The Spriggan Settlement
He leaned back in his wicker chair with a sigh, breathing in the pleasant smells of the Forest of Tob just beyond. He enjoyed being able to relax and merely people-watch from the comfort of an old fashioned patio on a farm house. Blue Planet was right. This place truly was the perfect place to get away from the tomb and be able to enjoy the fresh air.
The scent of pine and freshly crushed grass reminded Ancient One, one of the two lead strategists of Ainz Ooal Gown, of the biodomes that his family would take a vacation to at least once a year. His nose wrinkled at the memory, snorting at the absurdity of the existence of biodomes now that he was in the New World.
"Remembering something fondly, Mr. Junichiro? This would be a good place to do it, if you're as busy as you usually say you are," asked his host, Pops as he was affectionately nicknamed by the community he ran. The seer found him to be a quaint individual but preferred his original name of Hagnar.
Ancient One waved off the question. "Merely something from my adolescence. I had realized the absurdity of an old ritual I'd partake in, one that seems quite dull now that I am here."
"Ah, I see. We all have our embarrassing moments as children, not really realizing the full impact it would have on us as adults. Even at my age, I still remember the stupid things I'd get up to with the other children of the settlement."
"Hmm. Might I have some more tea? I'm parched, and haven't had much to drink today."
"Most certainly, Mr. Junichiro," Hagnar reached over for the teapot, smiling the whole while. His wizened hands grasped the fine porcelain with a steadiness that should've faded with age long ago. He had no problems pouring the demon another steaming cup and handing it to him on a saucer.
Some of the gold jewelry, as well as the Amulet of Greater Hel he was wearing around his neck, jingled with his movements. Ancient One sipping the offered drink gratefully. "A fine cup as always, Hagnar. It is undoubtedly the best I've had outside my own home."
It was times like this that he was grateful he could sit back and enjoy the soothing qualities of nature without having to spend an exorbitant amount of money. The biodomes where nature conservation projects were in full swing showed the clearest picture of what the Old World had to offer, but to be able to enjoy a biodome was a luxury few could, if ever, be able to afford.
He felt like he didn't get enough sunlight out of the tomb these days, having spent a majority of his time working in his office and maintaining the internal structures of the guild itself. Under normal circumstances, this would have presented a colossal amount of work to be feared, but having the help of administrative NPCs like Albedo and Demiurge helped immensely.
His ever-present grin brightened considerably when he thought of those two. He couldn't sing enough praises about their work ethic. To say that the two of them almost single-handedly managed the entirety of Nazarick beyond his reach was a complete understatement. At times, he felt like he was unnecessarily shoving work onto them, forcing them to bear a burden that no one should have to.
Their compliance with the paperwork delegation does have its advantages, however. Punitto Moe's own insistence at working alongside them does provide some interesting insights into their behavior and beliefs, information that will aid me greatly at understanding the NPCs as a whole.
Which did remind him of important business that he had to attend to, business that was the result of efforts he and Punitto Moe put into action about a month and a half ago by this point in time. The preliminary scouts, the stealth summons that the both of them compiled together only three days after their arrival, finally bore fruit in their efforts to map out the territories of the surrounding land and to get a feeling as to the relative strength and stability of the neighboring countries.
Said documents were stored away in his inventory, the pocket dimension he and all his comrades had. It proved quite useful to store away items as he pleased and then be able to reach into nothing and pull out whatever he needed. It wouldn't do to have them out in the open during tea time, in the event that Hagnar accidently spilled his drink on them.
Fortunately, the old man was finished with his cup, as was Ancient One. He felt comfortable enough to reach into that abstract place and pull out the papers he stowed away.
Hagnar nodded appraisingly. "Every day, I am constantly amazed by the versatility and uniqueness of your magic. Blue Planet and his friends taught me much about your system of runes, but it fills me with joy to see new surprises from his other friends."
"Ah yes, the runes. I take it you've been practicing with them diligently," Ancient One said more as a statement than a question while he began to thumb through the reports the Hanzo in charge of the mission gave him.
"But of course! I'd be an idiot to neglect such wise teachings from our patron's teacher himself, especially when he has such an eye for magic as is. I only hope that I'm making him proud by learning to work with the runes."
"Any luck imbuing magic into them?"
"Er, no, but Ankoro assured me that my technique gets better each and every day! It feels like I'm already close to understanding how to combine them properly on paper, so I'm sure soon I'll have a breakthrough."
Ancient One hummed, taking careful consideration in paying attention to what Hagnar was saying and the report he was reading in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at some of it, not out of a lack of understanding, but rather how… disappointing the information was.
