PSA: Sorry it's been a while, I've been a bit busy lately. Hopefully this extra-long chapter makes up for it.
Someone mentioned earlier that I should be focusing more on Ainz and Nazarick. I disagree, since this is a cross-over after-all.
Steel and Sorcerers - Chapter 33
The Katze plains. A cursed realm blanketed in fog, scattered with the ruins of ancient civilizations, and crawling with undead thanks to the annual wars between the Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire.
Ainz, in the appearance of Momon and flanked by Sebas, casually strode through this land. Ainz was taking in the sights as if he was a tourist on holiday, while Sebas maintained his steely vigilant persona. The reason why they were travelling through such a place was because they were on their way to the Dragon Kingdom.
Now that the operation in the Dwarf kingdom was over, Ainz was free to pursue other objectives, one of the top ones being finding out more about the nature of the gateway that connects Earth and the New World. So far their own investigations had revealed little except for a significant interaction with world items, which seemed to be able to cancel out some effects of the gate's magic. For example, without a world item it would ordinarily be impossible to teleport from the new world to Earth, or anywhere inside the gate. But, if you were carrying one then this would be possible. This had huge implications, as it meant as long as one carried world-items on their person they would be able to freely move between these two worlds without having to physically travel through the gate each time. Since Nazarick had quite a few world-items in their possession, this would enable them to access Earth much more easily and covertly.
There was still one thing though that Ainz wanted to make sure of before thinking about travelling back to Earth again. That being the structural durability of the gate, whether if destroyed it would sever the connection to Earth, the level of damage needed to achieve this, and whether they would still be able to teleport back and forth even afterwards it was destroyed.
Reflecting back on his earlier foray into Japan with Narberal, he cursed his own over-eagerness to investigate for himself what lay beyond the gate, and considered himself lucky that the connection hadn't been shut-off once he reached the other side, potentially stranding him there. Still, he had at least gained some critical knowledge from that exploration.
Putting that aside, as for the nature of the gate itself, there were currently two other systems of magic present in this world unfamiliar to Ainz. Martial arts, and wild magic. It seemed unlikely, although still worth considering, that martial arts could have been used to construct such a gate. However, it was more likely that wild magic, or a third unknown type of magic may have been involved, although it was still not certain.
Ainz had heard that the queen of the Dragon Kingdom, Draudillon Oriculus, had inherited the ability to use wild magic to some extent. Coincidentally, they also seemed to be at war with a neighbouring nation, the Beastman Country. He had also heard they were suffering heavy losses against them, and needed adventurers, preferably of adamantite rank to help fend them off.
To reach the Dragon Kingdom from Nazarick, or E-Rantel, there were three main routes one could take. You could go via the Slane Theocracy, around through the mountains which were apparently inhabited by wyvern rider tribes, or the most direct route, straight through the Katze plains. Since Ainz was still especially wary of the Slane Theocracy, them seeming to be the most powerful human nation around, and since going through the mountains would take a long time, Ainz decided to go for the most direct option. It was a region he had wanted to explore at some point anyways.
When he told Demiurge about his plan earlier, he had responded with, "To think you would move against them so soon! I see… I will make the necessary preparations at once."
At the time, all Ainz could say was "U-Umu. I'll leave it to you then."
Ainz wasn't exactly sure what preparations he had made, but if it was Demiurge, due to his high level of intellect it would probably be fine.
Suddenly, Ainz noticed something, holding up his hand to let Sebas know to halt. The fog up ahead seemed to be growing extremely thick.
Then, abruptly, the silhouette of a shape began to come into view in front of them.
'Ho… So the rumours were true' thought Ainz.
It was a large floating ship, similar to a galleass, which rode upon the thick fog as if it were the sea. Rows of oars protruded from its sides, rowing as if they were propelling the vessel forwards through water. The ship itself was in derelict condition, with holes all over and its sails torn and tattered. It floated about a meter off the ground, and glowed with a dim mystical light.
All of a sudden there was a loud boom, and Ainz watched as a cannonball flew from the ship, impacting the ground near him throwing up a shower of dirt.
'As expected, they're hostile.'
