The Gull was a single engine propeller driven seaplane. It could seat two and carry up to a thousand pounds of cargo. A single .65 mm machine was attached to the wing above the cockpit. The plane could obtain a maximum speed of a hundred and sixty miles per hour. With a full battery she had a range of six hundred miles, which meant she could cross the entire span of the Delta ten times before having to set down. She also represented the sum total of the air force of Turnersport.
The Evil Witch had been expected back some time yesterday morning but had never arrived. The ship was not responding to radio calls. There had been no storms and everyone assumed that if they had run into some sort of trouble they would have called in an alert. The guess was there had been some sort of critical failure to the entire electric system, which would have killed not only the engines but the radio as well. Bloody Billy had ordered them out to try and find his missing ship. So far they'd had no luck.
In the pilot's seat was Stacy Powell, next to him his co-pilot Barret Emerson was looking down with a pair of binoculars.
"We're coming up on Cutler's Point." Stacy noted.
"Hey! I think I see them!"
"You do?"
"Yeah! It looks like they wrecked, the whole boat is on the island!"
"Sky and sea! Bloody Billy's not going to like that. John's dead, he might even shoot the whole crew. Are they okay? Can you see them?"
"Nope, get us lower so I can get a better view."
"Sure." Stacy dropped to forty feet above the waves and turned toward the island. Even without binoculars he spotted the ship. Stacy frowned, it didn't look quite right.
Barret lowered his binoculars and had an embarrassed grin. "Uh, sorry, I guess it's not the Evil Witch."
When they passed directly overhead Stacy got a clear view of a rusted out hulk that had probably been sitting there since before he was been born. "Are you fucking blind?"
"I said I was sorry."
"I'm just glad I didn't radio it in."
He climbed back up to their original cruising altitude and returned to course.
XXX
"A machine that flies without magic," Sebas said. "Most impressive."
"I believe we will witness many wonders in this new world." Momonga said. He was in his quarters observing the plane in the Mirror of Remote Viewing. He was actually slightly disappointed that the plane looked like something that might have been used in the Second World War. When the imps had spotted it he'd been hoping to see a flying mecha, preferably one that looked like a Gundam.
"Momonga-sama, is it truly wise to rely entirely on an illusion to hide our presence?"
"The fog was what drew attention from the ship. I was originally concerned about using an illusion because of detection spells our enemies might have. But if this is a world without magic that is no longer an issue."
"Can it really be true, Momonga-sama? I find it hard to imagine."
"Yggdrasil is not the only existence, Sebas." He deliberately tried to sound mysterious, and by the way his butler nodded had succeeded. The denizens of the tomb viewed him and all the forty-one Supreme Beings as gods. As the members of the guild quit or stopped coming, the NPCs had interpreted it as their gods departing the world for some other dimension or plane of existence. It was easy for Sebas and the others to believe he knew everything.
Momonga was all too painfully aware of his limitations, and the need to keep up the pretense. Would they follow him if they realized just how little he actually knew? Information was vital. Momonga glanced at the materials that had been taken from the human ship. The weapons might well prove useful, but Shizu already carried a rifle. His followers were familiar with the concept of firearms, at least. The maps were valuable, but only to a degree. They covered the local area. Momonga would need to acquire more extended and detailed maps of this world to plan things out. He was not an engineer or electrician and could not read schematics, he would need to rely on Tobi and others like him to get use from them. The item that interested Momonga the most was the book.
Given its worn condition it had to be very old, perhaps even coming from the time prior to their nuclear war. If people had held onto it through generations it had to have some sort of special value. It might be a history book, describing the world as it once was. It might contain some myths or fables central to the belief system of this world. Perhaps it was great literature? This world's version of Shakespeare, Hemmingway, or Kishimoto. Whatever it was he was very curious to learn what was written on those pages. Unfortunately, the magic that automatically translated spoken words for him did not work on anything written. He could have had Tobi read it to him, but he wanted to wait until Sebas or one of the maids could do so. Tobi was still in the process of earning his full trust. He did not want the man to give a selective translation, editing out or altering anything he was afraid to reveal. Momonga would wait until he could find out exactly what was on those pages.
In the meantime there was still very much to learn.
XXX
Tobi was honestly not sure whether or not he was lucky. He was currently in his quarters, he had a real bed and his very own bathroom. On board the Evil Witch he'd slept on a cot in the engine room. When he was at the school he shared a room with five other Techs and slept on blankets on the floor. Yesterday he'd been given a hamburger, plate of fries, a pickle, and a slice of apple pie for dinner. His last meal on the ship had been some salted fish and a single roll of stale bread. Since his arrival through the gate, he had been treated with courtesy, if not much warmth. That was still miles better than what was normal for him. He was used to hard work and long hours, so the idea of teaching did not worry him. He'd done it before, all Techs took turns teaching the students at the school. The idea that what he was doing was treason did not even cross his mind. He had no loyalty whatsoever to Bloody Billy Turner or the people of Turnersport.
On the other hand… he was living in a giant underground tomb filled with monsters. How could someone not be nervous about that? Yuri had taken him aside and spoken to him for awhile, explaining things. This place and these people were from a different world, one where monsters and magic were real, and had been transported here by some unknown force. Momonga was supposed to be a living god, the last of forty-one who had lived here once, and was the object of apparently fanatical devotion. Yuri had gone into frightening detail about what sorts of things would happen to him if he betrayed Momonga in any way. Tobi came from a place where beatings and torture were common, and people could be killed for any reason. But he'd found himself shaking. Even Bloody Billy didn't go so far as to skin people, dip them in acid, or saw off limbs. He also could magically heal them and repeat the process.
