Chapter Five: The (not so much of just a) trip to E-Rantel, Part 1
-•••-
Border of Slane Theocracy and Re-Estize…
Shyrrel Zortha was an optimistic person. She was regarded as one of the best elites in the Clearwater Scripture, due to her ability of sweet talking, stealthiness, and overall deceitfulness that are very necessary skills of being part of that scripture. The things is, today was the day they were going to carry out a mission that is the Windflower's forte instead of theirs.
But since the Cardinals can't just pull them out, the Clearwater Scripture has some members to spare, and while not exactly having the same skills and uses as the Windflower, their skills were pretty similar since infiltration and intelligence gathering was something the Windflower and Clearwater intersects with.
Shyrrel was riding a fast horse, along with 9 other Scripture members toward the designated area. Carne Village. It was said that there was a large disruption that happened there which somehow caused the unknown disappearance of the whole Sunlight Scripture. According to the reports of the Thousand Mile Astrologer, she couldn't pierce through whatever was blocking her scrying magic so we were sent as physical observers.
"Let's see what we have here…" She said out loud while feeling the wind pass through her hair.
-•••-
Bareare's Pharmacy...
"WHAT?! A red potion!?" Lizzie said loudly as Nfirea brought up the discovery of the red potion.
"Yes granny, I got it from her this morning." He told his grandmother as he gestured to the girl that gave him the potion.
"Yeah, I guess..."
The two pharmacists excitedly examined and appraised the red potion. Normally, potions, when manufactured correctly, turn blue and that's how they know it has worked properly but this is something very new.
"I can't believe it... It's actually real! I've only heard it from legends that there was a red potion and some say it's called 'God's blood.' Where did you get this valuable specimen from?!" The old lady asked Brita enthusiastically.
"Ummm... Well, I got it from an undead Lich..." She said with uncertainty, probably because she didn't know if the one that gave it to her was actually just a Lich.
"Oh? You must be pretty strong to defeat an Elder Lich that had such a valuable item, despite being iron rank, eh?"
"Ah sorry, I didn't make it clear. The Elder Lich gave it to me..." The two pharmacists were in disbelief as to why an undead would interact with humans with no hostility, let alone give out a potion of this value.
"Are you sure? What do you mean 'give' it to you?" Nfirea asked her with suspicion.
"Oh, I guess the news hasn't reached your ears yet, I'll brief you on about it." After that, she explained the recent turn of events that happened in the Adventurer's guild and the coming of 3 strange individuals: A Reaper, An Elder Lich, and a handsome young man in Noble's robes.
They couldn't believe what she said, but the two pharmacists were too curious to let such an opportunity pass by.
"Umm, can I buy your potion? I'll buy it for 5 gold, no make that 10!" The excited pharmacist offered vehemently. Brita was surprised as she heard the sudden offer but she of course, if they say that this potion is actually very valuable, she still didn't consider it even though she was going to get paid 4 times the amount of the regular potion she got.
"Though that might be tempting, this potion is still valuable to me as an adventurer as these things can save my life if the time comes, so I'll keep it."
The pharmacists wore dissatisfied expressions. But still, the curiosity ate away at them so they asked.
"Um, is it possible if we could meet with this seemingly non-hostile undead? Do you know where he stays at?"
"E-Eh?! Really, you'd go that far. Well... He was in the Adventurer's Guild earlier where his, underling... I think it was his subordinate... had a little incident. Anyways, I'm not sure where he is now but he and his two subordinates were in the guild, you might catch up if you hurry and see him though."
"What a coincidence! Nfirea, I was going to tell you to post a mission in the Adventurer's Guild about escorting for collecting some herbs because we ran out of stock lately with a few ingredients and also for selling them. Quickly Nfirea, go to the Adventurer's Guild to ask this undead fellow about the potion! Hurry!" Lizzie told her grandson due to her being blinded by curiosity.
"Alright Granny! I'll be fast!" He went to his room and grabs some papers for the escort mission and some money to bring things to the place.
'Geez, these people are way too devoted with developing their potions...' Brita said to herself as she was leaving the place to go to the inn she was staying at after Nfirea frantically grabbed his bag and sprinted towards the door towards the Adventurer's Guild.
-•••-
Guild master's Office, Adventurer's Guild...
After the girl left, Ainz, along with Tsunami, was sitting in a bench, waiting for the counter girl's response. His true intentions were to get more information about the undead of this world, potential magic items, potential allies, and potential enemies. After a few minutes small but hurried footsteps can be heard running towards him.
"T-the gu-guildmaster says that i-it is alright Mister...?"
"Ainz. I'm fine with that. Well then, lead the way miss."
"Alright sir... A-Ainz, would you kindly go this way please?" Ainz and his elemental-morphed-into-a-less-conspicuous-form followed the girl to the stairs that led to the office of the guildmaster. After a few moments, they were in front of the door.
'Hm, well I guess this is the place me and Thanatos went last night.'
The door was opened and the girl gestured Ainz and his aide to enter the room. Ainz knew of the place's interior but of course, he wasn't gonna tell them that.
They saw a rather tall man with bulging muscles in his body, giving him the air of a veteran that knows his thing. He has hard looking eyes, bushy hair, tan skin, and a wonderful mustachio! He wore a simple, green tunic covered by a leather vest and some belted black pants.
'Ah... So this is him. The undead that doesn't show any hostility, still, I have to be cautious of his actions.' The Man which is the guildmaster thought.
As Ainz and Tsunami behind him got near, the guildmaster, with looks of suspicion, greeted them with an iron facade, befitting of a professional.
"Greetings, I am Pluton Ainzach, the guildmaster of E-Rantel's Adventurer's Guild."
"Umu, pleased to meet you Mr. Ainzach. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and this is one of my trusted aides, Tsunami." Tsunami bowed as his master introduced him to the man. Ainzach was expecting the voice to be full of hatred like what the undead are known for, but this one sounded surprisingly human as he heard the deep, euphonious tone.
"I also have to apologize for my other subordinate's actions earlier that almost endangered the lives of one of your adventurers. My subordinates don't really take it very well when others are running their tongues about me, sorry about that." Ainzach was very surprised as the undead talked, not just that, it was also because if his respectful attitude that made him seem nice.
"Well no worries, I've heard that you have resolved the situation already. So, what you wanted to talk about what has recently happened in the cemetery, eh?"
