DISCLAIMER: Overlord/オーバーロードbelongs to Kugane Maruyama and Star Wars belongs to Disney (Unfortunately). The scenario and original characters are mine, besides those given by ComparedDread12 & IceAndShadow. Now being co-written by IceAndShadow!


Chapter VI: Before the Storm

The "Switch" + 7 (One Week Since the "Switch") Carne Forest, New World, Wise King of the Forest

Crack

The large wolf-like creature fell to the ground, like a puppet whose strings have been cut, its lifeless body filled with an insurmountable number of bruises, "Fought honorably, you have," the beast's killer whispered beneath its breath.

The fearsome animal reeled back its scale-ridden tail from the wolf's crushed skull. The Wise King clenched her claws into a fist-like gesture. She detested needless slaughter, and although the Barghest attacked first, slaying it brought her no pleasure. In accordance with her morals, the Wise King began shuffling some dirt over the monster's corpse, hoping other animals wouldn't feast on it.

The Wise King was about to finish her self-appointed task when she felt a searing pain spread across one of her legs.

"It'S BoLD oF YOu to CoMe HerE, FleE," a raspy yet noticeably feminine voice echoed out across the shade-filled forest.

"And it's even bolder of you to approach me alone, that it is," The Wise King retorted, trying to be intimidating. She knew that this monster was stronger than her, but she had to remain calm, running away would do her no good, so holding her ground would be the only means of survival.

"Mphm, AnD wHo EVer sAId I WaS aLOnE?"

Before she could figure out the meaning of the monster's words, three of her other limbs became bound by what seemed to be tree branches. The Wise king looked to her left and then her right, spotting a pair of living trees, "Do you really have to resort to this? How unexpected…"

"SiLeNCe!" The tree-like monster screamed, "WhY HAVe yOu ComE HeRe? Do yoU HaVe A dEatH SenTeNcE?"

The Wise King shook her hairy head in denial, "I have come here in hopes of peeling your eyes open, that I have. This senseless slaughter will bring you no joy, no it will not."

"YoU sEEm to bE MiStaKeN, rAt. I aM noT lIke tHat WeAk aNd LeSSeR VersIoN of MySeLF. ThAt FoOl tried To eStaBliSh PeACe, aNd WhEre iS ShE nOw? THaT's rIgHt… iN a PilE oF TrAsH, SoMEWheRe iN THosE aCCurSed rUins," the plant monster taunted.

"This path will lead you to a painful and pitiless death, Odoorata. I understand your pain, but going against these newcomers is a mistake… They are different from the ones before, their friends are filled with the stench of death as well… That they are," sensing where the conversation was going, the Wise King began to slither her tail across the ground, preparing for an attack.

"ShUt yOur MouTh! So much pain… I WON'T ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN! I'Ll SlaUgHter tHem aLl liKE tHe PiGs THaT tHey ArE! I'Ll MaKe tHem SufFer tHe SaMe PaIn They MaDe Me ExperiEnce!"

"Those feelings, are they true?"

The mad Dryad didn't respond.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time then, that I am. If you're really planning on going through with this, then… I'll have to stop you, that I will!" Giving her opponent no time to think, the Wise King thrust her tail at one of the surrounding Treants, severing its wooden appendage from the rest of its body.

Using her now newly freed paw, the Wise King grabbed the remaining restraint and used it against its host. She pulled the remaining Treant closer to her, slashing at it with her sturdy claws.

Being taken by surprise, the living tree retracted its other tentacle-like limb, fully releasing the Wise King of the Forest from her restraints.

Before her minions could persecute the oversized rat even further, Odoorata ordered them to stay put via a mental command, "yOu SeEm tO bE MistAken, I WILL pUt AnD End tO ThoSe VILe WreTcHes BeFoRE HisToRy RepeAts ItseLf," Odoorata turned her back on the Wise King, her interest in the magical beast completely extinguished.

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented to her, the Wise King dashed back to her territory. She knew what she had to do, but she could only hope that the crazed Dryad didn't act before she did.


Outskirts of Carne Village, New World, CT-729448 "Voltage" (Corporal, Stormtrooper)

"Let's go over the plan one last time; Runner, Mountaineer, and Kaleesh are with me. One, you and the others link up with Burner and let him know what's going on. He'll help us get back to the Basilisk unseen by those Nazaricki twins. Once we're back aboard the ship, we'll go directly to the Marshal Commander. If he gives the okay signal, we'll give the intel to the Grand Admiral," Voltage repeated to his squad as they stopped just outside Carne Village.

"I hate sneaking behind the Grand Admiral's back…" One grumbled, turning his face plate to face Voltage.

"I know. I hate it too, same as the rest of us, but we come second to the survival of the Empire as an entity. Gown and his freaks would sooner see us as slaves than allies, but thanks to the higher-ups,we seem have an understanding with them… At least at the moment."

