"So the apparent lack of any monsters in the forest is a result of the dragon's interference?"
"Partly. The more likely cause is the appearance of this weird new specie. From what I could tell, they are the reasons most monsters started to retreat deeper and deeper into the forest. That annoying flying lizard just helped speed up the process- de gozaru."
"Incidentally, does this new species exhibit characteristics such as some strange black tentacles?"
"As expected of my new Master! That's exactly what they look like, although I only heard of them from the other two. They never dared approach my territory-de gozaru!"
"Hmm, I suppose from this world's perspective, you are quite a high-level creature. Around the low fifties, perhaps?"
"That's right, I'm crazy strong! So... please don't turn me into a carpet, Master!"
"Your fur is rather fluffy... I-I mean, of course, I wouldn't do such a thing to one who has chosen to come into my service!"
'Ah, the sky is very clear today, I can make out that perfect azure even throughout the tree's branches. Soon enough, I will be up there, my hair blowing in the wind as I rally my beast into battle and turn this whole place into firewood!' Such admittedly pleasant thoughts were running through Jalter's head as she did her best to block out the nearby discussion. It was mostly successful, but every now and then some stray word did manage to weasel their way to her ear, making her blood boil to her very Spirit Origin. The coal to light this fire was a weird mix of both frustration and exasperation, topped off with a sprinkle of embarrassment.
The conversation itself wasn't the problem, quite the contrary, she found the subject of the discussion mildly interesting herself. The issue came from the fact that one of the speakers was a ten-foot rodent who spoke in traditional Japanese, while the other was a man who she had a modicum of respect for, entertaining the whole ordeal like it was the most natural thing in the world. There had been times when she had found her Master almost intimating, now all of that disappeared, an ephemeral, long-forgotten memory. 'Give me back those feelings, damn it!'
If she were to look at things objectively, she had to admit that this whole situation wouldn't have bothered her nearly so much if her mood haven't been already so soured. It couldn't be helped though, ever since she came to this world there had been one headache after the other. Between that whole disaster with the village, that wretched wench who stuck to her Master like glue, and now this, saying she was at her wits' end was an understatement. And to top it all off, those useless thoughts kept worming their way to the back of her mind, stubbornly refusing to be peeled off no matter how much she tried to eradicate them. Jalter felt them dulling her mind, a numbing sensation spreading from her fingers and withering out her flames. She couldn't have that.
For a single moment, everything around her disappeared, washed away by the image of a burning stake. Even now, she could painstakingly recall every detail of that moment: the heat, melting away her flesh until nothing remained; the fumes, denying her lungs the oxygen they so desperately desired; the people around her, hurrying slurs at her and rejoicing at the death of the witch. Most people would break down wallowing at such a sight, but not her. She relished in that moment, for that stake was the single thing she would refuse to surrender, the reason she would bare her fangs at anybody that might try to take it away. Real or not as it may be.
"We're almost there!" a squeaky voice announced, the visage in front of her fading into nothingness. The deep shade of the woods once again enveloped her figure and her boots were back to making their way through the slightly moist grass.
"About damn time!" the woman brought her hand over her head, stretching slightly. Her luck was finally beginning to take a turn for the better. She turned to her Master, still firmly seated on the back of that 'thing', a smug smile adorning her face. "Looks like you're gonna have to make the trip back on the Furball by yourself, I'm taking the rest of the day off to enjoy my prize."
"Just try to not allow the forest fire to grow out of control" he responded, his voice slightly muffled by the headpiece he was wearing. Credit where credit is due, he knew her well.
"Relax!" she brushed off his concerns with a lazy move of her arm. "This place is really big, I'm sure I'll get bored before I even get to half of it." She herself was quite in awe of her generosity, but she supposed it fit the occasion.
"I don't think that's..."
*ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH*
Whatever gibberish her Master was about to say was drowned out by the sudden explosion of sound. It couldn't have been classified as a roar, it was more like a natural phenomenon, like thunder coming down from the heavens, like the earth itself shaking in a stupor, threatening to engulf everything it touches. Jalter could feel it reverberating through her armour down to her bones, the song of a siren filling her ears, resonating with her very soul. A challenge. A promise of strength.
The Dragon Witch suddenly wasn't feeling like running through the forest anymore. A mad grin splitting her features, she put her hand forward, a veritable inferno sprouting out and paving the way forward, the brittle wood standing in its way quickly turning to ash.
She boldly strolled forward, cape fluttering behind her, her excitement barely masked by her slow and confident approach. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her Master had finally gotten off his mount and was following closely behind, the ensuring heat proving to be too much for the glorified house pet to handle. She had to admit she took a small amount of pleasure in that fact.
They were now close to the edge of the Great Forest, the dark spruce and brown oaks adorned in verdant green suddenly being replaced by the greyish stone and steep inclines of the ensuing mountains, a natural wall that vegetation shall never be able to overcome. And it was right around the base of that colossal that they were greeted with a sight none of them had been expecting.
The golden scales that would have once rivalled the sun in their brilliance were now soaked in a deep crimson, a deep wound splitting them apart as if they had been paper. The mighty wings that left hurricanes in their wake were now pathetically slumped on their sides, so fragile looking they might rip apart at the slightest touch. There was no life left in those eyes coloured in a blue so vibrant it put the sky above them to shame. Its mouth was still hung open, a sign of its refusal to bow down before another, yet those teeth whose sharpness rivalled that of the finest of blades no longer inspired fear about those who witness it. It was a bitter end, unfit for such a majestic creature.
Jalter's first reaction was to pull out her sword and slice apart the mongrel who had dared to touch her prey until nobody could recognize he had even been a person at some point. Yet as her eyes hungrily hunted for the calf about to be slaughtered, she found her rage freeze over, instantly snuffed out to give way to confusion.
The man in front of her, so stealthy she couldn't feel his presence even as she stared holes into him, could only be described as a ninja. A stereotypical black outfit with twin sashes hanging loosely by his waist, adorned with brown and white plating, the accents of gold paired with a weird mask and two swords freshly sheathed back to their place. If the Hassans were what the stereotypical assassins were supposed to be like, this was what a cosplayer who got really into medieval armour imagined a shinobi would look like. But none of that mattered. There was no need to focus on the external appearance, the dark maiden would have recognised him anywhere.
"Nishikienrai-sama?" The name rolled out more like a question from her mouth, the tone of her voice laced with an emotion she herself wasn't able to identify.
The felled beast by his side didn't even register with Ainz. No, time itself seemed to come to a halt as he came face to face with an impossible sight. Against all odds, he had refused to let go of his dream to one day reunite with his fellow teammates. Even so, there was always a part of him that loathed the futileness of such a task, who understood that, logically speaking, all he was doing was deluding himself in order to simply have a goal, something he could focus on in order to take his mind off the direness of the situation he had suddenly found himself in, alone in a foreign place with allies that might as well turn on him at the slightest of slips. But now, all of that would soon be a thing of the past. Because he had done it, he had finally managed to find someone.
Ainz found his eyes slightly itching, a poor attempt of his skeletal body to keep up with the owner's emotional development, yet he appreciated it nonetheless. He suddenly felt like he could breathe properly for the first time, that a giant weight he hadn't even been aware of has been lifted off his shoulders.
*Emotional suppression*
Of course, the relief and happiness vanished as soon as they came, but tiny embers, flicks of emotion no magic would ever be able to put out, still cast their docile warmth in his non-existent heart.
"Nishikienrai-san, is that you?" he hesitantly asked, as if he was faced with a mirage that might vanish as soon as he took his eyes off him. There were a million things he wanted to ask and to say to him, and he found himself at a loss of where to begin.