"Yes, the recent turn of events has piqued my interest."
'I almost believed that he was human right there, but of course he's undead. I wonder what he'll do. Will he help them?' Then the Overlord spoke.
"The unexpected rise of undead in the city is suspicious, don't you think? If you're saying that the cemetery wasn't this active before only until a few days ago, then it is quite possible that there is intelligence behind this."
Well, an unexpected VISIT of the undead inside the guild master's office totally ISN'T suspicious at all, don't you think? The Author said, questioning the thoughts he put into creating this piece of sh-
BACK TO THE STORY AUTHOR-SAN
"Well, we've been thinking about that but we have too little information to really know. The closest thing that we could think of is the terrorist group-cult known as Zurrernon."
"Oh, so what is this cult all about, umu?"
"Well... They are known to be extremist followers of the God of Death, Surshana, so they control undead beings for pillaging people. Other than that, we do not know much of their group and doings."
"I see, well then. Is it alright for me to intervene with them? I myself am trying to seek more... Of my species, too hopefully gather them on my side." In reality, he just wants to know what items this organization has that allowed them to control the undead. He may also find things that can potentially increase his power, because he has no idea how powerful the real enemies are in this world are.
'As I thought, he has ulterior motives. He may be planning some sort of devious plot and playing with us before we despair, though I'm not sure what this undead is really thinking. Plus, why would he even ask me about this?' Ainzach thought with great misunderstandings and to what his intentions are.
"Well, I'm not sure about that Mr. Ainz. How do we know that you're not pretending and backstab as later, hm?" He asked Ainz with a clearly doubtful expression.
"I know, I know. Guess you don't trust me. I mean of course who would trust me, right? You can ask the Warrior Captain about it but I wouldn't want to trouble him right now. I'll only interfere with the situation if something happens."
"Anyways, since I'm here, I might as well ask about this. Are adventurers' ranked? Is there some sort of way to know their standing? I just got curious since I saw them wearing something that looks like metallic plates on their necks. Might I ask what they are for?"
"Ah, so it seems that you haven't heard of the ranks yet. Well, there are 7 ranks for adventurers in total: Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, Mythril, Orichalcum, and Adamantite. According to their position in the Guild, they are given tasks that suit them."
'Oh well, that makes sense. You wouldn't want to give a newbie a mission for level 100s.' He thought in agreement about the logical guild system. But there seems to be something that confused him, why is the highest rank only Adamantite?
"Um, Sir Ainzach, why is Adamantite the highest rank? Aren't there other metals that are harder and sturdier than Adamantite?"
"Surely you jest, Sir Ainz. Adamantite is the hardest material and the pinnacle of ores. Though you seem to know something that we don't?" There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.
'What? They don't know about Prismatic ores? Like Scarletite, Star Silver, and Celestial Uranium, which I still have some in my inventory. Or, they just don't exist in this world.'
"Ah sorry, never mind my question. I am just not entirely knowledgeable about ores. Anyways how do they rise through the ranks? Are they given points or markers of their achievements? Or are they purely decided through evaluation of the guildmaster or its officials?"
"The adventurers do their certain tasks that correlate with the material in their license. If they do considerably well and prove that they are capable of doing tasks that are above their rank, they can progress to the next position."
"Sorry for my ignorance again, but what do these adventurer's do?"
This went on for a few minutes, with the guildmaster explaining what the roles of the adventurer's were, the literacy test and entrance fee of registering to become an adventurer, the promotion test, and how the history of how the adventurer's guild started two hundred years ago after the fall of the Evil Deities which were defeated by the so-called 13 heroes, which appeared sometime after the demise of the Eight Greed Kings. The association was formed all over the world or continent rather, to protect them after humanity suffered inner turmoil and social chaos.
"So these adventurers are similar to monster hunting mercenaries, huh."
"I… guess so."
"Well then, I am curious about these "Eight-Greed Kings" you said. Can you tell me more about them?"
Ainz was also interested in these "Eight Greed Kings" and pressed on the topic. He learned that they were very strong individuals that once ruled the world and killed many beings that weren't human, but eventually succumbed to infighting.
Ainz also learned that there was Eryuentiu, a flying city somewhere in the deserts, which was known to be the capital city of the Eight Greed Kings reign which was taken over by the Platinum Dragon Lord after their demise, according to some stories or the things that Ainzach had heard of. Ainz was VERY interested now.
He suspected that these beings were players, and he didn't know if the players were still alive today and were just hiding somewhere, so he takes a mental note of upping his guards because if these were level 100s, he MUST absolutely avoid them, or take on cordial relations at least, which were highly unlikely if the discrimination of non-human beings were true.
"Hm… Very interesting,"
"Sir Ainz, I do not mean to be rude here, but I noticed that you are not well-versed of the things in our world. You are undead and seem to have lived for a particularly. You also have good experience with interacting with the living."
'Ah shit, he's suspicious of me! I mean, I guess he probably was suspicious of me ever since I went to the Adventurer's Guild in the first place. My bad'
"A-ah I have been living in a secluded place, very far away from here, thus I was not able to get wind of what was happening in the outside world. I have just been interested to come out right now." The guildmaster raised a brow, clearly thinking over the probability of his origins.
"Ehem. Oh well, guess that concludes our time in here. I'll be leaving now. Thanks for listening to my words." The undead said which earned a nod from the guildmaster, clearly still suspicious of his intentions.
'Well guess I'll leave it at that. He seems to be passive alright, but I'll still be wary of him.'
Just as Ainz was walking towards the door to exit the establishment, a young man abruptly opened the door and was sweating and panting heavily.
"Hello... I am... Nfirea Bareare... And... I was... Wondering... If I could meet... With... The un-" as he was about to finish his sentence, the sight before him made him froze. He was haggard and was a mess. His usually beautiful face and shining, blonde hair had seen better days.
And to add insult to injury, the person, or monster, he wanted to meet was literally right in front of him. Hearing about absurd rumors was one thing, but actually seeing it was something else. In front of him was the undead that gave Brita the Red healing potion.
He hadn't known what to expect when he frantically ran to meet him. His mind was clouded with curiosity so he forgot to realize that the one he was going to meet was actually the undead.
Whatever this undead being was, he wasn't normal. First of all, it was obvious from speculation that he was a magic caster, typical of a Lich, except he was a bone, white skeleton without the bits of flesh Liches were usually famous for.
