Chapter 8: connecting
Written by Y.H
Disclaimer: I do not own overlord or any related element you may or may not see. Those belong to their respective owner
Thought
[Spell]
"Speak"
Border of holy kingdom and Re-Eztize kingdom
Demiurge still in his tent trying to piece together this mysteries faction. He have no doubt that this rumors all connected and confirm with the now exiting Merchant of Mirai. He can't help but frown at the name, especially the Mirai part, he feel he should know it. Noble and merchant together with unnatural magic coming from the south and from the capital inner district, what do all of this connected to. Demiurge already have permission to chase this rumor from ainz ool gown.
He have report from his agent that the noble mansion is teeming with wards and seals even though they are low level, the caravan that arrive earlier today from Herkat contain nothing suspicious or magical there something I don't know, something I miss, what is it Demiurge getting more and more frustrate and his tail twitch slightly mirroring his mood, right now demiurge just walk in circle trying to piece out the puzzle.
"The merchant and the noble is obvious choice if you want to infiltrate them and what about magic? They use it to their own advantage, but what is their connection?" that question is swirling in his mind since midday when the report arrive and now night has fallen and he still can't seem to connect the dot.
Demiurge accidently knock one of the shelf while he walk in circle and it drop a glass of water he gather on surrounding area for his experiment, he glance at the broken glass and the water that now sustaining the rich red carpet of his tent. The water act like normal water, so why he so engrossed by it.
Inside demiurge mind, unknown to him but he slowly piecing it together. From the rumors to fact that lay bare before him by his agents all coming together. He see many thing, but there few thing that truly hold his hatred and fear together.
Water… sea… endless ocean with countless ships sail it waves, thousand souls ready to be claim by the dark abyss beneath the waves, monster and abomination of eldritch origin lurk the dark depth of sea and in it an eternal will that rival the mother of heavenly paradise and the lord ainz ool gown of the great tomb.
The beach cover by sandy shore and occasional rock, silent that promote serenity. Serenity that soon broke by black ships raising on its shore, spreading taint like water to the land. As the land wither and die so to the sea writhed with agony, the black ships sail in storm wind as they set sail to deepest, damned part of all seas. The eighth seas, The Rotting Sea, where the storms gather above and the waves clash like monster of nightmare but what lay beneath it baleful waves is much, much worse.
In the center of it a maelstrom of magic, siphoning from the world magic and lay lanes directly to the inky black water of the Rotting Sea. In here the black ships join with it brethren as they sunk together to the bottom of the sea of rot, to meet their master, their creator, their god.
In the dark depth of the Rotting Sea where the death do not rest, the living only see darkness but to those who could they see an empire build from the wreckage of countless ships mash together to form buildings, cities, castles and such. One could see shambling corpse of undead all toil in this unholy place .This place, where monster roam free and horror unimaginable lurk, this is the center of the Rotting Sea, The Cursed Depth. The living have no place here, this is empire of the death, only undead have place on this cursed empire.
On the center of all of this, right beneath the thundering maelstrom, a gigantic ship rest. In it the undead work never stop for they, like so many other, strive to serve their master. Deep in the rotting hulk of the ships a throne lay, surround by untold riches and abomination, made by cursed black stone it presence alone emit dark, unholy power. With the combination of black stone and the center point of maelstrom above, any being that sit on it will receive untold power, yet only one dare to claim it.
On the throne, absorbing all of this power is figure clad in darkness and holding the accursed halberd like child play, malice and power seem to steam off it very being. In the darkness of it, one could see red eyes that stare to your very souls, this the leader of this empire of the dead, the sole unbreakable will that control the Rotting Sea, the being known as the World Devourer, Eternal Ruler of Waves, Master of the Cursed Fleets, Grand Admiral Luther of the Deth Fleets.
