The cheering finally died down, granting Coup De Grace a moment of reprieve to collect his thoughts at the announcement of the ancient man known as "Pops" by his subordinates.
Surely there was no possible way he could know of us. We made sure to hide such knowledge. No...there is something else at play here.
His gaze fell onto the book that the elder had held in the air for all to see. It was the first time he was seeing the tome physically, but Ankoro had made sure to alert him to its presence.
The accompaniment of a name, Grover Sprigganson, also raised questions in the back of his mind. When he looked to gauge the overall mood and thoughts of his old friends, they all seemed to reach the same conclusion.
Whatever happens, that book just became the final prey of our unknown hunt, alongside that creature hiding out in the forest.
"We have no time to waste, my comrades," Pops proclaimed, catching the heteromorph's attention. "We must prepare ourselves for the trials and tribulations ahead, and prepare a proper welcome for our heroes."
"But Pops," one of the lumberjacks in the crowd called, "What are we gonna need to do? Should we start packing for a trip or start working on getting weapons?"
"The same thing we did when those infernal creatures first came to us. We fortify and plan, but we wait no longer than we need to. Not with our saviors here to guide us."
Determination gripped the men, all of them turning heel and walking right back out the mess hall doors to do what they needed to. Conversations struck up between fellow workers as supervisors started barking orders.
Soon enough, the only ones left were Arne, Pops, Coup De Grace, and the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown. Bjorn had left to accompany his peers and aid in their new efforts.
The androsphinx had half a mind to go and join the humans outside, if only to see how else they might build up their settlement. As it stood, however, there were more pressing matters to deal with.
"So, now that we have all that out of the way, mind telling us what's really going on here?" Ankoro asked, her expression carefully neutral. Lupusregina copied her motion for motion. The feline hunter might've found it endearing under different circumstances.
Pops waved a hand for the guildmates to follow. This time he led the group, pushed open the doors of the dining space to allow them outside. Coup De Grace made sure to tuck in his wings, so that he might not accidentally bump them on the way out.
"Centuries ago, when man was at the mercy of monsters and dragons, there came a being of profound wisdom and power to our world," Pops began, leading down a dirt path and past the buzzing lumberjacks.
"His name was Grover Sprigganson, and he was a creature known as a treant. He came before my ancestors and offered up knowledge on how to be at peace with nature, and how to live alongside its denizens."
Coup De Grace nodded, as did his friends and the pleiade, to show that they were following along. So far the story did not seem out of the ordinary.
Pops continued his tale, taking them down a familiar path to the manor. "He carried with him several items of extraordinary power. Some of them were the Sword of Ginnungagap, the Mask of the Old Ones, and his personal teachings, bound in this book."
The patriarch tapped the cover of the book, tenderly caressing the raised oak etching. More and more lumberjacks filed on by, carrying bundles of supplies to and from areas that apparently needed them.
"He led my ancestors well, safeguarding them against terrible threats, and preaching to them the words of a pantheon of gods he had come to know and care for, one that I am sure you're all too familiar with, Lord Blue Planet."
The Druid made a noise of agreement, his grip on his staff tightening. Coup De Grace never took his eyes off of the old man, and Ankoro Mocchi Mochi's eyes darted around constantly at the men which bustled around them.
"Which does raise an interesting point that I would like to address, if I may," Coup De Grace said.
"Of course! I'm sure that while you were expecting something like this, you're wondering as to where Grover Sprigganson's gone, and why we're in the situation that we are now, right?" Pops answered, pretty much nailing what the androsphinx had wanted to say.
"Just about," The elder werewolf confirmed, her gaze narrowing. Lupusregina bared her teeth but did not growl.
By that point, they had reached the manor, and, rather than going inside where it would be noticeably more cramped, they elected to stay out on the porch.
Coup De Grace padded up to the shade, leaning up against the railing and causing it to groan with effort to hold his mass. Ankoro and Lupusregina stuck together, the former resting her back against the wall while the latter sat next to her and scouted in close.
Blue Planet himself remained by the step leading up to the porch, the late afternoon sun making his finely polished iron-wood armor gleam and refract the hues of the dark red wood.
Pops sat down in the chair which had been blown away by the nature enthusiast's arrival, the furniture restored to its original spot while they visited the mess hall.
He laid the book flat in his lap, but never opened it. The old man took a shuddering, deep breath.
"When Grover first arrived, he met a small group of settlers that were my ancestors. As I mentioned previously, he protected and taught us. But as the years passed, he began to act more and more strangely."
"Strange in what way?" Blue Planet asked.
"He began to forget the names of his closest friends and most faithful. He began speaking to others who were not there, and he claimed to be receiving recurring visions of 'green eyes in the dark'. Despite our efforts, even our greatest shamans and druids were unable to help the apparent sickness that plagued his mind."
"So what happened to him?"
The patriarch grew silent then, thumbing the arm of his chair in thought. His face was wistful and sorrowful.
"Around two hundred years ago, he fled into the forest to escape the demons of his waking dreams. He left behind all of his belongings in our care, but we never saw him again. We maintain our good relations with the dryads in honor of his memory and his name."
Coup De Grace allowed what he had been told to sink in, as did his other comrades. Blue Planet looked the most conflicted and confused, most likely because he was wondering as to who exactly Grover Sprigganson was or, more precisely, how he even knew of Ainz Ooal Gown in the first place.