From his clothes and rings alone and the way he acts and stands was befitting of one with great status and power. He looked liked someone who could bend Death himself to his will. To add to that, he had what seemed to be two body guards. One seemed to be a particularly handsome young man, looking like he was in his twenty's, with robes of luxury. The other side is was the Angel of Death, no doubt about it.
His mind was snapped back to reality when he heard the rich vibrations of the undead being's non-existent larynx.
-•••-
"Umm, hello? Are you alright, mister?" The undead said with uncertainty, not knowing what to expect of this weird encounter.
Nfirea just realized that he was talking to him! He hadn't thought this out properly as he anticipated as much. He didn't know what to expect so he forgot that he would actually talk to him. He wouldn't just tell him to give him the potion and ask him questions about how he got it and call it a day.
He now regretted his rash decisions that amounted to this awkward situation. Then the undead spoke again.
"Hello Mister, who are you and you seem to be looking for something or someone."
He steeled his resolve to the undead being, though it was still weak.
"G-good morning Mr. Undead, I was sent here to b-by my Gr-grandmother to m-meet y-you because a gi-girl said earlier that she g-got a Red Potion from you an-a-and-" Before he could say anything more, he stopped him.
"Alright, alright. Mister...?"
"N-Nfirea Bare-reare."
"Okay, okay. Mister Bareare, this place isn't really appropriate for speaking matters like that, no? I suggest we move to a better room where we can have a conversation on what you want to talk about." He said in a reassuring tone which made Nfirea look dumbstruck at the way the undead being spoke and acted.
He thought it wouldn't be easy to talk to him seeing how high in regard the two looked at him as if he was some sort of VIP stereotypical evil and disrespectful noble man.
"A-alright sir...?"
"Ainz. Ainz Ooal Gown, but I'm alright being called Ainz."
"Thanky-you Sir A-Ainz, I'll take you on th-that." And with that, he followed the three strange individuals. They first walked up to the counter girl and asked if there were any rooms for people to talk in private to. She first recognized the young man which was the famous Nfirea Bareare but quickly answered the question Ainz said and told them that there actually are rooms like that. She directed them to the 2nd floor and go to the right where the rooms are vacant.
He nodded, seemingly satisfied, and left for the room the lady told them to go.
The old but sturdy wooden door creaked as they opened it and the two stayed outside as guards as Ainz requested to speak in private of the young individual.
"So, what did you want to ask of me, Mister Bareare?"
"W-well if it's alright, um, we've heard about your stay in this place."
"Alright, then why did you seem eager to meet me? It seemed to me that there is something that you found out about me that made you run here?"
"W-well I'll start at the beginning. I w-was originally just going to post a mission for escorting to go to the Great Forest of Tob to collect some herbs that we lack for creating potions. Yes, i-if you haven't heard already, me and my grandma are pharmacists." As he said that, Ainz was sort of intrigued of the new info and gestured for him to go on.
"An adventurer girl gave us a potion to appraise it which we found was very valuable and told us that she got it from you."
'Ah, must be that red girl that I gave the potion to earlier whose blue potion was destroyed.' He thought, recalling the events that happened in the building previously.
"S-so we were interested! So I was sent here to ask you about it."
"Hmm... Alright, so long as it's in my knowledge and interest then I can answer your questions."
"Thank you sir Ainz. Um, I was wondering how you got that potion. Did you make it yourself or did you get it from somewhere?" The boy asked with a hint of gleam in his eyes but it was controlled as to not appear too greedy.
"Ah, well that is... Something I have rai-GOTTEN from a very long time ago. Yes, yes, from people very far away from this land. You could even say it's out of this world due to the sheer distance alone." He flat out lied as to not spread real information that can be obtained by potential unknown enemies and to add up to his fake cover story of his past.
Just like what Punnito More has said, misdirection or giving false information is a viable tactic for disorienting your adversaries and heighten your advantage.
As Nfirea heard this, he frowned internally because if this potion was an antique, it could be a historical treasure in enough itself meaning the value just rose drastically, and how was he going to haggle with such an item, much less what with an undead?
"Oh yes, I have plenty of these potions too." As he said that, he pulled out a box out of nowhere. It was filled with all sorts of potions. Red Minor Healing Potions, stamina potions, Mana potions, buff potions, poison potions and all sorts of alchemical solutions that will leave any pharmacist in this world drooling just to gaze upon it.
Seeing as buying it would not do any good since he probably can't even afford it in the first place, he did the next best thing, offering his skills to help him.
"Oh... Umm, d-do you have more of th-that. Sorry if I'm being a bit pushy."
The bottles in itself were lined with gold and rubies, so yeah, this was absolutely something he could probably not afford.
"I have many more of things stocked in my... Storage. Feel free to examine one if you like."
The pharmacist couldn't stop himself from holding such a valuable item. Then he closed his eyes, breathed a heavy one, and opened it again.
"Si-sir Ainz, no, Lord Ainz."
'Huh?! How the hell did sir turn to Lord?!' He thought baffled of the pharmacist's reaction.
"I would like to work for you. I would like t-to join you because I have always dreamed about potions like this and I finally found an opportunity, please allow me to work for you."
'WHAT T-THE?! Wait...'
"Hmmm..." As he thought about it, if these pharmacists could actually find a way to reproduce the potions in YGGDRASIL, then it would potentially add to his power and influence in this world.
"Very well. I will consider it, for the mean time, go do what you were going to do earlier." And with that, they ended the conversation and went to their duties.
The meeting had gone much better than what Nfirea would have anticipated. He then posted the mission in the Adventurer's Guild, which a group called the "Swords of Darkness" had accepted the job to escort Nfirea to the village and the Great Forest of Tob. Little did he know, that there was going to be plenty of surprises.
When Nfirea made it to the workshop, and told his grandmother how the meeting went, and that to know more of the potions, he offered working for the undead being, which made his grandmother worry since he might have just made a deal with the devil.
-•••-
Inside a Cave...
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
'Hm?' She thought to herself while faintly hearing many footsteps from afar.
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
'Hrrr! What is that noise, de gozaru~!'
*Stomp*
"That's it! Investigate the disturbance, I shall!"
She said out loud. She stretched out her paws, flexed her scaly tale. She contracted and expanded the different muscles in her body. Then, without another word, she dashed off to the direction of the noise.
"Punishment these trespassers, shall get!"
