"Speech"
"Thought"
"Spell"
...
Despite the fact that she was once again walking the comforting halls of her master's kingdom, Mara couldn't help but feel a sense of growing nervousness as she steadily made her way to the fields of Anfauglith.
Though she would never dare question to question the orders of her creator's greatest ally, and indeed she had carried out her appointed task with her usual efficiency, the leather clad woman was puzzled by Lord Morbus's sudden change in mood after he had returned from that pitiful human village two days ago.
Accompanied by a snivelling creature, who at least had the intelligence to be grateful for the armored doppelganger's decision to spare his life, the master of Utumno had immediately summoned his Supreme Generals to carry out his new orders.
Sidious had been instructed to direct the majority of his goblin legions to create new underground tunnels that would allow the armies of Utumno to travel beneath the mountains undetected. The rest of his forces would be devoted to mining the previously uninhabited mountain ranges, for Ancalagon's dragon scouts had discovered that the mountains were rich in natural resources, and Lord Morbus had expressed his desire to obtain this new found wealth.
As for the mighty dragon himself, he had been ordered to send his winged minions to scour the lands that laid to the north west of the mountains, for it was decided that useful though the crebain might be, their range and power were greatly inferior to that of a dragon.
Saruman had been given a task that had made him the envy of his fellow Supreme Generals, for their master in his divine wisdom had decided to entrust him with the mission of consolidating Utumno's power in the lands to the South. Choosing a location that sat at the southernmost point of the forest, and operating out of a single tower of blackened stone that had been created by their master's sorcery, the white wizard would have the distinct honor of being the first line of defense against any fool who dared to challenge the sovereignty of their lord.
Angmar and Gothmog had been entrusted with the task of readying their master's armies for war. Though their master had given no sign of who would first experience the tempered steel of his legions, the Supreme Generals guessed from the direction of their efforts, their lord expected their enemies to come from the northwest and toothe south. But with the forces at Utumno's disposal, minus the 10,000 Uruks and 200 warg riders that had been sent to garrison the new fortress of Isengard, though these numbers would be replaced thanks to the birthing pits, Mara was confident that her master's enemies would fall.
"Ah, so the red haired spy returns. Can't say that I overly lamented your absence, but I suppose I should be pleased that at least you're competent in performing our master's orders. I trust that you have completed what Lord Morbus entrusted you with".
Green eyes narrowing as she turned to stare into the crimson ones of her fellow general, Mara gave a quick nod to show that the vampire was indeed correct with her presumption.
"Why else would I be here but to report my success. Unlike a certain leech I could mention, I strive hard to ensure that our master's faith is well rewarded. Or do you think yourself capable of successfully planting 55 agents into every major settlement in this human infested land on such short notice. And I point out that unlike your underlings, mine at least are as effective during the day as they are at night".
Gritting her teeth in anger at the implied insult that her forces were of less value to their master than the smirking red head's, Thurnwingethil managed to calm herself down sufficiently in order to make an amused observation.
"If memory serves my dear Mara, you were entrusted to command a force of 56 minions, not 55. So it appears that your so called success is somewhat tarnished by the fact that you failed to find an appropriate role for that little slinker. Can't say I blame you, for although he's certaintly more useful to Lord Morbus then that pathetic creation of Lord Dancingfool, that homunculi is not exactly the most stable member of your forces is he"?
Knowing that she couldn't easily refute the vampire's claim, for only the most insane creature would dare to lust after the creation of the being they had all sworn to serve, Mara deflected the question by changing the subject.
"And what of your efforts Thurnwingethil? I noticed that for all your attempts to discredit my success, you haven't exactly been entrusted with anything important now have you"?
Though she had expected her undead companion to scowl at the suggestion that their master had hadn't deemed her worth enough to complete a simple mission, Mara wasn't expecting a smug smirk to spread across the vampire's face as she replied to her taunt.
