Chapter 4
"And that's the mission," said Pluton. "I'll be assigning Team Blue rose to this mission. Additional members may be added before it starts, which'll be tomorrow."
I just sat there, staring down at the files before me presented by Pluton Ainzach, the adventures guild master.
Zuranon, a cultist group much like the Slane Theocracy but are focused on worshiping the reality of death. Right now, a faction of this group has splintered off and are trying to create an incredibly powerful creature of the underworld.
According to reports, this Zuranon faction slaughtered an entire village in one night. By dawn not a corpse could be found. It was later discovered that the bodies were taken to a cave East of E-Rantel, presumptuously their hideout. Its' been said that they're using the power of death they collected from the village and number of corpses to summon the creature. The time estimated to complete the ritual is 1 week. There are 5 days left.
'I don't remember any of this from the Overlord anime I know-.'
"Excuse me, are you paying attention," questioned Pluton.
We were seated at a type of rectangular table on the second floor of the guild building. At the head of the table sat Pluton, staring at me with concern in his eyes. I was sitting at one of the sides of the table, across from me sat the shop owner from earlier, Havoc Underson. Turing towards him, I starred at his smug face.
"Why choose something this difficult for me over a simple map?" I demanded.
Starring back at me with a grin on his face he leaned back with his arms crossed. "What, you think this deal isn't good enough for you? This job should be easy for a skilled warrior who killed 13 bandits. But you'll not only get the map for free, but you'd also get half the amount that's paid for it."
"Half?"
"Yeah, half. Half for you for completing the job. Half for me for not only getting you the job, but also giving the map to you."
"Not much of a discount, is it?"
He just grinned at me
"Havoc has a good point-urrh, what was your name again?" inquired Pluton.
"It's Edward. Garmadon Edward."
"Thankyou. Anyways mister Edward, although you'll get paid if you did this, I'm afraid I cannot allow it as you're not an adventurer. Not only that, you don't seem to have the skills for combat and your age is an issue. You don't even have a weapon. As such I'm going to assign Team Blue Rose and possibly Mommon to this matter, should he survive the next mission."
At the sound of his name, I jolted my head towards Pluton. 'Mommon's going to participate in this upcoming mission? If that's the case then maybe I could interact with him this time. I just hope that I can talk with him this time and he can probably help me. I'm going to have to accept this mission if I want any hope of getting home.'
"I assure you, I have a weapon. Even if they are my fists at times I can still kill a man. As for my age, I here that the leader of Blue Rose, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, is a nineteen-year-old," I protested while standing up and slamming my hands on the table. "And on that note, think I will accept this job, not just to prove your doubts wrong, but to also save lives from whatever this faction is planning."
Pluton closed his eyes with his arms crossed. "As I said before, I cannot allow a seventeen-year-old, who isn't even an adventurer, to go amidst such danger. Not only that, I have no proof that you are as capable as you claim you are-."
He was cut off with a sudden burst of fire in the palm of my outstretched right hand. The blaze quickly intensified until it was the size of a basketball. "According to your standards, a magic user can be both a formidable foe or a helpful ally depending on how strong their teir spells are," I said coldly.
Pluton and Havoc stared in awe at the display of magic, until he coughed and continued his speech. "Seems you can use 2nd teir magic spells. Impressive. But with the forces of Zuranon you'll need to have mastered 3rd teir at least, and even then, you need to have a master swordsman by your side."
Clenching my fist, a spark of anger flashed in my heart as the fire went out. 'It's like I'm talking to my parents,' with that thought an idea formed in my head. 'If I can't convince him with words, I'll convince him with fear.' Still standing, I turned to Pluton with a warm smile on my face.
"Tell me, guild master Pluton. What is the strongest known healing spell?"
This left Pluton with a puzzled look on his face until he closed his eyes and went back into his thinking position. "The best to my knowledge is a 6th teir healing spell used by the Slane Theocracy. It's said to be able to heal the worst of wounds internally and externally. Even repair mashed up organs."
"Okay then," I started, materializing a machete in my right hand and holding out my left arm. "I'll show you my healing magic in affect."
With that I brought the blade down on my outstretched arm. The machete went through it like a knife on butter in the middle of my forearm. As the clean cut went through and out the other end the blade was smeared red with blood.
The severed limb fell onto the table, blood leaking from the stump. Both Pluton and Havoc were in complete shock, staring at first the arm, then to me and back at the arm.
"Are you insane?!" yelled Havoc reeling back from the sight before him. "Why would you cut off your own arm? You've already lost the other!"
