IMPORTANT! The sexual tags have been updated to include angel-girl, oppai-loli (legal), and MILF because I suck at editing. For similar reasons, the typo in that content warning has also been fixed and so too has Naruto's Yggdrasil stat card. My apologies for that.
And with that outta the way, sup bitches! Here's that second chapter I promised yesterday. I hope y'all enjoy!
Chapter Two: Inner-Struggles
Not ten minutes after leaving the throne room, Naruto stood in his bedchamber, looking at a full-body mirror by the dresser and staring at his reflection. It was so weird to see his character's lips move while he was talking and to hear a voice that was not his own when he did. (1)
But, this was... apparently him, now…
He could move his ears, he could move his tails, and yes… they were indeed his. Each and every last one of those tails were now his limbs; every bit as much as his arms and legs, they were indeed his limbs. How he had the muscle memory to move them was beyond his understanding, but move them he did.
Similarly, it would seem his ears also helped convey emotion. Every time he smiled, they perked up; every time he snarled, they wanted to curl back; when he frowned, they flattened and so on.
That... would take some getting used to…
He had also discovered that each and every item in this room actually existed, now; the drawers and wardrobe were no longer just cosmetic and were now filled to the brim with copies of outfits that he had in his inventory when the servers shut down, including the armor and jewelry. The books in his personal shelves were now real, too―the contents specifically being his favorite ninja books, manga and such; many of them were books he wanted to attain IRL, but never had the chance to. His desk, meanwhile, now had real papers and writing utensils in it, the bed was an actual bed that he could sleep in, everything was real…
Some items that didn't exist ingame were even here, now, like the dream version his otaku shrine. Being such close friends with Peronroncino, it was hard not to be... corrupted, not that he minded too much. A conflicted smile spread across his face at the thought—fond of the memories while uneasy about his new situation.
"This will definitely take some getting used to," he commented. Then, his musings were interrupted by a female voice ringing in his head.
"Lord Kurama," she said, sounding confused. "This is Shalltear."
The young-sounding woman was speaking to him through a low-tier spell called Message. As the name implied, it was a communication spell.
"What's wrong?"
"It would appear that the swamplands outside of Nazarick are… gone."
Naruto frowned. That didn't sound good. "...Please clarify what you mean by 'gone'."
Back in Yggdrasil, the Great Tomb of Nazarick was located in a poisonous swamp of Niflheim. It was always night time and shrouded in a thick, perpetual mist. If Shalltear was implying what he thought she was, then the tomb as a whole was somehow transported… elsewhere.
"I mean that the landscape is completely different," she told him. "The great tomb is now surrounded by a flat, grassy plain; the skies are clear, the mist is gone, and the sun is up. The only landmarks I can spot from here are a forest to the... north and a distant mountain range to the northwest."
She'd cast a quick location spell to make sure, but yes, they were in those specific directions. (2)
Naruto, meanwhile, frowned. That didn't sound like Nazarick's location in the fucking slightest!
Come to think of it, though… wasn't this the first time Shalltear has been outside the Great Tomb? How was she aware of what its surroundings were supposed to look like?
Deciding that he'd ask her later, Naruto issued his orders. "Retreat to the tomb and meet me at the amphitheater," he commanded. "Bring Sebas with you."
"On my way, Milord."
With that done, the kitsune cast a Message of his own to revise the orders of a certain succubus.
"Albedo," he barked. "Change of plans: the Guardians are to drop what they're doing and meet me at the amphitheater… save for Gargantua. Let him sleep. I'll explain why once everyone's there."
"Understood, Milord," she replied.
The instant he received her response, the vulpine demon disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Naruto instantly reappeared in the same manner as he vanished in the center of a mighty stone colosseum. The oval-shaped building stood nestled in the middle of the sixth floor's lush rainforest. The scenery, including the skybox with a day and night cycle, was built and crafted with love and care by a guild member named Blue Planet.
As his name would imply, the man was an environmentalist who longed to see the world as it once was, before it had been covered in a cloud of industrial and orbital pollution that blocked out the sun; the price of taking too long to colonize other worlds, many claimed.
As for the structure, it was around 600 feet long, 500 wide, and just a little over 12 stories tall. At nighttime, which the skybox was currently set to, the Continual Light spell enchantments activated to bathe the arena in white light.
The arena was modeled after the Roman colosseum, save for a few creative liberties, such as the whole thing being black in color, and the architecture being more imposing.
With the sole exception of a massive, 1,500-strong invasion, every last poor bastard dumb enough to intrude upon the home of Ainz Ooal Gown met their end here… if not sooner. It was quite frankly their guild's greatest achievement, partially made possible by the menagerie of high-level monsters they kept stored away in the lower levels of this colosseum to face off against intruders in brutal melee.
In the waning days of Yggdrasil, this was also where he set up a PvP date with Momonga-senpai so that Naruto could adjust his build. While there were other ways to go about it, dying and getting rezzed with the spell Raise Dead was simply the most effective way to do so and since Momonga-senpai started finding himself with less and less time to help, Naruto needed a few levels in Necromancer to properly maintain certain aspects of the Great Tomb.
He only sported just enough to get the job done, but that was all he needed―specifically sacrificing five levels in Rogue to that end, since they were the most expendable. Of course, Momonga-senpai was more than happy to help and even offered his advice on which spells would be the most useful... though one or two were chosen purely for the coolness factor. It was the most fun they'd had in a long time, to be honest. (3)
Pushing his nostalgia aside, Naruto looked around. Now, then… where were those twins?
