KingVessel: The response to this story was insane! This was just a Plot Bunny that hopped about in my head like Nine for All! How did it get so much support?! Why is it that my unplanned for Plot Bunnies are more popular than my planned ones?
Flugel (a.k.a. Subaru Natsuki) leaned back already feeling overwhelmed just from their introductions.
Were the Retainers always this loyal? Or was it a leftover mechanic from Majestia Royal in which Created NPCs were extremely loyal to their Creators? Well, that didn't make sense. There were quite a few NPCs he hadn't aided in creating after all.
The doors opened back, revealing Julius. "Julius of the Belphegor Brigade. I have returned from my orders, milord."
"Great." Flugel replied. "What did you find?"
Julius frowned before answering. "Our surroundings are not the same as we left them, milord. We are surrounded by forests, with only a single human settlement some miles away."
"Forests?" Flugel sat up in shock. 'What happened to the desert around us?' "Is the {Sand Time} illusion spell still in place?"
"Indeed, milord." Julius replied. "However, it is doing little in preventing us from actually being seen. While enemies and the like cannot actually approach us, the Fortress would still be visible from afar, even if as a mirage-like construct."
"Well, nothing I can do about that." Flugel sighed. "Illusions were Sekhmet's forte."
Flugel hummed some more before looking to his subordinates. If they were all capable of independent thoughts, he should really check on how their personalities differed from what was programmed. "Hey, you guys. What kind of person do you all see me as? Be as honest as you can and I will ensure no punishment is given for your words."
After some more looks of confusion, Emilia was the first one to reply. "Lord Flugel is our great leader and Emperor. Although, you are rather perverted and excitable, with you asking Lady Satella to leave my thighs exposed when she actually wanted my skirt to reach my knees."
'She remembers that?!' Flugel's cheeks flooded in embarrassment. "Thanks, Emilia. Next?"
Emboldened by this, Puck spoke next. "I don't really mind much about following you, as long as I don't have to be separated from Lia or Betty."
Flugel nodded to himself. "Yeah, that checks out."
Beatrice made a small hum before speaking up. "Betty thinks that Lord Flugel is an aggravating man, calling Betty 'Beako' and constantly teasing Betty! But if Lord Flugel ever calls for Betty's help, I will answer, I suppose."
Flugel laughed at that. "Thanks, Beako."
Beatrice hummed even louder and pouted more adorabl- furiously.
Ram took a step forward. "I consider my Creator to be an unredeemable pervert. No matter my loyalty to you, that opinion will never change, Gelflu."
'Of course not. I designed that personality into you. And that bug that makes you rearrange my name is still here?!' "And you, Rem?"
Rem stepped forward as well. "Although Nee-sama is right in calling Lord Flugel a pervert, he is still a wonderful person."
'You two are still acting as I expected...' "Thank you, Rem, Ram."
Otto spoke up from his place. "You are my Lord and friend, Lord Flugel."
"Thank you, Otto. Garf?"
Garfiel pounded his fists. "You're my Cap'n, of course! Even Lady Minerva bows to ya awesomeness!"
"Thanks, Garf. Rica?"
Frederica curtsied. "I share the same opinion of my little brother. You are my dear Captain, after all."
Flugel smiled and turned to the second most powerful NPC as well as the most prideful one. "Priscilla?"
The NPC who was created by Typhon and secretly referred to as 'Gilgamesh the woman' by Subaru, gave him a look that somehow combined vanity, ferociousness and demureness. "Flugel, you are simply the only one who I consider worthy enough to stand above me as my superior."
For all she said, Flugel still felt like Priscilla looked at him like a queen who'd found a fellow ruler after years of nobody being her equal only to stumble upon one and gladly welcomed his existence rather than reject him. "Thank you, Priscilla."
Without even waiting to be prompted, Crusch stepped forward with a salute. "You are my lord. No matter what, my sword shall always cut down your enemies."
'Still keeping that soldier-like attitude until she takes off the uniform.' "Thanks, Crusch. I appreciate it."
Anastasia stepped forward. "You're the most useful being in existence to me. I'm not gonna squeal on ya so easily."
