Written by: AtheistBasementDragon
Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots (AN: Who did an amazing job)
AN: Thank you to all of you who have been reading so far, this has been an amazing project and experience and I'm glad you've all stayed with me so far. There are probably less than one hundred chapters to go now, and I'm going to miss this story when it is done. My release schedule WILL be slowed down a little bit while I get my website built to host all my work, but not very much, day or two per chapter tops, I'm going to build it in increments so I don't break my writing routine.
In the meantime, if you'd like to see this story turned into an audiobook and an illustrated ebook, you can support that project through my p atreon dot com slash godrising. I will not keep a penny for myself and I will not hold the story hostage, nor will I 'sell' the final product, this is for the fandom, because the Overlord community is so far the best fandom I've yet seen, y'all goddamn deserve some awesome shit, and I want to create it. If that is worth a dollar and you can spare it, great. If you can't, don't stress, this is a gift, you don't have to do anything but be yourselves...unless you're going to tell me not to do side stories or create new characters...then be Vanysa or Peroroncino or something, because those are better options. ;)
OK...on with the show!
When the Sorcerer King had given his instruction to Vanysa, she had accepted his will, but not without question. Or rather, not without the 'right' question. "My lord, I have never been to Kedyn, I know nothing of the place or the people there, is there anything that I can learn of it which will help me to accomplish your aim?" She asked sagaciously.
"Demiurge," Ainz said, gesturing to the demon, who knelt immediately, "Prepare Vanysa for her mission. See to it that she knows everything she needs to know. She will have whatever time she needs to learn everything… within reason." He said, raising one finger in caution.
So it was that Vanysa found herself working alongside Demiurge. The Lord of Wrath provided a desk temporarily to sit opposite his own, and he casually opened a file drawer, took it out of the cabinet, and brought it to where she was seated.
"This is everything." He said with a mischievous grin.
"Which folder?" She asked with an uncertain tone in her voice.
"No, this whole drawer." He said and laughed.
"Alright, thank you, Lord Demiurge." She said and gestured to the spot on the table next to her. He set it down and went to his own desk to tend to his own work, however as he did so, he kept one blank crystal eye on the woman opposite him. She had, without complaint, simply pulled out the first document and started to read. Occasionally she would raise her head with a question, sometimes the naivety reflecting her isolated upbringing, and sometimes insightful, revealing an inquisitive mind. Her skill as a torturer was second to none, bringing tools to the table that his bodily inclinations had neglected. She seemed to know just what to say to rend the heart and soul of her prey and, in doing so, she often used her own body to great effect; playing first the role of ordinary human, drawing intimate flesh close enough to touch and entice unexpected desire, only to then shift her shape to that of the erinyes and turn that desire against itself.
Her recent insight on his experiments had yielded fruit as well, and as he watched her diligently read through document after document, he decided to reward her. "By the way, your insight into my project on keeping the heads of enemies alive was very helpful. We were able to go from keeping them alive for seconds, to almost an hour. With time, we'll be able to keep them alive even longer, perhaps indefinitely."
She blushed, "Thank you, Lord Demiurge. Also…" She looked down somewhat ashamed, "Thank you for… for before. For when the Sorcerer King's wrath was unleashed. It was very painful, I thought I was going to be crushed."
"Do you resent him for it?" Demiurge asked casually. If she'd said anything akin to a yes, she was a threat to be disposed of.
What she did was shake her head, "I am his. If he wants me to feel happy, I will feel happy, if it is fear, then I will fear; if he wants me to feel pain, I offer it freely. He made me this, after all." She said and, though she remained seated, her form had changed, and her wings spread out behind her. "He gave me my life back. Twice. He gave me an education. Anything he gives to me, is his to take away, and I will spend my life in his service. But… I am ashamed of how weak I was. I haven't the strength of a guardian." She said, her voice going from emphatic and drifting into one revealing her embarrassment.
"I suppose that is true, you're more or less a created being, but think nothing about your present physical shortcomings, you will get stronger as you work for it." He said, his mind set at ease by the response she'd given and the sincerity therein.
"Incidentally, what do you want the heads alive for?" She asked curiously.
"If I said it was to hurt them more?" He asked.
"I'd say you're lying to me, Lord Demiurge." She said archly and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh? Why?" He asked in an equally arch voice.
"For the same reason most people prefer a chest my size over one your size. More room to play with." She said and shook her gold hued torso a little and laughed at the consternation that appeared on his face after her response. "Jokes aside, the body can be hurt in many ways, some places are far more sensitive than others. If you didn't know that, I'd be happy to demonstrate it." She finished her statement in a dusky voice with fangs bared and a slow lick of her lips.
"Is she flirting with me or threatening me?" Demiurge wondered for a moment, for all his knowledge in matters of the flesh, his expertise was focused on something other than pleasure, and for all his knowledge of how to control and manipulate others, such interactions as she was flinging his way were outside of his knowledge base, it was almost discomforting to know she was more experienced in something than he was.
He'd been silently looking at her, and she leaned back and tittered. "It's alright, I'm just teasing." She said, "But your project, no. For that reason, I'd say you're not doing it for torture. If you can't tell me, I won't ask, but I'd like to be able to help more if I can, I like working with you." She said politely.
"It is… not unpleasant to work with you." He said hesitantly.