His attention returned to the book in the elder's lap as more and more questions swirled about in his head. Pops caught his eye and returned a warm, friendly smile.
"If you four would like, I would be more than happy to lend you the book so that you might look through it. To ensure that your teachings were handled well by your disciple."
The androsphinx raised an eyebrow at that, but true to the old man's word, he got up and handed Blue Planet the thick tome. The Druid cradled it like a newborn child.
"Ever since we first received it after Grover's disappearance, we have been hard at work deciphering his native tongue. Our translations are rough but passable. Perhaps as you read it, we can compare notes on what was translated correctly or not."
Pops then walked to the door of the manor and gently pushed it open. "I will go and leave you be. You'll want to plan ahead for what's to come, I'm sure. Once preparations are finished, we can talk more at the mess hall and communal fire later tonight."
The old man strode inside, humming an unfamiliar tune as he left the denizens of Nazarick alone.
Coup De Grace blinked, as did his friends and the pleiade.
"I'm not really sure how to feel about him, my lords," Lupusregina said, bewildered. "He was a lot different from that betrayer Naaru."
"Lupus…," Ankoro chided.
"Right, sorry," the junior canine said. "But I am curious too, how does this 'Grover Sprigganson' really relate to you and the other lords and ladies of Nazarick?"
"We're about to find out," Blue Planet said, moving over to the edge of the porch and sitting down. His cape bunched up behind him, forcing the magic caster to move it off to the side.
Coup De Grace joined him, as did the werewolf duo. The Druid opened up the book slowly, taking care not to rip the pages. They sat on either side of him, leaning in to see the hastily written words and scribbles that littered the first few pages.
On the first page was the date, "December 14th, 2136". The first entry read as follows:
Dear Journal,
Today was a good day. I managed to farm some new materials from the Alfheim Cathedrals today. Didn't get to really see my friends, but that's okay! Blue Planet came by to see me and help me fight an area boss. I even got some Legacy Tier items!
"This is just a diary," the androsphinx reported, "Where did the lumberjacks get the idea that this was a sacred tome?"
"We haven't gotten that far in man," Ankoro said, "Give it time and I'm sure we'll find out."
Blue Planet nodded his head. "Yeah, I really want to know how this guy knows me, or any of us for that matter."
"Our guild wasn't exactly the most well hidden, you understand?" The androsphinx snipped.
The Druid rolled his eyes but flipped the page. The next entry read "March 24th, 2136".
Dear Journal,
I got to see them today! I really got to see Illicit Sinners fighting some of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown! Blue Planet was there too. He was so cool, throwing around all the kinds of magic that he did. He even managed to take on two different players at once! I wonder if He would like to play Minecraftia with me… Since he loves nature he'll surely love the atmosphere in it!
"It would seem we had a secret admirer," the feline hunter said, "But I am curious as to which fight he's referring to. I don't recall ever dealing with Illicit Sinners recently"
"It was probably when most of the guild was taking a break," Ankoro theorized, "If those dates are right, then that was around the time most of the guild was up and gone."
"Pretty much," Blue Planet confirmed. "Back in those days it was usually me, Garnet, Brisingr, Momonga, and I think Variable Talisman. Can't say for sure who else was there though."
This time, the nature enthusiast flipped through several pages at once, landing on one that seemed more similar to their guild's own status. The date read "January 2nd, 2138"
Dear Journal,
Holy cow I don't know what happened! One moment I was at my base for the last day of Yggdrasil, and the next I was standing in the middle of this forest! I can't see anyone around for miles, and now I'm actually a Treant! This is so cool! I wonder if there are other players around for me to find.
"So it seems he was brought to this world as well. He was there on the last day, but apparently he arrived a little more than two hundred years ago." the androsphinx noted.
He was greeted with silence as his guildmates and the pleiade flipped through more and more pages. The fluttering of the paper through the air was all that could be heard for some time, alongside the creaking of the aged wood panels of the porch each time a heteromorph moved to be more comfortable.
The relative dating of each journal entry seemed sporadic but linear. However, it came to be that there were no longer dates as Coup De Grace knew them. Instead there were titles like "Upper", "Middle", and "Lower" before the apparent season that the journal entry was logged in.
One such entry read as "The fourth day of Upper Autumn", and was as follows:
Dear Journal,
You know, it's not all bad, being out here alone at first. I got to experience all sorts of new things, like planting myself like an actual tree, or being able to talk to the other trees! They whispered all sorts of things to me, like the best places to get sunlight or find fresh water deep underground. I wonder what Blue Planet would think?
Ankoro snickered at that. "Yeah man, what do you think of that? Do you think you can talk to animals like a fairytale princess? Or maybe speak for the trees as their guardian?"
Lupusregina started snickering and Coup De Grace let loose a rare ghost of a smile.
"Har har," Blue Planet deadpanned, and then kept reading. They came across a new journal entry, one that was of considerably more interest than all the previous ones. It was written as a smaller footnote underneath the latest one they read.
Dear Journal
Getting to meet Frode and his group was awesome. Frode's friends and family seemed really afraid of me at first, but when they saw I was a treant and Frode calmed them down, they started to like me. I like their robes too, but I don't know why they're black and brown like they are.
That must be when Grover met Pops's ancestors, the feline hunter thought, trailing his eyes along the poor penmanship of what seemed to be branches attempting to hold a pencil.