"Thanks, Anastasia." Flugel made sure his frown didn't show outwardly. Anastasia had been Echidna's favorite NPC and despite the Kansai dialect she often spoke and different voice, he could easily close his eyes and imagine that it was Echidna herself speaking.
Felt shrugged. "You're my bro."
And Flugel knew that was all she needed to say.
"I love Master Flugel!" Shaula instantly squealed in excitement. "He's my everything! My reason to wake! My reason to live! My God!"
"Um... thanks?" He definitely didn't give her that worshipful attitude. Did someone other than Daphne do something?
(KingVessel: There's a story amongst the female Pleiades Guildmates about this which involves Subaru's first and only ever foray with alcohol and him logging in while drunk. Naturally, he doesn't remember this and all of his guildmates are too embarrassed (amused in Echidna's case and lazy in Sekhmet's) to tell him what he did under the influence.)
Julius went down on a knee himself, despite not being prompted to. "You are my Emperor. He who is the supreme ruler over us all."
"Thank you for your honest thoughts, my dear subjects!" Flugel proclaimed grandly, causing smiles all around. "Be sure to continue working faithfully! Now, all of you return to your duties at once! Julius, come with me."
Before anybody could respond, Flugel grabbed Julius by the arm and teleported them both away in a flash of light.
"Amazing." Emilia stared in wonder. "I feel like we've all gotten a bit closer to Lord Flugel."
"I know, right?!" Shaula squealed, almost immediately locking fingers with Emilia. "We were suddenly Isekai'd but at least we got one of our Creators to help us! And he went ahead to request our honest opinions! Speaking of which, Ram! Why do you keep misspelling Master's name?!"
The pinkette shrugged as she acknowledged Shaula. "If Gelflu was against my honest words, he showed no reaction. In fact, I believe that Gelflu must be a latent or secret masochist to have not minded that."
"Lord Flugel has interests like that?!" Rem exclaimed in panic. "Oh, no... What is Lord Flugel wishes to sate his desires in that manner but Rem loves him too much to hurt him-"
"Calm down, Rem." Ram assured her twin. "I'm sure Gelflu is just interested in verbal insults."
"Hah!" Priscilla suddenly exclaimed, pompously puffing her endowed chest out. "If that is all that is needed, then you are far too inferior compared to my divine self!"
"Bitch."
"It sounds like you are in sore need of my assistance in your death, rat."
Felt instantly dodged out of the way, prompting the others to vacate the area as well as Priscilla snapped her fan and started firing balls of crimson flames at Felt but kept missing.
"Your aim sucks as usual!" Felt kept teasing as she kept dodging around.
"That's enough, both of you!" Emilia instantly chastised, instantly stomping the ground and releasing a wave of cold energy which dispersed the sunfire. "It's one thing if you two are just fighting but look at the throne room!"
The two red eyed girls winced as they looked around to survey the damage done to the impromptu battlefield.
"We'll clean it up, I swear." Felt instantly spoke.
"My beloved cannot rule in such a ruined place." Priscilla only let the slightest bit of guilt show in her eyes. "I will do better than the rat."
Emilia sighed as the two started to bicker again, already preparing the necessary spells.
"What do you think about that, Crusch?" Anastasia asked as she and Crusch left together. "Think our leader might be a masochist?"
"Now that you're asking me that..." Crusch blinked in curiosity, which sent chills down Anastasia's spine. "Just what is this... 'masochist' thing that the members of the Asmodeus Brigade are talking about?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I ain't answering that." Anastasia shook her head before speeding her pace. "Lady Echidna might've given me some extra info but I swear I ain't explaining that of all things!"
"So this is what you saw, Julius." Flugel commented as he looked out onto the surroundings of Lugnica. Trees as far as the eye could see, except for the lone human settlement that he could just see in the very far away distance.
"Yes, milord." Julius replied. "The lands around us are filled with natural wildlife and I saw very few beasts around. Even if we were suddenly transported, we were fortunate to not have been dropped in a disadvantageous area."
"True..." Flugel slowly agreed before shuddering as the wind suddenly blew a strong gust past them, fluttering his wings and their clothes. "Julius, I wish to be alone for a bit. Return inside and alert the others of my location if they worry."
