AN: My First FF hope you find something to enjoy, or criticize. If i mess up on characters, lemme know your perceptions on them so I can make the story even more relevant to you or something to hopefully better your experience. Uploads will be irregular simply due to the fact that my entire schedule is but i will strive for reliability within my uploads, as much sense as that doesn't make. Also go check out good authors like Aedinirae Lunaris, and ZeroSenpai, they're awesome.
Idrk why youre reading this but know that I appreciate it however miniscule it may seem.
A lone human draped in his traditional exquisite garb stood upon his balcony, as his gaze roamed along his city and its denizens he noted the clear sky and how the suns location indicated that it was just past noon; the fact that he could see the sun also meant that spring decided to hold off rain for at least today. He trained his vision back onto his city, and while doing so, a scornful expression crept into his purple eyes for a fleeting moment before he stowed the emotions that caused it back into their place.
This had become a commonality in such "peaceful" moments of his, being haunted by the ineptitude that he was meant to show as Emperor, and casting a scornful gaze into the distance was the least problematic of his grievances over the past half-year. This man is Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, he's had enough of his balcony for now and he walks back into his room. While fixing his hair in the mirror just in case, he caught sight of a document on his desk nearby and his memory is jolted.
Suddenly remembering that he holds the fate of his Empire in his hands, he immediately starts to feel queasy but successfully represses it...in exchange for feeling a few strands of his hair fade into oblivion.
' I may never be able to fathom your schemes Ainz Ooal Gown...but I can only hope that my vassalage is part of it.' Jircniv thought ruefully.
Although one could say that he has become more accepting, not because of desire but simply the inevitability that all of his minds processes could conceive. The Sorcerer's Kingdom Coalition is all but a fever dream and that was just about his last hope, Jircniv slapped himself to try to reverse his nose diving train of thought.
Unfortunately, he must've slapped himself hard because a half asleep Baziwood busted open the doors of Jircniv's chambers.
"Yur majesty I heard what sounded like a shmack, are you under attack?!" The half-asleep Baziwood shouted his question while reaching for his sword, causing Jircniv to stare dumbfounded before bursting into a heartful laugh.
This caught Baziwood even more off guard, finally taking a moment to try to shed his state of fatigue.
'That was the first laugh with mirth instead of suffering that I have heard from His Majesty ever since The Katze Massacre' Baziwood thought, glad that he could at least be a jester of sorts to His Majesty.
When Jircniv's laugh started to die down, he had to wipe tears from his eyes before he had realized that Baziwoods own had focussed out of his half-dream state and was on his knee with his head bowed down in both loyalty and obvious penitence for his indiscretion. Jircniv already knew just how loyal Baziwood is, even if he makes a mess of any semblance of etiquette a lot of the time. Holding the Authority that being Emperor grants him, he decided to take the initiative before Baziwood could let his informal potentially seep into the document, lest he wish hell upon his Empire for infringing upon the intelligence of the Sorcerer's Kingdom.
" Please, be at ease Baziwood. I had forgotten you were stationed outside my chambers. My apologies for waking you suddenly, i just had figured something out recently is all, you should go home for today and actually get some rest in a bed instead of a stool against a wall. " Jircniv said while holding his chin in thought and walking toward his desk before taking his long awaited seat and looking over his offer of vassalage.
Baziwood seemed to be caught off guard, he just ended up grunting before nodding and leaving Jircnivs chambers. Now that Jircniv no longer had an image to maintain, he could at least relax for a little while longer while trying to make the best out of the current circumstances of vassalage in his contract. After rereading the contract for an uncountable amount of times and deeming it to be as best as he could do for his empire, which ultimately would cede to the Sorceror King, de-jure control over the Empire as part of the Sorcerous kingdoms Realm and leave Jircniv a figurehead, beholden to the word of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Jircniv could only pray to whatever power might exist that when he meets with that frog-headed demon that he is making the right choice. Jircniv rolled up the contract carefully and sealed it with Baharuth's emblem, a shield with two hippogriffs. Carefully placing the document in a wooden tube that had [Durability] - a simple 1st tier spell cast on it that helped prevent crushing, and sealed it with its lid. Usually, one would not go to such lengths; but for Jircniv, he knew he could scantily imagine the standards of a being as Ainz Ooal Gown.
Jircniv, deciding it wasn't needed today left the wooden tube on his desk and decided to leave his room and to go to his throne room. Granted there was nothing urging him to go but it was the easiest way to get in contact with who he needed. Jircniv needed his meeting with Loune Vermillion, he needed to get in contact with "Demiurge".
The man known as Loune Vermillion is a simple man, simply dedicated to the task at hand. What more could you ask of a subordinate? How about staying inside a den of ravenous beings that have slaughtered without mercy? He griped internally about his state of affairs, but his own complains were but small drops in the grand scheme of things. Loune knew this, and he knew the Empire of which he had watch take shape so he always put the matter at hand above his own thoughts.
He had just been teleported or more accurately sent through a [GATE] to a designated location in the Baharuth empire. Specifically this was in the center of the palace courtyard which is now plagued as an eerie memorial of the dark elf incident. He shook away such a grizzly reminder of their fate were they to be found guilty in the judgement of the Sorcerer King.
About every week Loune would get sent home to the Empire for a day or two, and catch up on current events to then relay back to the Guardian Overseer... one reminder of that terrifying beauty is enough to both steal a man's soul and send him crying to his mother.
