...E-Rantel...
The Platinum & Obsidian Dragon Lords wasted most of their day on what amounted to a children's game, first it was just marveling at the workmanship that went in to creating these little magical pieces, but then they began to get creative, taking items from around the hotel room and creating obstacles and 'natural barriers' that the pieces would have to overcome in order to advance, and they learned the subtlties of the game quite easily. Soon after that, they were playing in earnest, and before they knew it, the day was all but gone.
"Marvelous." The Platinum Dragon Lord said as he stood back up and stretched.
"Truly." The Obsidian Dragon Lord replied.
"I wonder if they have tournaments for this?" The Platinum Dragon lord wondered aloud.
"If they don't, well we'll invent them, you should buy a hundred or so of these sets, distribute them around the country and create a tournament system, who knows, we might get some great generals out of this children's game." The Obsidian Dragon Lord said offhandedly.
"Maybe that was the point?" The Platinum Dragon Lord said.
"What do you mean?" The Obsidian Dragon Lord asked.
"Did you notice the toys being sold when you were out and about, or the things children played with?" He asked.
"Not really, they're just toys aren't they?" The Obsidian Dragon Lord asked.
"Something I heard a priest say while I was walking around, something about shaping the minds of the youth being a parental duty." The Platinum Dragon Lord said, he paused in contemplation.
"All the toys for sale, or nearly so, had some form of active and creative engagement to it, it required children to be inventive, thoughtful in order to accomplish goals within the games, even this one rewards deeper thinking, and did you see the book sellers at all?" The Platinum Dragon Lord asked.
"I did, a marvelous selection, I asked about it, and the book seller said that the Sorcerer King had an invention that allowed books to be printed cheaply in mass production, it makes books inexpensive and with literacy rising, more people are reading, I saw the parks he established, public land just for people to relax and enjoy, and lots of people were reading on benches or under trees. And the lending libraries, books just to be taken on the promise of their return..." The Obsidian Dragon Lord pondered the matter.
"Yes, we're dealing with the kind of society a genius creates, children are shaped to think and be creative in finding solutions, adults are encouraged to learn, knowledge flows out like a river to the sea, we're dealing with a figure who is thinking long term. Not a simple brute or an indifferent ruler who is only thinking about his own position's security." The Platinum Dragon Lord said thoughtfully.
"Is that...good...or not? To be frank I do not know which would be better for us." The Obsidian Dragon Lord said with an exhasperated sigh.
"I think that depends on whether or not he sees us as a threat. Based on what I've experienced, he doesn't. So the best thing we can do is craft a policy of friendly relations and openness, he seems to value trade, so if we put more effort into developing those ties, he won't want to disrupt it. We might also consider 'selling' him some assistance in his war against the Theocracy, for example providing minerals for his rune smiths to aid his war effort. We don't have to be directly involved, just favorably remembered as a friendly neutral country." The Platinum Dragon Lord said.
"Reasonable enough, so are we done, its been a few days now and I don't think there is much else in the national interest to find at this point?" the Obsidian Dragon Lord asked.
"Just one more thing." The Platinum Dragon Lord said.
"What's that?" The Obsidian Dragon Lord asked.
"I want to try out that place they call an 'amusement park' then we can go home." He said with a grin.
"Ahhh...I believe you require an escort for that my friend, lets go." The Obsidian Dragon Lord replied with a laugh, and out the door they went.
...Prart...
Neia stood beside the ruler of Prart and let her voice carry to the entirety of the crowd, most of the city was there, but from the force of her voice, those nearest her were fairly certain you didn't have to be there to hear her. She took off her visor, and the atmosphere around her changed to a heavy one, befitting the subject of the day. "People of Prart, I am Neia Baraja, and today we face the start of a great trial, as those who have ever lived have always known, there can never be two rulers over the land, and now we face a time in which this is the case. Queen Calca, the rightful ruler of our country, who stood and died against Jaldabaoth, sacrificing herself for her country...is being challenged for her right to rule by King Astraka, a usurper king who serves as mere puppet of a foreign power, a power come not to liberate us, as the Sorcerer King did from Jaldabaoth's terror, but to oppress us, to kill us, to burn us alive and upend every great thing we have done! Even now their armies have landed in the South and joined with other traitors, and we will not have a false king over us, we will not have their sins taint us, we will not stand by as our people are tormented by fanatics who exploit us in our hour of need or demand submission that they do not deserve! Black Justice declares for Queen Calca, and we call no one brother, no one sister, who does not do likewise! Astraka came late to the aid of the North, and now he demands our submission, he demands our obedience, he demands that we bow to those to whom he bows, but I...WILL...NOT!" She shouted and took off her famous bow and thrust it into the air.