"As you wish, Lord Flugel." Julius replied before turning about and leaping down from the wall.
For a moment, Flugel enjoyed the silence and sights. Then he had the accidental thought of wishing his friends and family could've seen it as well, only for the realization to hit him.
As far as he knew, he wasn't going to see them again.
And then, he started chuckling to himself. Soon, he started full out laughing, turning his throat raw in the process.
"What kind of joke is this?" Flugel coughed through his laughs, holding his hand to his head as tears dripped down his cheeks.
Shaking his head clear and wiping his cheeks clean, Flugel realized this didn't change anything. Merely confirmed what he suspected.
He looked up at the sky and gasped. The sky was clear and the stars were out and sparkled in the sky like diamonds, waiting to be taken.
It was beautiful. More beautiful than he could ever express in words or thought.
As a person named Subaru, he had taken up astronomy as a hobby and he knew none of the constellations currently above him.
He reached up to try and trace them only for an idea to strike him. Summoned by the barest of thoughts, his wings flared out from behind him.
"Well…" Flugel felt his lips curl up into a grin. "Let's see how well these things work out here."
He spread his wings to their full length, two meters tip to tip, and readied himself to jump as high as he could. With his full strength, Flugel jumped upwards and a massive boom echoed out immediately, rocketing himself far into the sky above as the ground broke from the strength of his takeoff.
Flugel felt the wind rush past his face as he soared into the sky, his wings flapping on their own and somehow making micro adjustments by instincts.
Soon enough, he came to a stop, his wings flapping almost lazily to keep him afloat.
Subaru- No. Flugel could fly. Everything Subaru had amassed and invested into Majestia Royal was now his to experience.
Even as he later flew back to Lugnica, these thoughts dominated his mind and did a lot to drive away his negativity.
Several hours later, Flugel awoke in a cocoon of soft silk sheets. Face buried in his pillow, the Archangelic Sage failed to stifle a yawn, only seconds away from allowing sleep to claim him once again. The impossibly comfortable mattress he rested upon begged him to remain, and he had an exceedingly difficult time refusing.
The slim rays of sunlight peeking through the navy-blue curtains covering the windows of his spacious room brought the call of a new, bright day with them, and the Guildmaster despaired, momentarily believing himself back home.
One did not simply arrive late to work if they wanted to keep their job. To do so was tantamount to financial suicide if you had an especially bitchy boss, and it was only the promise of unholy shame that prompted the former shut-in to valiantly shrug off the temptation of further slumber and attempt to climb out of his warm bed.
Shifting his body about, his actions were greeted by the tightening of a pair of slender arms around his torso. A bit of shuffling underneath the blankets caused the exhausted man to furrow his brow in confusion, but his fatigued and sleep-gripped brain finally decided to play catch-up when a shapely set of legs became entangled with his lower body.
The nuzzling of a face against his bare chest inflamed his cheeks, and pushed him to tentatively raise the golden sheets of the large bed to catch a glimpse of the situation hidden from his view.
Locks of long, wavy brown hair were revealed stationed atop the surprise bedmate's head. Drooling a bit unto his stomach, Shaula slept soundly, her nude body sparking memories from just hours ago.
The shock of being transported to a new world, the elation from his first ever flight, immediately running into Shaula and drawing her into a kiss. He had no idea how he'd managed to find his room while wildly kissing the girl in his arms but he was definitely convinced that he was truly in another world now.
There probably wasn't any better girl to lose his virginity to than to the one he had literally designed to have his ideal body type.
Even remembering the events of the previous night was enough to spark his desire again, judging by how his manhood slowly swelled to life against Shaula's stomach.
Naturally, due to the fact that they were both naked, Shaula was quick to wake up to the sensation of a penis poking her.
"Good morning, Master." The sound of her voice which was positively thick with adoration made his cock pulse excitedly, which Shaula paused as she definitely noticed that. "Ah, you're still so energetic, Master~"
In seconds, the large, vein-riddled shaft of his pulsating erection rested against her pretty, pale face. Shaula looked upon the erect cock with complete awe, flushed from the proximity of the musk it emitted. It quivered and throbbed, the bulbous and wide tip already leaking pre-cum from his heightened level of arousal.
