Authors note: Im back. more detailed AN at the end.
Waking up I am relieved that I am quite comfortable and that sleeping on my wings does not make the wing "fall asleep" and feel like pins and needles.
Leaving my room I immediately there is an npc waiting just outside the door.
While I am not a fan of the maid estetic I recognize that a place such like this can not be maintained by me alone or by combat focused denizens so a different type of worker was made.
These people are higher leveled homunculus than what Momonga uses but they are commander types, elementalists and golem masters that can use lesser wind,water,fire,and earth elementales as well as temporary golems to complete the work of maintaining the Library, this brings their level closer to 30 or 40 and many live in the various blocks of buildings that are surrounded by the canals but most live in the central island which has the greatest amount of indoor space.
"Good morning Lord Typhon" she deftly greets with a slight bow.
Ah, I suppose now is as good of a time as any to address this.
I return a faint smile before saying "well I am certainly no lord, if anything at the very most my title would be headmaster since this is a library and institution of knowledge" I add.
"In fact, I would appreciate it if you would spread the word about that change, I have let it slip for far too long already and I don't want anyone to make it a habit." Once more I speak and the attentive
"Ah? Truly lor- Headmaster Typhon? Should I not be in your presence to serve you for the day?" She begins asking in the first half of her response but near the end it almost turns to pleading and sadness.
I guess the NPC still treats me very reverently and values time with me quite a lot even though there are no guild members who have left that would have given them abandonment issues.
"I am certain this is something that I need addressed soon so no habits form, and I am needed elsewhere at them moment" Well unfortunate for her as I have many more "not maids" than Momonga so the rotation time before she gets a day with me again would be quite long. I would feel bad if I wasn't genuinely busy and if the task I gave her would have been something I would truly appreciate.
" Understood I will complete my task as soon as possible and return to your side" she says solemnly and then turns and briskly walks away.
I continue watching her retreating form and listen to the sounds of here footsteps as a steady *click* *click* *click* *click*
Until the moment she turns the corner and the footsteps greatly increase *cliclicliclicliclicli* as she breaks out into what I can only assume to be a full on sprint to complete her task as fast as possible.
I laugh silently to myself before continuing on my lonesome before talking into the wind "The expedition?"
And as if he was already there an owlish biped responds right behind me "We have a positive identification of many of the royals you have described from the empire and kingdom, Jircniv has recently complete a purge that has the empire unsteady and the second princess of the kingdom has been married off leaving only the king, 2 princes, and the third princess in the capital."
So that means Nazarick is a few months to years away. That is fine by me. I am busy enough as is. I am happy I could get settled before I have to deal with wildcards like that.
"Very well, the performance of the Ikkoth is truly invaluable. I commend your effort" I respond and then I feel his presence vanish without a sound.
At least he didn't call me 'Lord'.
Finally arriving at my destination I take a step into the bare stone room that I was originally in when I came to this world and sit down on the dais.
Regardless of titles or what time I am in or even my location I still need to fix my levels and classes right now I am spread way too thin with only 1 level in many classes to be sure I can bring them to this world.
Now that I am here I can tell that was an unnecessary precaution but one I am glad I took anyways.
This room did have a purpose besides dramatic effect after all. During my time playing with no-hud rooms like this became popular in the community where dais' or sci fi chairs or lily pad ponds would be used (depending on the style of the guild base) as a respecing area where glyphs could be made to appear and can be interacted with instead of a standard game menu.
And soon glowing spheres, semi spheres and lines with no apparent meaning come into existence all around me. I descended to have fun with this and since I am the only one who needs to use it I might as well make it unreadable to others with no apparent letters at all.
Ignoring that for now I bring out the two most important items I own, The wand of duplication and a ring of XP storage that has been collecting XP for over a decade.
A combo that I am sure to exploit much later on but for now I only need my usual classes back as well as a few more to help. Going too far now would probably stunt me a bit as I plan on practicing fighting with the various masters of arts I so painstakingly made and becoming too overwhelming would just make it easy for bad habits to form.
I quickly start making adjustments, lowering and raising levels mainly getting back my martial [War Saint] class as well as an arcane chronomancy and elemental sorcery class.
