Response to Reviews:
Fleece Johnson: Those spelling errors is what I get for rushing in posting it. Oh well. When it comes to the whole detailed OC's thing, yeah, I'm not going to do an origin story on the Courier or anything like that. Maybe I'll drop some quick background info if need be but that's about it. Regarding the pairings, I don't have a plan for that. It's something I'm still thinking about. Don't you worry though, if I do decide to do it, it won't be anywhere near half-assed.
ChronoHyperion: I'm certainly not just inserting Six into the story of Overlord and letting it play out with him on the sidelines. Many things will change. For the better or worse.
Lord Metallex: I'm 95% sure they don't have any protection against it (correct me if I'm wrong). Radiation is one of the many things I'm contemplating on introducing. Everyone from YGGDRASIL and the New World will be utterly weak to it. At first at least.
FriendlyTY: For sure Six will notice Momonga's inexperience with leading all of Nazarick. While the NPC's think their master to be flawless, Six will see through the BS but won't call it out. However, he won't stand there and just let mistakes happen. It is a team effort after all.
TheGoodDoggo: What makes Six's weapons Divine Class is the fact that they all have critical hits. While it might seem like nothing at first, it has the "Armor-Piercing Effect" on it. So not only are you doing a hell of a lot more damage, you also bypass defenses and resistances which is certainly a big deal - it might even be his crutch. His weapons are the only ones capable of doing such a thing. That's my excuse at least.
MerptheNerp: Yep, you guessed it, he has the more powerful ones hiding inside of ED-E in secret (for now.) He can make the perfect combination of weapons if he really wanted to decimate his opponent.
FerunaLutelou: I won't lie, I only thought about letting him learn Martial Arts at first, but you reminded me that he can also earn more perks and abilities through major events and books. Huge thanks for the reminder. I'll definitely incorporate that as the story continues - if that's okay with you. I don't like stealing ideas.
What would be the first word that would come to one's mind upon finding a village? Simple? Poor? Prosperous? Peaceful? Opportunity? Shelter? A certain someone thought none of these. The man standing before every resident only had six letters in mind. Quaint. Each home in this remote settlement mimicked one another save for varying sizes. White walls and triangular roofs is what they favored. At the center of this hamlet lay a wide set of steps that led to the only tall building in the area - a windmill. That was where he stood now… and in front of him…
"Predator became prey on this day. You terrorize this safe haven no more."
A towering monster on hind legs lay sprawled on the floor. It's freakishly long arms, giant hands, and insanely sharp nails on all four limbs were now rendered useless to it after it's death. A pink tongue hung out from where its skull should have been. The bright and immaculate ground all familiarize themselves with had unfortunately been stained with copious amounts of a certain liquid that would make non-violent folk turn pale. Over the body stood a mummified man. Unlike those undead, this one was very much alive. From head to toe nearly the entirety of his body lay covered in roller bandages. He wore a strange vest and even stranger pants that had gone through so many washes that they had lost their color. A set of pouches hung on his belt and aforementioned vest. The only thing discernable about him was the white collared shirt with the rolled up sleeves. His snakeskin boots were also questionable.
"Words cannot express my gratitude, sir! If you had not come sooner…"
A young man with deep brown shaggy hair bowed in immense and genuine gratitude. Were it not for the stranger in front of him, they would be hauling his eviscerated and split body into a jar. What would have been left of it anyway.
"Think nothing of it. It pleases me greatly to see that none of the people here perished to this Deathclaw."
"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!"
An unending series of bows kept coming until the stranger raised his bandaged hand and made the young man stop. Fiery yet cold blue eyes met softer brown ones as he forced himself to cease his appreciation.
"... At the very least… may I know your name, sir?"
The savior seemed to study the young man in front of him before responding with:
"...Joshua Graham. I'm sorry to be a bother but-"
"That's nonsense! Please, whatever you need, if I can help I will."
"Then, if you could, I would like to be enlightened."
The man, now identified as Joshua Graham, sheathed his strange smoking weapon into its sheath and assumed a more relaxed stance.
"What do you know about this... Slane Theocracy?"
A usual silence filled the nearly identical hallways Six and the peppy woman accompanying him walked through. It had been a good few minutes since they had last encountered anything in the surprisingly kempt tomb. In all honesty, he had nothing he and Lupusregina could talk about. As such, there was an awkward air (from his perspective) that he had to abolish one way or another.
But how should I go about it? There isn't anything I personally know about her save for the whole weird interest in my scars. She was way too curious about them. Topics like the weather, books, music, news, and politics are not something to gun for.
Six briefly glanced at the maid without turning his head and found her beaming. As usual.
People who can consistently put up a fake front like that make me uneasy. I guess that's why her and Albedo are the ones I'm most wary of. Momonga too. Speaking of the boney dude, I can't get a real read off of him. He is a skeleton so his facial expressions are always the same. His voice is ironclad as well. Only thing I got right now is that he's been damned nice to me so far. If my circumstances were different and I intentionally invaded… ah, I wouldn't ever pillage someone simply for money or shiny objects anyway.
Before his many trains that carried precious cargo of thoughts could continue, the gentle flames illuminating the passageway suddenly began to evaporate the moment a powerful wind blew through the entire area. In a few moments, every light source soon disappeared. An unsettling pitch black darkness ate him and Lupusregina. The sound of a blade leaving its scabbard soon followed. If he had his other outfit on him, he would have immediately activated his helmets night vision. For now he would have to settle with his own natural eyesight and his hearing to detect any threats.
An explosive hiss next to him would have earned an offensive response had it not been for the being who had done it. Lupusregina had one hand on her hip. The other hovered near her face as a bright luminescent light danced on her open palm. This was the first bit of info Six had received about her abilities.
"Can't see in the dark? You look like a fish out of water ~su."
She brought her other hand up to create two separate sources of light.
"I'm only human."
