HEY EVERYONE, I'M BAAACCKKKK! Life's taken a few turns but I haven't posted any new chapters in all this time, so here's a new chapter. I owe you all that much, but I haven't written anything in such a long time so I had MadDan90 proof read it for me. Thanks for that by the way, I owe you one. Without further ado, enjoy :)
Chapter 9
"Aaahhh, remind me again why I opened my big mouth and said I wanted to fight a vampiric Guardian again."
'Because I thought Ainz would trust me if I did something that would save him pain, durrgh. God, what a stupid reason, he would've been fine anyway. Should've thought of a better one.'
So here I am, standing in front of a vampire who I otherwise thought of as a fictional character, in a fictional world, and now I have to do something that a fictional Overlord found difficult to accomplish. Oh the humility, if there was any.
After reconstructing Nazarick, blacking out, and having a dream where Shalltear beat the snot out of a flying blue dragon warrior, I woke up in one of the guest rooms. It was fancy as hell! If I said it wasn't a glamorized room out load at any given time, I bet Ainz will pop out of nowhere and strangle me again. Then kill me.
The room was large with velvet walls, some furniture, two doors (one leading to the corridor, the other was the bathroom) and a queen-sized bed I was lying in. Looking around, I noted my coat to be on a chair nearby, and three others in the room. Two maids by the main door (one of them was CZ), and the third was by my bedside. But I didn't notice him until I heard metal clinking on metal.
One of Nazarick's researchers, with four arms, an eye for a head (which weirded me the hell out), and dressed in a white lab coat had taken it upon themselves to look into my mechanical arm and managed to wedge several metal spikes into slots. Though he had trouble prying it open, and of course when I realized what he was doing I clopped him one in the face. He resented my action afterwards and went on and on about it being for the benefit of Nazarick.
But I just ignored him. The maids however wanted to take me to the throne room, because there was something Ainz wanted to talk to me about. I thought the crazy scientists were a concept from movies in my world. Talk about cliché.
Before I could get out of bed there was a large growl that made us all freeze on the spot and I felt empty inside (literally).
"Rrrgh, it hurts." I groaned clenching my stomach.
'When was the last time I ate? Urrgh, it feels like months.'
"Lord Ainz thought this would happen," CZ said in a monotone, moving to the side of my bed.
"So he instructed us to prepare this for you."
She picked up a tray from the bedside and rested it on my lap. It had a steaming bowl of soup with three buns by the side and a glass of orange juice.
"Cooked by our chefs. One bowl of Minotaur hide, three buttered buns on the side, and a glass jundaril juice."
'Jundaril juice? You know what, I don't even care.'
After scarfing down the surprisingly tasty soup, and puking the less than savory jundaril juice, we were now in the corridor towards the throne room. Future note; never ask for jundaril juice. That stuff is so bad I felt like I was Harry Potter drinking the bone juice from Chamber of Secrets.
Back to the corridor, it was practically empty and unbelievably long. So who wouldn't have the urge to run down them like a child, arms waving in the air. I obviously asked Yuri Alpha (the other maid) about it first, and speeding down the hall way was ecstatic. Somehow the maids kept up with me with their perfect postures intact.
When we got to the throne room, Ainz was sitting on his massive throne that I kind of remembered from the anime, but seeing it in person was a different matter. It was so frigg'n huge!
At the base of the stairs stood the Guardians and Albedo in her usual spot by Ainz' side. She seemed better than the last time I saw her, so that's a bonus. The surprising thing though, was that she wasn't glaring at me, but rather just looking onto me, like I was someone she didn't consider a threat. Just how much of her brain was eaten by that singularity?
When it came to Ainz talking to me he just went guffin on about how important it was that I kill Shalltear as well as what to look out for. I was just internally screaming...
'Dude, I'm from the control dimension and I've seen the anime. Do you really think I haven't seen Shalltear try and beat the deceased life back into you the rip it out?!'
I was never one for listening to lectures. I found them boring A.F.! This one was no different and zoned out a couple of times, but got caught off guard a few times when I was expected to answer though.
In one part I think he said something about me going to E-Rantel to wait for him or to not bother going back. I probably should've paid more attention to that one. Eventually Ainz finished his speech, opened a gate, and I was like...
'Finally! I get to leave!'
Wait! I'm getting off track now. Bottom line is I'm risking my life 'cuz I'm hoping Ainz will help me get home if I help him. But thinking about it, I doubt he could if he doesn't even know how he got here.
"Ya know, this is probably a bit excessive. Two Guardians in one day?~ Ha!"
Walking up to the vampire, I noticed that she didn't make any signs that she knew I was here.
'Okay, planning time; set a trap around Shalltear then trip it for over damage. After that, go crazy!'
Activating my eye, an orange bubble encasing her appeared that stretched to the edge of the charred grass.
'Last minute protection field? Probably.' I thought, materializing a red box in my right hand then setting it by the edge of the bubble.
Still keeping contact with it, I took my left hand, and bit deep into the thumb, tearing the flesh and wiping the dripping blood over the parcel.
"Ow-ow-ow-owwww! How does Naruto do this without at least wincing? This frigg'n hurts!" I gritted, the torn flesh mending itself in a flurry of red sparks.
Very carefully, I took my hand off the box, and it maintained its form.
'Okay, still works.' I thought, materializing another box, biting my thumb, smearing it and stacking the box next to the first.