He didn't know that demons could pull pouty expressions quite like this one, she folded her arms in front of her and looked down to her left and bit her lip a bit. "Way to make a girl feel wanted." She muttered.
He went back to reviewing his documents, and a moment later she did the same as she read over everything there was on Ulthis, Cercei, and more recent documents on the task that Blue Rose was being paid to do.
"Lord Demiurge, how many adventurers have been paid to protect His Majesty's followers around the Holy Kingdom?" She asked.
"Several hundred. There were more, but some have died in the course of their work." He said.
"Forgive me for my stupid question, Lord Demiurge… but are you using the death counts to track Astrakian and Slane Theocracy support levels? It seems like that would help with allocation of force ratios and maybe help justify pulling some of the more powerful teams out of the quieter areas. And maybe help with matching teams to their abilities…" She asked curiously before elaborating on her thoughts. "I don't want to step out of my place, Lord, but I ask because I don't see anything indicating that in any of these reports..." She trailed off as she saw him staring at her.
Demiurge's crystal eyes shined brightly as she spoke, "Vanysa…" He said.
"Yes, Lord Demiurge?" She asked hesitantly, wondering if she'd just overstepped herself.
"Call me 'Demiurge'." He said and gave her a satisfied grin. Her wings gave away the tremble she suppressed in the rest of her body.
"As you wish, Demiurge." She said and went back to memorizing information.
That was how she had prepared but, despite all that, when she finally stepped through the gate, she felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her. Torturing people was easier. She breathed a heavy sigh as she looked around. The gate was like any other, she could have been anywhere in the world she knew, judging by that alone. She needed more.
Night had fallen over the city, so the gate was closed. From where she'd come out of the portal, nobody atop the wall could see her, but of course her quarry was 'inside'. She rolled her eyes; she shouldn't be surprised. Everything was a test. That was what Demiurge had warned her of… or perhaps promised her. Tests measured growth, tests pushed growth, and their master desired that they grow. "What am I? A house plant?" She thought with a wry little laugh escaping her lips.
She shook her head, well this part was easy enough to pass, she simply walked away from the city to a plot of woods she saw nearby, there she was obscured from view and she shifted into the state of an Erinyes. She stretched out, inhaling the cool night air deeply. The hot days were passing away, the air was cooler now at night, and she gloried in the moment. Her wings stretched out behind her and her taloned hands moved up as if to pluck the very moon from the heavens. Her eyes closed and her lips parted, baring fangs at the darkness that surrounded her. "How I love this body, this was almost worth what he did to me." A shudder passed over her at the memory's resurgence, but she shoved the thought aside and pushed off the ground below and took to the sky, the air raced past her as she moved up higher and higher into the night sky until she was looking over the entirety of the city of Kedyn.
Sneaking in from above was easy, all she had to do was fly high enough, find a place with no people, and land. In the darker hours of the night, when shadows cloaked alleyways, it was easy to find a safe spot. So, land she did, in a narrow passage between two buildings with roads on either side. She returned to her human state and exited out into the empty public street.
She looked around as she tried to get her bearings and took a deep breath, not for the air, but to set herself at ease. Also, she looked for the guilt. It was a natural thing for a fury to do, so much so that she didn't even think of it. Most of the time she didn't even notice that she'd done it. "One more change to who and what I am… enacted by the will of my lord." She said softly, once she noticed the habit emerge again. "His will be done, in all the world, as it is in Nazarick." She repeated her privately composed prayer that set her to a state of mental comfort. She relaxed almost visibly; sure he wouldn't have tasked her with this had he not trusted her to succeed.
Getting her bearings took only a few minutes of strolling down the darkened street of the now prosperous little city. Blue Rose, she knew, was staying at the best inn the city had to offer, therefore her first step was to go there.
So that was exactly what she did, and she did so happily, skipping down the street letting her hair bounce freely behind her. This, to her, was happiness akin to retribution. To carry out the will of the god she loved as a creator and as a savior; this was joy. She could not keep the bright toothy smile from her face and would not have wanted to. If one is happy, let it be seen when it can be. For all her complexities, she felt herself at heart to be a simple woman in some ways. Her shapely form would turn eyes no matter what, yet the bright and positive feel she exuded as she carried out her master's will shone like the sun even in the darkness. She was that kind of woman.
She entered the inn and found that there were few people still downstairs drinking, only a few tables were occupied, and an innkeeper was on duty. She raised an eyebrow as she looked around, it might have been the finest inn Kedyn had to offer, but compared to a few places she'd seen, it was barely acceptable as a mid-tier establishment. Though the furnishings were decent enough, the patrons were washed and didn't stink too much. They were reasonably well dressed, but she couldn't help but think the place fell short.
She brushed her thoughts aside and walked at a quick business paced clip to the innkeeper's desk. "Hiya." She said, putting on her friendliest air and warmest smile, and getting as close to the man as possible to befuddle him with a body she knew was desirable.
"Good evening." He said. He was thin, and well dressed in a simple red and gold cut cloth. By contrast, Vanysa was wearing the finest travel attire Nazarick could provide for her. She reeked of money and the keeper's voice and widened eyes as he looked her over, told her that he recognized that. "What can I do for you?"