"Why not kill those two kids and be done with it?" Kaleesh asked as he hefted his rifle.

"Didn't you hear the report from earlier?

"Do you really believe that little Nazarick boy blasted himself in the face and managed to survive? That's ridiculous."

"Frankly, no, but on the other hand what happens if Gown finds out that we're responsible for their deaths? He can teleport aboard our ship without breaking a sweat, and we all saw what he did to those casters."

"Damnit, I forgot he could do that."

"Sometimes I wonder if the Kaleesh did more damage to your head than what the doctors found…"

"Uh, Corp?" Runner questioned before Voltage could go off on a tangent.

"Hm?"

"About those Nazaricki, what should we do if they manage to find us once we're inside Carne?"

"Act natural. If our team gets found, the squad will head back to the Basilisk. I'm sure we can come up with an excuse."

"Wait, Corporal, what about the Shadow Troopers? They're still there if I remember correctly," One of the troopers behind him asked.

"Pass the info onto them and have them take it back. It's risky, but it might work. The Nazaricki twins don't know about them, so they'd be perfect to take the intel back to Harlow. We just have to make sure they make it aboard the resupply shuttle. Not bad, shiny."

"Thank you, Corporal."

"Alright, once we get back into the village, we should be able to raise them on comms."

The ten-man Clone squadron started to make their way towards their destination, the morning sun slowly but surely rising ever higher into the sky.


Carne Village, New World, ST-82910-001 "Tinker" (Shadow Trooper)

"Oi, Tinker, you awake?" His brother, Fidget, asked as Tinker felt something tap his boot.

"I am now. What do you want?" Tinker impatiently asked, swatting away Fidget's arm in a sleep-like daze. Once he gained a bit more consciousness, he rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes and put on his helmet. He took a quick glance at the chronometer, grimacing at the time. It had only three hours since he'd clocked out to get a little shut-eye.

"What in the name of the Empire happened? It better be something important, if not, I am going back to sleep," Tinker said in a tired yet annoyed voice.

"Some of the guys in the search party just sent over a data packet."

"Please tell me you didn't wake me up just for that. It's 1346 for the Empire's sake, and you know I've been up since 0400," Tinker sighed, ready to slouch back onto the poorly-made couch that sat inside the small hut.

"This stuff's important though. The intel on it is… well… it's better if you check it out fro yourself," Fidget said as he tapped the side of his helmet for emphasis.

Tinker raised his eyebrows in interest as he sat up. Fidget stepped towards the doorway of the village hut the pair had been occupying for the past few days. The hut was used by the entire squad, but the other two members, Sync and Deece, were currently helping the Emmot sisters with repairs to their home. The sun filtered in through a crack in the doorway and shone down on the black armor of the pair.

Besides the black paint scheme, the only other real difference in outward appearance that separated them from their peers was their helmet visors: they glowed and were the color of a mesmerizing cerulean lake. It was a whole other story altogether underneath their armor. Much of it had the same modifications as the original Clone Shadow Troopers of the Seventh Sky Corps, though a great many of those additions had been removed to reduce the monetary cost. They could still use their cloaking devices of course, and their armor had the usual set of jamming gear, but the mag seals that had been part of the armor had been replaced by an advanced holoprojector.

"Come on. We're meeting up with the others at the Emmots' hut."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Tinker sighed, slowly standing up and walking over to where his brother was.

Fidget opened the door, letting the sun hit the pair dead in the face. The two didn't react as their visors were auto-polarized to protect them from the sun's glare. As the duo stepped out, Tinker glanced around at the formerly quaint village.

After the rescue, Carne's Imperial liaison, Captain Ulten, asked Mare to help set up some earthworks around the village until more substantial defensive work could be established. Around the village were small mounds of dirt with both Imperial Army and Stormtroopers digging out small spots for emplacements. Others began digging trenches to slow down any attacking animals. The village itself was also now on a curfew, and though it wasn't completely enforced, the people of Carne still obeyed the demands of Ulten.

Near the back of the village, a small patch of land had been cleared as a makeshift landing pad for the resupply shuttles coming in daily. Most of the shuttles brought down additional weapons, power packs and on occasion, a squadron of Super Battle Droids.

Tinker watched a crew of four Army Troopers setting up an E-Web as he and Fidget continued towards the Emmots' home. They were fresh-faced and fairly young to have joined the Army, looking no older than sixteen or eighteen. Two were busy making sure the E-Web's Class-4T3 power generator was connected properly so the weapon wouldn't explode when fired, while the other pair was sighting the gun in.

"You think they're being a little over-prepared with all of this? It was only a few spiders, right?" Fidget asked, shaking his head as the two walked past the E-Web crew.

"No, I don't think so. From what I heard, it took a few shots to kill one from an E-11. Our DCs wouldn't do much either, they have the same firepower as an E-11…" Tinker replied while turning his head to face his brother.

"Really? I mean, how much armor can those things have?"