Ainz was hoping to capture this vessel for the sake of curiosity, so he ordered the various hanzos and 8-edge assassins that were escorting him to remain alert, but not engage yet.
"Sebas, follow me" said Ainz, before running towards the oncoming ship.
Another cannonball flew past, much further away this time since they were now trying to hit a moving target. Once Ainz reached the ship he jumped up, digging his armoured hands and feet into the rotting wood to use as handholds. This way, he quickly clambered up the side, Sebas following close behind.
Reaching and climbing up onto the deck, they were greeted by an array of what looked like undead pirates, who quickly moved to attack, using rusty cutlasses and other weapons. Drawing his pair of great-swords, Ainz swept them away with ease, making his way up to the wheelhouse, where he spotted what looked like the captain of these lesser undead, an elder lich dressed in stereotypical pirate garb.
As Ainz approached it began levitating into the air, and firing shards of ice which ricocheted off Ainz's armour.
Ainz calmly pointed a sword at the hovering lich. "[Undead Domination]."
All of a sudden all the various undead pirates ceased their attacks.
"You there" he said, addressing the elder lich captain. "Wait here. My subordinates will come deal with you shortly."
The lich bowed in acknowledgement.
As much as Ainz wanted to have a look around the ship, he was currently on a different mission so it could wait for later. His [Undead Domination] skill wouldn't wear off, so there was no need for him to remain here and constantly re-cast it.
About 2 days later, Ainz and Sebas arrived at the capital city of the Dragon Kingdom. They could've made it here faster, but Ainz had wanted to camp out during the nights. He didn't need to sleep because he was undead, and Sebas had items which cleared fatigue. However, camping out in the fog amongst the ruins of ancient civilizations just really tickled Ainz's adventurer spirit, and wasn't something he was going to just pass up on. He had made up an excuse, saying any passers-bys might think it strange if they were travelling at night.
Looking around the streets of the Dragon Kingdom's capital, he spotted a random citizen nearby. "Greetings. If you would be so kind, do you know how I could get to the nearest adventurer's guild from here?"
Looking him and Sebas up and down, they responded, "You must be here to help fight those foul beastmen, we really appreciate the help. The guild should be a few hundred metres that way. It's got lots of scaffolding on it as it's currently undergoing renovations, you can't miss it."
As they had passed through some smaller towns on the way to the capital, Ainz had picked up that there seemed to be a lot of shops and buildings that had closed down. Upon enquiring, it seemed that this was due to massively increased taxation, as the Dragon Kingdom was in a severe amount of debt due to its increased military expenditure, and heavy reliance on foreign aid to help fend off the beastmen.
Apparently three major cities had already been captured by the beastmen, with its inhabitants likely in the process of being eaten due to how the beastmen view humans as a food source. Many of the inhabitants of Nazarick wouldn't mind eating human flesh either, so Ainz couldn't say he had a grudge against them for that though. It was simply in their nature.
Entering the adventurer's guild, which was quite busy, Ainz patiently waited in line until he was able to see a clerk.
"Hello, I was wondering whether I could get a letter written and sent for me to the Dragon Queen."
Ainz wasn't sure if this was the best way to go about this, but even if they weren't able to fulfil his request, the might at least be able to direct him to someone that could, since despite hours of practice Ainz still wasn't confident in the writing system of this world. In addition, this would enable word of his presence here to be spread throughout the guild.
"Oh, are you Momon and Sebas of the adventuring team Darkness?" Asked, the clerk, glancing at their adamantite adventurer plates. "I've heard rumours of your great exploits around the Re-Estize Kingdom. I'm sure the Queen would be happy to see you. Would you like me to write, or can you do it yourself?"
"Please write for me."
After finishing writing the letter, the clerk said, "Due to your great influence, you'll probably get a reply within a couple of days. Now, is there anything else I can do for you today?"
On the plains several kilometres north of E-Rantel, a small number of farmers and workers wearing slightly out of place clothes toiled on a plot of land. They were attempting to cultivate healing herbs such as arnica grass and enkaishi using different types of farming methods. One area was dedicated to using traditional methods based on knowledge obtained from the city and surrounding villages, while another was being grown using a combination of those, as well as more modern techniques, such as fertilisers. It would still be a few months before one could tell for sure which approach was superior, and analysis was still being done on samples that had been gathered from different sources, so the program was still very much in its infancy. However, there was enormous potential here, as even the weakest healing potions were a game-changer in terms of medicinal technology. Trials were also being done back on Earth to see if they could be grown there too.