"Three things." She said. "First, I need a room for two nights, second, I need to see the adventurer group 'Blue Rose' that is operating out of this inn, and third, I need to have a message sent to Viscountess Cercei that a representative from the Sorcerer King will be calling on her tomorrow at noon."
"I can give you the best room, and I can convey your message…" He said, scratching his cheek with one finger while he struggled to comprehend what just happened here. Her statement explained her appearance, her dress, and so on, but it added a whole other realm of mystery as to just why she was in his city. His thoughts were not comforting ones.
"But?" She asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral.
"I can't give out guest information." He spat out as fast as he could, his nerves beginning to get to him as he thought about whether it was wise to refuse anything to a representative of the Sorcerer King.
He relaxed at her warm smile when she reached out and touched his arm. "Of course, you're an honest man. You're… innocent." She said in an almost dusky voice, and her stormy eyes captured his, he felt as if she were piercing him to heart, and though in a sense he was relaxed, in a greater sense he was relieved, whatever that had been about, it had met her approval. "I don't want you to break any rules, but they do come downstairs like normal people, don't they?" She asked in a voice that was outright silly.
"Well, yes, of course." He stammered out.
"Then when they come down, just give them my room number and tell them a representative of His Majesty wishes to speak with them urgently." She said, "That's all. If they refuse, I have my answer just as if they had accepted." She shook her head as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.
"I see. Yes, I'll do that." He said happily. "As to the room, twenty silvers for a single and that will include meals and two drinks per night."
She took out a coin purse and counted out forty for two nights, then set down a gold piece beside it, his eyes widened.
"That is to help your memory and your sense of urgency in getting done what I've asked of you." She said sweetly.
"It will be done." He said gratefully, then reached behind him and took a key from the wall and handed it to her. "Up the stairs, second
door on the left."
She mounted the stairs and immediately took to her bed, as she was exhausted. She'd worked hard to prepare since His Majesty had given her this task, and while she felt gratitude for the opportunity, she felt an extra level of gratitude for getting to spend more time with Demiurge. He was a beautiful demon. She stripped herself of her travel attire and lovingly laid it aside, anything given to her by His Majesty could never be casually tossed to the floor.
She then tucked herself beneath the covers and reveled in the slow warming of the bed. She licked her lips as she stared at the ceiling, she'd succeed at this mission and prove her worth to her master, but also her flexibility towards the demon. She giggled and whispered to the darkness, "No need to tell him how I feel… first I'll let him know how he feels. Succubi indeed." It was a comforting thought to have as she drifted off to sleep and carried with it the salacious smile of a woman who knew what she wanted.
She awoke that morning and used one of the small number of minor scrolls provided to her for general use, this one effectively cleaned her body as if she were freshly bathed. A single touch to the scroll told her that it was made from human skin, she brushed that off as unimportant. As she dressed, she thought about that. There was, after all, a time when that would have terrified her. Now she might very well have been the one to get the skin, under Neuronist's tutelage. "The paths we take." She said to the air with a dismissive snort.
No sooner than she had finished dressing than a knock came at her door. "Come in." She said ever so sweetly, grateful that the enchanted clothing did not require cleaning.
The door opened, and she found herself face to face with a diminutive vampire. "Hiya." She said in the folksy disarming way she usually did to set others at their ease. Most of the time that 'ease' was right before robbing them of it in the dungeon, today that was not the case.
"Your door is unlocked." Evileye said, "Isn't that dangerous?" She asked.
Vanysa grinned her toothy grin, "Nah, not fer me, not no more. Ah got stronger." She said.
"I… see." Evileye said with a mix of caution and curiosity in her voice.
"Relax, ah ain't here fer nothin bad, whatcha lookin all edgy for?" She asked with her adorable face tilted to one side like a curious pet, her long blond hair tumbled freely down, unbound from its usual braid, she looked for all the world like the most harmless peasant there ever could be, only the clear quality of her traveling garb gave away that there was more than met the eye.
"The team is downstairs; we can talk there I assume?" Evileye asked, her voice all business, she started towards the stairs and Vanysa followed her. Her hands went up casually behind her head as she trailed the child sized vampire.
"Ain'tcha happy ta see me? Ain't seen yah since yah done come to Nazarick." Vanysa reminded her sweetly.
"You're here representing our client. Business first." She said, though clearly there was more to it than she said, Vanysa let that pass.
"As ya like." She said as they reached the base of the stairs. Vanysa waved sweetly to the night clerk who was clearly now quite tired. He waved back and yawned, then went back to his tedious vigil. Evileye led her to a small room just off the main dining and drinking area. It was outfitted with a table and a number of chairs, as well as a few minor amenities like a pitcher of water and glasses.
Along one side of the table sat the rest of the team, and Evileye went and sat beside them.
Vanysa barely kept her eyes from narrowing. This was not the friendly reception she'd been expecting. "Yer all lookin like yah found out there was a worm in yer apple by findin tha other half of it. Did ah do somethin?" She asked.
It took them a moment to riddle out what her 'colorful' expression meant, and Lakyus snickered against her will at the image. It seemed to relax them, but she regained her composure to address Vanysa as she took her seat opposite the team.
"No, you didn't do anything… to us. It's, well… Vanysa you know we're pretty well connected with other adventurers, and we've heard bits and pieces about a certain person… you, unless you have a twin, doing some very gruesome things. Hard to square that with what we saw of you the last time."
