Chapter 28: Pathetic Dragons and Beastmen
In the heart of the Beastmen Country the current ruling Patriarch. Archon, was preparing his people for their migration into the decimated Draconic Kingdom. His people had always been nomadic and tribal in nature, which used to lead to issues between clashing tribes. In a culture that preferred to move in tribes instead of staying in one place, there were often arguments over what would be whose land and for how long the former capitol city of Quetz had always been the place to work such disagreements out. There had been an age when the tribes would simply kill one another until there was nobody left to disagree with, but this had left them weak and outnumbered when they were invaded by the Troll Kingdom, who were ALWAYS at war with someone. The Troll Kingdom had conquered most of their land before the tribes managed to unite to push them back. After that disaster of a war, it was decided that there needed to be a way to settle disputes peacefully, build cities for defensive purposes, and administer territorial claims. It was with these implementations that began the road from becoming the Beastmen Tribes to the Beastmen Country. As time went on, tribes became less and less common as beastmen started moving into the cities, although they held on to many of their traditions, with Quetz being the most notable among them. But then the Soul Eaters appeared and made Quetz into an inhabitable hell hole and forced the few survivors to flee. This is what caused the invasion of the Draconic Kingdom in the first place, they needed a new capitol city and more food to make up for the resources that had been lost in Quetz. The Draconic Kingdom could provide both, which was why Archon was organizing the migration into the Draconic Kingdom. He was a Dragonoid with silver colored scales clad in robes made from the furs of several different animals and a crown-helmet combo made from a deer skull that had metal grafted onto the bone and additional antlers attached to it to form what could've been viewed as a crown. His purple eyes swept over the crowd of beastmen families who were eager to make the Draconic Kingdom their own. These weren't combatants, these were workers, settlers, hunters, traders, and others who kept society running. Archon himself wasn't doing much other than daydreaming about the coming empire that would rise from this war. Unfortunately for him, his thoughts were interrupted by a loli Rabbitman messenger running towards him. She had big red eyes, was practically albino, and large rabbit ears on top of her head. With her ears she was at shoulder height with a regular human, without them she came up so that her shoulders were at the same height as a human's waist
"Sir!" she called out. "We have news from our forces who we sent to attack the capitol city of Lux!
"Good," Archon replied in a deep, heavily accented voice. "How long do they need to prepare for the arrival of the noncombatants, Lapin?"
"That's the problem sir," the Rabbitman winced. "They failed to capture the city and our armies have been forced to retreat. The tide of the war is turning in favor of the enemy." Archon's eyes widened.
"How is this possible?" Archon demanded angrily, making the Rabbitman take a few steps back.
"Our reports indicate that that the Draconic Kingdom has received assistance from a foreign power known as the Eternal Empire," the Rabbitman squeaked. "We have very little information regarding them but they appear to be a nation made up of human, demihuman, and heteomorphic races."
"Ridiculous," Archon muttered. "I've never heard of this nation nor have I ever heard of so many races working together. What of their military?"
"Their military forces, known as the Legion, answer to an armored man who has been slaughtering our men in such high numbers that our troops have taken to calling him the Black Death and their army, as unbelievable as it sounds, is mostly made up of undead creatures," the Rabbitman said, gulping as she got to the worst part. "We have remained skeptical of these reports but our men returning from the front lines have confirmed that they employ very powerful undead and have confirmed that a Soul Eater is among them." Archon's eyes widened in fear.
"Impossible," he whispered. "How could they control such monsters?"
"This is only a rumor but I've heard that their ruler, the Immortal Emperor, is an extremely powerful vampire," the Rabbitman said nervously. Archon was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again.
"Declare a ceasefire. It's time we opened up negotiations with this Immortal Emperor," Archon declared. "Since he is a vampire, I can offer him the blood of the thousands of humans we've captured. The best case scenario we can hope for is that we can get him to switch sides and fight for us."
"Y-yes Patriarch!" she cried in a panicked voice before running off, leaving Archon to muse about the new situation.
"What is the Eternal Empire?"
The Deadhouse: Jigsaw's new home away from home as well a factory/laboratory combo superstructure that excelled in both quick production as well as the research of matters both scientific and magical. The time it took to produce Clockwork Soldiers had been cut in half and they were being built by the dozens. Of course, that was only one of the projects being undertaken within the factory. The most important tasks would always be the ones handed out by the Supreme Being himself, and Jigsaw had an important role to play in the operation within the Holy Kingdom. He has removed his usual plague doctor mask, revealing his ugly face. His face looked like it was falling apart with the only thing holding his mismatched skin together were the countless stitches that practically covered his face. There was a respiratory vent grafted to his throat, he had no nose, one eye was a dull gray while the other was hidden behind a magnifying glass grafted over his eye socket, his jaw had been removed and replaced with one that was mechanical, and a metal spine bulged from the back of his head as well his back. As we was tinkering with a device he was working on that would allow spells to be stored in cartridges which could be fired at hostiles, Clementine marched into his office and saluted him.
"Stop saluting and get to why you're here lass," Jigsaw demanded, not appreciating the fact that someone was distracting him from his work.
