Note: This story is a work of fiction. It has many content of adult nature. If you do not want to read such content, please close your browser window or press the convenient back button.
This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.
If nothing else, Demiurge marvelled at the way a fellow Guardian could change so much over a period of time. It made him examine his own performance, to try and see if he had made the same adjustments; if he'd improved or declined in just about the same rate as his fellow peers.
"Decline" could not be said of the "new" and "improved" Shalltear Bloodfallen. He'd had a chance to observe her changes over the past months, and saw the remarkable improvement in judgment, decision-making, and efficiency, with regards to undergoing a task given to them by Ainz-sama.
He didn't know what had changed, but he was aware of the now zeal with which the vampire now pursued her duties. Week after week, she would come to Demiurge's "facilities" and deliver her share of specimens to his subordinates, without even being asked to. As such, Demiurge's own production output was startingly close to overflowing. The liches from the library had to pay a call to him personally to stop their daily supply, as they were still working through previous batches delivered.
(He'd meditated long on that, deciding to see if this was not merely one of Ainz-sama's long-term plans; and that this was a test personally made for him.)
Now what could account for the vampire's decidedly uncharacteristic change? What had led it to become like "this"?
And by this, he meant the physical appearance too. Shalltear no longer was the young-looking, precocious beauty as she should be: her child-like features had grown and lengthened, with less baby fat, her slender figure becoming more pronounced and buxom. Overall she looked like a young woman-like one of the maids even, than someone whose peer might have only been the twins Aura and Mare.
At first that was a mystery to him. He'd assumed it was an illusion she'd worn at the start, to coincide with Ainz-sama's new directives on their dealings with the outside world. But when he'd suggested certain disguises to her, Shalltear had been quick to dismiss the notion.
"Oh, might you be referring to this? Well, it is no disguise, m'dear." Wings sprouted up from behind her back, bat-like and slender. "This is merely a form that Ainz-sama has gifted me himself."
"Ainz-sama? He gave you this disguise?"
"It is not a disguise!" Shalltear had snapped, to which Demiurge had to bow to placate the wrathful vampire. It was always difficult to handle her rages. "It is a form. A new form he granted me upon my creation. Not even Peroroncino-sama knew about it. This is the proof of the sacred bond I and Ainz-sama share, something which certain gorillas will learn about soon enough!" She sighed, her anger subsiding. "It is the {Mature Chrysalis}. It enables a transformation into a form that all in this world must fear: an Ancient, True Vampire. Oh, I'd love to show everyone my true form. Would you like to see, Demiurge?"
Demiurge had declined politely, citing the need for work. At mention of work, even Shalltear seemed to straighten up. "Good work," he'd said, indicating the precious resources she and her vampires had brought in.
"Be sure to mention my name to Ainz-sama," Shalltear said, eyes fluttering.
"You do not wish to tell him yourself?"
"And risk his displeasure, if it were nothing interesting?" she'd balked. "No, no, my dear... A helpful little maid had told me a great many things, and one of them is the importance of giving it all for the Master. I shall not be the only one to be saddled with failure! I shall not be ignored by Ainz-sama!"
That had been six months ago. And through all that time, she'd been punctual with the deliveries, almost as if she were working feverishly to prove her words weren't merely breaths of sweet air. This change, accompanied by the many sweeping updates across all of Nazarick, meant that Demiurge would then move to managing his own duties and affairs with the appropriate gusto.
Yet unbeknownst to him (or if he knew, he saw it as no consequence), a result of Shalltear's renewed attentions to duty had brought forth a gruesome little legend that grew and festered in the minds of the rural folk of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
It spoke of a ravenous shadow that stalked the night-time. It flew on fell, bat-like wings, and together with a swarm of its hideous servitors, it would sweep down into an innocent hamlet and carry off every inhabitant, leaving it an empty husk. Those who were said to have witnessed it unseen spoke of eyes gleaming like blood-red rubies, of fierce claws that glimmered in the darkness, and of an alluring scent, like a high-class woman arriving at a ball.
The rumors had only grown stronger and stronger over the past months, spinning out newer and more fantastical details to this strange apparition; but so far the nobles had treated it as mere peasant superstition, nothing more. Many were the adventurers who were sent to investigate the peculiarity-and not many returned.
Of course, they had already started to notice when one prominent member of their number, possessing a name which the reader may be familiar with-Lily-Anne Gen Mitra Bannry, last scion of the Bannry clan-had disappeared right on the very day she'd visited her estate. Survivors of her honor guard (who quickly disappeared without notice) told tales of a fiend masquerading as a young beauty, who'd enthralled an entire village, and whose hideous form was bared to the Lady Lily-Anne, and terrified her honor guard such that they ran, leaving their charge to the creature's mercy.
As such, the Noble Faction began to take steps to coordinate with the Adventurer's Guild, recognizing now the threat in the inhuman. Huge bounties were amassed, and the experienced high-ranking adventurers were commissioned.
(Ironically, the ongoing private intrigue involving Blue Rose and Eclipse Nebula meant that they were not aware of the situation until much later.)
