Okay, before I get this chapter started I just want to say I know I asked for reviews to help me progress with this story. But seriously guys. if you don't have anything supportively criticizing can you can talk smack about my OC. I like it and I like writing it. Though I guess I should thank some of you, I'll try and tone down the provocative language.
I'll see what I can do about spreading that to my other chapters.
Chapter 15
Everything was black, I can't see …anything. I can feel my body, it's lying down but I can't feel anything else. No warmth nor cold, I can't even move.
A small light shone in the distance like a star. 'Oh yea, I recognise this feeling, it's happened before when I saw Ainz and Narberal in the cemetery….'
The light shone brighter and I was completely engulfed in it before my vision blurred with shadows. My surroundings were slowly refocused, turning into a landscape of pure cogs, small, large. All sizes.
'….This is my eyes ability to see the last thing I was thinking of before losing consciousness,' I thought, as the image travelled across the landscape like I was flying before coming upon an all too familiar figure in a pale throne with blonde hair and a revealing red dress. 'AND I SURE AS HELL wasn't thinking about her!'
While stressing about why I was seeing Vosdulite in my dreams, the goddess paid me no heed, as though she didn't know I was here. She was though watching a pair of hovering blue disks in front of her with an orb similar to the one she used last time I was here as a reference for a planet.
Both showed different images.
One was of three individuals walking along a dirt road with forests on either side. One was a short kid with purple hair dressed in stereotypical adventure clothes from anime with….a sword I think?
Holstered on his back was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen. Coloured greyer than setting cement the sword had countless small angels moulded into it with a red eye imbedded in the hand guard.
'What the hell kind of a sword is that?!'
The second person was a lot more normal. With short-cut dark curly hair, a little chubby and a hikers bag strapped to his back he was much taller than the other one. He also wore arm guards but didn't have a sword holstered, or any obvious large weapons on hand.
'He's probably either the inexperienced or passive type, I mulled to myself as my attention drew over to the third member.
I suddenly found myself holding an imaginary breath and my eyes widening in shock. The third member wasn't human but….half human!
'Oh my god….she's a LAMIA!' I shrieked at seeing my first real life snake woman. In the world I was in, I'd seen a lot of things that could only be found in dreams. But none were this….unique and nostalgic.
The lamia in question had a long dark red scaly tail slithering behind her with light purple skin on her human body. Her lack of full clothing revealed a tattoo running down the left side of her body from her face down to the sash tied around her waist.
Her silver hair reached down to her waist, pointed ears and pale horns like Albedos protruded out. She also had several flowers on a vine attached to each other curling through her hair like some natural hair clip.
'Hang on… she looks familiar….' I mulled, noticing that her red and gold earrings were patterned into double sided eyes. Something that might signify nobility.
Looking over to the second disk, this one was nothing like the first. Set in the clouds there were two people soaring through them. One was a literal angel! With pale feathered wings sprouting from her back and blonde hair reaching down to her feet she was dressed in a white dress that resembled something of a knighting gown and a halo above her head.
She also seemed familiar.
The second person was dressed in armour that looked something akin to Erza's angel armour from Fairy Tail with dual swords, metal wings and everything. But the difference between the two was that this girl had raven hair tied into a ponytail and wore rounded cracked spectacles.
As the two collided I realized they were fighting each other, possibly to the death.
"Give it up Ilias, you whore!" the girl with glasses hissed. "You may declare yourself the one true god, but you're nothing more than a lying manipulative bitch!"
'Ilias, where have I heard that name before?' I puzzled as Ilias parried the blades with her bare hands. She thrust out a hand and solid beam of light blasted out like a riveting laser cannon, striking the armoured girl on the side of her gut and burning her flesh.
'….Oh-oh my god…..ILIAS!' I howled in surprise as I glanced between the lamia and the goddess on each of the two disks. 'She's a character from 'Monster Girl Quest', the rpq game. Vosdulite, what the HELL'S going on here?'
Suddenly Ilias was impaled right through the belly by a halberd, her pure white dress becoming a dark crimson around the wound. Somewhere along the lines, the girl in Erza armour had changed from the angle armour to Erza's Nakagami armour with a raiment circling behind her. Red glowing cracks slowly snacked across Ilias's body from the wound while she displayed an expression of pure shock, fear and anguish.
"It's over for you, Ilias," the ponytail haired girl panted. "Now let the one true god take over…..and allow me to go home~….."
Ilias was covered head-to-wings with gleaming red cracks before she exploded, engulfing the image completely in red rippling light. The three occupants in the other disk seemed to have taken notice of something up above before their image too was engulfed in the light.
The orb behind the disks had a patch the same colour as the disks and was spreading out like water being poured onto the floor before it too cracked and shattered like a stained-glass window. But instead of going everywhere, the pieces just hung in mid-air.
"Fiiiinnnaly~, took them long enough to get rid of a main element in that dimension~," Vosdulite sighed, tilting her head back in annoyance.
'Hang on…..'main element'? What does that mean?'
"Alright, time to go off to revision with you~," she said, outstretching her hand before clenching it into a fist. The disks and shards before her raced into a single spot, condensing and reshaping into a small golden cog with a purple ball at the centre. "This time, have a better story with the real god in it~."
Vosdulite snapped her fingers, and the new cog fell to the floor. A handful of cogs in the floor shifted aside in a mechanized way to allow room for the new one. It snugly slid into place and began turning away like the rest.
Wvong…..wvong…..wvong….
A deep beat sounded through the air. Cranking up I could see the giant gear in the sky pulse a bright blue from its centre. That light traced down through the cog towers connected to it and vis-versa until tracing through the floor and into the new gear.
"Aahhh, good. Revision successful~," Vosdulite cooed with a satisfied look on her face.
'…..Wait, revision? Do you mean to tell me what I just witnessed is what Alex and I are supposed to be doing? Were those new people also from my dimension and you just sent them there with powers as well? Will they go back? ANSWER ME VOSDULITE!'
Just like before, the goddess paid me no heed, or as though she couldn't hear me. Not even singing 'what does the fox say?' to annoy her again prompted any reaction. All the while she was reaching up for the head of her throne where the large emerald was imbedded.
Giving it a tap, the jewel turned amber and five ping-pong sized spheres popped out from it. Spinning though the air they came to a stop mid-air before Vosdulite.
I stopped my attention attempts upon seeing them.
"Let's see~, how many under my authority are left~," she mulled, leaning forward and resting a hand under her chin. Her bosom shifting as she did.
Seriously if she's got melons that big at least wear something to act as a bra. I could somehow feel my nose bleeding from that thought.
"Hmmmm~….there's…. 'Akame ga kill'…. 'Date a live'…. 'Dragon ball Z'…. 'Goblin slayer'…..and 'Overlord'."
My blood froze at that statement, and I turned to the entire landscape of cogs, the ones leading to the sky and those hanging up there.
'So…if a 'main element' were to be removed from the 'Overlord' dimension…. I and everything inside will become a cog and revised to suit her needs. But why does she need to….?'
Suddenly a thumping pain pulsed in my eye, signalling that it was nearing its limits. What sucked at this point was that I still couldn't move my body, so rubbing away the irritation was completely out of the question.
'Aaahh.…this is worse than an unreachable nose itch,' I cursed as the bitch-of-a-goddess sent the balls back into the emerald on her throne. 'I'll be coming back, so I'm expecting answers from yo-.'
It started slowly, but suddenly my vision was blurring backwards as I zoomed out, returning to the darkness I had come from.
Interlude; Nazarick
"Yoo~uu know somef'in~? Whenever I drank bottled wine blood, I never kept any -hick- human blah~. Said they weren't worthy being bo'uled~," Shalltear slurred in a slightly sad drunken manner.
She sat on a stool, heeled feet dangling above the floor with her head resting side on the counter in her dark purple dress with her back hunched over. A tall stemmed glass quarter filled with black liquid stood next to her head with her left hand lazily resting at the base.
"Then just when I thought my wildest dreams with Lord Ainz seemed like it was coming true, I'm told I was killed by one~."
It'd only been a day since Shalltear's resurrection after she'd been brainwashed by an unknown World-Item user. Since then she hadn't done anything productive in most eyes and instead fallen into a shallow despair. Though this despair was unique to say the least, because throughout the history of Nazarick, no despair had the same causes as hers.