On the other hand, the writing seemed more stylish and intentionally rugged, as if a custom font, in the beginning journal entries. Now that he could confirm the book was a Yggdrasil item, it was likely typed with that same font in-game.
The next few entries more or less confirmed what the lumberjack patriarch had told them already. There were pages and pages of journal entries mentioning how well Grover got on with the ancient tribe of humans.
Despite his poor writing skills, the Treant author was quite thorough in detailing everything he had taught his new charges. Subjects ranging from agriculture to rudimentary biological science, and how to care and tend for nature while drawing upon the land.
But as they delved deeper and deeper into the book, Coup De Grace's keen eye began seeing a familiar pattern with the way that Grover wrote his journal entries, and how he spoke of major events in the upbringing of his human disciples.
One particular entry confirmed his suspicions, and read as "The twenty-seventh day of Lower Spring".
Dear Journal,
The black robed people had to go away today. They started getting mean and hurting their brown robed friends with their summons. They were also hurting the forest, and something in me got really, really mad. I told them if they didn't stop, I would make them. Some of my best friends left after that. I wish my mom was here, maybe she could've been able to tell me what to do.
"We're reading the writings of a child," Coup De Grace simply said, his electro blue eyes glued to the page.
"What makes you so certain, Lord Coup De Grace?" Lupusregina, her gaze similarly honed in on the journal entry.
"His manner of writing and his very simplified way of explaining advanced subjects leads me to believe that his education is rather elementary. Not to mention that his basic way of explaining what seems to be a difficult split in his group of humans is quite childish."
Ankoro scoffed at that. "So? Education might've been getting better globally back where we came from, but that doesn't mean the current adults were getting any smarter. This could just be a guy lacking in some school learning."
"I don't know about that one, I think Coup might be onto something," Blue Planet spoke up, catching the other two's attention.
"What makes you so sure that it really is a kid?"
"Coup's right. Just the way that this Grover guy writes and talks about stuff… I don't know, but I think I'm starting to remember who this guy is. Let's keep reading."
They flipped through some more pages, skipping entries that were either too short to really consider reading or not of interest.
"Hey BP, flip back a few pages, I think I saw something," Ankoro requested.
The Druid did as she requested, flicking back to where she had stated. Sure enough, the journal entry in question was titled "The eighteenth day of Middle Fire".
Dear Journal,
Things haven't been good the last few months. My friends are really sad now that their black robed friends are gone. So when we made the weekly bonfire, I decided to tell them about what Ainz Ooal Gown would do in a situation like this. They were really excited to learn what they were like, especially about Blue Planet.
The denizens of Nazarick all shared a knowing glance, prompting the nature enthusiast to flip to the next page. Unlike previous journal entries, which seemed to have semi-large gaps in time between each one time-wise, this latest one was written only the day after the previous log.
Dear Journal,
My friends must have really liked Ainz Ooal Gown, because all day they kept asking about them and what they were like. Most of their questions though were about Blue Planet, so I told them about how he came to my school once and taught me all about nature and how to keep it safe. They didn't really understand any of the stuff I said about technology though. They kept asking what a computer was.
Blue Planet sighed, clasping the book shut but holding a finger on the page so that they wouldn't lose their place. He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew hot air into his palm.
"I'm assuming now you remember?" Coup De Grace asked rhetorically, folding his arms over each other while still on all fours.
"You were a teacher?" Ankoro blurted, "I thought you were an Arboreal Scientist."
"You actually did get to teach Grover?" Lupusregina innocently inquired.
"I am-was an Arboreal Scientist, but I was brought in as a guest lecturer for an elementary school all the way in Germany. I did, as a matter of fact, now that I'm starting to really think about it," the Druid said patiently, his face still in his hand.
"And to answer your question, Coup, I do remember now, since there was only one time I was ever called to an elementary school to teach. I can't remember the name of it, but I do remember there was this one kid who kept bugging me after class because he was just full of questions."
Blue Planet chuckled bitterly at that, staring glumly at the book in his hands. He idly flicked the corner of one of the pages.
"He was this real sickly kid. Had some neurological disease that made it hard for him to remember things, alongside a whole host of other problems I can't even imagine he had. But when I talked to him, it felt like I was talking to a miniature me."
Ankoro patted his shoulder and gave the Druid a gentle smile. "That must have been nice. Not a whole lot of people had the kinda spark for nature that you did, ya know."
Blue Planet snapped his hand away from his face and moved it in a circular motion while in the air. "Yeah, but with everything going on at the time, with the world basically in flames and Project Genesis still years away, I just didn't give him the attention he deserved. I kinda just brushed him aside."
"Obviously he saw the wisdom in your actions then, my lord," Lupusregina said, as if she stated something that was common knowledge.
"In what way? The most we talked about was what he learned in class and Yggdrasil. I don't see how that correlates."
The junior canine gave a mischievous grin as she replied. "I love how you test me, my lord. It keeps me on my toes and allows me to improve myself so I can serve you even better!"
Coup De Grace felt he should comment on that, but he was cut off before he could say anything by the pleiade.
"He took your disinterest as incentive to try and find you in the Second World, my lord. He followed you and took careful notes of your actions and tried to emulate your teachings as best as he could. He arrived here, same as you and the other lords and ladies, but much earlier, and then passed on your glorious name and that of Ainz Ooal Gown to the humans."
