Chapter 3
Lord Ainz Ooal Gown's perspective
After cracking the egg in to the bowl Ainz carefully put the two shell halves into the 2 remaining bowls hollow side up. "Albedo, please remove your gloves."
"Of course my Lord." The floor guardian smiles as she pulls off her long white gloves. The susurrations hiss of high grade silk over skin the only sound in the lavish office. "Please tell me if you wish me to remove any more of my clothes."
"Uh, that should be sufficient for now Albedo." Replied lord Ainz waving the woman off.
Inner voice Suzuki Satoru, "Is she pouting?" Suzuki recalls the conversation he had overheard in the baths. When Albedo had denied that Ainz would peep at them he had expected her reasoning to be that he was too honourable to do such a thing. Thus he had been shaken when he discovered that it was because she was under the impression that if he wanted to see them naked he could just order them to strip. "As if I could do that. I mean really, could I?" He had kept telling himself the answer was no. And yet that pout.
Ainz dips his hand into the egg bowl and scooped out the yellow yoke. Interesting it looks like an ordinary yoke only bigger. Once the excess white had drained back into the bowl he reached over and gently deposited the yoke into the heated skillet. His fingers brushed the surface of the hot pan but his heat resistance stat did its job and he took no damage. The maid returned the pan to the fire knowing what the great master wanted from her.
"Well I better get this over with." Sighed Suzuki Satoru. "I hope this isn't too much to ask of a salary man." Ainz snatches up the high level blade and places it between the proximal phalanx and the middle phalanx of his left hand. (That is between the 2nd and 3rd bone down from the tip of the little finger. We can't all be Martha Jones.) Depite his intention the blade paused in the gap.
"Please no! I beg you to stop my lord! if your plans require a finger please use one of mine." Begged the frantic succubus. In the silent moment of hesitation Lumière flipped the yoke.
Ainz Oowl Gown stares into Albedo's eyes noting the tears hovering at the corners. How much pain have I caused her with my moment of foolishness? I forced her to be deeply in love with me then groped her only to shun any further advances. This is the least of my penance.
The knife scores the polished surface of the supreme one's desk as he lets out a bellow of pain. There is a flare of negative energy from the stump. Ainz returnes the knife back into its position on the table. He picks up the bone finger with its remaining lefty brothers and removes the ring then places the bones into a rune engraved iron bowl.
"Lord your hand? What could possibly be worth mutilating yourself for?" Askes a quavering Albedo as she stares up at him from her kneeling position hands gripping the lip of his desk.
"Take heart Albedo, this was necessary and a mere temporary inconvenience for one such as I." Ainz tried to comfort the woman. Now please rise I believe Lumière is about ready with the next stage of my plan. The maid nods in acknowledgment to her lord's words and plates the dragon yoke and extendes the plate towards Albedo. "Please consume the enspelled yoke."
Albedo's quizzical look vanished at Ainz's word and immediately flipped the yoke with enscribed runes into her mouth and swallowes. "Of course lord. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like me to, swallow."
Inner voice Suzuki Satoru, "Whaaa? Did she just unhinge her jaw or something? If I had eyelids I would have thought I blinked and missed it. Hey, what was that last bit?"
Lord Ainz once again lifts the knife from the shiny dark wood of the desktop. No, this can't be happening again. What was it about her request that required the head of the Great Tomb of Nazarick to mutilate his perfect form? While she was personally inexperienced Albedo had been under the impression that the one being penetrated in the effort to give Mamonga an heir would be her.
"I'm sorry Albedo but as the mother I'll need you to contribute some blood to the ritual. Please slice your left palm and let the blood flow in to the bowl until it just covers the bone." Asked Lord Ainz as he holds out the knife for his faithful floor guardian to take, which of coarse she did.
The crimson flower bloomed along the path of the knife as it traveled across and through her skin. Her skin which no foe had yet to breach in battle she now willingly split out of love and faith in the unquestionable ruler of her home and heart. The crimson petals grow and fall like a time lapse film over many seasons.
What a curious sensation physical pain is. Having been constructed by Tabula one of the 41 supreme beings she was far better constructed than the lower life forms that populate this new world. There were no aches and pain common to the human experience. But this, this is what it was like to feel pain to take damage and she was doing it to herself for what she assumed would be the greater good. Is this like the time Lord Ainz had allowed that angel to strike at him? As she watched her blood spill over the relic contributed by Mamonga she knew that it didn't really matter why she had been asked to slice open her flesh, all that matters was who made the request. As a Supreme Being it was only proper that Lord Ainz could do whatever he wanted with the body she had been given and since he was also the man she was deeply in love with so she could enjoy submissively following orders.