Firstly, Shalltear got brainwashed by who knows who and revolted against Nazarick. For a guardian such as her, that'd be grounds for an instant execution. Though she wouldn't have minded it if her undead life came undone by the hands the overlord of death himself.
Even if it was during something intermite…. Just thinking about it was making even her undead lady parts tremble in anticipation.
But the second reason was the root of her despair. During her unwilling revolt, some human had set foot into Nazarick, struck a deal with Ainz and proceeded to kill Shalltear. The supreme one expressed his distaste in underestimating the human, expecting him to die. But no matter how it was put by either her fellow guardians or her subordinates, she just couldn't feel any better.
Most said he cheated because no one knew how the fight concluded after the human pulled a blinding act which made them disappear.
So instead of seeking counselling about her troubles, she did the next best thing any logical being would do. Drink away the sorrows.
That's exactly what she did. For half a day Shalltear spent her time in the tombs liquor bar to drown herself.
The small room was dimly lit by the lights at the bar in the centre where a pale humanoid mushroom-looking headed bartender covered by red tumour eyes waited dressed in a suit. His name was Sous-chef, a mushroom man whose species are commonly known as myconid's.
An array of coloured liquids stood shelved behind him in bottles, making it look like an unorganized rainbow. But even so, the setting and atmosphere the bar created set its occupants at ease, a calm that settles even the most restless of hearts to enjoy their drinks in peace.
"I couldn't even imagine what that'd feel like," the Sous-chef responded, wet glass in one hand made of tentacles and a pure white towel in the other he proceeded to dry a glass. "And you're a guardian too, so if I were you I guess I'd be shocked also."
"I know right!" Shalltear retorted sitting back up with half sleepy eyes trying to focus on the mushroom man. "And if I were revolting, I would've preferred Lord Ainz to do the deed~…"
Shalltear picked up her glass and starred down into the alcoholic liquid where a shimmering reflection starred back.
"But if he did do it, he'd have to fight you first. Do you think his…heart could withstand that?" he queried, placing the now dry glass upside-down on the counter next to him.
Shalltear growled slightly and went to guzzling down the remaining contents of her glass in large loud gulps.
"You know no matter how much you drink, you'll never be able to waste yourself on account of your resistance to poisons."
"~Pah~, shut up and poor me another~," Shalltear insisted in a fake drunk tone, waving her empty glass in front to emphasize her demand.
"Yes, yes. Coming right up~."
As Sous-chef turned to get a bottle from the shelf behind, Shalltear lowered her glass so it was standing on the counter once more. A sorrowful look on her face in thought.
'Why can't I remember anything?' she thought, gazing at her reflection in the glass's cylinder as more black liquor was poured in, darkening her own image. 'The only thing I can remember is chasing after some humans in the forest, then I came across some knights… I think…..and then….."
Shalltears head went blank as she couldn't remember anything beyond that, say for waking up in the throne room after a flash of bright light enveloped her. The tender finished refilling the glass when a single drop from the bottle dripped into the glass.
The sound of the drip resonated with the room and Shalltear. Suddenly a dim memory surfaced from deep within her long since dead brain cells.
She was in a landscape, surrounded by fire, upturned pieces of land and crumbling buildings. Soaring low to the earth in her bloody valkyrie armour and outstretched bat wings. She was chasing after a large, long blue steel object with wheels and a large cylinder running down two thirds of its body from the front.
It was charging away and puffing smoke from a chimney as it raced for a bright tear in the space ahead. Aboard the locomotive rode a boy in a black cloak flapping in the wind, a shut eye leaking blood and a metal right arm clinging to the rushing machine. In his left he held a revolver trained at her.
She recognised it from the collection CZ delta had in her arsenal, but far less refined and cared for.
"I hope you like galactic events!" he yelled as he pointed to the sky.
Her vision swerved to the sun, expecting a blinding yellow light. But instead she was met with an orange ball hanging in the sky with a ring of fire orbiting it. The sun was getting smaller and paler quickly.
Suddenly she felt worried, soaring faster after the locomotive, almost keeping pace with it -.
Bang.
The door to the tavern flew open, light flooding in as though it were the sun in her recovered memories. It hurt Shalltears eyes a bit after growing so accustomed to the darkness of the bar and having night-vision.
A tall figure stood in the door way and made their way through, closing it behind, allowing the darkness to once again take hold of the tavern.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't burst in here and disrupt the peace of the bar," the mycronid said annoyed as the figure walked over to take a seat beside the loli vampire.
"My apologies, Sous-Chef. I'll be sure to easy up next time~," Albedo said as she glanced down to the vampire next to her. "I'd like a Shantou-de-blea on the rocks. Base glass."
The mushroom man picked up a wide short glass and proceeded to fill it.
"What are you doing here, bigmouth. Come to make fun about how I was beaten by a human?"
"Hmph, unlike you with your rotting brain cells I'm smart enough to know that something like that would only back fire on me, miss forever small," Albedo remarked as a glass with greenish blue fizzing liquid was set in front of her with a pair of ping-pong shaped ice-cubes bobbing in the liquid. "I was there when Aura and Mare told you about my defeat."
"You bitch…Hea-hea, they totally emphasized the part when a giant flying machine erupted from the arena as though it was buried there before hand and carried you awwaaayyy~. Like it was kidnapping you~," Shalltear giggled slightly. "That must've been fun to watch~."
"Shut up. You were told what happened when that…. Deucalion he called it, appeared. For me it stirred up nothing but hatred," Albedo put the glass to her lips, moving a lock of hair out the way as she drank in light sips.
"And I wonder why he's still alive~. So why are you here really? Light talk was never a thing between us, so cut the act and come clean."
Albedo stopped drinking, leaving a fair bit of the Shantou-de-blea with ice cubes before setting it down in front of her on the polished surface.
"I'm sure you're already aware, but do you know that a team is currently in the process of being made in response to the recent monster outbreak here in Nazarick?" Albedo traced her finger around the rim of the glass, making a soft ringing tone. "Lord Ainz saw fit to put me in charge of assembling the team to find the perpetrators responsible."
"So? You want me to congratulate you?" Shalltear scoffed, going for her drink.
"That would be lovely~," Albedo mused, stopping from circling her glass. "But no. The investigation team are saying that the magical trail from the controlled beast is leading far south. That puts it either dangerously close to the Slane Theocracy, or within the kingdom itself. Since we don't fully understand the kingdoms strength, Lord Ainz has graciously allowed me to select even one guardian to provide protection and lead the unit. This though excludes myself from the selections, and this is where you come in~."
"…Pah~," Shalltear stopped drinking to turn to the succubus guardian.
"Should the need arise, humans may be silenced to prevent the teams presence from being revealed. Under the circumstances, one might even go out of their way to infiltrate a compound to-."
"-Don't take me for a fool, Albedo," Shalltear snapped, thumping her glass onto the table, slopping its contents around. "While I'm in the Slane Theocracy, you want me to kill the human Garmadon. Right?"
Shalltear rolled her eyes in the succubus's direction with a pissed look. Albedo's eyes glistened at that and her raven feathers ruffled a bit as a smirk crept onto her lips.
"Surely you want to get back at him, don't you? At this point, he's a waving liability with more knowledge of Nazarick than any lowly lifeform should have. Think of it as a means of securing Nazaricks future by cutting a loose end. The spies set on him have already reported that he's made a blunder in that regard."
"…."
"…."
"…"
There was silence in the room as the pair starred at one another. Say for the soft rubbing of a towel against glass by Sous-chef.
"Hmf~, using me to settle a grudge. Something I'd only allow a supreme being to do~," Shalltear groaned, breaking the silence and turning back to her glass, picking it up and swirling the contents around. Her lips quickly curved up into a deep grin. "Very well, I'd be happy to partake in this matter. But what of my floors? Simple undead and my vampire brides won't be enough to make up for the loss."
"Fret not, Demiruge has offered to place Avaris, Jealousy and Wrath on the first floor under Cocytus's care. Any lowly being that would dare sully the first floor will be dealt with swiftly and harshly."