Lupusregina looked especially proud of herself at her deductions. Closing her eyes and smiling with pleasure. It was so pure and heartwarming that the androsphinx was almost tempted to leave it alone and allow her to bask in her self glory.
Almost.
"Young one, I don't think that was what was going on with Grover," he said in his usual matter-of-fact tone, "More likely he looked up to Blue Planet as a role model, and, being alone in a new world, started making friends by telling them about our resident enthusiast."
The werewolf pleiade frowned, but then shrugged. "I mean...surely he still wanted to
pass on your wisdom at least? If he really was considered a "child" to you, then maybe he didn't hold up to your standards?"
"I think he did good for what his situation was. But he must've been really lonely when he got here and just wanted friends. He thought he could do that by sharing what he learned and his hobbies," Ankoro explained.
Lupusregina scrunched up her admittedly attractive features, but before more could be said on the matter, they were interrupted by the sound of Pops coming through the door. All of them looked up to see the elderly man carrying a tray of tea.
"I'm sorry for bothering you, but I thought perhaps you might enjoy some tea while reading. I have some meat inside, if you're hungry as well," Pops said, setting the tray down on the ground.
"Oh, thank you, we can serve ourselves," Blue Planet said, reaching for the tea pot. The settlement patriarch was reaching forward at the same time.
"No, no. Please, allow me, I'd be happy to serve you drinks," Pops insisted, only for his hand to be swatted away by a third.
Before any of the guildmates could try and get a cup, Lupusregina promptly grabbed the teapot and was pouring everyone their drinks. The entire time, she wore a smug look that she directed towards the human man.
"As a member of the Pleiades, it would be my duty to make sure my aunt and masters are well taken care of. You don't need to concern yourself, human."
As she said this, Coup De Grace noted that besides the smug grin, her voice was overly polite. She stared down Pops as she poured each individual drink, the tinkling of the tea unusually loud. A saucer and cup was graciously handed to him, steam rising from the liquid's surface.
From force of habit, he blew on it, taking a sip and savoring the rich, earthy flavors that accompanied the dark drink. He made a noise of contentment. His friends were enjoying it as well, if their expressions were anything to judge by.
"I'm not usually a tea fan, but this is actually pretty good," Ankoro complimented, "You made this yourself?"
Pops, who initially looked disappointed from being unable to serve the heteromorphs themselves, brightened considerably. "Oh, yes I did! I prefer mine a bit richer than the other men in the camp, though they usually are face deep in mugs of ale to bother trying my recipe."
"Isn't drinking on the job a little dangerous? I'd think everyone would save it for a day off," Blue Planet commented.
"Oh, it's mostly watered down, no more than breakfast beer at best. We save the good stuff for when we have celebrations or on a holiday," Pops said, "Otherwise, you're right in that there'd be a lot more accidents around here."
The old man served himself, given that Lupusregina had either forgotten or didn't bother to after she finished tending to her three masters. He made a movement to try and sit down on the porch with the rest of them, only to wince and instead make his way to a nearby chair.
"Have you been able to read through the book alright? Since you're the teachers of Grover, I thought perhaps that would be the same language you read and write. If you'd like, I could get a translated copy to compare to for reference," Pops offered.
"We can read it fine, thank you," Coup De Grace said, "His handwriting is messy, but sufficient enough to understand. Tell me, did he keep this book on his person at all times?"
"I can't say for sure, since I wasn't even alive when he lived among my people, but from Frode's accounts, he seemed to, yes."
"Frode, the guy that Grover mentions in his journal?"
"He's a direct ancestor of mine. He was actually the first one to meet Grover when we came to the Forest of Tob nearly two hundred years ago. He led Grover back to the rest of my ancestors and, well, the rest is history."
"You said Grover taught you a lot of your current practices," Blue Planet jumped in, "Did he teach you anything else?"
Pops wrinkled in brow in thought. "Oh, he taught us many things when he was with us. He taught us how to tend to the environment, how to make long lasting relationships with the people of the Forest of Tob, and he made constant references to the technology of his homeland. It's rather odd to say that a treant uses technology, but he was different from most."
"So he wrote everything down in the journal, and let you guys have it once he left?" Ankoro asked. Lupusregina was sitting next to her, enjoying her own cup while she swung her legs off the porch.
"The book he left behind when he escaped into the woods, driven mad by his nightmares. Frode took custody of it, believing that we could still learn more even after Grover fled. He was right, of course, but it's tough business translating a language that has no origin in these lands."
"Then your people obviously aren't trying hard enough," Lupusregina said plainly, "My aunt and masters could read it right off the bat, and they have way more knowledge and understanding of things that Grover could only dream of. I'm sure if they thought you were worthy, they could teach all sorts of things, just like Grover."
"Oh, I'm sure they could," Pops replied, "Grover spoke very highly of Ainz Ooal Gown in his writings, and from the stories passed down to me. Why, just learning the magic alone would be amazing, especially for the druids living here!"
"Ha! Don't forget about all the artifacts and magic items they could make. It would blow anything you humans can clamor together right out of the park, I'd bet my life on it."
Both Pops and Lupusregina turned to Blue Planet, Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, and Coup De Grace with an expectant look. It was strange, being praised so much over something so minuscule.
That being said, the werewolf pleiade had hyped up the older man with tales of their "magical knowledge". Coup De Grace had no idea how magic worked itself, much less be able to teach anyone anything about it.