Back in my fight against Albedo, and got sliced by the Deucalion, the ship itself didn't dematerialize even while I fell. I wonder if the people of this world have seen it yet? Meh. Whatever. Finish laying multiple red boxes by the outline of the charred grass with smeared blood on each, I formed a lengthy piece of wire and buried the end into one.
'Okay, wire's set and packages laid. Time to run.'
Making a B-line to the edge of the clearing and deactivating my eye, I skidded onto my stomach and buried my right arm, still holding the end of the wire in my left.
"M'Kay. Sure hope this is enough. Now….. FIRE IN THE WHOLE!"
Sending a volt down the wire and ducking low, there was a moment of silence.
KAABOOOOOMMM!
A fiery ball of red and white sent a shockwave though the field, digging up chunks earth and uprooting nearby trees. The immediate explosive force threatened to tear me out and send me flying, but my arm kept me anchored, but it was on the edge of tearing off. Eventually the force died down and there was a massive plume of smoke in a churned-up area of smouldering earth and grass.
Looking up from my position and activating my eye I scanned through the smoke for signs of Shalltear. 'God, I hope that was enough dynamite to at least do something that'll help… me… in… the… long run...'
The hope in my heart died almost instantly when I saw the same lance Shalltear held earlier. Only this time it was held by a crimson gauntlet.
"…Well… shit..."
Through the looming smoke stood Shalltear dawned in her battle armour with angel wings. Despite my concern, if not fear, I also felt happy that I hadn't just gone and blown someone up with lumps of flesh raining from the sky... But now I have to deal with a vampire with abilities I know are scary.
"Hahahaha! How interesting!~" She giggled, shooting her head up and staring at me with blood shot eyes and a toothy grin.
"I've never experienced that much damage without the use magic before.~"
'Yikes!'
Still on the ground I was at a loss for words. There was an authentic vampire loli right in front of me who survived a blast from 85kg of dynamite with only a few scratches. She wasn't even a loli anymore!
"Yeah, well... nothing a little dynamite can't provide. Though I've never seen anyone in life survive an explosion like you did, Shalltear Bloodfallen of Nazarick."
Shalltear's eyes widened in astonishment at the mention of her name before distorting her face into a scowl.
"I don't know how you know my name, or what relationship I have with you, but since you've attacked me I must respond in kind and tear you limb from limb."
"Yeah, I know. That's why Ainz and the Guardians are behind you for a surprise attack. Oops, spilled the beans.~"
Shalltear spun around to see her lord and the man she loves.
"Lord Ainz-!"
BANG! BOOM!
In the distracting moment with her back turned I had materialized a Lego based, three barrelled revolving cannon with a pair of wooden legs on either side. An empty cartridge the size of a bed pillow laid smoking next to it and behind I was turning a crank which rotated to the next barrel. When the smoke cleared, Shalltear was slightly hunched over with her back damaged considerably and a large dent.
"What-!"
BANG! BOOM!
An explosion followed by a cloud of dust enveloped Shalltear as another round was fired with a smouldering cartridge ejecting from the barrel.
'Last round, better make it count... hell!'
Midway through revolving something lunged at me from the side. With active eye I weaved out the way and Shalltear collided with the triple cannon, smashing it into pieces.
Landing on the ground I looked up to see Shalltear starring down at the shattered weapon dematerializing into blue pixels.
"That weapon you used, what was it?~ It used the same explosion principle as explosive magic, and the bombs you used. But there was no magic being activated."
"Oh? It's nothing special." I mused, getting up and materializing a gatling gun in both hands. "It's just a creation."
I swung the firearm round and let loose a barrage on Shalltear.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
Using her lance in one hand Shalltear deflected all the rounds with ease until stomping her foot on the ground.
"[Wall of Stone]!"
A stone wall erupted in front of Shalltear, and then there was a deep boom from behind and the wall lurched towards me.
'Shiiittt!' Screaming in my head.
I leaped to the side and the wall rammed right by with a nasty crunch from behind followed by a burning sensation as I slumped to the ground.
"Aaarrrgh, what the fuck?!"
Half-way down my left shin my boot was torn off and exposed with blood leaking from torn fissures in the sides while the foot was twisted backwards.
"Ffffuuuaarrrccck, this hurts!" I wailed with crimson lightning engulfing the wounds, stitching them together and my foot twisting several times around back into place. "That doesn't look healthy."
"[Lightning Strike]!"
Right above me, Shalltear was bearing down on me with a lightning bolt in her hand.
"Whoa!"
I darted back, leaving the gatling gun behind and Shalltear struck into it, smashing it to pieces with sparks snacking throughout. Materializing and raising a pair of desert eagles, I let loose.
Bang ding! Bang ding! Bang ding! Bang ding! Bang ding!
All shots were repelled by Shalltear's raised lance and after the final round was repelled she pounced with her left hand out stretched for a jab. Playing some fancy foot work, I moved to the side, but Shalltear continued to come at me like a vampiric heat seeker missile and jammed through my right shoulder and popped out the other end.
"Gaahh!"
Gasping in pain I dropped the gun I held, while Shalltear was giving a toothy grin. She lifted me high above the ground.
"Painful, isn't it?~" She hissed.
Twisting it her hand causing blood to spurt out, some of it trickled down Shalltears' arm as her mouth gaped open with her fangs extended and saliva dripping from the tips.
"The scent of a human's blood.~ (sniff). Harrrrgh, I'll never grow tired of how tantalizing it is~."
