't drawn into any more trouble its fine." Veres' disinterest continued. But Gazef was a determined man, he wouldn't let up so easily.
"I cannot forget the service you and your husband have done. If you have any need if you're ever in the capital, I will help." He continued to express his gratitude but was surprised by the normally apathetic creature's reaction.
"We-we aren't married. We are just companions who have been together a long time." The way she twisted in on herself revealed her feelings. It was honestly baffling to him that she would suddenly become so shy and reserved. The way she spoke of their relation made Gazef almost envious of Gown. He had a clearly dedicated and caring woman by his side and he didn't seem to know it.
Ainz watched as Gazef and his men rode away from the small village. He had told the warrior that he had just chased off the Scripture, but the man seemed to have guessed that wasn't entirely true.
"Are we done here?" Veres' tone told him she was quite done with the small village. It was now late into the evening and they had spent almost the whole day in the insignificant place.
"Yes, we can head back now. We learned a lot, and I have some ideas for what we should do next." Ainz tried to placate her with what they had gained, but she didn't seem to be totally ready to forgive him.
"Why did you introduce yourself as Ainz?" Her tone brokered no discussion, and by the way Albedo shifted about uncomfortably made him think she was curious too.
"To spread our name. If anyone else out there is in the same situation as us they'll recognize the name." He was confident that his reasoning made sense, and the two seemed to partially buy it.
"Wouldn't that be dangerous? We didn't exactly have the best reputation in YGGDRASIL, and human Players might be hostile." Her concern was valid, but Ainz felt the benefits outweighed the risks.
"We have to at least try. If any of our old companions are out there we have to help them. Plus, I think we should work with anyone like us while we don't know what's going on. Of course, we'll defend ourselves if need be. Are you that against me using our name as my own?" he was worried Veres might be offended that he used their name like that.
"No. I'm not. Others might, but they aren't here and we are. I'm sure there are some who would complain, but I say fuck'em. They made their choice when they left so they have no right to complain. Besides, in the end you really are Ainz Ooal Gown. It wasn't Pero or Touch Me or Ulbert who brought us all together and led us to greatness. Nobody else would have been able to do it, we were all too different. But you made it work, so all the glory and recognition are yours to use as you see fit." Veres' response made him truly think about all that had happened.
One part, a big part, of him agreed with her. Their friends had left them in the end, and he couldn't deny the small amount of resentment he felt. But he didn't think he was as important to their greatness as she made him out to be. He wasn't the smartest, or the strongest, he had just been like a manager for them, directing them where to go only when needed.
He wasn't surprised by her dislike for their absent guild members though. She had joined after the Three Burning Eyes fiasco, so many had felt that they shouldn't have let new members in. It took everything he had to convince enough people to let her enter the guild. The vote to let her join had been won by a single vote, his. She had never been that close to much of the guild, instead choosing to stay primarily with Ainz and his close friends. She had been their friend and companion, but after all that had happened when she was in Seraphim it was to be expected that she would hold a little resentment for being abandoned.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Ainz didn't notice the elation and relief on both Albedo's and Veres' faces as he walked away.
*And that's the end of the first volume. Now I know you were all excited for Nigun, but he just isn't important. There will be an epilogue and a character sheet for Veres in the next release. Don't forget to comment on how I wrote for Gazef. If you like it, I'll do other people more.*