His friends were in the same predicament, frozen on the spot as they looked at each other with panic. This panic worsened when Pops scooted his chair closer to the heteromorphs, probably to hear them better.
"Well, uh, right, magical knowledge, we can totally teach you that," Blue Planet said lamely.
"Yep, that's what we do. We just make magic all the time. Though, uh, we don't make magic items ourselves. We usually have a friend who specializes in that sort of thing to help us out," Ankoro said.
"Aunt Ankoro, you're being too modest! I've seen the kinds of weapons and armor you use. Lord Amanomahitotsu is a great blacksmith, but he just provides the framework. You're the one who actually makes the stuff!" The younger redhead said, smiling brightly.
That doesn't necessarily mean we understand how magic works, little one, Coup De Grace thought privately to himself. However, what she said did remind him of crafting items in Yggdrasil and the process that went into that itself.
In Yggdrasil, item properties and abilities did not actually come from a piece of equipment, but from an item known as a data crystal. The rarity of crystal was dependent upon its data size, and ranged from low all the way to divine tier.
Each data crystal type could be achieved by various methods, but the absolute best came from raids, world enemies, questing, and making their own. Because of the nature of Ainz Ooal Gown, they had so many divine tier and legendary tier crystals that could likely outfit everyone with that same class of gear if they really wanted to.
Unfortunately, a data crystal of higher tier had to be paired with an item frame of a similar quality in order to get the desired effects. An iron dagger wouldn't be able to summon a level eighty fire elemental like the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown could.
Amanomahitotsu could only provide so many materials, and a decent chunk of those materials were used up unintentionally when the Caloric Stone came into existence by having so many prismatic ores at once. They regained some of those materials just by farming, but it stung to lose so much for one rock, even if it was a world item.
That also wasn't taking into account that while the druids of the settlement may be slightly familiar with Yggdrasil and its players, Punitto Moe likely wouldn't want them to share any more information than necessary.
If they indulged too much… Coup De Grace could feel the sting of the newspaper already. His pride would be on the line, and that was something he would not give up lightly.
He searched with a keen eye for something to focus on and steady his thoughts, so that he might be able to think up something that sounded plausible to satisfy the old man's curiosity.
Lupusregina stared back at his friends and him, her eyes positively beaming with excitement for what they would say next. Pops folded his hands in his lap, waiting patiently for their "teachings".
Coup De Grace's sight landed on the tea set, noticing the fine craftsmanship of it and the intricate paintings lovingly put on its surface. There was a scene of a treant, who he assumed was Grover Sprigganson, standing before a group of kneeling humans and dryads.
In Grover's hand was a book, the diary he'd left behind, and the way it was painted made it seem like a holy light emanated from it. It was evident that whoever made the tea set wanted to draw attention to the book, from how much attention was lavished upon it.
"That tea set of yours was expertly made. Quite magical indeed," Coup De Grace said, taking a sip of his drink. "Even all the way out here, you can still make use of what you can to make something so fine."
A bit of small talk, to buy them more time to create an explanation. Based on their subtle, panicked expressions, inspiration hadn't struck them yet either.
Pops's face lit up, his wrinkles exposing the skin between them and revealing it to be much lighter than the rest of his complexion.
"Oh! My word, your niece didn't exaggerate when you said you were knowledgeable about magic! You were able to tell that this tea set was imbued and made by magic just by looking at it!"
"See? Nothing escapes their understanding of things. They know everything and anything, way beyond your abilities. Very few can ever reach their level, and those who can just end up getting outclassed anyways," Lupusregina boasted.
"What? That's not exactly what I was-" he began to say, only to have a hand smacked over his mouth.
"Yes! That's totally what we can do. We can tell when something is magical just by looking at it. Something we honed, uh, when we mastered magic," Ankoro said, her eyes flickering to him and conveying a quiet message: play along.
Blue Planet caught on as Coup De Grace came to an understanding at the same time. His hunter's instinct flared as the opportunity he'd been searching for arose.
"…These runes painted on my body? They are the same types of runes that you can see within the circles that appear when you cast magic. They store that power, and release it anytime I need them to," the androsphinx said, adding on his own tidbit.
"That way, we don't have to expend our own stores of magic, because the runes themselves already have it. They're not even carved into his body, they're painted on," Blue Planet explained.
Everything they said, of course, was completely false, but Pops ate up the "knowledge" eagerly. The old man looked around himself, as if to find a notepad so he could write down what they were saying, but found nothing.
"The runes though are more my specialty," Ankoro said, tracing her fingers along the runes in Coup De Grace's fur. ""I know the entire base alphabet, and all the different ways that those runes can be combined to make names and phrases. It can be really difficult to understand and translate, but I did it!"
That was definitely not a lie. Coup De Grace could recall vividly back in Yggdrasil's glory days that Ankoro being able to learn Old Norse was a great source of pride for her. Every opportunity that she could, she would speak it and write in the language to impress others.
Naturally, this was a result of the original love that Ankoro had for Norse mythology as a whole. She could prove to be an excellent orator of the stories and legends, and knew just about all of them by heart.
Though they didn't spend much time together, occasionally Coup De Grace would chance the werewolf player and Tempest Aizawa speaking about the subject. If Tabula was in the vicinity, he would join in too.
"You know, these runes do actually remind me of some old stories I heard," Pops said, once his initial excitement wore down somewhat. "Some of the more exotic traders that came through here that traveled to the Baharuth Empire talked about runes, and that the dwarves were excellent craftsmen with the language."