As demiurge shake his head of the memories he could only stare in abject horror at the thought impossible, they shouldn't be here, they can't be here, and this is different world entirely yet no matter what or how he think, he can't get the thought of it out of his head or deny it. Demiurge consider this the second worse possible scenarios he could possible think of.
He scorn at it, it was foolish of him that he do not consider it sooner. If they here why can't their enemies too, especially the ones that oppose them since the beginning of the war. Demiurge frown at it, he do not have proof, yet but he can't discard the possibilities itself from his mind he trying to find any flaw on his theories but then he remember one of the rumor that have been proven true, on why the name sound familiar.
Mirai his scowl turn to anger frown as he instantly know who, or what have that name now that he have clean line about the rumors of course it must be one of those damnable fucking admiral normally demiurge pride himself on his calm and cool head but this time he allow himself some leniency considering the situation he just uncover.
According report from the capital and rumors spreading around it safe to say that they only just recently move demiurge conclude that but there so many variable and when you know you dealing with this abomination of an enemy you can't be too cautious. How long have they been here, how vast did their influence, where are their location, too little information demiurge already made plans on how to deal with this situation, but he need to report this personally and everybody on nazarick must know that the enemy of Nazarick is here, especially lord ainz. They may even the one that responsible for shalltear mind control some fleeting thought enter his head.
His angry spike at the thought nobody, NOBODY hurt anyone in Nazarick NOBODY, not even the damned Luther. Demiurge force his ager down and calm himself, it will be no use to anger now use it against them. With that he ready himself to journey back to lord ainz, there so many unknown variable but he confident that he could render any of their enemy plans to shred if given opportunity, all he need is that opportunity.
Lord ainz will not be pleased about this his thought drift to that possible scenario, about the fleets have sink their tooth deep enough that they brave enough to try and take down one of Nazarick floor guardian. Demiurge hiss at the thought if they are the culprit…
They WILL burn
(9Liiiiiiiineeeeee break0)
Re-Eztize kingdom
"So is this the southern city of Re-Eztize kingdom?"
"Yes"
"Didn't look great at all" say Luther as she examine the city with her companion, the city, Ro-Belle as it named is city form with circular pattern with a castle in the middle and district surround it. The farther from the city center you living, the poorer you are is apparently the trend here. There many unsavory individual from what she observe and hear, and from the report she read from Mirai on news brought by merchant the situation on the kingdom is unstable and in verge of civil war. Overall, pretty generic fantasy kingdom on Luther opinion
Also, what the heck with that name?! That is stupid name, even to one up holy kingdom and it has Roble on it name.
Anyway Luther and her companion currently resting on the plaza fountain near the market as she want to take look at their wares and Lisa say she going to search for an inn that they could spend the night on, right now thought Luther and Lisa just content on sitting on the fountain edge resting their wary bones (even though only one of them need it).
"So we only couple of days away from the capital, what you do when we reach it?" ask Luther, she always curious why she bother to journey a long way to such place and never explain it to her other than 'it personal'
Then again she did it for very selfish reason (coughvacationcough)
"well I guess we part way, you have your studies and am have my 'problem' to deal with" Lisa say as she look like lost in the memories for a moment before shaking it off and smile sadly "guess that how most journey end sadly, we just part our way"
"Hey, don't look like that it has been fun traveling with you. Plus the world is small place and we could meet each other again" Luther say with a smile, she really does think that her journey with her companion is one of the best experience she have. She admit she don't have any feeling toward her or the rest of humanity, but she still have feeling and it was feeling of good friend, and great tool Luther subconscious supply unhelpfully.
"Yeah" Lisa still have that sad look on her. Luther just frown before pulling one of her special coin she called doubloon from her concealing blue coat (which she could open her inventory fully hidden and have perfect cover and reason for her item) and toss it to Lisa who catch it and examine it with interest "what this Luther, I dint know you to be the charitable one even I question if you are ever being know charity" Lisa say jokingly but she did mean those question, Luther isn't one to give freely after all.