"As a matter of fact Jade you are mistaken. Our master had entrusted me with selecting 4 of my strongest vampire assassins, and is now currently engaged in a vigorous training session with them. I admit I was surprised by the order, but since he was most pleased with my selection, I can only guess that he viewed my efforts to be extremely beneficial".
Taking a moment to ponder the reason why their master would suddenly choose to do combat with some of his lesser servants instead of calling on his more battle proficient Generals, Mara was prevented from offering any further comment as she and her undead companion finally reached their destination.
And though she would normally mock the sultry vampire for her actions when in the appearance of their master, she had to admit that the sight she was currently witnessing was enough to make her wonder if perhaps she had been too harsh with her dress wearing comrade.
For the sight in front of her was more than enough to increase her already unshaken devotion to her lord and master.
…
Oblivious to the fact that his current sparing session now had a couple of entranced spectators, Morbus gracefully dodged a particularly savage blow to his head before blocking another backward slash from his vampiric opponent.
In truth, he had originally wanted to avoid engaging his servants in any form of combat, but the information provided to him by the easily controlled bishop had alerted him to the possibility that he might soon find himself confronted with an opponent who was far stronger than the humans he had recently come across.
"Problem is, I have no idea which member of the guild has been transported to this world. Gelma said that the being who wiped out their strongest magic casting unit was a man by the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, but since he covered his face, not to mention the fact that characters from Yggdrasil appear to be far beyond the abilities of their most powerful hero, I'm left to simple guess work".
Swiftly dodging an attempt to literally disarm him before landing an armored blow to the surprised vampire's face, the former librarian continued to ponder his precarious situation.
"Thanks to the info my guild gathered during that attempt to conqueror their dungeon, though thankfully we were smart enough to stay out of that battle, I have some detailed knowledge of a fair amount of their NPcs. And since 37 of their guild members became inactive before the end of the game, I know that at maximum I only have to worry about 4 maximum level players instead of 41. But even if I only have to deal with one player, I still have to worry about the servants of Nazarick".
Jumping back to avoid an attack from the two remaining assassins, Morbus allowed his mind to wander about the surprising reaction of his chief creation.
"I've already learned that the Supreme Generals looked on the inhabitants of this world as nothing more than insects who should be grateful to bask in my presence, but I didn't expect Angmar to act behave like a zealot at the mention of another guild. It appears that although I am viewed as some sort of Divine being by Utumno's NPCs, they view anyone else from YGGDRASIL that wasn't a member of the Shadowed Lords to be some sort of enemy that must be destroyed. If that's true, though I have to see if the rest of my servants feel that way, then its safe to say that Nazarick's floor guardians will feel the same way. And since my fellow player or players has to do what they can to ensure the continued loyalty of their NPCs, it is possible that they will be forced to move against Utumno just to preserve their own lives".
Motioning for the 2 hesitant vampires to come at him while he raised his sword to defend himself, the armored doppelganger took a moment to congratulate himself for his latest piece of wisdom.
"Since I have no clue which guild member is currently using the name Ainz Ooal Gown, not to mention the fact that they are supported by a fair number of high level NPCs, the only thing I can do is prepare myself by training with my own servants. The vampire assassins I had Thurnwingethil provide me with, though far weaker than the Supreme Generals, give me a chance to practice fighting an opponent that relies on speed and power. Afterwards, I'll get Sidious to provide me an opponent who relies on power and magic so I can practice against that type of character, and then I'll get Mara to lend me some of her assassins so I can fight against an opponent who relies on speed and magic. All together that should at least give me an idea on how to fight the members of Ainz Ooal Gown should we end up battling each other".
Nimbly ducking under yet another attempt to take his head off, and deciding that he had gained a sufficient amount of experiencing while dueling the undead assassins, Morbus brought an end to the fight by using his previously untouched magical skills.
"Repulse".
Watching in satisfaction as his spell telekinetically threw the two remaining vampires into the air, Morbus's attention was soon diverted by the enthusiastic clapping of his unexpected audience.
