Chapter 9: The Pharmacist and the Plague Master

Momon and Nabe were currently relaxing at the bar as they waited. Originally, Momon had intended to look at the job requests on the board. However, he had forgotten his [Spectacles of Translation] at Nazarick. When Nabe asked why he didn't bring them, he played it off by saying Nfirea would give them their job so they shouldn't bother. He knew Nfirea would come by soon. It was only a matter of time. Still, he had become slightly agitated as he had been unable to quench his bloodlust because he had to leave his [Goblet of the Vampire King] at Nazarick. It was the vampiric equivalent to the [Infinite Flask], instead of having unlimited water, [Goblet of the Vampire King] had unlimited blood. However, it wouldn't do for people to smell blood on the breath of their future hero, so he persevered as he waited and mulled over several facts in his head.

All the others: the Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings, the Thirteen Heroes, they all came here in groups of at least two. Am I the only player who was summoned? Or is my counterpart or possible counterparts wandering somewhere in this new world? What if they're here in this city and I don't even know it? Maybe there are more on another continent? Unless this world is like Pangea there should be another continent. If the player retains their humanity and is an idiot, I expect they would join forces with the Theocracy. Those religious maniacs make me think of the Nazis I learned about back at the orphanage.

[Lord Dracul?] Demiurge messaged him.

[Yes Demiurge, what is it?]

[I thought you would like to know that Nigun and Corvo have reported in via [Message]. They have successfully infiltrated the Slane Theocracy at the desired positions and the Shadow Demons they took with them are giving constant us data on the enemy.]

Momon grinned under his helmet.

[Excellent.]

[There is one minor detail however.]

[Oh?]

[It appears that Corvo is sharing a house with a human girl.]

[What do we know about her?]

[She's the exact opposite of Corvo in both how much they talk and personality-wise. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to snap her neck.]

[Irrelevant. Keep an eye on the situation Demiurge. Additionally, I need you to tell Lupusregina my instructions retaining to Carne Village as well as collect [Total Maniac] from Pandora's Actor and bring both that and the blueprint on my desk to Jigsaw.]

[As you decree Lord Dracul.]

Just as he finished messaging Demiurge, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to find four young men looking at him. Except for the one on the left, he was looking at Nabe.

"May I help you?" Momon asked. The one in chainmail, who Momon assumed was the leader, stepped forward.

"Hi, I was wondering if you would want join my friends and I on a job?" the blonde man said with a friendly smile.

Too friendly. Never trust someone who is "nice" to everyone. Still, I guess I could kill some time and listen to their proposition.

"I will hear you out," Momon replied. The blonde man nodded and led Nabe and Momon into another room. Once everyone was seated around a table, the blonde started talking again.

"My name is Peter Mauk, leader of the Swords of Darkness," he said. His features were rather unremarkable and his face would be easily forgotten.

Oh? We're doing introductions? How cute.

Another blonde stood up. This one wore leather armor and had an overall "I don't give a damn" look on his face.

"Sup, I'm Lekrut Volve, the team's ranger," he said before grinning at Nabe.

"I'm Dyne Woodwonder. I am a proud member of the Swords of Darkness and a druid," the plump, bearded one said.

"And I'm Ninya. I'm a mage," the shortest one quietly said with a smile. He was dressed in a typical mage's leathers. But that wasn't what caught Momon's attention.

I know a fake smile when I see one. It's as if there is pure hate and rage boiling just beneath the surface. Not to mention "he" doesn't smell like a "he" at all.

Momon gave a nod of acknowledgement before giving his own introduction.

"It is nice to meet you all. I am Momon and this is my partner Nabe," he said trying to make a good impression. Nabe simply grunted in acknowledgement. The Swords of Darkness stared at Nabe for a moment before looking back at Momon questioningly. "Yes, she is always like that. Let's move one to this job of yours Mr. Mauk." Peter straightened up before saying his piece.

"The task is to eliminate any monsters around the city. It's not a permanent solution to the monster problem but it keeps their population in check," Peter said. Momon's eyebrows furrowed momentarily.

Monster problem? The longer I'm in this world, the more these people remind me of Nazis. They DESERVE to be conquered.

"I see. Is this a request or is it normal for the city to reward us for eliminating these creatures?" Momon asked.

"The city will pay us for keeping its citizens safe from any hostile creatures. As long as we return with proof of each confirmed kill we will receive a bounty for each monster," Dyne answered.