"Sir, Lord Demiurge and Lady Omega have set up a [Gate] between the Holy Kingdom of Roble and the factory, more specifically inside the Undead Projects department," Clementine reported as she cringed upon once again seeing her creator's bizarre appearance.
"Ah! Brilliant!" Jigsaw proclaimed as he grabbed his plague doctor mask in and darted out of his office closely followed by Clementine. "Inform the Elder Lich managers to allocate manpower as deemed necessary and to start up the conveyor belt!" Having been given her orders, Clementine set out to fulfil them while Jigsaw ran to Undead Projects, equipping his mask as he ran. Upon entering the main room of the department, Jigsaw found a [Gate] on the ceiling from which the corpses of Dark Elves, Dark Dwarves, humans, orcs, ogres, and goblins were being dumped in the middle of the room. The undead workers were collecting the corpses, organizing them by race, and throwing them onto conveyor belts.
"Sir," an Elder Lich spoke up. "We have commenced standard processing procedures by skinning the corpses, draining them of blood, collecting the organs and meat, and sending the bones to be made into Death Knights, Blood Meat Hulks, Dark Paladins, Vampire Knights, Frankensteins, Death Chevaliers, Elder Liches, and Skull Knights. Additionally Lord Dracul is expected to send us some dragon corpses. He wishes for us to strip the corpses of their meat, scales, and blood but to leave the bones be as he wishes to experiment with the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown's ability to create new kinds of undead."
"Excellent work," Jigsaw nodded in approval. "Focus on the orcs and ogres to be made into zombies and equip them with armor from the metal works. Since one of the best ways to kill a zombie is to attack the head it is harder for the enemy to succeed in killing them if there's a massive piece of metal between them and the head. Bring any corpses with genetic defects to my attention as they may prove valuable to my research. If you need anything from me I'll be in the corner reading. Lady Albedo demanded that I learn proper procedures for when she gives birth to our master's child"
Lucifer had used the time he spent traveling to Feo Berkana thinking about all the uses he would have for the dragon corpses. Although they could be painful to deal with in Yggdrasil, they were a treasure trove of resources. He was slightly worried when a single, white and blue dragon came out to greet him and his group. This couldn't be the only dragon here, could it?
Why is this dragon wearing glasses?
"This area belongs to the Quagoa and we Frost Dragons. Why –I mean- may I ask why you have come here?" the dragon asked nervously as repeatedly glanced toward Lucifer.
"We're here to launch an attack and kill you all!" Aura declared happily. "You're not the only dragon here are you? The dragons I know grow stronger and get bigger with age, but you don't look very big. What's up with this?" Lucifer rolled his eyes and strode over to the dragon.
"I have a schedule to keep so let's get this over with," he said as raised his hand as if he were about to grab something. "[Grasp Hea-" The dragon looked absolutely terrified as he saw Lucifer approach with his hand raised.
"WAIT!" he screamed as he pressed his head against the ground in what appeared to be a bow. Lucifer raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly as he stared at the dragon.
"Speak quickly," Lucifer growled.
"Y-yes! My name is Hejinmal! May I please inquire as to what your great name may be?" the dragon, now identified as Hejinmal, genuflected. Gondo's jaw dropped while Aura and Shalltear didn't seem particularly surprised.
"I am Lucifer Dracul," Lucifer said as he crossed his arms. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I immediately recognized your great strength and realized you are an extraordinary person!" Hejinmal cried. "I believe it is appropriate to take this position when addressing a mighty being such as yourself!"
Smart dragon. Dammit I wanted those body parts. Oh well, there's bound to be some prideful fools around here who will need their hearts crushed.
"So you intend to bow to me?"
"Yes!"
"Very well, raise your head," Lucifer said with a sigh as he motioned for Hejinmal to rise. Once the dragon rose to his feet, Lucifer noticed something off about his body. "You appear to have fat reserves underneath your skin. I was under the impression that Frost Dragons are immune to the cold. Was I incorrect?"
"N-no. I'm the only one that's like this," Hejinmal winced.
"So are you saying that you're a rare specimen or that you're simply overweight?" Lucifer asked.
"O-overweight," Hejinmal stuttered, eliciting a sigh from Lucifer.
"Aura, put this dragon through an exercise regimen until I deem him fit for service upon our return to Nazarick," Lucifer ordered indifferently. "Now Hejinmal, are there any other dragons besided yourself?"
"Yes my lord, there are four that are older than me, six around the same age as me, and nine that are younger than me," Hejinmal reported. Lucifer displayed an evil grin in response.
"Excellent. What tier magic are the elder dragons capable of?" Lucifer inquired.
"They are capable of using spells of the 3rd Tier," Hejinmal stated, still deathly afraid of the vampire.
"3rd Tier? That's it? How disappointing," Lucifer sneered with a roll of his eyes.
"I-I did hear that my father is capable of using [Flame Resistance]," Hejinmal stuttered out.
"I see, it is logical to want to cover up one's weaknesses," Lucifer said nonchalantly. "Aura, Shalltear, inform the Quagoa that they have one chance to bow to me. I will go with Hejinmal and eliminate the other dragons."
"M-may I speak?" Hejinmal asked hesitantly.
"Do so quickly."