"I wasn't there if you can recall. The guys who dealt with 'em are still getting debriefed on the Basilisk. A lot of them aren't looking so good. Something to do with the venom those spiders have in 'em. Nasty things, those spiders."

"No kidding," Fidget said before the two lapsed into silence once again.

The silence was starting to get uncomfortable when they came into sight of the house. Deece was scrubbing one of the walls with water and soap, trying to get the bloodstain of some poor sod off. Judging by the fragments that were also embedded in the wall, it had been one of those knights. Tinker thought they said they were from the 'Slane Theocracy' if he recalled.

"Oi, you two, could you give me a hand?" Deece asked, looking up at the approaching pair.

"With what, exactly? You've got it handled, by the looks of it," Fidget replied as he looked at the wall.

"I need you two to start helping me get some of the shards out of here. Wouldn't do for one of the civvies to fall against this and kark their back up, now would it?"

"Yeesh. What happened?" Tinker asked as he kneeled and started to pry a larger piece out of the wall.

"Point blank execution. Some of the boys found a few of those Slane pricks having their way with a few women in the house to the right. The others quickly died while this guy managed to break away. He didn't get far. A shot to his ankle and then one to his helmet took care of him."

"The Emmot Sisters didn't see them, did they?" Fidget asked apprehensively as he too began prying bits of Slane's helmet or skull out of the wall.

"Thankfully, they were still in the forest when the clean-up began. They didn't get back here until later. Enri can't remember what time it was when they got back."

"'Enri', huh? Since when did you get to be so familiar with her?"

"She asked to be called that. Says it got confusing when we referred to both her and her little sister as 'miss Emmot'. 'Sides, sounds like she already has an eye on someone."

"Oh? Who?"

"Some kid named Bareare if I remember right. He lives in that Re-Estize city near here. She said he's an alchemist and works on potions with his grandmother."

"How does she know someone like that?"

"She said he comes to collect herbs from around here every now and then, Tinker. He's due for a visit any day now."

"Hm."

"Excuse me?" A young girl's voice asked, "Whaaaat~ are you guys doing?" The young brunette asked with interest.

"Dah, just cleaning the blood off, miss Emmot!" Deece said hurriedly, turning in place to cover the gory wall with his body.

"Do you need help? Also, I told you to call me Nemu!" The young child said as she puffed her chest.

"Right… sorry, and no, we're good," Tinker said as he realized what his brother was doing.

"Are you suuuure? It's very warm today, and you guys must be really thirsty with all that black armor on! I can go fetch you some water if you wish?" The young Emmot said with a smile.

"Not to worry, Nemu. Our armor has… how do I explain this... cooling magic installed?" Fidget awkwardly answered as he turned just enough to face the young child.

"Alright, well, let me know if you guys want anything~ I'll start sweeping. There's still a lot of dust as a result of leaving the windows open. I don't want anyone to get any allergies~ That'd be bad!" Nemu said as she picked up the broom that rested on one of the walls nearby.

"Oh thank the Empire…" The three Shadow Troopers muttered as she went through the doorway.

"How many shards are left?" Deece asked as he turned back to the wall.

"Just a couple more," Tinker replied, pulling two out with ease.

"Got them all. What should we do with 'em?" Fidget asked as he looked around.

"I've been keeping them in one of my belt's compartments. I'll throw them away once we get back aboard the Basilisk. Speaking of, did you two look at the data packet?"

"Yeah, I looked over it on the walk over and Fidget did before he got me up. Has Sync-"

"Yes," the voice of their last brother and NCO said from behind them.

"What are we doing then, Sarnt? Are we taking this to the Admiral or not?" Deece asked as he stood up, dropping the soap bar into the bucket of water next to the four.

"No, orders are to take this info to Captain Reaper. He'll take it to Harlow and we'll go from there. As for how we get back, we're taking the next resupply shuttle."

"What about the blasters that squad took? How are we getting those?" Tinker voiced as he crossed his arms.

"We're going to meet up with 'em and get the blasters from them first. Once that's done, we split up and all meet back up at the shuttle. We'll use our cloak tech to stay undetected from the forest to the shuttle."

"What do we do if the Nazaricki find out?" Fidget questioned as he glanced around for eavesdropping Dark Elves or one of the four Death Knights/Warriors that had been sent to Carne as a backup to the Dark Elf Twins.

"I want zero conflicts with the Nazarick denizens. The agreement with them is tenuous as it is. We'll say the blasters came in with the supply shipment on accident and we're to bring them back."

"And if they challenge us for the blasters?"

"We make it clear that they are going back to the Basilisk. Threaten them by calling their 'Supreme Being' to say they're undermining the treaty. I doubt he wants the treaty broken right now, we're too important for that."