"You biiiaaahh!" While screaming I gripped onto Shalltear's wrist to try and stop her from twisting, but her strength was insane.
'Come on. Re-think, double time!'
In a swift movement I pulled my body away, spun around and hurled Shalltear over my shoulder.
Well, that last part played out in my head if she wasn't so ridiculously heavy. Now I'm stuck in front of a vampire who's now gripping my wrist and still has her teeth bared to chomp down on me. Rule number one of a fight to the death with a crazed vampire; never show them your rear. Still locked in position I flipped the left gun under my right arm pit at Shalltear.
Bang! Bang! Click, click, click.
"Looks like you're out.~" Shalltear giggled, gripping me tighter then yanking me over her head and slamming into the ground.
"Blaah!"
Temporarily winded, Shalltear drove her lance at my chest. Before it could connect I rammed the guns' barrel into the lances head, directing its trajectory and driving it next to my ear.
'What did Ainz do against Shalltear in the anime again?...Thunder!'
Still in her grip I twisted my hand so it made contact with Shalltear's gauntlet. Focusing on the atoms and splitting them, the volts created pumped into Shalltear's body.
"What are you doing?" She asked in a bland tone, looking down at me with a puzzled look. "This is a sorry excuse for lightning magic."
'What...! But the…why isn't this working?' I yelled in my head, gripping her harder.
'Ha haaaaa…' "…Shit….."
Shalltear swiftly yanked me off the ground and kicked me along the field. Tumbling along I dug my feet in and skidded backwards to a halt, but not before a stinging pain shot through my right arm. Attempting to grip it, I only found nothing but a pocket of air. Back at Shalltear she held my arm which immediately darkened like charcoal and crumbled in her grasp.
'She kick-tore my arm off.'
"What is that metal enchanted with?~" Shalltear called, lightning sparks hummed out of my arm, bubbling over and growing back.
"Nothing I've seen so far in this land nor in Nazarick has crumbled away then returned to where it was from. Your body has been doing the same thing throughout this fight."
"Well if I had to say anything, I'd say it's because I'm awesome.~" I joked, materializing a pair of silver cylinders in each hand no wider than toilet roll but just as long as a pair. "But in the fairness of disclosure it's a question I occasionally ponder over as well."
Clicking a button on each of the rods a beam of light erupted from both. One red, and the other blue.
"Your weapons are peculiar, boy.~" She stated, flexing her fingers and swinging her lance around. "But aside from your magic that's all you've got going for you!"
The ground under her feet shattered as she launched right at me with a harsh whistle in the air. With my eye Shalltear came at me in slow motion. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to picture a creature made of LEGO. A monster with a bone structure and warlock as it's rider.
"[Purifying Lance]"
I jolt of agony shot through my chest as I was lifted up like a rag doll and beaten on the ground several times before flung to the side.
'Arrrrgghhh-fuck. That hurt, buhuhut this is gonna be good.~'
I giggled, snapping my eyes open to see the ground rushing below me, skidding my arm through the dirt, tripping over and flipping to a halt on both feet.
'Heh! Nailed it.'
Lightning surged over my chest as the hole stitched itself back together and the pain slowly faded.
"If you think weapons and healing magic are all you think I have going for me, then you are in for a rude awakening bitch!"
Dashing at Shalltear with my eye active, she too launched at me again with her lance raised.
I brought one light-saber down, and she attempted to block it with her lance, but it sliced as easily as butter leaving a molten circle on each half. Seeing the opening created I swung the other in a wider arc at her waist, slicing her in two at the abdomen. With an expression of shock chiselled onto her face blood gushing out both her waists. Suddenly everything seemed to stop, both my movements and everything about Shalltear froze on the spot.
As though someone were playing this backwards, Shalltears blood flowed back into her halves while they both re-joined. I watched in frozen shock as the vampire stood once again before me with a once again ear-to-ear grin. The half of the lance on the ground shot straight back to where I sliced it from and the molten line fading fast.
'... Well... this is sucks. I totally forgot about that skill of hers...' I thought, turning off the sabers and clapping my hands together.
"Say hello to an old friend of mine!~"
Focusing on the finer details of the monster, several white spikes erupted from my sides and collided behind Shalltear and grew in size as a sphere while spikes continued expelling from me. Lightning buzzed around the amassing object as a spine formed out a dozen or so meters long followed by a pair of limbs extending from each end slamming on the ground. It assumed the position of something on all fours.
A rib-cage extended out from the spine like fingers closing together and a pair of bone arms out the shoulder blades. Fingers formed out of arms that grew longer, turning into wings. A tail whipped from one end of the spine with a massive skull growing from the other with a pair of massive curved in horns jutting from the sides. A long gaping jaw bearing fearsome teeth and red lights lit in the sockets that gazed down at Shalltear.
"Welcome to existence old friend." I said, the skeletal dragon towered several feet above us, but began pixelating with the lack of contact.
"Ar yes, it needs blood."
"So, you're a summoner now?~ Not a very good one at that. Your creation is already losing it's form.~"
"Well hey, it's not going to for much longer," I said, chomping down on my thumb.
"[Magic Destruction]!"
The air around us pulsed and my eye revealed a pale barrier coming from Shalltear and slamming into the skeletal dragon which burst into white powder and disappeared in a swirl of blue pixels.
"…Huh?!..."