As dumb as it is to worry about my safety in a world like this, feeling the familiar skills once again at my fingertips is rather reassuring. But sadly I am a (self inflicted) busy person and can only spend so long idling in self assurance.
I next pick up an absurd amount of crafting classes and leave immediately to a personal workshop where I start cashing in on the second game changer I so painstakingly set up and brought out the dragon pearl from the azure dragon.
This is a race change item that grants the user draconic racial levels. It has a few other caveats that make using this particular race change item more desirable than others that also grant draconic levels but that's all moot because this is just going to become crafting material.
Taking out the drops from the other 3 auspicious beasts and begin tinkering to finally create an [Auspicious orb] if anyone else in the world ever found this item they sure as hell didn't mention it because this is easily the most easily bragable item I have ever seen.
If you thought people got disproportionately smug over meaningly titles and epithets then you can imagine what it would be like to have an even rarer and beneficial unique class.
The [Auspicious orb] generates a class name based on where the player uses this item at, and grants player appropriate versions of the abilities from the 4 auspicious beasts boss fights as well as an appropriately themed ability and stat spread based on what it generates.
So if i were to use this in Vanaheim it would generate something like [Emerald dragon of Vanaheim] to fit in with the vermillion bird of the south, azure dragon of the east, black tortoise of the north and so on.
The question now is where do I use it? What realm am I even in? And can I use it multiple times? I can duplicate it easily enough and even without that I have enough material to build a second legitimately.
Well I am a scientist first and foremost so for the sake of discovery why not.
Grabbing the orb I return to the respecing room and begin consuming the item, silently sitting as the orb dissolves into motes of light and I glow with it until it finally dims and I see a new racial class attributed to me, [Juvenile Realmless Dragon].
Realmless? I wonder if that is due to being in this place specifically or if it is because I have been to so many different worlds already. Technically speaking I have been to my original earth, a lunar site for work, then I died, came to the second earth, then the 9 realms of yggdrasil, and now new world number 3.
I guess I really do dont stick to a single realm for long do I. But it appears as christmas came early as I start reading the list of potential abilities I gain from leveling up, new abilities that are certainly not possibly back when this was just in yggdrasil. How remarkable.
Sadly I am interrupted by a knock to my chamber, "Headmaster, I have news may I come in?".
"Come in, tell me what news you have". Frankly, I am not even sure how they know Where I am in this city. The towers and library they are built on alone is larger than anything on either earth, and the inside of these structures are significantly larger on the inside than on the outside on top of that.
A question for another time perhaps, I gesture vaguely and the floating symbols fall to the ground and vanish, leaving the maid who entered looking to where they went with a hint of curiosity in her eye before she refocused on me and suddenly looked a bit confused.
"Is everything alright?" I ask, "Oh course headmaster, you simply look different than last time I saw you." she finishes. Now feeling curious myself I use a [Decoy] illusion to make a copy of myself and step back noting the differences. Mainly being my horns now have a fork in them and the slit of my eye now make a Y shape instead of the snakelike slit they used to be, I also notice incredibly hard scales that run behind my ear and down the nape of my neck and partially up the base of my wings but those are not very apparent due to my long hair.
Curiosity now stated I return my attention to the maid and ask her to continue. "Of course, Archdruid Mirsyl and her druids have drafted an expedition proposal and are prepared to present it to you."
An unsurprising thing really, I have for the moment elected to keep all member of the guild in the city until we get our bearing; and while the physicist, Engineers, astrologists, and arcanists are happily ripping up the standard model of physics in a universe with magic or playing with materials with new properties the botanists, biologists, and other earth sciences have been getting restless, coming up with plans and projects and experiments and what not but there is only so much you can do in earth science without.. You know.. Earth (or atleast a similar planet).
"Verywell are they set up in a room or should I have them come to me" I ask as I fix my clothes and begin walking to the door. "They have been prepping on the main auditorium of floor 431 of the first tower."
"Thank you Aira." I add and stride to my new destination. Can't believe in a life of near endless power, wealth, and status and I choose to give myself work. Truly I am an idiot.