"Hng-hng-hng~…Well then, a toast~," Shalltear laughed, raising her glass before Albedo. "To the protection of the great Tomb of Nazarick and our beloved Supreme being, Lord Ainz~."
Albedo raised her own glass to the gesture. "To the one who stands atop the world~."
Chink~.
The two guardians threw their heads back and guzzled their glasses until the contents had run down their throats.
"Ah~, that was lovely-."
Suddenly Albedo collapsed, falling from her stool and landing with a thump on the ground. The empty glass fell through the air but was snatched by the bar tender's tentacle hand.
Albedo laid on the floor with her sleeping face blushed as she moaned as though in pleasure while shifting her legs.
"Seems she couldn't hold her liquor," the Sous-chef addressed as he moved to wash the glass.
"But she's the strongest guardian in Nazarick. How'd she get done in by a simple alcoholic drink?" Shalltear asked bewiled, feeling a bit better after seeing the guardian overseer completely waste herself to the point of blacking out.
But at the same time she felt cheated seeing her rival accomplish something in a mere drink she'd been trying for half a day.
Albedos legs waved lightly as she moaned a little louder than before and murmuring "Take me, take me~," coupled with "Momonga~," and a number of punctilious "yes's." The very notion of this just pissed Shalltear off in disgust.
"To be frank, Shantou-de-blea is a new concoction I made recently. It isn't as alcoholic as some of the other drinks in stock, but laced with magic it weakens even the most potent of poison resistances in proportion to how much one intakes," the tender explained, finishing from washing the glass and now drying it. "I'm personally amazed she even held out that long until the final sip."
Shalltear's face turned from disgust to pouting. Swirling to the pale mushroom tender, looking him square in one of his red tumour eyes while holding her glass out.
"Gimme."
The Sous-chef gave a slight sigh before turning to the shelves and picking up a tall funnelled bottle filled with the fizzing greenish blue liquid labelled Shantou-de-blea in Japanese.
Once the glass was full and Sous-chef stopped pouring, Shalltear instantly threw back her head and gulped the entire contents in one go. Just when she finished, the vampire guardian's eyes dulled and she collapsed onto the floor just like Albedo.
The sudden weakening of her resistance to poisons let loose the full alcoholic effects built up by the drinks she'd taken for half a day. While unconscious, the faint sound of a liver popping could be heard.
"Good grief~…." Sous-chef sighed after catching the glass like before. "I may have to call some maids to take care of them until they wake up~."
Much later; Slane Theocracy
Nearly a full day passed, the western setting sun on the horizon cast an orange glow over the Slane Theocracy capital. Surrounded by human settlements of the city, the centre cathedral towered tall and proud as a humongous building with a rectangular structure and a rising tower in the middle.
Six rounded smaller buildings encircled the cathedral, about half the height of the centre building they were each connected to it by long halls wider than barns. Each representing a scripture of the Theocracy.
From the skies, the whole thing looked like a large centred asterisk.
Atop the domed roof of one of these two buildings that stood closest to the entrance laid a girl with a double headed scythe lying under her head as a pillow. Dressed in clothes crossed with puffy pyjamas with a skirt and armour, half her hair was pure white while the other was black as night.
The colour of her cloths were made to mirror that aspect of her.
"…So boring~…," Zesshi groaned, trying to enjoy the breeze but finding no joy in it.
After the small army of diverted Holocaust scriptures had been sent out the previous day, Zesshi managed to overhear a few of the lower priests gossiping that if they failed in exterminating the monster at Daigel, there was a chance her scripture was going to be the backup.
It didn't happen often, but Zesshi was so happy there was a chance she could fight that she prayed to the gods for their failure.
An act that if she were caught doing would've caused the cardinals to reprimand her for sure. But being the most powerful being in the nation meant that those old farts couldn't do anything to severe like give her the death penalty or banishment. That, and they'd lose their hidden trump card.
To her personal dismay though, the gods didn't fulfil her selfish request. Through the use of recognisance magic, the Clear water scripture declared the situation to be resolved.
But what did interest Zesshi was that the beasts that'd attacked weren't done in by the Holocaust scripture as intended. But by a captive being smuggled through from the Re-Estize kingdom.
Statistically speaking, those in the Re-Estize kingdom should be completely weak on account of being enclosed by human nations instead of monster nations like the rest. Limiting their chances to lair-bellup, an ancient term used from the age of gods to express one getting stronger. With the exception of the kingdoms royal head warrior, Gazef Stronoff and a few others.
The way how the nations are geographically set up makes it so that the Re-Estize kingdom is surrounded by human nations that don't constantly attack them. On the contrary, these surrounding nations have gained greater strength and experience fighting monsters. Such as the Theocracy's on-going war with the magical elf demi-humans.
Being so, the Re-Estize kingdom has become a cesspool of corruption built upon an imagination of strength. They wouldn't know what real strength is if it kicked them in the groin.
"I just hope he provides me with some moniker of entertainment~," Zesshi breathed, looking to the sky while brushing against an oval talisman around her neck resembling an eye.
Since Zesshi's very existence was a secret, she'd been ordered to always wear an invisibility talisman assassin's use while outside.
Suddenly Zesshi felt her pointed elven ears twitch, concealed amongst her hair to the sound of hooves clopping against gravel from the courtyard. It was accompanied by the grinding of wood against gravel.
Sitting up, Zesshi looked down to the grounds before the cathedral.
Although the cathedral itself is made up of the seven individual buildings, it acted as one and is surrounded by an encircling wall. The back was reserved for training in the art of combat as well as where horses are kept.
The front however, wasn't meant for such things.
Being the first thing visitors entered after passing through the gates, an impression of power, wealth and, if need be, false hospitality needs to be made without soldiers training methods being openly revealed.
That being the case, the front courtyard wasn't as vast as the rear. Mostly decorated with flowered gardens, trimmed hedges and patrolling holy guards, a wide gravel road stretched from the gate to an encircling path before the cathedral with a stone fountain in the middle, lined with the six deities.
It was here a horse trotted along, pulling a wooden carriage behind. Two people sat at the head of it, one dressed in leather armour, silver hair tied back with a pair of swords holstered at his waist and steering the reins. The other was…..
"Waaiiit…. Oh hey~, it's Thousand Leagues Astrologer~," Zesshi mused, feeling a little excited at seeing the blue-haired twin-tailed surveillance magic caster of the Black Scripture.
But as the carriage went along an icicle taller than her and just as wide punched through the roof. Onlookers were shocked as the carriage lurched to the side of the icicles extra weight.
"Hooo~, now that's something new," Zesshi said, leaning against her scythe as Thousand Leagues hurriedly levitated to enter the carriage through the rear door.
There was some panic in the courtyard as soldiers, both magical and melee encircled the carriage as it pulled up to the front. Zesshi watched a guard walk up to the silver-haired driver, and with her acute sense of hearing easily made out their conversation.
Just as Zesshi thought, this was definitely the team Thousand Leagues was a part of. The fact that someone was led out the back wearing the [zero-point] shackled was proof in on itself.
"Guess they couldn't peacefully recruit him as intended, but instead resorted to reeling him in forcefully~."
Wearing the enchanted cuffs, the boy looked young. A little older than how her elven blood made herself look. Dawned in a black hooded coat with steel-tipped leather boots, Zesshi's first impression was that he was a caster from the elusive Zuranon cult. But then again, those zombie enthusiasts never had metal arms, they occasionally went for skeleton ones.
"Haaah….what a letdown~," Zesshi sighed, slacking down a bit in disappointment. "He's just a teenager, he doesn't even look that strong as a caste-."
Down amongst the crowd, the new comer was now looking up at her, and not in a 'her general direction' kind of way. He was looking directly at her with his right eye dully glowing purple with an insignia at his iris.
'Oooh, can he see me, even though I'm invisible?'
Just on a hunch, Zesshi hefted up her scythe in one hand, seemingly like it weighed nothing and waved it at him.
A smirk grew on the boys face before becoming a toothy grin as he was led through the grand arch-way of the cathedral.
"Oh, he so saw me," Zesshi noted, spreading her arms wide and falling backwards off the roof only to wedge her scythe into the building to summersault through an open window while using the momentum to unhinge the blade.