"Yes my lord. My fellow dragons do not know of your greatness, master. Would you be willing to extend your mercy to those fools?" Hejinmal pleaded.
"We only need to chase them out right? Can I ask you something dragon?" Gondo finally spoke up.
"Please do," Hejinmal replied, unsure how he should address the dwarf.
"Are there any other dragons around beside the ones in this place?" Gondo asked.
"I think so."
"Are you able to order them around?"
"No, they're from a different tribe."
"My lord," Gondo began as he turned to Lucifer. "After we drive out the Frost Dragons, we can tell the Council that there are still other dragons around-"
"And force them to continue to rely on the Eternal Empire to protect their reclaimed capitol," Luicfer finished with a smirk. "You have a devious mind Gondo. That is a wonderful idea. Now Hejinmal, where are the Dragons you say are older than you and where is the treasury?"
"They're both the exact same place, my lord," Hejinmal replied confidently. Lucifer gave a nod of approval before he and Gondo mounted onto Hejinmal's back and rode him through the abandoned capitol. As they approached the treasury, Hejinmal spoke up again.
"My lord, this humble servant wishes to inform you that apart from my father there are three other dragons within the treasury," he said. "My mother is among those three. Would it be too much to ask for you to spare her?"
"We shall see," Lucifer replied dismissively.
"Thank you very much master," Hejinmal said in thanks as they entered the treasury. Sure enough, his father the White Dragon Lord, Olasird'arc Haylilyal, was within coiled on a mountain of treasure with his three dragon concubines staring at Hejinmal in confusion. "He who sits on my back is the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul! He shall rule this land and all of us dragons!"
"Have you gone mad, whelp!?" Olasird'arc boomed as he stood up and took a fighting stance, his anger boiling over almost instantaneously. It was an understandable reaction seeing as he had ruled this city up until this point. Paying no heed to the dragon lord's anger, Lucifer flew off of Hejinmal's back and floated to the ground in front of Olasird'arc.
"King of Frost Dragons, will you submit to me or do I need to kill you?" Lucifer asked coldly.
"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY YOU DAMN VAMPIRE!?" Olasird'arc roared before he finally took notice of Lucifer's dark, regal clothing. The other dragons had taken notice too. If there was one thing that dragons loved it was valuable items. "Wait, what are those clothes you're wearing? I have never seen such treasure. If you want me to forgive your foolishness then offer me your raiment, vampire." Lucifer simply stared at Olasird'arc for a few moments before unleashing mocking laughter.
"You fool. Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me?" Lucifer asked as he continued to laugh at Olasird'arc.
"HOW DARE YOU!?" Olasird'arc roared, his anger reignited. "YOU HAVE THOWN AWAY YOUR ONLY CHANCE OF SURVIVAL! NOW YOU MUST SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANGERING-"
"[Grasp Heart]," Lucifer said, still chuckling. Olasird'arc suddenly stiffened and slumped to the floor. He was dead before he hit the ground. "Weakling," Lucifer muttered, all trace of humor gone. "Hejinmal, pick out your mother immediately. I have a tight schedule to keep."
"That's me!" all three dragon concubines shouted. Lucifer glared at them, not buying it.
"I'm quite certain you weren't birthed by three mothers. Pick out the one you actually give a damn about or I'll just kill them all," Lucifer sneered coldly. Hejinmal weakly nodded towards his real mother, knowing he had just sealed the fates of the other two. "Good, now gather the other dragons and have them assemble outside. I will be with you shortly." Hejinmal did as he was told and left with his mother following him. The moment the door shut behind them he heard panicked voices from inside.
"Wait your majesty! We surrend-"
"[Grasp Heart]."
"NO! PLEASE DON'T!"
"[Grasp Heart].
There was not a shred of sympathy within Lucifer's voice. No hesitation, no remorse, and not even a sense of sadistic joy. This was just gathering resources to him. Nothing more, nothing less. Hejinmal shuddered as he came to understand just what kind of heartless monster he now served.
Momon's group continued to trek through a forest in the northern section of the Beastmen Country that shared its borders with the Troll Kingdom, which was at war with someone with this year's unlucky contestants being the City State Alliance, and further into the Beatmen Country, expecting to meet heavy resistance. However, they hadn't seen any beastmen for a while now. Cerebrate was becoming very frustrated that so many of the soldiers that had come with them were still alive. He wouldn't be able to murder Momon with these many prying eyes about. He would have to strike when nobody was paying attention. Cerebrate and his team bringing up the rear behind the remaining soldiers while Momon and Nabe rode Hamsuke up at the front. Cerebrate's teammates could tell by the way he kept glaring at Momon that he wanted to kill him. It wasn't as if they cared though. Each member of Crystal Tear was a scumbag in one way or another and they were each hated for what they had done. They had been bandits, thieves, killers, and one or two of them were just as bad as Cerebrate in regards to their "preferences". They liked Momon, but if Cerebrate tried to kill him they would have Cerebrate's back and by the look on his face he was going to make his move soon. As they delved deeper into the Beastmen Country, Momon suddenly raised a hand, signaling the convoy to stop.
"What is it Sir Momon?" one of the volunteer soldiers asked.