-•••-
Path Towards the Great Forest of Tob...
It was a very peaceful day in the forest, in fact it was too quiet one might say. The forest was usually bustling with all sorts of life. The environment had a green hue, with hint of yellow and maybe red because of the many plant species and colors that surrounded the undergrowth.
The air was cool and humid because of perspiration form the tree's leaves. You could hear the rustling leaves and plants from the ground and the green canopies. There's the usual faint smell of greenery and herbs that naturally grow in these areas. The scratches and groaning of wild animals in this forest, doing their daily duties.
This was definitely the normal sight of the forest, well at least up until now. The forest was quiet, but the things approaching the forest absolutely weren't. Thousands of loud, footsteps and metallic materials clanging about in unison can be heard.
Yep there was an army approaching. Except this wasn't your run-of-the-mill army, because it was filled with all sorts of abominations. The undead, a race very well known to have deep hatred for the living, an army of legendary ones, only heard to exist in old stories and legends from a long time ago, were marching towards the Great Forest.
4 squads of men riding pale, white horses that emitted a very uninviting aura seem to lead and scout the areas ahead, the ones in front of the army's ranks. They wore enchanted, exquisite armor, covering their faces and bodies. They had several weapons on them like swords, shields, clubs, maces, spears, and bows, all of which are heavily enchanted and emanates auras of Undeath. Every animal in the forest had their instincts explode to the max and are going hay wire.
Large floating eye balls and undead vultures littered the sky where the army was going, as if they are sending intelligence reports and information about the area. This was a VERY formidable army, and an organized one at that.
The bulk of the undead army were made up of a total of 1,400 incarnations of Brutality that had a tattered cape, a flamberg that seemed to wreak negative energy, and black armor and horned helmets.
The big brutal damage dealers, the tanks one might say, were 40 walking mountains of skeleton corpses with asymmetrical arm sizes. They carried a terrible halberd and had a large spike on it's out of proportion right hands.
There were some Death Warriors as smaller and weaker yet faster units.
There were also flying skeletons with grey wings and worn down cloaks and boney armor, had blue flames for eyes, and carried scythes that had an aura which gave out a sense of dread to its enemies.
There were Elder Liches and High Elder Liches that seemed to be officers and high ranking members, and lead by a Crypt Lord. And of course, there were the Eternal Deaths, which were hidden.
"Yikes, this is a bit overkill, don't ya think?" Londes told Astrea, while they were riding soul eaters.
"Well, everything seems to be overkill and absurdly powerful when it comes to our new master. I mean, the craziest thing is who would've thought we'd actually team up with them?"
"You're right. But the absurdity of this situation aside, master told us to help with properly assessing the situation here, intermediate with humans and other intelligent beings that come here, and to train to our limits."
"And to report to him directly. Haaa... I pity the ones in the forest, but I guess they'll be his subjects after we conquer them. Still, I hope he doesn't do anything horrible to them."
"You know what, let's just focus on what we'll do." And with that they rode with the undead army towards the Great Forest of Tob.
-•••-
The Wise King of the Forest was dashing her way forward towards the stomping noise.
'Yes! Yes! They are getting nearer, I feel!' Just as she thought of that, her whole body froze. It was her animal instincts telling her that whatever is beyond the few shrubbery and trees that covered the surrounding area is something that even a monster like her cannot beat.
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
The heavy footsteps of the encroaching army grow near the forest.
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
Her body's heart rate increases tenfold as the auras of the army approaches.
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
'OH NO! WHAT SHALL I DO? THEY ARE GETTING NEARER!'
And finally...
*Stomp*
*Stomp*
*Rustle... Rustle*
The invaders have shown their faces. They were the undead, the one known for having hatred for the living and reeks of negative energy. She was scared beyond belief and was prepared to confront them just to buy enough time for the animals in the forest to run away, even if it meant her death.
She was expecting to be dead by now as she saw the countless undead monstrosities but was confused on why they just stopped there. For a few moments, all was silent but then two persons seemed to come out from hiding, riding... Soul Eaters.
'Wait a minute, these are humans? Are these necromancers that can control such Legendary undead? What are they doing here?'
Then the two humans approached her. She mustered up the courage to speak to the two humans that seemed to be the master minds of this army.
"Y-you H-humans! I am the W-Wise King o-of the F-Forest! W-w-what are y-you do-d-do doing he-here with your u-undead?! Are y-you the n-necromancers that su-summoned f-forth t-this army?!" She told the humans nervously.
The two seemed to be in shock that the creature can talk and looked at each other. The human girl on the right side stepped forward and spoke.
"Can you understand us?"
"Y-yes, understand y-you I can."
"Oh, well guess this makes it a lot easier. First of all, we are not necromancers, these are all units from our master, that's for sure. Our master wants to conquer this forest so yeah, if you surrender to us without resistance we can assure you that your life and the Forest's life will be safe."
"R-REALLY?! Killing everyone in this forest, your intention is not?"
"Well yeah, I promise we won't be doing anything bad to this place. Our master just wants some territory."
"How do I know that betray me, you shall not?" She asked the girl who let out a sigh.
"Well, for starters, the fact that we, including you, are still alive. Also because if were sent to massacre you all, this forest wouldn't probably last 30 minutes at worst." She said that matter of factly which seemed to convince the oversized hamster.
"Alright then. Give you this part of the forest, I shall, but I do not know if the other monsters can easily accept your settlement here, de gozaru~!"
"Oh, well... Guess you're not called the Wise King of the first for nothing, you certainly made the right decision of not resisting. Anyway, we'll begin the subjugation of the entirety of this place as per our master's orders." She said to her, and gestured to the Crypt Lord that the situation is alright and that the "Wise King of the Forest" surrendered. The Crypt Lord nodded in response and started to mobilize the undead legions to go and thoroughly subjugate the whole forest, regardless of the other monsters.
The Crypt Lord remembered the order of his master.
"Always go for the peaceful route first and if they don't comply, then just incapacitate them and I'll take care of it later. Focus on the absolute subjugation of the forest and don't kill any humans and other intelligent beings unless absolutely necessary. Also, assign some undead to train my new human subordinates."
The Crypt Lord ordered the Liches to make all the Death Knights, Death Warriors, and Skeletons to spread out thoroughly within the forest for securing the place. Next, he ordered all the Corpse Guardians to station themselves in equal intervals on the outskirts of the forest for initial defense.