She pressed a kiss to the thick veins, her warm and soft lips generating a pleasant and spine-tingling sensation as she smooched different spots over and over again.
Once she was satisfied his cock was well and truly lubed up, Shaula hefted her perky tits above his pelvis, spreading them invitingly with her dainty hands. "My boobs belong to Master."
And then, Flugel's cock was subjected to heaven when she lowered her breasts and engulfed it between their heavenly softness.
"Shaula!" Flugel groaned, immediately bucking his hips and thrusting the tip of his cock into her welcoming mouth. After a minute, Flugel changed their positions and straddled her waist, groping her bountiful breasts and pushing his cock back into the tight and hot space in between.
Shaula opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. When he thrust forward, the underside of his rod slid over her hot little tongue, allowing her oral appendage to caress his pulsating, engorged under vein and coat it with more of her lava-like spit. His member tunneled between her full tits, mashing through them with breathless grunts.
Flugel fucked her tits with reckless abandon for what felt like a blissful, divine eternity. But all good things eventually came to an end, with Flugel groaning as he cummed all over Shaula's face, his seed marking his scent all over her again.
For the next few days, Flugel spent most of his time exploring the entirety of his whole fortress, especially areas that he hadn't been able to access as a normal player before. Places like kitchens, bathrooms, and many more facilities that a virtual character wouldn't have needed compared to a flesh and blood person.
He also took the time to connect with his Retainers, doing various tasks with them all around. He also realized that Lugnica actually had a lot of NPCs (mostly soldiers and the like) that had been naturally spawned within the fortress walls, most likely from a side effect of Pleiades doing their best to transform the former dungeon into a livable area.
Of course, the fact that Flugel was essentially their ruler, by medieval standards at least, meant that no matter how casually they acted, the only times they disobeyed him was if it went against Lugnica's interests as a whole.
And Flugel... wished he could say that he didn't take advantage of that. There were a lot of attractive and willing girls within his reach. It'd be a horrible lie if he said that he wanted his guildmates present for those instances.
"It's pretty breezy today, huh..." Flugel hummed as he approached Crusch, who now decked differently than her usual uniform.
Unlike her military uniform, Crusch was now dressed in steel armor trimmed in gold, which only covered part of her upper body, shoulders, and forearms. Along with the armor, her long verdant hair was tied into a ponytail, her white gloves were now replaced with thicker brown ones and a bright red cape hung from her shoulders.
"Milord, I am honored that you considered me a worthy opponent for this battle." Crush bowed her head in respect. "A battle to test our current power levels in this new environment is a rather fine idea."
"Thanks, Crusch." Flugel replied as he took a position before Crusch. "But why do you sound surprised by that?"
"Well, you kept rutting about with several of my female comrades as well as some of the civilians." Crusch replied bluntly, causing Flugel to sputter. "I mean no disrespect against you, but I honestly thought that without any of our usual enemies, you were content to simply laze about in sloth and lust."
'Why did Typhon make you such a blunt gal?!' Flugel cringed inwardly. "Right... Sorry-"
"It's unbecoming for you to lie, milord. Especially when you have little intention of ever restraining yourself." Crusch cut Flugel off, reminding Flugel of her ability to discover lies. "After all, you did it with Shaula in your bedroom, then with Emilia in the gardens, then with one of the civilian nurses in the sickbay, then with Anastasia in the library-"
"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay!" Flugel cut her off instantly, his cheeks red from the embarrassment. He knew that he really wasn't holding himself back, especially with all of his partners being very willing despite their varying personalities, but there was something cringeworthy about one's sex life being recited back to him. "I won't lie about that. I mean, you're all beautiful women and when it..."
He sighed at that, being unable to put it into proper words. "Anyways, let's get back to our original purpose here."
"As you wish." Crusch slowly unsheathed her sword and planted it before her, the wind starting to swirl around her. "However, this is a battle and I want the both of us to give it our all. Put all distractions aside and focus wholly on me."