Most of the military findings showed that the majority of Re-Estize's forces were draftees, untrained peasants pulled from their humble farms to serve as soldiers in their annual war with the Baharuth Empire. They exhibited no particularly useful or unique skills, being no better than cavemen wielding clubs.
A report on Baharuth had yet to come back, but he was assured by a secondary team he sent out that he'd have their findings by the end of the week. The gears of his mind turned, processing the information into digestible chunks that he could easily memorize.
Idly, his eyes wandered to Hagnar, watching the old man hum happily to himself and soaking up the sunlight. Ancient One tried to get a gauge for his level, based on what he learned about him and from Blue Planet's own discussions. His level couldn't be that high, but he was a hybrid of human and dryad, and his magical potency was noteworthy.
So long as he is kept busy and in awe of Blue Planet and Ankoro, he will remain a useful asset for the guild for the foreseeable future. A pity he does not speak more in-depth about Coup De Grace or Lupusregina, otherwise I'd have them pay regular visits to the settlement as well. They must have left less than favorable impressions.
His smile faded somewhat at the thought, but it reappeared quickly as he began to fully invest his attention into the report, confident that Hagnar no longer needed him for the moment. What he read was both a blessing and a curse, though he was more inclined to lean towards the former than the latter.
Re-Estize was the kingdom that Ainz Ooal Gown as a guild has the most interaction with, albeit indirectly with the ruling government. Nazarick may have sat close to the threshold between it and the Baharuth Empire, but every single village, town, and city that a guildmate visited was somehow involved with the kingdom.
So far as the report went, the nature of Re-Estize was that of a feudal state, a class of nobility ruling over serfdoms in the name of the king, one Ramposa III, who's seat of power was in the capital. The stealth summons he and Punitto Moe sent were quite thorough in vetting out the royal family. Though doppelganger involvement in replacing key figures in all levels of government was still somewhat limited.
The shadow demons he sent shortly after the stealth summons helped to fill in some of the holes in their knowledge, given their useful ability to meld with and blend into a target's shadow, making it laughably easy to tail after important individuals.
Some even made it into the inner royal court itself, which the report mentioned as being divided into two distinct factions: One being the Royal Faction, and the other the Noble Faction. Both vied for control and power behind the throne, though the Royal Faction primarily backed the King himself to protect his sovereignty and secure his bloodline.
The Noble Faction, on the other hand, sought to procure their own interests, bogging down bureaucracy with general complaints of authority and back-handed schemes to manipulate some members of the royal family.
From what I can gather, it appears the Noble Faction has sunk its teeth into someone named Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself, the firstborn prince of Re-Estize. My scouts report that he is demanding and prone to fits of rage when his orders are not expressly followed to the letter. The crown prince of a kingdom, nothing more than a haughty, self-centered brat. What an ill-mannered joke.
The dossier continued on to state that the crown prince exhibited a controlling and arrogant attitude, one which was egged on by backers of his in the Noble Faction. His demands for complete obedience and short temper made him a noteworthy troublemaker. Someone to watch out for in the future.
Another dossier that he flipped to was of another notwithstanding spawn of King Ramposa: Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself.
I wonder how anyone ever has the time to write down such lengthy names. A sign of their thoroughbred heritage, I suppose. It appears this child is more of a second prince, but in direct competition to the throne. Oh, what's this?
His eyes wandered over a special note that had been written in by the commanding Hanzo, which he knew to be from due to the initial H next to it on the dossier. It read as the following:
Target appears to be of a competent and well-mannered disposition. Second prince displays a utilitarianist attitude that displays favorable attributes towards merit-based minions. Jealous behavior towards siblings and other nobles, but no direct hostile action has been taken on the target's part. Frequently arranges meetings with a female sibling and a nobleman
Already Ancient One's interest was piqued from that one comment alone, but the rest of the second prince's dossier proved to be a fascinating read as well. His ability to navigate political manners and ability to handle other figures within the court showed an exemplary control and understanding of politics, as well as an ability to hide himself well based on what he wanted others to see.
In that regard, I imagine this boy suffers terribly from some sort of inferiority complex, if he must go to such lengths to hide his true abilities from others. His status as second prince does no good to his own self-esteem, and so he hides the insecurities behind a veneer of jealousy save for his closest compatriots. A clever act that wears a mask to hide the tears. Bravo, Zanac.
He sighed at that, his excitement spiking at the extra bit of information that his scouts were able to collect. Already, the depth of this character in the dossier was expanded upon and made into someone worthy of his attention, and someone who he could see as a potential liaison between himself and the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Provided, of course, if the guild ever decided that truly seeking an alliance with the kingdom was a profitable venture. Other documents in his large stack indicated that the capital itself seemed to be experiencing a sort of instability, one sparked by a conflict between itself and the Baharuth Empire, and rampant corruption and crime that reached all the way up into the upper echelons of government.