The Eternal Death was alerted of the actions of the Crypt Lord and ordered the pale riders and other patrol units to check the whole forest ahead to warn any potential dangers and inform them of the terrain, inhabitants, and resources in the place.
The bone vultures and Eyeball corpses were placed in equal intervals all throughout the forest that will alert the Crypt Lord, Liches and Ainz himself if anything were to happen.
The Crypt Lord also assigned the Lesser Reapers and some High Elder Liches for training the two human subordinates throughout the whole process.
The pale riders and the patrols encountered a bunch of low-level monsters like ogres, varghasts, and goblins in the form of tribes in the area, and of course, they were all forced into the undead's rule. Since there were no further orders of the undead legion's master, they just told them to do whatever they were doing unless ordered.
They also met two of the remaining leaders in the forest which they subjugated. The first one was a war troll named Guu who was hard to convince so they incapacitated him. The other one was a Naga by the name of Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun that couldn't be hidden from the Eternal Death's sights and was of course forced into submission. All the powerful leaders of the forest and their subjects were now claimed by Ainz Ooal Gown's units.
The subjugation process was very easy and fast actually. It only just took a whopping 12 and a half hours to secure the new territory of Ainz Ooal Gown. The whole forest was now under the rule of the undead.
The Crypt Lord was now going to contact Ainz of the success of the operation.
-•••-
Shining Golden Pavilion, E-Rantel...
Ainz was back to his room from his brief visit with the guildmaster where he heard something click in his mind. He recognized it as one of the mental connections his undead had. He answered it.
[Ainz: What is it?]
[Crypt Lord: My liege, the operation was a success with zero casualties on both sides as per you orders.]
[Ainz: Excellent! How are my new subordinates?]
[Crypt Lord: I have ordered a Lesser Reaper and a High Elder Lich for further testing of their skills to truly know what they are capable of and to train them. The preliminary evaluation was lacking and gave out a rather vague output of gauging their power.]
[Ainz: Good... Good. I will speak to them later.]
[Crypt Lord: My liege, as you know, the operation was done rather quickly. We have subdued the... Less cooperative leader of the former powers of the forest.]
[Ainz: I will think of what to do to them later, I will probably try to convince it, if not, then he has... Other uses. Now, you are probably wondering about what you'll do because of you have properly subjugated the place and are now under my rule.]
[Crypt Lord: I admire and am pleased with your foresight of my thoughts my liege. As you have so correctly said, what are your orders for the place?]
[Ainz: Well, I'll go there right now to take care of the situation, but I'll go back to E-Rantel due to things that have intrigued me. Now, would you be so kind to send out the mental coordinates of your location?]
Since this was one of his undead summons, he could just [Gate] to their location as long as they give out their coordinates. It was a really useful combo of the utilization of [Gate] back in YGGDRASIL.
[Crypt Lord: Very well.] And with that Ainz had received the coordinates and [Gate]-d himself to the place. Thanatos was left behind to guard the place.
-•••-
The Great Forest of Tob...
Ainz stepped out of the portal with Tsunami being right behind him. He greeted the Crypt Lord and checked the area they were in. It was indeed a beautiful forest. The lushous greenery was something that the people of his world would have envied, especially Blue Planet-san.
He walked all around the forest to make sure that everything was going according to plan. He met with the "less cooperative" leader and the two others that have pledged their subservience to his rule.
The wartroll was unconscious but he would deal with him later. The other two knelt or prostrated down to him. The first one was a... Giant hamster? And the other one was a Naga.
"Rise." The two rose and faced their new masters.
"Umu, introduce yourselves." As they heard the words of the undead with a hint of superiority, they quickly obliged his order.
"This one is known as the Wise King of the Forest." The giant hamster bowed and refrained from using his normally uppity tone and became more serious in front of his new master as to not upset him.
"This one is known as Ryaryus Spenia Ai Indarun. I am known as the great snake of the west."
'Hm, I guess he counts as snake.'
(A/N: for plot's sake, I made in this fanfic allow him to summon one Primal Elemental with his SOAOG per day, and it would be permanent, though it costs a tenth of his mana pool to summon, that's why he refrains from summoning them unless needed. The catch is there can only be one elemental of the same type in existence at a time. So all in all, he can only summon 5 elementals of different types. So he can't just spam his usage once a day and make an outright impenetrably broken army of Elementals)
'Wait a second, isn't this a bit too fast? I'd expect them to finish in at least 3 days, instead they did it in a little over half a day since reaching the forest. It's been a day and a half since we left for E-Rantel and I ordered them to execute the operation. Geez these guys sure are efficient.'
He then returned his attention to the captured leaders.
"Ehem, I see. You have done well for not resisting and made this easier for us. I do have one question for you-" He said that while pointing to the oversized Hamster. "Wise King of the Forest."
As he said that, the hamster gulped internally.
"W-what i-is it Ainz-sama?"
"Ah, it seems you have already known my name. Well then, I think I know of your species. Are you perhaps a... Djungarian hamster?" As the hamster heard of her master seeming to know her species, her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh! Master, you know of my species? If that is so, do you know if there are any male suitors in order to continue my species? I sadly do not know any of my own species and failure I am as a living being of not spreading my lineage."
'W-Wait! Did it just say 'male suitors'? So this 'king' is actually a female?! Well anyway, I'll have to focus on her question I guess.'
"Umm, yes I know if your species, one of my comrades used to keep one as a pet. Though I apologize, I do not know of any more Djungarian hamsters, but I would like to inform you if I find one, though I cannot make any promises." The hamster's mood jumped high, but not too high, and was surprised at how magnanimous her new master is. Her scaly tale wagged like a dog, suggesting that she was happy.
"Now, since your title is a bit too long, I would like to give you a name for easier pronunciation. I shall name you-"
'Hmm... I feel like this situation has happened before with Tsunami. Anyways, what should I name him? Rice ball? No... Tempura? Daifuku? Never mind, I don't think I should name her food... I think, Aha!'
"Your name shall be Hamsuke! Because, it's similar to your species name and easier to pronounce." As the familiar scene of Ainz terrible naming tastes happened again, the hamster just graciously accepted the new name.
"Thank you very much for giving this one a name!" She said happily to the undead magic caster.
"Now then, Ryaryus, was it?"
"Y-yes, that is indeed correct. My L-Lord?"