'No problem with that.' Flugel watched as the wind picked up in speed, blasting upwards as Crusch powered up. Taking a deep breath, Flugel did the same, causing a bright of aura of holy energy to surround him as well, with sparks of electricity arcing off his form.
"[Sky Attribute: Lightning.]"
Wasting no time, Flugel launched himself forward and punched at Crusch's raised sword, causing a great shockwave from the impact. Undeterred, Crusch diverted Flugel's fist and swiped forward, unleashing a swift slash of wind that Flugel dodged to let it fly beneath him.
As soon as he landed, Flugel wasted no time running again. Flying wouldn't help here as Crusch wasn't one to be easily overwhelmed by an opponent in the sky, especially with her World Gear. Speeding up further, he suddenly appeared at Crusch's side and struck at her, throwing a punch she blocked with her forearm.
Taking advantage of the recoil, Flugel swung with his other fist, crashing against Crusch's bicep now, jarring her and leaving her open for a powerful double kick to the gut that sent her flying through some trees at near supersonic speed.
Before Crusch had finished crashing, Flugel came down from above, smashing his fist into the side of her hastily raised sword and burying her into a deep crater.
Quickly recovering, Crusch swung him off, gathering wind to gather around her blade until the weapon itself was barely visible.
"Haaaah!" Crusch delivered a powerful horizontal slash, cutting through scores of trees and ripping apart several boulders as Flugel barely managed to dodge the attack, sprouting his wings so that the airwaves of the attack didn't send him spiraling away.
As soon as the wind calmed down, Flugel landed with a heavy pant and a rapidly beating heart. Several meters away from him, Crusch was barely different, a smile appearing on her face as she saw her opponent start to prepare a powerful attack of his own.
"I call upon the Attribute of Lightning! Gather in my fists and strike down my enemy!" Flugel pumped his fists up, summoning copious amounts of lightning that circled around his forearms until they were completely cloaked in the electrical energy.
This was the Power to Strike down a Foe with Supreme Judgement.
"I call upon the Element of Wind! Gather in my sword and shred apart my enemy!" Crusch raised her blade, summoning so much wind into it that the attack gained visibility from just how much power had been pumped into it.
This was the Power to Fell a Hundred in One Blow.
"[Crushing Fists of Majestic Lightning!]"
"[Unstoppable Winds of the Lion Rampant!]"
Crusch swung down, her sword shooting forth a massive wave of magical wind, so saturated in energy that it shone emerald with the intent of shredding all in it's path.
Flugel swung his fists forward and met the spell head on, repeatedly smashing his fists against the slash attack and steadily diminishing it's power.
From that moment on, it was a matter of who's mana and strength would give out first as the shockwaves of their clash tore apart their surroundings. Crusch's wind or Flugel's lightning, the clashes continuing for a full minute until Flugel started to gain ground, taking steady steps in getting closer to the swordswoman.
Once close enough, Flugel burst through the wind and punched right into the surprised Crusch's chestplate, denting it as he redirected his attack downwards and slammed her into the ground. The last shockwave caused an eruption of earth and lightning to blow forth from them, leaving Flugel victorious over Crusch.
"...it's my loss, milord." Despite her words, Crusch looked rather satisfied with the conclusion.
Flugel breathed heavily as he fell over and laid down on his back next to Crusch. 'Amazing! It's totally different from the VR experience!'
After a minute, Flugel felt rejuvenated and totally ready to move about again. However, Flugel just laid there enjoying the calmness of the demolished area-
'Ah.' Flugel blinked as the destroyed trees slowly began repair themselves. 'So if anywhere within Lugnica's territory gets damaged, it still repairs itself? Would that work for enemy attacks as well?'
As he sat up to observe his surroundings better, Flugel wasn't sure he wanted to test that part.
"Milord?"
Flugel blinked out of his thoughts, realizing that his gaze had stopped at Crusch for a while now.
The normally stoic woman stood strong under his full attention only to blush and start squirming as his gaze continued, looking over her figure as if her clothes and armor didn't even exist in his sight. "Why do you gaze upon me with such eyes, milord? I do not have such a womanly figure compared to my comrades..."