"They come for our city, our land, our lives, they who are meant to defend us, come only to kill us and return us to how things were before, so we must prepare, we are not alone, we have allies coming to support us, the power of the Sorcerer King is behind us, the power of the Baharuth Empire is behind us, and yes, almost all the entirety of the North stands with us, so there is but one thing and one thing only that you need to fear." She said, and her voice grew soft as it carried over the crowd, and they looked at her, on the edges of their hypothetical seats as they waited.
"And that is running out of things to boast about to your grandchildren when this war is etched in history as an eternal legend!" She shouted, and from above the towers, the banner of King Astraka came down, and the banner of Queen Calca went up.
The cheers were like the thunder of the gods and they washed over those who stood beside Neia.
"Send your representatives from each of your neighborhoods to the temple, there you will find your neighborhoods tasks, each one should strive to outdo the other, let no man or woman fail in doing their part, all of you will be veterans of war before the end, and know that whatever happens, nothing will be done in vain, if we all do our best!" She shouted out as she resheathed her bow.
As she stepped away, the crowds dissipated and she looked to the other speakers, they'd done well enough, but they were not evangelists. Neia shook hands with each of them, they were sincere, they were driven, though some of them had more trouble meeting her gaze than others.
"Now we prepare to defend the city in earnest." Neia said, "We'll be fighting a defensive battle, a protracted siege, but wars are not won by waiting, we need to take the initiative, to get inside their decision loop and force them to act on our terms. Keep preparing the city, but I'm going to take a contingent of soldiers out, and we're going to make King Astraka dance for us." She grinned with savage glee, but Tinamoc spoke up.
"I have to object Neia." He said firmly.
"Why?" She asked, and her eyes turned on him viciously, causing her friend to tremble as he was caught in the icy gaze, "Have you lost faith in me after Wenmark? You don't think I can handle this, because of what I let happen, because of my mistakes?! Well? Out with it!" She snapped.
Skana touched her shoulder and whispered, "Neia...don't." Neia realized what she was doing, forced herself to calm down, and then she turned her gaze to her feet in disgrace, "I'm sorry its...please, say what you were going to say."
Skana let her arm fall away again.
"The people of this city see you as a symbol, you're their hope, you're the focus of their morale, even if you leave with intentions to help them fight...they'll still see you as leaving them to their fate, that will weaken their resolve more than a hundred thousand knights at the gate. You MUST stay here, let someone else go." Tinamoc said passionately.
Neia sighed heavily, "You're right of course...I guess I'm...just wanting to make up for it still."
"I'll go." Skana said. "I went through the same training, I have much of the same experience, I can handle it, plus it should be someone who knows you well, so we can predict each other even when we're not in communication."
Neia clenched a fist. She wanted to say no, but it was the best answer. "Alright, do it, gather up what you need, not many, you're going to be moving fast, you are going to make their lives very unpleasant, but do NOT engage in any pitched fighting if you can avoid it, don't take any bait they offer, and of course, come back to me safely...OK?" She asked, and Skana darted in and stole a kiss from Neia, then grabbed her hands and said, "I will, I'd say wish me luck, but I plan on making my own on the way." She grinned.
"Alright, go and get started." Neia said regretfully, and as Skana departed, she turned to Tinamoc, "I really am sorry about before, I didn't mean it."
"Forgiven and forgotten." Tinamoc said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"But are you going to stay here?" Neia asked, "Do you really want to hunker down for a siege instead of on the road?"
He laughed, "Where am I safer, behind thick walls and lots of swords and armor...or on the road with nothing but my belly protecting my guts from pointy objects?"
"Point taken." She said, making a wicked pun and prompting a laugh.
"I've got work to do, so I'll see you back at the hotel Neia." Tinamoc said, and departed as well.
"Come along CZ, I want to see how things are going." Neia said, and nodded to the government officials behind her. CZ followed along, they descended the steps slowly and Neia began to stroll down the street.
"We could ride." CZ suggested.
"We could, but its better for them to see us walking among them." Neia said.
"Why?" CZ asked.
"A book of the supreme ones said that the ones in charge should be seen, its good for their spirits." Neia answered.