Of course, this was all Shalltear Bloodfallen's doing. The master had commanded her to look out for "extraordinary" individuals. She would pass them on to Demiurge, all while she would keep a low profile. The Guardian interpreted this as frequent night-time raids on human populaces, all while tracking those so-called adventurers, who were said to possess the extraordinary quality the Master requested.
Shalltear delivered them up wholesale to Demiurge on silver platters. Rumors of entire villages disappearing usually meant a large group of adventurers had camped close by, and that Shalltear had taken no chances, which then meant even the unremarkable villagers were included. She'd slipped the noose around her prey, and collected them all in a raid she would lead personally.
Sometimes-and only sometimes, as she knew the Master would disapprove of wasting time and effort for things that would not benefit Nazarick-she'd find promising cuties and beauties that would catch her eye among the haul. These she would take as her "tithe", a small side-dish that would probably not be missed in the grand scheme of things. They would serve her well in her grand chambers, as her new playthings.
(Incidentally, this included the poor Bannry scion, who was the latest to be chosen by the vampire in this way. Nowadays she was busily being accustomed to her new life of serving her mistress' pleasure in the dungeons of Nazarick.)
She spent quite a while working in this way. She was satisfied with it, but felt that she had not truly been able to find something quite astounding, something that would really make Ainz-sama proud of her. All the creatures she'd snatched had varying degrees of promise. Yet none truly stood out. She was thus hesitant to return to her Master with the results, even if her chest felt full to bursting with warmth, and her nethers kept on churning out fluids at the thought of being embraced by the Supreme Being. Were it not for Solution's reasonable words, she would have declared war on her rivals already, and claimed her rightful place as Ainz-sama's onahole.
The outlaw den was in an uproar. To Brain Unglaus, that was to be expected-as the outer alarms had cued them in to the presence of intruders. It was all just as the masterr swordsman had expected, what with their spies' news from the city of an adventurer guild being sent to find them.
Accordingly, their group was supposed to separate: one would stay and hold the invaders off, hoping to completely end these adventurers if able; and the others would flee through the caverns' side exits, from where they would regroup in the countryside.
Brain would rather be dead than have to join the fleeing group. He'd joined up to fight, in the first place. He'd wanted to hone his sword, to bare it against individuals that could polish his skills to an absurd degree-even if he had to undertake the unscrupulous route. When one's life-long rival served the King directly, he would need to live with the beasts just to keep up.
"Pull back! Pull back!" came the screams from the front-line. Brain, his sword unsheathed, strode forward and met groups of men running towards him, their faces pale, their weapons nowhere to be found.
"What the hell's going on?" he demanded. "Answer me, damn it!"
"Run!" they said. "M-m-monster!"
Monster? Brain set his teeth and let the cowards pass. If it was a monster that could inflict terror, then that explained the craven sight. Fortunately, he was garbed in certain enchantments that would protect from terror. And, of course, he had his natural courage, which had enabled him to face down a troop of undead before.
Of course, it helped to be cautious. He slowly tiptoed into the passages the front-line had vacated. He was aware that the others who were supposed to support him had fled as well. Good. Less chance of any of them getting in his way. He could've appreciated one of the rogue's help, though, to help scout ahead.
He heard them come, soon enough. Brain straightened his blade, and said a silent prayer for the sake of whoever's head would be rolling soon. He wouldn't hold back, not if he could finally surpass his rival.
Brain hid in the shadows of the tunnel leading into the antechamber, and heard the unmistakable thudding footsteps of someone clad in armor. He saw it then: a great, hulking figure in crimson armor, hefting a great, long spear that seemed to drip with blood. He saw his opportunity, fleeting though it might be, when the warrior turned, its back towards him.
Yet just as he was about to breathe out a force of command to his body-to make it faster with a quick burst of muscle-a face appeared in his vision, which scared the wits out of him. It was a pale woman, its eyes like bleeding irises in a pool of black, its mouth bared with unmistakable fangs.
He swung his sword, hoping to slash at the thing, but it bounded backward. Unfortunately, he'd lost his chance-and the sound of his sword alerted the red-armored warrior to his presence.
"So here you are," said the unknown warrior. "Well then, I do hope someone does me the courtesy of demonstrating their skill? I don't wish to have spent a night fruitlessly chasing after mere cockroaches."
Brain took stock of the situation. Aside from the monstrous-looking woman and the armored figure, there were three others similar to the former, all hanging back towards the further ends of the chamber. All three of them seemed to be clad in flimsy silk dresses, more fit for the home than in battle, but of course he saw that looks were wildly deceiving in this case.
"Very well then, I give you leave to fight, human," said the warrior. At its rumbled command, the monster in front of him bounded forward, its fingers lengthening into knife-like claws.
It must be a type of vampire, he thought. He'd never fought one before, but he had heard from veteran adventurers. As he thought that, the sight of pale, moonlight flesh and jiggling boobs almost made him blink and lose focus, but he steeled himself at the last minute, and met its attacks with a potent counter-sweep.