That was the only response he gave as he became entirely still. He was waiting for something - anything to let him know that danger was coming. His stillness persisted for half a minute before his posture relaxed somewhat. It was only pyromancer near who seemed unperturbed by the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"It wasn't wind that blew out those torches. Something is definitely watching us now."
"Ooooo… like a ghost?"
"...Yeah, sure, a ghost."
He said that as if it were a ridiculous notion. But his mind slowly began accepting the possibility that a lot more ludicrous things such as that could be more than a possibility. He couldn't deny what had been right in his face staring back at him. Skeletons, demons, vampires, elves, bug men and girls… the only thing he was concerned about was whether his weapons did anything to them. There was a good chance he was out of his element. If guns wouldn't work, then he would have to figure something out.
"Hey, Hall."
"What?"
"Do you hear that?"
Six let silence roam freely among them both as he focused on that specific sense. Ten seconds passed by before he heard it too. It was a sound Six had never heard in his life. The best he could do to describe it was like a sort of soft tapping. As if someone's finger impatiently tapped against a surface. However, the speed of said taps was somewhere around 600 bpm. But it wasn't from a single source. It came from everywhere. It blended the sound of many taps with scrapes of moving stone.
"The hell is that? It's coming from the walls…"
Six took a few steps backwards and positioned himself in the center of the room with Lupusregina following suit.
"This is super scary ~su."
The tone of her voice indicated anything but a sense of dread.
"Look, whatever it is just make sure-"
He cut himself off as Lupusregina's flames suddenly vanished from her hands, the same cold presence from before flooding them like before. It was at this moment that Six heard a brick fall loudly to the floor. It was the first of many and he was utterly blind to the enemy at the moment. Next thing he knew, he felt something cold and powerful attach to his throat. He felt the familiar grasp of someone's hand and assumed somebody was now in front of him.
He swung his dagger horizontally and expected the sound of flesh to follow afterwards. Instead, he felt no resistance and heard his blade whoosh through the air. The fingers around his neck increased in power and felt his throat begin to close. But there was more to worry about than just his neck. He felt more fingers and thumbs around his hand where he held his blade. It had begun trying to pry his own jointed parts apart from Blood-Nap. Before he could do anything about this, he felt something strike his leg just behind his knee which caused him to lose some form of balance. It was at this moment that he felt more than ten separate punches on nearly every inch of his body.
As this all happened, he could hear the maid behind him slashing away at whatever enemies were assaulting them. He tried to speak, to ask just what exactly they were fighting but the hand strangling him made that a little difficult. He wasn't worried about her. Underneath the chaos currently unfolding before them he could hear giggling sadistically as she cut down an unknown amount of foes.
It was at this point that Six decided that he had enough. He had considered the possibility of getting swarmed by enemies. It was a scenario he learned to account for the hard way. This was thanks to a roaming group of ghouls led by a glowing one. It didn't happen in the open either. It was in a cave that had been used by a group of traveling merchants that had met their demise in that dark, damp, hollowed out rock.
Despite the many hands trying their damnedest to hold him back, Six reached into his pouch and pulled the pin on his mini-incendiary grenade. He drew it out and raised it into the air as more punches and slugs racked his body. Moments later, a bright blinding flash of light accompanied by a deafening explosion lit up the room. The Courier had become the source of light he needed. His apparel had immediately been set ablaze. A good amount of the hands attacking him either caught on fire as well or backed off at the sudden sound.
It was the first time Six had laid eyes on his foe. And it made his life one-hundred times easier. He had assumed that it was more zombies that had come to fight them. Instead, it was a ridiculous amount of green rotting hands that surrounded him. Every single one of them had marrow sticking out of the area that should have been on an arm. They all backed away with furious and urgently paced finger-steps. Strangely enough, this was the moment Six realized something.
The strangling and punching… it didn't hurt at all.
He looked down at the hand that had held the explosive and realized there had been no damage to it. In fact, the fire that was currently eating at him hardly had any effect at all. It felt like he was on fire, yet there wasn't any pain to it. A very surreal experience.
Whatever. I'll figure this crap out later.
In one swift move, Six brandished every single one of his throwing knives between his fingers and pitched them at ten different hands around him. In one fell swoop, they all dropped even deader than before. He sheathed his dagger and replaced it with his katana. In a flurry of swings, he hacked and slashed with supernatural accuracy and speed, destroying five hands every second that passed. Their ridiculously large and incoming numbers had yet to cease. The flames swallowing his entire body made for quite a sight. It's as if a being solely composed of flames had finally revealed itself, unleashing it's full fury on the unfortunate undead hands.
Two blurs from their respective users continued on for what seemed like a minute before the army of hands finally began to slow. Lupusregina stepped on what appeared to be the final hand no doubt about to meet the same fate as its allies. It twitched and writhed in pain as the heel crushed its palm. The thing would have been better off pretending it couldn't feel any sort of sensation from the attacks. But it had proven just now that it could feel a form of pain which was a bit of info that interested Six. That interest immediately vanished as he realized what his partner was doing.
With narrowed joyful eyes and a gratified smile on her face, she twisted and turned the heel in a deliberate and slow manner. In response, the decomposed hand convulsed in pain, it's fingers and thumb jerking and bending in pain. He didn't particularly feel empathetic towards the thing. It was trying to kill him after all. But still…
He began to pat himself down vigorously, the flames diminishing as he rapidly smacked away the dwindling fire on his clothing. It was after that he had finished dusting himself off that she finally decided to finish the enemy off.
"This isn't exactly what I imagined…"
Six looked down at the limp and cleaved corpses of the many rotted hands now as lifeless as they should have been.
"It can't hold a candle to Nazarick at all. Some 'tomb' it is. Even comparing it to Momonga-sama's is disrespectful."
"That's true, but that's not what I meant."
"Hm?"
"This is the most extreme example of a hand jive I've ever seen. It just rubs me the wrong way. Different strokes for different folks, y'know?."