Class divides between the wealthy and the poor saw that a significant portion of the latter were employed as tradesmen and farmers, working to supply the wants and needs of the nobility in their ever-growing expansion of greed and gluttony, not dissimilar to the corporations of his old life.
While the stealth summons he sent out and their shadow demon underlings were currently investigating the matter, it was written that there were whispers of a powerful criminal organization that ran operations "beneath the table" so to speak. His scouts believed them to be one of the major sources of instability in Re-Estize, one that infected even the ruling class with bribery and illegal indulgences.
Briefly he wondered how it was that a government could so freely allow a criminal underground to deeply influence its ranks, only to come to the conclusion that the nobles which ran the government were in on the act themselves.
Likely they are siphoning whatever wealth and power they can to better be able to maneuver the political landscape of their own kingdom, as well as to prepare themselves in the event of a societal collapse. The irony is not lost upon me as to who has laid down the foundation for how that might occur in the first place.
A third dossier came to the top of the stack of papers he was mulling over, one which made him raise an eyebrow with intrigue and confusion. It appeared he wasn't quite done with the royal family yet, as a third child's report rose up to greet his eyes: Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.
It could be forgiven on his end to think that his minions might be overzealous in their documentation of all important figures, since what he read seemed to be, at first glance, the ordinary third princess of the kingdom. She was a child of royal blood that would never feel the harsh coldness of the crown upon her head or the sturdy wood of the throne beneath her bottom.
The shadow demons that assigned themselves to her noted that she was generally well-liked by all people of the kingdom but held little political worth. An outstanding achievement of hers was an ongoing campaign to ban the slave trade that was prevalent in the Re-Estize kingdom, a practice that made Ancient One's nose crinkle in distaste.
Evidently, the Princess had dealings with a group of adventurers who identified themselves as "Blue Roses", who ranked at adamantine in the Adventurer's Guild. The two parties worked closely together to stem the tide of the criminal empire running amok in Re-Estize's underground. No shadow demons attempted to follow the group due to their higher levels compared to other human beings present in the kingdom, but another note from the commanding Hanzo showed that a plan was being formulated to tail the group for more information.
I am disappointed by the relative lack of powerful individuals that exist in this kingdom, aside from people like the Warrior Captain Gazef himself. His experience and martial prowess gave me hope that perhaps similar people could be found in abundance, but every report repeats the same message: there is almost no-one of worth level wise.
Back to Renner, Ancient One did pick up on a general theme within the princess's document. He lazily read down a long list of accomplishments on her end, which he took to mean as her being a radiant and benevolent woman who put others before herself. At least, that's what he would characterize her as if it weren't for one singular problem.
Renner's background was too clean. Every act she took was almost too genuine to be anything other than calculated. She made the time to go out to orphanages and play with children, went out of her way to help the lower class, people she would never be able to rally behind her with her own ranking in the Re-Estize royalty.
The shadow demons wrote that she was even amicable with her bodyguard, a boy named Climb, when other nobles and royalty either had a very neutral or passive aggressive relationship. Ancient One would go so far as to personally say she was his friend, possible lover, if the actions in her report were to be believed. Why? Why all this trouble?
As he continued to read through her general profile, he picked up on a loose tangle of threads of a hidden persona. Everything Princess Renner did could be considered idealistic to a fault. Her aspirations were that of a saint, striving to rid the world of all its aches. She shouldered a burden with a startling drive that someone of her status should not take up. What was her aim here? What persona was she building? Immediately, he thought of Zanac's own carefully crafted mask, and saw a connection there, but he soon concluded that no one without an ulterior motive would go to such lengths to protect potential insecurities.
After some careful contemplation, a realization came to Ancient One. When the answer hit him, he chuckled darkly, shaking his head in amusement at what Renner was trying to pull over the others, an act that was serving its purpose to hide what she truly was.
Ah… I see now. What was it that Whitebrim used to say? "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players". You, Princess Renner, play up quite the role as the sympathetic royalty, don't you? A clever little mask that you wear to hide yourself.
"Something funny, Mr. Junichiro?" Hagnar asked him, snapping him out of his musings. "Have one of your friends written you some stories to help you pass the time?"
Ancient One clicked his teeth. "You could say that, yes. Tell me, Hagnar, what do you know of the Re-Estize Kingdom? Have you ever been out quite that far? Or have you relegated most of your life to remaining here in the settlement?"