Evidently not expecting that, it looked surprised. He grinned, and activated a martial art. A moment later, it was Brain's turn to be surprised when his attack completely missed, as the creature moved backward to avoid his blow.
"The hell...?"
The vampire hissed at him, exposing its long, tell-tale fangs. It lunged forward again, to attack, and Brain was a little more prepared this time. He slowly backed away while deflecting its blows, then used the now-narrow battlefield to restrict the vampire's freedom.
His enemy seemed to have realized this, as it scrambled backward in its turn, faltering in its attack.
"Don't you fucking run!" Brain shouted. He slashed forward with his sword, but all that only ended up doing was damaging a bit of the fabric, exposing the vampire's lovely, cow-like boobs. The obscene sight almost made him laugh. In his battle-rage, he failed to recall that heading out back into the chamber was practically suicide.
The armored figure's rumbling voice swiftly brought back his focus. "How pathetic," it said. It seemed to be addressing the vampire. "This is the second time you've failed me, minion. Am I to fail Ainz-sama because of you? No. Away with you then. Take your boobs and stand back. Punishment will come later.
"As for you," the warrior's attention turned towards him. "You seem formidable, for managing to hold off one of my minions. You are a powerful warrior, I take it?"
"There are few more powerful," he boasted grimly. He could sense the thing's attention on him had sharpened, as if it were a snake ready to strike. In any case, Brain was already prepared.
The warrior chuckled. "Good, good. I take it you have considerable knowledge of martial arts. Very well. Demonstrate them to me."
"Are we to fight?" Brain asked.
"If that is what you want."
"Then tell me your name. I am Brain Unglaus. Carve that in your mind, as you lie bleeding in the dust."
"Oho! Your confidence is titillating!" The figure chuckled. "Very well." After it spoke, a slit on its helm opened, revealing a beautiful face, with gleaming ruby eyes. Brain was taken aback: was it a man or a woman? When it spoke, it was definitely a woman's voice. "I've no patience for honorable battles like the butler or that Cocytus." It spoke in a high-refined manner, like some nobleman. "But it would be boorish not to reciprocate your generosity with even a slight indulgence. Very well. I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of Nazarick, and loyal servant of Ainz Ooal Gown. Now, let us fight."
"You asked for it!" Brain shouted, as he stampeded forward, like a cannon barrage, his eyes bulging out as his muscles strained from the martial art he'd unleashed. With one swing he'd pierce through the armor-!
What? At the most critical moment, he felt it, clear as day-he'd whiffed. The sword-strike, meant to carve into heavy armor and the hides of dangerous beasts, had utterly missed.
"Second Wind!" He grunted, whirling about to deflect a possible counter attack, before using his momentum to strike forward. He was so close to his enemy now, who could't possibly be able to dodge his attack with all that armor it wore-
"Sonova-!"
The foe just was not there. All the while, the one known as Shalltear just stood, arms slack, watching him patiently as he made a perfect fool of himself.
"Fufu. You are bewildered; yes, as you should be."
"Rraggh!" Mouth foaming, Brain struck again, but this time his mind could not comprehend what he saw. The tip of his katana was halted in midair, by a single armored finger. Then, Shalltear made a flicking motion with that finger, knocking the blade aside, and to Brain it was as if he'd just parried a blow from a big, burly ogre.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Blood roaring in his ears, he struck again and again, only to find he could not scratch, nor even touch his enemy. It remained maddeningly out of reach, like a desert mirage. Brain brought all his skills, all his experience as a deadly swordsman to bear, but found that he could not.
"Hoh. That was certainly a lot of martial arts you used, Brain Unglaus. You will make for an interesting specimen for the Master."
Impossible! Impossible! He gritted his teeth. He had only ever faced defeat twice in his life! That he would face it here, and now-
"Oh, you still have something up your sleeve. Excellent. You shall be my crowning moment of glory, Brain Unglaus."
It was a move meant only for his greatest rival, Gazef Stronoff. A move he'd perfected over the long, bitter years since his defeat. A quick flash of the blade, with a speed to match Gazef's ultimate technique, the Sixfold Slashes of Light.
"Haaah!"
Adding in his enhanced strength, the blade would cleave through the armor, then bite through that arrogant flesh, making it bleed for the very first time.
The thing's giggling was the only clue to his failure. Brain stared, his brain unable to comprehend, as the edge of his blade was halted neatly by his enemy's outstretched pinky finger.
"My oh my, you certainly are a vigorous one," Shalltear said, as it tittered in amusement. "If you were not to be an offering to the Supreme One then I'd rather keep you to myself. Alas."
Sharp, overwhelming pain dug into Brain's gut, like a piece of lumber had struck him there, near-impaling him with its force. He looked and saw that Shalltear had merely turned its spear around and stabbed him with the handle.
How could he have not seen it? The thing had moved so fast, he could... not...
The darkness took him swiftly.
All in all, it was a big haul for Shalltear. Relatively speaking, she'd grabbed what looked to be a bandit group, of which a gem had been uncovered: the warrior known as Brain Unglaus.