"Are you really that stupid? That's a surprise. Using [Mana Essence], I saw everything you've created has been comprised completely of mana. So all I had to do was destroy it with a simple spell." Shalltear cackled, turning to face me.
'So my constructs are made of magic? No, only the fundamental basis. If it were completely made of magic alone I would have never manipulated the material of the electromagnet in Nazarick.'
"Since you lack the capacity to be a proper summoner allow me to give you the crash course in being a master at it." The armoured vampire announced while raising an arm.
"[Summon household]."
The shadow at her feet began to sway and move as though it were made of water. Suddenly numerous creatures black as night leaped from the shadows, some shaped like bats, rats or wolves. Each of them had a blood lust in their crimson eyes while numbering in forties or something.
"Kill him my pets. Tear him limb from limb!"
At her command the shadow familiars charged me with teeth and claws bared.
"I don't feel like dying today you bitch!"
Thrusting my arm down the throat of an oncoming wolf, it howled in pain before exploding into ash. In its place hovered a red beam from the lightsaber hilt I held.
"Instead I feel like having some fun!"
Swinging the other saber hilt, a blue beam shot out and struck a few flying bats which too exploded into ashes. I continued hacking furiously at the familiars around me, slashing up, slashing down, and swiping in broad arcs. While doing do, I couldn't help myself but grin as I watched familiars explode one after another with saber trails left in their path. Honestly though if my eye wasn't active I would've been caught be most of the critters. But it doesn't mean none got me.
"Ow-ow-ow-oooowww! Get off rodents!" I yelled.
The bat and rodent familiars clawed me all over with blood splattering everywhere. Surrounded by shadow summons exploding and attacking, my eye began aching and based on what happened in Nazarick I chose to shut it off and not go half blind. But it was at that moment that Shalltear's lance burst through the horde and struck me in the gut.
'Ouch..'
"Bluurrgh!"
The sudden impalement threatened to lift me off my feet. Shalltear's lance head then folded back and a surge of green lighting coursed from the wound into her shortly followed by thick red lighting.
"Hmmmmm, this feeling. The feeling of your life force flowing into me." She moaned in pleasure as I fell to my knees.
"It's sensational.~"
"Uuurrghh-uurrgghh. Hurrr-ARRRGHHH!"
In that moment while my legs were trembling, I tore the lance head out while lightning was still surging from me and swung a lightsaber at her leg and hacked it off. Shalltear wobbled in surprise, but before she fell red lightning danced around her stump which became a bubbling heap and the leg grew back followed by armour. While I scrambled back to a safe distance, her severed limb crumbled to ash.
"…..The hell?... how the bloody hell did you do that?"
I was aware of her how her special recovery magic worked first hand, but this healing was my own. 'The lightning…. Her lance siphoned some of my healing.'
While the hole in my chest sealed itself, Shalltear grinned down at me with blood shot eyes.
"Thanks for the battle, and pleasure.~" She said, raising her left hand facing me.
"[Vermilion Nova]!"
FWOOOM!
At her words a pillar of fire exploded around me with the feeling of my flesh searing off my bones.
"Aaarrrgh. Aaarrgh!"
Dropping the sabers and falling to the ground, I tried focusing on slowing the flame molecules. Eventually the flames and pain died while my reactive healing took effect on my skin, but the lightning was weaker this time.
"What's it going to take to kill a lowly life-form like you?!"
"Huu, huu. More. A lot more you fictional Vampire. Now let's try this again!"
Stretching out my arms I recreated the dragon behind Shalltear. But this time I shoved past her, bit my left thumb and smeared the blood onto its leg.
"You never learn. [Magic destruction]!"
Shalltear's spell activated and the dragon exploded once again, but this time the white powder reassembled themselves like a giant Lego creation piecing itself back together. In no time flat the dragon once again towered over us bearing its teeth with hatred in its eyes.
"Well, this is new. [Einherjar]."
"Oh, shit! Not that!"
'And I thought it was bad enough there was one.'
A white fog seeped from Shalltear which clumped together and began forming another Shalltear of pure white hovering just above the ground. Slowly she floated down and opened her eyes lazily.
'Whelp! At least she doesn't seem to have that blood lust in her eyes.'
Suddenly, [Einherjar] leaped up to the dragon and started pounding it with her lance. The dragon retaliated with bursts of purple fire and attempts of snapping at her.
'Since when did I make him breath fire?'
While that went on, the real Shalltear sped at me with her lance aimed for my chest. Without my eye I couldn't perceive the strike until it rammed right into me, thumping me to the ground. I must've hit my head badly because my vision started spinning.
"Ah~ah. I… remember now. This character… I made… has one more ability I haven't used." I murmured.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you down there.~" Shalltear mocked, gripping my face and lifting me high with my limbs dangling, her lance rested above my heart.
"I would love to hear what the boy who brazenly challenged me pleaded before having his heart devoured and put into a state of living death."
'Wait. Does she mean a zombie? Like hell I want to be a brain chomping corpse.'
Through a crack between her fingers I saw the skeletal dragon laid sprawled 'n' battered on the ground and slowly pixelating with already missing sections. [Einherjar] stood above its skull and drove her lance into it, causing the dragon to give an ear-piercing screech of agony before bursting and disappearing into pixels once again.
"I said… wouldn't it be fun to seize the light of hope before the curtains fall.~"
"Wha…?!"
Blang!
A sudden explosion erupted from Shalltear's arm, forcing her to drop me. She stood her ground and glanced around to see where the attack had originated from.