Walking to the room, and eventually entering the lecture room I am greeted by the Archdruid Mirsyl, A dark Elf with emerald eyes, and wood like antlers decorated with dark green vines and a matching cloak of dark green leaves
She immediately lights up when she sees me walking in and with a rhythmically clacking of her staff, a gnarled wooden staff with a large emerald gem floating in the top, as she approaches.
"Headmaster! Please come, we have many exciting things ahead of us!" she beckons as she guides me towards a seat. I oblige her and follow and the group begins. There are a few different groups who have different proposals, Mirsyl acts as a department head so she has her hand dipped in nearly all the projects but the individual projects themselves are headed up by the professors and druids ive designed to be already experts in various fields and even more students who I designed with good fundamentals but more adaptable to change and less distracted by prior knowledge and assumptions.
Their proposals were well done, with enough details to justify what they are asking for and specific requests on what they want and where they want to go.
Right now it's just a local study of the mountain range by geologists and the surrounding areas, on the bio side of things the beginnings of a bestiary and botanical of local animals and plants, nothing encroaching on the territory of humans for now until a consensus on how we plan to treat the outside world.
Few extra hours of additional tweaking and details and things start rolling out fast. Gear, guards, and information are distributed and in the early dawn a few of the low risk close-by expeditions are sent out on the backs of wyverns and other beasts.
Meanwhile a more comprehensive and scalable project was talked about with Mirsyl and a few project heads while the junior members were out. It was proposed to instead start an international shell corporation and fund various adventurer and worker quests to gather samples of plants or materials as well as capture and hunt quests of various animals and monsters.
It would take an absurd amount of money but with a purpose so clear it can be planned around, I will not be directly involved on the money side of things as I already created being optimized for business and money since no matter where I ended up the ability to make money and influence others financially is a powerful capability to have.
In short, more meetings with more people. I could just dupe gold until people notice the influx and cash out before word travels. But no; I am going to be responsible and do things the right way (by exploiting a rigged financial system and coercing politicians (the way god intended)).
Either way these are problems that can be taken care off by my subordinates, I have a different task for myself in mind.
Finally reaching the peak of the main towers I look north west with a critical gaze, "Laheir".
"Yes, headmaster?" " I will send you an image of a place through [message] I wish for you to locate it, and inform me of when you get the exact location, it should be within the Argland council state, you are familiar with the map of this world correct?".
"Indeed I am headmaster. Is there anything I should look for in particular?"
I go ahead and send the location of a damaged guild base.
"Yes there is, the roof will be damaged and through it, if you can see a dragon in its depths I would be most pleased."
"And you wish to slay this dragon?" asks, confused why I would bother the library already possess samples of nearly every piece and drop that can be obtained from dozens of varieties of dragons.
"No, I doubt it will come to that, I have obtained magic that is exclusive to the dragon lords of this world, and I believe the dragon in this building has a very particular class I wish to learn that utilizes this magic."
"I see, I will inform you when I have found it, nothing can escape my sight for long after all." he adds with a confident grin, before beginning preparing his spells and rituals.
—-
"I can only apologize so many times Rigrit, I never intended to deceive you or the other of the thirteen heroes. When will you ever forgive me?"
"Well give it a few more years, I already debated if I should answer you at all, Tsaindorcus."
"Rigrit I- Wait, an intruder." Standing up from his position for the first time in a while, The platinum Dragon lord Raises his head looking into the damaged roof "Who would dare?"
"An intruder? Hardly, I would have knocked on the front door but a floating castle with no roof isn't exactly a secure area since I needed to fly to get up here in the first place." The strange person, no, creature announced from the edge of the hole in the roof above and in his palm he holds a magic construct the shape of a cone or a pointer, pointing directly to him.
"A player?" Hardly spoken out loud and the twitch of recognition to the phrase in the creatures eyes is answer enough for Tsaindorcus.
"I don't intend on speaking through a hole in a roof for the entire night but since you seem to be one who values formal permission for trivial things.." The Creature drawls on expecting a particular answer.
An amused and suppressed humph is heard from Rigrit "Well it appears you have to invite the poor bastard in, after all you are 'far to large to simply travel about as you please' so you clearly cant leave to go to him ". Regret mockingly repeats the reason he gave her for why he used the puppeted armor while adventuring with them back to him, It feels much more empty than he was hoping for now that she finally accepts his excuse at a time like this.