Then, as luck would have it, an adventurer group had come stumbling in, for whatever reason. There she'd gotten double the haul for Demiurge, as well as a surprise in the form of one of the adventurers, a young red-haired woman, possessing an object that should belong to Nazarick: a healing potion.
We were told to act subtly all of a sudden, Shalltear thought. Was this, perhaps, the leak that had made Ainz-sama issue that command? If so, then this one would have to be investigated. Thoroughly. Maybe in Shalltear's own chambers, in fact.
Thus, having reaped a bountiful harvest tonight, Shalltear turned back home, her thoughts filled with her dear Master.
The day started like any other day. She could feel the warm, morning breeze drift through the air, feel the sun kiss her cheeks with its warmth, could hear the birds chirping in the distant forests, and the sound of the many villagers of Carne already awake and doing their chores, together with the goblins who had become their most stalwart allies.
She could feel the familiar tingles of her bones creaking, the wild screaming of her muscles-once muted by sleep-now returned to remind her of what she should expect. And so, Ninya would open her eyes, even if she still desperately needed sleep, for tardiness was a sin, and she was no sinner.
The past few months had been enlightening, in a way. It had shown her that people could have many hidden depths, like underground pools one drew from. For example, her mentor, though skilled in the art of magic, did not have the patience to lecture her on theory, or any of that stuff, like she'd heard teachers of magic could.
As for Ninya herself, she was surprised at the depth of the talents she had inside her. She was forced to dip into that hidden pool, for fear of the failure that stared at her from the far side of a bottomless abyss. In the end she was able to wrench one success after a series of demoralizing, abysmal failures.
That one day, when she was finally able to master the Third-Tier magic "Lightning Bolt", which she conjured against her master during their latest sparring session. Tired at the constant aching of her bruised body and fed up by her master's taunts, she had summoned something from deep within her, and had then launched that magic without thought or purpose. The wild strike had almost hit her master, only to fizzle in the air uselessly.
She had spent two and a half months before then, having accomplished nothing. It was almost to the three month cut off before "the worst" happened to her. And then she'd had her breakthrough-something for which her Master congratulated her.
"Impressive," her master had said. And Nabe had sounded genuinely impressed at that.
She'd thought to rest on her laurels, to be satisfied with completing her master's condition. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.
"Now you must master a fourth-tier spell in six months, or five more third-tier spells within that same period."
"Nooooo!"
Fortunately, Nabe had thrown her a bone in the form of a tome of lesser magic, from which she would need to learn all that she could by herself. Doubtless it was master's way of saying she should be able to find a way to spontaneously learn a spell just by reading the book.
(Which she hadn't, of course, even after reading the whole book in just a day.)
Now, six months to the tragedy that had lost her her friends, many things had changed for Ninya. She had learned one more third-tier spell, "Fly". Her body had changed from the days of training-as if all traces of fat had been burned off her, leaving it a well-toned, tanned body. Her hair had grown longer and messier-what with the hours she put in with training it was difficult to find time to pretty herself up. Finally, she'd grown in height just a bit, just enough for Nabe to give her her second stave, to compensate for her new body.
She wondered if anyone in the Swords of Darkness would recognize her now, if they were still alive. Shaking off that dark thought, she shrugged off the last bit of sleep, washed her face from the nearby basin, and rushed out of her room, ready to face a new, gruelling day.
A surprise awaited her on the practice field. "Sir Momon," she breathed, bowing in spite of herself. She swallowed tightly; already she could almost taste the bile rising at the back of her throat, from the anxiety. Not that she had anything to fear, specifically, from Sir Momon himself.
Sir Momon wasn't at the village often. But the figure of the Dark Hero was all the more impressive for his absence, as myths and rumors sprung up around him in the village like untended weeds. Near all of them extolled the man to some extent, giving Ninya the feeling of a genuine hero in the flesh, someone whom she shouldn't even be knowing at a personal level.
But here it was, as fate chanced it: she had been taken in by the Dark Hero, had been apprenticed by his companion, and now there he stood in the field, more imposing than he ever was before or he'd ever been in Ninya's imagination. He stood there, unmoving, as a statue beside Nabe, her master. In fact, she even assumed it was a statue, had it not been for the almost uncharacteristically anxious look Nabe gave sir Momon.
"My most sincerest apologies for being late, my lords," she said, almost breathlessly, before kowtowing to the pair of them. "I have no excuse for my tardiness."
"Mmm... Aahh... That's alright. This is quite unexpected after all," came the booming voice of the Dark Hero.
"You are never unexpected, my lord," Nabe said glowingly.
Sir Momon's head moved, and the sudden motion almost startled Ninya. "Where is... ah, Cynthia, was it?"
"Shi-ahem, Cynthia will not be joining us, my lord."
"I see."
Ninya was a little relieved at that. Though she'd only taken over for brief moments, the diminutive dark archer had been one of the quietest people that she'd ever encountered. She was also the most dangerous, and she could almost smell the blood and sweat she shed every single time she had to endure her hellish sessions.
"What... if I may ask, is the purpose of your visit, my lord?" Nabe asked quietly.