All of a sudden, squinting against the glare of the setting sun, some of the farmers and researchers spotted a large group of individuals on horseback approaching at high speed, brandishing what appeared to be swords and flaming torches.
Immediately they raised the alarm. Since this plantation was only experimental they only had a few armed guards, and those guards were not highly trained, and only equipped with pistols which were easily concealable due to there being a few new worlder farmers working with them.
Since the incoming riders were likely hostile and there were only three armed guards, a decision was hastily made to evacuate. However, by the time this decision was made, the attackers were already upon them.
The guards, formerly policemen, desperately fired at the bandits, wounding and knocking several off their horses. However, there were too many, and they were quickly overwhelmed and cut down. The rest of the personnel at the site met the same fate, the riders cackling with sadistic glee as they executed or chased down the civilians, rounding up a few to take as prisoners. They then set fire to the buildings and trampled the crops under their horses hooves. After that, they plundered any valuables and rode off, leaving behind a smouldering wreck with the scent of death lingering among the ashes.
Just a day later, Ainz and Sebas received an invitation to meet with the Dragon Queen, Draudillon Oriculus. This timing was within expectations based on what the clerk had told them, but to get a response within 24 hours to meet a head of state… the situation must be even more dire here than originally anticipated.
'Well, the more desperate they are, the more likely they are to value my assistance' thought Ainz.
After a series of various checks and formalities, Ainz and Sebas were granted entry to the throne room.
A pair of armed guards opened the doors, revealing a small yet luxurious room. Sitting upon a throne, the only chair in the room, was a young girl.
Ainz and Sebas entered the room and knelt.
The girl's voice was adorable and innocent, perfectly matching her age.
"Hiya! You must be Momon and Sebas, did ya want to talk about something? You must've come a long way." She said, waving her hand cutely. "It's ok to raise your heads by the way."
'Isn't she a bit young to be running a country?' is what Ainz thought to himself. However, he knew appearances could be deceiving, such as in the case with Shalltear. Before departing, he had requested Albedo compile a short summary report, although it turned out to be more of a novel, on the ruler of the Dragon Kingdom, Draudillon Oriculus. In his skimming through of that report, he saw at the end that Albedo had given her assessment that she was a reasonably competent ruler, in part due to having accumulated a large amount of rulership experience.
"Umu. Your majesty, we have heard of the plight of your people in the ongoing beastman invasion, and we have travelled here to provide our assistance wherever we can."
"Really! That would be so so helpful! How could I possibly replay you for your help?"
'Ah, there it is, asking about payment' Ainz noted. 'She definitely isn't as naïve as she seems at first glance.'
"What I desire is knowledge. However, I think it would be best to discuss a potential reward later, once I have actually contributed, no?"
Draudillon narrowed her eyes slightly for a moment, before quickly switching back to the loli façade.
"Okie, sounds good! Mr Prime Minister here can help you with the details" she said, looking up at the man standing beside her, who gave them a nod of acknowledgement.
A group of men in formal attire sat around a table in a soundproofed meeting room. The leader of this discussion, the director for operations within the special region, Habiki Ito, stood up to give his report.
"At 4:53pm, radio operators at the special region central compound received an urgent call for assistance from workers at an experimental plantation several kilometres north of E-Rantel, citing numerous armed individuals on horseback approaching at high speed. However, by 5:18pm, when the nearest unit was able to reach them, they found the buildings had been burnt down, the crops trampled, and the area littered with the bodies of the personnel who had been working there. Many documents and materials were missing, including the firearms of the guards stationed there. Initial investigations indicate their deaths were caused by blunt and bladed weapons. Of the 20 people originally working at the site, 16 have been confirmed dead, and 4 are currently missing. Of the dead, 3 were new worlders. Searches are currently underway to locate the 4 missing personnel and other materials. Any culprits have not yet been identified, however, the criminal organisation known 8-fingers is currently the most likely suspect. Are there any questions?"