That it came from something of the supreme ones was answer enough, and CZ filed that knowledge away.
While it was slow at first, the city came to life, and people were filling bags with earth and sand, they were sharpening swords, making arrows and putting bundles of them near where the archers would be positioned. Beyond the city, pacers ran ropes that were marked at equal intervals to show ranges of fire, and in the more open spaces, siege engines were being constructed. The city was bustling like an ant colony over a pile of sugar.
"Tell me CZ, what do you think of humans?" Neia asked.
CZ shrugged. "Don't care."
"Well, I'm human." Neia asked.
"I like you." CZ said.
"But not most humans?" Neia asked.
CZ shrugged. "If I don't know, I don't care."
Neia scratched her head a bit at that, "I guess that makes sense, it takes a god like the Sorcerer King to care about everybody the way he does.
"Yes." CZ said.
"Did you really mean I should rule?" Neia asked, turning her look to a peasant who was working hard sawing a plank, she waved and smiled, and he waved back, and picked up his pace.
"Yes." CZ said.
"I'm just a squire to this country." She added in bafflement.
"Ask for more." CZ said.
"From who?" Neia asked.
"Lord Ainz. Be a Paladin of the Sorcerous Kingdom." CZ said in her customary monotone that made everything sound obvious.
"I...hadn't thought of that." Neia said.
"But...I have responsibilities to Lord Ainz as a citizen of this country don't I?" Neia asked incredulously.
"It will be his too." She replied. "Then rule what he says." She added.
Neia contemplated that for the rest of her walk around the city, turning it over as she waved and shook hands and praised efforts. In its own way, maintaining the mindset she had to was more work than what they had to do.
...Hoburns...
King Astraka enjoyed the woman under him. She was there by choice, and showed it by her passionate responses, however his head was elsewhere, the brutalized body of that dead stupid peasant did still trouble his conscience, but worse was that he'd gotten nothing from her. The woman under him though, looked actually kind of like her, and that did make the coupling all the sweeter as she thrashed under him or bounced upon him, she could move her hips like a snake did its body, and when they found common release, he actually allowed her to linger in his bed for awhile before he sent her scurrying away, as a maid in his castle, she had a lot of work to do.
He did too if he was being honest about it, the missives had all gone out and soldiers were already moving, they'd be occupying the nearest villages before the day was half over, and then his engineers would begin making small fortifications for security and rapid deployment, he would strangle this rebellion like a babe in its crib, there would be a King, not a Queen in Hoburns...for as long as he lived.
Gilcrest and Robel watched the soldiers leave the city and they moved like greased lightning on their undead mounts, the soldiers were mostly on foot, which meant it was easy on the tireless horses they had, to reach the nearest villages and send out alarms warning others of the departing soldiers, it would still take time, but with the 'Undead Pony Express' that their god had devised, it proved easy to transmit messages from one village to the next, and easy to mount these strong undead to carts to pull reinforcements in, or noncombatants out. They'd split up at the first village, and raised the alarm wherever they went, shouting "Astraka is coming! Astraka is coming! Astraka is coming!"
If these had been ordinary village militias, or villages without militias, that would have been cause to either run or lay down and die, but the faith of the Sorcerer King...and his copious production and distribution of arms and his emphasis on discipline through training had created a new kind of villager, even if they were not professionals under arms, they were stalwart, strong, brave, and above all for these, they had something to fight for. So peasants unfit for fighting due to great youth or great age began to evacuate and other messengers went out, and the militia members of different villages began to join forces on the road, gathering in greater and greater numbers, they were ready within minutes to depart, they did not need long lines of supply, they would go to fight, and then withdraw to their homes if possible. Nothing was going to take anything from them, not without a hard fight against many a brother and sister prepared to die. Dozens became hundreds, and hundreds became thousands, and they sent out scouts to track the movements of their enemy.
...North of Kedyn...
Gustav Montagne was happy, behind him the city of Kedyn had raised its banner for Queen Calca, and Blue Rose and Black Justice instructors were providing joint guidance to well armed and confident population that was confident that they would indeed 'hold the wall' a second time. Besides that, he had a number of volunteers from the city itself, more Red Paladins and some priests encountered on the road had chosen to join him, and if that were not enough, he kept running in to peasant members of Black Justice who were already armed and ready to fight, and were happy to join him in his march north, when asked where he was going to make his stand, he replied, "There is only one place to go, where all will go. We will go to Prart, I am sure I'll find Remedios there, and then I can finish what I never should have started."