Carne Village, New World, Jido Ancil (Engineer, 4th Infantry Division)

"Keep that power generator cool, alright? I'm almost finished here," Jido, alongside some of his comrades, had been setting up E-Web turrets around the village's perimeter for a couple of hours now. His visor would've been clouded with sweat if his helmet wasn't capable of cooling.

Jido sighed as he proceeded to his next task; sighting in the E-Webs.

He glanced down at the datapad in his right hand. He had been entrusted with it by one of his superiors with the purpose of supervising the targeting capabilities of the nearby turrets. Despite nearly four years in the Imperial Army, he still needed the datapad for this kind of work. When he had begun to work for the Empire, his inability to complete his assigned tasks resulted in more than a couple of punishments. His original unit -Army Group 34- detested his lack of talent. They had tried to replace him more than a couple of times, but the appeals were denied on the grounds of him being one of the few available engineers.

Later on in his career -about four years later, he was transferred to Army Group 18 after his commanding officer got fed up with him. Jido expected to receive the same sort of treatment in this new unit, but was pleasantly surprised when his new comrades in arms began to help him. After some months of practice, he was finally able to master -sort of- the use of the datapad.

"Alright, we're done with this one. How many are left, Parv?" Jido asked as he took a couple of steps back

"That was the last one in this section, Jido. We've got orders to start working on TX-04 again though," Parv Kols, a fellow Army Engineer and one of Jido's long-time friends replied.

"Really? I thought the piece of junk was assigned to someone else… Anyways, what the Hell's wrong with it now?"

"The crew reported it about an hour ago. Something about the beam turret not being functional…"

"Didn't we fix that already?"

"Not on this one. The one you're thinking about is TX-06."

"Oh yeah, we sent that one back to the Basilisk didn't we? Wait a minute, this one is supposed to be its replacement!"

"Yep…"

"E Chu ta! They left us here with another broken piece of junk! Damn it… well, there's nothing we can really do about it now… Let's just hope that this one isn't as complex as TX-06."

"And there goes all of our luck, Jido. You probably just jinxed it!"

"Oh shut it. Let's just get this done so we can get back to the ship."

"Mind if I tag along? The tank's supposed to be close to the landing pad, and I've got a job over there," Autem Tynis, the other engineer who had been working on the E-Web and the youngest of the trio, replied after running up to the pair.

"Hold on a minute, aren't you supposed to be helping with the set up of the other E-Webs, over in Sector 34?" Kols asked, pointing at the nearby crates.

Autem nodded, "Yeah, I was, but I got reassigned. First item on the new list is by the landing pad and it's marked urgent, so I don't really have a choice. Plus the crate's already over there. Oh, and they ain't 'E-Webs', those bad boys at the pad are E-Wems."

"E-Wems? Who the Hell approved the use of bloody missile launchers?"

"Captain Optir did."

"We're breaking out the E-Wems for a buncha animals? Has he never heard the term 'overkill'?"

"Alright, settle down. I had the same reaction when I first got the order, but it makes more sense once you look at the casualty numbers from the rescue op…"

"The Hell are you talking about? It was just a bunch of spiders, wasn't it? There's no way they could kill over a dozen of our men, right?"

"Here, take a look," Autem reached toward his belt and pulled out a datapad. He then passed it to Jido and Parv, ever eager to see their reactions. When Autem had checked the report, he'd been flabbergasted. He doubted that whatever had attacked the checkpoint inside of the forest was mere 'spiders'. After all, what kind of spiders could cause such a large amount of casualties?

"That can't be right-"

Autem grinned underneath his helmet in understanding…

"-How can 'spiders' kill over a hundred fifty men?!" Jido shouted in both shock and surprise.

"Calm down, only around a third of the casualties in that report are Imperial, the rest are just native workers that we employed."

"Still… That's over fifty bloody Imperial Army Infantrymen…" Parv whispered.

"Now do you understand? Whatever we're facing up against down here is dangerous. If those damned animals attack again -and in larger quantities- we'll need bigger guns. And who knows, perhaps there are bigger -and more dangerous- monsters inside that forest," Autem pointed to the edge of the woodlands. The trio couldn't see anything inside of it, as the shadows cast on by the insurmountable number of trees prevented any shred of light from escaping the forest.

"What're you boys doing?" A boyish voice brought out the men from their daydreams.

"Who the He- Oh, it's you… aren't you supposed to be patrolling the outskirts of the village?" Jido asked, rolling his eyes beneath his helmet.

"Now now, that's no way to talk to a superior," the young boy wiggled his index finger in a disapproving manner.

"What in the Nine Hells is this kid talking about?" Parv asked Autem.

"This kid is one of Gown's personal attendants if I remember right, think of him as a General of sorts…"

"Pffft, there's no way, but alright…" Parv responded with a hint of sarcasm.

"Anyways… You'd be right, but Lord Ainz has tasked me with some new orders, and in a sense, what I'm currently doing is still contributing to the safety of this location, so please, don't worry," the young boy flashed the trio with a gleeful smile.