"There are dwarves here that use runes?!" Ankoro asked, jumping up from her spot and leaning in close to better speak with the older man.
"Certainly!" Pops confirmed, leaning back from the unintentional invasion of his space. "Oh, I wish I could see some of their work, because I've heard it's unlike anything you've ever seen before. Those runes, apparently, are magical too. If you are such an expert in the language, perhaps you could pay the empire a visit, see what you could learn."
"Dwarven runes would be valuable knowledge indeed," Coup De Grace agreed, "a friend of ours would be more than happy to learn that there are dwarves here, and that they practice with an art like rune inscriptions."
"You must mean Lord Amanomahitotsu! Gore and him would want to go find the dwarves for sure. Except, well, he'd have to make sure it was alright to go first," Lupusregina said, her eyes a little downcast at the thought of the mirelurk blacksmith not doing as he pleased.
"Are you kidding? He wouldn't give up that chance for the world, kiddo," Ankoro reassured, ruffling the top of Lupusregina's head after she backed off of Pops.
"Oh, but I'm distracting you. Please, tell me more about runes. Grover and Frode don't mention this anywhere in their memoirs, so this is all new and exciting," Pops said, bringing his chair up to listen in closer.
For the next several minutes, Ankoro launched into a concise but still hefty history lesson on the origins of runes themselves, their use in the everyday lives of the Scandinavians who used them, and the apparent magical properties they were said to bestow on those experienced enough to use them.
It was perhaps the most animated Coup De Grace ever saw his old friend being, not that she wasn't animated enough already, but the way she described it all was akin to some epic saga. He imagined she would make the Vikings of those times very proud with her oration skills.
Both Lupusregina and Pops listened on, completely enraptured in the subject matter. The old man looked about ready to cry tears of joy at the knowledge he was given, and the werewolf pleiade every so often shot him a smug smile, as if to reaffirm her masters' superiority over him.
At one point, Ankoro had moved to the dirt in front of the porch, carving examples of runes and how to combine them to create entire names or phrases. Blue Planet offered the settlement patriarch one of his spare notebooks, so that he could write down as much as he could.
When Ankoro got on the subject matter of "binding runes" is when Coup De Grace completely lost interest, the information becoming more complex than he cared for.
"I sense we may be here for a while. I am just thankful that neither Tempest Aizawa or Tabula Smaragdina are not here as well, or else we would lose the entire week," the androsphinx huffed to Blue Planet.
His friend was watching Ankoro and now Pops carving runes into the dirt, looking over his shoulder to respond.
"Heh, yeah, but this is actually kinda cool. It's not biology, mind you, but I still think it's pretty interesting."
"Bah! This is hardly worth the time to go in depth over. Even if there are dwarves here that can use runes, I highly doubt that our version of runes has any real application compared to theirs," Coup De Grace grumbled.
"Maybe, maybe not. Anything we can learn about this world though is an automatic win in my book. Betcha if we hadn't mentioned runes, we never would've found out about the dwarves." Blue Planet said, moving to sit down next to Coup De Grace.
They turned to focus back on the three in the dirt, Pops kneeling down like a child as he recreated the practice runes that Ankoro made for him. He looked disappointed when they did not glow and exert magic like the ones painted on Coup De Grace's pelt.
"You won't be able to make them magical until you know the whole language," Ankoro lied, looking to her friends for something to say when the old man inevitably gazed at her for an explanation.
"It took our wolfish friend many years just to understand how to make a sentence," Coup De Grace covered for her, "Do not be discouraged. It will come, in time, with much practice and learning."
"How did the dwarves make their runes magical?" Blue Planet asked, both as a distraction and a way to extract more information about the dwarves, Coup De Grace surmised.
Pops appeared perplexed. "I'm-I don't know. I never found out from those traders, and I doubt they'd know much more either. Likely only the dwarves themselves know, but to do that, you'd need to find their home and ask them yourself."
"Okay, that's fair, so where do they live?"
"Er, I believe in the Azerlisia Mountains? Deeper inside than anyone could feasibly mine out on their own. I don't know any direct pathways into the mountain range, since nobody from here has ever gone that far. I'd reckon you'd need a guide."
"Then we will need to find one when we get the chance, but we can save that for after we alleviate your current problems," Coup De Grace said, standing up and plodding down the porch steps and up to the elderly man.
He looked down at the human still kneeling. "We will need to examine this place further in detail. We only have a rudimentary outline of its perimeter and some of the buildings in this place. Since we're now here and welcome, will you grant us a tour of the place?"
Pops blinked, standing up and brushing his robes off. "I'd be happy to. I feel I should warn you though that, well, the settlement is not as lively as it usually is for obvious reasons."
"That's fine. Just show us around and tell us about yourselves," Ankoro encouraged.
"Yes, of course. Please, follow me."
All the heteromorphs gathered themselves, diligently gathering behind their guide and allowing him to lead the way. Lupusregina brought up the rear, watching their backs like she expected a sneak attack from any one of the lumberjacks or druids.
One of the first places they visited was a collection of workshops close to a warehouse used to store spare lumber that was not slated to be sold for commercial use as is. Pops explained that this type of wood may be too brittle as building material, so it was given to some of the more creative residents of the settlement to make into any number of projects.