The settlement patriarch held his chin in thought. "I'm sorry to say, but most of everything I know is very second-hand. A lot of the workers staying here part-time did come from E-Rantel though. I've heard some interesting stories over the years about the nobility, but given I've never been there, I can't really confirm any of them."
"What have you heard then?"
"Just that work tends to be rather inconsistent, on account of the Annual War. There used to be a long time I feared some of my people would get taken away from here to go fight it, but that never really happened."
"That must be quite the blessing then, hmm? To not have to worry about your loved ones going off to fight in a war you barely understand," Ancient One said with a soothing tone.
"You'd think so, but I always felt like that just confirmed to me how… isolated we all are. Don't get me wrong, E-Rantel took care of us by sending us workers and traders to buy and sell materials, but ever since the city's destruction, I can't help but wonder if that isolation will be our downfall."
A mental note was made then and there. "So you believe that Re-Estize will not send aid of any sort."
Sadly, Hagnar shook his head. "Those stories I told you about paint a picture of competent but questionable nobles at the top of it all. The working class of E-Rantel may not have been privy to all the fine details, but they knew enough to understand that even if I did write a letter imploring help, either that makes the kingdom aware of our existence and forces a conscription upon us, or we are plainly ignored and left to fester out here by ourselves."
His care for the people beneath him is admirable, but it does lead me to believe that he is under immense stress if he hasn't mentioned the possibility of the dryads coming to help him completely. Perhaps they are still overwhelmed from the attacks over a month ago.
"Does that mean then that your dryad compatriots are unable to shoulder the burden?" He asked anyway, wanting to try and confirm rather than leave to conjecture.
"So far as Naaru has told me, he promises full support but has his own hands full. He's been scouring the forest for any signs of the monsters that kidnapped our people, wanting to make sure nothing remains."
"You fear an eventual return."
"It never hurts to double check, considering how giant the forest is both above and below ground. There are secrets locked away in there, forgotten places where any number of monsters could lurk, so I don't doubt that any of those 'wendigos' as Ankoro called them might be hiding out there too."
Ancient One raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'below ground'? You mean to tell me not only is this Forest expansive above ground as is, but covers a considerable area beneath the soil upon which this house sits on?"
Hagnar became nervous, his eyes downcast and his hands still. The demon seer noticed that whenever the old man was happy or otherwise content, he was extremely animated with his hands, either playing with them or otherwise moving them in silent gestures. He could never seem to keep them in one place longer than a few seconds.
Which is why it was so noticeable to see that the settlement patriarch exhibited no exicitible energy at all. For the first time since the two of them started sharing tea, Hagnar finally stopped moving his hands. They laid flat on the table, next to the tea set.
A bead of sweat traced its way down the side of his head, to which Hagnar promptly dabbed at it with a cloth he had on the inside of his robes. He licked his lips, perhaps suddenly finding them dry.
"Mr. Junichiro, sir, while I am more than happy to share anything and everything about the Forest and all its wonders, there are some places that… aren't quite so wonderful," he began, still not meeting his eyes.
Ancient One sat patiently, gesturing for his asset to continue, to which he did. "In a world filled with magic and miracles, you'd think not many things could get under the people's skin, but there are some places that are not miracles, which defy the natural law of nature and which shouldn't be taken lightly, even with magic in your hand."
"Of course. To believe otherwise would be foolhardy indeed."
"Then you would agree with me that the place you're asking about, it is a place I ask you to never go alone, or to ask anyone from here or among the dryads to lead you there. What lies below is an evil place, a place we call the Underdark."
The Underdark?
Such a name rolled naturally off the tongue, and one Ancient One imagined would invoke fear in ordinary men who heard it. Whether it was because his new demonic form didn't succumb to fear easily, or he was just ignorant to the significance of the place, he did not feel the same sense of reverence and terror that Hagnar exuded in waves. Just what was this Underdark that he mentioned?
He didn't have to wonder for long, as the old man found the bravery to keep up his impassioned tale. "I-Sorry, the Underdark is a place that my people have warned about for many generations, being the type of place that it is. From an outside view, one might think it was merely an expansive labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs deep beneath the earth."
"In fact, I'd almost believe it myself if it weren't for the attacks on the settlement that happened such a short time ago. At the time, I was so consumed by all the mayhem and disappearance of my people I never gave it any thought, but now that I had a chance to sit down and think it over…"
Hagnar trailed over, his hands laid over each other in his lap, still unmoving. His gaze was completely blank, save for the occasional wince as his thoughts went rampant. Ancient One watched over the smaller man, keeping a close eye on him.