"Well something like that, but more me owning your ass with science from my world." I said, sitting up and spotting a hooded figure dawned in a cloak with an outstretched arm.
"Thank you!"
Activating my eye followed by a slight ache, I quickly analysed her.
'…Rippling red cloak, like the one from E-Rantel…..a girl with blue hair? She is the one who was following me then. She's hot- oh god not that much of an x-ray! God, I feel like more of a pervert right now.'
Deactivating it and scampering away from Shalltear who seemed to have found my saviour, I watched as [Einherjar] sped towards her.
'Damn it! There's no way she can stand against a guardian clone.'
"Oy, your fights with me you bitch!" I screamed getting back up. "Now turn your rotting pale ass around so I can beat it back into a coffin, ya' blonde tramp!"
That seemed to make Shalltear snap as she turned to me with a psychotic grin on her face and a twitching eye. [Einherjar] had stopped her advance and had the same look on her face.
'Wow, she really does show emotion.'
"No one EVER calls me a tramp." [Einherjar] spat in a voice that sounded like she was breathing in while she spoke.
"Anyone who calls me that will receive a fate worse than death. Even that gorilla whore!"
The real Shalltear half laughed angrily with her eyes lighting up in crimson. A red aura of blood lust enveloping her.
'Riiiighht. Blonde tramp was one of Albedo's insults from episode two. Heh, certainly pushed that button.'
Swinging my right arm in front as though I were holding something and taking a stance with one foot before the other, I reactivated my eye. With the eye suddenly coming back on it began leaking blood from the base once again. At that time both vampires came right me with raised lances and lightning in their other hands.
"I… am… creations foundation. Bone my structure and blood my life, I have made over a thousand constructs in life with hands that have held my fate, but have yet held nothing..."
While reciting the incantation my eye gave a slight hum and the plates around my right palms insignia folded out as the insignia itself grew in radius. At the same time the forearm began piecing itself inwards bit by bit in cubes, like what Bumblebee did to the cube in the Transformers movie.
A purple and white lightning bolt zapping away was exposed where the bone should be. While so the vampires started pounding me around the area and shocking me, but with two of them now not even my eye helped save me from the strikes.
"Gurrgh, unaware of defeat yet oblivious to victory, I make what I will and that is my joy. The only boundaries I set are within my imagination!"
Suddenly a flash of light from the insignia engulfed my vision in white with Shalltear and [Einherjar] along for the ride.
Interlude: Slane Theocracy
"Skeletal dragon!? This kid's with bloody Zuranon!" Harold cried, thumping to the base of a tree and shacking all over at the sudden appearance of the summoned dragon.
Thousand Leagues dropped to her knees and attempted to comfort him.
"Calm down, Harold and think. Zuranon aren't the only ones who can summon skeletal dragons and you know it. Not only that, but they've never been known to attack with a single member before."
Harold's eyes began refocusing as he attempted to comprehend what had just been said, but he was still shacking slightly.
"O-okay, I'll buy it for now, but I'm keeping my suspicions about him. I won't take chances with that guy."
"Urrgh, pardon me for interrupting you little lovers quarrel," Halitosis intervened, kneeling down beside the two, while Laurissa remained behind him peeking over the shrubbery.
"But how do you think we're going to catch Garmadon. Chances are he won't be able to last much longer and the vampire looks like she's holding back in a way. If we don't do something he'll lose and probably die."
"I've been thinking of that and I think I may have something," Harold responded, cross legging and drawing a circle in the dirt with a smaller circle followed by a cross in the centre.
"The circle's Garmadon and the 'X' represents the vampire. As things stand, Garmadon will die, if not become a ghoul first. When the vampire thinks she's won and about to deliver the killing blow, Thousand Leagues will give the first strike and diversion from here. Halitosis will be stationed here opposite from Thousand Leagues and when she strikes he'll goes straight for Garmadon. Laurissa and I will act as further distractions from here and here. Halitosis will then carry Garmadon to Thousand Leagues who'll provide cover fire if needed. Laurissa and I will make our escape after."
"Hang on, that's way too much of a risk," Thousand leagues protested.
"Without clear observation of the area we have no idea if there's any traps."
"Sometimes people must take risks for victory."
The team looked at the scribble in the dirt before Halitosis broke the silence.
"Why do I have to carry the boy? I'll make a great diversion attacking the vampire."
"Because you're stronger than any of us and you'll just continue fighting the vamp if you get the chance. Anything else intelligent to ask?"
Halitosis slunk away in defeat with Laurissa peeking over his shoulder. With no other responses the team moved out to their positions with Thousand Leagues remaining where she was and peeking over the edge of the shrubbery.
Back at the fight, the skeletal dragon was dematerializing, and an additional pale figure of the vampire stood just above it. Back at the real one, she held Garmadon by his face with her lance on his chest.
"No!" Thousand Leagues panicked standing up and taking aim.
"This is happening way too soon, [Brilliant Detonation]!"
Blang!
In a quick flash the vampires arm exploded, causing her to drop Garmadon who wildly looked around. Glancing at the clearing edges, Thousand Leagues didn't see any of her team members.
'Guess it was too soon.' She groaned, gazing back at the trio, only to see the pale vampire speeding towards her.
"Yikes! [Bug Shot]!"
A brown softball sized orb fired from Thousand Leagues hand which collided with the vampire's head with a nasty fwack. But she didn't even flinch and continued her charge.