"A most exciting spectacle my lord. I do hope that you found my selection of servants to be too your liking"?
Doing his best to ignore the clearly enthralled expression of the vampire, a task that was made somewhat difficult due to the way in which her generous bosom heaved against the confines of her dress as she revealed her admiration for his fighting skills, Morbus nonetheless attempted to keep up the image of all powerful Overlord by reacting in a detached manner.
"They were most adequate for my purposes Thurnwingethil, I thank you for your diligence in helping me with this matter".
Smiling in satisfaction that she had managed to help Utumno's ruler, not to mention the fact that she got to see more examples of her lord and master's power, Thurnwingethil barely managed to keep her composure when her red haired companion became the the armored doppelganger's attention.
"Seeing as you're here Mara, I take it that you have successfully completed the task I had requested of you"?
Accurately guessing that her fellow General was displeased at having their lord's attention directed anywhere except her provocative outfit, Mara had to suppress the urge to shoot Thurnwingethil a superior smirk before nodding her head in agreement with her lord's observation.
"I have done as you instructed my lord. Almost all of the forces at my command have been dispatched to the large settlements that lay either to the north of the mountains. And they have instructed to report back if they discover any information regarding, as you put it, beings that stand out from the norm".
Nodding his head to show that he was pleased with the red haired assassin's efforts, Morbus had to fight to keep his expression steady as the vampire, tired of sharing his attention with a woman who could compete with her in the looks department, decided to speak up before more could be said about Mara's success.
"Though I am sure that Mara had done an excellent job of carrying out your wishes Lord Morbus, I hope you'll forgive me for asking this, but wouldn't it have been more efficient to use my vampire assassins for this task of yours? Don't get me wrong, Mara's group is more than capable of operating undetected, especially that sniveling creature that wants your creation my lord, but it seems to me that my forces would have better suited to bringing other creatures into the fold".
Doing his best not to sigh in exasperation as the competitive nature of his servants once again made itself known, Morbus took a brief moment to consider his options before delivering his answer.
"And the cat fighting begins once again, though thankfully they seem to have toned down the venom, so it should be ok for now. But all that aside, I'm not sure whether it would be a good or bad idea to tell them of my reasons. On one hand I could tell them, and their loyalty to me would increase since I am effectively showing that I trust them, but if their reaction is anything like Angmar's,then I'm pretty sure that Utumno will be at war sooner rather than later. If on the other hand I go the mysterious dark lord route, choosing to reveal information only when I deem necessary, that could lead to other problems. Last thing I need is to have the NPCs think I don't trust them, which could result in them losing their faith in me, or fight amongst themselves to be drawn into my counsel".
Deciding to go with what was in his mind the lesser of two evils, the armored doppelganger answered the vampire's inquiry in a manner that was similar to a parent explaining something to a pouting child.
"While I have no doubt that you would complete any task I set before you Thurnwingethil, I'm afraid that in this instance you are mistaken. While it is true that your assassins could turn weaker beings into servants, the fact remains that their usefulness only extends to the field of battle, not the realm of spying. And for what I learned from my newest servant, I have decided that for the time being we will retain an invisible presence in the north while we continue to gather vital intelligence".
Though pleased to discover that Utumno's lord and ruler had complete faith in her abilities to successfully perform any given task, Thurnwingethil soon sported a sneer at hearing of the usefulness of the former bishop.
"And what could that sniveling excuse for a maggot do for you that I can't? Hell, even Lord Dancingfool's creation is a more useful to your cause, even if his only value is that of a unbreakable tool to vent your anger".
Nodding in agreement with her fellow General, for she too believed that the immortal amphibian held greater value, singular though it may be, than the cowardly human who begged for an extra moment of life, Mara fought to keep her calm demeanor as she listened to the words of her master.
"It appears, that the forces of Utumno are not the only powers to be transported to this new world".