From what he could recall of the wendigo incident and their green-eyed master, they had set up a home base near where once Grover planted himself, once he fully turned into the monstrous tree known as Zy'tl Q'ae. For the last two centuries more or less, that was where he remained before he met his terrible end.
Initially, he believed the wendigo species was primarily born there, formed out of the strange pods that Blue Planet made note of in his report on the incident. What odd creatures those wendigos were, to be made of the ruined parts of both human and animal corpses. They were a perversion of life, and a wholly different form of undead that was not familiar to him as a Yggdrasil player.
Now, however, he believed that the wendigos may have come from elsewhere. The Underdark sounded like it could be a plausible breeding place for such creatures, but he had no idea how deep it was or how far it extended below the forest. It could be nothing more than a convoluted cave system, or a series of passageways that spread out across the entire continent.
Unfortunately, he had too little info to go on. Hagnar was very hesitant to speak on it, since he apparently made a connection between it and the wendigos. He put up a sturdy facade around others, but he was facing his own demons in the presence of one. He was not as strong as he liked to believe, if he thought just smiles and tea were enough to rid his mind of the nightmares.
"You know, I remember the first time I ever heard of the Underdark, it was from a story that my father told me. He heard it from Naaru in his younger years," Hagnar said, unprompted.
"Naaru told him that when he and those seven fabled heroes went to go and fight Zy'tl Q'ae, he could feel the roots of the twisted tree deep beneath the earth, sapping the very life force of the forest to sustain itself. Even with their combined might, they were only able to fight off one part of the body at a time, just barely enough time for a winged member of their party to shout out the proper incantation to seal it away properly."
A winged member? Perhaps an angel? No, perhaps another species of winged being, though given archangel flames exist in this world, I wouldn't put the idea past so carelessly.
"During the entire fight, Naaru told my father that he could not only sense the tree roots draining the life of the forest, but feel the depth with which they dug into the dirt. He said at certain points, the roots reached places that felt… vast. It was as if they were dangling above some infinite cavern."
"It may seem like a small detail to you, Mr. Junichiro, but to my father and I, it spoke of a place ancient and deep enough to give birth to terrible monsters, the only place large enough to-to be able to-"
Hagnar became agitated again, shutting his mouth and staring blankly into the distance. It still wasn't enough, but now Ancient One had a far clearer picture as to the importance of the Underdark and why it was feared by the settlement patriarch. Actually, if Hagnar's attitude was anything to be reflective of, it provided invaluable insight into how others under his command might feel about the Underdark.
He did not put much stock into superstitions himself. He rather preferred that everything remain rooted in a tangible, easily calculated reality. Stories remained simply that: a story, meant to entertain or explain some piece of obscure folklore. Despite those, he had no doubt about the nature of the Underdark itself.
It was a mythical place, exactly the sort capable of giving birth to monsters capable of killing the one they considered their god. Ancient One would wager the human and dryads which inhabited the Forest believed it to be cursed, wholeheartedly. The stigma around it would prevent any sort of comprehensive investigation, since they have no idea what else might lurk down there.
An intelligent reasoning on their part, but one that leaves them wholly ignorant to future threats. Zy'tl Q'ae was merely the first of those horrors, and now these wendigos suddenly materialized and made their home exactly where the corrupted treant once was. It is no mere coincidence that both of them were situated in precisely the same area.
Ancient One hummed in thought to himself. Useful assets indeed. When I return home, I shall speak with Blue Planet and see if he noticed anything during his fight with Grover. I'm going to set up a third team of explorers to search the area, see if we can find anything. We will discover the truth of this issue, one way or another.
"Hagnar, if I may ask to sooth my own curiosity, I had another question to ask regarding Zy'tl Q'ae," he asked, keeping his voice low and calm. "It is not anything majorly important, but a question I realized may have been intriguing me."
His voice was enough to snap Hagnar out of his dark mood. "Ah, apologies Mr. Junichiro! I didn't mean to allow my thoughts to get the better of me. Please, ask me anything."
"How did the tree get a name like Zy'tl Q'ae? It is quite unique, and far removed from the conventional naming schemes of the people who made their home here. I might even go so far as to say it was foreign."
Hagnar lightly laughed, his pleasant mood returning . "That's because it is, actually. One of the adventurers, I believe he may have been a giant, was the one to name it. He did not give it one until after Naaru explained the creature's nature itself."
"Really now? Does the name mean anything in particular?"
"Only that the closest meaning to it in our language is He who Devours."
Fortress of the Weeping King, shortly after Drummesburg
Tsuare was sitting down on a nearby crate, quietly watching the newly rescued people of Drummesburg settling into their new home. They were in one of the old barracks, where the original Knights slept or spent their downtime. Those surviving members from Brain Unglaus and his mens' attack were doing the most sorting, since while she may have been made leader, she was still relatively new to everything.