"-Blonde tramp!"
The pale vampire froze mid charge at the sudden yell and turned on her toes to face the other way as if she were on a rotating disk. Peeking past her, Thousand Leagues could see that both Vampires were facing Garmadon as he began talking under his breath.
'What is he doing?' She thought before knocked to her rear at the sudden force of the vampire in front of her rocketing towards Garmadon.
Thousand Leagues could do nothing as she watched an onslaught of stabs and lightning bolts from the vampires and less that successful weaving by Garmadon.
At the edge of the clearing, Thousand Leagues saw Harold in the bushes frantically waving and giving okay signs with his fingers.
'Great, they're in position. We now just need another opening like before and-!'
Suddenly a white dome engulfed the clearing for a few moments before shrinking in size. In no time flat the dome had condensed to the size of a basketball, a tennis ball, a ping pong ball and then a marble before shrinking into nothing. The vampire pair and Garmadon who were enveloped by the light weren't anywhere to be seen.
"…..eeeerrr, what?!"
For a few moments, Thousand Leagues stood stunned until the other three came out of their hiding places around the edges of the clearing. All were equally as confused.
"So, does someone wanna tell me what just happened?!" Halitosis yelled with his axe at the ready in both hands and prepared for a surprise attack.
"Well, that's an easy one." Harold mused, sheathing his sword.
"Garmadon was fighting a pair of vampires as he chanted something with a literal open arm and BOOM! They all disappeared in a dome."
"I know that Harold. Tell me something I don't already know!" He growled.
"I have suspicions you were the one who ate the last of my biscuits."
"For the last time those were muffin crumbs!"
As the pair bickered, Thousand Leagues made her way to Laurissa who was looking around a burnt area on the ground. While she did, her cloak rippled like water and became transparent to reveal a pair of blue overly long ponytails as she deactivated her illusion spell. Perched on her head was a giant witch hat with a brim that made it look like a floppy sombrero while the rest of her attire looked like she was in pajamas.
"Boys will be boys I guess," she sighed to Laurissa who only glanced up in acknowledgement.
While searching, Thousand Leagues mind went for a bit of a wonder.
'The Catastrophe Dragon Lord's revival. The other Black Scripture members departed from the Theocracy to prevent it just after we did. I pray to the gods they succeeded without running into anything dangerous first. It would totally suck if they ran into a single enemy that they managed to defeat, but not before having a number of the seats cut down like a bunch of retards….'
While she stood deep in her thoughts, Laurissa was dusting off a pair of silver rods she found amongst the charred grass. They were intriguing to say the least; the craftsman ship was so refined with an even number of rectangular black studs at one end and a single red circle near the other. It could've been mistaken as something from a noble's house. But that didn't change the fact she had no idea what it was.
"Hey Laurissa, looks like you found something over here."
Halitosis remarked from behind. The argument between the two had ended, leaving Harold a little ways off inspecting a torn and bloodied brown boot with a metal tip by a crumbled rock pile. Laurissa handed Halitosis one of the rods which he turned over in his hand.
"Gross, it's smeared in blood. Oh, I know what this is, it's a weapon polisher!"
Thousand Leagues had broken out of her train of thought but was face palming herself at the ridiculous epiphany.
"Of all things…."
Halitosis started rubbing his axe with an end of the rod and joking around.
"Check it out, it's starting to shine, hehe." His thumb pressed down on the circular stud at the end.
Click….. Buvcccchhhhhh!
Suddenly a red beam erupted from the silver rod and melted through the axe's head.
"WHAT?!" In sudden shock.
Halitosis dropped the rod with the beam still extended. Thumping to the ground, the grass sizzled and burned when it came into contact before retracting back in.
"My aaaxxxe!"
Halitosis held what used to be a beautifully made axe of steel with a solid head but was now a stick with the head a lump of metal with a molten squiggle line in it. The big guy himself was almost in tears, with his eyes welling up so much his lower eyelids bulged out.
"This axe and I have been through so much togetherrherherr..." He wailed, falling to his knees and tears literally exploding out like a sprinkler.
"It's okay Halitosis," Thousand Leagues tried to reassure the sobbing baby.
"If we get the pieces back to the Theocracy I'm sure the blacksmiths can repair it in no time."
"A-and I'll be able to fight again…sniff, sniff….?"
"Without a doubt." she replied with a gentle smile.
"You need to man up sometimes, Halitosis." Harold said, coming over placing the torn boot by his feet and picking up the silver hilt from the ground and the other from Laurissa.
"If you broke down in the middle of a fight just because your weapon got busted you'd die in an instant, and that is why you never moved up the ranks in the Holocaust Scripture."
"….sniff….you son of a..."
"You know it's true," Harold continued.
"Back to more important matters, our main concern should be finding where Garmadon and the two vampires disappeared to. I think he called her Shalltear or something." Clicking both buttons, the two saber hilts projected beams of red and blue.
"I mean, it's not like he's going to come to us."
Saying that, Harold clicked the buttons again, retracting the beams and slipping them into his pockets. Suddenly a fissure split itself in the air in front of them of pure white, pulsing white dust and creating a sharp whistle. It grew until it was roughly 2 meters in height, a mixture of chugging and a yell was echoing from it. The team leaped together taking a battle formation, with Halitosis at the front with his smoldering stick, Harold and Laurissa at the sides with swords in hand and Thousand Leagues at the rear.