He kneeled and began observing the limp that had somehow died from a stab wound. His gloved normal hand came into contact with another green and utterly putrid one. He didn't bother with it any more than that. It was at this point that all of his questions could be answered with one word.
Magic.
"Let's keep going." Six reached into one of his many pockets and drew a single white pill that he promptly threw into his own mouth and dry swallowed. "I'm looking forward to meeting the mastermind behind all this crap."
And with that, he walked onward without looking back at the red-haired beauty following him. After what seemed to be a minute of slow cautious walking from only Six, they came upon a dead end room with yet another staircase they had to descend.
"Don't push me down the stairs again." The Courier warned.
"Hmm… I'll think about it." Lupusregina pretended to think about his request.
"Then think long and hard."
She couldn't help but laugh as her mind wandered into the gutter. Six simply shook his head in disapproval but couldn't help but be somewhat amused as well, the smile on his face making that quite clear.
A wordless walk down the stairs did not take long. Once they were at the base, Six carefully surveyed the area and found the room he might have been looking for.
"Hey, look, a sarcophagus."
"Your power of observation is amazing." He could not have been more sarcastic. "If I were a betting man - which I have been on occassion - then I'm guessing that's where all the coin is kept."
"So where's the…" Lupusregina searched her brain for the right word. "...boss?"
"There." Six pointed to his right at what seemed like nothing. That was until an upright figure emerged from where he had been resting. And it seemed he wasn't too happy at the intruders who insisted on invading his home.
"LEAVE..."
His words were clear, loud, resound and full of hostility. His intent was made very clear.
"We're here for a bit of a treasure. Not you. I would rather not fight in all honesty."
"IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, THEN WHY ENTER MY TOMB AT ALL?!"
"Beca-"
"BECAUSE OF YOUR GREED! YOU ARE THIEVES! YOU WOULD DARE INVADE MY HOME AND ASSUME I WOULD HAND EVERYTHING TO YOU?!"
[Speech 100/65]
"Believe or not, we're here to help you."
Those words eased some of the negativity surrounding the old and mummified being.
"BY ATTACKING?!"
[Speech 100/70]
"We had no choice but to do so. Otherwise we would have died."
"SAY THAT I BELIEVE YOU. WHAT AID DO I POSSIBLY NEED?"
"At some point, someone from above will come here and truly destroy your home. There are men hiring others to raid your tomb. It's only a matter of time before they send in those who are truly capable."
The Mummy Lord stayed silent.
[Speech 100/80]
"But if I were to come back, with some gold in tow. They would truly believe I defeated you. Of course, I'd tell them I snuck past and avoided some fighting, so the air of danger is still present. Believe me, I know what's it like to have someone try to destroy and steal all that is precious to me."
"...HOW MUCH?"
"How much do you think two fallen nobles need?"
A deep scoff came from the Mummy Lord.
"GREED IS LIMITLESS."
"Well, yeah, but you're the one with-"
"I'M FULLY AWARE OF MY POSSESSIONS. THIS IS ALL I EARNED IN MY LIFETIME. AND ALL I ASK FOR."
"Right. So…"
The Mummy Lord thought to himself for a moment.
"IF IT WILL LET ME REST…" The mummy turned his back to the two adventurers and motioned for them to follow him.
"I really appreciate it. Truly."
A hum of acknowledgement came from the mummy. Six and Lupusregina stepped forwards and eyed the one lording the tomb. Despite being old and elbamed, the mummy briskly walked towards his sarcophagus.
"What's with all of this construction? What was being built here?"
It was the woman who had asked both those questions.
"REMNANTS OF CANCELLED CONSTRUCTION." The lord left it at that. Once he reached his destination he pressed his finger against the backside of the stone. Moments later, creaking and stone grinding against each other harmonized with the clicks of cogs.
"SINCE WE ARE ASKING QUESTIONS, WHAT IS A WEREWOLF DOING WITH A HUMAN?"
"You can tell?"
"BUT OF COURSE. I'VE BEEN ALIVE FOR CENTURIES. THERE IS NO RACE THAT I DON'T KNOW OF."
"We're companions." A wink from Lupusregina accompanied that statement.
"Partners actually."
"That's the same thing."
"It isn't." A small amount of venom dripped from the Courier's tone. It had caught Lupusregina somewhat off guard but quickly disregarded it after hearing a "Shit, uh, Sorry." escape from him.
"THERE." The deep voice caused them both to focus on yet another set of stairs that led downwards.
Without another word, he descended first and made his way to the bottom. When Lupusregina and Six reached the bottom, they couldn't help but be impressed with the amount of loot lying in front of them. The entire room glinted brightly as artifacts and gold coin hugged one another closely. Six guessed that one could potentially start a whole new nation with all of this.
The Courier turned to look at the Mummy Lord.
"Do you have any bags around here?"
"I thank you for your hospitality, Rowan."
The man, who could have been mistaken for a mummy, sat across the younger male who he had saved from the beast he had identified as a Deathclaw.
"It's the least I can do. After hearing how long you were on the road, I knew I had to do something."
Graham nodded and watched as a woman - the resident's wife - placed a plate steak and bread in front of him. They exchanged pleasantries.
"May I ask a personal question?"
"In truth, that's something I don't enjoy talking about."
"Ah, then please forgive-"
"But you learn from the mistakes of others. What did you want to ask?"
"...Your wounds, how did they come about?"
"...I was covered in pitch, lit on fire, and thrown off a canyon."
"That's… I'm sorry. May I ask how you lived?"
It was at this moment that he remembered the exact words he had told to a certain courier.
"I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me."
If that wasn't inspirational than Rawon didn't know what was. It had been faith and willpower that had gotten Joshua through such events. He decided that he didn't want to push any further on his savior's past.
"Is there anything else you wish to know?"
Rawon shook his head.