"Oh, that all yah mean?" Vanysa grinned, it was a fearsome look on a beautiful face.
"Vanysa, we know you don't have to speak that way. No more obfuscations please." Lakyus said with a sigh.
The playful peasant persona fell completely away like makeup washed from a costume, like a mask removed, her face was serious and her eyes hard and penetrating, like there was lightning in those storm gray eyes.
"Is this more like it? I was not trying to 'trick' you, only set you at ease and make you more comfortable." She said in a crisp and educated voice. Though her body had not shifted but by inches, it seemed a whole different person sat across from them.
"Actually yes, good to talk to the real you." Lakyus said, speaking for her team.
"In that case…" She said from across the table and allowed herself to shift into her erinyes state. The golden fury of vengeance. Her talons clicked and clacked against the table as she tapped them. "Is this better too?"
There was an exchange of looks among Blue Rose. "If we're going to bare ourselves, Evileye, Keeno, would you be so kind as to remove your mask while we're all alone?" Vanysa asked politely.
Evileye complied. This was an odd turn.
"If you want the truth, I am both." She held out her taloned hands in front of her, spread somewhat wider than her shoulders with deadly points pointed palm up. "I am fury, and I am human. I was born, but I am a creation of His Majesty. I am free, but I serve loyally. I am a torturer who revels in bloodshed, but I am also sweet and kind to those I call friend and comrade. I have, according to a certain brilliant pair, a keen and insightful mind, but I am also stark raving mad. I am a living duality. I was not hiding what I am from you, only showing you that which made you most comfortable." Her voice was calm and reasonable, and that didn't really help.
"And some of the… stories, about you cutting people up and torturing them to death?" Gagaran asked.
"What would you have done to Jaldabaoth for killing your sisters?" She asked of Evileye.
"Worse." She said softly.
"Precisely. I punished those who were guilty, as an erinyes, I saw their sins, they were proud of them, proud of the torture of peasants, proud of the wealth they knew was depriving our people of the means to protect themselves, they traded lives for an extra silver spoon they'd never use. They got my people literally eaten alive, the man I loved was eaten in front of me, the last expression I saw on his face, was when a ratman cut that face off and teased me by using it as a mask before he ate the skin like you would an apple peel. I won't apologize for what I've done, I would have done worse if I could have, but I could only draw it out so long." Her eyes were savage and her face stern with rebuke.
"You would do that and worse to any who harmed another one of you. Do not exclude my bonds to others as you proudly proclaim your own." She said in a sharp voice.
They hung their heads for a moment, somewhat shamed by imagining how far they would have gone for one another, while rebuking another for the same.
"We… didn't really know that part." Evileye said.
Vanysa's face took on a more relaxed expression, "It's alright, I get it, and you let me explain things, so no harm, no wrong."
"Wouldja like thisa waya talkin again then?" She grinned and the light air of the sweet peasant was back over a creature of blood vengeance.
Lakyus gave a small laugh and said, "No, this is business after all."
The tension was gone and though Vanysa's bouncy peasant air melted away, her tone remained friendly, if business like. "As you like. I'll be blunt, you've done your job here, things are safe, a meta-analysis of security and threat levels shows that this area no longer requires an adamantite team, so you're an unnecessary expense as you are."
"Wait, are we being fired?" Gagaran interjected in disbelief.
"No." Vanysa said, "It's just that you aren't needed on this area anymore, but I have something else…unless you want to quit." She looked them over silently for a moment, none made a motion to get up, so she continued. "The reality is we need to take things further than in the past." She sighed, "I know about what happened at the General Assembly, that you were offered a chance to be fully integrated into the Sorcerer King's ranks, and you ultimately chose not to do it, remaining within the Kingdom's guild system."
There was a round of nods. "Well, that won't work anymore." She said, "Because the Kingdom won't exist for long, and when that happens, the old guild system will go with it."
There were looks of consternation around the table. Vanysa raised their hand to stop their protests, then reached into the bag she wore at her side and took out a map. She unfurled it on the table. "The war is going to end, I don't know when, but it won't be long. The Slane Theocracy woke the giant, and it is now marching west, you'll hear about it soon enough in rumor, but I've seen it up close and rumor does not do it justice."
"The giant?" Tia asked.
"What giant?" Tina added.
"The Sorcerer King held in his possession, a golem the size of a small mountain, it is currently walking west to the southern end of Re-Estize, when it gets there, it will punch the mountain down to create a path armies can pass through." She pointed to a place on the map.
"That mountain is thirty miles wide!" Lakyus exclaimed.
"His Majesty says it will take him about a week, unassisted." Vanysa said flatly. They sat back, struck dumb.
"More than that," Vanysa continued, "Re-Estize is going to submit itself to the Sorcerer King as a vassal state at the least, and I won't be surprised if they pursue complete integration, and then where do you think the guild system will be?" She asked.
There were no replies.
She pointed to the Draconic Kingdom, "My country will probably cease to exist independently after the war, Queen Draudillon herself told me she intends to request integration as a province." She pointed to the Roble Holy Kingdom, "As for here, Queen Calca will only rule because the Sorcerer King put her back on the throne, and she's been with him almost constantly, she's incredibly attached to his way of thinking. To keep the peace and rebuild her shattered country, she's already made an offer to become a province as well." She pointed to the empire, "They've been a vassal for years, and whatever mild reticence the Emperor had, has utterly vanished, the fearful look in his eyes when he visits His Majesty is completely gone, he speaks to my god now as one would to a friend, his empire has enjoyed unparalleled benefits and a fair number of high priests have already converted, you know that last part already, don't you, Lakyus?" Vanysa asked.