Opening a door into a workshop, they peered in to see a few men sitting at tables with an assortment of tools next to them, ranging from saws to chisels. Some were carving miniature statues of animals, or making artwork out of wood scraps and paint they had on standby.
"We try to make sure we have any number of things to sell at a time," Pops said, closing the door. "Lumber may be our biggest export, but sometimes people appreciate a little more than wood for houses."
Their next stop was to somewhere familiar, closer to the manor itself. Coup De Grace recognized it as a greenhouse, one of the ones that Ankoro saw when they did their initial, surface-level scouting. Now that they didn't have to hide, they would get an up close and personal inspection of it.
"We try to be as self-sufficient as possible. This greenhouse helps us to grow all sorts of useful plants we need for medicine," Pops said, gesturing to the glass building. "We usually have two druids at all times growing our herbs and taking care of the bees we farm for honey. I'm not sure if anyone is inside right now, but…"
The door was propped open a hair, letting out the thick, pungent scent of fertilizer and a gust of humid air. They looked through the crack, observing a lone man tending to the plants as he walked up and down a set path beside the row.
Above the man was a hanging overpass housing more exotic plants, some glowing with an innate power that Coup De Grace couldn't discern just from looking at them.
"Those plants you see higher up are specialized herbs we sell to pharmacies all the way in E-Rantel. Before our situation, we actually had just gotten ahold of some seeds for rarer and more potent plants used in potion making."
"You guys deal with alchemists too, huh?" Blue Planet asked.
"So long as it involves nature and how best to utilize and preserve it, we will deal with whoever seeks out our services. These plants are difficult to grow, but the money we get goes towards our efforts to keep the forest happy and healthy."
Afterwards they moved on to a series of huts that smelled especially foul, a mixture of chemicals and wet fur. They were situated closer to the wall that surrounded the settlement, almost leaning right against it. There were no doors closing off the huts, so they could look inside and see clearly what the source of the smell was.
Another man, hunched over with bulging shoulders and trapezoids, was stirring a massive cauldron full of a cloudy liquid. He raised the long, thick pole, pulling out a piece of hairless animal skin.
That piece was settled onto a wooden fence that held several other pieces, and on the opposite side of the hut was a tree rack holding tools like pliers and knives.
"Leather tanning is a smelly process," Pops said, waving the fumes away from his nose. "We usually kept the tanners outside the settlement because it stunk so bad, but once we started losing people, we had to move all of them inside for their safety."
"Can we please get out of here? I refuse to have my masters and aunt deal with this," Lupusregina gagged.
"With pleasure."
With due haste, they walked along the wall until they reached a gate with a large lock on it, holding together chains to reinforce it.
Pops hesitated here, wringing his hands. "This used to lead to the pastures, where we kept our livestock. We had a good number of druids here, taking care of the animals. We kept these gates open as long as we could, but we started to lose too many people to the voices in the forest."
"Could you open it now, and let us see it? We'll protect you should anything dare to come out of the woods and harm you," Coup De Grace reassured him.
The old man wrinkled his brow, likely debating on whether or not he should let them through. He sighed, making a decision.
"Were it anyone else, I would've refused, but you're Grover's teachers, and capable of things far beyond my scope. Hold on a moment.
Pops reached into the folds of his robe, procuring a key. He inserted it into the lock and turned it until there was an audible click. He fiddled with the lock and pulled it off, letting the chains dangle limply.
"I hope it's not too much to ask, but these gates are somewhat heavy, would you three help me push them open?"
"Oh, don't worry, I got this," Blue Planet said, handing off his staff to Ankoro and pushing gently on the gate with both hands. They groaned with their weight, but submitted to the greater strength of the Seleinoi Druid.
As soon as it was fully open, they were able to look out onto the expansive field, and all the animals that inhabited it. At least, what was left of them.
Once upon a time, Coup De Grace assumed there was a large herd that grazed out in the pastures, spending their day-to-day soaking in the sun and wandering aimlessly without a care in the world.
Now, he saw a field of corpses, cows and bulls alike torn to pieces. Some remained whole, but their insides were hollowed out through their rib cages, leaving behind gaping wounds full of the black discharge that the monstrosity in the forest secreted.
A swarm of flies covered the bodies where the black sludge didn't touch. In some primal part of their tiny minds, Coup De Grace thought the recognized the wrongness of the food and shunned it for their own good.
Or maybe it was the smell, a sickly sweet rot that was different from traditional rot. Though there were veritable feasts to be found in those desecrated corpses, the flies touched not one of them.
"It only happened at night," Pops declared sadly, "We had no room to bring them in, and we had left-over stores from the traders that came previously. Those monsters would pick them off, for food and for fun."
"Looks like something else got to a few of them," Coup De Grace commented, "Local wildlife?"
"No, actually. That would be the work of a pair of Forest Wyverns we had. Their trainer had left to E-Rantel right before the disappearances. There were other trainers that came from the city to help take care of them, and they did for the first couple of weeks, right up until we found their corpses on the barn roof one morning."
"You let complete strangers take care of dangerous creatures like wyverns? I'm surprised they weren't mauled on their first day here."
"It wasn't the wyverns. It was the same beasts that kidnapped my people. They had the same ooze all over them. With no one to take care of the Forest Wyverns, they started starving, so they helped themselves to what was left of our cattle."
While they spoke, Pops led them to said barn, where the Forest Wyverns were held. The doors were wide open, a draft flowing through. There were no lamps inside, so eerie shadows had the run of the place.