"You're beautiful, Crusch." Flugel honestly said, pleasantly surprised by the blush that decorated her entire face.
"Y-You flatter me, milord." Crusch stammered, turning slightly as she hid her face in her hands.
'Dammit. How was I supposed to resist that cutesy response?' Flugel thought ten minutes later, thrusting wildly into the moaning greenette as he made love to her right there in the forest, their clothing just removed or torn enough to access the important parts no matter how uncomfortable it was. "You're so adorable, Crusch!"
No matter how much she stammered and tried to refute his claims, the way Crusch's legs clenched tighter around Flugel's pistoning hips easily proved how much she loved them.
Several miles away, a platoon of soldiers headed on towards their target.
"Captain." The leader and Captain of the troops turned slightly to acknowledge the soldier that had whispered to him. "Is this really okay?"
The captain's eyes narrowed. "Are you doubting our divine orders?"
"N-No, sir!" The soldier hastily replied before sneaking a glance at the odd person lagging behind them, her humming constantly unsettling the soldiers as nobody had the courage or ability to make her stop. "It doesn't matter if she says she's bored. It's just that if the Council let her come along, doesn't that mean that there's something suitably dangerous ahead of us?"
"...maybe." The captain acquiesced. "But if there is something like that, at least the Council of Twelve saw fit to allow her whims. After all, we could've had Sir Nigun Grid Luin instead, y'know."
There was some grumbling from those who heard his words, all well aware that the owner of that mentioned name was far worse than the one accompanying them.
Her long hair was black and white, separated to both sides. Even though she appeared young, nobody would show any doubt if told that she was at least thrice that age. In her heterochromatic eyes, hidden behind the thick layers of soul crushing boredom was a tiny hope for something incomprehensible.
Last week, there were reports from her superiors in the Slane Theocracy that some sort of unknown magic was set off somewhere near their border, and was completely unable to be identified.
So, of course they sent one of the strongest members of the Black Scripture to investigate.
Truth be told, she knew better. She knew exactly why they would not be hesitant to send her away like this.
The Slane Theocracy didn't trust her. Hell, the only reason they didn't execute a filthy Half-Elf like her already was because she had the blood of the God-kin pumping through her veins, and that they would lose their excuse to go to war against the Elf King.
So, they had compromised, and made her job to guard the national treasures of the Theocracy. That way they could still keep control of her and keep her ugly visage away from the eyes of the good, human, people of their fair nation.
Despite that, she didn't care. The only thing she desired was to go out into the world and do two things: One, get revenge on her bastard father. Two, find a warrior who is stronger than her, have them defeat her in combat, and then settle down and have a family with them.
Sure, her superiors had promised her that they would help her get revenge on her father, but so far, all they had done was have kept her within the confines of the country, not doing anything worthwhile.
So, when she heard that she was getting special clearance to go into the outside world and investigate, she was overjoyed. Until she heard the full details of her 'mission'.
The middle of nowhere, in search of who-knows-what, that did who-knows-what in a location nobody cared about before it's appearance. So in other words: Complete bullshit.
'If we do run into something stronger than me, I wonder what a child between us will be like.' Zesshi Zetsumei thought as she twirled her scythe absentmindedly.
Stats
Asmodeus Brigade
Name: Shaula
Level: 96
HP: 12,000
MP: 60
Race: Scorpion Beasthuman
Class: Launcher
Title: Scorpion Sage
STR: 200
VIT: 96
AGI: 80
INT: 20
WIS: 40
LUK: 10
WG: Scorpius Morphology
.
Name: Rem
Level: 93
HP: 9,000
MP: 30
Race: Oni
Class: Bruiser
Title: Azure Demon
STR: 100
VIT: 95
AGI: 200
INT: 50
WIS: 70
LUK: 10
WG: Synesthesia, Mana Detection
.
Name: Ram
Level: 93
HP: 9,000
MP: 3,000,000
Race: Oni
Class: Burst Mage
Title: Crimson Demon
STR: 90
VIT: 95
AGI: 200
INT: 70
WIS: 50
LUK: 40
WG: Synesthesia, Oni Apotheosis
KingVessel: Done for now, please review!