Other barrack rooms were similarly occupied, and she had visited each one to watch the people get used to their new surroundings. They, in turn, watched her warily as they were given new clothing and assigned a bunk. Families were given the same cluster of bunks, while close friends and lovers were assigned closely but not too closely. If these were just new recruits and had the majority of the original Knights remained, the barracks would be separated into different genders.
This current layout was temporary. Once the people were settled and their training began in earnest, they'd be given new arrangements closer to the Knights she knew. To try and make them as comfortable, though, she did make sure that none of the death lords were present in the room. She didn't want to strain relations further by having them watch everyone alongside her.
Her lord would understand. He must've put her in charge for a reason after all, beyond her swiftness and combat skills, right?
"Barely here a year, and already you've been made leader and brought us a host of new recruits," said the Sword Weapons Master, a thin and elegant man who sat down on the crate next to her. "Not to mention our god, who hasn't been seen in nearly fifty years, is the one to appoint you. What are the odds of such things, hmmm?"
Tsuare shrugged her shoulders. "These are exceptional circumstances. The Weeping King picked someone He felt might be best for the situation, or maybe He picked the first person He saw. Once we rebuild, I'll talk with Him and see what He wishes to do from there."
The weapons master grunted. "Quick to shrug off the mantle, eh? I can't say I blame you. Destrus certainly had his work cut out for him, handling this lot, and I'm sure you will too, since the responsibility of rebuilding us is now on your shoulders."
"Which is why I will do the best I can to repopulate our numbers and then hand off the reins to someone more qualified for the position. I was just in the right place at the right time, but that doesn't necessarily make me the right person."
"Yes, I suppose so. Unfortunately, none of the surviving weapon masters will question our liege, and nor will I. Whether you like it or not, He has made his decision to appoint you as leader, however temporary that may be."
His words ingrained themselves deeply into her mind, causing Tsuare to rest her chin on her hands. She let out a tired sigh, witnessing as the last of the people received their clothing and their current bedding arrangements. The Dagger Weapons Master and the Flail Weapons master filed the people out, leaving her and the Sword Weapons Master alone for the time being.
Once the last person filed out, he smacked her upside the head with startling force, knocking her out of her temporary lapse in attention. "Ow! Sir, why did you do that?!"
"Because you were slouching. Whether this new position of yours is permanent or not, you are still our leader. That means you present a strong front at all times and look presentable. You should be standing, not sitting, and look more proud of yourself. You just won your first battle, so act like it."
Tsaure rubbed the back of her head, feeling a knot form beneath her fingers. "I-I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have been here like this. I guess I'm still new to this, and Destrus made it look so easy when he did it. I just wasn't expecting to feel… exhausted already."
"That's just battle exhaustion. Trust me, when you're actually having to plan our future conflicts and conquests, you'll see this was practically a walk in the forest."
That wasn't necessarily reassuring to the young woman, who began to slouch again but thought better and straightened her back. She was good with one knot on her head, she didn't need two.
"I have something to look forward to then. You've been here since long before I came here, so what would you have me do to become someone more, I don't know, competent at this?"
The Sword Master's eyes glinted with amusement. "I'd say that was your first step in the right direction. You don't know how much you don't know, so you ask those who know better. However, I always found that the best bit of advice I ever gave to Destrus and helped make him so successful was this."
He leaned close to her, like a co-conspirator. "The good leaders have wise advisors and informants that they ask for guidance on everything. A better leader is one who is able to create his own direction without having to constantly rely on his advisors. But the best leader? The best type of leader is one who still listens to his advisors anyways, and remembers they are there for a reason."
Standing from his spot on the crate, he clapped her on the shoulder and began to walk out of the room. He called out to her one last thing before he truly left the room, as a parting gift to her.
"You have resources, Tsuare. Remember to use them and you'll never fall."
Then it was just her, left alone to stew in her own head. She drew her knees up to her chest and held herself, staring at a wall. Every so often, she could hear the faint voices of the new recruits and the surviving members of the original Knights down the hall, but they never came her way.
I, Tsuareninya Veryon, am now the leader of this band of warriors. A girl who was barely a squire herself is now in charge of operations. My lord, how do I proceed from here? How do I make sure I don't get anyone killed and drive us closer to destruction?
The obvious answer was that she took on the brunt of the conquest herself, utilizing the death lords as her shock troops. They were gifts from her lord afterall, but for some reason, she felt that was cowardly having to overly rely on such legendary creatures.