Most of his answer was lost on them, but all that mattered was that he was going where the fighting was, that was reason enough, and his ranks began to swell.
...Nazarick Throne Room...
"Now go, find her." Ainz said after explaining what had happened in the Draconic Kingdom and what they were to do. And with that, he nodded at Shalltear and several gates were opened, each one to another kingdom, each of his undead servants equipped with an item that would allow them to cast the same spell he had used, and each one carrying what he believed was one of the hairs from her head to track her by. It was a fairly quick process of elimination.
After a few minutes, one after another the servants returned...a negative report from the Argland Council State...a negative report from the Draconic Kingdom...a negative report from the Slane Theocracy...a negative report from the City State Alliance, a negative report from the Abelion Hills, a negative report from Re-Estize...then the last one returned.
"Masster...I have found a signal...but...cannot...pursue, she issss tooo fassst." The liche servant said.
"To fast? Is she on horseback perhaps?" Ainz wondered aloud and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Thisss one cannot say sire, I apologize for my failure..." It said in its raspy voice.
"I see, think nothing of it, you cannot do what is beyond the limits of your form, I will send another to retrieve her." Ainz replied, and he dismissed the liches.
"I supposes she's alive, but if she's moving fast she might be on the run from someone." He said to himself, he summoned Demiurge immediately, "Demiurge, we have found where Vanysa is, but the liche reports she is moving to quickly and is still to far away for him to pursue on his own. Would you go and retrieve her for me, I have questions about what happened to her." Ainz said with a wave of his hand, gesturing to Shalltear to open the gate.
Demiurge bowed, "Of course my lord, and when I retrieve her, after you are done asking questions, would it be to much to ask that I be permitte to make music with her again, it really has been to long."
"Of course, now go, before whatever she fears is chasing her, catches up." Ainz replied.
Demiurge stepped through the gate and found himself several miles beyond where the signal suggested she was, he had a little time, it would only be a matter of minutes. He looked around, it was an open plain, a simple dirt road was cut through the grass, he snorted at it dismissively, crude work by unguided humans, contemptible. The river babbled side him and to pass the time, he pretended it was speaking with him.
"Yes you're right good river, Ainz is indeed a genius who will much improve this pathetic land." He said with a grin.
"No, no of course not, good river you must surely be mad if you think I would feed you one of Lord Ainz's servants. The audacity." He said with a harumph, pretending to be offended by the very rude babbling waters. He glanced up and looked in the distance, she should be very close now, but he didn't see a horse or cart, nothing that would carry a human at a pace faster than an elder liche could move.
His crystal eyes were hard by nature, but now they were hard by temper, and he looked back to the river, and that was when he saw the body. The long blonde hair was impossible to mistake for anyone else, she was moving rapidly with the current, floating on her chest. Demiurge frowned, she had obviously been tortured, even from this distance that was obvious. He used his magic and pulled her from the river and laid her on the grass on her back.
Her body was naked and badly abused, she'd been cut to ribbons, even with the skin in its current state, it was obvious she'd been beaten, on her chest, carved in thin cuts, were the words 'Faithful Servant'. It was a grim end for the talented musician. Demiurge let out a somewhat regretful sigh, and called for his lord to open a gate. "My lord we are returning." He said, then corrected himself, "I am returning, I mean."
"You? Not you both?" Ainz asked curiously, "Was she not there after all?"
The gate opened and as if to avoid answering, Demiurge picked up Vanysa's body and carried her through the gate.
He stepped before the throne and laid her corpse at the foot of the steps.
Ainz didn't say anything. It was clearly her, he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, even partially decayed and water logged. "Did she drown, do you know how she died? Is it possible that this was an accident?" Ainz asked.
Demiurge shook his head. "I saw her back my lord." He rolled her towards him, and showed how badly she'd been cut to ribbons, and then he laid her back down. "She also appears to have a broken nose and many bruises." At that moment her head fell to one side and her jaw opened, clearly revealing that her tongue was missing.
Demiurge knelt and checked, further, "Her tongue is partially severed, based on where it has been cut, I would say that she did it herself, she bit off her own tongue, also there is this." He said, and pointed to the words 'Faithful Servant' that had been carved into her chest.
"Why would her killer write that?" Ainz asked.