The sounds grew louder as the tear in space grew wider until something of black metal with a large and long cylinder at the front exploded out at high speed, tooting away. There were puffs of steam coming from between large wheels at the front followed by a screaming figure leaping from the side.
Tumbling to the ground, an explosion burst out of the fissure after him before closing itself off. The vehicle that had come first kept going until evaporating into blue cubes before ramming into the outskirts of the clearing. The boy sat up with a bewildered look on his face and stared back where the fissure had been.
"And that's what happens when your caught up in a super nova! God I feel good right now!"
Getting up, the boy turned to face the armed group and froze when their eyes met. Dressed in a charred t-shirt, grey shorts, he had dirty blonde hair, with a peculiar right eye dripping blood. A large bloody gash ran down one side of his back, had a limp in his step and held a large ruby shard in his left hand while his right hung limb.
"Well, urr. Lovely evening this is, isn't it?" He stuttered, hiding the shard behind giving a slight smile and panic in his eyes.
"I'm currently a little lost in these parts, so I was wondering if you could help me out and direct me to E-Rantel I'd be very grateful-."
"You're Garmadon, aren't you?" Harold interrupted, pointing his swords at the boy.
"Well, y-yes. Yes I am. And for being so rude for interrupting me, may you introduce yourselves please." Garmadon boasted, keeping his left arm behind him with a weak grin.
"I agree he's rude for interrupting you, as such I'll do the introductions." Thousand Leagues spoke up, coming from behind the group to stand in front.
"We're from the Slane Theocracy. The six cardinals have heard of your existence and deemed you fit to join our holy cause. As envoys we have been charged to recruit you for the benefit of mankind-."
"Not interested toots."
"And you claimed Harold to be rude when he interrupted you. Listen Garmadon, I didn't expect for you to agree right away but yes or no you're still coming with us no questions asked. Humanity needs to work together, you're no exception to this. If we don't then innocent lives will be lost by the tyranny of monsters and inhumans. For the good of humanity, the Slane Theocracy needs to act as a strong point, a symbol to show that we're the superior species chosen by the Six Gods six centuries ago." she announced, gesturing her arms as she did before outstretching a hand with a smile of faith.
"We need you to join us and be a part of something much greater than yourself. The strong point, the symbol for humanity's supremacy and those who've lost faith. Please join us!"
"Uh… Nope…"
Thousand Leagues stood for a few moments in her solid pose until her eyes filled with confusion, her head tilting to the side and her arm went slack for a bit.
"Ehh….I'm sorry, could you please say that again?"
"I. Said. No. How about I say it in German nein. Or how about Japanese ie (pronounced ea)." Garmadon grinned with his eyes closed.
"German and Japanese? But why? As a fellow human you have a responsibility to help protect the innocent by being a member of the Slane Theocracy." She cried.
"You aren't affiliated with any kingdom, right? So why not? Of course, we will offer you compensation with money, wealth and women even for your labors if that's what you're interested in."
"You ask why?" He replied, glaring at her with a hint of malice.
"Let's see…. It's because the Theocracy is a racist cult that don't know two things of the words 'salvation' or 'innocent'. You claim to cry out for humanity's sake, but at the same time you massacre villages upon villages of fellow humans to take down another Kingdom's military opposite military-."
"Shut up." Thousand Leagues hissed under her breath with hands clenched at her sides.
"-I mean, that's an unbelievable cheap way to get the job done and it goes against what you claim to stand for. Just a week or so ago, the sunlight scripture committed genocide of countless villages, leveling them to the ground just to kill Gazef Stronoff. Given he may have been a strong knight and the last village was saved by the greatest sorcerer in the known world, and one of the most badass guys I know if he wants, but there are people in Carne village that will never see loved ones again. Thanks to your bullshit excuse of a kingdom humanity has experienced despair more than hope-."
"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut uuuuppp!" She screamed, blood red liquid flooded out from the pouch on her side before shaping into a crimson spear aimed at Garmadon.
"You know nothing, nothing of what you speak of, [Crimson Spear]-."
"[Stride of Wind]!" Suddenly Harold appeared behind Garmadon and slammed the hilt of a sword on his nape. A look of surprise flashed over his face before slumping to the ground out cold.
"Night you heretic."
"What the hell did you do that for?"
"You ask a question you know the answer to. You were about to start a fight that could easily be avoidable." He responded, sheathing his swords and gripping the boys left wrist then removing the shard.
"And this red jewel was obviously something he didn't want us having. I want to know why."
Thousand Leagues started breathing steadily, with the red liquid forming into an orb which hovered just below her as she was levitated above it.
"F-fine, fine. Mission accomplished I guess."
"This was no fun at all," Halitosis groaned, picking up the unconscious Garmadon with one hand and hoisting him over his shoulder like oversized luggage.
"All we did was watch, I didn't even land a single blow."
"You can complain later. Laurissa, watch our back, and Harold-"
"Secure the front?" the silver haired warrior finished. "You're too predictable when it comes to formation strategies you know. Here, take these as well."
Coming up to Thousand Leagues, he handed her the shard, torn boot, and pair of saber hilts. "Ow!" upon contact with the shard a sudden jolt went up her arm, causing her to drop it.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, it's okay," she reassured, picking the items up again. "Just got some butter fingers."
"…..Fine, I'll buy that for now." Harold responded, taking point.
'That was life essence responding to the shard without a doubt.' The Thousand Leagues thought, slipping the items into her bag.