Before the Weeping King introduced her to them, she had no idea they even existed, but she recalled old stories from her time in the village. Death knights were regarded as extraordinary undead, capable of taking on entire bands of soldiers by themselves with an insatiable hunger for death.
To think that there might exist lords among the death knights… She saw firsthand the type of carnage they could unleash, what sort of abilities were at their disposal. She had no doubt that any one of the thirteen lords could easily command their own contingent of death knights, facing down entire armies and winning with not a single difficulty.
Why was she entrusted with such power? In time, perhaps the answer would come to her and reveal the inherent wisdom of her lord's action, but until then, Tsuare knew she would need to follow the Weeping King's commandments. She had to conquer her enemies and spread the good word of the Knights, striking fear into the wicked and enacting her own vengeance onto the monsters who brought her to meet the Knights in the first place.
Her mind settled, she let go of herself and stood up, making her way towards the old office of Destrus Desmodus. Through the winding hallways, she passed many of the new recruits and their old member guides. Anytime she came face to face with them, she made sure to stand a little straighter, holding her head high to project an aura of confidence.
Present a strong front to those around you, even if you yourself don't feel strong, right? Agh! This will take some getting used to, especially since this doesn't feel natural. Just… think about what the Weeping King would expect you to look like. Think about how Destrus would instruct you to walk.
Even with those self-encouraging thoughts, her body felt stiff the whole way to her former leader's office. Those she passed whispered amongst themselves, avoiding her eyes. The surviving Knights gave her neutral stares, politely nodding to her. This made her feel self-conscious, subconsciously readjusting the straps of her armor.
She couldn't reach Destrus's office fast enough, a space that was situated near the vault of the Weeping King. If she had to make an estimate of where it was, she would say it was situated right above it, based on the layout of the base and the flight of stairs she took to reach there.
The door leading to his office was rather ordinary, not really befitting someone of Destrus's own nobility and power. It was quite worn, actually, some of the wood panels needed to be replaced. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but thought nothing more of it as she grabbed the handle and opened it.
Inside, it was just as plain and orderly as she would expect, no sign of extravagance or wealth anywhere in the room. The most luxurious items were the set of armor that could fit the bear-like frame of the former leader of the Knights, and the well-polished desk situated against the wall.
Right above the desk on the wall was a detailed map of the area surrounding the fortress. She recognized the trees around the mountain as the Forest of Tob, a pathway marked out that led directly to Re-Estize cities and towns. It was painstakingly made and written with the names of all noteworthy places, but the borders did not expand beyond what she assumed was Re-Estize the country itself.
"I didn't realize he kept his bed in here too. He must have spent long nights in here, planning our next attacks and battles," she said, her voice small in the oppressive emptiness of the room.
Indeed, there were the basic amenities of a bedroom, with a nightstand and a bed that could sleep two and a half people easily. She smiled, thinking about how she'd be absolutely swallowed in the ocean of sheets needed to cover the whole thing.
At the desk, she ran her fingers across its slick surface, staring down at her reflection. In it, all she could see was a small village girl adorned in thick, black armor that looked almost too big on her. Her hair was knotted up from her helmet, and her cheeks were still covered in some of the soot from when she was knocked out by the Death Spreading Brigade's throwable explosives.
"Made a leader in a minute, led an army in an hour, but you couldn't take a second to clean yourself up properly after the last fight," she scolded her reflection. Expectedly, those turquoise eyes of hers looked away, unable to meet even her own gaze.
She huffed, plopping down in her chair. "Right, that's enough of that now. I can worry about cleaning myself up in a bit, after I've properly figured out my next course of action… which I think I know exactly where I need to go next."
Glancing at the map, she searched for the name of the village that the guard in Drummesburg gave, Warlington. She smacked her lips in concentration, searching for where it might be. She eventually found it around the area she thought it might be, being closer to Re-Estize itself. However, that meant that that specific village or town was perhaps the furthest away from the fortress. It would take weeks to march on foot to reach it.
Then I work my way upwards. Axel mentioned that this particular place was being visited by his employers, and that they were busy sorting through some sort of product. It must have some sort of value if the leaders of this organization were personally checking in on the work.
What could prompt the ones who kidnapped people like her to warrant regular visits? If she were managing a slave driving organization, she was sure that those in charge would be busy trying to keep things under wraps, bribing or turning the authorities away from their illicit operations. Whatever it was that was happening there, it was a strategic target to be sure.
Tsuare could put in a request with the Weeping King to transport her and the death lords to the village like He did to Drummesburg, but there were two reasons she hesitated. The first was that she did not wish to exhaust His generosity, constantly asking for His help getting around to the villages He desired to conquer. He made it very clear to her when He appointed her as the new leader key facts: fight well, or die quickly.