"My lord I think she did it herself," Demiurge replied, "it is the width of one of her finger nails, she probably did it with her own blood, and cut in too deep, leaving it to mark her even if the blood wiped away. I expect that this was a message to you."
"So she was murdered then." Ainz said.
Demiurge said, "Forgive my impertinence my lord, but I believe she took her own life, she probably was severely tortured...by an amateur...and then when she realized she couldn't escape, she didn't want to risk giving up what they wanted, so she cut that into her chest in the hopes that you would see it, then bit off her own tongue so that she would die."
Ainz's emotional dampener kicked in. "That sounds a lot like murder to me, Demiurge, would you not also take your life to prevent information from being wrenched from you?"
"Without hesitation my lord." He said, still kneeling by the corpse and looking down, not meeting the gaze of the Sorcerer King.
"Well, she won a victory over them, I assume she gave them nothing, whoever they were." His emotional dampener activated again.
"But one victory is not enough..." He said as his anger built, "they must be utterly crushed into the darkest dispair, and denied even this."
"Wrap her body and preserve it for now, first, tell me how you found her, why was she moving so quickly?" Ainz asked.
"Sire she was floating down river, the current was swift, that is why she appeared to be alive and in motion when being tracked." Demiurge replied.
"That river cuts through a lot of land, she was found in the Holy Kingdom, but that does not mean she was killed there, or that any of the delegates are guilty, the Draconic Kingdom can still be a dangerous place, she was carrying money at night, she could have simply been abducted by a sadistic criminal, tortured for fun, robbed, then killed."
Ainz pondered further, "Well I suppose we'll just have to ask her." He said.
"Pardon my lord?" Demiurge asked, "Her body is severely mutilated, in some ways worse than Calca was, and she's not as powerful as the Queen was either, will she survive resurrection?"
Ainz gave a wicked laugh, "Did I say anything about resurrection? No. This is different. Come with me." Ainz said, and he left the throne room, with Demiurge following behind him.
"My lord may this humble one ask your intentions?" Demiurge asked as Ainz silence kept him in suspense.
"No." Ainz said, "Better to show you."
Demiurge went quiet again, and he found himself in the treasury following behind his master.
"Tell me Demiurge, what do you know of morphomancy?" Ainz asked.
"Nothing my lord, please forgive my ignorance." Demiurge said fervently.
"Its alright, it wasn't a popular school of magic, most of those who practiced it, did so on a lark, turning others into chickens, pigs, and during that one hack, giant dicks. The shitty devs never put a lot into its early levels." Ainz said as he sorted through a shelf until he found what he wanted, and he began the walk back.
"The really interesting thing about it though, was what it could do at the higher levels, at low levels, it was used by those like me for 'pranks' and 'distractions' to throw people off, the middle tier users of it could do more devious things, disguise themselves as trees, disguise items as different items, it was a whole other level of play to the game if you put the effort in."
"Like illusion magic my lord?" Demiurge asked.
"No, illusion was only a matter of appearance, morphomancy changed the thing itself, and for those early levels, it was only temporary, for example a first level morphomancer could turn an equally low level enemy into a chicken for three seconds. A higher tier morphomancer could turn a rock into a tree of roughly equal size, as long as they did not greatly exceed the mass of the target, and as long as there was no resistance to overcome, well there was no problem. But it got really interesting at the higher tiers." Ainz said, and Demiurge listened raptly.
"At the higher tiers you could alter species, for example a level one hundred morphomancer could turn an archdevil into an archangel, and the amount of time that change endured, depended upon the resistance of the target, from complete failure...to permanent."
"I see my lord, but...what does that have to do with this?" Demiurge asked.
"What magical resistance does a low level human corpse have?" Ainz asked.
"None my lord." Demiurge answered.
"So this will be permanent then, wouldn't you think?" Ainz asked.
"Yes my lord but..." Demiurge trailed off.
The doors to the throne room had opened, and Demiurge had to move quickly as the stride of his lord became faster and more purposeful, still...he followed behind his lord as they approached the much abused body of his deceased servant. He took up the scroll and held it over Vanysa's corpse. "Change form, Erinyes." The scroll burned up, and blue light swirled around the corpse, her arms fell open, her legs fell open and began to thicken with more muscle, her hands changed so that her nails became pointed and sharper than a needle, and her ears sharpened to a point, the ribbons of torn muscle and flesh that had been dangling from her back, stretched further and turned black as they formed bats wings from her shoulder blades, twin horns sprang from the front of her head and curved upwards, and her skin had taken on a more golden hue.