Although his features were completely obstructed by the dark shawl enveloping his head, Ainz still felt the gaze of his fellow Player fixated on him. The ninja stopped in place, taking him in as if he was unsure of how to respond. Ainz waited with bated breath, only for the other person to simply turn his back on him and start working on the dragon corpse, a strange vial appearing in his hand.
Ainz's mind couldn't follow the trail of actions. This was Nishikienrai in front of him, the same easygoing and friendly teammate that would always take on the harshest of news with a hearty laugh. The same daredevil that ventured alone in high-level areas despite having such low defenses. One of the founding members of Nine's Own Goal, someone that Ainz would have whole-heartedly considered a friend. So why was this person ignoring him right now, acting as if they were complete strangers?
'Oh, it must be because I'm still using Perfect Warrior to disguise myself.' Ainz felt like laughing at his own stupidity. Here he was, worrying needlessly and overthinking things. This must be a bad habit that he recently picked up because of the NPCs. He was sure that once he cleared up the air, they could have a proper reunion and laugh at his expense. Maybe even go for some drinks, his inability to consume liquids be damned.
Still, there was one piece of the puzzle that didn't entirely fit. Sure, Nishikienrai couldn't tell it was him right now, but there was one more person present that he definitely should have recognised.
"Hey, bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing, ignoring us like that?" said person lashed out, stomping towards the offending party, indignance clear on her face.
She was about to grab Nishiki's shoulder, when suddenly, the ninja warrior swiftly sidestepped her, his arms a pair of living vipers, and in one swift motion he brought his right hand to Jalter's chest, sending the wide-eyed woman flying through the forest.
"The Shifter's Gauntlets?" Ainz exclaimed, recognizing the piece of equipment strapped to the Player's arm, a relatively low-level item granting a large knockback effect to the first attack against a new opponent. "Nishikienrai-san, what are you doing?"
The man continued to appear unfazed by his comrades' attempts at getting his attention. Having finished his work, he got up and promptly started climbing up the mountain, scaling across the rocky incline with a speed and grace that would put the swiftest panther to shame.
Ainz had only a moment to act. He knew that the moment Nishiki would leave his side, there was no hope of finding him any longer, his stealth was infamous among the guild, rivalling that of any of the Assassin NPCs. He hurriedly cast off his disguise, in the same breath activating Fly and any speed buff he could think of at the top of his head. He promptly launched off like a rocket, his usual robe offering no wind resistance even as it fluttered behind him. Before long he had managed to reach his target, stopping in front of him on a small plateau almost halfway up the mountain.
"Nishikienrai-san please, just hold on a second!" Despite not exerting any effort, Ainz could feel himself breathing haggardly, the drumming of his heart beating loudly into his eardrums. A trick of the brain, perhaps. Nonetheless, seeing that his fellow Player made no move to run away any longer, he felt encouraged to continue. "It's me, Momonga, you remember me, right? I mean, I was the guild master and all... ah, but I don't mean it like that! I know we weren't the closest in the guild, I mean you always seemed to get along well with Amanomahitotsu-san, but I'd like to think we were still friends, right?" Ainz's words continued to spew endlessly, unsure himself at what he was getting at.
On the other side, his listener seemed to only shake his head in an exasperated manner. Ainz couldn't tell for sure, but he could feel a smile peeking out from behind his mask.
"You were kind of a worry rat sometimes, weren't you?" a familiar voice responded. "Of course I remember you, Momonga." He brought his left hand forward, showing off a beautiful golden ring that incased a vermillion ruby, the symbol etched on it mirroring the Overlord's own. The Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.
"It's great to see you again!" Ainz warmly greeted him, unable to contain his happiness any longer. "I always believe that I wasn't the only one sent here, but to actually meet someone else... Is anybody else from the Guild here?" he excitedly asked.
"Perhaps. It's hard to say." came the dry response, paired with a slight raise of the shoulders.