Before coming here he'd have laughed at the whole idea of magic or monsters being real. But he could not deny the gate he'd walked through had instantly taken him from the prow of the ship to the inside of a corridor. He'd seen people walking around with human bodies and the heads of animals, as well as a penguin carrying a feather duster and talking about why he should be the supreme leader. Tobi wanted there to be some sort of rational explanation. So far the best he'd come up with was that these people were either Easterners or aliens bent on invasion and using incredibly advanced technology that functioned like magic, and robots designed like monsters. The likeliest scenario was that the fish he'd had was bad and he was in his cot having some sort of vivid fever dream. He could accept any one of those three possibilities more readily than what he'd been told.
"Not that it really matters," he muttered to himself. Whether they were aliens, eastern spies, or figments of his imagination he would do as he was told and make the best of his situation.
About twenty minutes later there was a knock on his door. He opened it to find the maid called Shizu standing there. She had light red hair, an eye patch, a maid uniform with gloves, leggings, and a scarf of camouflage, and a very fancy silver rifle on her hip.
"It is breakfast time. Please come with me. Following the meal you are to commence our instruction."
"Yes, I understand."
He followed her down the corridor.
"You're a robot, right? Or are you a cyborg? Ah, if you don't mind my asking."
"Your query does not offend me." She said in a monotone. "My proper designation is automaton, not robot. I am classified a sentient mechanical being."
"So you're an AI?" Tobi was excited just at the prospect of interacting with one. Among Techs AIs were the stuff of legend. Even more than spaceships or the cobalt bombs, they represented the peak creation of the golden age. When she shook her head he was a little disappointed.
"No, I am not an artificial intelligence, those did not exist in Yggdrasil. I am the result of extremely advanced programming. I was programmed to carry out the tasks assigned me by the Supreme Beings, to gather information, problem solve, and to love cute things."
Tobi raised an eyebrow. "You were made to love cute things?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I lack that information, but we do not question the reasons of the Supreme Beings."
"Right."
As they were walking they came across a beautiful woman dressed in white with horns coming out of her head. For some reason she was staring directly at him with a dire expression.
"Shizu, what is this lower being doing here? Why isn't he in the prison?"
"Momonga-sama ordered he be kept on this floor to act as an instructor."
The horned woman's frown deepened. "Prisoners should not be permitted on this floor, so close to Momonga-sama's presence."
"I'm not a prisoner," Tobi said. "I've sworn allegiance to the master."
That was a mistake. Too fast to see she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall.
"YOU DARE?!" She screamed into his face. "You speak of swearing allegiance to the glorious darkness that is my love and master? What has a filthy lower life form like you done to DESERVE such a privilege?!"
She pinned him there with one hand and squeezed tight enough to keep him from breathing. He beat against her arm but she didn't seem to notice.
"Well you worthless creature? I asked you a question."
"I don't believe he is currently capable of speech as you have closed his airway."
Shizu calmly replied.
Tobi was sure he was about to die.
"Albedo! What are you doing?"
The woman let go of him and he gasped, able to breathe again. The master had appeared along with the man in a suit called Sebas. The woman's entire demeanor changed in an instant. She ignored the person she'd been about to choke to death and turned towards Momonga. Her cheeks took on a rosy glow, as she put her hands together and smiled dreamily.
"Momonga-sama, did you sleep well?"
"I am undead, Albedo, I do not sleep. What is going on here?"
"I was simply asking this worthless lower lifeform why he was desecrating these sacred walls with his loathsome presence." She said all that with a sweet tone.
"I believe he may be very useful to me, so I have chosen to make him one of my servants."
"Of course, Momonga-sama. Even a fly or a worm can be useful. But to permit such an insignificant creature to claim the honorable title of servant is a mockery to all those who are truly devoted to you."
"Are you questioning Momonga-sama's judgement?" Sebas asked.
"Never! Momonga-sama is incapable of being mistaken. If he thinks this filthy scum may be of use then I am sure he can be. I only say he should be used as a slave." She suddenly turned back to Tobi, glaring at him with a murderous intensity. He could actually feel her hatred and loathing press down on him. "Would you gladly take your own life if Momonga-sama ordered it?"
Tobi gulped. "I… I'd really rather not."
She turned back to Momonga waving both hands. "Do you see? What kind of servant is that?"
"Albedo, I am glad for your devotion. But you must keep this fact in mind. Humans are the sole intelligent race on this planet. If Nazarick is to survive and grow I must have humans in my service, whether you view them as lower lifeforms or not."
"Then let them serve as slaves, which would only be proper." She bowed low to him. "Please place me or Demiurge in charge of them and I promise we will get them to work hard for you!"
"No. Some of them will be prisoners and have to be compelled, but I prefer to have them serve of their own free will whenever possible."
The woman let out a defeated sigh. "As you wish, Momonga sama."
Momonga nodded. "Now come, I want to go over the daily reports."
"Hai."
Momonga returned to his quarters. The second he was no longer in the hall. The horned woman turned to look at him again with blatant contempt. "Step carefully, worthless lower life form. You are nothing but a bug, and bugs get squashed." She then hurried after Momonga.
Tobi's knees felt weak and he was barely able to stand. "What… what did I do to her?"
"You are human," Shizu said. "Albedo despises humans."
"But why?"
"She was programmed that way." Shizu reached out and took hold of his elbow to steady him. "Come, we need to go or we will be late for breakfast."