Lakyus nodded slowly as her team stared at her. "I… do. I'm attending the Synod as the priestess of a goddess to which I'm already an apostate." Her heart beat rapidly in her chest even saying it. "I don't know what a god is anymore, but the gods I was loyal to hate my sister, I can't serve what hates those I love." She looked suddenly very haggard, as the pent up internal struggle slipped past her implacable veneer.
Her sisters unconsciously moved a little closer as if to protect or comfort her, and Keeno took her hand and squeezed it gratefully.
"The Empire will probably give up the last of its independence at the end of the war, I give it six months, maybe one year if the Synod is prolonged." She pointed to the Slane Theocracy, "We're eating up ground like a fire eats a field of dry grass, their defenses were the best in the world until now, and they're starting to crack. We both know you wouldn't go there even if they won the war, they don't have a place for an unaffiliated military organization. That leaves very few options for you if you want a future in any of the lands you know. Maybe you could go to Argland, but if you're going to go there, well, you might as well remain in the Sorcerous Empire." She said, and they did a double take.
"Empire?" Evileye asked.
"What would you call it? It is moving well past 'kingdom' now, I think, and when all is said and done, it will have every country you've ever been to as a provincial region ruled by royal governor kings and queens. It seems to me that you're going to run out of options really soon, and that means that the best thing for you to do is to join while you can bring the most to the table, you're already on his side as an employed group, which by itself has lent all the moral endorsement he needed. It makes sense that it is best for you to continue to help humanity, and all others, by going from half the way to all the way on the right side!" Vanysa hadn't shouted, but her voice had become impassioned and fervent, she leaned in and held every eye on hers, one by one.
"Is this a matter of personal belief for you, or do you care about the fate of kingdoms, or is there a difference at all to you?" Gagaran asked.
Vanysa shook her head, "There is only one kingdom I care about, and eventually it will be the only kingdom from one sea to the other." Her eyes went down and the stormy eyes clouded over with a shell of silver tears, "I've personally lived most of my life in a nightmare, I know how bad it is under bad nobles, I lost everything, my home… twice, my business, I lost the boy who would have been my husband… I had to hide my face from nobles and guards because they didn't care what I wanted when they saw what I looked like and… I didn't always hide well enough, my mother didn't have a better life than I did, even though we lived under a Queen that actually cared. Another, well you know what Astraka did to my body, how I… I died. His Majesty… I have no illusions, I know what he's done, but he's done more than just give me life, education, and a future, he doesn't just rule, he builds!" She said, reaching across the table as if to take their hands.
"If he were not undead, the truth is you wouldn't be hesitating anymore, but I have seen what he's done, he is the immortal king, he gives us all lives and a future, he is incorruptible from his goals and his ideals, and you said it yourself, Lakyus, the old ways condemn your sister, if you're not at his side, all the way, how can you be at your sister's side 'all the way'?" Vanysa asked.
The effect of her argument was electric. She'd painted them completely into a corner by pointing out that the system they were part of was about to cease to exist, as were the nations they could have chosen to go to as an alternative, then she'd struck at a vulnerable point, the old system held their sister as deserving of death, while the Sorcerer King did as promised by all that they'd seen, and built up a system of coexistence, granting peace between all honest peoples.
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and Lakyus covered Vanysa's monster hand with her own.
"You realize you're asking us to abandon everything we know, we're happy to stay on as contracted adventurers…" She began.
Vanysa held her eyes, "I know, but this is bigger than that, bigger than the old world, maybe that system you were part of was the best thing in this world at the time, but now there is something better, sometimes change comes whether we want it or not, but no matter how painful, we're better off for it. I'm the proof of that." She said with a smile that was somehow warm despite the deadly looking fangs.
"What… exactly are you offering us?" Lakyus said, giving a glance to her sisters before meeting Vanysa's eyes again. The women sat back in their seats again.
Vanysa then reached into her satchel again and took out another document. "A regular salary commensurate with a senior military officer, vacation on request, custom enchanted gear, runecrafted or otherwise, a private residence in any country under his domain. Freedom to turn down requests you deem 'unethical' under your traditional guild rules."
Their eyes went wide, they didn't know just what a senior military officer made, but only an idiot underpaid the people who commanded armies.
"What does he want in exchange for all that?" Lakyus asked in disbelief.
"Three things, two I can answer, one only he can, and he won't, not to anyone who isn't with him all the way." She said.
"Go on." Lakyus said.
"The first is obvious, your willingness to conduct operations that continue to ensure the peace of the realm in the post war period, regardless of the race you would have to face." Vanysa said.
"Agreeable in principle." Lakyus said, "And the ethics clause allows us to maintain our moral center, that is acceptable."
"Second, you are to go to Prart immediately via gate and aid in its defense against Astraka, Remedios, and the Slane Theocracy. There you will be under the command of General Baraja." She said and waited.