"I see. How much would we make on a job like this?"

"Depends on how many of them we kill," Lekrut said with a shrug before turning his attention back to Nabe.

This might actually be rather lucrative. Still, Nfirea takes priority. The boy who can use any item, maybe even the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Thank you. Is there anything that hasn't been addressed?" Momon asked.

"Yes!" Lekrut shouted before pointing at Nabe. "I'm in love with you. Please, go on a date with me!" Everyone went silent.

"Insect," Nabe growled. "Go and kill yourself."

There she goes.

"That kind of honesty is so rare these days! But you're right. We should just start out as friends!" Lekrut exclaimed.

Ah, so they're both crazy.

"I'm going to cut out your tongue and shove it up rectal cavity," Nabe replied. Despite that, Lekrut continued to embarrass himself. Suddenly, Momon had a brainwave. His increased intelligence as a Dracula was really paying off.

Lekrut's constant flirting with Nabe will no doubt lead to certain questions. Although her personality is cold, she is easily flustered when it comes to those she is loyal to Albedo. Since Nfirea tends to gather herbs at Carne Village combined with Nabe's inevitable "accidental" information leak regarding Albedo, who I know is having Narberal report on me, I can get Nfirea to come to me without raising a finger AND get Narberal to improve on controlling herself when we're undercover! THIS MIGHT ACTUALLY WORK! I just need to delay these idiots long enough for Nfirea to get here.

Momon finally spoke up and asked:

"You call yourselves the Swords of Darkness. Why is that?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't heard the stories?" he asked Momon shook his head.

"Well, I'll tell ya," Peter said with a grin.

Titus Annaeus Secundus, the keeper of Nazarick's great library, Ashurbanipal. He was the most powerful Skeleton Mage in Nazarick. He wore a red robe and seemed to be a mostly human skeleton, although several human bones had been removed and replaced with animal bones, for example: his skull was that of a deer's, horns and all. He was a mutant, a freak even among his fellow skeleton mages, so obviously he fit right in at Nazarick. He had been reading a book when he heard the door open. He looked up, expecting to see Albedo but instead saw Demiurge carrying a crate of some kind. Demiurge had just finished relaying Lord Dracul's orders pertaining to Carne Village to Lupusregina. His workload had doubled since Albedo had gone off to do… Albedo things.

"Lord Demiurge," Titus said in a raspy tone. I had been expecting Lady Albedo."

"I'm afraid she is otherwise indisposed," Demiurge replied, deciding it was best not to mention how she was rolling around in the master's coffin, trying to get her scent on it and smelling his own, which, according to Albedo, was an aroma of blood and smoke. He didn't care much for Albedo's eccentricities, but if there was a chance that it would sway Lord Dracul's mind to produce an heir, then it was worth taking up her duties.

"What, may I ask, is in the crate?"

"A collection of [Total Maniac] I have acquired from Pandora's Actor. I am to deliver these to the Secret Lab behind the Science Section of the library," Demiurge stated. Titus stiffened when he heard that.

"Lord Demiurge, I don't have to go in there with you do I? That man… he scares me." Demiurge nodded in understanding.

"I only need you to open the passage. Then you may take your leave."

"Thank you, Lord Demiurge." After a few minutes of navigating the maze-like shelves, Titus stopped at a book label: Plague Master. He pulled the book out as if it were a lever and a secret passage appeared.

"My thanks, Titus. You may go," Demiurge said as he entered the passage. Inside, there tables covered in mechanical parts and chemicals, meat hooks with corpses stuck on them hung from the ceiling, walls covered in blueprints, industrial equipment scattered about, and more. Demiurge's eyes landed on a Death Knight who was laying on an operating table. The Death Knight had clockwork machinery grafted to its bones and some kind of clockwork engine was slightly sticking out from under its rotted ribcage.