Another slice renews the flow as her treasonous recovery stats tried to close the wound that had been dictated by her eternal lord and master. Said master appeared to be watching the filling bowl with intense concentration. I wonder how much blood will be required. If she had been permitted to slash her wrist then this wouldn't be taking up so much of my lord's precious time. But no, when the Sorcerer King had handed her the knife he had specified that the cut was to occur on her palm. If her defensive bonuses weren't so high the cut would surly stay open. The blade flashes once again scoring her bones as Albedo drags the item across her left hand. Unlike a human each slice is in the exact same place. That pain sensation came again. So this is pain. It is amazing that such a thing had broken so many of lower life forms that had been foolish enough to oppose Nazarick. In her opinion this was just more evidence of their inferiority to the residence of the Great Tomb.
Ainz raises his pearl white hand, "Albedo, That is sufficient. Please drink this health potion?"
Clenching her still dripping hand Albedo, trusting in the high grade wax to protect the wood, deposits the knife back on to the polished surface of the desk once she retried the potion bottle and using a flick of her thumb Albedo uncorks the potion before downing the liquid. The potion had been red, thus it hadn't come from the pharmacist in Carne village but from Nazarick's own stores. Placing the now empty bottle on the silver tray being held by the maid Albedo retrieved first the moist cloth and then the towel to cleanse her hand of any remaining blood.
Eight edged assassin perspective (Southern accent.)
Floor dwellers were all crazy as far as 1 was concerned. It remembered one time when the Supreme Being Yamaiko had walked into a room 1 had been guarding and then just stood there motionless for like 14 hours strait. And then she just started up again as if nothing had happened! Like, what in the Great Tomb of Nazarick was that all about? 3 was one of the new world summons and thus lacked the perspective of the older cluster members such as 1 and Bob. Although, even he had to admit that cutting off your own finger was a hell of a thing to do. And what was that giant egg all about? "Was this now the Great Tomb of Nazarick cooking show staring Chef Summoner Ainz Ooal Gown? Today's dish is a nice bone finger omelette, serves 8." Heh the Summoner was handing the knife over to Albedo. What now? Oh, they are making soup.
3 seemed to be having a break down over there. Vibing about the Horny Horned One. Kid must be crazy to call Albedo that to her hair. The ninny may have forgotten that she can fly. Even if it was accurate. Still 1 couldn't be too hard on 3 for his confusion. Watching the floor dwellers take a knife to themselves left the cluster with no clear response path. Who were they supposed to drop onto and stab with their foot blades when the people inflicting the injuries were the protecteies?
While Albedo was getting cleaned up The Summoner Ainz was not idle he poured about a thimble's worth of another potion bottle's contents into the bowl of blood and bone. Then he tossed a spell scroll into the air. The flash from the scrolls activation momentarily blinded the eyes of the eight edged assassins. In the fading glare of the spell 1 saw the blood mixture pull together into an oval. The Summoner then picked up the crimson oval and placed it into the bottom shell. Half the egg white followed the new crimson "yoke." Although the second half went into the top shell. The Summoner reached under the cloth and pulled out yet another spell scroll from beneath the silk covering. When this spell executes the two egg shell halves rise into the air before the top of the egg jumpes up to sit astride its bottom half. Threads of magical energy bridge the cracks and pull the two half together until the 2 halves are once again made whole. Thus reconstituted the dragon egg lowers itself gently into the bowl once more.
Then something peculiar happened. The Summoner seemed to jerk and stutter as rows and rows of runes appeared on the shell of the egg. Lord Ainz was using time stop to accomplish hours of pain staking inscription in seconds.
Pride swelled in Albedo's chest as she observed the Supreme Being's easy mastery of time itself. The stuttering effect came to an end and for a moment Lord Ainz appeared to rest and admire his creation, whatever it was. With a gesture Ainz called the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown to his hand as he rose from behind his desk.
The master came to stand beside her and extended his hand for hers but he did not take it instead this ageless being before her waited for her to offer her hand. What boundless patience he has for us his unworthy servants. He was undead, he would never tire or grow old and frail, his body would never sicken from disease. Ainz needed neither sleep nor succour He could wait as the world decayed around him and remain unchanging and eternal. This was the being that was patiently extending his hand to her. Was this it? Was it finally time? Albedo reached up and took the bones of the Supreme being in her naked hand. This is the first time that I've been able to touch my beloved master without the gloves forged by another God coming between us.
"Albedo, Are you ready to go?"
"With you, always and anywhere my Lord."
Ainz raises the golden staff and calls out a single command, "Gate." Space itself is torn asunder by a seething mass of purple energy and the primordial darkness. Then hand in hand he leads the lady Albedo through the portal, followed a moment later by a golden haired maid carrying a glowing egg resting on a purple cushion with gold brocade around the edges.
Author's note: I hope you like the story thus far. Please remember to review so I know what needs improvement and to fuel this madness.