'Most accurately both...probably.' Loune concluded in his thoughts as he made his way into the Imperial Palaces Courtroom, after all he had to give His Majesty, the Emperor his opinions about staying in Nazarick. Just like the week before, and the week before, and the week prior to the week before.
When in Nazarick he would much rather debrief to Demiurge, but he was usually on an assignment somewhere, or at least thats what he could make from Albedos mentions of him being "away for the time being". Loune made his way to the Imperial throne room, tossing aside the mire that have become his thoughts, he presents himself upon one knee with face lowered to his Emperor.
He noted the same maids he saw the last time he were here, he started to wonder if they were quitting or getting fired.
"You may rise Loune, I feel that these meetings have been almost as common as an occurrence as to not warrant such formalities, don't you think so?" Jircniv, the Bloody Emperor said while waving a hand in his usual regal fashion.
"Yes, thank you my Lord. Boundaries are just a part of duty, to respect ones duty is to respect its boundaries." Loune said resolutely, staying on one knee but raising his head.
"Well then seeing as you have been respecting the boundaries of duty, I need to respect mine. Loune, depending upon the reception of my offer, the Empire will become a vassal of Ainz Ooal Gown." Jircniv said succinctly, with no room for opinion.
Loune already had an idea of the abyss that is the Sorcerer King; that which has been encroaching on their sovereignty ever since the worker incident but to try and fight such an unstoppable force would be suicide. His mind on that matter hasn't been changed since the moment he was "assigned" as ambassador. So to say he was surprised would be a lie, this was the only option to retain any semblance of the Empire.
Upon discussing the topic at hand, Loune expressed his agreement with vassalage, because maybe if they committed to the offer, the Empire could express its own terms into fruition however inconsiderable the thought of self-fulfillment is.
"Even if we weren't in alignment this was a decision that had to be made, but i know you understand. when you are teleported back to Nazarick tomorrow express both my gratitude and that i beseech the presence of Demiurge." Jircnivs said to Loune as their meeting concluded.
The sound of suffering. If one could imagine a plane of existence whose sole purpose was to suffer it would sound identical to the environment that a certain Arch-Devil regularly makes his way through a long corridor. He stops in front of a short cage with a creature pressed against its bars, his latest test subject.
Looking closely at it the devil can make out sutures across the scalp where incisions were laid out to commit to a full neuro transplant. Its eyes, laze around, filled with what seems to be consciousness, although foggy.
The despicable being reeved in a suit of flame, with gems for eyes and a metallic tail, laughed at his experiment. Who knew that the brain of a human can be transplanted into a sheep's head? That was Demiurges job to find out, as he was now. He may not be as precise at inflicting pure pain on a being, but how does one compare the bleeding of the mind to the bleeding of the body? You cant see it, so they will suffer in silence.
Well, as silent as he would educate some of them into being, and even then, they often weren't completely silent.
" The Joy of it all! To be able to bring consciousness across species is such a way to bring JOY! Now they can be happy by being aware of themselves being happy! " Pulcinella exclaimed at Demiurge, the conductor of this twisted orchestra.
"Exactly Pulcinella, this is all part of Ainz-Sama's divine plan, why else would I be doing it if Ainz-Sama didn't expect me too?" Demiurge said. Not out of disrespect, but out of enjoyment of being able to see even a glimpse of his master's incomprehensible machinations.
Demiurge knows he still needs to do other biological experiments like can species be "cross-contaminated" and as he was beginning to laugh hrder at the sheeps eyes become more sentient he got a message from Albedo to meet with Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix of Baharuth. Apparently their ambassador was told to "beseech" demiurge on behalf of Jircniv.
"Pulcinella, take over here, I am needed elsewhere." Not waiting for a response Demiurge teleported after half-transforming into his demon form and appearing in the courtyard of the Baharuth Empire's Imperial palace.
Jircniv would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious. In the past two nights he's collectively slept two hours, eaten one meal and bathed five times. Now he was on his throne with his contract, awaiting for the Sorcerer Kings emissary, he could only wish that it goes as smoothly in real life as in his mind. He understands that from the moment Demiurge is in his vision, he will endeavor to push the expected hierarchy.
His hand holding the wood encased contract was getting sweaty so he had to keep passing them between his hands in such a manner to not look like he was awkwardly fumbling with something in front of his maids, the only few he had left were his personal maids, in the month leading up to this many though they would get sick from the then constantly encumbered Emperor; being stressed to the point of losing a handful of hair by the end of every month.
Granted it happened in a layered fashion so if anything his hair just got a little thinner is all.
as he was tying up his thoughts the sound of a voice reached his ears.
" By urgency of his majesty Jircniv, Demiurge is hereby granted an audience" The Guard at the entrance said loudly.
A Ruby red suit, the physical manifestation of weaving fire into a suit of exquisite make of the frog-headed demon came into view and immediately Jircniv rose and met the Visitor halfway. He was hoping that by breaking etiquette in this way he could show that he was meeting the sorcerers kingdom halfway.
Before the Devil managed to command him to kneel he already did, and upon kneeling Jircniv offered his empire to the Sorcerers Kingdom with the wooden encased document raised above his head in both hands.
Demiurge smiles graciously, taking the document from inside the tube and skimming it before placing it inside his inventory. and handing the tube back to Jircniv. Jircniv had one question, and he needed to ask it because if he didnt, nothing would matter. " as long as our loyalty to Ainz Ooal Gown is above question, do we still have the right of self fulfillment?
Demiurge's smile deepened ominously in a way that Jircniv didnt quite appreciate.
"Lord Ainz is very accommodating." The sinister devil stated.