'If I understand correctly, those brought in from outside are first taken before the six cardinals under maximum security to determine their potential usefulness, or to be executed on the spot,' she thought, removing the talisman to pocket it as she sped through winding corridors and busting open doors. 'This hasn't happened in ages, and I refuse to miss this one.'
Leaping over maids carrying books and slipping by priests, it didn't take her long at her inhuman speed and shortly was coming up to an archway to the cathedral's central hall. A place where denizens pray in holy matrimony.
Though on other occasions, it's where scripture members, soldiers or believers come to speak with all the six cardinals.
Someone stood with their back turned to Zesshi in the archway ahead, clad in silver armour outlined in gold and with long mossy green hair stretching below his waist. Zesshi slowed her pace down before stopping just behind the captain of the Black Scripture in silent strides.
"It's unusual to see you here, Zesshi," he said, without so much as turning in her direction.
"Yea, well~….what's a woman to do to relieve some boredom around here~?"
The room they stood just outside of was wide, lined with two dozen rows or so of long benches on either side. A path ran the full length of the room's perimeter with ledge a couple of steps high at the far end of the room opposite the main doors.
Atop this ledge, with tainted glass casting a harmonious light of the evening from behind them stood the six cardinals.
All dressed in white buttoned robes with blue pointed hats, there stood; Berenice Nagua Santini of fire, Ginedine Delan Guelfe of water, Dominic Ihre Partouche of wind, Raymond Zarg Lauransan of Earth and commander of the six scriptures, Yvon Jasna Dracrowa of light and Maximilian Oreio Lagier of darkness.
Guards stood positioned around the room. A few were of Black Scripture as well. Though not all of them could be present on account of either recuperating from the previous mission to prevent the Dragon Lord Catastrophe, were dead or just couldn't make it for other reasons.
"Now entering, 11th seat of the Black Scripture; Thousand leagues Astrologer and sub assistant of the Windflower Scriptures 213th recon corpse; Aurita Hemsworth," announced a maid by the door at the other end.
One que, the blue haired magic caster floated in barefoot with that oversized witch's hat through the doors with the chestnut-haired soldier in silver armour and high heels walking by her side. Coming up to the cardinals, they both knelt before them.
"Your graces, we have returned from our assigned mission, and have brought the believed god-kin from the Re-Estize kingdom," Thousand Leagues reported, keeping her head bowed.
There were a few murmurs in the room until a Berenice raised her hand.
"We understand you've completed your mission," she began. "But there is another matter we wish to be rectified."
"Yesterday, the town of Diagel came under siege by a horde of monsters," Domonic intervened. "It was repelled by this new believed god-kin nearly single handily. As witnesses from that assault, we ask that you inform us of what the cause was."
"Of course. The incident yesterday was in direct accordance with….a declaration of war."
"WAR?! How have we not heard of this?"
"My apologies, but the declaration was announced to only a single member of the Slane Theocracy after her entire team was wiped out; Aurita Hemsworth."
"Auria Hemsworth, you were assigned to investigate the forest of Tob in the Re-Estize kingdom. We ask that you explain what she's talking about and why you've returned without the rest of your team."
Auritas face faltered at possible thoughts of fear, more than likely memories.
"Y-yes. Two days ago, while investigating the unusual increase of wildlife activity in the forest of Tob as per our assigned mission. My team and I encountered a child believed to be around the age of 14 or so. He displayed abilities that controlled the beasts there," she shuddered as she reported the incident, remembering the animals that leaped out of trees like killer 'jack in the boxes' and those that devoured her team mates in one gulp. "He even had some mild control over a dryad. After sparing my life informed me to tell you that he intends to wipe the kingdom three days from then."
"Three days….? That leaves one to amount a counter force."
"We should evacuate all surrounding towns, or at least send armies there in case they're attacked."
"But it'll take too long for an entire army to get there, and even if they did make it, that's assuming they attack in the night."
"But doing so would drain the defences on the capitals, and we can't divert any more forces from the war with the elves, nor can we cease resource transportations. We need to understand this boy's next target."
"Let's assume that this child is not human. A 14-year-old who can command an army through magic alone is completely inhuman. Saying so, its safe to say the capital, the symbol of humanity's supremacy is next. In the mean time we should have the surrounding areas surveyed for beasts."
"If I may, your excellencies," Thousand leagues spoke up, lifting her head as she did. "The child name is Alex, and after confronting him, I believe his next target is the capital."
All the cardinals turned to her at her declaration.
"You've encountered the enemy commander?" questioned Yvon.
"That is correct."
"So what makes you think he's coming here next?"
"Well, it's not that he's after the kingdom. But the annihilation of the religion of the six gods and replace it with the Christian religion."
A few gasps could be heard in the room. Mostly from maids and priests, but a few of the guards did it as well.
"And what other information did you gleam from him? What country does this Alex hail from?"
"During the….interaction I had with Alex, it came to light that he hails from Australia. An uncharted land that we believe to have culture unlike our own. We also learnt that he and Garmadon are…..siblings."
An earie silence fell upon the room. The realization that they were housing the enemy commander's brother slowly sank into people. A potential way of leverage, a bargaining chip.
"And Garmadon is here, isn't her?" Ginedire said, breaking the silence.
Thousand Leagues gave a quick nod in confirmation.
"Bring him in."
The maid that'd announced Thousand Leagues and Aurita's entrance nodded and disappeared for a bit behind the doors. In a few moments, she returned and stood at her previous position.
"Now entering; Harold Kipfler and Laurissa Eschavalia of the Clearwater scripture, Halitosis Odor of the Holocaust scripture and-."
"AAHH-hahaha, gughaha~!"
Before she could finish, the entire room was filled with thunderous laughter from beyond the doors. It was male and didn't show any sign of shutting up any time soon.
"-This is the first time I've heard your full name, halitosis…..odour….ghgh~. There must've been a fart when someone picked your nam-."
Snap!
Suddenly there was the sound of bones breaking and the laughing voice abruptly cut off.
"….Ah gee urg oint. Ahng hut uc (I see your point. I'll shut up)…..," the voice croaked again, but this time sounding like it was being strangled.
"R-right. And also entering; Garmadon Edward of the 'up yours comity'," the maid hesitantly completed. A few confused looks ran across the most of the rooms occupants, but Thousand Leagues just looked dumbfounded and angry.
"Disgraceful, that maid was told to say some insulting words by this new comer in place of his occupation title," the captain breathed in disgust as Zesshi was grinning a bit behind him. "Zesshi, someone from outside the Theocracy is about to enter. Be sure to have your invisibility talisman on."
Her mood faltered a bit at being told what to do, but Zesshi was in somewhat of a good mood.
"Fine, fine," she breathed, fishing the talisman from her shirt pocket.
She'd just slipped it on and gone invisible when the four people called out entered the room.
At the head of the group was the silver-haired warrior she saw from outside, at the back were a pink haired girl in sapphire coloured amour and a large muscular man with tanned skin, light armour and a mohawk.
In the middle walked the kid in the black cloak with dirty blonde hair and wearing the [zero-point] shackles. Restraints made to negate all spells the bearer were to use. But that's just a cover to strike fear into enemies.
Not many know of it, but the limit it suppresses is 5th tier and below, but very few were alive to this day with magic capabilities above 3rd tier.
"What is the meaning of this, why is he wearing the [zero-point] shackles?" Domonic demanded as the new occupants knelt before the cardinals, except one.
"Well you see-."
"It's because it's a means of protecting everyone," Garmadon interrupted, taking a step forward. The guards on standby tensed up and a few moved next to the ledge the cardinals were on. "Frankly speaking, I'm here because I want to be here. But to do that, I agreed with Thousand Leagues Astrologer here to walk in restrained."
"Insolence. Do not speak unless spoken to," a guard spat.
"Back at you. No one was even acknowledging your existence till you said something."
The guard flinched at that statement.
"Enough," Berenice spoke up drawing the attention away from the bickering. "Garmadon Edward, we believe you to be a god-kin, yet you hail from outside the Slane Theocracy. Are you in fact human, and for what reason does your brother attack our kingdom?"
There was a momentary pause as Garmadon looked over the individuals before him. Occasionally glancing over in the captain's general direction. But didn't always look at him directly.