Then out of the corner of his eye, the youko saw a bit of movement in the VIP box and spotted a small, lithe form leaping out just before landing in front of him in a crouch. There was no magic involved―just pure, physical prowess.
The form in question was that of a little girl, apparently somewhere between 10 to 13 years old? It was hard to tell, really, partially because of her race. The girl had dark skin and an unruly mop of gold that tickled her shoulders. Her long, pointed ears made it clear that she was a Dark Elf, a species related to forest elves. (4)
She looked up and smiled at him, showing herself to be a somewhat-androgynous cutie with a heart-shaped face and mismatched eyes―one green and the other blue. She was garbed in leather armor reinforced with red dragon scales underneath her white vest and matching trousers. The crest of Ainz Ooal Gown was proudly displayed on her vest in gold.
The elven girl finished her look with thick leather gloves, reinforced with metal plates, a golden acorn pendant around her neck, brown leather shoes and a metallic whip coiled up at her hip.
Naruto immediately recognized her as Aura Bella Fiora, one of the two creations of Bukubukuchagama―both of whom were the Guardians of the 6th floor… and as with all the others, she was far more expressive than he remembered, bouncing adorably on the balls of her feet as she eagerly saluted him.
"Hello, Lord Kurama," she chirped. "What brings you here?"
"Something weird," Naruto admitted with a sigh. "I wanna wait for the other Floor Guardians to arrive before I say what, though."
"Fair enough," she said with a shrug. Then, Aura realized that her brother was conspicuously missing.
Groaning in annoyance she turned to the VIP booth and shouted, "Mare, Lord Kurama has graced us with his presence! How long do you plan on being so rude to him?!"
"S-sorry," a rather soft-spoken voice shouted back. "You know I hate heights! C-can't I just use the stairs?"
"Oh, c'mon, now! Just jump already! You're making Lord Kurama wait!" Aura groaned again as she returned her attention to Naruto. "I am sooo sorry, Lord Kurama," she lamented, turning towards the man in question. "Mare's not trying to insult you; he's just really timid."
"It's fine," Naruto chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair. "I understand perfectly." He couldn't help but smile at the exchange having been reminded so much of Bukubukuchagama and her little brother, Peronroncino.
"Gaaah!" Speaking of little brothers, Aura's twin squealed girlishly all the way down as he relented, stumbling a bit as he landed on his feet and ran up to Naruto.
Of course, because everyone in his guild was apparently some kinda weirdo, Mare Bello Fiore was not at all dressed like a boy. Much like his twin sister, he seemed rather androgynous, not at all helped by the feminine bob cut he sported. (5)
He wore an identical vest to Aura's and an acorn-shaped pendant around his neck, though his was silver. His clothes also had the same basic white color scheme, but that was where the similarities ended in terms of their outfits. Instead, he wore a short skirt, long stockings, knee-high boots and a green cloak over his shoulders. The red in his outfit was replaced with blue and the gloves upon his dainty hands were much finer. Clutched in his grip was a gnarled, black wooden staff.
That all aside, Mare was unmistakably Aura's sibling, sharing the same face and hair color. He was just far more timid, fidgeting nervously before Naruto, and which of his eyes were which color had been switched. His ears also pointed slightly downwards while Aura's pointed up, hinting at their differing personalities.
"No need to be so scared, I won't bite," Naruto teased, ruffling the boy's hair and causing his cheeks to go bright red.
"S-sorry," Mare muttered shyly.
Then, before anything else could be said, a swirling blackness emerged from the ground to create a semicircular doorway beside them. It was like someone's shadow came to life and lifted itself off of the ground. And then, a girl emerged from it, accompanied by Sebas.
Her skin was pale as wax and the girl's silver locks were pulled back into a long ponytail. She appeared to be around 13 or 14, but knowing her creator, this "girl" was probably a 1,000-year-old loli or some shit.
Though Naruto was intimately familiar with her build, having often brought the girl along to defend Nazarick from invaders after most of the guild had quit, he'd never actually read her bio for fear of mental scars. (6)
But, despite her height and petite frame, the girl in question didn't quite look like a traditional loli as she apparently rocked quite the ample bosom for her age… keyword: 'apparently'. Something seemed off about the way it bulged outward, but Naruto didn't quite know what. The youko wasn't sure he wanted to know, either.
That aside, this new arrival was garbed in black and dark pink with hints of white. She wore a soft, elegant ball gown, its skirt poofed out into a bell shape, along with a bonnet, bolero, and long gloves. The outfit covered nearly all of her skin and was almost excessively decorated with frills, lace and ribbons and she twirled a matching parasol in her hands. The girl's crimson eyes bore a seductive look as she eyeballed Naruto with a hungry grin.
This was Shalltear Bloodfallen, creation and magnum opus to Peronroncino.
"The sun didn't bother you, did it?" Naruto asked. While he never read her bio, the red-haired man knew she was a vampire, so he felt the need to be sure. All things considered, he wasn't sure how her kind would be affected in this new situation. She did mention that the sun was up, after all. (7)
"Not at all," Shalltear chirped, giving him a reassuring smile. "It slowed me down, but that was the extent of its effects."
So, sunlight still had the same effects here as it did in Yggdrasil, then?
"Good to know," Naruto replied with a smile on his own. Then, he was taken aback when Shalltear suddenly closed the gap between them in a blur of inhuman speed. He caught a whiff of her very enticing perfume when she leaned forward with a giggle.