Jido tried to subtly interrogate the young Elf, asking: "And what are these 'new orders'?"

"That's none of your business," the boy's carefree attitude from just a minute ago disappeared. Jido tried to make eye contact, but for some reason, the boy's heterochromatic eyes gave him the chills…

"Just kidding!" The boy smiled, "After that gnarly attack, the Supreme One ordered me to patrol both the perimeter and interior of the village. My brother is helping with the reconstruction effort, but my beasts and I should be more than enough," the Dark Elf lectured the Imperial trio, "Anyways, those things that your friends fought weren't simple spiders. Those were -from what I could tell- a variation of Ashen Spiders. They aren't a threat, as they're under level fifteen, but I can see how you guys would struggle with them…," the young boy inspected Jido's black armor, helmet, and jumpsuit with a glance, "Anyways, their legs are coated with a smooth yet thin layer of metal, which can dent most armor made from low-level materials. One Ashen Spider can be dispatched easily enough by anyone over level sixteen, but they can become rather bothersome when they gang up on you. Usually, Ashen Spiders are rather passive, and don't attack unless provoked… This is why something about this situation is off… But meh, I might be overthinking things, those spiders weren't an exact replica of Ashen Spiders, so this variation might simply be more hostile."

"Do any of you know what he's talking about?" Parv whispered, thoroughly confused by the talk of 'levels'.

"No idea, but what he said might be useful. Autem, start writing that down and see if you can get Captain Optir to distribute it when you're done with the E-Wems," Jido whispered to Autem.

"Why the- ugh, fine…"

"Wait a minute! Aren't you the little sh- guy who almost killed themselves with one of our blasters!?" Parv yelled, finally recognizing that they were speaking to Aura Bella Fiora.

"Hahaha, 'almost killed themselves' is more than an exaggeration… Those flimsy guns are even weaker than Delta's, there's no way I'd die from such a weapon. Please don't underestimate me," the Dark Elf boasted.

The trio had varying reactions to this new information, Parv wanted to see if this was true, but kept his calm. Autem nearly dropped his datapad, and Jido froze for a couple of seconds, before he slowly and deliberately pulled out his own E-11.

"Please, this is more than enough to put someone of your size down," he expressed, tapping his E-11 a couple of times before putting it back in its holster, "I recommend that you don't joke about such things, after all, they might come back to bite you in the ass later on."

"Sure, sure. Anyways, I better get back to doing my job, I can't afford to make Lord Ainz mad… Peace!" Making a V sign with his hands, the young lad scurried away. One of the troopers wanted to ask him a question, but the boy disappeared before he could do so.

"Huh… well that was… interesting?"

"I'm not sure I'm ever gonna understand the Nazaricki," Jido replied with a sigh.

"Hold on, maybe we should report what just happened to the Captain. If what the boy says is true, then we might be able to figure out a way to deal with those frelling monsters without having as many casualties as the last time," Autem suggested.

"The kid might've been lying, we can't take anything he says at face value. He's a subordinate to that Skeleton freak after all. He might be trying to deceive us."

"Parv's right, but I do think you're onto something, Autem. Regardless of the boy's intentions, I think it's best to transcribe this conversation into a datapad, not just the whole 'Ashen Spider' stuff. Maybe the intel guys can figure it out or something? Can I leave that up to you, Autem?"

"Sigh, I'll get to that once I'm done setting up the remaining E-Wems, alright?"

"Oh no, you agreed to help us fix TX-04, so that'll come first!" Parv interrupted.

"When the Hell did I do that? I don't think I ever said I'd actually help."

"Well then congratulations, you've been drafted."

"Seriously, I can't help you with the blasted thing. The E-Wems were marked top priority."

"Fine, fine, we'll work on the tank while you finish your tasks. Just make sure to bring us a couple of drinks when you're done," Jido said.

"Yeah yeah, old timer."

"Hey, I ain't that old, I'm only three years older than you!"


Carne Village, New World, Gem Bidar (Carne Resident, Imperial Army Recruit)

"Platoon, halt!" the Imperial soldier barked, glaring at Gem and his fellow villagers as they assembled into a motley semi-circle, "I am Master Sergeant Galt Ianar, and from this moment on you are my recruits. You will do what I say, when I say it, where I say it, and how I say it, is that clear?!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Gem Bidar and his fellow Carne volunteers shouted, to Ianar's contempt.

"First lesson: you will not 'sir' me. I am a Non-Commissioned Officer, or NCO. You will answer with 'Yes, Master Sergeant', understood?"

The group then replied with "Yes Master Sergeant!" before being broken up into six groups of five. They were then directed to follow other Imperial troops, all of whom were NCOs, to predesignated positions. Gem stopped alongside an older man as their Imperial leader turned to them.