"Ah... well, today I decided, Nabe, that it would be a good chance to evaluate your progress. And by that I mean..." Sir Momon's voice drifted off, but his meaning was clear by his gaze. And her Master's eyes followed his, and blinked stoically at her.
"Is she ready?" Momon asked. Hey, shouldn't you be asking me that question? Ninya shouted in her mind.
Nabe hesitated for a moment, before nodding. She flashed her a look, before replying, "She will always be ready my lord."
Ninya almost flushed, before recalling that that particular phrase was something her master had kept repeating at her. "Always be ready." Had she foreseen something like this?
"What do you say, Ninya?" Sir Momon now asked.
After a few stuttering moments, Ninya steeled herself, squared up her shoulders and nodded. "I am ready, my lord."
"Good. Then, let us begin without delay."
Ninya did not know, but all the Pleiades, including her dreaded Cynthia were assembled there as well, hidden away from sight in the nearby treeline on the edge of the forest.
As per Ainz's orders, they used spells and abilities to keep themselves completely hidden from prying eyes.
They were the reason for Ainz even remembering that he had assigned Nabe this task of watching over Ninya. They had each come to him, separately, wanting to know how their sister was doing with the "guest"/"pet"/"sweaty human"/"Narberal's toy". And then of course, he had to promise them that he would check up on the situation; and further promise them that they could watch.
Which of course led further to Ainz thinking quickly about what exactly he would have the girl do. He didn't exactly know how he should be testing Ninya; at the moment he was preoccupied with certain affairs as Momon.
He had then hit on an idea while receiving Aura's report.
The maids all watched as Ainz stood to the side and announced: "Your first test then, will be to kill this creature I have prepared for you. You shall need to kill this creature, using the skills you have learned."
"Y-yes!" Ninya said, gulping. Her face was white as a sheet.
"I wonder what Ainz-sama will summon-su," said Lupusregina Beta. "I saw the human do its best every day, but it's still not enough."
"Not enough?" Entoma echoed, tilting its head.
"Not enough," Shizu agreed with an earnest bow. The maids all shrugged and accepted that fact; among them Shizu was the one who was with the human the most aside from Nabe.
There came a commotion from down the field, as a gate appeared. Emerging from its dark depths was the largest, burliest, and ugliest monster they had ever seen. It walked on two legs that were as thick as tree trunks, and carried a large weapon-a crude black slab of rock.
"It's an ogre," Solution Epsilon noted.
"Uwah. It's bad," Shizu said.
"I wonder if Nabe's student can even manage," Yuri Alpha said. Over there, Ninya's face had gone even paler, if that was even possible, and even Nabe couldn't conceal the surprise on her expressionless face. The large ogre, which could easily swallow the human in one gulp, roared a challenge.
"Do not worry. I have taken the liberty of erecting an illusory veil around this field. In case you fail-if you fail-then it won't be able to reach the village behind us. And then of course we shall have to take care of it, eh Nabe?"
"Oh, um... of course, my lord." Turning to Ninya, whose knees were literally knocking together loudly, as she clutched her stave tightly, Nabe said, "I know you can do this. Good luck."
"Uwah. Nar-chan's as merciless as ever," Lupus remarked with a grin.
"That human's as good as paste," Solution said, "Ahhh, what a waste."
"Betchu we could still eat it," Entoma said.
"What a waste," Shizu echoed, no doubt referring to all the effort of helping Nabe raise the poor human to an acceptable level. But of course, when it came to the whim of the Forty-One, their word was law. Yuri felt bad for the little human, but there was nothing to be done if she failed.
"Begin," came Ainz-sama's voice, like a bell tolling the end of days. As if spurred on by his command, the ogre grunted and stepped forward, its weapon raised.
For a long moment, the maids watched Nabe's human pet just stand there, frozen, as if resigned to the gruesome fate in store.
Then, the walking corpse (alive) moved. From its stave, it shot a bolt of crackling lightning into the grass before the giant, whereupon the field ignited into a small blaze that quickly spread.
The ogre stopped, bewildered, at the new sight. Ninya did not stop there, however, and used a spell to make herself fly.
"Does she intend to escape? Or let the fires do its job?" one of them muttered.
"Fire cannot do much to an ogre like that."
"Then-" They soon had their answer, when the magic caster fired another bolt into the grass, turning the small blaze into an inferno that surrounded the ogre like a ring.
Then, she surprised them all when the caster went hurtling through the air, directly at the ogre's head. She swung, and struck at the temple, making a sound that even the maids could hear. Bellowing, the ogre flailed its arms upward, but Ninya was already away. She fired up another Lightning Bolt, then shot it quickly at the ogre's belly.
The ogre howled, dropping its weapon and backing away. It stepped onto the blazing flames, which yet again made it jerk around and stomped about on the flames, which further added to its misery. Ninya charged forward, and whipped it again with her stave.
Unfortunately for the girl, the giant flailed its arms about wildly, and after scoring the hit, the ogre's wild swing struck her in midair, making her crash to the ground with a bone-shattering thump.
"Uwaah... So close."
"If only she hadn't become a bit greedy towards the end."
"She tried so hard, but she only got so far."