"Thank you oh, so much for your concern~!" Shalltear purred. Unfortunately, before she could properly start putting the moves on Naruto, Aura decided to butt in with a scoff.
"Something stinks," the elven girl commented. "You didn't start decomposing, did you?"
And of course, Shalltear didn't take kindly to that, "Excuse me?!" Whirling around to face Aura, she gave her an indignant look. "I will have you know that this is the finest of perfumes."
Quite predictably, the little vampire was quick to retaliate… and Aura only returned fire with a harshness that could only come from a sibling, despite the girls not being at all related themselves.
"You might wanna get your money back, Fake-Tits," she scoffed. "It smells like shit."
"I never…!"
Naruto couldn't help but find a bit of guilty pleasure in their exchange. They were acting just like a pair of catty sisters, thoroughly reminding him of the bickering he'd often hear from Peronroncino and Bukubukuchagama.
"So noisy," a deep, gravelly voice commented, turning everyone's attention towards its source.
The being lumbered forth, just over ten feet tall and resembling a bipedal insect apparently made of ice. He had three eyes on either side of his head, a long tail lashed about behind him, and his powerful mandibles looked like they could sever a man's arm in one bite. In one of his multiple three-fingered hands, he carried a long, platinum halberd. Two clouds of frost spewed from his face as he huffed at the ruckus caused by Shalltear and Aura.
The creature in question was Cocytus, Ruler of Glaciers, Guardian of the 5th floor and creation of Warrior Takemikazuchi―a man who was all but obsessed with samurai and all things martial. It more or less reflected in Cocytus' sparse profile, if not his appearance.
"You stand before a Supreme Being," Cocytus said, not at all amused by their lack of discipline. "Contain yourselves."
"The brat started it," Shalltear muttered, pouting childishly.
"Actually," Aura started.
"That's enough, you two," Naruto interjected with a warm chuckle.
As if a switch had been flipped, the two of them immediately composed themselves. Aura bowed and Shalltear gave him a curtsy as they replied in perfect unison. "Yes, Milord."
Naruto's smile only widened at that. It was just so cute!
"I do hope those two haven't been causing you any trouble," Albedo called out as she too entered the arena. She was accompanied by two others, the last two Floor Guardians, save for Gargantua―Victim of the 8th floor and Demiurge of the 7th. (8)
The former was an angel, though said creature looked like anything but, taking on the form of a bright pink fetus, roughly three feet long, with branches of holly for wings.
A nostalgic grin graced Naruto's face when he saw the small creature. Back when the Union of Eight Guilds with the aid of mercenary NPCs―forming a massive party, 1,500-strong, no less―raided Nazarick, it was Victim who played a key role in stopping them… which made Naruto think. That massive party was halted at the 8th floor, meaning literally everyone here but Albedo had died in that battle. Even Naruto himself!
To be fair, he was still experimenting with his build at the time, thus horribly under-leveled from constantly suiciding his character and quickly one-shotted... by one of their tanks, no less. In his defense, she also just so happened to be a paladin, but that was neither here nor there.
Naruto had to wonder, though… did they even remember anything before this apparent transition to a new world? Did they remember dying?
Pushing such grim thoughts aside for later, Naruto eyeballed the last arrival to this meeting.
The man in question was a demon who very much lived up to his name, as one would expect from his creator, Ulbert Alain Odle. Granted, one would be forgiven for thinking Demiurge was an elf, given his sharp features, thin build, and pointed ears, but the fangs and long, spiked tail were a dead giveaway.
The gangly man wore a red and white pinstriped suit with black, leather shoes, black gloves and opaque, round-lens spectacles with minimalistic, but still ornate frames. His skin was lightly tanned and his hair slicked back, making him look very much like a stereotypically-evil businessman or politician.
"As per your orders, Lord Kurama," Albedo said, "all of the Floor Guardians except for Gargantua are now present." She bowed before Naruto and the other guardians followed suit, one by one, though Victim had to settle for dipping lower to the ground.
"Right," the youko muttered. Then, he cleared his throat and addressed them professionally. "Before I summoned you all here, I sensed that there was something wrong." He decided to avoid gaming terms so as not to confuse them. Given that Albedo didn't recognize what a GM was, it was probably safe to assume that they didn't perceive Yggdrasil as a game. "After sending Sebas to scout the area with Shalltear," he gestured to the beings in question as he mentioned them, "it was brought to my attention that the Great Tomb of Nazarick was somehow transported to another world."
Literally no part of Niflheim even remotely fits Shalltear's description so that was a fair assessment of their situation.
Most of the Floor Guardians and their leader looked confused and concerned to hear that.
"I have no idea what caused this to happen," Naruto continued. "But I'm feeling a bit paranoid about our new situation for obvious reasons." He eyeballed those present, one by one. "Does anyone here happen to know what might have caused this, by any chance?"
"I'm terribly sorry, my love, but I do not," Albedo lamented.
"I, too, am quite puzzled by this turn of events," Demiurge added.
The other Floor Guardians' responses were similarly negative, as was Sebas'.
Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "Have any of you noticed anything out of place in the past hour or so?"
"I certainly have not," Shalltear answered. "...Aside from the obvious, of course."
"Nothing strange on my floor," Cocytus said, deciding to take his turn after her.
Following his lead, Aura chimed in. "Nothing weird on this floor."
"It… it's as she said," Mare added timidly.