….
Though she took great pride in being given the responsibility of infiltrating one of the larger human settlements that infested the lands that would soon pay homage to her master, Zam had quickly found herself bored with her mission.
Of the hundreds of humans that she had witnessed during the course of her wanderings throughout the city, the strongest members were only more or less equal in strength to Lord Morbus's Uruk Kai soldiers. And that was only for those who possessed little or no magical power of their own. From what she had learned, magic casters who could utilize 3rd tier magic were considered to be worthy of great renown, while the majority of the more common magic users be able to use at best 2nd tier magic.
But while her lack of success in finding anyone worthy of her master's attention was disappointing, the true irritation with her mission stemmed from the unwanted looks of attention she received every time she entered a room.
Yes her current form allowed her to carry out her assigned task without raising suspicion, but the cat calls from all these lowly humans was starting to test her patience. Perhaps it would have been better if she had taken on the form of a middle aged male adventurer rather than a red haired barmaid with a buxom figure, but since she had been instructed to only use her shape changing abilities when she was outside of the city, Zam resigned herself to her fate and continued her appointed task.
"Hey sweet heart, what time do you get off work? Me and the boys are tired after a long journey, and could use a woman like you to help us recover".
Wishing she could punish these drunken scum for daring to look at her with lecherous intentions, but knowing that doing so would result in invoking the displeasure of both her master and her superior officer, Zam chose to ignoring the drunken fools as she proceeded towards her newest customer.
"Is there anything I can get you Miss? Or would you prefer me to come back once the rest of your party has arrived"?
Receiving an eager nod from the red haired woman, who had previously been staring in admiration of what appeared to be a vial of blue liquid, Mara felt some of her earlier irritation weaken at the respectful answer she got.
"If it's not too much trouble, can I get a pint of beer and some roast chicken. It's been a while since I've eaten a warm, what with being on an adventure and all, and I could really go for something that doesn't taste like mud".
Bowing in acknowledgement to show that she understood the order, and seeing that this woman could very well provide her with the information she sought, Zam allowed a hint of polite curiosity to enter her tone as she addressed the female adventurer.
"Its no trouble of at all Miss. I would presume that your efforts out in the wild had been most successful? An adventurer of your rank and skill must be very talented indeed".
Seeing the red haired human scoff at her attempt at flattery, Zam remained silent as the woman refuted her claim.
"You're a pretty good flatterer if I do say so myself, but sadly if you're looking to butter me up for a larger tip, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. Since I'm only an Iron Plate, my rewards for completing a mission is only a bit more than what I'd get if I was a Copper Plate. And since I've been saving my earnings to buy this healing potion, I'm afraid that you'll be lucky to get a few copper coins, let alone a silver one".
Hiding her disappointment behind a mask of embarrassment, for she had learned during the course of her mission that Iron Class adventurers were merely one up from the lowest class, Zam turned to carry out the human's order when her attention was focused towards the tavern's newest arrivals.
…
Though she would carry out the orders of the last remaining Supreme Being until her life was at an end, Narberal found herself greatly confused by Lord Ainz's willingness to interact with lesser beings like they were somehow worthy of his attention.
To her, and indeed to the majority of the inhabitants of Nazarick, with the possible exception of Sebas, all humans were deemed to be wastes of life, with their sole redeeming point that they could be squashed with little effort.
They even had the audacity to grant Lord Ainz with the lowest rank in their petty little hierarchies, and it was only because of the disguised lich's command that she hadn't torn that deluded organization apart.
"So Nabe, do you think that this is a good place to start, or should we seek our fortunes elsewhere"?
Pulled out of her musings by the voice of the Skeletal Supreme Being, the black haired battle maid offered a mild glare of disgust at the tavern's human patrons before answering the slightly dismissive question.
"I think that this place is hardly befitting for one of your strength Lord Ainz".
"I told you, call me Momon".