"Yeah, I know it, being greedier than goblin" murmur Luther under her breath "look just take it would you, you my friend and all so what is little barter between friends" Luther smile at Lisa "beside you need it more than me"
Lisa could only stare surprise at her before return her smile with one more genuine happy one "yeah, thank you anyway Luther"
"Anytime matey, anytime" Luther replied with smile before thrusting her open hand to Lisa face "barter matey, barter" she said with sweet voice while Lisa could only sweatdrop at her.
"You could made this one timer?" Lisa said hesitantly before Luther who only smile.
"Barter"
"You are weird Luther, you know that"
"Aye matey aye"
Couple of hours later
"Next time, I will the one that hold our money" say Lisa as she spoke to Luther who bowing on floor on their rent room on the cheapest inn they could find. Aka a rundown probably hazardous inn.
"Sorry"
"How could you spend our money on useless shit like candle holder, really what use that thing to us"
"Sorry"
"And you think that this is the best course of action to us, why, just why?"
"Sorry"
"You and I know that you and money go hand to hand, so why spend it to buy useless shit! Hmmm"
"Sorry"
"SORRY WONT CUT IT LUTHER" Lisa finally just scream to Luther. Normally any being that do that is going to be screw by the admirals, but they are neither here or there and Lisa still Luther friend, so that justifies her 'spare' from admiral wrath. "That money is for our journey until we reach the capital and you just spend it all! Why!?" Lisa for all of her feeling, is incredibly frustrate that Luther could just spend it all, yes she know that Luther is greedy to the fault but really to just spend all of their money is kind of crossing the line "how we going to have enough money to sustain ourselves before we reach the capital"
"We could sell some of it back?"
"Not helping Luther, at all"
"Sorry"
This argument have going on for some time now, for Lisa this is bad but not worse situation, for Luther thought? It was refreshing and exiting new experience. Luther is already know that she is in new world and that the lore she and her guild wrote become real, adding the fact that she have endless horde of undead monstrosity at her back and call could dull any excitement she feel.
That and being undead vampire too.
She honestly enjoy herself during this little 'vacation' seeing new world free of bleakness and smog of her original real world is just breathtaking. Not to mention that the adoration and borderline worship of her fleets is beginning to grind her gear, and the fact that she refuse to get trapped behind wall of paperwork is helping her to enjoy simpler thing on the world.
Luther also keep close eyes on what happen on the fleets and the reports from her admirals, especially Mirai. She know that the holy kingdom is always oh so paranoid due to beastmen attack (Luther refuse to acknowledge those demihuman as proper sentient creature as long as they treated another sentient life form as nothing more than food. Even she not that bad) that force them to conscript pretty munch everyone they could get. Luckily those who work on the merchant or few influential noble could stay away from military, pretty useful information but that mean any raid is annoyingly difficult. Thank goodness for bribing and low education for the fleets' concealment.
There also few report Luther concern of, there this 'dragon kingdom' that border both of wilderness and human kingdoms that is basically buffer state. She already have half mind on ordering one of battle group to go there and relive some pressure as last time she heard any news from those part of the world is the fact that there full-scale beastmen invasion, no need to have more innocent life lost to become literal buffet, and maybe she could decimate good portion of these beastmen population too, win-win on her opinion, the human safe and have some vengeance and she could flex her muscle a little bit (and retaining some of her humanity)
The night has come to both of them as Lisa decide to sell couple of Luther collection (read junk) to earn enough money, Luther protest ignored as she is brought this to her. Lisa already retire for the night while Luther write her next order, being undead have its benefit too and night vision is one of them apparently.
Next Forge must push the system efficiency, don't want unwanted attention from paranoid military after all Luther scribble it down before roll it up and pressing her thumb on the scroll as ethereal ribbon materialize and bind the scroll before she send it up to Listmen. She discover this little trick before when she accidently press a little bit of her magic on the scroll when she want it to send, it became some sort of symbol for her important scroll and it color varying from blue to yellow to green with each color symbol the important of the massage, pretty little trick for her.