"There've been no anomalies on the 7th Floor, either," Demiurge said, looking puzzled.
"The 8th floor has been untouched since you left, Milord," Victim stated. "The princesses are making yet another ruckus, but that is the only thing of note at the moment."
Knowing exactly whom the angel was referring to, Naruto shifted uncomfortably; that… was yet another situation he wasn't sure how to deal with.
"I've noticed nothing amiss, either Milord," Sebas chimed in.
"I haven't noticed anything out of place either, Lord Kurama," Albedo told him with a frown on her face. "Nor have Aureole and Gargantua for that matter. I'm so sorry that I can't be of more help."
"That's actually very helpful," Naruto assured. Straightening himself like he imagined a real leader might, the youko addressed everyone present. "It means that whatever caused this was likely outside of Nazarick at the time…" Then, he squinted, his ears flattening as he donned a puzzled look of his own. "It is unsettling, though… speaking of outside," he added, turning to Mare. "If I remember right you're a druid, Mare?"
"Y-yes, Milord."
"Would you happen to know Move Earth?"
Mare perked up at that. "Yes, Milord."
"Good," Naruto chirped. "I'm gonna want you to head outside with me and see what we can do to conceal the tomb. The last thing we need right now is an uninvited guest and being on a flat plain means we stick out like a sore thumb." He then turned to Albedo. "Until further notice, the safety of Nazarick and her people is my top priority. Put everyone on high alert and report anything out of place the instant you spot it, no matter how small." (9)
"As you wish, Lord Kurama."
A company of 50 men rode towards the dying pillars of smoke with all their might. Gazef Stronoff, the leader of the group, knew that he was too late to save this village, too, but he was gaining on these bastards!
Like the three before it, the village had been put to the torch; he clicked his tongue in frustration at the sight of its butchered populace.
Even the children hadn't been spared.
"What's the nearest settlement?" Gazef asked, looking to a man more familiar with the area.
"Carne Village," the soldier replied. "It's ten miles north of here."
"Lead the way, then!"
With that, the company pressed on, passing by the town without a second thought. They knew they wouldn't find any survivors… there were never any survivors left in these bastards' wake.
Enri looked behind as she and her sister ran, hand in hand, and saw that those two soldiers were still chasing them to her dismay. But, she grit her teeth and kept going. A little voice in her head told her that she should just ditch the girl and run on her own, but she viciously strangled it. No, she couldn't do that! Nemu was her little sister!
"H-hurry!" Enri panted. "We can shake them in the forest!"
"I'd like to see you try," one of the soldiers cackled.
Enri ignored him and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, practically dragging poor Nemu along as they entered the forest.
Though the foliage slowed the soldiers down more than it did the girls, given how familiar Enri and Nemu were with this forest, the two men still gained on them. Then, Nemu stumbled and took her big sister down with her.
Enri narrowly evaded the soldier's attack and with a roar of fury and desperation, she punched him in the head with all her might. She felt something pop and ignored the pain while scooping her sister back up and bolting once more.
The soldier, meanwhile, staggered back. Though his helmet absorbed the blow, it still dazed the hell out of him. As he toppled over, his comrade stumbled clumsily to avoid tripping over him and slammed into a nearby tree.
But, they recovered quickly and were hot on the girls' heels once more.
Then, moments later, Enri gasped, a line of hot pain across the woman's back wracking her to the core. She fell to her knees, clutching her little sister close. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she instinctively shielded Nemu as best she could.
"It's over," one of the men said, panting heavily from the chase. Though he was highly trained, the plate armor favored by the Baharuth Empire still weighed him down and his helmet made it hard to breathe; it did a number on his stamina, but he managed.
After having stayed in the arena for a bit, testing to see if their relocation to this new world had affected their magic and abilities by using some of those monsters in the amphitheater as living targets, Naruto was pleased to note that there were no differences he could spot… save for friendly fire being a thing, now. That wasn't a surprise, though... hell, all things considered, it would've been surprising if friendly fire wasn't a factor now.
That said, once he was satisfied with his findings, and done with concealing the tomb, Naruto dismissed Mare and returned to the throne room where Albedo was waiting for him. Soon after sitting down, the redhead found himself looking into a floating mirror, roughly four feet tall and two feet wide. The image therein, however, was not his reflection, but a field of grass.
This was a Mirror of Remote Viewing, a mid-tier magic item that allowed the user to view any area from a long distance… save for those protected from scrying―like enemy guild bases. He could still use it to scan Nazarick, but entrusted that task to the Floor Guardians while he used the mirror to scout the surrounding area.
The lush field was so different from Niflheim… and it stretched for miles!
But, then, he noticed a pillar of smoke in the distance and waved his hand. The image changed to the sight of a small village being attacked by men in armor. It was a shocking and gruesome display, but what troubled Naruto the most was that it… excited him?!
The very thought appalled him, but it did! The carnage, the sight of blood, the pain and suffering in the eyes of the women and children as even they weren't spared… it filled him with a horrible glee that terrified the man behind the fox. (10)
Naruto frowned in thought, rubbing his chin. In Yggdrasil, he had a Karma Rating of -500, which translated to him being as "evil" as possible. This was because it gave him access to quite a few spells and two classes he wouldn't be able to use otherwise―all of which were vital to his build. Strictly speaking, though, that was the only effect it had ingame. But now… was that Karma Rating why he felt this way?