"Ah, I see." Ainz's sails got his wind blown off for a bit, but he quickly regained his energy. "Still, I'm really happy that I could find someone else. We should get back to the Tomb and catch up, all your stuff is still there where you left it... ah, but I see you still got your items with you." He noted, peering down at his armour and the twin daggers on his side, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. "Oh, but I must warn you, the NPCs are acting kind of weird now. I think they came to life somehow, yet they still insist that they are spirits or something, it's all really complicated. But they are still our allies, so you shouldn't worry about that. Jeanne might be pissed off at the push you gave her, though." Ainz couldn't really blame him, though. If he hadn't known about the NPCs from the beginning, he might have acted in a similar manner. They could seem like a scary bunch before you get to know them. And even after that, for the matter.
"Momonga!" Nishiki brought his hand into a stop motion in order to get his fellow teammate's attention. "Look, I am glad to see you, I really am, but the situation is not that simple." Pausing slightly to choose his next words, he continued: "I can't come with you."
If lightning had struck Ainz at that moment, he wouldn't have noticed.
"What?... Why?!" he asked, unable to process what he was hearing.
"The path that you've chosen, is one I don't have the luxury of walking by your side."
"But all I wanted was to create a place for both you and the NPCs to be able to return to!" he protested.
"Is that what you did?" the ninja's line of questioning cut through him like a guillotine. "Is that why you took on the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, to be able to pick up the discarded pieces that might make your way back to you, and not in order to move forward? When the time came for the servers to close down, is it us that you thought about, or the NPCs?" At his question, Ainz couldn't muster a response. "I won't blame you for choosing to use us as stepping stones in order to continue your climb, I'm sure none of us would. We are the ones that abandoned you first, after all." There was a touch of sadness in his voice as he seemed to reminisce about those fateful final hours before the game closed. Yet he carried on nonetheless: "But to claim to make a step forward, while continuing to extend a hand to those you leave behind, that's just hypocrisy. An insult to both those that remained and those that moved on. Just wishful thinking, tricking yourself into believing a 'half-step' is a suitable compromise."
Those words pierced through Ainz with more ease than even the mightiest of spears would have been able to. He wanted to refute him, to tell him that this was not what he was doing, that while he didn't know how Nishiki-san knew a lot of the things he was talking about, he didn't understand them properly. That the man known once as Momonga knew that he wasn't perfect, but had still tried to do his best. But no matter how much he tried to speak, he found himself unable to. He could feel it squirming inside of him, that vile poison bearing the name of 'doubt' taking its roots in his mind, twisting his thoughts and chipping away at his conviction. 'Was that the real truth? Had he, in his blissful ignorance, discarded one precious thing in favour of another? Was he wrong? Could he have done better after all? How? Why?' These questions were swarming around in his mind, deafening yet not loud enough to trigger Emotional suppression.
Seeing that he wasn't going to receive a response, Nishikienrai slowly started unsheathing his daggers. "I wish there was another way, I really do, but it can't be helped." His words seemed genuine, a stark contrast to the sharpness of the twin blades in his hand. "For what has happened, for what is going to continue to happen, it's better for things to end here for you."
"Nishikienrai-san. Don't." One more attempt, a final plea for a different outcome. Yet it went unheard.
"I'm sorry, Momonga...no, Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Ainz knew he was in deep trouble. His build wasn't suited for PvP, his role had always been more of that of a support caster. That was part of the reason that while the residents of the New World haven't proven to be much of a threat so far, he still remained vigilant. For he knew that against someone on the level of a Player, his chances of winning were low. Still, he did start preparing a spell. All he could do now was gamble on surviving the initial attack and try to create some distance between the two of them.
A quick breath. A movement. His former teammates' weapons cut through the air in his hands, a promise of death inscribed on their edges. Yet they were stopped in their tracks by the dull steel of a black and white flagpole. Even through his mask, Ainz could see Nishiki's eyes widening as he quickly moved to avoid the swing of the sword that would have cut off his head.