The soldier turned and regarded them with a blank look. He then folded his arms, "My name is Corporal Ren Tylt, and from this point forward you lot make up Squad Two. I will be your primary Drill Instructor when Master Sergeant Ianar is indisposed. The plan for today is to get you all kitted, then we'll start teaching you how we conduct warfare before we end with teaching you basic combatives. Any questions?"

The older man's hand went up first.

"Corporal Tylt, why would we need to understand how to fight? Ain't it the same everywhere?" the older man asked and caused Gem to look at him dumbfounded. Obviously the Imperials had a different way to fight than the rest of the world. Their weapons proved that, and before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? O' course the way they fight is different! Didn't you see what they did wit' 'em Slane fuckers? I doubt the Kingdom's soldiers know how to fight like tha'," Gem said before he slapped a hand over his mouth.

The old man looked bewildered at Gem's outburst while Corporal Tylt raised an eyebrow. Gem glanced around and noticed most of Squad Two was looking at him and he couldn't help but wish he was anywhere but here. Tylt unfolded his arms and approached Gem, and Gem couldn't help but shrink as the Imperial came close. Tylt stopped about a hair's breadth away from Gem, his expression blank save for a raised eyebrow.

"Your name, Trooper?"

"G-Gem Bidar, Corporal."

"That was a little harsh, but it isn't an answer I wouldn't have said myself. However, please don't do that again? I'd have to punish you next time," Tylt said as he tried his hardest to conceal a grin.

Bidar nodded rapidly as his fellow villagers chuckled. The older man was still bewildered but it was slowly being replaced with his own chuckles. Tylt then led the recruits to one of the barracks buildings the Engineers had set up, a Model MilBar C-427, where they would switch out of their civilian garb and into the standard Imperial Army jumpsuit, helmet, and armor. Once this was accomplished the Carne recruits were taken out of the barracks building and made to stand at attention for inspection. The Imperials checked everything from the straps of the helmets the recruits wore to their foot spacing.

With a nod Tylt, the one who had been inspecting them, marched over to the Master Sergeant alongside another Imperial soldier who had finished with his own troops. All in all, only a few needed no fixing in some place, be it posture or how their uniforms were worn. Bidar had been one of the many who had gotten something wrong: his foot spacing. Apparently, when one is supposed to be in parade rest, their foot spacing is supposed to be twenty-five point four centimeters apart, not however many his was. He didn't exactly know how anyone was supposed to tell that exactly. It was silent for a few minutes after the two Imperials reported back to Ianar. Then, he began to speak.

"Before we begin your training, there is something that you all must do before you enlist in the Imperial Army proper. This would normally be done before you even dressed in our uniforms, but circumstances are somewhat… different, to say the least. You will repeat what I say verbatim, understood?"

"Yes Master Sergeant!"

"You will all raise your right hand and repeat after me: As a member of our Imperial Majesty's Army, I do solemnly swear…," Ianar began, raising his right hand.

"As a member of our Imperial Majesty's Army, I do solemnly swear…," the Carne recruits copied as they held up their own right hands.

"…that I will support and defend the New Order against all enemies…"

"…that I will support and defend the New Order against all enemies…"

"…that I will bear true Faith, Allegiance, and will exercise every ounce of Will in service to the Galactic Empire…"

"…that I will bear true Faith, Allegiance, and will exercise every ounce of Will in service to the Galactic Empire…"

"…that I shall render unconditional obedience to our Emperor and the orders of the officers appointed over me…"

"…that I shall render unconditional obedience to our Emperor and the orders of the officers appointed over me…"

"…and that I will, whensoever I am asked, be prepared to surrender my life for this oath," Ianar finished before lowering his right hand.

"…and that I will, whensoever I am asked, be prepared to surrender my life for this oath," Bidar and his fellow villagers-turned-Imperial Army recruits replied as they too lowered their right hands.

"Know that you men and women are only the first to join the Empire and its armies. Know that you will be able to carry yourselves with honor and distinction. Know… that none can stop the Empire. I now turn you over to your primary instructors. Dismissed!"

Ianar headed toward the nearby landing pad, a shuttle already parked there. As Galt watched, he thought he saw a glowing T-shaped visor in the darkened gangway passage. He blinked once and the visor was gone before his section began marching towards their designated training area. Once they arrived, Tylt began teaching them the standard tactics of the Imperial Army. Bidar learned of the MODS system and how the Army was structured as well as the formations of the Army. It was over in half an hour, and already there was so much Bidar had to keep track of.

Next, Tylt unholstered his blaster and held it in front of himself.

"While we do teach you hand-to-hand combat, it is always used to get you back to this: the BlasTech E-11 Rifle. HTH is about creating space between yourself and your enemy so you can get back to your weapon and kill them. Now, can I get a volunteer?"

Most of the Carne residents were reluctant, and after a period, Tylt sighed and randomly chose one of them. Unfortunately it was Bidar. Bidar carefully stepped forward and stopped right in front of Tylt, who had placed the blaster back in its holster. Tylt then motioned for the recruits surrounding him and Bidar to back up for the demonstration.