Well, he couldn't just sit here and watch, as much as he apparently wanted to… No… he… why would he though? These pitiful creatures were but insects… Aura, Mare, and Aureole were exceptions, of course, but any humanoid beyond them only existed for his pleasure…
Why should he?
Naruto shook his head to dislodge those ghastly thoughts. 'Why?! Because it's the right thing to do, of course!'
...According to whom, though?
Naruto couldn't answer that… and what scared him most was that he didn't know why.
'No… it's not the right thing to do, but the... smartest.'
How so…?
'Shut up, you! I know what I'm doing!'
"Is everything alright?" Albedo asked, looking concerned. "You seem troubled, my love."
"I…" Naruto hesitated, his ears flicking about. "Yes, I'm just thinking is all…" He turned to her. "How quickly can you be ready for battle?"
Albedo looked surprised to hear that. "In an instant, Milord." It was not an exaggeration; because of the Quickchange Gem on her clothing, she could quite literally change into her battle gear in the blink of an eye. "If I may, why do you ask?"
It was then that Naruto spotted a cute blonde dragging a little girl to the woods, chased down by two soldiers. He couldn't help but think the woman had such an unfortunate hairdo… (11)
"We're going to... collect a debt," Naruto replied ominously. Yes, that was the reason; why let such a good opportunity for information go to waste? He'd swoop in, kill the soldiers, and accept information about this new world as his payment.
As a bonus, it would also give him the opportunity to see how he stacked up to the people of this world.
Moments later, Shalltear stood in the throne room, using the mirror to track the blonde who'd caught the eye of the last Supreme One. A frowning Naruto and an appropriately-geared Albedo stood behind her, ready for battle. The succubus, at Lord Kurama's behest, was garbed in her full plate black armor with a frogmouth helm specially built to accommodate her horns. Her wings were hidden, retracted into her back so she could pass for a human, and in her hands, Albedo held a wicked, black bardiche. (12)
"Gate!"
With a cry and an outstretched hand, Shalltear willed a black, semi-circular vortex to appear before them. The spell in question was one of the most potent and accurate in all of Yggdrasil, rocking a 0% chance of teleportation mishaps and a literally-infinite range, as long as the target didn't happen to be near or inside anti-teleportation wards.
The only reason Naruto didn't know it himself was because his choices in classes simply didn't allow it.
The blond nodded at Shalltear. "Use the mirror to keep an eye on us," he told her, narrowing his eyes at the swirling mass of chaos. "I don't want to take any chances and we don't know what these people are capable of."
Shalltear bowed her head.
"Of course, Milord."
Naruto offered the small vampire another nod and, without hesitation, went first, drawing his sword.
The scenery changed in an instant to that of the blonde's location as he stepped through the portal.
The soldiers trembled before him and a sadistic grin spread across Naruto's face. He approached them, using his Shadow Step ability so as not to make a sound while he did.
Then, when one of them attacked, he cast his spell.
'Silent Magic: Cloud of Knives!'
When he did so, Naruto used the Metamagic ability Silent Magic so that he didn't have to shout the name and potentially alert any nearby soldiers..
Such abilities were quite useful for magic casters in Yggdrasil, enhancing spells in countless potential ways so as to allow for even the lowest-tier incantations to be useful, no matter how strong one's opponent is. They could also add to the already ridiculous versatility of being a magic caster.
As for why the spell itself didn't make any noise, that was because of another ability: Arcane Stealth. It was an ability unique to Beguilers which hushed any sounds that would otherwise be made by a spell cast with Silent Magic.
And by the time a terrified Enri looked to see what was going on, the two soldiers were… for lack of a better word, gone. She looked about ready to hurl at the sight.
All that remained of the men was a pair of red stains upon the ground, their mangled armor now completely unrecognizable. She knew not how he did it, nor did she want to… and then, he turned his attention to her and smiled.
As soon as he sheathed his sword, Enri heard the distinct clatter of someone in full plate approaching; fearing that it was another one of those soldiers, she looked in the direction of that… blackness and saw that it had already disappeared. In its place was a woman in black plate, armed with a massive ballteaxe.
Enri had no idea whether to be relieved or terrified.
Unbeknownst to her, as the red-haired man with nine tails approached, she had a damn good reason to be scared.
This girl was pretty cute… and healthy… She had a nice rack, wide hips, a slender, but toned physique… She smelled nice, too… the lingering scent of her tears and that of her blood were very enticing for some reason…
He… wanted her… he wanted to feel her warmth, to hear her screams… to see tears spilling anew from those lovely, honey-colored eyes as he tore that brown and yellow dress to shreds and had his way with her.
It's not like anyone would miss these two, after all… and the little one would also make for a nice pet~!
'No!' Naruto took a calming breath and resisted, hiding his inner struggles quite well. 'I'm here for information,' he told himself. 'That would just make it harder to get for no good reason!'
If there were any women among the people attacking the village, though… Well, they were fair game, right…?
Forcibly pushing those thoughts aside, Naruto cautiously drew closer to the young woman and kneeled before her. Producing a little vial of red liquid, he handed it to her. "Drink this," he said.
"B-blood?" Enri muttered. That's what it looked like to her. She turned pale. Was he planning to turn her into a demon or something?!
Naruto stared at her oddly. Did this mean that healing potions didn't exist in their world? Did that word mean something else in their language? Did they even understand him? (13)
The blonde timidly accepted the vial, but then, her little sister panicked.
"Enri, no!" Nemu cried out. "Don't do it!"