Now with that done time to rest of course rest for her is just lay down, close her eyes off and forget the passage of time or simply thinking. Now time to decipher that bloody rumor earlier that day she accidently overhear couple of merchants taking about the sorcerer kingdom, more importantly about how they not just human dominated kingdom but actually accepted other demihuman to their fold. And then there the fact that they manage to vassalage this 'Bahamuth Empire' that is Re-Eztize opponent on their annual war, that is some pretty high strategy.
And then there is their king, lord Ainz. Luther don't know how to handle this new information, heck she froze up for a moment when she heard that name. she is excited when she learn that she is not the only one that got boot to the face by the universe but also worry for her friend, she know that Momonga treaded Yggdrasil as his heaven and she doesn't know how he react, what she expected is definitely not building an empire building a kingdom and kill thousand, by seas what happen to him, probably changing into undead with near godly power.
Is probably that he change to his avatar, an undead skeleton overlord and if according to my experience becoming undead could put some sort of emotion change or even dampener she know that undead have immunity to emotion stat change like fear and she theorize that there some sort of emotion dampener if what she read on many, many book on Library ship. And there the fact that the lore become real, the now living NPC is program base by their written lore, meaning the war of heaven and hell is their only knowledge about me… … bloody HELL WANKER FUUUUUUUCK.
Okay, calm down Luther, think how best approach this situation
…
…
…
CRAP
I'm so screw, heck I don't even know that this is actually momonga, then again there only person I could think of that will deliberately name them self ainz is him, and the fact that I want to rip him apart kind of help it Luther guild and her friend guilds basically write one giant lore divide by three according to their 'faction' guild, she remember that she, momonga and Luna write lore about themselves and their guild in such fashion that they create a solid foundation on the war event and it connected to each other lore, one cannot read lore about the servant of paradise without knowing and reading about the other two and vice versa. Unfortunally it come back to bit her in the ass.
Why we decide to write that I and Momonga to have hatred and anger so munch cause by our bitter old rivalries so strong toward each other that it basically overpower the emotion dampener, why? Oh right, heavy lore Luther have this hatred and rage overpower her for a moment before she surpassed it, it leave her confused until she remembered that she write it, and continue with cursing the seas and heaven.
Okay, I have no idea why momonga change name to that I hardly care about it, what I care is how I going to greet him without his NPCs attacking me out of spite or anger. Then again I'm pretty sure my own will attack him, and the whole war will repeat itself, thank the seas for the my 'mastery' of hit-and-run tactic while Deth fleets participate during the war with catastrophic end on all side, it was cause mostly by her punch-and-escape attitude during the first phase of war, then go full line battle with the battleships.
Wait, why I have sudden feeling of foreboding this time around, are somebody mention me somewhere Luther think before lost back to her thought, for hours she think it and for hours she can't find solution more than just improvise when the time come, she dint like that solution, at all.
The lore she and her guild write is on the perspective of the deth fleets so all changes happen to them and to them only, but it have little to no difference because of their lore's is so heavily connected toward the other two lore. Luther sure that her fleets probably going into full fuckfest if they learn that their enemy is here, not that she blame them really, there some serious fuck up shit she and the other write there, heck there even couple of lore lines that could be consider grimdark and why? Even to ainz certain guild member and local what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you, sadistic and downright EVIL standard and that is saying something.
Times past and the sun rise as Luther still in her mind before Lisa shock her 'awake' to the next bright day. Many will assume that Luther, being undead and all, will be chirpy and less grumpy in the morning, its not. She like the feeling of bed and resting and when she enter deep on her mind is like sleeping, not to mention she could cast sleep spell powerful enough to put her to sleep, so she isn't a morning person, at all.