"Trooper Bidar, I want you to hit me," Tylt said, causing Bidar to hesitate for a moment.

Bidar rubbed the back of his neck, "Say that again, Corporal? You want me to attack you?"

"Yes, Trooper Bidar, I do. Now come on, we don't have all day."

"Yes Corporal."

Bidar reared his right arm back for a punch and let fly at Tylt, only to quickly find himself on the ground with his punching arm held up and away from him by Tylt. He then felt several light punches to his side before being tapped in the back by a boot. Finally, his arm was released, and he sat up dumbfounded as Tylt started speaking again.

"In a life or death scenario, you would hit them with every bit of the strength you possess with punches to the side and kicks to the back. These are debilitating and will give you time to back up, draw your blaster, and get it on your attacker. When the blaster is already out, all you need to do is throw them down and back up. Any questions?"

There were none, and Bidar was allowed back to join the other recruits as Tylt chose another random Carne recruit. By the time the sun was directly overhead, the Imperial instructor had used them all to demonstrate the technique. The recruits were then allowed to practice the moves they had seen with Tylt helping along the way.


Outskirts of Carne Village, New World, Aura Bella Fiora (1st Floor Guardian of the 6th Floor)

"Pfft, look at them, do they really think that teaching them whatever this is will help them?" Aura laughed at the faraway recruits. The young Dark Elf had been spying on the villagers for nearly an hour, after all, what else could she do when her beasts and minions were already taking care of everything? She also enjoyed the meager squandering of the fully grown men trying to hold a 'blaster', 'God, those things can't even bypass level resistances, do they really think that they'll be able to do anything if a large monster attacks? They better thank lord Ainz for his assistance…'

The Dark Elf's brother interjected, "A-Are you sure sis? T-They're doing their best, a-and we've g-got to remember: T-They're still h-human," Mare pitied the Carne volunteers, they would perhaps be of more use to lord Ainz if they were either Demihumans or Heteromorphs, how sad… "T-They might also be h-hiding their a-aces. W-W can't simply judge them by w-what's in front of us."

"Yeah yeah, either way, don't you think that the Empire -or whatever it's called- is getting too much of a grip on this village?" She questioned, "They're getting rather snug with its people… Perhaps we should shake things up a little," Aura grinned.

"Y-Yeah, you're r-right," Mare frowned, but his cute face made it seem as if he was pouting.

"Man, I wish lord Ai-"

Beep Beep

"Oh, give me a sec, Mare," Aura put two fingers up to her left temple.

[Hello Hello?] She asked as she opened the mental communication, 'I wonder what it is this time… Did they perhaps find another group of soldiers snooping around the forest? Man, those guys are idiots if they think we didn't notice them…'

[Forgive me if I am interrupting any important matters, lady Aura, but a large Hamster was just seen entering the village's fourth perimeter, it's going through Sector 43 at the moment. It seems to be around level twenty-five and poses no threat to us. What are your orders?] The Shadow Demon asked its master.

The Undead Overlord was afraid that the sudden increase of assignments could stress out the young Dark Elf and as a result bestowed some summons onto her. The Floor Guardian was over the moon, as the monsters were from the library -Ashurbanipal- and required Yggdrasil gold as part of their summoning, 'Ahh, lord Ainz! To think that you'd spend some of your valuable resources on me, I am truly blessed to serve you!' Is what the girl thought at the time.-

'A giant Hamster? Huh…'

[Is it hostile?] She asked the Shadow Demon. Aura knew that the chances of the beast being intelligent were low, but they weren't zero. She had a couple of sapient animals under her command, so she knew that certain species contained at least some wisdom.

Aura could tell that the Shadow Demon shook its head, [No, it looks afraid actually. Should I intercept it?] It asked.

[Yes, try to communicate with it as well. It'd be a delight if it is capable of speech. Try to incapacitate it before you do anything though, we don't know how it'll react. Anyways, be quick, I don't want the Imperials getting a hold of it before we do. If any do show up -in some weird turn of events- kill them. Don't do it yourself, of course, use one of the beasts that I relayed to you. I'll start making my way there as well, also, remember, this is our chance to show lord Ainz that we're useful!] Aura could tell that her last sentence invigorated the Shadow Demon.

[Yes, my lady. I'll see you in a bit.] The Shadow Demon cut off the communications. Normally, the person in the highest position would do that, but Aura had made it specifically clear that those around her can be more relaxed... at least, those from Nazarick, anyway.

"I'll be right back, Mare. If anyone asks, I'll be filing a report to lord Ainz," Aura winked.

"Oh, o-ok!" Mare smiled. A lie that included the Supreme Being was nigh treason and was usually dealt with a death sentence, but Mare understood that her sister didn't want her true intentions to be leaked, 'I-It's most likely s-something relating to t-the forest,' the boy thought.