"No. That was is it." He adjusted himself and sat upright. "Let's remove the sour mood and begin eating."
Rowan grabbed the knife and fork laying next to the plate, with Joshua doing the same.
"So, about the Slane Theocracy, you wish to head there?"
Graham nodded.
"I'm… interested in their doctrine. Namely, their gods and history. Anything else after is useful as well."
"That's usually common knowledge. Where are you from?"
"New Canaan."
"I've never heard it of it."
"It's far into the west."
Complete shock soon washed over their faces. That would explain why he knew nothing about the Theocracy.
"You come from there?"
Joshua confirmed it once again with a nod.
"Unbelievable… you must come across monsters like that all the time."
"That is unfortunately the case. Safety is a luxury I can't afford."
"Right, well," Rawon cleared his head. "Back on topic. Ask me and I'll answer to the best of my ability."
"I thank you once again…" Joshua made to go for his forks but hesitated for a moment. "I apologize in advance for the unpleasant sight."
He parted the rolling bandages covering his mouth to reveal more of his disturbingly smooth and reddened skin along with his equally damaged lip. He then grabbed the fork in his right hand and the knife with his left. He swiftly cut a piece off and placed it inside his mouth and proceeded to chew.
"It will take a lot more than that to upset my stomach." Rowan did the same as his savior had and began eating as well. The ambience of other people in the town going about their business removed what would have resulted in an awkward kind of silence as they both ate for about thirty seconds.
"Where would you like to start?"
"As early as is currently known about the Theocracy's history. I don't care how long it is."
"...Okay, well, let's start with the Six Greats gods…"
And so, Rowan told Joshua all he knew. From the God of Life to the God of Death, he described as much as he personally knew to his savior. He told him about when they appeared and when they no longer lived. About as much as their legacy as possible - And more.
"So the Theocracy surfaced around 600 years ago after the appearance of these gods."
The way Joshua pronounced that last word made it quite apparent that he did not believe them to be anything of the sort.
"Those gods are very much real, Graham."
"Of that I have no doubt, but they are not him."
"Could you elaborate?"
"For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."
"Meaning?"
"God is not simply a more complex physical being, or a limited creature. Our Lord is not restricted to hearing, seeing, or being in a single location, like the false gods of most religions."
"...I see."
It was plain to see that Rowan and his wife didn't buy any of it.
"Whether God is real or not, his existence doesn't depend on what you believe or what I say." Joshua took another bite from his steak, but also added in a bite of bread. "And what of the Theocracy themselves?"
He decided to change the subject. Rowan informed him all he could of what they do and aim to achieve, at least from his perspective. But there was something else Joshua was curious about.
"What caused the war between the Elf Country and the Slane Theocracy?"
Rowan shrugged. "It was never publicly stated. But their transgression must have been quite serious if war was suddenly waged."
"Interesting…"
Joshua now had an idea of what he needed to do at this point. He had been living in this New World for over five months now and it was only now that he had decided to venture on his own without his family - the Dead Horses.
First contact with this world didn't start well. Demi-humans weren't known for being compassionate towards humans. He had come to learn of their existence in the worst way possible. Joshua doesn't like killing, but…Anyway, their intent was to make them into slaves. Of course, the Burned Man let no such thing happen. In the end, they had emerged victorious with only a few members of the tribe coming out with negligible wounds. Since then he made it his mission to set up a home for his family and expanding it further. Afterwards, he had decided to head off on his own in search for other civilizations. And here he was now. As for what to do next...
"What's the fastest way to reach the nation?"
"Mission accomplished. Here's the money shot."
Six proudly stated as he stood in front of Momonga and next to Lupusregina with a large brown sack slung over his right shoulder. It was filled to the brim with gold coins taken from the confines of the Mummy Lord's treasury. He dropped it in front of the Overlord who sat in on the Throne of Kings. He noted how Momonga's red orbs within his eye sockets increased in power. The sack itself was quite ridiculous in size. From a villagers perspective it was more than enough to feed many lifetimes of ordinary people.
"...This is an amount I did not expect."
"Yeah, sorry, there was more but-"
"You misunderstand. The coin you have brought has gone above and beyond my expectations. Make no mistake, this is a triumph that greatly benefits Nazarick."
"Oh…"
"Now, for the official report from you. Albedo."
From out of thin air just like Ainz had previously done, the horned woman withdrew a business-like notebook along with a pen.
"Normally, I would have you and the other guardians do this yourselves, but in order to be more efficient I will have Albedo record it for you."
"Alright, well-"
Six told Ainz all he deemed to be important. He started the moment he came across the capital known as E-Rantel of the Re-estize Kingdom. He went into further detail about everything he had gathered from overhearing locals to asking questions one should consider common knowledge. Which, of course, drew attention to him.
"And what did you say?"
"I told them I was from the West. Apparently, that place is almost entirely populated by Demi-humans. Humans are almost always slaves."
"...Does this upset you?"
"The strong eat the weak. It's the natural order… anyway, I have a map from those two very grateful nobles I mentioned."
In Momonga's opinion that the NPC's would have deemed as objective, he believed that to be a great move from Six. There was no doubt in his mind that those two men would call upon his services one day for another job surely to increase their wealth even more. After all, greed is limitless. It could prove to be a great source of income. Of course, Momonga wouldn't settle for just that. Nazarick demanded more.
"Excellent. Pass it to me."
And Six did so. He approached the throne and handed Momonga the plain map with all of the surrounding kingdoms and other such things belonging to that area. Re-estize Kingdom, Bahurath Empire, Slane Theocracy, Roble Holy Kingdom, Dragonic Kingdom, Argland Council State - it was all there.
Ainz felt like collapsing as his eyes scanned this all. He expected the world around him to be foreign, but the impact of all this new information hit him harder than he had imagined. Of course, to those who looked at him, he remained as regal and powerful as ever.