"Excuse me?" Albedo growled. Her tone sent a cold shiver up the woman's spine. "My lord just saved you pathetic insects out of the kindness of his heart and yet you dare question him?!"
"I-I'll do it," Enri sputtered, establishing once and for all that she indeed spoke the same language. "Just please, don't hurt my sister."
Albedo raised her bardiche poised to lop the blonde's head off. "You'd better you worm!"
"Now-now. No need to be so hasty," Naruto looked at her, his sharp gaze ordering her to stand down. "They've been through a lot and are just scared is all."
The enraged succubus immediately calmed down, her mood doing an uncomfortably swift one-eighty. "My apologies, Lord Kurama."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
...Why should she apologize to them, though?
Naruto's eye twitched again and he quickly and forcefully pushed that annoying voice in his head to the side.
Albedo quirked her own eyebrow at the kitsune, though no one could see it, with her helm covering her head. He then made a gesture to the girls, reading her body language like a book; what he wanted from her finally came to the succubus.
She didn't want to do such a thing, but to question or defy him was nothing short of blasphemous, and… well, as long as it was for his benefit…
"I… apologize." Albedo sounded like it took every fiber of her being to be respectful towards these… creatures, but did as she was asked.
Naruto figured that was the best he was going to get out of her and didn't push it. He gave her a satisfied nod and turned to address the girls. "This is a healing potion from my homeland," he explained. It wasn't untrue; it just… felt weird to put it that way. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm Kurama, by the way, and this is Albedo; we're here to help."
Enri visibly calmed down at that and drank the potion without hesitation. She felt a warm sensation wash over her and, in an instant, the pain was gone. Even her hand felt fine! Looking down, she moved it experimentally and saw that it was no longer stiff. Then, she reached behind and patted her back. Her dress was still ruined and the blood was still there, but the wound was gone. Enri then smiled, looked Naruto in the eye, and bowed as best she could in her position. (14)
"Th-thank you, Lord Kurama," she said. Given how this "Al-bay-do" woman addressed him and how he dressed, he was clearly some degree of nobility, so of course he was entitled to such respect.
Albedo, meanwhile, grudgingly approved of the respect she displayed. 'At least the worm knows her place.'
"You're welcome," Naruto chirped, giving the blonde a wide, charming smile. Then, he turned to Albedo. "Slaughter anyone attacking the village, except for their leader," he ordered. "I want to capture him alive for interrogation. Leave the villagers be for now."
"With pleasure, Milord~!"
The way she said that shook Enri to the core. In that moment, she knew how lucky they were to have these two on their side… at least for now… and how important it was for her to ensure they stay on it.
But… would she be able to? If so, how? She had nothing of value to give… and it wasn't like a man of his standing would accept a common girl like her as... payment, right? Enri didn't know how to feel about that option, if it even was on the table. But he was clearly a kind lord… and quite handsome. She felt her cheeks burn at the thought.
"Shalltear, keep an eye on her and let me know the instant she needs help."
"As you wish, Milord."
Then, Albedo disappeared in a blur of speed, scaring poor Enri even more and pulling a pair of yelps from the girls.
"She's scary," Nemu commented with all the bluntness and tact one would expect from a child.
"Sorry about her. She's… not fond of commoners," Naruto said apologetically. Getting on this woman's good graces would allow him to find out a little more about this world, after all. That made him think, though… "This is a bit of a random question, but do you know about magic?"
Enri perked up at that. "Y-yes, actually," she replied. "A friend of mine is an alchemist who visits Carne Village every now and then. I just didn't recognize your healing potion because the ones he makes are blue."
Interesting...
"Carne Village," Naruto repeated thoughtfully, filing the information about the potions away for later. "Is that the name of your home?"
"Yes."
"Well, let's make sure you have a home to return to, then." With that, Naruto reached into a black hole of some kind that briefly appeared before his hand and pulled out two small horns with leather straps. "Hide in the woods until I come back," he said. "If you get into trouble, blowing one of these will call some allies to help you out."
The little horns were two copies of a low-tier magic item from 'his world', called the Horn of the Goblin General. Despite its name, it only summoned twelve of the little buggers―two archers, two riders and their wolf mounts, a cleric, a mage, and a commander being among them. In Yggdrasil, it was a trash item for noobs; truth be told, Naruto only still had the damn things because he forgot to sell them, but given how easily those two soldiers died, they should do the trick… hopefully.
Why does it matter if they don't though…?
'Quiet, you!'
"I… cannot thank you enough," Enri said. "I couldn't possibly hope to repay you."
"Don't sweat it," Naruto said, giving her a charming grin. Then, he turned to leave and paused looking at his staff and letting out a sheepish chuckle. 'How did I not notice that I brought this with?'
Enri turned beet red at that. "Still, though… I owe you my life… and my sister's"
"Well, as I'm sure you noticed, I'm not from around here," Naruto told her with a chuckle. "Tell me everything you know about where we are when I get back to you and we'll call it even." Then, he disappeared in a poof of smoke, drawing a startled yelp from the blonde.
Enri looked around and saw that he really was gone. Then, she sighed, a dissatisfied pout marring her pretty face. "That's hardly a fair trade, though…"
A feminine roar filled the air, a sign for this slaughter to become a different kind of massacre; in the blink of an eye, the hunters became the hunted as a woman in black armor leapt into the fray.