Bowing her head in apology for her slip of the tongue, though she was still confused why Lord Ainz preferred to keep his identity secret, Narberal hurried to corrected herself.
"Apologies, Lor…I mean Mr. Momon".
Accepting the raven haired doppelganger's apology with a brief nod of his head, amd grateful that no one had seemed to have overheard their conversation, the player formerly known as Momonga revealed his own opinion regarding their current location.
"You may be right Nabe. But since I intend to start from the bottom, this is as good a place as any to begin. For in my opinion, the greatest way to gain fame is to start at the bottom, and then successfully complete a task that should have been far beyond their abilities to achieve".
Completely agreeing with the wisdom of Lord Ainz's reasoning, and cursing herself for being unable to perceive the true intentions of one of the gods who had created Nazarick, Narberal was prevented from expressing her awe with her master's plans thanks to the sudden interruption of an irksome insect.
"Welcome to our humble abode good sir, dear lady. Can I offer the pair of you a place to sit? Surely two travelers such as yourselves will enjoy the simple fare we offer".
Turning around to glare at the unfortunate human who would dare sneak up on a Supreme Being, Narberal was struck by an faint feeling if familiarity as she took in the appearance of the curvy bar maid. It wasn't a feeling that she was in the presence of a past acquaintance, for before today the dark haired battle maid had never left the boundaries of the Great Tomb. Rather it was a sense that she was meeting someone who was similar to her in a subtle, yet somewhat indetifiable way.
But before she could delve further on this new mystery, the voice of her superior snapped her out of her musings.
"No thank you. For now me and my companion simply wish to acquire a room so we can rest after a hard day's travel".
…
Accepting the words of clear dismissal with a brief courtesy before she hurried back to deal with another overly drunken fool, Zam kept up the appearance of a charming bar maid as her mind processed her latest encounter.
"Finally, something worthwhile to report. Can't say that the armored human looks like he could be a threat of Lord Morbus, but better be safe than sorry. That companion of his though, she was more interesting. Can't really say for sure why that is, but I'm sure General Mara would be pleased to discover that I found someone who is equally as distasteful of humans as I am".
Confident that her superior officer would be pleased with what she had discovered, and knowing that she couldn't act on this information until she was alone in her room, Zam continued to play the part of a tavern maid. Unaware that she had just been in the presence of the one she had been sent to find.
…
ANNND thats enough for now.
Getting closer and closer to the scene that I had envisioned since the beginning of this story (i.e. the meeting of the two Overlords) but some more stuff has to happen before that comes around :)
Though I don't think its mentioned in the story, though to be fair I have only read the manga up to this point, I believe that the reactions of the NPCs regarding the discovery of another dungeon would be met with hostility.
Yes they tend to view their creators/guild members as higher beings, not to mention being completely dismissive of the inhabitants of the new world, but the series doesn't seem to comment on how the NPCs of Nazarick would view players and NPCs belonging to other guilds.
It is my opinion that they would react in both fear and hatred towards rival Guilds, while nonetheless respecting them for the strength they carry. Because only another guild would have the power to potentially defeat the Guild Master/Ruling Shadowed Lord, and it is for this reason that the NPCs would wish to destroy anything that could threaten them.
As I have stated previously, Morbus is going the military conquest root for an Evil Overlord, and for that reason he has taken the steps to secure his power.
I.e. Using the goblins to build underground tunnels to allow the forces of Utumno to rapidly move in secret beneath the mountains. Ensuring that the army is ready for immediate deployment while creating more cannon fodder. And building new fortresses to consolidate new territory (I looked it up and Create Fortress is a spell in the game)
Stating for the record, that I don't own anything created by Tolkien, Overlord, or anything of the Star Wars Universe, so forgive me if I modify some things to make it all fit together XD
Hopefully, will see some more action, as well as a medieval version of everyone's favorite asthmatic force user next chapter.
But untill that time, REVIEWS ARE A MUST.
Til next time.