"You exceeded my expectations once again." Momonga's red eyes flicked towards Six. "To not reward you would bring great shame upon me." He folded the map and placed it within the void that stored whatever else he kept there.
"Is there anything in particular you desire?"
"Huh? Er, no, I can't think of… actually… yeah." Six looked down at the ground for a moment and then met the crimson spheres of light. "The Mummy Lord I encountered in that tomb... I promised to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed by outsiders. Is there some way you can help with that? Y'know, cover up the ground and all?"
"Where is it located?"
"Here." Six got closer to the map and pointed to the spot in between E-Rantel and E-Pespel.
"I see. Granted. Though, you must wait until Nazarick is properly hidden."
"Right."
"You are dismissed, Six. You may relax until further need of you. Here is your Pip-Boy as you call it."
Six nodded, grabbed the item laying on Momonga open's palm and silently but casually waved goodbye. He turned and began walking away until Momonga's voice caused him to stop.
"You are also allowed to roam freely between the floors with the exception of the Eight Floor. Consider it another reward for your efforts."
He turned his head, a genuine smile placed on his face. He gave Momonga an easygoing salute before finally exiting. After he had done so, the Overlord immediately addressed Lupusregina.
"Now, tell me what you have found. All of his thoughts. None to be left unchecked."
Lupusregina, who had been kneeling before her master stood up and looked up at him.
"Yes. From what [Animal Instinct} gathered, he hasn't shown any sign of possible betrayal. In fact, he has a great amount of respect and awe for you, Momonga-sama."
To say this was favorable for the Overlord would be an understatement.
"Umu. Good. What else?"
"He has a deep curiosity when it comes to magic, he questions everything around himself in an attempt to understand it. In addition, he always tries to go for diplomatic solutions whenever interacting with others, though he isn't opposed to fighting…"
"Continue."
"I did find something that angers him."
Momonga slightly leaned in.
"When we were speaking with the Mummy Lord, I said that me and him were partners to which he corrected by saying companions. When I told him it was the same, he seemed to become… bitter and resentful towards something I couldn't discern."
"Interesting… and this was at the mention of companionship… I will make a note of it. Anything else?"
The brown-skinned maid thought about his question for a moment
"Yes. He also has a desire to befriend all within Nazarick."
"Is this for malicious purposes?"
The maid shook her head. "No. It seems to simply be his nature."
"I see…" Ainz began to go deep within his non-existent brain and think about the information supplied to him. It was only after five seconds that he realized that he had yet to properly respond.
"My apologies, it seems I was lost in my own thoughts - good work today, Lupusregina. I hope you can forgive me for sending you out on a potentially dangerous assignment like that."
"What are you saying? We all live to serve you, Momonga-sama! There is nothing more we would like as your servants!"
An approving smile and nod came from Albedo.
"Umu. Rise. You are dismissed and may do as you please until I have need of you once more."
Lupusregina did as she was told and left the Throne Room, the doors closed behind her slowly after she had left.
"...It seems Six has proved himself. Still, only a fool would utterly trust an outsider. I still do not know how he would react should his circumstances change."
"Then, Momonga-sama, if you will it, all of Nazarick will attack Six should he betray us."
"Of this I have no doubt. For now, I shall let him be and return to my personal chamber."
"As you say."
Momonga didn't respond. Instead he stayed silent and teleported away from the Throne Room.
Albedo's constant smile instantly evaporated upon her master's disappearance. Her hate and jealousy towards Six had increased tremendously. How could a stranger - an intruder - accomplish more than all of Nazarick's servants had done as a combined force? This wasn't mentioning the high praise her Lord has bestowed upon the Courier who seemed to think nothing of it. It nearly drove her mad.
"He sees you as the head wife, no?"
It was at this moment that she remembered her colleague's words. Although there was sound logic behind his reasoning, Albedo could not bring herself to ask aid from someone she currently did not like. Instead she decided to begin resuming the work she had been working on before she had been summoned. She closed the book she had written in and tucked it away into a void.
"Do you guys know where ED-E is?"
Six had stopped his stroll in front of a group of three maids who seemed to be cleaning the already pristine Nazarick.
"Last I remember… he was with Lumiere."
The one on the left responded first.
"He's taken quite a liking to her."
The other maid in the center added in.
"Oh, really? Do you guys have any idea where they might be?"
"Try the cafeteria or look for her in the Ninth Floor. She should be on her duties."
The last one on the right pointed Six in the right direction.
"Thanks! Appreciate it!" He switched from a brisk walk to a speedy jog.
"Don't run in the halls!"
The final maid's words caused her other two companions to freeze in both fear and shock. Their immediate thought was that their friend has suddenly gone mad. To give orders to someone much higher in their hierarchy was quite literally a death sentence. And while Six might be an outsider, a being on the same level as their master deserved as much respect one would give to the floor guardians.
"Sorry!"
Six yelled back as he slowed down and instead began power walking. The maid's friends all stood there in utter shock and surprise. The one who committed the "offence" looked at the other two with a curious and confused expression.
"What?"
Six soon found himself standing near the entrance of the mess hall. He breathed in the mouth-watering food capable of making him weep in joy and scanned the room in search of the one and only companion known to always be by his side. To say ED-E meant a lot to him was an understatement. He absolutely loved that floating little bastard.
To his disappointment, his faithful pal was nowhere to be seen. It was impossible for him to accidentally miss him - the bot stuck out like a ghoul in the mojave. So there was only one logical course of action he could take.
"Hey. Have any of you seen ED-E?"
He spoke loud enough for everyone in the cafeteria to hear him but not obnoxiously so. Almost all of the eyes belonging to the beautiful maids quickly went to him after he had spoken.
"Welcome back, Six… wan."
The Courier recognized the woman who had addressed him - Pestonya Shortcake Wanko. Where else could you find a woman with a dogs head? She stood next to an occupied table before slowly making her way towards the mailman.