Londes Di Gelanpo swore under his breath more times in the past ten minutes than ever in his life. He was a faithful man―one who'd looked down upon those who didn't worship his gods as fools... but when she appeared, each and every swing of her axe cutting his men down like wheat, cleaving armor and bone alike with ease, he couldn't help but question if the gods existed himself!
"K-kill her!"
The woman cackled maniacally, taking three down with a single swing.
During their attack on Carne Village, Londes' forces had chased all of the villagers to the town square and surrounded them, prepared to slaughter each and every last one of them, but now, not even half of his men remained!
This should have been impossible… for men in full plate armor to be cleaved through like paper, for them to fly through the air like a child's playthings! It was inconceivable!
"Raaahahaha!" Albedo, meanwhile, didn't give a shit; she just plowed through their ranks like a pissed off rhino, laughing gleefully all the way at the havoc she wrought. It was just so fun~! The screams of pain and terror, the scent of their blood, the looks of pain and horror… it was exhilarating~! (15)
"R… R-r-retreeeat!" One of the soldiers turned and screamed like a little girl and soon enough, a general rout had followed.
"Run for your lives!"
"She'll kill us all!"
"Mommy! Make it stop!"
"G-get back in formation!" Londes shouted desperately. "Don't turn your backs on her, you fools!"
Unfortunately for these puny insects, Albedo was faster than them… and she took great pleasure in exploiting how vulnerable they were.
The carnage only continued from there, the villagers cowering in fear, but she ignored them. It was like they didn't even exist. No, it was the soldiers she wanted.
All except for their leader, as per the orders of her love. Speaking of...
Londes didn't know what happened. But, for some reason, his whole body seemingly forgot how to move and he went utterly limp. He was still conscious, but no matter how hard he tried, his body would not obey!
Then, a shadow loomed over Londes' prone form and flipped him onto his belly with a kick.
Naruto quickly got to work in hogtying his new prisoner. After hearing this guy barking orders, he easily identified the poor sap as their leader.
The youko looked different, though, so as not to startle the villagers too much… Most notably, his vulpine traits were missing and his eyes looked like those of a human, though they retained the same color. It wasn't an illusion, either. This was made possible by one of his racial classes: Kitsune.
Since his "species" was one of shapeshifters, he could take on the form of any humanoid or demihuman at will with the ability Alter Self… provided that the new form is no less than half his size, minus the tails. The change was purely cosmetic, though. He wouldn't inherit the naturally-sharp hearing of an elf or the hardiness of a dwarf, for example, by taking on said forms. And though he never tried taking on the form of a woman, let alone long enough to find out for obvious reasons, Naruto assumed that he wouldn't inherit a certain… drawback, either.
As for why it took him so long to get here... well, after noticing that he'd carried the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown here without realizing it, he took a quick, little detour as it were. That way, if any hostiles that he and Albedo couldn't deal with on their own were here, he wouldn't have to worry about it being destroyed.
"Sorry for the scare," Naruto called out. "We mean you no harm."
"Gaaah!"
Of course, the deathrattle of that one last soldier didn't help... The youko cleared his throat, pushing back his amusement at the Wilhelm scream.
"That said," he continued awkwardly, "I'm not going outta my way to help you for free." He gestured towards Albedo. "She and I are not from around here; in fact, we're from very far away and we... got lost, so we will gladly accept any information you have about our location as payment."
It made more sense than the truth, in all honesty... and Naruto somehow doubted that anyone here, even Albedo, would believe him if he told them about his actual situation.
"I… see." The comment came from an elderly man among the crowd as he stepped forth. "May we have the privilege of knowing our saviors' names?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment as Albedo came to his side. He had a lot of questions about this world, but some new ones came to mind in that moment.
Was he the only player who came here? Would someone recognize his name if he wasn't? If there were any other players here, would they be nearby?
Come to think of it, Naruto had no reason to believe he was the only player here…
With that thought in mind, Naruto stood up and approached the man with the grace of a nobleman, hands behind his back.
There may be a way to find out...
"I am known as Ainz Ooal Gown," he declared. "You can call me Ainz." He then gestured to a rather befuddled succubus and continued. "This is my wife, Albedo."
It took every ounce of the woman's self control for her not to flinch at the word "wife".
Because of his keen senses, Naruto could see and hear many of the villagers whispering quietly, commenting on how foreign his name sounded. Good. If he was lucky, they'd spread that name like wildfire.
In Yggdrasil, that name carried with it quite a bit of infamy, especially after they successfully repelled that eight-guild alliance. The fact that they were among the top 10 guilds in their heyday only made it more so. If anyone from Yggdrasil was in this new world, they'd likely recognize that name immediately and… hopefully seek him out? Of course there was no guarantee that would happen, but it seemed to be worth a shot nonetheless...
Pushing those thoughts aside, he then addressed the elderly man once more. "Am I right to assume that you are the leader of this village?" It felt weird talking like this, but it was pretty likely that they thought he was a man of high standing, given his attire and the fact that he was accompanied by a woman in full plate, so he did his best to sound the part.
Naruto was not too surprised when the man shook his head. "He was killed in the attack."
"I'm sorry to hear that," the disguised youko said. He sounded sincere, but deep inside, Naruto was unnerved to note that he felt nothing but complete apathy. Seriously, what the fuck was going on with him?! "I hope you get back on your feet soon, then." He paused for a moment before giving the man a charming smile. "Now, about that information?"
"Of course," the man replied. "If you and your wife wish to rest, then please do feel free to talk in my house where you can have a seat. It's still intact by some miracle."