"Master, if you're just gonna stand there like an overpriced piece of memorabilia, be my guest. But if you'd like to make yourself useful, then buff me already!" Jalter's usual insults sprang Ainz into action. A kaleidoscope of different lights gathered around the dark maiden, strengthening her already generous stats. Her golden, slitted pupils, were fixated on the target of her attacks, her voice a weird mix of cackling and roaring. "First you kill off my pet, now you try to get your hands on my Master. Supreme Being or not, your arms are coming off!" The small woman that barely got to Ainz's chin now seemed to hover over the two people present, the fire gathering on her blade promising a slow and painful demise. Such was the power of the Avenger who wielded the power of a dragon at her behest.
As the battle raged on, it was the enemy who found himself on the backfoot this time. A rogue was at his best when sticking from the shadows, dealing large bursts of damage before retreating in the same breath. Long skirmishes like these put him at a massive disadvantage. Add to that a mad woman who threatened to blow past his meagre defense and impale him with every strike and continuous AoE spells fired by his former guild master that didn't allow him to catch his breath at all, the fact that he was managing to hang on, even if it was by the slightest of threads, was nothing short of a miracle.
"STAY. STILL. SO. I CAN. HIT. YOU!" screamed Jalter, sending a veritable wall of flame in his direction. Having just recuperated from Ainz's perfectly timed Magic Arrow, Nishiki was caught on the wrong foot and barely managed to evade the incoming explosion. His arm, however, wasn't so lucky. The fire hungrily devoured through his armour, revealing in its wake a sack of burned flesh loosely resembling a limb. Even so, his charred fingers refused to let go of Amaterasu.
"You have no reason to fight by his side, Witch of Orleans." the man spoke, neither his posture nor his voice betraying any hint of the agony that should have accompanied such a wound.
"Huh?!" Came the Servant's idignant response. "What the hell are you going on about?"
Nishikienrai continued zipping on around the makeshift battlefield, his blades' glow matching Jalter's own sword as he delivered energy slash after energy slash with clockwork precision. "Don't try to deny it. I can feel it in your every breath and move, every strike of your blade reveals your secret. Your hatred is fake."
"YOU..."
"Your anger is too forced, to controlled in its madness." The man carried on. " There is no real conviction in your actions, you just go through the motions because that is what your current vessel expects of you. Even that fire of yours is light as a feather, it carries none of the weight of your grudges. In short, you are not fit to be an Avenger."
Ainz had no idea what any of that meant, but he understood that those words definitely meant something to Jalter. She suddenly froze in her tracks, loosening her grip on her sword. She was turned away from him, so he couldn't see her face. He realised something was wrong, but before he could say anything to her, everything was enveloped in a blinding light.
Later on, one of the Neros, while in the process of showing Hamsuke its new sleeping corner in the Tomb, asked about its meeting with their Master. After a lengthy description of the events, the giant hamster would then go on to talk about how one of the mountains near the Forest of Tob turned out to actually be a volcano. For there was no other explanation for how one of its peaks suddenly erupted into flames.
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
When Ainz's vision returned, he was greeted by quite an apocalyptic view. Had he had any need to breathe, he was sure that the then smoke in the air would have suffocated him to death. As he carefully made his way around the molten rock all around him, he arrived at a giant crater that stood in the place where Jalter initiated her attack. It looked like she had not quite gouged how much his buffs had improved her strength. It appeared she had unintentionally blasted a giant hole into the mountain and subsequently fallen into a nearby cave. As for Nishikienrai, he had probably used that opportunity to escape. Ainz was unsure how to feel about that: on one hand, he was dejected about losing one of his guildmates so shortly after he had finally found him. On the other hand, he was glad that the incident didn't escalate any further, he had no desire to have to resort to killing one of his closest friends. He felt ashamed about that second part, his fellow Player had proved to be a threat to both him and more importantly, the NPCs, so him getting away put everybody at risk. When he got back he would have to open up the treasury: the NPCs were going to be in need of better protection going forward.