"Oh? A Lover's quarrel? Should I come back later perhaps?" Tsaindorcus can only look back to the two before him with his mouth just barely agape; Although he senses zero hostility in the air, why does he get the feeling of being outnumbered?
A proper laugh this time resounds from Rigrit " Ha, I'm afraid Ole Tsaindorcus isn't exactly my type Ha".
Fully exasperated now Tsaindorcus gives up on this trivial side tangent and focuses back to the main topic at hand." Come in. You are permitted entry as a guest, dispel your magic".
The creature without complaint complies and with a gesture the arrow pointing towards himself evaporates in cloud of lights before he hops off from the roof, a set of six wings spread to their full span the moment before he hits the ground and returns to there idle position letting the player land without even the faintest of sounds.
"You are a player from yggdrasil correct? Why have you come here?" The words spoken hold a certain weight to them. The careful tone used to speak to Rigrit is gone, and Rigrit herself positions herself slightly behind the desended being, hand on her sword.
"Indeed I am. As for why I have come here, I was hoping you would answer that, after all" the creature pauses dramatically "you are the one who summoned me here".
Tsaindorcus eyes widen, slightly, he admits that he does have a negative bias towards the players of yggdrasil. They are corrupting, often greedy with no regard to the world they are in. But he never forgets the most important fact to these beings, a fact most others in this world either don't know or don't care about. They never chose to come here.
His father the dragon emperor was perhaps the most greedy of them all, summoning them to obtain the artifacts of their world and brought untold destruction and corruption on this world.
Interrupting his internal thoughts the being continues "or at least that is who my spell should have located, I barely acquired the magic of this world so if I sought out the wrong person then by all means let me know".
The beings voice was polite, but it's eyes held no kindness this being was hunting. But only now did Tsaindorcus mind catch up to what was said. Especially about this spell that was pointing right at him.
"Wild magic" he says in a voice just above a whisper. A player. A corrupting being from that damnable realm of yggdrasil, has wild magic.
"So that is what you people call it" at this point the facade of politeness is dropped and the beings words were spoken in a flat tone that implied zero interest in what was just spoken, because the most important thing to this being was the words that were not spoken. The dragon did not deny the summoning.
Tsaindorcus was many things, but a coward who can't face the consequences of his actions is not one of them. It may have been his father who had summoned them, who designed the ritual and sought it carried out, but magic of that magnitude couldn't be done alone, he among a dozen other dragon lords assisted with the ritual. Because if the dragon emperor called, you obeyed.
To the unspoken question in the air the dragon raised his head straighter and answered "I am the last living member of that ritual." Banishing the last shreds of hesitation from his body, Tsaindorcus stands to his full height and stares unflinching at the being "you have found your mark hunter".
After a tense moment of silence the creature before him similarly straightens back, rising and stretching further and further back, until he is almost leaning back slightly, the he leans to the left and with eyes still locked with his own, turns his head slightly in the direction of Rigrit.
"Is he always this dramatic?", instantly the tension decreases by several orders but doesn't completely go away.
"Usually it is worse than this, at least the speech he gave this time was short."
"He makes speeches? I -..."
Tsaindorcus was preparing for a battle, or a chase, or to rush Rigrit and leave with his friend. He was prepared for that. Being ignored however, he was not prepared for that.
Exasperated, he lays back down, his massive form displacing so much air as it approaches the floor that a gust blows throughout the room.
The conversation between the player and Rigrit dies down as they both close their mouths to not get any dust that flew up in the gust.
Both now look at him expectantly waiting for him to say something, Rigrit annoyed and the player near emotionless, considering the only emotion he saw on that creature were fake ones he wouldn't be surprised if the thing was a sociopath only mimicking emotions.
Taking a deep breath letting the tension leave his body he speaks again "If not to fight then why did you seek me out? I can not return you to your world, nobody can, tier magic has corrupted this world and the magic used to summon you can not be used on the same scale again.". If the player wanted back to its world then it would be sorely disappointed.
" perhaps, for you wild magic is corrupted. But for me.." The player splays his wings and arms and in a flurry conjures a spear. Although such a thing is possible with tier magic, with [Create item], [Create greater item], [Creation], or even [Create magic Item]; those spells would create a magic circle or several of them depending on the tier used.