"Thank you," Naruto chirped. Then, the young man perked up as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, one more thing! There were these two girls I helped on my way here. They're hiding in the forest right now. I should go fetch them before I do that."
"Very well, then," the elderly man said with a respectful bow.
DMS Notes and Trivia:
1: Not sure if this is exclusive to the anime, but it felt weird for this not to be mentioned if it's not. Then again, I haven't been able to read the official light novels yet, so I could be wrong, but it wasn't in the translations I found, lol.
2: Given how immense Yggdrasil is I feel like most classes would be given access to the spell Know Direction so players don't get horribly lost, lol. Granted Shalltear having it seems a bit wonky at first glance, but given that she's a magic/melee class, she'd have a shit ton of spells… and the average player knows 300... not the average mage... the average player... even if they are fighters and the like... despite magic-melee hybrid builds being seen as sub-optimal... ahem. Weird inconsistencies aside, I'm thinking it's safe to assume that Peronroncino would've needed to add at least one or two "filler" spells to her list. If so, basic utility and quality-of-lire spells seem like the obvious choice, especially given her... non-combative roles, lol.
3: Yeaaah, being unable to make alts (as in alternate characters) or just delete your character and easily start again would be a massive detriment to Yggdrasil. Just saying. Not just to its appeal, but to the players' ability to experiment, explore the options available, and express themselves, which goes against its biggest selling point in canon. That said, unless I'm horribly mistaken, this is my official headcanon on the matter: Yggdrasil died because the devs didn't know better.
With that outta the way, though, given that they have a cash shop, it's not hard to imagine those devs selling items that could be used to make much larger adjustments when needed, such as removing all levels of a class that one discovered was simply not worth investing in. In fact, it's harder to believe such things don't exist, so I'mma say they do, but are expensive... and they remove all of the levels of a given class, so dying and rezzing is still a more reasonable solution if one needed to make a smaller adjustment, like adding those five levels of Necromancer.
Given that their guild base is the Great Tomb of Nazarick, I find it easy to assume that at least some levels in Necromancer are needed to maintain it.
4: The transitions I've read describe her as looking to be around 11? She looks older than that to me, both in the LN illustrations and the anime, so I took some slight creative liberties with this one.
5: I mean… to be fair, it's hard not to assume that literally everyone in Ainz Ooal Gown was some kinda weirdo, lol. Damn, I wish they actually existed; I'd probably be the best of friends with quite a few of them. XD
6: I'd especially get along with a man of culture like Peronroncino. XD
7: This seems like an obvious thing for Naruto to ask; I can't help but wonder why Momonga didn't... as far as I'm aware. Correct me if I'm wrong; the translations I've read for the purpose of writing this fic were... sub-par, after all. Having a hard time getting through Volume 5 because of how cringey they are.
Of course, I will get my hands on some physical copies of the official translations as soon as possible, but but money's too tight with everything going on in the world right now... and don't get me started on the idiots ransacking our postal services in this country. Might have to wait until next year before I can get my hands on the light novels. :(
8: It felt weird for Victim not to be in this scene. Gargantua is huge as his name implies, so that alone is reason enough for him to stick to his floor unless he's needed elsewhere, but Victim having to stay on the 8th Floor seems weird to me.
9: I feel like Naruto would do a lotta the same things Momonga did, at least initially, albeit with a different mindset in some cases.
I also picture him being a bit of a ninja nut. I mean, it makes sense, given that it's Naruto. He always wanted to be Hokage in his respective franchise, so making him a history buff with a ninja-obsession seems pretty true to his character.
That being said, being a ninja nut would realistically make him more aware than most people of just how important information is, so concealing his headquarters from the world to prevent any malicious parties who might be out there from snooping around seems pretty obvious… especially considering how many times he found himself having to defend Nazarick from invaders back in Yggdrasil.
10: Similar to how Momonga's undead avatar made him struggle by suppressing his emotions, I feel like Naruto should have a similar issue, but instead of emotional suppression, I feel like something more befitting of his build is in order. =3
11: Am I the only one who thought that when I saw her? Good thing she wasn't Nemu's mother, lol.
12: Not quite a frogmouth, but that's the closest thing to her helmet's design I know of that exists. If anyone knows of a helmet type that's closer, please feel free to share.
Her axe, meanwhile, does indeed look like a bardiche. The haft looks a bit short from what I could tell, but whatever, lol.
13: That they're speaking a different language seems like a reasonable assumption for Naruto to make here, at least at first. They are in a different world, after all.
14: Another creative liberty… I dunno about y'all, but it felt kinda weird to me that the healing potion also mended her clothes in the anime. Not sure if the same could be said about the light novel, but the translation I found left that to the imagination.
15: While I don't recall Albedo ever exhibiting any outright-sadistic tendencies, I feel like this makes sense; she does have the same Karma Rating as Mr. Happy Farm, after all, lol.
Parting Author's Note: Another chapter done! Still feels a bit samey, but not quite as bad... I think that'll do for now. It'll take a few more chapters for this story to truly diverge—again, I feel like Naruto would take a lot of the same initial actions as Momonga—but at the same time, the subtle differences will start causing some ripples soon enough. =3
That all being said, hello to all of my new readers and to my fans from other stories! :)
If you're new here, my usual upload schedule is to update one fanfic on the first Friday of every month and another fanfic on the third Friday. So, the next update I'll be making will be to The Mirran on the 16th and I'll be updating this story again on the 6th.
I hope y'all enjoyed and until then! :)