"Someone is coming," Momon grunted as he jumped down from Hamsuke and drew his massive swords. Everyone held their breath in anticipation and waited for the enemy. Instead of seeing anything that was particularly threatening, just a short Rabbitman who looked like she was so tired from running that she was ready to drop dead as she came out from behind a corner. Cerebrate's grinned lecherously at her as she bumped into Momon's leg without even realizing that she had just walked into a patrol of humans. Upon feeling her head bump into something hard, she looked up at Momon's towering form, shrieked, and jumped back a few a paces as her ears drooped to her sides.
"B-b-Black Death," she stammered as she stared fearfully up at Momon. The soldiers weren't sure what to make of this.
"Uh, should we attack or something?" another soldier asked.
"No. She is unarmed," Momon said as he sheathed his blades.
"Should we interrogate her? I bet I can make her talk," Cerebrate practically growled as he stared at her with lust in his eyes.
"You-you wouldn't hurt the messenger w-would you?" she asked as she silently berated herself for accepting this job. She wasn't a fighter!
"You called me the "Black Death". Do you know who I am?" Momon asked earning a frantic nod from the midget. "As long as you do not intend to cause trouble, neither I nor my comrades will hurt you. Now can you tell me who you are and who this message is for?" Momon asked, making Cerebrate glare at him now that he had been deprived of having his way with the beastmen.
"I-I am Lapin Shorn, messenger of Patriarch Archon, ruler of the Beastmen Country," Lapis responded hesitantly as she noticed the way Cerebrate kept looking at her. "I come bearing a message for the Immortal Emperor of the Eternal Empire. I have been tasked with establishing diplomatic relations with the Eternal Empire and appeal for peace treaty between our nations." The soldiers looked at one another in shock. They had been fighting the beastmen for a very long time now and they had never thought that the Beastmen Country would sue for peace.
"I am Momon, acting commander of the Eternal Empire's forces in this region," Momon said as he crossed his arms. "If it is peace you seek, my partner Nabe can escort you to our base of operations with the city of Lux. Everyone but Crystal Tear and I will accompany you back."
"Get on. If you fall off you'll be left behind, tick," Nabe growled from atop Hamsuke as Lapin struggled to climb onto the overgrown hamster.
"Cerebrate, you and your team should come with me to make sure this isn't some ploy to attack us when our guard is down," Momon suggested as the soldiers and the rest of Darkness headed back, leaving Momon and Crystal Tear all alone.
"Of course," Cerebrate smirked as he thought how this would be the perfect opportunity to kill Momon without any witnesses. After a few minutes of walking to make sure there were no enemies preparing to double back, Momon and Crystal Tear entered a secluded area where no would see them, even though it was doubtful that there was anyone here it made things even more convenient for Cerebrate. As he grinned thinking about how easy Momon was making this, Cerebrate and the rest of Crystal Tear drew their weapons and pointed them at Momon.
"Sorry about this Momon."
"I wish this didn't have to happen, but the team comes first."
"You've been cutting in on our turf."
"Meh."
"I hate goody-two-shoes like you!"
"You're such an idiot Momon," Cerebrate laughed. "Once, you're dead I'll be the only one they can call a hero, I'll get that cute Rabbitman all to myself, and you'll be forgotten."
"So, you followed me until I was in a secluded location to kill me?" Momon asked, apparently unconcerned with the situation.
"Yeah, pretty clever huh?" Cerebrate smirked.
"No, but it's ironic. After all, I led you to this secluded location to kill all of you as well. I suppose now I just have a better excuse as to why I killed you," Momon said coldly as he flourished his weapons. As the meaning behind his words dawned on them, Momon shot forward and a decapitated all of Cerebrate's teammates with a single sideways slash before they could even react. Celebrate panicked as he saw his comrades get killed as if they were the weakest of copper ranked adventurers. He turned around and tried to run away, desperate to get away from Momon.
"I'm going to get back to the Adventurers Guild and I'll tell them what you did!" Cerebrate cried as he latched onto the thought of getting all the other adventurers to team up against Momon. Of course, these hopes were dashed instantly when he felt cold steel slice through his legs. Cerebrate screamed in pain as he fell to the ground with the lower half of his legs missing. "YOU SUNUVA BITCH! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I'LL PAY YOU!" Momon didn't give any inclination that he was listening as he raised his metal boot over Cerebrate's head.
"All hail Lucifer Dracul," was all Momon said as he brought his foot down on the pedophile's skull, flattening it instantaneously. As he shook some of the gore of his boot, he turned to face the section of the forest where the Troll Kingdom was before pulling out a strange device he had been given by Jigsaw and, after double-checking to make sure no one was around, he chucked it deep into the woods. "Mein Führer will be most pleased," he said to himself with a sigh of satisfaction as the part of the forest he had thrown Jigsaw's device into began to burn, forming the beginning of a massive forest fire.