'Sector 43, perimeter four, right? It's probably in perimeter six by now…' Aura stood up, 'That's over there,' she pointed west, 'Ok, better get going!' The young girl began to walk. Those around her thought that she was merely going out for a stroll, but their tune quickly changed when she started accelerating. It got to a point where some thought they were hallucinating, after all, what kind of Dark Elf child could run that fast?

It took Aura less than a minute to reach the forest's outer edge, 'Up we go,' she said to herself whilst jumping onto a tree branch. Unlike most people, Aura did not need a map, she was a ranger after all, and she had inspected this forest nearly a hundred times. She knew it like the back of her palm, 'Wow, the Shadow Demon wasn't exaggerating when it said it was a giant Hamster…' She thought after finally getting close enough to spot both the summon and intruder, 'Wait a minute… Isn't that creature that I found in that cave? Damn, I guess it was so weak it didn't even activate my sensors… Well, whatever.'

"The village up ahead is bound to be attacked, that it is!" The large creature explained to the Shadow Demon.

The shade didn't respond, instead, it awaited the appearance of his master, "Grrr," it growled. It wasn't mad of course, it simply wasn't capable of speech -at least not physically. One can communicate with a Shadow Demon via spells like [Message] or if one is their master, but apart from that they stay mute.

"Alright, alright, what's all this about?"

"Ahhh!" The bewildered beast swung its tail around in panicked disarray. It managed to chop a tree in half before being caught by the hand of the slim, stout, Dark Elf. The animal tried to retract its long, scaly appendage, but it could not free it from the grasp of the child no matter how hard it tried.

"Hey, can you not? [Paralysis]," Aura was able to cast debuff-inducing spells such as [Fog Cloud], [Disease], and [Blindness] onto her foes despite not being a magic caster. This of course had been instilled in her by her wonderful creator, Bukubukuchagama. She would often bring beasts onto the 6th floor and have Aura weaken them, as unlike her creation, she didn't have the necessary skills to tame them. This is actually why the Dark Elf reigned over so many beasts, they were all Bukubukuchagama's little pet projects long, long ago.

The beast's tail slumped down onto the floor after Aura let it go. The giant Hamster tried to communicate with her, but was unable to as a result of the paralysis.

"I'll release the spell, but if you try to attack me again I'll make sure you end up as a nice little rug," she threatened. Although Aura cared for her animals, she didn't really mind what happened to those outside of her control. During her time in this world, she had killed at least one of each beast. That of course excluded those she thought as unique.

The eyes of the Hamster began to fill with tears, the threatening words of the child had managed to pierce their way into her heart, "Ahhh, I promise that I won't attack, that I do!" It screamed in terror, "Oh, I can talk now, that I can. Thank you," It said whilst standing up.

"Uh-huh, now, introduce yourself. I can't have a wild beast such as yourself inside of my master's domain, so you better have a good reason for being here."

"Very well… I am the one known as the Wise King of the Forest. I have ruled over this wilderness for over four hundred years! That I have -well, at least partially. This forest is also home to an increasingly dangerous monster, a dryad, that it is… She and I used to be great friends, that we were, but this all changed when she… lost herself in her madness. In her ire and rage, she is planning an attack on the village just up ahead, that she has. I have come to warn those that have recently settled there, and I assume that you belong to their group, though I must admit, I would've never thought I'd see another Dark Elf here again…"

'Huh? Were there other Dark Elves in this place? I didn't see any during my scouting... I'll have to report this to Lord Ainz -wait a minute, is this thing talking about the monster that Lord Ainz mentioned before?'


Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Life got in the way for both myself and IceAndShadow. I am hoping that 2023 will mean less time between chapters. Also, sorry for the cliffhanger, but we came to the decision that the chapter would be good as is.

Next chapter the second attack on Carne begins, so expect losses not only for the village, but the Empire as well, as they face what the New World has to offer in terms of wildlife. Afterwards we find out more about the Star Wars tech found by Voltage and check back in with ComparedDread12's character.

In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts on this story. I would ask that you keep it constructive if you criticize though. I can't improve if it's just "You suck. Story Bad. GTH". Once again, I'm going to stick with not telling when to expect the next chapter because that just puts undue stress on me and IceAndShadow as well.

Lingo Help:

1346 & 0900 = 1:46 P.M. and 4:00 A.M. in Military Time

The Imperial Army Oath Section (As a member of our Imperial Majesty's Army, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the New Order against all enemies, that I will bear true Faith, Allegiance, and will exercise every ounce of Will in service to the Galactic Empire, that I shall render unconditional obedience to our Emperor and the orders of the officers appointed over me, and that I will, whensoever I am asked, be prepared to surrender my life for this oath.) = a creation by me to try and make an in lore official oath for the Imperial Army, taking parts from the Oath of Obedience of the Imperial Riot Troopers from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II and the US Military's own Oath of Enlistment.