And more than that, his eyes can see the mana and life of his opponents, and this conjuring depleted his life rather than mana.
Undeniable proof that this player just created a magic weapon similar to Rigrit's ring with wild magic. Something that has been impossible since decades before the summoning of yggdrasil, it was the very reason the summoning in the first place.
"How is such a thing-" Tsaindorcus can hardly string the words together, so many questions, he is paralyzed by which to ask first.
Before he can respond the player begins again " before the end of yggdrasil I have done many things that would otherwise have me banished permanently, with the blessing of those who administrate yggdrasil with the understanding that such things wouldn't matter in the last few moments of existence".
If anything that explanation has simply added a dozen or so questions and answered non. But the being continues " I arrived in this world about 30 days ago, and I had in my possession items that would add racial levels of a legendary draconic being, from yggdrasil upon the user"
As if to demonstrate, his pupils dialog to draconic slits and he tilts his head revealing a set of void black scales along the back of its neck normally not visible.
"But apparently draconic levels in this world have additional connotations here than in yggdrasil and thus" he stops his explanation and gestures to the spear conjured by wild magic.
"So I came here to learn, although you can no longer manipulate the magic to travel worlds anymore, you still have the knowledge, and now I come to you as a student with the ability but not the knowledge, so I can leave this world".
The monologue was quick and spoken in a calm almost bored tone that Tsaindorcus is now associating with this players natural disposition but his words sparked something in Tsaindorcus.
For too long wild magic had escaped its masters and the last thing ever done with it was doom this world to a slow death. The players come and each seemingly more powerful than the last and more ambitious. And those able and willing to stop them grow closer to extinction.
With an apprentice that can use wild magic as if the corruption never even occurred and one as powerful as a player… finally locking this world from outsiders might be possible.
Tsaindorcus has only ever trusted one player before, and only after many years. But this is an opportunity like no other, Tsaindorcus has long simply tried to minimize the damage of the players and could only hope that it would be the last, but after over a thousand years it became clear it was not stopping, and it would stop.
But now there is a chance, a win conditions if you would. Tsaindorcus would test this student of his of course to ensure he holds to his word but outright refusal is simply not possible.
"And what is your name?"
"I am Typhon, I'll take this as an acceptance to your tutelage, and yours?"
"I am the Platinum Dragon lord." He was content to simply leave it at that but a look from Rigrit told him to show a bit more sincerity.
"Or Tsaindorcus if you are to be my apprentice" he reluctantly added.
"Ah that must have been hard for you to trust me with your name, I appreciate it" his now apprentice notes with a bit of mirth in his tone.
"Indeed he barely ever trusts other, I'm sure it was very hard I'm so proud" Rigrit adds. For the sake of Rigrit he will swallow his misgivings about his treatment just this once but now he considers the debt of decent to his former party member to be payed in full.
He will have to hold lessons when Rigrit is not visiting however, or even better when she is out of the country.
Typhon, seems to notice his musing and determins that whatever he came for is now complete. "I am assuming right this second is not when we will be being so I will give you this-" he reaches into a portal that his once leader informed him was actually the inventory of a player and takes out a few medallions.
"These are minor magical coins, that can be split in two and if one half breaks the other will also break. Shatter yours and I will return here." He demonstrates with one of the coin putting magic through it and it splits roughly in 2 each half then forms an ethereal outline of its missing half. Then hands two such halfs to Rigrit, "And one of these is for you, we should meet again" and just as sudden as his arrival he takes a dozen steps back under the hole in the roof and summons a black portal above the guild hall and with a flap of his wings he rockets into the portal almost too fast to see.
Rigrit and Tsaindorcus just look up for a moment before breaking the silence "what do you think of this one?".
"I didn't think I'd live to see 2 waves of players, almost hoped I wouldn't, but it certainly could have been worst."
"I am concerned however, never is it only one. He didn't mention any others with him.. although he did leave to go somewhere" the dragon closes his eyes in thought.
"You think he was summoned with his guild base" Rigrit sums up his thoughts.