Within the Holy Palace of Roble, Demiurge was not in good mood. The corpses were being sent to the Deadhouse at an astonishing rate, Queen Hope was dead, and the two he wanted to escape to plead for help had done exactly as he had hoped. So why was he in such a foul mood? The items that concerned him the most, Loginus and the World Savior, were nowhere to be found. The World Savior had been with the Dark Elf King but his body had not been recovered so the logical conclusion was that he was still alive within this hell on earth Demiurge had created and Loginus was supposed to be somewhere in the palace but its location had thus far evaded him. They had already checked every location of importance within the city, but it was as if Loginus had disappeared completely. Either someone had moved it somewhere where Demiurge would not expect it to look, someone had stolen it in the chaos, or it had been taken out of the city when Angela and Roman escaped. If it was in the city, he had to find it and present it to his master.
"Where is that elf?" he muttered to himself as he put on his Jaldabaoth mask and messaged his master.
[My lord?]
[Yes Demiurge?]
[I thought you would like a status report. We are collecting corpses by the hundreds and sending them to Jigsaw. However, the location of WCIs is currently unknown.]
[Unfortunate. The least we can hope for is that someone already used them and made them disappear. At most, I would like them for Nazarick. However, the important thing is to ensure that they won't be used against us.]
[As you say my lord. Those who escaped, Angela Pious and Minister Roman, are expected to arrive within the territory of the Eternal Empire ahead of schedule, so I recommend wrapping up the situations in the Draconic Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom as soon as possible.]
[Understood. Keep me appraised of the situation. I will be done here in the Dwarf Kingdom shortly.] With those final orders given, the connection was terminated and Demiurge went back to ordering the demons about.
"Move quickly! If this illusion magic isn't ready by the time our lord arrives then our entire operation is compromised!" Demiurge shouted. He had five pillars to build and an illusion spell to mask the [Gate] they had deployed.
Lucifer swaggered into the Council chamber to find one less dwarf than last time awaiting him. Judging by the smells that were present, it was the Forgemaster who was missing. After the dwarves finished their long and drawn-out thanks for reclaiming Feo Berkana, to which Lucifer gave a pleasant smile but wasn't really listening to, the Commander in Chief spoke up.
"There is another matter which we must discuss with you, your majesty," he said hesitantly. "The ingot you entrusted to us has been stolen by the Forgemaster who has fled the nation. We are currently searching for him be we have had no luck in finding him. Your majesty had given us that ingot and your trust but we allowed an incident like this to occur. We don't know where to begin apologizing." Lucifer frowned slightly when he heard this. The ingot hadn't been that valuable to him, and to be perfectly honest he had given the Forgemaster that ingot in the first place because he knew that the dwarf wouldn't be able to fulfil his request and it would drive him mad when he had to apologize to an undead. It would appear that the Forgemaster was either a drama queen, mentally ill, or an idiot.
"I see. This is most unfortunate," Lucifer stated as he swept his soulless eyes over the remaining dwarves, making them break out in a cold sweat.
"W-we can provide you majesty with three sets of adamantite chainmail armor as compensation," the Merchant's Guildmaster stuttered out an offer.
"I will accept that but there is something else that I would like in addition to the armor," Lucifer said, firmly reminding himself of the schedule he had to keep to in order to secure the Beastmen Country and the Holy Kingdom. He wouldn't be able to ask for too much as that might make people catch on to the fact that his benevolence was an act and since he honestly didn't care about that ingot he didn't feel like asking for much anyway.
"What- what would that be?" the Brewmaster asked nervously.
"I would appreciate your assistance in the matter pertaining to the runesmiths," Lucifer stated. "Would you mind holding a ceremony and making a public announcement about the runesmiths coming to work in my empire?" Lucifer asked, not really caring if they agreed or not. "I think it would make them feel better if they knew that they weren't being sold to me but were instead being hired by me." The dwarves nodded, seeing this as very reasonable. "Good. My nation will handle the matter of catering, but I'm afraid I will not be able to attend the ceremony itself. I have an important meeting with a foreign diplomat later this afternoon. I hope you understand."
"Of course your majesty," the Commander in Chief replied. "We understand that you're a busy man."
"My thanks, Commander in Chief," Lucifer said with a nod. "I will leave my daughter Shalltear behind as a representative of the Eternal Empire on my behalf."
"Very well. Until we meet again Immortal Emperor," the Commander in Chief said with a bow. As soon as Lucifer was out of the building, he snuck over to the side of the building where no one was present before casting a spell.
"[Summon Baskervilles]," Lucifer commanded, summoning six black dogs, each with six red eyes and a mouth full of fangs. "There is a dwarf who has stolen from me. You already know his scent from my memories, now hunt him down." Upon being given their orders, the Baskervilles began sniffing around until they caught his scent and began racing down a tunnel. There was no way the Forgemaster would escape from this.
Sebas, Princess Renner, Marquis Raeven, Brain, Climb, Freddon, and all the members of Blue Rose except Tia and Tina, who were in the makeshift infirmary, were gathered in Duke Kado's estate which was now the heavily fortified command center of the National Liberation Party. They were in Sebas' office going over a map of Re-Estize.
"A frontal assault would result in heavy casualties," Freddon said as he pointed at the gates. "Ritton's paranoia has reached an all-time high and because of Zanac's fear of losing the throne, he's been letting Ritton do pretty much whatever he wants."
"Maybe we could find a way to sneak into the city undetected before launching our assault?" Climb suggested.