"You're wearing the talisman, aren't you Zesshi?" the captain whispered under his breath, so as not to be heard.
"Of course I am. Don't think of me as a fool," she whispered back
"Before I answer, understand that I'm no god-kin. I'm human," Garmadon said. "No blood of your profound gods run through my veins and I don't intend on joining your religion-."
"PROFOUND?!"
Yvon raised his hand to tell the rooms occupants to remain silent, no matter how much he himself wanted to lash out at that statement in rage.
"-After I stop my brother and get him back I'll be leaving. Any questions?"
The cardinals just stared down at him, a few with disgusted looks but all had anger in there eyes.
"Before you said; 'get him back'," Berenice spoke up, breaking the silence. "Does that mean he's being manipulated by another kingdom, such as your home country?"
"Haah! Oh god no, he outright despises your religion and is using all his resources to whip out every trace of it~."
Interlude; Garmadon
'Oh jeez this is hilarious~. I'm pissing off the cardinals while telling them what they want to hear. May not be the direct truth but there's no way I'll tell them about Vosdulite. There'd be a full blown riot if I did.'
Interlude; Slane Theocracy
The room fell silent at this sudden outburst. Someone who detests the Theocracy this much has never once been heard of before.
"Thousand Leagues Astrologer."
"Yes, your grace."
"As of now, custody of Garmadon will be transferred from you to the royal guard. In the meantime, we want you to return to your position on the Black Scripture after delivering your missions report. The same goes for you also, Aurita Hemsworth. The rest of you shall return to your own scriptures effective immediately."
"Of course," the rest all said in unison.
"Wait… so what's going to happen to me?"
"You shall be questioned about your brothers' abilities, and if decreed fit will also be deployed against him-."
"-Do you not remember me saying 'I won't be joining you'?!"
Suddenly Zesshi could feel a descending presence rapidly falling through the air outside above. Not only that, but she could hear the wind screeching with it.
Booom!
The ceiling caved in, rubble crashing and splintering chairs beneath. Luckily there wasn't anyone underneath, but the fact the ceiling just exploded made all warriors battle ready. Even the captain in front of Zesshi had rushed from the archway to stand before the cardinals to defend them.
"Yeeaah, that really won't be necessary," spoke a voice from amongst the dust. "Gotta love those wyverns. Can soar higher than the clouds~."
As the dust settled, a dull blue light shone. The room tensed as a figure completely made of the light was revealed and standing in the centre of an upside-down ice dome amongst the rubble. Most likely used as the battering ram to bust through the ceiling.
He was a young boy dawned in a cloak which completely covered his body, say for his head. He was like a ghost in a church, which doesn't really work on account of all the … holiness.
"Greetings denizens and old geezers of the Slane Theocracy," he greeted, getting up from the rubble with what could only be described as short afterimages of himself chasing after him. "I have come to-."
Bang-buuugh!
He was immediately cut off by a fist to the face and in the next moment was wedged in a small crater on the nearby wall. Garmadon now stood with faint traces of red lighting dancing across his body and outstretched metal fist on the middle of the melting ice dome.
"You idiot, why are you here now?" he demanded.
"Ahhh~, is that anyway to say hello to your own bro?" the intruder groaned, dragging himself from the cater and landing on the floor neatly. His after images again rapidly chasing after him.
His jaw looked like it'd been completely dislocated from the punch and a gash had been opened under his eye on the same side. But quickly, blue lightning danced across the wounds and his jaw realigned itself with deep clicking and the gash without so much as a scar.
'Did he just use magic? But he's shackled,' Zesshi pondered.
In the next moment, a pair of military casters appeared on either side of him.
"[Hostage chains]."
Red circles appeared in front of each of them before three sets of chains exploded out, snacking around their intended target. In a flash the chains pulled taught and Alex stood with a smug look on his face bound by them.
'Well that was anticlimactic,' Zesshi thought, as her beating heart from the sudden surprise died down as quickly as it had come. 'I was hoping for a little more fighting~.'
Still feeling a bit disappointed, Zesshi's gaze drifted over to Garmadon who still stood amongst the rubble, the ice had now broken in half and still melting. He was looking right at her again, with that right eye of his glowing dully purple.
"Bro? Can we assume that you are the perpetrator threatening our kingdom, Alex Edward?" Domonic boomed from amongst the cardinals, keeping his composure even after what had just transpired.
"Edward...?"
The chained spectre gave a confused glance to his brother who replied with a simple nod. Alex shrugged at that response.
"Yes I am, and I come to say that I've called off my assault on the Theocracy," he announced, sternly looking at the cardinals. "For now, anyways, I shall not gut you like pigs with pigs."
"Bold words from someone who's chained and uses lowly animals to do his bidding," spat the Captain, keeping his spear low but moving forward until he was behind Garmdon. Not trusting him enough to stand beside him.
"I'm amazed you'd have the audacity to think we'd believe the words of an enemy. Now that we have you, we can execute you on the spot and rid ourselves of your threats. The gods halve delivered you to us for divine judgement for all the lives you've taken," Yvon announced, straightening up with the cardinals, bathed in the dusks light.
"Aaah-haa~, you see….that's the problem with you people," Alex sighed. "I know that I'll someday be reprimanded for my actions in this land. But your gods never sent me here, and frankly, I'm not restrained."
The cardinals tried to hide their confusion to the self-contradicting statement just made. But ever so slight traces were etched into their faces.
"You're a projection, aren't you?" Thousand Leagues spoke up, standing beside Garmadon. "I know for a fact this isn't what you really look like. The you right now is completely made of a thin layer of mana. So the most likely conclusion is that the real you is projecting an image of himself from a far away distance through the use of a ritual."
"Oooh, I like the way you think, been a while hasn't Thousand Leagues Astrologer~. But no. I'm no projection, but a separate entity with a soul copied off the original and given form though his power."
'A copied soul, huh~,' Zesshi thought of the idea. 'I don't think I've heard of that before. Taking and giving, maybe. But not copying.'
"So you're a product of the [shadow clone] technique?"
"It's cute that you think of it like that. But I've had about enough of this, I'm going to be leaving soon," while still bound, magic began leaking off his body in blue flames. "Figure it our yourselves. James, or Garmadon, which ever you prefer to be called right now. Don't ever try and stop me again from completing my mission. If you get in my way to get home anymore I'll-."
"Overwrite my soul?" Garmadon interrupted. "And when that happens, you truly will kill me."
An expression of sadness softened the boy's expression as his body continued to burn into magic flames. "That's right," he replied as his entire body burst into flames and disappeared, leaving the chains with noting to restrain and falling slack to the floor.
At this point, the sun had completely set, leaving the room absent of external light sources. Autonomously, light crystals embedded into walls flickered to life and illuminated the room.
"I'm not fixing that," Garmadon said, pointing to the hole in the ceiling. A bird fluttered in, tweeting away as it did a couple of laps around the hall before flying back out.
"Good grief~," Thousand Leagues sighed before the cardinals called the room back to order.
Later; Garmadon
'Man that was exhausting~,' I internally sighed walking led by a maid down the hall.
After Alex made his appearance and disappeared like some will-o-wisp, the cardinals wouldn't stop bickering to each other as to what to do next. They even tried dragging me into conversations a couple of times to get intel out of me.
That and they tried to exercise their religion on me.
'Seriously though, if the politics I just witnessed are any indication to how the strongest human nation in this world is run I might as well burn it to the ground myself. Soooo muuuuchhh bickeriiinnngg~.'
Though I guess I should be happy that nothing of the control dimension was leaked to them. My blunder to Laurissa and Thousand Leagues prompted more than a little attention from Nazarick, so I had to find someway to make amends.
I didn't have any machines that could wipe memories in my arsenal, but I had a meagre understanding in cerebral biology. By bombarding certain cells in the brain with focused electric waves that act as memories, one could effectively distort those same memories.
On the way to the Theocracy, I managed to get Laurissa and Thousand Leagues in the same cabin as me. I brought up conversations about Diagel as a way to make them remember the ranting I did outside the pub. With my eye I saw what parts of their brains resonated as the memories then subtly bombarded those brain cells with focused electricity.