Regardless, for someone like Coup De Grace, he could see in the dark just fine. [Dark Vision] ensured that everything was as clear as day, so the only way something could possibly try and surprise attack him was if it hid behind one of the stall doors.
Even then, his superior hearing would allow him to detect the slightest movement. The gentlest of footsteps and lightest of breathing would not escape his attention, unless he was intentionally distracted.
Briefly, Coup De Grace remembered the monstrosity that was able to use the shadows as a means of travel and escape. He wondered if one of them was waiting for his friends and him.
No. I do not sense anything out of the ordinary, not like then. Besides, I would've seen it already. I believe we are safe.
"The barn is empty," he said to Pops, who still warily glanced inside.
"What? How did-how-?" the old man sputtered, "Ah, I forgot for a moment what you're capable of. Should've known you'd be able to see anything before I could."
"Just make sure you don't forget it next time, human," Lupusregina proudly said. Ankoro Mocchi Mochi lightly karate chopped the top of her head, to which the smaller werewolf automatically held it afterwards in shame.
Coup De Grace prowled ahead with all the confidence of an accomplished, seasoned hunter, content in the knowledge that as a max-level player, nothing would be able to traditionally harm him.
No other players except from two hundred years ago. Both a blessing and a curse.
His friends followed after him and, while he wasn't sure if they noticed or not, they formed a protective half-circle around Pops subconsciously. The barn itself was large, which meant they had to take extra precautions for their more fragile tour guide if something escaped Coup De Grace's attention and leapt out of the shadows to attack.
He checked each stall, seeing a simple bed of hay and troughs that would hold food and water inside. The insides of a few were bloody, but empty.
"What would druids have to do with something like Forest Wyverns?" Coup De Grace asked idley, "I thought your mission was to preserve the sanctity of the forest and its creatures, not take and tame them for whatever reasons you may have."
"Sometimes, in our work, we come across rare and endangered species that may not make it on their own without outside help, or they might be injured and need medicine. There are times, however, we come across animals that would never make it in the wild but are too dangerous to be released. That's where our beastmaster, Steffens, came in," Pops said.
"You guys ran an animal sanctuary," Blue Planet awed, "This place is a bit small, though. You weren't taking in a ton of animals all at once, right?"
"Oh, elder roots no! We'd only have maybe two or three at a time, especially if they were as dangerous as Forest Wyverns or Owl Bears. We had an owl bear named Judeau before this mess, but he went with Steffens to meet his new beastmaster in E-Rantel."
"So where are the Forest Wyverns then?"
Before Pops could answer, Coup De Grace did for him. "Likely mourning the loss of their egg."
In the midst of their conversation, Coup De Grace had walked ahead of the group, finding a stall closer to the back that looked large enough to hold a pair of the aforementioned animals.
A nest constructed of straw and solid pieces of wood were situated towards the center of the stall, slightly raised above the bedding. He was able to see clearly the shattered remains of an oval egg, stained yellow from the exposed yolk.
When Pops saw this, he gasped, rushing past the androsphinx to see for himself. When he reached the edge of the nest, he collapsed to his knees, his breath unsteady.
The old man reached out a shaking hand, as if to confirm that what he was seeing was really there. He recoiled when his fingertips brushed the shell, shocking him out of his stupor.
"Oh, poor dears. That was their first egg too. I-This shouldn't have happened. They were so big, I thought they'd be fine on their own…"
Blue Planet came up, patting Coup De Grace's wing as he passed. He knelt next to the elderly patriarch and rested a hand on his shoulder.
Coup De Grace looked back at his partner, seeing a politely concerned and pitying look on her face. Lupusregina mimed this, but he could spot the indifference a kilometer away.
"This would explain why they're not home," Pops continued sadly, once he had the bearings to speak. "They guarded this egg jealousy. I don't see how anything would've had the time to sneak in and smash it."
"We might have an idea about that, actually," Blue Planet said. Pops stared at him curiously, the seleinoi filling him in on what they witnessed in the Forest while on their way to the settlement.
It was disconcerting watching an already wrinkled face further contort itself in horror and anguish. Pops swiveled his head around, quickly getting up to check all around him in the dim shadows of the barn.
"If that's true, then we must leave this place immediately! We don't know if those monsters will come back and try to grab us!"
"You will be fine, old man," Coup De Grace reassured him, "We have a sense for this sort of thing. Had we been in danger, we would've handled it the moment we set foot in here. Whatever these creatures are, intuition tells me they understand they cannot possibly fight us and win."
Pops didn't exactly look doubtful, but he did still seem wary. He looked to the other heteromorphs, who more or less confirmed what the androsphinx said. His shoulders finally relaxed when Blue Planet gave him a gentle nod.
"I-I will need to get the other workers and tell them what you told me. They need to know this too. Come, I think we've spent enough time here," the elderly patriarch said.
His face dropped in thought, bearing the weight of a thousand worries on his brow. He led them outside of the barn, Coup De Grace bringing up the rear to keep an eye on the insides.
Of course, nothing else popped out to him except the shattered remains of that egg. In the darkness that shrouded it, it was a lonely thing, a grim reminder that life was just as easily taken away as it was given.
I know that all too well. There are the beasts of the world, and then there are monsters.
He no longer had to think on the egg anymore, once Pops closed off the barn doors.