One of the individuals responded, the chief scientist. "How did this happen? Were adequate security not stationed onsite?"
"According to the records there should've been three ex-police officers, armed with 9mm pistols guarding the facility. It is likely they were overwhelmed through sheer numbers."
"So, many research documents were stolen as well? The site was fairly small-scale, but that could be problematic in terms of operational secrecy."
"You know, this could actually be a great opportunity."
Everyone looked around to see who had spoken. It was the representative from the CIA.
"What exactly do you mean?" asked the chief scientist.
"Through our investigations, it has become clear that the Re-Estize kingdom isn't the most stable regime. There exist two factions of comparable power. The Royalty Faction, who support the king, and the Nobility Faction, who seek to accumulate more wealth for themselves. The kingdom is an incredibly corrupt organisation, with the criminal organisation 8-fingers having considerable influence. This sometimes makes it difficult to do business, as evidenced by the assault on our plantation, and means there is a fairly high crime rate. Paying tribute or working with this organisation is an option, but I believe it would be more feasible to conduct an anti-8-fingers campaign. This would achieve the objectives of protecting our investments in the Re-Estize kingdom, potentially gaining public support if we publicised the campaign back on Earth, as well as gaining influence over the kingdom as thanks for eliminating their crime problem. Afterwards, we could also replace 8-fingers as the benefactors to many of these corrupt nobles, solidifying our position further."
"Wow, it seems like you've given this some thought" said the chief scientist. "For a moment there when you were talking about stability, I thought that you were going to suggest a coup or something haha."
"No, no. That would draw too much attention at this point. Still, it's always an option for later…"
Habiki Ito spoke, "So, do you have any suggestions as to how this anti-crime operation could be conducted?"
"Yes, a key figure we have identified is the 3rd princess of the kingdom." He then took a moment to glance at his notes. "Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself. She seems intelligent, and is a driver for positive change and reform within the Re-Estize Kingdom. For example, she was able to abolish slavery there. It is likely she would be interested in eliminating 8-fingers. Many of her proposals in the past have also been shot down by the Nobles, who see these changes as a threat to their power. We could step in to provide that backing, gaining her favour and access to her connections. We haven't made contact with her yet, but if it would suit you we could do so shortly, as well as setting up publicity back on Earth for the operation. We have a new worlder in our custody that an agent picked up some time ago. Apparently she had been left to die outside of a brother run by 8-fingers. After she regained her health, she turned out to be quite an attractive-looking person. With some training she should be a suitable public media figurehead for the operation."
"Excellent work. However, I do have a question. Such an operation against 8-fingers, being the large and influential organisation it is, is likely to result in a number of losses. With the current public outrage at the huge losses we took in securing the Dwarf Kingdom, we can't afford to have many casualties. Do you have a solution, such as perhaps enlisting the assistance of Momon or Ainz again?"
"Ah, yes. That has indeed been a problem in the past. However, as I'm sure you're aware, we have recently begun recruiting new worlders into our ranks. It is hoped that they will be able to serve as guides, and, it might seem cold of me to say this, but also as a sort of meat-shields. With regards to Momon and Ainz, their strength shouldn't be required here since we will mostly be taking on petty criminals, with only a small number of exceptional individuals within their ranks. Also, Ainz seems mostly focused on Jaldabaoth, while we received intel that Momon has recently travelled far away to the Dragon Kingdom."
"I see. Then, unless anyone has anyone has any objections, I'll think it over a bit more, but I should get back to you with a response within a few days."
Ainz and Sebas were about to be dispatched on their first combat expedition to help repel a recent Beastman offensive. With them were the members of another adamantite-rank team, Crystal Tear. They were the only adamantite-rank adventurers in the Dragon Kingdom, and were often involved in repelling beastmen attacks.
Since they would be working together, the two groups began conducting the usual formalities and introductions. The one individual Ainz was most curious about though was Cerebrate. In the Dragon Kingdom he seemed to be known as a top-class swordsman, with skills comparable to individuals such as even Gazef Stronof. However, it was also rumoured that he was a lolicon, not that Ainz was particularly bothered by that.