It would've been a lot easier if I could touch them to get a direct feel, but as time progressed the two began showing less and less knowledge on the subject. It soon became apparent that they both had mixed memories on what I and Alex had said. But I was concerned that Thousand Leagues remembered I was from Australia.
Just going to have to play it off like it's from across the seas or something. Anything other than another dimension!
In truth, the fact that I could tamper with a person's memories, their lives, scared me…...
In the end, I made it a point to the cardinals that I wouldn't be joining them and that we'd only have a mediocre alliance until I got Alex. Since he wasn't aiming for here anymore it's a suitable bet to say he's either gunning for Zuranon, Ainz, the Dragonic kingdom or the Re-Estize kingdom in the name of god.
The cardinals kept on saying he was lying, but I'm betting he's going after more power to amass a strike against the Theocracy and easily whip it off the face of the planet. Or collect more intel on them, one or the other.
The Baharuth empire might not be a valid target for him, seeing as some soldiers believed in the one true god to a passable extent. So there might not be any need for him to attack it.
'Come to think of it, the adventures guild in E-Rantel was going to have Blue Rose deal with an incident involving Zuranon. I wonder if they can help….'
After much more bickering, the cardinals said they'd continue the discussion the next day when we're all re-energized for the talks. I don't know if that's just the politics in this land, or they're just like that. I said 'yea sure' but come day break, I'll be long gone.
'And if this place wasn't a potential main element in the 'Overlord' anime I'd burn it to the ground. I wonder if carpet bombing the place with a jet would be fun~?...'
"Your room is just up ahead," the maid addressed as we rounded another corner. Numerous doors lined one side of the corridor with large windows mirroring them on the other.
"Thankyou," I replied, gazing around the light crystal illuminated corridors. "Tell me, do these crystals generate their own magic to work, or do they need to be recharged?"
"These crystals are of a special type, naturally they light up in direct proportion to how much mana they're exposed to," she explained. "Because of that, they rest on magical runes set to charge during the day and discharge during the night. But the runes themselves need some maintenance every now and again."
"Oh interesting," I mused watching one with an active eye.
Of course I already knew that. The first time these lights came on my eye showed the magic particles in it acting like a fountain. I just wanted an excuse to turn around without looking suspicions to whomever the hell was following me!
Just off behind us, a figure kept her pace behind us while carrying a hefty scythe. With my left eye alone I couldn't see her, but my right had shown her to be covered in a transparent veil of red light. Much like Thousand Leagues cloak illusion spell from the first time I met her.
But I've been seeing this chick ever since I got here. I subtly acknowledged her existence before because I just wanted to goof around. But this was getting out of hand. Why can't I remember her from the anime, I'm sure she'd stand out? She's not another person from the control dimension Vosdulite sent, is she?
"And we're here."
The maid broke me out of my thoughts as we stopped before a door. Grasping the silver handle she opened it to let me in to the room beyond.
"This isn't half bad~," I mused, walking in. The place reminded me of the room I awoke in back at Nazarick. Minus the beautiful inhuman maids, it being a large room, a nostalgic feeling to it and irritating surgeon trying to pry open my arm.
Though I can't say this place won't try to do the same.
A queen-sized bed laid at one end with lavish cushions and at the other a lounge chair equally lavish with a coffee table in front of it. Behind next to a closet stood a dresser with small statues of the cardinals six gods and a seven-candlestick holder.
'Must be a guest room,' I thought, starring into the darkness through the two arching windows opposite me. 'I know it's basic middle ages design procedure to have arches in large buildings for support, but this place might as well be worshipping arches rather than Yggdrasil players.'
"I shall return later with dinner. Do you have any preferences?" the maid queried.
"Just nothing poisons please," I lightly joked.
The maid gave a bow before leaving the room, closing the door behind her and leaving me standing in the room alone. Or so it seemed.
"Alright~," I breathed, holding up my shackled arms and focusing on the lock's molecules. Because changing an atoms atomic number takes too long, I focused on alining the molecules to generate small but strong magnetic fields in two parts of the same bar that repelled each other.
In a few moments the locks tore themselves apart by the repelling magnet fields and thumped onto the floor with the glowing orange rings growing dimmer. Sitting onto the bed I turned to face the room.
"So, whom do I owe the pleasure to? I doubt a spy would look so beautiful while hefting a scythe bigger than herself around, or even wave at me. So come on out, I won't bite."
There were a few moments of silence. At this point my eye wasn't active, so I didn't really know if she was even in here or not.
I was considering activating it when the air on the couch opposite me shimmered slightly before a blue line of light traced the unseen figure from her feet, the last strands of hair and even to the edge of the scythe.
She had an odd appearance to say the least, sitting cross-legged and holding an eye styled talisman in her hand. With an above knee-high skirt and a buttoned jumper looking top, the right side of her clothing, even her hair covering her ears were completely white. Vis versa, the left was black.
Despite that, her right eye was black while the left was white. She also had oversized hair clips on either side of her head in opposite colours to the hair they were in.
'Wow, she's really gunning for the yin-yang thing, isn't she? Even more than my eye and arm.'
"You called?" she asked in a bored tone.
'Think man, think! If she is from the 'Overlord' anime then surely you must've seeennn heeerrr-Oh I remember now!'
"Zesshi Z-Zetsumei, right? I honestly never thought you'd show up like this."
A look of pure shock struck across Zesshi's face at my greeting.
"How do you know my name?!" she shrieked, rocketing up from her seating position while glaring at me. "I'm the Slane Theocracy's greatest secret. An outsider like you shouldn't even know I exist!"
"Then what the hell are you doing here and blurting out you're a secret weapon?"
Zesshi stopped open mouthed, a twitch under her eye.
"I came here because I wanted to see how strong you were and to see if you'd be willing to fight~," she sighed, slumping back down into the couch, covering her eyes with gloved fingers and pinching the ridge of her nose. "Oah, those old geezers are going to reprimand me big time for this~."
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I won't tell any of them you came here to-."
"I know," Zesshi cut me off and taking her hand from her face, eyes gleaming deadly at a thought. "No one will know if there's nothing to know from. After all, the dead don't speak~."
"Wha-?!"
Before I could react, Zesshi became a blur and my vision was spinning insanely until bumping in to a nearby wall then rolling on the floor until stopping while looking up at Zesshi. If I had a better angle, I'd definitely see that which no man must.
She was standing in front of the bed with her scythe on her shoulder. My legs were dangling on the bed with the rest of my body.
"What a letdown~," she sighed, looking down at me. "I honestly thought you'd put more of a fight after what everyone said about you being a potential god-kin."
'….The bitch just decapitated me,' I thought as my vision darkened, crumbling to ash while also being replaced with red lightning. I was expecting a burning pain at my neck, but because I was probably in so much shock I didn't feel a thing. 'You wanna see more of a fight-?'
The lightening in my vision subsided and was replaced with the rooms ceiling, coupled with a burning strain running up my neck, skull and tips of my ears. The uncanny feeling of my flesh and nerves reforming themselves.
"-Then I'll give you one!" I yelled, eye activating and charging the cells in my body.
Perceivable time slowed to 100th of a second with my reflexes matching that speed. I sat up in time to see Zesshi swinging her scythe at me again. She was fast, but compared to both the guardians and my eye, she was nothing.
Leaping off the bed Zesshi's scythe cleaved through thin air. While curving over her, I materialized a brown long cylinder around my arm with an array of speakers at the end resembling a flower head. At the end, a black bar was imbedded with a single green bar in it.
"Checkmate."
The single green bar amongst the black drastically multiplied across the length while changing colour to yellow then hitting to red at the end.
Bo-WAAAHHHHH!
A deafening screech exploded from the speakers and engulfed Zesshi before I landed on the coffee table. She cringed in pain as she gritted her teeth and the rooms windows cracked, snaking from the edges.
"That's dirty!" Zesshi hissed, turning to glare at me as I stepped down from the table and getting closer.
"Says the half elf how decapitated someone out of the blue," I replied, a horrified and hateful expression carved onto her face as I materialized another cylinder on my other arm. "May next time be more honourable."
"..How do you….?"
The other bar maxed out to the red then-.
Ba-Vutctctctctctctxxx!