"Ah... goddammit...I knew my Luck... was low...ahh.. but this ...is getting ridiculous!" Out of the giant hole came crawling a now-soaked Jeanne D'Arc. The cave must have been accompanied by an underground lake.
"Are you alright, Jeanne?" Ainz worriedly asked. Thankfully, his partner was too distracted to notice his slip-up.
"I will be, after I take that guy's head off and use it as a bowling ball," she grumbled, carefully using the fire in her right hand to dry herself. "We'll definitely get him next time, right Master?"
Ainz didn't respond, refusing to take his eyes out of the ground. He'd never seen magma before, so it was quite an interesting experience. 'Ah, I suppose it's called lava since it's above the ground.'
"Master?" Jalter tried again, this time in a slightly louder, albeit gentler tone.
Ainz sighed, before finally resolving to meet her eyes. Two rubies stared into twin pools of gold. "Jeanne...I" he paused for a bit, trying to gather his thoughts. "I'm sorry."
"Eh? What for?" she asked, her head tilting almost imperceptibly.
"Because of me, you had to fight Nishikienrai-san." The explanation did nothing to erase the confusion from her face.
"You're not making any sense, you know that, right?"
"He is your creator, isn't he? Your loyalty was supposed to be to him, not me. It's my fault that you had to stand against him." That's right. Ainz still didn't have the whole picture, but he figured out that the reason the so-called "Servants" followed him was because of that Grail. He had basically compelled them to regard him as their 'Master', regardless of what their feelings might have actually been on the matter. I mean, logically speaking, there was no other reason for Hans to keep his secret, for Moriarty to think of him as a genius, for Kiara to be so interested in him, for Jack to call to think of him as their mother, for...
His trail of thought was suddenly stopped by Jalter's punch connecting to his shoulder.
"What on Earth are you talking about? I don't give a damn about who created me or all that, I don't care if I was supposed to be something else or to not exist at all. I am who I am, my choices are my own. Nobody could take that from me, ya hear? That's what Rits- that guy said to me, and I won't allow anybody to tarnish that." It wasn't her words that shocked Ainz it was rather the manner in which she was speaking. He'd never heard the usual brutish and moody woman talk so passionately about anything before. "But don't think so highly of yourself just because I chose you as my master!" She hastily added. "You should feel honoured that I allow you to stand by my side like this!"
Ainz was stunned. It didn't hit him until now how much those words would have meant to him. Suddenly, all his problems and worries didn't seem so gigantic all of the sudden. He had been so desperate in his idea to search for his former guildmates, he hadn't realized he already wasn't alone anymore.
"I really do feel honoured." he genuinely answered. It probably was a trick of the light, but Ainz thought that Jalter's checks were gaining a bit of redness. "I promise you, we shall find Nishikienrai-san as soon as possible." And he was going to get some answers out of him. He would prove to him that he hadn't made a wrong choice, even if he had to prove that to himself first.
"That's what I'm talking about!" she answered with a slight grin, one that promised both anticipation and pain.
"If you don't mind me asking," Ainz asked as they started climbing down the mountain "Why did you choose to pledge your loyalty to me in the first place?"
Jalter missed the next step, nearly faceplanting into the hard rocks. She quickly recovered though, hastening her pace in order to get ahead of Ainz.
"W-well, t-that's because...you were the only one who stayed behind for us." Her voice was softer than a whisper, so Ainz was unable to catch the last part.
"Pardon, I didn't hear you."
"N-NOTHING!" she stammered out, a bit louder than she intended to. "Anyways, I think it's about to go back to Nazarick, right?"
"Yes, that's right!" he responded, preparing a teleportation spell. "I can't shake off the feeling we have forgotten something, however."
Far into the distance, a squeaky voice cried out as it ran through the woods, moving as fast as it could.
"Master! Don't forget about meeee-de gozaru."
Author's note:
So now that the exam season is over, so now I should be able to hopefully return to once-a-week updates. On a more important note, the philly cheese steak I had the other day was bomb, but it seems my scale did not appreciate it very much. Prick