"Hang on a minute, I'm currently screaming internally in pain," I winced bending over and clamping my wound with my right hand. The machete fell to the ground then disappeared in a swarm of blue pixels. "Just give me a sec to heal myself." As I cried, a dark purple glow began emanating from the stump before it became a bubbling heap and red sparks danced around it.
I must say it was an odd sensation as the bone erupted from the stump of my arm and began to form a new one. 'It feels like the flesh is peeling away from the bone as it grows.'
In a few moments my arm had returned, closely followed by the black sleeve of my coat flowing over it. "Ahh. I really should've thought twice before doing that," I groaned as I flexed the new arm. Turning to my associates, their faces were painted white and plastered with fear.
"That-that form of healing magic goes beyond the 6th teir healing spell. Are you even human?" stuttered Pluton. "Or could that be the legendary….7th teir magic?"
"Yes, I'm human and no, that was 8th teir magic you just witnessed."
'Ha! It's so fun to tease them like this. But these guys look like they're about to puke. Funny, here I thought they'd be more afraid of me and starring at both arms more-,' looking down at the table where the severed limb was supposed to be, but in its place, was a pile of ash. A pool of blood was present on the table. "Any of you know what happened to my arm?" I questioned looking at them both.
"It just, turned to ash," Havoc answered, not taking his eyes off my new arm.
"Oh, thanks."
'Do my severed limbs turn to ash?'
"So anyway," interjected Pluton, a slight bit of awe still plastered on his face. "I won't ask if you've stepped into the realm of the gods or how you were able to attain that power, but I still need to assess your skills in a fight to validate you in the quest."
"I'm not going to sign up to be an adventure if that's what your trying to get at," I said. "But if it puts you at ease, how about you assess my skills tomorrow in a mock battle?"
Having calmed down a bit, Pluton went back into his thinking position. "Alright. I'm assigning adamantine adventures to this quest so if you tagged along it should be alright. After assessing your skills tomorrow, I'll place you in the party."
'Guess I can't ask for anything more.'
"Thank you, Pluton."
"Well now that that's been worked out I'm going to have to ask you to leave now," Pluton said while standing up and stretching out his hand to shake. "Right now, I need to attend a meeting with the adamantite adventures about the pressing threat of a vampire. Havoc."
"Sounds like everything's been worked out," breathed Havoc, still looking like he was about to puke. "Come on lad, best be prepared."
"Hang on," I protested. "Pluton, is the upcoming meeting involving the vampire going to include Mommon?"
"Well yes, it is. You're not thinking of joining the mission, are you?" he asked.
"Yes, I am. If I do this, you won't have to wait until tomorrow to assess my skills."
'If I do this, I'll also be able to gauge how much of a threat Nazarick sees me and how much they are to me, and possibly be able to seek help in getting back home earlier than expected.'
There was a brief silence before it was broken by the clunking of armor behind. Turning around, I felt my heart skip a beat. Ascending the stairs was a group of heavily armed men with adamantite plates hanging from their necks. Just behind them was a warrior dressed in full black armor. Mommon
"Guess it's time for me to leave," said Havoc, as he began to descend the stairs with a wave of his hand.
As the soldiers seated themselves, I took my original seating position from before. Mommon sat next to me with three adventures across form us.
"Hey Pluton, who's the little pipsqueak?" bellowed a black-haired man in the middle of the three on the other opposite side. "This is a meeting for the strong, not the childish."
"I assure you, I am strong. I'm one of those who's going to participate in the upcoming mission," I glared at him.
He starred at me with surprise before turning to Pluton. "You can't be serious Pluton. Your sending a kid on an adamantite level mission?"
"I am."
The guy just looked on in anger. "I'm beginning to question your sanity. Sending a non-adventurer is just utter fooli-."
He was then cut off as feeling of cold steel was pressed against his throat. "I've had quite enough of this non-adventurer bullshit," I whispered with venom as I stood behind him with a steel dagger pressed against his throat. "If I hear one more word that refers me to me not being an adventurer, I'm slipping the throat of who ever said it."
"Calm down," boomed Mommon. As we turned to him he lowered his helm with his arms crossed. "Garmadon, we understand that your eager for this assignment. As such I'd be happy to have you on board."
"Thank you for your understanding," I responded, withdrawing my knife and taking a seat beside him. "By the way, it's nice to see you again."
"Likewise."
"Anyways," interjected Pluton. "It's time to get down to business."
One meeting later (if you don't know what happened in the meeting, refer to the anime or manga for some insights).
As we marched through the woods, I noticed a few things. One was Nathan (the guy I almost killed) liking to try and take a crack at Mommon verbally is beginning to backlash at him. Second was Nabe using an incredible amount of self-control from killing him and third was the fact that I can't even remember that made up name Ainz came up with for Shalltear during the meeting.