"I trust her, and we know what Remedios has been up to, and what Astraka did to you… and… and what the Slane Theocracy has been doing. This is an absolute yes." Lakyus said, "But what can you tell me about this third thing?"
"Nothing. This is a leap of faith on your part, unless you're all in, by your names and your oaths, I can tell you nothing but that it is far more important than the war now happening, if you accept this integration, and his rewards, and you want to know the third task, you will have to take another oath forfeiting your lives if the secret comes out. That is the gravity of the situation." Vanysa's eyes were not confident now, in fact it would be fair that she was failing to suppress a shaking in her body.
"Does the moral clause apply to the third thing?" Lakyus asked cautiously.
"I can tell you that you won't need it to." Vanysa said softly.
"Can we have one minute?" She asked.
"Yes." Vanysa said, "I'll be outside."
Blue Rose shared looks. "Whatever it is, it scared her." Gagaran said.
"It's serious…" Tia began.
"Enough that the Sorcerer King will kill to keep it quiet." Tina finished.
"Scratching all that for a moment, she's right about everything else, we're at peak value right now and when the war ends the old system will die. I'm not ready to retire, and I'm not ready to be a relic either." Evileye said. "Whatever has the Sorcerer King setting terms like this, it is serious, and what we know is that where he's willing and able to destroy entire armies by himself, he uses force last and talks first. We also know he's built up everyone he's ruled, not ground them down. I know he's undead, but so am I. Would you call me evil, if I did as he does?" She asked.
Lakyus whispered out a gentle "No."
"I say we do it." Evileye said, "I don't give a damn what he is, he's the best chance I've seen this world have and I'm over two hundred years old, if this is some kind of a con, I don't see how. I love you, I will always love you, my precious sisters, but this is a hard yes for me, I see no other way. Even if we don't go together, I will go alone and wait for you to realize I'm right to make this call. His world is the world I can have a real future, without hiding away, and we've seen others like me, exactly like me, of vampiric nature and even of heteromorph and demihuman, to know that this world can exist if only we create it. Please… I'll go alone, but I don't want to."
"You had me at 'Do it'." Lakyus said with a smile. "All the inducements and bonuses and rewards, those are grand, but at the end of the day I want a better place to live for as many people as I can get it for, he's convinced me that 'people' is a broader term than I might have used in the past, and I have to make up for that mistake. If you go, it won't be alone." They looked over at Tia, Tina, and Gagaran.
"We go…" Tia began.
"Where you go, fiendish boss." Tina finished.
Gagaran looked frustrated, and then let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't like hidden clauses and I haven't really let go of what he did to the Kingdom but… I go with my sisters, to hell and back again if that is what it takes. If we're wrong, we're wrong together and we go down together."
"Thank you." Evileye said softly.
"Vanysa, come on back, we're ready. We've made our choice." Lakyus called out.
Vanysa returned and closed the door, then took her seat again. "Your decision?" She asked.
"Give us the contract, we're on your side, we will serve the Sorcerer King, we'll sign and go straight away to Prart." Lakyus said, and Vanysa's grin split her face from ear to ear, she took it out and thrust it across the table.
"You can take a public oath administered by Neia when you arrive, just give her your copy of the contract, but now, now you probably want to know about the third trial." She said as the last of them made their mark on both copies of the document.
The next few minutes saw the blood drain away from their faces, and the undaunted Blue Rose felt tendrils of fear sweep over their bodies.
When the gate opened, they still had not regained their ability to speak.
Vanysa promptly left and made straight for the Viscountess's residence. Carrying the Sorcerer King's seal and having sent word in advance of her coming made entry very easy, and within minutes she found herself kneeling before the vampire ruler and her adviser, the priest of Black Justice, Ulthis.
The formalities were quickly put aside, and they asked her to speak her purpose.
"My lady, I come today with a request, a request that your forces, as many as you can spare, be sent immediately to Prart." Vanysa said.
The lady of the city looked up from her throne at Ulthis, "Are you serious?" She asked.
"Very. The Slane Theocracy, the bulk of the southern noble armies, and Remedios Custodio's fanatics, are going there, every sword is vital to its defense." She said.
"Can't the Sorcerer King work one of his miracle spells and end it in an instant?" She asked.
"I have no doubt that he could, Your Highness, yet victory without unity only sows the seeds of further conflict, and he desires to see all join hands, and the bonds of common risk are the greatest of all, I am certain he will not allow this battle to be lost, yet if he wins it himself, he will set himself up as a tyrant who is served out of fear, we must show all the world, even that part of the world not yet born yet, that we fought not out of fear, but for a future under the greatest of kings, it is true that more may die than if he worked his miracles… but then what have we won? Is this not our world too, must we not work to make it better and to throw off the old ways that were destroying us year after endless year?" Vanysa shook her head, "You probably know about who I am by now, not many an erinyes comes calling on a court, for me to even be here, shows the world is changing, as does you on your throne and your adviser beside you, you are now adherents to Black Justice, what does your justice tell you? To abandon your neighbors for the sake of your comfort, or to be the keepers of your neighbors, so that all stand together as one, come what may?" She asked softly.
"Ulthis, how many can we spare and still keep order?" Cercei asked.
"Perhaps eight thousand soldiers and however many volunteer from the citizens." He said after a moment's thought.