"No. They're bound to notice the sudden increase in people and would be on high alert," Renner interjected.
"Our best chance is to garner military support from another country. Most likely the Eternal Empire," Raeven mused.
"Are you really comfortable working with the undead?" Gargan asked with narrowed eyes.
"Not particularly. However, the Immortal Emperor has been sending us provisional support and has sent a team of specialists to assist us," Sebas replied. "They were sent to gather intelligence in Re-Lobell and they should be back soon."
"We also need to make sure neither Zanac nor Ritton manage to escape," Brain stated. "We would need to hit the palace as quickly as possible and secure all entrances and exits to prevent them from escaping. When we hit them, it will have to be quick and brutal."
"The best spot to break into the city would be the Market District. People never finished repairing the place after Jaldabaoth's attack," Lakyus suggested.
"Speaking of Jaldabaoth, I have some intriguing new," a new voice spoke up. Everyone looked up from the map to see Zur enter the room. Gargan immediately went for her war pick but was stopped by Sebas.
"It's alight. He's with us," Sebas declared before anyone could do anything stupid. "This is the man in charge of the Eternal Empire's provisional support-"
"Zur," Evileye spoke up as she stared at her old friend. The two exchanged a silent look that said "we'll talk later" before turning back to the others.
"Jaldabaoth has struck again, but this time he's not attacking villages," Zur informed them. "Re-Lobell is full of refuges from the Holy Kingdom who sought to escape him. He has taken over the Holy City of Roble itself where it sounds as if he is enacting some sort of ritual." Everyone looked at one another with wide eyes, murmuring about this turn of events until Sebas regained their attention by clapping his hands.
"Although I know that our goal is to end the monarchy of the Re-Estize Kingdom, since we have several veterans of the Demonic Disturbance here I believe it is our duty to assist in this matter," Sebas proclaimed. "I will not require anyone to come with me, but a helping hand would be most welcome."
"I'm with ya old man!" Freddon shouted.
"We need to teach that demon a lesson!" the members of Blue Rose proclaimed.
"I'm coming too Sebas!" Climb declared.
"If the kid is going then I guess I'm going too," Brain smirked. Sebas nodded in thanks to each of them before he turned to those who remained.
"Marquis Raeven, I know I have asked much of you but can you please tend to things here while I am away?" Sebas asked.
"Of course. I will do my part," Raeven swore.
"Zur, please protect Princess Renner and the others while we are gone," Climb pleaded.
"I will be my pleasure," Zur replied as he crossed his arms.
"Then I suggest everyone make their preparations. We will be leaving within the hour," Sebas stated. As everyone began preparing for what lied ahead, Evileye and Zur remained in the meeting room in order to have a private conversation.
"So, you're working for the Immortal Emperor now?" Evileye asked, deciding that was a good place to start.
"Our goals are aligned, so yes," Zur confirmed.
"You do realize that your organization, Zuranon, has caused a lot of trouble, right?"
"Yes. Those were extremists for the most part who took things too far," Zur lied.
"Why did you found that organization anyway? What was the point?"
"Do you remember when we went into hiding after our time with the Thirteen Heroes? No one would acknowledge the good we had done because we were undead freaks. They were happy to have us while their world was in danger, but the moment the crisis had passed we were evil monsters again and no one would acknowledge the good we've done. I refuse to live in a world where I can't walk down a street without someone calling the guards because they think I'm about to start a massacre."
"Zur, you know that's just how things are. The undead will always be hated and feared because the unintelligent ones do nothing but kill humans. It's the way the world works."
"Then the way the world works is wrong!" Zur spat. "I don't care what I have to do or who I have to serve! Lucifer Dracul has promised us a world where we can walk amongst the living and be a part of society."
"But the way you're going about this is wrong!" Evileye yelled. "This isn't the right way to do things!"
"The right way takes too long!" Zur snarled. The two of them descended into silence when they noticed that people who passing by started looking at them. "How's Rigrit and the Platinum Dragon Lord?" he asked, deciding to drop the previous subject.
"Last I heard they were working with some swordsman and the Agrand Council Alliance to try to do something about Lucifer Dracul because they're convinced that he's evil."
"And what do you think of him?"
"I don't know," Evileye sighed.
It had taken a few hours, but because they hadn't had to worry about any beastmen attacks on their way back to the Lux, Nabe, Hamsuke, Lapin, and the remaining soldiers arrived at the Draconic Palace without incident. The first thing Lapin had noticed when they entered the city was the lack of Draconic Kingdom banners on display. They had been replaced by dark red banners that depicted fanged skulls with bat wings sprouting from the sides of their heads all colored in black. The part that absolutely terrified her were the countless undead soldiers marching throughout the city. When Hamsuke stopped in front of the Draconic Palace's entrance, Nabe practically kicked Lapin off.
"Go, rodent. Lady Albedo is waiting for you," Nabe informed her gruffly as she galloped off on Hamsuke.
"Meanie," Lapin muttered as she entered the palace.