"Oh, but she's still moving."
As the ogre recovered, they could all see Ninya's body still twitching on the small crater she made.
"She's done," someone concluded.
They watched as the inevitable that was expected to happen-punctuated by the girl's desperate moves-continued on its course. "Stop," came a ringing voice. At the Master's command, the ogre paused, then disappeared entirely, as if it were carried away by the wind.
"Nabe, see to the fire," Ainz said, waving his hand. He looked towards the fallen mage, and sighed.
He'd actually been surprised, and found himself pumped up by Ninya's display of magical skill. Of course, he hadn't really expected her to defeat an ogre, particularly one as tough looking as that. It was like Ainz fighting head on without the support of his guild-mates. That she'd struggled despite the odds, and in a way that pumped Ainz's blood, was fairly impressive.
He looked towards the distant treeline, where he knew the other maids were. Then he looked at Nabe, who was approaching. He wondered if the illusion had worked.
There had been no actual ogre. That had been a solid simulacrum, which could act on the surroundings like a poltergeist, but could cause no real harm. But Ainz could use it to distract, to keep enemies away from such an obvious threat. He'd wanted to test his illusion skills on the maids, and they'd given him an excellent opportunity here.
And so far, it seemed his experiment had shown him the potency of his illusions. He was pleased, for now.
After healing up Ninya with a scroll, Ainz helped the shivering, cowering girl to her feet.
"Impressive. You have shown much promise. Though you did not defeat the ogre, you have shown that you have what it takes-and that you have much more potential to grow.
"Now is the time for you to take up your place formally in Eclipse Nebula. Rise, Ninya, and accept these gifts as a form of welcome."
It was a set of new clothes, with rings and amulets, along with her new magic staff.
"But my lord, I could not possibly-"
"Nonsense. You are part of Eclipse Nebula now. Such a position demands responsibility; along with the perks and rewards."
Ninya looked towards Nabe, who nodded. "Hold your head up high. You are a part of Eclipse Nebula and my apprentice. You have shown me you can meet and exceed my expectations of you. Now I expect you to rise even to even greater heights."
"M-master..."
"Hoh, well said, Nabe," Ainz said. "Nabe is right. As of today you are to be assigned as Eclipse Nebula's liaison in the Baharuth Empire. There it is expected for you to continue your studies-as well as assist in our endeavors. You shall have a few days to rest and recuperate in this village. By the end of the week, transportation to the Empire shall be arranged and you shall begin your assigment."
"Y-yes! Understood!"
After Ninya had been dismissed, Ainz and Nabe met with the rest of the Pleiades.
"I assume you are satisfied with the results?"
"Yes, my lord," they said, in chorus.
"Good. Then, everyone except Narberal, please return to your assigned duties."
Once they'd all left, Nabe looked at him quizzically. "Was there something you needed, my lord?"
He didn't want anyone to see what he was going to do. He reached out and gave the maid a big pat on the head. The maid blinked, surprised at the sudden contact, before her expression melted and her cheeks flushed.
"A-Ainz-sama..."
"Congratulations on your success, Narberal," he said. "You've adequately repaid my faith in you."
"Ah... haaaauu..."
"Now here is something I'm giving you. You are not to flaunt it in front of the others, do you understand? You are to wear this during your guise as 'Nabe' of Eclipse Nebula."
It was a piece of gear that gave Nabe the appearance of a hooded figure, with sleek, ebony robes, and revealing her luscious white thighs that would then accentuate her new knee-high leather boots. It afforded the Nabe persona a certain mystique and danger, as befitting one from Eclipse Nebula.
Of course, the armor's data effects were really the whole point, Ainz assured himself, no matter how sexier it made Nabe look. The armor effects would give Nabe the power and strength equal to a level 80 in magnitude, though she would never be able to acquire skills from "leveling up" normally. Hopefully it would better protect Nabe now that she was all the more prominent in the New World's eyes.
He did a double-take when he next glimpsed Nabe's face. It was almost like she were crying.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the outfit?"
"N-n-no, I- I just feel so happy, my lord. Happy and grateful for your... for your love..."
"Ahhh..." He scratched his cheek in embarrassment. God, but she looked pretty, crying like that. He reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder, and was just about to pull her close to him, when a Message came into his mind.
Slightly annoyed by the interruption, Ainz turned and said, "Yes?"
"Lord Ainz."
"Demiurge is it? Is there something to report?"
"Yes, my lord. My pardons, but there is something important that I feel you should see. As per the protocol I had expected to reach Albedo-sama before this, and thus she would relay it to you, my lord, but..."
But Albedo was currently doing her secret work in the Kingdom. She was expected to return to Nazarick soon, to coincide with Ainz visiting the Baharuth Empire and introducing Ninya.
"What is it, then?"
"Well, Shalltear's brought a most fascinating specimen back to us. And thus, as a result of her work-oh right, my pardons Shalltear-her most devoted work, well, she was able to find a promising candidate for you, my lord."
Ainz searched vainly through his mind, past all the images of his days fornicating freely with the homonculus maids and the various humans who were "in love" with the legend of Momon, and found only the vaguest recall of the orders he'd given to each Guardian.