"Have them mustered. The people of Kedyn are good at holding walls." She said with unabashed and shameless pride in her city, "We'll teach the people of Prart something about that."
Vanysa grinned happily. "Then this is also for you, my lady." She said and took two scrolls from her satchel. "The first is a gate scroll, when your soldiers are mustered, use it and transport them all. The second is a summon undead scroll, it will call up a death knight to defend your city until replacement adventurers of a lower tier come to replace Blue Rose and to augment your security forces here."
Ulthis descended the stairs and took the scroll from the talons of the kneeling erinyes.
"We will be quick about it." He promised and looked back at the Viscountess.
"You were thinking of the same thing, weren't you?" She asked from the throne.
He sighed. "Yes, my lady, I want to go too."
She rolled her blood red eyes. "We'll settle that later, for now, Lady Vanysa…"
"Just Vanysa." She said with a smile, "I'm just a peasant, no rank, just a servant of His Majesty."
Her eyes widened, "He hasn't given you a title?" She asked.
"He doesn't seem to think much about titles, I live happily and comfortably and for a good cause for a great king, I guess if I asked for one, he'd give it, but I need no other title than 'Servant of the Sorcerer King'." She said sincerely.
"He seems to do much to instill loyalty." The Viscountess said approvingly.
"He does." Vanysa said with perfect confidence.
"Alright, would you like to stay another night, join us for dinner?" She asked from her throne.
"I booked another night at the inn just to accept that courtesy, my lady." Vanysa said, with polite happiness while she pondered just how proud her master was going to be of her.
…South of Fortress Alaf…
Killing his erection is what really pissed him off.
The raids, the traps and ambushes, the constant outriding on undead mounts, that meant nothing to the elf king, he didn't even toss the concubines off his body when those things happened. He didn't ask what happened and he did not care.
But when the wave hit, a black stark terror, a skeletal hand caressing his heart and threatening to end his life in the span of a child's breath, his lust died completely. Terror was unknown to him until then, fear was something he imposed, never felt. When the wave passed, he tossed the woman aside indifferently from his deflated member and threw on his clothes.
The concubines had fainted straight away when they were struck, so at least he wasn't going to be embarrassed by any rumors. Outside the carriage, things were not much better. Horses had run off, human and elven mounted men were flung away to the dirt, many were still on their knees in horror at what they'd felt, the wrath of a god turned on them all.
"Worthless! You're all so worthless!" The Elf King snarled out vindictively. How long was this going to delay everything now?
Just his luck, it seemed to have happened in the middle of another raid and the results were especially damaging.
…Re-Estize Kingdom, E-Asenaru…
Shalltear and Zaryusu's collaborative leadership system had been devastatingly effective, the surly child like looking vampire killed artlessly but effectively when they ran into minor opposition, and with the Lizardman on the forefront beside her, and the Re-Estize Kingdom's banner behind them both, it threw more than one village for a complete loop until the issue was explained.
Confusion created uncertainty, and uncertainty led to a desire for clarity, that meant that people listened, and almost every village along the way fell without bloodshed or opposition. As it turned out, E-Asenaru was led by real scum, a noble with a predilection for little girls and boys had taken to using villages as a kind of 'hunting ground' for victims, so the prospect of getting rid of the man had been readily embraced, even if it did come from unexpected sources.
When they found themselves at the walls of the city that bordered the Argland Council state, they called for parlay.
"He won't take it." Shalltear said with her lilting confident voice.
"He won't? How do you know?" Zaryusu asked.
"He's scum, scum might run away, but they'll never give up their toys." She said casually.
"What do you think will happen then?" He asked.
"He'll order his people to fight, and most of them won't, maybe he'll be thrown to us like that other one was." She chuckled haughtily.
The city remained silent.
Zaryusu chose to try something different. "They're not answering, want to knock on the door?" He asked.
"Maybe see if anybody is home?" She asked with a giggle, their weeks of travel had gradually worn down his discomfort with the little vampire, and he'd recently become at ease enough to make the occasional joke. This one seemed to take.
"Want me to handle it myself, after all, he likes little things, he should even be grateful that he can die in the arms of his dream girl." She let out a sadistic laugh, one Zaryusu found he could share in, while such people were rare among the lizardmen, it wasn't unheard of and they were reviled and frequently killed when exposed.
In a mocking sort of way, he dismounted and facing her flank, he gestured with both arms towards the city gate with a little bow. "As you wish, Lady Shalltear." He said.
She gave a light harumph and dismounted as well, and walked with a ramrod straight back and a haughty air about her as if she were strolling into a parlor, the men at the wall were stunned to disbelieving silence, and then she 'knocked' on the gate, and it flew in like it had been blown by a hurricane.
She stepped forward to the portcullis and 'knocked' there as well, giving it a similar fate as the stone holding it in a fixed position flung off of its fixed position and damaged a nearby building. The portcullis itself spun wildly before coming down on the edge and rolling end over end for a dozen yards down the street before it finally came to a rest on its side.
"I'm just here for a noble that isn't a noble." She announced politely, "Don't get in the way, and I won't have to kill you. But if you want to get in the way, I'm hungry." She said as she looked over her shoulder and up at the stunned men on the walls. They looked at her in absolute horror and then back down at the army in front of them, unsure of what to do, Zaryusu looked back up at them and just shrugged as if to say, "What did you expect?" No arrows flew at him, nor did they flee, fearing that they'd be mistaken for someone attacking her.