"Ah, Demiurge my friend!" a British voice came from behind the table. An average sized man in a plague doctor outfit stood up from behind the table. This was Jigsaw, an NPC who was created as a collaboration between Luci Fer and Ulbert Alain Odle, so he was, in a sense, Demiurge's half-brother. His race was a higher level zombie known as a Frankenstein. Extremely intelligent and quite mad, he served as Nazarick's chief scientist. He wasn't a Floor Guardian nor was he strong enough to be considered one of their equals, but he was level 70 so he could still rip a humans head off with little effort. He was grouped with Neuronist Painkill and Kyouhukou among the Five Worst. He was known as the Worst Personality. Why? Because out of all the beings in Nazarick, he was the single cruelest creature there and among the most deranged. "If I knew you were coming I would have cleaned up the intestines you're currently standing in! Totally unrelated, but, are you going to eat those, mate?" Demiurge decided to ignore that comment and stared at the Death Knight.

"Jigsaw, what are doing?"

"I'm glad you asked! I have been attempting to improve our lord's army by creating a Cybernetic Death Knight! Can you imagine? It's still in the prototype stage, but already the mechanics I have implemented increase efficiency output by 57%! The only problem is that the implants weigh too much, and without additional resources coming in I can't experiment with lighter metals so progress has been brought to a halt. I estimate it will be around ten years until I can even begin to think about mass production. I just need a way to bypass the-" as Jigsaw continued to ramble Demiurge held up his hand.

"I am impressed by the progress you have made, but weren't you under orders to finish making the Clockwork Soldiers?" Jigsaw looked down.

"About that," he said as he gestured to his right toward a collection of five, tall, threatening looking robots. Each one had a beaklike head and four arms that ended in blades. "I'm afraid I only had enough steel to create five. I have another forty-five ready to be assembled, but without more resources coming in I'm afraid production has been is on hold." Demiurge sighed and decided to get to what he came here for.

"I have with me a large number of [Total Maniac] supplied by Pandora's Actor," Demiurge stated. "Lord Dracul believes we can weaponize them and use them to sow chaos behind enemy lines. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Of course! This sounds so much fun!" Jigsaw exclaimed as he took the crate from Demiurge. "Perhaps a magical conversion tool? Oh! Oh! A pathogen! Or maybe-" he was cut off as a woman started screaming on the other side of the room. Demiurge looked over to see a naked woman who had literally been nailed to an operating table by her hands and feet.

"Jigsaw, who is that?"

"A woman."

"I can see that, where did you get her?"

"She was among the Sunlight Scripture when Lord Dracul recruited Nigun to our cause. Poor dearie thought she could get away." The woman started hyperventilating.

"Please! Someone help me!" she cried. Then she turned her head and came face to face with Jigsaw's lifeless, beaklike mask.

"Come now dearie, patients aren't supposed to make noise," he stated calmly. She started screaming again and Jigsaw began to twitch. Then, from out of nowhere, he drew a large meat mallet with nails sticking out of it and started to bash her face to a delicious pulp. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I WANT TO KILL YOU! I'M GOING TO PUT MY HATE INTO YOUR SOUL! ONLY DREAMS! ONLY DREAMS! ONLY DREAMS!" he screamed as blood splattered all over his mask.

Demiurge decided now was a good time to leave. Perhaps he would go play chess with Pandora's Actor?

"And that's how the Thirteen Heroes defeated the Evil Deities!" Peter said as he finished his story. Momon simply nodded.

Goddamn this guy sure does love to talk.

Suddenly, someone tapped on Momon's shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Momon?" the receptionist said. "Nfirea Bareare is here to see you." The Swords of Darkness straightened up when they heard her.

Finally.

"Oh? Do send him in," Momon said masking his relief that he could stop stalling.

"What does Mr. Bareare want with you Mr. Momon? " Ninya asked.

"No idea," Momon lied. After a minute or two, Nfirea entered the booth. He was…. Younger than Momon had been expecting.

Doesn't that hair get in your eyes when you're working?

"You're Nfirea?" he asked just to be certain. The young man nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Momon. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," he said politely. "I would like to acquire your services as a bodyguard while I go gather herbs from a forest near Carne Village."

Jackpot!

"I don't know about this Nfirea," I had agreed to accompany these gentleman on a hunt for monsters," Momon said as everything began to fall into place.

"What!?" Peter exclaimed. "You can't do that, Momon. He asked for you by name!"

"How about this: We all go escort Nfirea to Carne and hunt monsters on our way there. Agreed?" Everyone looked at Nfirea who simply shrugged.

"Fine by me," he stated simply. The Swords of Darkness nodded to Momon.

"It looks like we're coming along!" Peter declared.

Uploading this a little early tonight. Got another one or two to add in a few hours.

HAIL AND KILL!