But still she lay there.
"My lord, what is the point of a dead...whatever that is?" Demiurge asked.
Ainz chose to answer through his actions, and he said..."True resurrection." Ainz voice filled the hall as he began casting his ninth tier spell, and the light of his magic radiated over the body of the girl. "You may come back Vanysa, and serve me once again." Ainz said softly, and as if pulled more by his voice than by the magic itself, air filled her lungs and her eyes popped open.
She rose to all fours and touched her head. "Ahhh...what th'ell happened?" She looked down at the razor talons that were her hands and shot up to sit on the balls of her feet, she looked at her body, she touched her head again and felt the horns. "Ah gots horns...why do I gots horns?!" She shouted, and the tip of a wing touched her foot, she looked, and saw the wings springing from her back. "Why ah gots wings?!" Then she saw the Sorcerer King standing to one side.
"Master!" She said and prostrated herself, and her voice shifted to the lear intelligence he knew quite well, "Sire what has happened to me?"
"Simply put, you died, I was hoping you could tell me how." He answered.
"I don't know...I was answering questions for the queen, I left, then something hit me and I got knocked out, I remember..." She closed her eyes tightly, I remember pain...there was so much of it...so much I couldn't bear it...was I tortured to death?" She asked in horror.
"No." Demiurge said, "We believe you committed suicide to keep from betraying our master, you had carved the words 'faithful servant, onto your own breasts before you died. Not bad...for a human that is." He said, "Though I guess that compliment doesn't apply so much to you anymore."
"What...am I?" She asked touching the unfamiliar parts of her body in abject confusion.
"You are an Erinyes, otherwise known as a fury." Ainz answered.
She pouted a little..."Sire...I still don't know just what that means."
"Oh, yes...a 'fury' is a kind of demonic female being, sometimes worshiped on another world as a kind of goddess, simply put, they punish the guilty, you it appears, have inherited the nature of Tisiphone, the avenger of murder, if your claws and wings are any clue." Ainz said. "I trust you are not unhappy with your new body, your human form had very little chance of surviving resurrection, so I transformed your corpse first to something more survivable. Combining two magical disciplines is impossible for most, but for me it is simply a matter of will, childs play."
She prostrated herself before him.
"My master saved my life, gave me a future, and has given me new form...new life, truly you are a god, a better god than this world deserves. I offered you my body in absolute sincerity, and if this was your will, then my body was yours to do as you saw fit...and you chose to give me a better one, and now I will use it in your service, until this one is more torn up than the last. Can I ever see my...old body...again though?" She asked curiously.
"Withdraw your wings, and you should resume your former appearance, the better to allow you to move among humans." Ainz said, and she tried it out, realizing it had to have something to do with her back muscles or shoulder blades, she flexed and tried to draw them in, a few tries later, she was as she had been again. "Amazing sire...I am truly thankful that you grant your servant a chance to follow you once more. But I have one question master?" She asked while still looking at the floor.
"Ask it." He said.
She sprang her wings back out and her form shifted back to that of the fury, and she bounced up to her feet, put her hands behind her at the small of her back just below her wings, and she leaned forward in all her glorious beautiful nudity and with a cheeky smile asked, "Ahm ah still pretty an nice ta look at?" She giggled...and added a few flaps of her new wings for good measure. Though for all that, her eyes were filled with a sadistic wrath and a desire...to make music again.
Ainz emotional dampener went into overdrive as he shouted, "Uwaaag!" and Demiurge could not stop laughing.
AN: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this one was a lot of fun to write, MOSTLY because I knew I had you all in agony over poor Vanysa's fate. :) I didn't know I was making a new 'best girl' with her, I didn't expect her to be that well liked, I just thought she'd be fun to write for and fit with some of the things I wanted Ainz to be able to experience. I'm SURE some of you will wonder about Albedo & Shalltear, and hey, they'll get a reintroduction soon enough. For now though, enjoy the ride, the world is about to burst into a bright and beautiful flame, so until tomorrow...have a good one!
OH...almost forgot...tomorrow is another double release day, somebody donated.
On an unrelated note, if there is a particular story you want me to write, a 'fan request' if you will, I am willing to take commissions and the occasional freebie if the reason for it is a good one.
If you enjoyed this story so far you can support the author's favorite causes by donating to bdgiving dot org.