"You will be... On standby until I order you for something. For now, go do your normal duties, but remember. Absolutely NO eating each other. Understood?"
"Y-yes, Ainz-sama." And with that, he slithered away into the depths of the forest.
"Now, Hamsuke. What are your capabilities?"
"I am capable of Magic my Lord! Like [Haste] and [Talons of Nature]!"
"Oh?! Well then, I will certainly try to make use of your skills someday. Work hard for Ainz Ooal Gown." He dismissed the two leaders. He then cast a [Wake] spell to knock Guu back to consciousness.
The Wartroll opened his eyes and saw Death. And of course, the muscle head didn't know what was good for him, he refused, for 8 times, until Ainz wanted none of it anymore and he got turned into a Corpse Guardian.
"Well that went… well, somehow. Now, what should I do..."
'In order to establish this place as a part of my rule, I guess I'd have to build a safe house or some infrastructure. Hmm... Oh I remember! The POP monster that can be summoned by 20,000 Gold!'
"Alright then. [Summon: Undead Engineer!]" As he invoked the incantation, he lost 20,000 YGGDRASIL gold coins in his inventory. Anyways, a crack in the ground seemed to form, and a dark, mist covered the area. The mist didn't seem to feel and exude the same feeling of negative energy that harmed the living. This was to be expected since it was technically a POP summoned by gold instead of using Ainz's own Mana reserves and Negative Energy. A silhouette of a rather tall person seemed to form from the fog. Then it settled and revealed the POP monster's true form.
(A/N: Yet another OC summon that I have made up! Fuck it! It's my fanfic anyway!)
Out came from the mist was a tall and lanky undead being. The first feature anyone would've probably seen was its attire. It didn't wear the typical clothes of the undead that was for combat purposes. Instead it wore a maroon, leather jacket of fine quality with white furred rims on its collar and a white shirt underneath it, a vintage pilot's helmet, light brown pants lined with crimson red designs, and black, polished boots, like that of the military in the 21st century.
Its face was as expected of an undead creature. It was a zombie with rotten facial features, a broken skull exposing its brain, and an arrow piece through its right eye. The weirdest thing of all was its facial expression. It had a smug face, covered with confidence, not like your average undead. It's decaying, gloves right hand was placed on its hips and the left one was carrying an ominous-looking wrench.
The Undead Engineer was not the typical undead summon that would dispel once it's time limit was done. Just like the Hanzos, it was a permanent summon and not just an ordinary undead and was not part of Ainz's arsenal of limitlessly summoned undead minions. These actually needed money.
Anyways, truth be told, the Undead Engineer's personality was unique and was an exception from the rest of his undead fellows. The shitty devs made this POP monster's personality a joke by allowing it to be able to express its emotions freely and often made jokes. It was the cool, carefree, attitude that the undead being had. Regardless of its personality, it was quite a useful summon for beginners.
Its level wasn't really high because it was really just a level 30 undead and its combat potential at best was only akin to half the skill and damage a regular Death Knight made. Oh, it might be a weak summon but as the name suggests, it wasn't made for combat, it was supposed to be out in the rear.
For the lack of combat potential, it compensates with knowledge and architecture. With its special ability, it had decent [Telekinetic] powers but utilizes it efficiently so it can make quick construction of temporary bases if given the right materials, make very long range and accurate siege weapons that could rival lengths of what snipers can reach, and had ample knowledge of architecture, physics, and a bit of chemistry according to its background lore.
It was an interesting summon to say the least.
"Howdy summoner. The name's Robin, How can I be of your service?" As another joke made by the shitty devs, the name of this summon is also RNG and cannot be replaced for the sake of enjoyment. Sometimes, the names can be as obnoxious as "BigDong69" or "YourBalls" as a commemoration to piss off a player or two. Regardless of its personality, it was still loyal to its summoner.
"I'll assign 10 Elder Liches and numerous undead to you to help construct a large wall that surrounds the whole forest. You will be responsible for its design, practicality, structural integrity, and composition of the wall. Oh yes, to provide you any material, then I will summon a Primal Earth Elemental to be at your disposal."
"Ehem. [Summon Primal Elemental: Earth]" A strong sandstorm engulfed an open area of the forest, and in the middle, a large humanoid figure was forming. You can guess that this was similar to how Tsunami was summoned.
"For easier communication, your name shall be Terra." He surprisingly thought of a fitting name in just a few moments, learning from his mistakes. The newly summoned Elemental nodded.
"Thank you summoner, I will be grateful for giving this one a name.*
"Anyways, I order you to help the Undead Engineer for construction purposes and providing the right elements and solid materials."
"If it is your will, I shall do it."
"Also, Robin, I order you to create a particularly large safe house and maybe some infrastructure too. I will hand this over to you to consider the best options."
He pulled out a book from his inventory with a title "Village Infrastructure Design & Management 101".
'Geez, why the hell do I even have this? Oh yeah, I remember now. We had used a lot of reference books for creating the Great Tomb and designing it for efficiency of travelling."
"Also, construct a town hall, or a house like structure that will have an office. I plan to make my base of operations there."
"Alright Lord Bones, I gotcha!" The other summons stared daggers at the disrespectful way Robin addressed him. Ainz just shrugged it off since he didn't care much for titles at the most part and told them to get working.
'Alright, I guess I should check on the two.'
He asked the other Elder Liches on the direction of the two humans he recently appointed as his underlings, and went to them.
-•••-
Training Camp... Great Forest of Tob, a few hours ago before Ainz was informed of the operation's success...
Londes was following the Lesser Reaper to a fairly open plot of land in the forest. It was, to say the least, a troublesome terrain for inexperienced individuals, but that doesn't matter, as they were just treading on the forest floor. The undead being finally spoke to him.
"Alright human, I trust you know what we are doing?"
He nodded to the question as they approached the place with different wooden target boards, crates, and a bunch of weapons.
"I am a Lesser Reaper, and I have been assigned to personally train you and gauge your powers. Now, to start, let I wish to see what you are capable of. Let us do a test fight, hand to hand combat." The undead threw his scythe to the ground and prepared a fighting stance.
"Come at me."
"A-are you sure?"
"Of course! Do not worry about me; this is just a test so no one will seriously be injured since I will restrain myself."
'I'm not really worrying about you, I'm worrying about myself if I can even get out of this unscathed, or better yet, alive.'