Not wanting to appear like a clueless idiot, he said, "Fascinating. I shall be there in an hour." He turned to look at Nabe, and his eyebrows rose. The maid had let her hair down, and that combined with her flushed face that made no secret of her desire, and the way she was squirming against his crotch, made Ainz say, "No, wait, make that three more hours. I've urgent business to attend to."
"Of course, my lord," Demiurge said smoothly, and without realizing the truth.
Licking his lips, Ainz gathered Nabe's body up, princess-style, and teleported them back to a private area.
It did not take long for them to get started. Both of them were so horny, so hot and bothered by their mutual aggravated lust, that it only took Ainz one second to remove every piece of his armor into his inventory, while simultaneously ripping off Nabe's outfit.
The maid panted and gasped with unbridled need as she ground her crotch against his leg, humping it like a desperate animal. Ainz chuckled with amusement as he extricated her off him, before planting her over to the mat.
This place was his private project, an attempt to recreate a piece of Earth in the New World. He put in every bit of Japanese he could remember, even if his memory now was getting a bit hazy and inexact.
This was the recreation of a bath-house, with a slippery rubber mat as the center-piece. He'd entertained many women here already, particularly a pair of homonculi maids who, while no spectacular lay, were actually good with massaging. Yet Ainz had no thought for that today as he joined Nabe on top of the mat, before rubbing his form against hers.
It was a special privilege, this foreplay of theirs, as they became like two shapeless lumps of clay rubbing against each other. The oil made things easier, and thus Ainz ground against the other doppelganger with ever-increasing speed, feeling shocks coursing through his body with every lewd, coarse contact with Nabe's.
Nabe couldn't last long, as she returned to her normal form (albeit with a thoroughly melted face). Ainz lay his massive body on top of her, bringing his massive cock to bear.
Nabe squealed as her vagina accommodated the entry of his stiff shaft, which forced itself through with relentless ardor. She braced against the mattress, but found it futile as she slipped against the surface, the action only serving to glide her forward with Ainz's every hilting thrust.
Eventually their bodies slipped out of the mattress entirely, and Ainz found no reason to break his rhythm by stopping as he continued to breed the hapless maid on the tiled floor. Nabe's insides were a hot and fiery indulgence which he could never get enough of, and Nabe in turn squealed and screeched like some unknown animal as her lord claimed her eagerly again and again.
When Ainz hilted himself into her for the last time with a loud grunt, Nabe's folds went into overdrive in milking every last drop of cum from his monstrous member. Ainz seized Nabe's hair and dragged her head back as his cock pulsed his hot, potent seed into her depths.
After their climax ended, they spooned on the hot, slippery floor, their bodies wrapped in the steamy, slimy result of their intense breeding. Ainz marvelled at how lucky he was, to have all these women, let alone Nabe, all for himself. He owned them. They were his. At the stirring of his cock they would do anything to soothe his lusts.
As he thought that, his member rose once more, poking into Nabe's glistening, perfect tush.
With a sigh, he lifted Nabe's leg and positioned himself between her thighs.
Arriving at the arena as promised, Ainz was a little taken aback to see Shalltear in her "matured" form.
He'd almost forgotten about it, and had almost dismissed it out of his mind entirely. But just as everything else in Nazarick, it was obvious that such a "setting" Ainz had given the vampire back in the game would also be carried over here.
It had been a little meddling on Momonga's part. He and Peroroncino's sister, Bukubukuchagama, had talked about her brother's odd fetishes, and had begged Momonga to intervene, as his friend. This was particularly important when Peroroncino had shown off his preliminary design of his NPC, which had been Shalltear.
Frankly, Momonga didn't wish to bother with other people's affairs. In the end, he never got around to talking with Peroroncino. But he did give the vampire NPC a cosmetic transformation item that would turn her "mature" when she needed to, during the twilight years of the guild's existence. After all, Momonga never expected Peroroncino to log in again.
She and Demiurge bowed expertly when he arrived. In the silence that followed, Ainz had a feeling that Shalltear wanted something, from the way she bounced on her feet, making her boobs jiggle.
"...You look nice that way, Shalltear," he said, trying not to look too closely at her hourglass figure, and her thickened hips. She had definitely "matured", in more ways than one.
"You think so? Oh, thank you, thank you, my lord!"
"Mm." He turned from her glittering eyes, as he felt an uncomfortably familiar feeling: the same feeling as being charmed by a female figure. Was Shalltear Bloodfallen attractive to him now? Ainz thought with surprise. "Report," he said to Demiurge, who bowed.
They showed him the results of Shalltear's work over the past months, particularly withe small collection of extraordinary individuals she'd gathered. Some of them had unique talents, like the ability to memorize whatever one read quickly, or being immune small-scale fire.
One particular example is someone called Brain Unglaus, who was being currently forced to fight a host of monsters below. Shalltear and Demiurge went on and on, in the same vein as salesmen trying to sell him a new microwave oven, with extolling his skills as a superhuman.