"Hello, Ms. Wanko. Would you by chance know where ED-E went?"
The lady nodded at his question.
"I have. Last I remember, I saw him following CZ and Entoma… wan"
"Hm… any idea as to where?"
"I'm afraid not -wan."
"Dammit. I'll ask one of the battle maids then."
"Sorry, I could not help further -wan."
"Then back to the tenth floor I go…"
Six quickly departed and left the room that he had not realized went quiet as soon as he had revealed his presence.
{Ah, would you happen to be lost?}
Six stopped dead in his tracks after he had arrived in the Tenth Floor of Nazarick. A feminine and young voice had suddenly filled his head.
Who the fuck is in my head right now?
{Apologies, I forget we have yet to be properly introduced. I am Aureole Omega, Area Guardian of the Eight Floor.}
Oh… sorry about the swearing. You just caught me off-guard. So this is the whole "message" thing Momonga talked about. Pretty cool actually. I'm gonna guess that Momonga already told you who I am?
{That would be correct}
Wait, you asked if I was lost… which means you're in charge of these teleportation gates - hey, I know we just met, but could you do me a favor? Can you tell me where ED-E is? I would assume you've kept track of who went where. If it helps, I've been told that he was seen with CZ and Entoma.
{It is not a problem… coincidentally, it seems that Entoma and CZ are on the Sixth Floor along with Yuri as well.}
Nice. Thanks for making my life easier.
{Of course, it was my pleasure. Until next time}
Six suddenly felt… something leave his mind. He couldn't quite describe the feeling that had suddenly left. The best he could say was that it felt as if he had suddenly forgotten why he had entered a room for.
Time for a long walk to the Sixth Floor…
And so he set off in search of his companion.
Well this is appropriate… it's unfathomably hot as well. Strangely enough, it's not negatively affecting me in the slightest…
Six was trying to piece together what exactly happened to him. Undeniable evidence that he become a lot more durable and stronger had shown up. This was just another example of that. The question was, just how much more? If he could casually walk underneath these conditions underneath all of the thick clothing he currently wore, then what else could he handle? He should begin some experiments. Maybe here would be a good place to begin and test that…
Six eyed the flowing and bubbling lava. He raised his right hand and then looked at it. This would do.
The Courier looked up at the sky and tried looking past the heavy smoke clouds consuming everything above him. In the distance he could see the outlines of many strange beings he quickly guessed to be demons. He ignored all of that and proceeded to the river of lava.
Once he had gotten close enough, he took a knee and removed the glove that no doubt would have been completely destroyed had he not taken it off. Six leaned in closer and slowly dipped his fingers into the liquid.
Nothing… no pain…
He put his entire hand within the lava and felt the same sensation as before. He moved his hand back in forth - his fingers spread within as he felt the liquid pushing against his hand but failing to stop it. It was liking dipping his hand into hot water.
Before he could remove his hand, in the corner of his eye, he saw something moving within the deep river of lava. It was then that he made out what appeared to be a tentacle rise out for a moment before going back inside.
Wonder who or what that was.
Six stood up and looked at his unharmed hand. He flexed his fingers to make sure they still worked correctly before placing his glove back on. It was then that he had finally noticed what appeared to be ruins in the distance. He might have noticed it a lot sooner had it not been for the smokey clouds hiding it.
Maybe it's where Demiurge lives?
His intent was to greet the devil and ask for directions. Six then realized that the flowing river of death actually led right towards the destroyed temple. Ironically enough, the area over yonder resembled something more holy than demonic. He wondered if that was intentional. Six chose to stop his power walking and instead go at a normal pace.
Once Six had actually gotten closer, he noticed that a lot of the destruction made it seem as if a great battle had taken place here. What remained of the statues and pillars lay on the floor randomly. He had no idea if this was intentional or not, but it wasn't something he was concerned with. His attention was more focused on those demonic beings near the entrance to the quite literally Blazing Temple.
Six didn't let all of these new surroundings and demons take away from his usual speech. As was appropriate for him, he waved at those guarding the gate to catch their attention.
"You guys! Hey! Does Demiurge live here?" He used his head to indicate the ruins.
The demons Six had yet to identify as the Evil Lords all quickly bowed in respect. An action that Six hated.
"Please don't do that. I don't like being shown respect - it makes me feel awkward." He raised both hands in front of him and shook them rapidly in rejection.
"If that is what you wish Courier Six-sam-"
"That same goes for honorifics. Call me Six or Courier." Six cut off one of them - a male who took a great amount of liberty when revealing skin.
"...It will be so. As for your question, our master does reside here. Do you wish to see him?"
"Yeah, that's right."
After hearing confirmation, one of the Evil Lords in the area, a grey-skinned woman with a black birds head went inside. Ten seconds passed after she had left and Six began playing with his Pip-Boy in search for a song to listen to so time could pass by faster. However, he was not allowed to do this as Demiurge himself soon appeared before him with his servant following behind him. The Arch-Devil was the first to speak.
"Welcome to the Seventh Floor, Courier."
"Heya, Demiurge. This is a pretty cool place you have." Six turned his head as he looked left and right. "Your creator made it right?"
"Indeed. It pleases me to know that others find enjoyment in it as well."
"Thought so. Anyway, I just came here to say hi while I was here and all. I'm heading to the Sixth Floor."
"I see that you immediately took the chance to fully explore Nazarick after my master allowed you to do so."
"Of course, I want to get to know Nazarick better."
"Or perhaps to begin probing for weaknesses."
Demiurge decided to address the elephant in the room. Six betraying Nazarick was something that, should it occur, wouldn't surprise anyone. If you weren't originally from this Great Tomb then you were considered an outsider who almost certainly harbored ill-intent. One of the Courier's goals right now was to prove that he had no such intentions. He knew better than anyone that trust didn't come easily.
"Nah. I've already done that."
"...Pardon me?"