Life essence is a 3rd tier detection spell which gauges the amount of life something has. She hasn't properly mastered it, so she can only gauge another's life force with direct contact.
'That reaction wasn't the reading of a single life, it felt like thousands, no millions of lives in that shard.'
As the group made their leave from the field, they remained oblivious to an invisible observation disk hovering just above their heads.
Forest of Tob
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Deep in the forest three people ran in an attempt to escape. One blonde haired man armed with a spear and the other two girls with swords, one with black hair and the other chestnut hair all fearing the pressing darkness behind them.
"Don't think about it! We're all that's left. Now ruuarrgggh!"
A pair of silver furred wolves leapt out of the bushes, one sinking its teeth into his neck with blood bursting out like a balloon while the other went for his torso. The man dropped his spear and fell to his knees as a large snake tail coiled around him from the bushes and dragged him in.
"No!"
"Leave him! He's dead already!" She panicked, grabbing the others wrist and speeding through the forest. The edge could now be vaguely seen.
"We're almost there!"
Suddenly half a dozen wolves, rats and various other woodland creatures jumped out ahead and blocked their path.
"Out of the way, [Stride of wind]!"
The black haired runner sped ahead and appeared behind the animals and in the blink of an eye were chunks of meat on the ground.
"You got 'em." The other said, giving a quick smile of relief while she kept running for the edge.
"Come o-gghhhhrr," several roots shot from the ground, impaling her through her arms, chest, legs, the back of the head and out her mouth.
As blood spurted out and trickled down the spears of wood, they swayed while dragging her to the ground that crumbled and swallowed her.
"S-shelly?" The girl chestnut haired girl muttered, slowing her pace when a bloodied sword was thrown out followed by a deep burp. "N-no," falling to her knees in utter despair, the girl dropped her sword while beginning to tear up. "Why….."
"Grrrrrrrgghhh."
A deep growl started coming from behind followed by snapping twigs and footsteps. Slowly turning, the girl came face to face with the pitch-black eyes of a snarling beast. It was a six-foot-tall feline with short blood orange fur and purple tips at the end of its ears and tail.
It had ebony coloured claws, and thick long fangs in its mouth where it also clutched onto something. Snapping it shut a lump thumped to the ground and rolled to the petrified girl, stopping at her feet. What looked up was the head of a human male with short brown hair and a surprised look on his face.
"N-n-NOOOOOO!"
She screamed scampering backwards to the edge of the pit behind, roots swaying amongst torn flesh, clothes and pulsing soil. The creature came closer, still growling and blood dripping from its mouth.
"P-please….don't…"
"That's enough, Shredder. You've had your fill already so you don't need anymore." A commanding spoke a voice.
From behind the beast came someone dawned in a dark green cloak with larger and slightly lighter green patches all over. He looked around fourteen with dirty blonde hair and a slim face as he reached out to pet the feline beside him.
"Also, instruct the others to lay off and to not kill her for now."
While his arm was outstretched to pet, the cloak he wore gave way to a set of polished silver armour with light blue around the outline. Shredder stopped growling, reared its head and gave a deep roar which forced the girl to cup her ears. Peering to the side she watched a massive black-scaled python with a pair of legs sticking out swallow it before slithering away. Her stomach turned at the sight.
Shredder stopped roaring eventually and began shrinking in size, its fur growing longer while changing to a bloody orange with white at the tips of its ears and tail. Its eyes became a light blue with its fangs and claws shrinking until it had become the size of a regular cat with long fur. It went to the boy and climbed him before perching on his shoulder who scratched its chin.
"Awww, you're so cute. Now back to business." He said, turning to the still petrified girl and crouching down.
"You're from the Slane Theocracy, aren't you? The ones that worship Six Gods, I think."
"T-t-that's…um…yes…."
"Uh, so I really am in the Overlord anime world. That crazed goddess was telling the truth," the boy groaned, rubbing his head while getting back up.
"I wonder if he's anywhere around here. Oh well, he's never been one to stay in one place if he could help it."
"Hey, u-um. What are you taking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing. But I'm going to let you go back to the Theocracy, and while you're there I'll need you to tell those cardinals something. In three days Alex, me, will bring a great calamity to the entire kingdom in the form of a massacre on its people," he said, with his eyes darkening and a slight grin creeping on his face.
"…W-what!?..."
"Don't worry about it. Well, not until the timer runs out anyway. Toodles!" Alex pulled his leg back and brought it at the girl, kicking her over the hole behind and skidding out the woods.
"Arrrghhh, ghu-ghuuu."
Getting up, the girl held her sides as she felt a rib or two move inside.
'Rrr, I need a potion.'
Reaching in her pocket she brought out a bottle of blue liquid which she cracked open and swigged down.
"Mha, ha..sniff…Sh-Shelly..Merudy..sniff….Simon, Eric..sniff.."
After drinking the healing potion and feeling her ribs hardening themselves, she almost broke down into tears before remembering what Alex had said.
"Three days. Three days and the massacre begins."
"Nayayaya…..brbrbr…"
Next to her, still strapped to the tree they left them at where the horses they used to get here.
"I -I need find Thousand Leagues Astrologer and her team. Now!"
A new character comes into the mix threatening an entire kingdom. The girl who spoke with Thousand Leagues Astrologer in the alley is now looking for her team again. All the while they are in position of Garmadon and light sabers brought into existence. Will they be able to meet before time runs out?