After seeing Brain decapitate the last monster in the horde, he had to admit that he had skills. Possibly even equalling that Clementine, even.
"It seems you two have done particularly well."
"Oh no no, that honor belongs solely to Shalltear my lord," Demiurge said with a deep bow. "I have not yet done anything worthy of praise."
"Hoh. In that case, congratulations, Shalltear."
Shalltear's pale face flushed, then she bowed. "I am always happy to serve, Lord."
Still, thought Ainz, the presence of these remarkable individuals sent the wheels of Ainz's mind spinning. If Clementine and this Blain were merely outliers, then there may be stronger natives that were unknown to him.
"If I may, my lord," Shalltear said, breaking him from reverie, "I feel that there is a faster way for us to speed up the identification and acquisition of such individuals-in a subtle and quiet manner of course."
"Indeed?"
Shalltear looked smug as she continued, "I propose we establish a central building in secret, out there in the world, where we can bring extraordinary individuals for testing. Those who are worthy, shall of course be taken further to Nazarick, where they shall be made to serve your Glory."
"Such a building would need an excuse to exist," Ainz pointed out, mulling over the idea.
"We can call it... an inn? Maybe? A stopping place, for adventurers to rest? I would suggest turning it into a brothel, but mayhap that would be to much for the humans to handle..."
"No. Not a brothel," Ainz said firmly. "But... hmm... yes... Your suggestion has merit. You've certainly a cunning mind, Shalltear. It is commendable!"
"Thank you my lord! It pleases me greatly to hear you say that!" Shalltear said, gushing. For the second time in a day a female thrust her red-flushed face close to him, only this time it was Shalltear's ethereal beauty.
"I shall excuse myself for now, my lord," Demiurge said. "I have other duties to attend to."
"Ahh... very well. Good work, Demiurge." Ainz turned to look at Shalltear, who just stood there staring at him expectantly. "W-what is it, Shalltear?"
"I want..." she took a deep breath. "...I want... a reward, Ainz-sama!"
"Huh? A reward? What does-"
"Muh!" She made a puckering expression with her face, which Ainz immediately recognized. He swallowed, wondering if he should-but then he recalled that Shalltear was already wearing the "maturation index" he'd given her on the sly. She now looked as lasciviously tempting as any one of the maids.
"... Very well." He leaned down, and tried to make it gentle, but Shalltear wouldn't ahve that. She mashed her mouth against his, then forced his lips open to slam her cold, wet tongue against his. Surprised and thrilled at the sudden assault, Ainz took only a second before he retaliated, scooping up Shalltear's aggressive tongue and showing it the might of one experienced through many sexual encounters.
Shalltear moaned in appreciation, as he began ramming into her mouth with ferocity. It actually felt surprisingly nice to french the vampire, unlike how he imagined it in his head. After a while, the vampire's mouth heated up, and soon the insides of her mouth was just like any other woman.
He hadn't realized they'd been kissing for quite some time until a familiar voice made a coughing sound. Ainz immediately tried to break the kiss, but found that he could not, as Shalltear had latched on with her fangs. Ainz turned and saw Albedo standing there, looking quite surprised at the sight.
Reforming his face to escape, Ainz pulled free from Shalltear's trap, and said, "Oh, hello there, Albedo," with as much calm as he could muster.
Beside him, Shalltear smacked her lips, but said nothing as she matched gazes with the mostly expressionless Albedo.
They stared at each other for a long while, before Shalltear frowned and brought up her fan to cover her face. "Please excuse me, my lord. It seems I've gotten a little too excited. I would not want to show off my unsightly self to something so boorish as a gorilla."
Ainz felt figurative sweat drip down his back as Shalltear left. Albedo still said nothing, did nothing, but he now noticed the small, spidery cracks forming on the ground beneath Albedo's feet. Clearing his throat, he rushed forward, interposing himself in front of Albedo, just to forestall the worst scene from happening.
"So, how was your trip to the King's palace, Albedo?"
For a moment, Albedo just stood there blinking at him, before she relaxed, and covered her face with her hands. After rubbing on them vigorously, she sighed, and exposed her face-tired and worn out-to him.
"I should have expected this, my lord, when I suggested... Well, it doesn't matter now." She bit her lip. "Curses... I may just need to eliminate that bitch before she can..."
"Albedo?"
"Ahhh, don't mind me, my love. Just thinking out loud. Ehen~ Now, where were we... oh yes, the report. Well, it seems that Lakyus will agree to the marriage proposal my lord."
Ainz nodded his head, accepting that outcome. It would be interesting, to be "married" here.
"And that's not all. I found the most delightful pet at the palace, my lord. Something that would definitely be of use to us."
"Indeed?" It seemed that today was an auspicious day for his subordinates to be giving him useful things he could use: from Nabe and her pet, Shalltear's haul, and now Albedo. "What, or who is it?"
And thus she proceeded to tell him about the unusual Princess Renner.
Another chapter brought to you by the anonymous commissioner, thanks.
If you'd like to commission a story of your own, feel free to contact me here or on my tumblr at theruffpusherdottumblrdotcom.