"Young miss," a raspy voice called causing Lapin to spin around to come face to face with an Elder Lich. "Please follow me. This humble servant will lead you to Lady Albedo." Lapin only nodded weakly as she began to worry what kind of monster this Albedo person would be. After being led past what was practically an army of Death Knights, Lapin found herself in front of the entrance to what used to be the throne room. "Lady Albedo is the second in command of the Eternal Empire and is the bearer of our emperor's child. Show respect." And with that warning given, the Elder Lich opened the doors and ushered Lapin inside. Sitting upon the former queen's throne was Albedo being guarded by two Dark Paladins. Lapin was pleasantly surprised by the fat that not only was Albedo not monstrous, but she was very beautiful which set her at ease. Well, a little bit anyway.
"Come in," Albedo called sweetly to the small Rabbitman. Lapin, despite her fear, was filled with purpose as she knew that her country's future could very well be decided in this room. She approached until she was within an acceptable distance and bowed. "I am the Immortal Empress Albedo Dracul," Albedo introduced herself, masking her giddiness that her lord had allowed her to call herself that during the party at Nazarick.
"I-it's an honor to meet you empress," Lapin stuttered out, feeling chills go up her spine under Albedo's cold gaze. "I am Lapin Shorn. I have come on behalf of Patriarch Archon to discuss an end to hostilities between the Beastmen Country and the Eternal Empire."
"Very well," Albedo grinned. "We shall arrange a meeting between your leader and my husband, the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul, for this evening."
Another patrol of demons was coming up the street. There wasn't any visual confirmation yet, but they could hear the demons' jeering coming closer. Vega and three other Dark Elves were breaking into a house from the backyard in an attempt to hide. Much like they had done all the other times they hid, someone kept watch at the window while the others searched the place for anything useful. Food, water, potions, magic items, armor, anything. This time, it was Vega's turn to watch the window. He still didn't see the demons, but he could hear them getting closer.
"You got two minutes tops before they get here," he growled. "You know what to do once they do." The other two nodded and continued to search the building. As Vega stared outside the window, something caught his eye. Outside on the corpse covered street, there was a little human child trying to get out from under his dead mother. Vega winced as he saw this. He knew how it felt to lose one's mother. His attention was immediately diverted from the ominous glow growing at the end of the street. The demons were coming closer. His gaze kept darting from the boy who was bound to be seen to the approaching demons who would kill him if they found him.
What do I care? Humans are monsters and that's all they'll ever be.
Even as he thought that, he knew he was lying to himself. After what he had seen these demons do, he could never call humans monsters again. Not after he had been shown what true monsters were. Vega let out an exasperated sigh before he darted out the door to help the kid.
"Your highness, what are you doing?" one of the Dark Elves whispered harshly, but Vega didn't pay any attention.
I've gotta be out of my fucking mind.
With that thought in his head, he pulled the boy out from his mother, picked him up, and darted back into the house just in time as the demons rounded the corner and marched down the street with a massive wagon. After about twenty minutes of loading all the bodies onto the wagon, they took off down the street again looking for more corpses. The moment they were out of sight, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"Your majesty, why did you save this human?" one of his subordinates asked as the little boy stared fearfully at the elves.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the humans aren't our enemy at the moment," Vega sighed as he set the kid down and crouched in front of him. "What's your name child?"
"K-Koir," the kid stammered as he stared into Vega's heterochromatic eyes.
"Stay close to me and I'll keep you safe," Vega said as he offered Koir his hand. With a little hesitation, Koir took Vega's hand and allowed Vega to carry him on his back. "We need to keep moving. If we see any other survivors be they Dark Dwarf, human, orc, ogre, goblin, or one of us, we help them. There is safety in numbers and cooperation is our best chance of getting out of here alive." His subjects looked at one another with odd expressions for a moment before turning back to their king and nodding.
Archon sat patiently at an elegant table in the middle of a field. Next to him was the nervous, as usual, Lapin and behind him were thousands of beastmen ready to attack if this was and serve as intimidation against the other side. On the other side of the table stood a single maid with an eyepatch and an expressionless face. Archon scoffed at the arrogance of this Immortal Emperor, who seemed to be so sure of himself even with no forces attending this meeting but a maid. It was laughable. Finally, after what seemed like hours, a swarm of bats appeared and flew towards the table. Once they were close enough to the table, the bats started merging together until all of the bats were gone and were replaced by a tall man with soulless red eyes. Archon stiffened under the man's gaze and could feel the pure power radiating from him but kept his composure. Lapin on the other hand had curled up into a ball and started shaking while her ears covered her face.
C'mon, I'm not that scary.
"I presume that you are Archon?" Lucifer stated more than asked in order to break the silence as he took a seat.
"Yes, I am the Patriarch of the Beastmen Country," Archon confirmed.
"Wonderful. I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul. Now I have a meeting with another diplomat today so for the sake of time could you please tell me what it is you seek to accomplish from these negotiations?" Lucifer asked, getting straight to the point.
"I would like to cease hostilities between our two nations and ask for your assistance in eliminating the Draconic Kingdom. I of course will share a portion of the land with you in return," Archon replied. "In addition, I have three hundred humans who I can offer to you as slaves. So, shall we make a deal?"