Londes inhaled heavily before he moved to a fighting stance. He prayed to the six and charged forward the Reaper. He let out a punch, hoping to attack the Reaper, but as expected, it more or less just blocked it using his bony arms. The Reaper wasn't showing any signs of caring, he was completely calm, as an undead should be. He kept punching and punching, it was futile, so he used some Martial Arts to at least dent him, which didn't do much and in the end, he was punched back.
During the hand to hand combat, the Reaper was also taking down notes of the stamina, points of improvement, and most suitable fighting style, mentally of course.
"Well, for a human, you are pretty persistent and have decent stamina if I do say so myself. Now let's talk about the different fighting styles and stances you'll be using and also choose a weapon of your choice."
Londes went to the wooden crates with several decent-looking weapons. He chose the sword and resumed their training. After a few hours…
*Cling*
*Clang*
*Thud*
That was the sound of Londes failing to meet the standards of the Lesser Reaper appointed to train him.
'Damn, he's hard to land a hit on, let alone kill him.'
"OWWW!"
He screamed out loud after being pummeled by the blunt end of the scythe the Lesser Reaper had.
"Why do I have to do all this painful training?!"
"Human, I neither am nor part of the living so I am not sure what you deem painful or not. Our master just told us to train you to your limits and gauge your power levels, I am merely following orders. For living beings like you, these training regiments maybe very hard, but my master's word is law. Anyways, you have failed to comply with my order appropriately earlier, you shall do 70 push-ups. I assume this is what you living beings can manage at least."
This went on and on until he finally had a grasp of the different fighting styles that the Reaper had taught him.
-•••-
"Summon the highest tier spell that you are capable of casting." The High Elder Lich instructed Astrea to do so. She nodded and started chanting the spell's name.
"[G-Grand Fireball!]" The spell she invoked made her produce a large fire ball form her hands. It was larger, hotter, and more effective than the 3rd Tier spell fireball, but at the cost of more Mana, so it cause more strain to the caster.
The fireball hit 5 straw targets accurately whilst causing immense damage to them.
"Interesting... According to the reports, you were able to cast a 5th tier Spell. Grand Fireball is but a 4th tier spell. Is this really your strongest attack?"
"In terms of combat, yes Mr. Lich. I am only capable of casting one minor 5th tier spell, which is [Minor Healing]."
"Hmm alright. I guess I'll have to accept that. Say, do you know how many tiers of magic there are?" The High Elder Lich inquired.
"Well, from what we've been taught and what we humans are capable of doing, there are at least 7th tiers of magic. Though I'm not sure."
"Ah I see. So your knowledge is limited to the 7th tier. Well, there are 11 tiers of magic. The first to the tenth are the normal magic spells that considerably increase in power as the rank increases and the 11th tier is also called the "Super-Tier Spells", which are essentially a greatly amplified version of the 10th tier that can have catastrophic effects if used." She was surprised as she heard that there were actually 11 tiers of magic, but that was to be expected since there wasn't any definitive answer if what the limit of tier magic was at the time.
"So, Mr. Lich, what are you capable of casting?" The lich seemed to ponder for a bit before he answered her.
"At best, because I am a High Elder Lich, I can cast up to 7th tiers spells. But that's when I'm desperate. Inferior Liches can only cast up to 5th tier spells." She was slightly surprised at the power the Elder Lich can actually release but at this point, everything the undead summoned was basically leagues more powerful than them, though she didn't know if the Black Scripture had a chance. Then she wanted to
"So, d-do you know what Ainz-sama is capable of casting?" She asked nervously at the undead being.
"As I am my master's creation, part of his goals and intentions are transferred to us so we know our master well. He can cast all of the tier spells. And to back it up, he has well over 700 spells, I think."
'So it was true when he said he had over 450 spells capable of decimating the scripture if he so wanted to.' She knew the undead was powerful but she felt a shiver in her spine when she realized that the undead was at least 10 times more powerful than what she gave him credit for.
"Anyways, we came here for training, did we not? Now, use your mana to concentrate on flow of the spell even more. You add more mana and force to the spell to make it the most potent as much as you can." As he said that, she followed all his orders and did EXTREME training that always required the full use of her Mana pool and be later filled again by the few mana potions Ainz has provided them for training. The training went on for hours, with a few breaks here and there, but nonetheless brutal for humans.
The Undead now stopped the training for magical potential and strength. He then ordered her two run 100 laps in the large training square. She thought this was absurd since she didn't know how this would help her strengthen her capabilities as a magic caster.
"E-Excuse me Mr. Lich, but I fail to see how this would be effective in helping me."
"Physical Activity and exercise. As mana needs a vessel to hold it so it won't spill. Your body is the mana's vessel. If the vessel is strengthened to endure and become stronger, so does the capacity of Mana pool. Plus, you will also learn about close combat skills as you will need it eventually to be agile and precise with your movements if ever the enemy goes into a dangerous range. Despite being a summon, I know a lot about magic knowledge due to it being part of my nature as a part of the renowned lich species. You have a lot to learn."
As he said that, she understood what he meant, and complied but still! She was human and not the tireless undead who basically had infinite Mana and not tire out.
"Really, do I have to do this?" She said irritatingly and the undead let out an almost smug nod, though it was just a feeling, she didn't know if it actually was smug.
She ran and ran until all her body's ability to run was no more. Truth be told, she wasn't really the agile type who ran a lot, even though, she reached 7 laps before she inevitably collapsed and her body couldn't take it anymore.
The Undead seemed satisfied with the results and casted a stamina enhancing spell at her for her to at least have the energy to stand up and walk to a tree shade far away from the training grounds.
-•••-
Present Time…
It was afternoon, and was getting late. She went to the resting place where she found Londes panting heavily drinking from a water skin. He was as drenched as she was, lying down on a moderately sized oak tree. She lied down on the opposite side of the tree. This time, it was he who talked first.
"Whew! How... Was 'training to your limits' my Lady?" She rolled her eyes exhaustedly as she heard him speak nonsense.
"My Lady your ass, to say the least, it was hell. My Mana pool was constantly drained and refilled. And by the Six, He told me to run 100 laps! But good thing I collapsed at the 7th because my sanity would explode if I probably was forced to do more. Still, even though the Elder Lich that taught me was strict, he was actually pretty nice. Never thought I'd be calling undead like that ever in my life though." She chuckled at the end of her sentence.