"HAAAHHHHH!"
Crash!
Zesshi screamed in agony, dropping her scythe to grip her ears to the high-pitched sonic waves while the cracking glass shattered.
Suddenly Zesshi's eyes rolled back in her head, her mouth hung agape as she collapsed face first onto the floor.
Turning off my sonic speakers the ear-piercing whistling ceased, smoke hissed from either end of the cylinders. The overheating was burning my left arm. Hurryingly I chucked the weapons off to have them dematerialize on the floor into blue pixels.
"sniiff~….Aaahhh, that hurt~," I sighed, shacking my arm to cool it down before dabbing my ear and seeing a streak of blood running across the metallic fingers. "I think my ears drums burst somewhere along the way."
Just then, I realized I wasn't actually hearing what I was saying physically, but mentally. My ears drummed away as red sparks danced away inside.
"….It came from over here…."
"….Isn't that the newbies room?..."
"….Nah, he's just a guest…"
Faint voices were drifting from the other side of the door accompanied by hastened footsteps. Glancing from the door, the broken windows, and the unconscious secret weapon at my feet, I felt a panicked urge swelling up in my chest.
"no-no-no-no."
Cursing along the way, I engaged my eye to the max and charged every cell in my body to the point I thought they'd burn out.
Interlude; Slane Theocracy
Three guards were charging down the corridor at hastened speed. One a melee fighter while the others were battle casters. Warlock in technical terms.
Moments ago, while patrolling the halls a sudden high-pitched inhuman screech sounded through the halls followed by shattering glass.
"It's here," coming up to a door they busted it open, expecting an absolute mess with broken glass.
"Oh, can I help any of you?" a voice met them.
The rooms lone occupant was the newcomer sitting upright in bed reading a book. The windows were intact and nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first, but….
"Search the room," one of them instructed.
"Excuse me?"
The three of them piled into the room, searching through furniture, the closet and behind the curtains.
"Hey hey, this is an invasion of my privacy," he complained, clambering off the bed to put up resistance but came face-to-face with one of the casters.
"What was that noise?" she demanded, sizing up.
"What was what noise?"
"Oh, don't play innocent. We could hear that high-pitched screech from the other end of the hall. What, was it?"
"Oh that….um," he glanced around the room before settling on the book on the bed. "I was re-enacting a scene I was reading in this book."
Reaching for it on the pillow, he snatched it to hold in front of him, gesturing to the cover.
"There was screaming and glass smashing."
"It was a reeeaally active scene."
"You were re-enacting a scene that involved glass smashing and high-pitched screaming…..from a fairy tale book?"
At that statement the boy's face went pale as a sheet.
"…..Y-yeah. It was when Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall. The screaming were the people's reaction and the smashing was Humpty breaking into pieces~."
"….I have a five year old daughter, and every night I tuck her in I read her this fairy tale book. Not once have I read a passage that involves a 'Humpty Dumpty' character."
His face, after getting a little red back in his cheeks went ghostly pale again.
"Okay okay. Thing is….. I ….. had the window open for some fresh air. Then a pair of bats flew in and started fluttering around the place. Now….haha…I may not be scared of most animals, but bats scare the living daylights out of me. So, I created a few vases and tried to swat at them but missed a few times and thumped the coffee table, breaking the vase."
He gestured to a dent in the table where he landed from jumping over Zesshi.
"They got away but…..I'm not at all happy with my fear of…..devil faced pig nosed bats…... urhuhurgh~."
"Before you said you 'created some vases'. From what?" the warlock pestered, gesturing around her.
Some colour returned to the guests cheeks as he explained he had the ability to create a variety of things, such as vases. To demonstrate, he conjured a large brown vase with a blue triangle pattern running around the rim. But to show why there weren't any fragments around the room, he let it go to dematerialize.
The excess screaming was him screaming like a little bitch while the bats flew around his room.
The guards thought the reasoning to be sound and accepted the explanation. But that was only because the guards turned up nothing out of the ordinary in the room.
Just as they were leaving, there was a knock at the door followed by a maid calling out that she'd brought dinner for the boy.
Interlude; Garmadon
"Alright, we're sorry for troubling you," the warlock announced as she and the others made way for the maid to lay the tray of food onto the coffee table.
There wasn't anything spoken after that point. The five of us remained in silence with a few of the guards still glancing around the room to make sure nothing was out of place.
'Please don't see it, please don't see it, please don't see it-.'
A knight's gaze stopped at something behind me, above the bed I was standing in front of. I dared not turn around less I raise suspicion, the tensions already so thick in here I could cut it with a butter knife. Maybe something bigger…..
"If that'll be all, I shall leave. Feel free to call if you need anything," said the maid, giving a bow before leaving.
The soldiers followed suit without much fuss, but that one knight kept his gaze fixated on whatever it was behind me until he got past the door.
"You all take care now," I called as the door closed behind them. Just like that, I was once again alone in the room, but this time holding my breath in anxiety. "Buurrghh~, oh man that was close~."
Finally having the chance, I turned around to see what had grabbed the attention of that Slane Theocracy knight.
"Let's see here-oh~," floating above my bed, just under the ceiling was a hair-line tear in the air and was slowly getting bigger. As it did, black ashes sprinkled from the crack onto the sheets below.
Sshhhshzzzett.
Suddenly the tear split through the air like an ark starting at the ceiling and Zesshi's unconscious body, her scythe and my head's ashes came tumbling out. She landed on the bed which seemed to envelop her and then hailing by ashes, but the scythe bounced off the bed spinning as it fell before stabbing itself though my right foot. The non-metal one!
"Duurrgh~, son of a bitch," I cursed as quietly as I could so as not to attract the attention I had just fended off.
I mean, how could I explain it?
'I knocked out your kingdoms secret weapon, wrapped her up in a materialized cloak of invisibility based of a Lego Harry Potter set with the ashes of my severed head and nailed it to the ceiling like a hammock.'
I'd never get out of here without blowing up the cathedral and risking the collapse of this world, and me with it!
Yanking the scythe from my foot with a jerk, I hissed a bit in pain before giving a light sigh of relief as my reaction healing took over. I'd felt pain worse than this before, but a scythe through the foot still freaking hurts!
"How does she lift this thing, anyway?" I mused, lifting the scythe and attempting to re-enact the wave Zesshi did when I saw her on the roof.
But when I tried holding its end at the bottom I couldn't maintain it without charging my muscle cells a little for strength.
"Guess she really is strong, but little Shally's stronger~."
"That's an interesting declaration," suddenly the weapon was snatched out of my grasp. "This 'little Shally', just how strong is she?"
Turning back to the bed, Zesshi was now sitting up wide awake and slugging the scythe over her shoulder like it was nothing.
"When did you wake up?"
"Just now actually. What did you do to me anyway?" she asked, rubbing a pinky in her ear. "My ears are still ringing like a constant sparrow."
"Oh that? Sonic waves," I responded materializing the cylindrical speaker. Zesshi flinched as I held it up. "I call this a sonic interfectorem, or sonic killer in Latin. Nasty pieces of tech that accelerates targeted molecules to the point where they not only produce sound but become tiny spears that really mess with the ear drums. I busted my own just by using them, if you can still hear that means your drums are a lot tougher than any ordinary humans."
"Hmph. The idea of lumping me together with ordinary humans is insulting," Zesshi's eyes quickly became daggers like she just remembered something that really pissed her off. "Before I passed out, I remember you called me a ha…half elf. Why would you insult me further with such baseless accusations?"
As Zesshi tightened the grip on her scythe she lightly combed her fingers through her hair, I could tell if I didn't give her a likable answer she might cut my head off again. I reactivated my eye, but not too strongly in case it went blind.
"I-um….," I murmured, stroking the empty air beside my ear, insinuating the hair covering Zesshi's elven ears that I saw though before. "I don't want to really talk about that right now-."
Zesshi swung her scythe right at my neck aiming for a decapitation again. Seeing it in slow motion I reacted by holding up my left arm and materializing a steel gauntlet with blades on either side before halting the molecular movement in the air next to it to create ice.
The blade hacked through the ice and wedged itself into a side blade. A bit of the scythe managed to piece the gauntlet and was cutting into my flesh, causing a thin line of blood to run out.