"I mean the security on the First Floor - the one Albedo set up with the fake gaps in the patrol routes. When I was leaving for my mission I noticed the 'weaknesses' as I was leaving."
Six couldn't help but smirk at his own words. A smile then crossed Demiurge's face and he let out a short burst of laughter.
"You are trying to goad me. I will admit, it was almost successful. But I doubt you were able to fully comprehend all of Nazarick in your short time within Nazarick. An obvious bluff but you knew that. Very amusing."
"I'm glad you think so. Well, I'll take my leave. Eh, but before I do… where's the other teleportation gate?"
Demiurge turned his body and pointed in the appropriate direction.
"You will find it over there."
"Cool. Thanks. See you around."
Six walked away Demiurge and towards where he would find the gate.
"It was a pleasure speaking to you, Courier."
The mailman didn't bother looking back as he lazily waved after hearing the devil's words.
In an instant, Six's feet planted themselves in the dense forest within the Sixth Floor. Unlike the last time he first arrived here, the sun was shining brightly and he could clearly see all of the beautiful fauna that the wasteland couldn't even dream of. Back home…
Six created a frown on his face as the memory of it all came flooding back. All those bastards who betrayed him. Some 'companions' they were if he could find them he would-
The lone man in the dense area suddenly and slowly breathed in and exhaled at the same speed.
That's in the past. Forget it. It doesn't matter anymore. Control your emotions...
"U-Um, h-hello, Six."
Six whipped his head to his right and saw Aura's twin. In his inner turmoil he had failed to notice the pointy-eared boy. He cursed himself for letting his guard down and fully. His sudden movement had seemed to startle the boy slightly. The courier went back to his normal attitude, deciding to stop his weeping over spilled milk.
"Mare, right?"
A nod came from the Dark Elf. Six remembered the first time they 'met'. It obviously wasn't a proper introduction so now was a good time to do so. The Courier also noted that the young boy had not attempted to call him "sama" which certainly pleased him. Maybe his sister told him?
"Are, are you looking for ED-E by chance?"
"Yup. Know where he is?"
Another nod from Mare.
"He's over here… f-follow me please."
And Six did as he was told. The environment around Six wasn't hard to navigate as kept up with Mare's pace. The jungle-like area containing thorns and other such things that would normally impede someone's progress. He had never been deeper into this area due to the fact that he had been more curious about the colosseum when he had come to. The Courier wasn't surprised in the slightest as Mare masterfully navigated through the area better than he ever could.
"Were you waiting for me by the gate?"
Six decided to make conversation.
"Ah, n-no, not at all, I sensed you the moment you used the gate and came to see."
"Hold on, Is this an ability all the other Floor Guardians have?"
"Yes… all of us possess it."
So that's why Demiurge came out so quickly from his temple. He already knew someone was on his designated floor.
"Pretty neat. Sounds useful for intruders. Wait, so that's why you and your sis had no clue how I got into the Sixth Floor."
"Erm… do you r-remember how you got here?"
Six shook his head.
"No and it irks me. Nazarick is perfectly guarded from what I've seen yet I somehow managed to get in but don't recall how. It's all one giant black out."
Mare suddenly stopped in his tracks near what seemed to be a tiny clearing devoid of trees. It seemed like the perfect place for someone to set up a picnic or stargaze depending on what time it was.
"...We're here."
Six walked closer towards Mare and quickly recognized the four forms of people - Yuri, Entoma, CZ and ED-E. Entoma seemed to be lazing around a hammock-like web above and near CZ who held the eyebot in a bear hug as she looked up at her eldest sister who seemed to be reprimanding her.
"What's up?" Six's voice cleaved through the area quickly, all of the attention instantly on him. As soon as ED-E noticed his companion he easily freed himself from CZ's iron grip and sped on over to his master as he happily beeped at him.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too, bud." Six rubbed the top of the bot affectionately like one would to a pet.
"S-six! I did not expect to see you here so soon."
Yuri seemed to have forgotten about her younger sister. For the moment.
"Well here I am. The mission went well. We learned a lot about this New World we're in but I don't want to get into the nitty gritty. Momonga will let everyone know what we've uncovered soon I'm sure."
"What's it like up there?"
It was Entoma who had asked this.
"Beautiful… like nothing I've ever seen. Something I couldn't ever imagine. Life is just… everywhere. Nothing is corrupted. No polluted air, no contaminated water, no monsters or raiders out to constantly kill you, no haywire machines hellbent on killing you, no war. Peaceful- compared to the wasteland at least. A dream. My wanderlust is coming back to me and I want to see more of the world maybe I'll even ask Momonga for…"
He stopped talking and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry…"
"...It sounds nice." CZ commented.
"Yeah…"
"There is no need for apologies Six. From what Momonga-sama has said, it seemed like conflict was constantly around where you were. It's only natural that you would feel this way."
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Thanks, teach."
"...Teach?"
Shit. I offended her.
"Er, sorry, you just reminded of a teacher is all - y'know what I take it ba-"
Six cut himself off after noticing the prideful and satisfied look on Yuri's gleaming face, her right hand near her glasses as she readjusted them with a confident v-shaped smile on her face.
I guess she likes that…
"What are you guys doing here, anyway? You didn't cause trouble, right, ED-E?"
Denying beeps came from the floating bot.
"Quite the opposite, he's been well-behaved."
"That's good to hear."
"Unfortunately I can't say the same for CZ."
Yuri's angry gaze went back to her sister.
"What'd she do?"
ED-E released robotic noises full of exposition.
"Ah, got it. You don't seem upset about that though."
More high-pitched sounds were let loose from the eye.
"...ED-E is cute."
Noises of joy came from the mentioned being as he bobbed up and down while moving left to right as a form of expression.
"But that doesn't mean you can just take him as you please."
CZ averted her eyes from the eldest maid like a child would.
"What the hell is this?"