(9Liiiiiiiineeeeee break0)
The fleets
The Black Death
Forge make her way deep inside the flagship. Earlier, she arrive to meet with Listmen regarding earlier order and her rejected request, Forge know that she must have solid reason to step on the flagship of the entire fleets and she have it. Forge know that Listmen just rejected her request for more material to increase the quality about her item because grand admiral specifically say to limit the amount of raw material they siphon from holy kingdom to avoid suspicion but that didn't stop her from coming to persuade him anyway.
The hall of Black Death is black and in severe disrepair, she can't help but filch seeing it her flagship maybe form by couple of galleon smash together but it never this bad. She know that this is only on visual level but it still sting her. She walk deeper and finally arrive at simple black door after going through a lot of detour. Sometime Forge wonder, why grand admiral make her flagship like this, of course she know the answer but she can't help but feel that there some hidden meaning behind it.
She knock the door three time before muffle "enter" come from behind the door. Forge come inside and close the door behind her, Listmen office is incredibly stale and crowded by many paper and some trinkets here and there, it look like complete chaos, an controlled chaos.
Listmen sit on far end of the room behind table that hold stack upon stack of papers, he currently reading one of the reports his agents send from the surrounding area. Forge carefully make her way to Listmen before sitting across him on chair opposite of him "so, this is your office, say am surprise that you kept it like this"
"No, this is just my personal archive, am just reviewing some material before store it up here" forge say this is just waste of space, they have library ship for this very reason "so what is your business here, admiral of the 8th fleet" Ahh there is Listmen, no nonsense attitude with workaholic obsession she remember.
"Always direct to the point aye"
"Please answer it, I don't have much time"
"Cold, man, cold, anyway am here about my latest request"
"I say it once and I say it again, no"
"No, no I mean I want to find compromise about my request, the grand admiral order me to up the system efficiency and you know that my request for more material for better quality gear, right?"
Listmen just nod, not even taking his eyes from his paper
"So I just wondering, if you could cut some corners and give it to me?" Forge ask with overly sweet voice.
"Give me one good reason to do that"
"Aside from better quality item and gears, not munch but one or two new forge ships" Forge just smile as Listmen put his paper down and look straight to her eyes, red and green stare at each other.
"The grand admiral order increase on efficiency, not another forge ship, sister, now explain" while normal ship is consider easy to make on the fleets, making specially dedicated ships is hard, even harder when you trying to make forge ship, so any new forge ship is tempting bait.
"I just discover two of my ships is displaying similar structure and composition with bare ships uses to house the forge on forge ship, I calculate that I only need little more material before I could fully transform it, and for efficiency matter? I just cut some corner on the cables and refined material should coming more cheaper"
"Adding new forge ship is-"before Listmen could continue she grab some paper from inside her coat and put it on Listmen table. Listmen raise a curious eyebrow about this before he pick it up and read it. His eye show some surprise before back to cold indifference.
"That is my calculation on new ships, system and output if you grant me my request, as I include the amount I require to fully convert those two ships. And the new ships paper for cataloged and register on the archive" Forge know little trick to persuade Listmen, just show him convincing prove and the next steps and boom, you could get away with what you want, well mostly.
"Well, color me surprise sister, this I could get behind with" he put the paper down and look directly to her eyes "so, which corner you want to cut"
Forge only smile, she maybe lied about the amount of material she needed, but he didnt know it and it hardly big, she only want small amount from it to her little… project.
She smile and open her mouth.
Continue
AN: okay there few question i got to answer today. first, yes, my grammar is terrible and horroundus, english is not my mother tongue so give me some slack. am still searching for beta reader to help me, so if any of you interested, please just contact me.
second, the title is intentional, is not death nor depth is deth. i want something that rhyme with those two word so if you want me to change the title please do send me some suggestion.
third, this is AU so please dont burn me if am deviated from canon.
that about it so please give review, critic is appreciated and spam will be ignored.