Whether his skills with the sword really were on par with Gazef was still yet to be seen. Though, Ainz was filled with a spark of excitement that he may have the opportunity to see some new advanced martial arts from him.
As they walked towards the city which they would be defending, Ainz took a moment to glance at the landscape around them. It was very mountainous and quite heavily forested, meaning there were lots of choke-points and defensible high-grounds. This would've made ideal terrain for a defender if it weren't for the fact that they were up against the beastmen. If an ordinary human had a combat rating of 3, then a beastman would be rated 30, meaning they were 10 times stronger on average. This meant that the narrow terrain actually worked against the human defenders, who needed numerical superiority to overwhelm the beastmen who would almost always win a 1v1 fight. Against even stronger opponents however, such as adamantite-rank adventurers, this didn't apply, since a high-rank adventurer was easily stronger than a single average beastman.
A woman, around 20 years old, with short blonde hair tied back in bun and delicate cat-like features partially obscured by a pair of glasses, sat at a bar to the south of E-Rantel.
'Guh, that damn bastard undead' she thought as she downed another pint of beer. That was one thing she couldn't forget, even if other parts of her memory were quite hazy. She had to avoid him and his subordinates at all costs. She had a plan to escape to the Baharuth Empire where they hopefully wouldn't be. However, she never seemed to have enough money or supplies. Wondering why, she proceeded to order another round of drinks. All her previous belongings had also been stolen after her death, meaning she didn't have any proper weapons, and had to work odd-jobs to get by, such as building fences.
All of a sudden she noticed a woman take a seat at the bar a couple of stools away from her, beside a brawny-looking individual who was probably a mercenary.
She couldn't help but listen in on their conversation. The lady had a bit of an unusual but pleasant scent, some kind of perfume perhaps. She was asking the mercenary-looking guy if he would be interested in doing some work for them, some kind of trading company apparently. The guy didn't seem interested however, and got up and left soon after.
All of a sudden the lady looked over in her direction. Clementine quickly looked back down at her drink, but the woman got up from her seat and shuffled over to sit down beside her.
"A drink on me for this lady" called out the trading company representative to the bartender.
'Well, at least she had some manners.'
"Hi, what's your name?" asked the representative. "I'm Koyama."
"I'm… Claire."
"Well, Claire, I'm from the East-West Trading Company. We're newly established here, so we're looking for new recruits who have skills in various fields. Particularly those with combat experience, who we offer a certain amount of upfront pay for. Would you perhaps be interested? By the way, we don't accept applicants affiliated with 8-fingers."
'Hmm, she doesn't seem like she's from the theocracy, and upfront pay… Well, it should be fine! My skills are getting a bit rusty after all.'
"Your offer does sound intriguing."
"Oh, that's great! Would you like to chat a bit further outside?"
"Sure…"
Walking outside, Koyama led her to a random log, where they sat down together.
'Four individuals hiding in the bushes and in the long grass' thought Clementine. 'They don't seem particularly strong, and there's no killing intent yet.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by Koyama.
"So, Claire, what field do you specialise in?" she asked.
"Combat."
"Oh, ok. Well, are you a part of the adventurer's guild, and do you prefer melee or ranged weapons?"
"No, and Melee."
"Ok. Just to get a measure of your skills, would you please try to take down my associate here. Please avoid causing any injuries though."
One of the men hiding in the bushes had emerged and walked over to them. "Ready whenever you are. Just try and get me on the ground, not too rough please" he said, winking at her and taking a combat stance with a fake knife.
Clementine took up a crouching stance, drawing a chuckle from the guy testing her. However, his amusement was cut short when she bolted forwards at an incredible speed, swiftly putting him into a hold and throwing him to the ground in a single smooth motion before he had time to even react. She took a moment to fix up her glasses, which she wore for a disguise afterwards, as they had gone all crooked. Even though she was weaker after the resurrection, Clementine felt more than confident in taking down a weakling or two.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Koyama. "With those skills we'd be happy to have you onboard! We have a main office in E-Rantel if you'd like to come."
PSA: I may have drawn a little inspiration from the Fugitive Clementine series.