She walked through the city, and those who had seen what she'd done ran away from her. It was reminiscent of a comb parting hair and she moved with little opposition all the way to the heart of the city as word was carried about the 'beautiful monster' coming for the city's lord.
The only sound around her in the immediate area was the sound of her dainty steps on the stone street, until at last she reached the castle, two guards remained on duty as she approached. "Are you here to die for him?" She said in her sweet and childish voice, before her killing intent struck them like a whirlwind, their swords dropped, and they ran as soon as they could move. They never picked up swords again as long as they lived.
She 'knocked' on that door as with the others, sending it flying within, and daintily walking forward, following the scent, eventually she found herself at a door to the audience chamber, there were no guards, the doors flew inward and broke against the stone walls, the throne was empty, but the hall wasn't, one old man stood by it, seemingly fearlessly.
"Are you here to stop me, old man?" She asked dubiously.
"No." He said, "To tell you where he went." He answered.
"Why?" She asked in surprise.
"He never should have been in charge of a herd of goats, let alone a city." He said mournfully.
"You're sure he's where you think he is?" She asked, remembering how the blue haired warrior 'Brain Unglaus' had escaped from her years before.
"I am, I made sure of it." He said with a grim smile.
"How?" She asked.
"I told him he should flee, but that he'd need lots of gold for his journey, so he should pack as much as he can, he's not just greedy for the flesh of children to defile, he's greedy for gold too. Fortunately, he is also very weak. He'll try to carry more than he can, and he's probably still in his room trying to pack as much as he can. The stupid fool thought telling us to fight and die for him would buy him time, if he had even a tiny brain in his head, he'd know he'd done nothing to merit our dying for." The old man shook his head in disgust and spat on the seat of the throne. "We're burning that chair when he's dead."
"I see, thank you. Will you lead the way for this sweet little monster?" She asked with a kind curtsy.
"With pleasure, I only ask that you let me watch him die." He said.
"Condition accepted." She said warmly.
So, two pairs of feet moved to a side entrance and up a long and winding set of steps until at last they came to a door. Shalltear's knock sent it flying into the room, and it broke open a section of wall from the tall tower. The stone crumbled and fell with a crash down to the ground far below. It reminded her of what Demiurge had described when he broke in on the war council in the Roble Holy Kingdom.
Not far from the hole there stood a scrawny looking man with a half unkempt beard down to his neck, and he was fumbling trying to cram one more sack of coins into a pack that any idiot could see was too heavy for him to carry. When the collision happened, and the wall exploded outward he whirled and looked on in shock at the impossible scene before him.
"What, who?" he asked stupidly.
"Oh, nothing. I understand you want to leave the city, and I'm here to help you." She said sweetly. The adviser looked befuddled for a moment, but the young noble embraced the absurd claim in desperation.
"Well, hurry up then, stupid! Help me with this!" He shouted at her.
"I would, but you see I don't think you've packed enough." She said as she looked around. She first took up the pack and turned him around, "First, put this on just like so." She secured the large pack to his back, "You're so big and strong, I'm sure you can handle it." She said falsely.
False or not, he struggled to hold it up to prove his 'manhood'.
"Now, come here," she said as she walked over to his bedside and began to take other objects from around it that must have been quite valuable, he followed her as if entranced, "you'll need this, and this, and this too, and also this…" she said and began to hand him various objects, quickly filling his hands and arms with all sorts of useless extravagance. His knees were shaking.
"Oh, I know it is heavy, but don't worry, the horses will do all the work." She said 'sympathetically' as her hand touched the pack he wore, and she gently guided him over to the great big hole in the wall.
"How do I get all this down there?" He asked incredulously, "I need servants."
"You get down there quickly of course, and you'll have all that you deserve, now you're all packed for your journey, you can get going." She said with a sweet little girl voice.
"Where will I go from here?" He asked with wonder at the beautiful thing before him, he imagined she'd come with him, and he thought of all the ways he'd enjoy her in the evenings on the way wherever they might go.
"Why to hell of course. Bye bye." She said, and her beautiful lips parted to bare fangs, and she gave him a gentle kick just as he began to scream, and he fell back. Realizing where he now stood, he tried to stop himself, but the stumble could not be broken, he dropped the precious objects he held in his arms and grasped with a futile effort to try to buy one more moment of precious life, but he could find not a moment's purchase and tumbled out, spinning head over heels and screaming all the way down, landing on his belly with a thud, smashing his face and his limbs, and then crushed by the momentous weight of all the gold he'd tried to carry with him.
"Problem solved," she said happily. "I hope Lord Ainz appreciates how I got rid of that one, without even touching his disgusting skin, yuck." She made a sour face. "Alright, go send word to General Zaryusu that it's done, the city is now under the rule of the royal family again."
"I will, and gladly, and send guards throughout the city to proclaim the death of that idiot. He was so vile and despicable we'll never be ruled by another who even bears his name." The old adviser said with disgust.
"You should name your toilets after him too, if he was that bad." She said with a bemused smile.
"Hmmm…" He thought, "I have to go to the john." He said as he tried out the phrase. "Sounds good. I'll advise the next one that this would be a suitable little bit of bonus revenge." The old man bowed and chuckled at the crude humor.