"You seem to be mistaken as to whose land you've been invading," Lucifer smirked. "The Draconic Kingdom no longer exists. In return for saving her citizens, Queen Draudillon has handed what is left of her nation to me which means you've been attacking MY land. If you bothered to keep up with politics as is your duty as a nation's ruler, you would know this." Archon gulped as he felt the sinking sensation of walking into a trap. "Furthermore, slavery is banned in my country so I cannot accept slaves."
"But they are merely humans. They do not-"
"Human or nonhuman, living or dead. It makes no difference to me," Lucifer interrupted. "I'm not here to agree to a peace treaty. I'm here for your surrender."
"WHAT!?" Archon bellowed. "I know that you have a Soul Eater and that your military may be strong, but even with that you do not have the power to conquer this nation! Give me one good reason why I should hand my country over to you!" Lucifer rolled his eyes and activated a [Message] spell.
[Omega, please send the troops over as we discussed.]
[Yes my lord!]
"How about I give you five hundred reasons?" Lucifer asked with an evil grin. A [Gate] opened behind him and an army stepped forth from the swirling blackness. Archon nor any of the beastmen could believe what had just emerged. Lapin had peaked from under the and promptly fainted upon seeing those monsters. Archon didn't know what the monsters wielding swords and shields were, but he recognized what they were riding instantaneously. As a matter of fact, every single beastman assembled here knew what those were.
"SOUL EATERS!?" countless beastmen screamed. Five hundred Death Knights riding Soul Eaters had appeared from the darkness and had assembled behind their master.
"Last time I checked, your country is very familiar with what these creatures can do. Or do you need history to repeat itself on a massive scale?" Lucifer taunted. Archon felt like he was going to throw up. A mere three Soul Eaters had decimated their capitol city last time, if five hundred of those monsters were unleashed they could wipe out all life on the planet. "Unless you don't want these Soul Eaters to reduce your county to an undead spawning ground, you will do as I say."
"What are your terms?" Archon asked with a sigh now that all hope had left him.
"Your immediate and unconditional surrender," Lucifer dictated as he smiled coldly at the terrified beastmen. "The Beastmen Country, its lands, its resources, and its citizens will all be dissolved into to the Eternal Empire effective immediately. You will cease your attacks against humans, you will release all of your captives to me, your soldiers will be put to work reconstructing the cities you've devastated, and you will all bow to me and acknowledge me as your Immortal Emperor and your god."
"Yes, my lord," Archon replied bitterly as he kneeled before his new undead master. Lucifer grinned as the other beastmen took notice of their leader's posture and bowed before their emperor.
The people of E-Rantel had finally begun to relax around the Death Knights and other undead creatures. Their emperor had been true to his word in all the things he had declared and although they still had doubts as to whether or not he was a benevolent ruler they at least knew that he was an emperor who kept his promises, which was more than they could say for many other rulers. The Adventurers' Guild was not the ghost town it used to be. Lucifer's proposal to create true adventurers caught the attention of many who sought to discover the unknown. Ainzach and Avenir had been going over blueprints for some of the new additions to the building when they heard a crash outside.
"What the hell was that?" Ainzach yelled as he stood up from his chair.
"I don't know but I think we should take a look," Avenir commented as she ran outside, closely followed by Ainzach. Outside, a large crowd had gathered around a crushed wagon. Why was the wagon crushed? Probably because of the exhausted hippogriff that had crash-landed on it. Avenir glanced to check if the Death Knights were standing by if things got out of hand and, sure enough, saw eight Death Knights and a Skull Knight assembled nearby in case they were needed. On top of the hippogriff was an unconscious woman with golden yellow hair and a man in white robes who looked like all he was desperately trying to keep himself from falling asleep.
"My name is Roman, Minister of the Holy Kingdom. I request an audience with his majesty, the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul," Roman blurted out tiredly before promptly passing out.
Bonus Story: Oblivious Corvo
Corvo let out an exhausted sigh as he finally laid his hand on the doorknob to Jessamine's house. He couldn't actually get tired since he was undead, but it was a habit he picked up from his master. He opened the door as he rubbed his eyes and called out.
"Jessamine! I'm back! You haven't gotten stuck in your closet again have you-" he abruptly stopped when he opened his eyes and saw Jessamine in front of him using the ultimate weapon of any stereotypical anime: the naked apron.
"Welcome back Corvo!" she exclaimed in her typical way-too- happy manner. "Would you like something to eat? Would you like to have a bath? Or would you like to have….. me?" Corvo simply stared at her with the same grumpy expression he always had on his face, unable to understand why she was doing this.
"I would appreciate something to eat," Corvo deadpanned.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to have me?" Jessamine asked as she wrapped her arms around Corvo's neck, who merely tilted his head innocently in response to her question.
"I'm quite certain that eating you would be detrimental to your health," Corvo asked with a genuinely confused look on his face.
"Never mind," Jessamine sighed. "Go upstairs and bathe and I'll make something to eat." Corvo nodded in understanding and headed upstairs. The moment he was out of sight, Jessamine banged her head on the wall and groaned. "Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot?"
I spent the past few days watching over my little cousins. Watching over those midgets is a bitch. I'm tired as a motherfucker. BTW Omega is an actual member of the Pleiades, not an OC.
HAIL AND KILL!