'Knew it! I ef'n knew it. She must really have something against her elven heritage if she was willing to cut my head off again.'
"Alright fine! You weren't covering your ears as well as you probably thought when you became visible," I straight up lied. "Happy?"
Zesshi cringed at my answer before yanking her scythe out of my arm and going back to combing her hair with her fingers again. The wound in my arm healed almost instantly once the blade was gone.
'I so suck at defence. Good at offence, but the only protection I have in combat is what I make~.'
"Sigh, anyway I have something to ask you. If the Slane Theocracy were to investigate a new set of weapons, where would they take them?"
Zesshi's expression of anger slightly faltered at my sudden change of topic. She seemed to have immediately lost all interest but maintained some daggers in her eyes.
"What about it? It's not like it's something that important," Zesshi monotoned, glancing away.
"Please tell me, Zesshi. The Theocracy stole some weapons from me that they really shouldn't have."
She just closed her eyes again, giving a light groan. "Is it possible to put you in a state of permanent death if I keep my scythe imbedded in your head? Or would it be more efficient to just drain you of all your blood?"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you threaten my wellbeing and instead offer you a deal-."
'The lightsabres Thousand leagues Astrologer and her team took from me aren't something this world should hold. If my blood is washed off them they'll disappear. But I'm sure the Theocracy will learn not to do that to the second after doing it to the first.'
"-Right now I'm planning on leaving this nation after I do my business. If I get caught, the higher-ups will do whatever they see fit to stop me. Thus, escalating to a full out fight. So if you help me find my weapons I promise to give you a rematch and this time, I'll bring all that I am into the fight."
A spark flashed in Zesshi's eyes. It was small, but definitely there.
"I could just tell the guards you're planning on robbing them and running away. You might not even be that strong and your cheap tricks won't work a second time on me."
I felt a swell of laughter coming up from deep within side me. The proposition I showed before was able to light a spark, but if I want a raging inferno of a response, I'll need to give her something Zesshi would really go for.
"Tell me, a few days ago the Black Scripture, the most powerful military might in the Theocracy ran away from a vampire after someone named….Lady Kiare, I think, used '[Down fall of castle and country]'. Your captain claimed that the vampire was too strong for them but not for you. But guess who killed her~hehe," I announced with a wide grin on my face. "None other than yours truly. Go ahead and ask the Captain for a description of her and 11th seat Thousand leagues Astrologer for the details of my fight. So that means I'm stronger than her, and if you beat me, then you're stronger than her. But if I beat you, then she's stronger than you. So what do you say?"
'I based my rambling on what I remember from the anime. But if my and Alex's interference changed the convergence of events even by a sliver, then the captain telling Zesshi about Shalltear probably never have happened. Plus this proposition has so many holes in it it'd be mistaken for swiss cheese~.'
Zesshi just sat there, starring at me. Clearly she was thinking it over as to how I knew about a little conversation she had with her captain while I wasn't even there.
"….siighh~…Even if I ask both of them, I'm going to get the same response, aren't I?" Zesshi breathed, closing her eyes and going deeper into thought. "Alright. The cardinals never told me not to help you find your way around the cathedral, and you somehow knew about me before-hand. But once you find those weapons I'd expect you to fight me with everything you have and show me the power that made the cardinals believe you to be a god-kin."
"Hn-hn-hn, oh I intend to have fun with it~."
Interlude; Alex
"Did he just pull a fast one on Zesshi?"
From the office of a Lords manor in the Slane Theocracy's capital, Alex was lying back in a leather chair with his eyes closed, empty city streets behind large windows behind him. His cloak and armour rested on a stand in the corner, leaving him in a long-sleeved red shirt and grey shorts.
During the confusion of the battle back in Diagel, Alex had decided to make some headway to the nations capital and used an earth eater to tunnel his way to a safe enough distance where he could just stroll right into the capital. Though on his way he did see a small army charging towards town from said capital.
The authorities hid it when his brother came into town, but after Alex entered he was absolutely disgusted by what he saw.
No matter where he looked, demi-humans, particularly elves, of all ages and gender were dragged through the dirt, wipped on command and being put through manual labour even while heavily gasping for breath.
'Slavery at it's finest,' he had thought appalled.
He hated murder, but he despised discriminative exploitment even more. Fuelling his desire to see his mission through to the end, Alex set out to find one with high power over the city. Someone who knows the ins and outs of the place would be helpful.
They'd also have to be someone who wouldn't be questioned out right from acting a bit strange for a day or two.
Hence how he came to the mansion he resided in.
Knock-knock.
He opened both his eyes to a knock at the door.
"Enter."
The doors opened and a tall woman with black hair trimmed above her shoulders and dressed in a blue uniform with a dark green strait dress reaching to her ankles walked in. With a large scroll tucked under her arm, her eyes gleamed a faint blue, a biproduct of being influenced by the [soul merge] technique.
"You know you could just walk in. I mean we're both the same person," Alex greeted the mansions lord, sitting up in the nobles chair.
"True, but what's to say that my own privacy shouldn't be respected," she responded, standing before the desk. "Speaking of~."
"Oh, that," Alex said, rubbing his eyes. "I've looked through the eyes of the bugs in James's room and-."
"He's not planning on leaving?"
"Actually, he is. He bought the ruse quite quickly and plans to fetch something the Theocracy took from him before leaving. Though those old farts have two minds about it. They're considering long term plans for their defences while also expecting an attack tomorrow."
"Hah-Hah, arr~. Ah that's right, I've found that map we were talking about," she said, pulling out the scroll from under her arm before flattening it out over the desk, revealing it to be a map of the entire city with a few details beyond the boundaries. "Before in our strikes, we attacked from below in key locations to promote confusion and then came in from the outside to attack them on multiple fronts. But this time, I think we should do something differently."
"How so, are their defences too strong or something?"
"If utilized efficiently, yes, and," she pointed to the centre cathedral on the map. "There's an under-ground network of tunnels beneath the cathedral. They're mostly used for research in magic, keeping secrets and other shady businesses. I don't know how much it spreads out below the city, but the earliest documents I could find discussed about the underground network expanding."
"It would definitely be helpful if we could collect all that research to use against other nations. Could find something that even that Barharuth empire wizard would find interesting. I think his name was…..Fluder?"
"My thoughts exactly, hence why I was thinking we shouldn't use earth eaters to come up from below, instead let's have them run under the walls to break them down. We'll use wyverns to do an aerial assault followed by the outside assault. But as the spear head for the mission, I believe that we should infest the city with leeches, insects and other small animals that would unnerve the soldiers."
Alex folded his arms at the plan.
"From what Shredder said, those animals from the lizardmen swamp won't be here until sometime tonight at their current speed. We lost most of the woodland creatures from the forest of Tob and beyond in that failed purging mission. Because we need to replenish our forces I've had Shredder increase his [beast control] to even more countries. But because we'll need strong forces he's personally gone to increase his influence on stronger monsters with some backup. This is of course excluding Nazarick after out failed attempt to round some up."
"So we should expect, say, a dragon or two in the morning?"
"Nya-ha-ha. If things go well, we might have a flock."
The nobles face went grim at a thought, the blue in her eyes losing some of its sparkle.
"I've looked through this noble women's memories. She wasn't one who abused her authority like most in the Re-Estize kingdom, and the people she watched over rarely did anything evil. Aside from the inhumane inhuman discrimination. So if possible, can we not kill too many civilians?"
Alex's face too lost some joyous wonder in commanding a flock of mythical beasts, grimly looking down at the map. He turned around to look out the window to the city buildings below. A few people were now scuttering through the streets in lamp light.
"If at all possible, I'd like to avoid too much innocent blood shed. Not just because I don't like the idea, but because we need to instil as much fear as possible. With the death of the cardinals, we'll insert new copies of me as the new figure heads and make everyone believe that their gods forsook them, but the one true god showed divine light and saved them all. After that we'll do a fake-out, withdraw our forces and leave the new cardinals to deal with the rest. The rest of the city will latch onto that new hope and, hopefully that will be enough belief in God to at least appease Vosdulite."
"….That's not what I meant."
Alex's fingers clenched into fists.
"I knoww~."
….Later.