Six voiced his curiosity as he only just now noticed a feature his companion never had before. Near the bot's rump lay what appeared to be a sticker of some sort. Six forcefully but not roughly turned ED-E around like a globe so he could fully see the item plastered near its ass.
"...A sticker."
Gee, thanks. I couldn't tell.
"CZ…"
Yuri's anger only increased at the sight at the silver object pasted on ED-E.
"...Uwah."
It was then that Six began laughing. It was the first time they had heard him do so. It wasn't the kind of laughter one would produce when they made fun of someone else. It was pure happiness. His higher-pitched chortles quickly died down as he gathered back into his normal self.
"You really like ED-E, huh?"
"...Mm."
The Courier looked at his companion and began petting him once again.
"That makes me happy."
His cheerful smile suddenly turned into one of sadness. It was as if he was reminiscing about something. Yuri didn't know if she should address his quick change in demeanor but didn't get a chance to even try before the Courier switched back to his casual self.
"Anyway, I came here looking for ED-E and Entoma."
The arachnid maid who had been silent thus far perked up at the sound of her name in a mix of curiosity and concern.
"What do you need, Six?"
"I wanna test something. Could you do me a favor and eat me?"
"E-eat you?!" Yuri lost her composure for a moment but quickly recovered thanks to her status as an undead. "May I ask why?"
"Like I said, it's a test - for me. I want to see just how durable I am. I dipped my hand into lava on the Seventh Floor on my way here and didn't receive any damage. So right now, I'm trying to see just how far I can go. It'll only take a moment. Besides, what use is someone like me who can easily die from chomps alone?"
"...That makes sense."
I can't tell if CZ is sarcastic or not.
"Okay~" It didn't take long for Entoma to agree with him. Though Yuri seemed apprehensive about it. The monster girl hopped off her web and approached him.
"Let's start here." Six rolled up the sleeve of his white long-sleeved collared shirt all the way up to his shoulder and fully exposed his arm. Fortunately for him, Entoma preferred the arm of muscular men over others, though he did not know this. "Pick anywhere on my arm - and don't hold back."
Entoma placed herself near Six's forearm and studied it for a few seconds before suddenly leaning forward and going for a bite.
…
No blood. No pain. No yelling. Nothing negative had occurred. She wasn't able to pierce his flesh in the slightest. In all honesty, Six didn't know what he should have expected but in order to make sure…
"Are you actually trying?"
"Mm-hm." She muffled as she continued
He felt her chomping down for sure, but it didn't produce any results. It was comparable to a normal human trying to bite down on metal. In fact… it kind of tickled in a strange way.
"Your arm tastes really good." Entoma said as she continued 'consuming' him.
"It does?"
The more you know.
"Really good…"
Her biting had now included the attempt at trying to slurp him up which is how he assumed other spiders like her would eat. He wanted to know just how good he supposedly tasted.
"Can I get a number out of ten?"
"Ten." Her answer was quick and sure. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt proud of that.
"Hm… alright." Six watched her continue her excessive eating. The silence around him was starting to make the mood awkward. "...That's enough for now. Could you let go?"
Entoma did as she was told, however, Six did not fail to miss the disappointment she showed from her movements.
"Thanks for that. It gives me an idea as to what I want to do next. Again, I appreciate the help, Entoma."
"It was my pleasure."
"Anyway, I'm going back to the Ninth Floor. You coming, ED-E?"
The bot agreed to follow his best friend and quickly boosted himself next to Six.
"...What are you going to do?"
Six focused his attention on CZ. "Eat and then sleep just in case Momonga needs me for something later on. I'm only human after all. It'd be cool if I had the advantages you guys did." Six turned around. "See you guys later. C'mon ED-E."
A single beep came from his companion.
"And thanks for guiding me, Mare." He turned his head to face the boy who only nodded at him in response.
Six never felt so full in his entire life. Which was ironic since he always used to carry a bag filled with plenty of food capable of feeding more than one person for a week. He arrived at the maids' room Momonga had assigned him to. Six was aware that he was only placed here at the start so he could be monitored by the Pleiades in case he decided to try anything.
With ED-E behind him, he approached the spare room and turned the knob that led to it. He opened it and stopped when he found a certain someone lying on his bed.
"Solution?"
Indeed, it was the blonde maid that lay on her chest facing the doorway. She used her arms to support herself up which were also 'coincidentally' positioned below her bosom which made her breasts stand out more.
"Who else?" She answered seductively as her fake eyes locked with his own.
"This isn't your room." Six responded flatly.
"I know." Her sultry wink didn't go unnoticed.
Momonga put her up to this I'm sure. Even if he didn't I still wouldn't go for this. Not to mention...
Six began to slowly approached the woman. Seeing this, Solution changed her posture and instead sat on the edge of the bed with her chest purposefully sticking out, inviting him to touch her.
"There's no to be prudent, though I would prefer it if you would be gentle with me..."
"You got it."
Six extended his arms and went for a grab.
Solution didn't expect him to instead hold her by the shoulders. He gently but forcefully got her to stand up close to him. Her immediate thought was that he instead wanted to kiss her. Again, her expectations were once again shattered as he shuffled so that he faced the door. He turned her around and, with great care, pushed her so that she was forced to walk through the door. With confusion etched on her face, she turned herself so that she could see Six.
"Sorry, I'm not interested. Good acting though." He complimented her and closed the door, leaving a baffled Solution alone.
I almost laughed when I saw her there.
He then clicked his tongue. A foreign but nice smell came from his bed. Even so he did not welcome it.
How long had she been here? Whatever-
"ED-E, I'm knocking out. See you in seven hours…"
Six heard beeps come from his best friend and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
Author's Note: Sorry about the upload time. I know I said early in January, but couldn't do that due to things in life I won't get into. Unrelated to this, but to those who review but don't get responded to, rest assured I definitely see your compliments. They do more than make my day. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you guys in the next one.