He was worried at her but he knew that if the undead wanted them to suffer, he could probably just do it nonchalantly without a hint of care but it actually was considerate, despite being strict.
"Wait, aren't you a magic caster? Why did he let you do physical training?" He asked her.
"He told me that a well trained body that can endure harsh experiences had better chances of casting spells with less Mana strain."
"Oh, interesting, well at least that's what he only did to you."
"Now, tell me about what happened to you. You looked like you've gone through the same thing I had?"
"Oh, you wouldn't even want to begin that harsh hell. The Reaper instructor that I got was strict to the maximum level! He made me do 70 push-ups for every failure I got when I didn't copy his stance and combat style correctly. I tried all manner of martial arts but I wasn't even able to land a hit on him! Man it was frustrating. Though, I did take breaks despite that, so that's a plus."
They were silent for a minute after he ended his sentence.
"Say, do you wanna go for a bath in the river or the lake? We basically smell like shit right now."
"Hahaha, I know right. Let's g-"
As he was about to say that, an oval, swirling, violet void came into existence just in front of the two, and out came their master.
"Well, speak of the devil, he's here." He whispered quietly as they rose up to kneel before him.
"Rise." The undead said in a benevolent manner.
"I see, you seem to be very exhausted? You have done well my subjects, would you two like to have a bath?" The two was perplexed at the concern the undead master imposed upon them.
"Are you sure, my Lord?" Astrea asked nervously.
"Of course. It is only deserving as you are one of my subordinates and are part of the living. Relaxing one's after doing strenuous activities is a good thing."
"W-well if you insist. I'll take you up on that offer." She said gratefully.
"Umu." After that, he turned around at the opposite direction of where the lake was and on an open plot of land.
"M-might I ask, Ainz-sama?" Londes spoke to him. He gestured for him to continue.
"I believe the Lake is that way, but why are we being led here?" He understood their concern and phantomly smirked, which they then again somehow sensed.
He pointed his hands on the ground and cast a lifestyle spell.
"[Hot Spring]!" Out of the dry land came a fairly large establishment. Yep, it was an onsen, of all things, complete with the necessary things for the typical hot spring.
The two gasped and were in awe at their master's display of power.
'Ah, so that's how made he that tower. Magic really is something.' He thought now having the answer on how there was a tower in the village square that somehow disappeared the same way it appeared unexpectedly.
"You may go inside the hot springs. There are three baths. One for each gender, and one for mixed if you feel like something is up. Feel free to relax."
The two just stopped thinking at this point and yielded to their benevolent master.
Their master told them how to use the different furniture and items in the onsen, silently questioning how he knows that despite him being undead and basically have no need for baths.
They entered the establishment, remove their clothes, and plunged themselves in the relaxing, hot water, separately of course.
After all the orders in the forest and the construction of structures began, Tsunami and Ainz [Gate]-d themselves back to the Pavilion when it was night time.
(3 days left before Gazef and his men leave E-Rantel)
-•••-
One day later in E-Rantel, Adventurer's Guild...
Nfirea was packing the wagon and the horses to go the frontier village and the forest to do some tasks of collecting herbs. The swords of darkness were all equipped with their respective weapons.
He was accompanied by a group called the Swords of Darkness. The group's name was based on its dream of collecting the Swords of Darkness, heroic weapons that were used by the Black Knight. The members were extremely close, having braved many near-death situations together. Each member carried a black short sword with four small jewels embedded in the hilt. These swords represented the team's symbol and determination to make their dream come true.
They had 4 members. Peter Mauk the group's leader and swordsman, Ninya, the group's magic caster, which was also a talent holder, Lukrut Volve, the groups ranger which specializes in detection and also capable with the bow, and Dyne Woodwonder, the group's healer with druidic abilities.
They set out towards their journey. They had encountered a few monsters here and there but there were surprisingly few.
"Have you noticed something Peter?" Asked Lukrut.
"What do you mean?"
"Like the lack of monsters? So far, we've only seen two goblins and a single ogre!"
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Well, no but don't ya think this is a little bit weird?"
"Well, now that you've mentioned it, it's awfully quiet in our journey."
"We probably just got lucky that we didn't bump into a many monsters, because if we did, we'd have a pretty hard time." Ninya butted in.
They conversed for a while but ultimately just proceeded in escorting the wagon.
It had taken them 1 and half days to finally reach the grassy plains where they could see the village where that would be their outpost for collecting herbs. But something was different, there were... Stone walls covering the place? In reality it was actually stone walls with a wooden support as foundation.
"That's new... Never heard about walls being placed around the Carne."
"You're right. Frontier Villages have never been this protected, unless something happened." Lukrut reinforced Nfirea's statement.
As they got near, there the place was eerily silent. Then out of the tall grass came well armed goblins. The swords of darkness readied their weapons in case any of them attacked.
"Don't move! We don't want any violence, we are the protectors of this village and we wish to resolve this through peaceful means."
"Stare your business here, travelers."
At first they were confused as to what was happening but the goblins seemed peaceful enough as they talked.
"My name is Nfirea Bareare and we wish to settle in this village temporarily to collect some herbs in the forest."
Then something came out which totally caught them off-guard and made them froze in place.
Out came firm the doors was a gigantic, skeletal being. It was an Undead abomination about 30 turns the size of Nfirea. It had several heads and carried a menacing halberd and a large spike. It was undead, they were even more scared as to why it was here.
"W-WHAT THE H-HELL IS THAT?!" Lukrut shouted while frantically preparing his weapon.
To their expected surprise, the Goblins didn't seem to flinch or even got scared at the humongous undead being.
"Ah, do not worry about this. He's a gift from the one who saved the village."
The people heard them but were still obviously afraid of the undead.
"T-The u-undead?"
"Ah, the General 'll inform ya about this later."
The Goblins began to whisper to each other and one goblin, seemingly their leader, ordered to call someone.
"Jugem, go inform General Enri about this." The goblin he ordered nodded in response.
'WHAT?! Enri? As in Enri Emmot?! What has happened to this village?!'
They waited for a while outside the gates, until a small, village girl came out.
"Hello everyone, I am Enri Emmot. And-" Just as she was about to say anything, she recognized one person from the group of newcomers.
"NFIREA?!"
"ENRI?!"
~To be continued-
Sorry dudes for the long update. Online classes have been a pain in the ass. Still, hope ya enjoyed!