"I do, he knew of me, of wild magic, of my location, he asked no questions of this world, but he hasn't been here long enough for any sightings of him or story's of anyone unnatural gifted to be spread, that tells me he has many hands to help gather information quickly" he opens his eyes and now looks to Rigrit.
"You should take him up on his offer and learn more of him, he is still unknown and I get the impression that his heteromorphic form is effecting him emotionally, have you noticed?".
"That he either has no emotion or is putting on fake ones. Yea I picked up on that, either emotional suppression from his race or a sociopath, he was good to talk to while you were sulking but I got the feeling he was looking through me rather than at me." Rigrit builds upon her friend's analysis with her own.
Another bout of silence before they talk about the elephant in the room, or in this case the spear.
Still levitating where it was created the wild magic spear spins lazily.
"Was it truly wild magic"
"It was unmistakable"
Another moment of just staring before Rigrit approaches the item, before touching it she tried appraisal and other identifying spells but few went through, those that did only gave vague details of what it was, an extremely high level item with a single special property, what it was exactly they have no clue but it is not cursed so she grabs it.
The levitation gives out once it is in her hand and drops a few inches as it is heavier that Rigrit was expecting. After a moment she begins swinging it around. She is no Spearman by any stretch but she has lived long enough to pick up a few basic forms although applying them in real combat would be beyond her.
For a few minutes she sends out sweeping one handed slashes, thrusts, guards, Stacey transitions and combinations of all of the above. But it just seems like a regular spear, although a very well made, heavy, and well balance one.
Then as a mistake Rigrit let's the blade of the spear drag across the ground as she turns around after tiredly attempting a one handed wide low sweep.
Not noticing she stops her breath heavier than before, and looks at her spear, then to the dragon. "I didn't notice anything special about it, did you?".
The dragon doesn't respond verbally and just dips his head towards a spot on the floor. Turning her head she notices what he is referring too, a large gash across the floor in a half circle. Almost 9 inches deep only seemingly stopping because that is how much the blade clipped it.
"I didn't even feel this" she mutters, "A sharpness enhancement like the treasure of Re-estise?" Looking back to her friend to get his input on the matter.
Oh how he missed times like this, it brings him back to his adventuring days when they together were testing out magic items, artifacts, and tactics; he would never mention it out loud but he found moments like those to be the most fun and fond memories of there travels.
"Perhaps, may you bring it to me?"Rigrit complies and bring the spear closer to Tsaindorcus, and he reaches out with his giant claw and the moment it makes contact with the shaft of the weapon his skin hisses with heat and deteriorates almost as fast as either of them can follow.
Tsaindorcus quickly retracts is forelimb and stifles any sounds of pain as best as he can lest he panics and try swatting the thing away which will only cause more damage.
But now there is no doubt of the enchantment of the item.
"Dragonsbane" Tsaindorcus answers the question without it having to be asked.
"I guess this gift turned out to be more of a threat then" Rigrit concludes, but to her surprise Tsaindorcus disagrees "no this is a neutral at worst message, an exchange of trust, he used much of his health to form that item with wild magic but wasn't left defenseless, he left it behind as a message that he could make more but also gave us the prefect weapon to fight him with, in hindsight while Typhon was here he never touched this item either, he too would be affected by dragonsbane items".
A moment of silence comes and is once again Rigrit breaks it "well he could have just left a note".
Laughing a bit with her, Tsaindorcus can only look at the hand that touched the spear, it is now marred by black streaks of burnt flesh and gnarled scales deformed by mythical amounts of heat, it would heal but he couldn't help but agree, "I'd rather him leave a note as well" they both laugh and continue talking about what has occurred what they plan, and other more mundane things with the tact understanding that this will either be a very good or very bad development and only time will tell.
AN: So im off my Hiatus, was very busy moved about 5 times across 2 states, bunch of different jobs and school in-between then and now.
This chapter was made in about the 4 or 5 writing session across 8 months, so if the tone changes I apologize I wrote on vastly different days in different moods, the last scene was written almost entirely on mobile during my commute. I also change between perspectives a few times throught this story as I try to get the feel of writing write, im trying to have a similar perspective to the light novels but I think I like writing 1st person for the MC and a character focused 3rd person for side characters like PDL what do you all think?