'I think it was Hapuru something.'
I was currently in a party of fifteen of extremely skilled adventurers, but I couldn't help but feel like that ambush from the anime Ainz had set up was closing in quickly. Turning towards Nabe, I noticed her smirking slightly.
'That's odd, she hardly ever smirks. Unless her master is happy or something that makes her happy happens. Oh shit!'
As the realization dawned on me, I whipped my head around to look ahead of me with wide eyes. Activating my right, I saw the shadow crawler from earlier alongside the road, and up ahead was-.
"Son of a- he's gonna spring it now!" I said under my breath, materializing a pair of silver gauntlets with blades protruding from the sides I strapped them to my arms.
"You say something?" asked a fully armored man beside me, but after saying those words he then got his answer. Three roots sprouted from the ground and drove themselves into his legs. But they didn't fully come out the other end as the roots burrowed though his body like worms in dirt. The warrior was about to scream in pain before the ends shot out of his mouth, waving in the air while covered in blood.
"Ambush!" yelled one of the adventurers before his head exploded from the inside.
"You gotta be kidding," I hissed as I jumped back from a couple of vines trying to grab hold of me.
As they whipped towards me I swung my arms in an arc, blades slicing through greenery. But I wasn't fast enough as one of them wrapped itself around my gauntlets.
'This isn't working.'
Uncoupling the gauntlets and slipping out of the vines hold, I noticed a cylinder of darkness coming straight for me. Weaving to the left it raced past me before striking the trees behind me and turning them into dust. Unfortunately, my right arm got caught in that attack and was currently missing. Around me soldiers continued to die left, right and center as my arm re-grew itself.
"Guess I'll have to play seriously," I yelled activating my eyes perceptive function. Materializing a pair of desert eagle guns (they look like normal hand guns if you don't know) in both hand, I aimed towards the thick undergrowth where the black cylinder came from. Noticing a flash of a white dress and wave of blonde hair, I let loose a series of bombardments, firing without mercy.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
As the projectiles sped into the undergrowth, a pair of pained screams could be heard. Then out of the corner of my eye there was both a blur of white and a glimmer of a sword heading straight for me. Turning to intercept the oncoming attack I prepared to fire until there was the sound of flesh being cut and the clang of steel on steel.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" I cried as my left hand fell to the ground. Drawing back, I saw before me a figure dressed in an outfit crossed between that of a maids' and a warrior's light armor. "So, you finally decide to fight seriously, hu Narberal Gamma."
"Shut your mouth worm, less I cut something else off," she threatened with yet another death glare directed towards me. A sword was clutched in her hand dripping with blood.
"Go right ahead than," I taunted, holding up the bleeding limb as it bubbled with red sparks dancing around it before becoming a full arm again. "There's nothing you can cut that I can't heal."
Lowering my left arm and raising my right I trained the pistol at her chest.
"Please stop," howled Mommon. "We do not wish to fight you any more Garmadon."
After saying those words, he began walking towards us. As he did so there was a flash of light that enveloped him before disappearing and leaving something behind that made my stomach curl.
Before me was none other than Ainz Ooal Gown in his god-like attire, ribs exposed and all.
"Are you afraid that if you fight me, I'll obliterate you all?" I taunted, keeping the barrel trained on the maid beside me.
Stopping a few feet away from me, the flames in AInzs' eyes glowed at me before he spoke without a moving jaw. "Ha ha ha ha. You've got spirit, I can tell that much. But I would like to talk to you about a more serious matter that needs to be cleared."
Resting my eye and deactivating its effects, I straightened up so that I was face to face with Ainz while keeping my aim on Narberal. And yet I only reached up to the base of his collar bone in terms of height. 'Dam I never pegged him to be this tall in person. It makes him even more intimidating this way.'
"Alright. But tell me, does it relate to what I said the first time we met?"
"Yes, it does."
Glancing over to Narbearl, who still had her stone expression on, and then back at Ainz, I bit my bottom lip. "Fine, you win," I breathed while lowering my aim. "Ask away."
"Thank you," heaved Ainz as he straightened his back. "First off, I want to know if the name YGGDRASIL means anything to you, and if so how do you know about it?"
'Alright, this is it. The moment where I spill the beans about everything. But why did he have to straighten up now? He's even more intimidating than before.'
"Y-You monster!" yelled a voice from the side road. "You killed them. You killed them all! When I get out of here, I'm gonna slaughter every last one of you, you fucking traitors!"
Tied up to tree with vines winding around him was Nathan, screaming at the top of his lungs and not yet dead. Apparently.
"Will you just shut up!" I whined, raising the pistol aimed for his forehead.
Bang!