The second reason was that she also had no idea where He was. He said He wished to remain at Drummesburg to clean up the aftermath of her battle, likely to set up the statue of Himself in the robes. He hadn't returned yet, and while she was curious to know what He exactly was doing, it was not her place to question the god of her group.
Until He came back, she was effectively limited to the immediate villages and towns that she and the death lords could reach on foot in only a couple of days. Warlington would have to wait, for there could be more easily reached villages that she could capture and convert.
Let's see here. Drummesburg was around two days walking distance from the fortress, and based on the map, it looks like there are about three villages in close proximity. There is… Lavreau, Vierlun, and another place that seems to have a foreign name? No, that's actually a special type of handwriting. Why would it-
When she looked closer, she saw that the writing was exquisite calligraphy, lovingly put to paper with black ink. She struggled to read it comprehensively, since while she had been taught to read, calligraphy was difficult to discern to her inexperienced eyes. She did finally figure out what it fully said, eventually.
Alenbonne. I wonder what could be special in there that would need such fine writing. Maybe that's where Destrus was born, or he had some family that he left behind. Did he, perhaps, leave behind a loved one when he joined this life?
Tenderly, she reached out a hand to touch the name, making sure to take off her clawed gauntlet before she did. She did not wish to accidentally ruin the name, when such care was taken to engrain it to paper.
The thought brought her to memories of her little sister, and the last time she saw her. She could still recall the way her mother had to hold her back as she was being dragged away in chains. Her father had stood to the wayside, hefting a small bag of coins with a blank stare, as if he was unable or unwilling to accept what he did.
Her sister's screams and pleas for her slavers to let her go. The rough hands of those men as they dragged her away. The slimy smile of the guard in charge, who smugly told her the honor she was bound to receive serving the nobles of Re-Estize-
A loud BANG knocked her out of her memories. She looked down, seeing how she slammed her fist down onto the desk and leaving a dirty smudge from her gauntlet. She yanked her hand away, searching through the drawers for a cloth to wipe it away.
"Conquest first, and then I can think about my sister," she muttered to herself, trying to stem the tide of unpleasant memories. Despite her efforts, they came anyway, reminding her of her true reason for doing the things she was doing.
Would she approve of Tsuare's actions, even if they were justified? She imagined it would be a bitter pill to swallow either way, regardless if the bloodshed was justified or not. Once she was done exacting her revenge and had fully rebuilt the Knights of the Weeping King, what was she to do? She couldn't well return back to Azalea, face her parents and go back to farm work like the meek child she once was, or still is and wanted to move past.
What about her younger sister? Could she look past the blood that stained her hands and say "welcome back"? Briefly, she tried to imagine herself in her sister's place, looking up at the version of herself that came home after nearly an entire year away. By her god, what sort of example was Tsuare setting for her by leading armed men and women to battle?
I just hope she stayed home and tried to practice some of her magic more. Maybe if I raise some money on the side, I can start sending it to her in secret to finance a trip to some far-off magic academy. I remember Destrus mentioned some of our own magic casters came from the Baharuth Magic Academy, so I think I want to try and send her there.
The thought of her sister becoming a fully fledged mage made her smile, washing away some of her doubts and steeling her nerves. It wouldn't do to just forget about her younger sister, not when she was left to practically fend for herself. Her mother lacked a spine, as did her father, but her sister was still young, so she should still be safe from slavers for at least the next few years.
But that won't necessarily keep her safe. For all I know, a noble among the ones who kidnapped me could have a taste for even younger women… No, I think I will bump up my timetable, sort through Destrus's papers to see what spies or confidants he had outside the fortress.
Now her hands began rifling through the desk drawers with renewed interest, pulling out every stack of paper that she could find that looked important. Those drawers were deep and packed to the brim, filled with years of reports. Each stack made a weighty thump as she deposited them, a grimace contorted her face at the volume of it all.
"Lord Destrus, for all your amazing traits and noble attitude, it appears you were not the greatest at your own organization of paperwork," she joked at first, before she began thumbing through some of the papers.
When she looked at the titles of some of the pages and how they were ordered, she amended her statement. "Actually, I take that back. You were just very thorough. How did you ever have the time to fully write some of these?!"
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I need to find what I'm looking for and start drafting up a letter of introduction, as well as a report of what happened here, should they not be aware. Then I can start planning our next target in our expansion."
"Come the next few months, I shall free every last slave and peasant from here to Re-Estize itself, even if I have to storm the capital to do so. Every single village, town, and city will see a statue of His lordship planted there, square in the middle. Fight well and achieve victory, or die quickly, those are my only options."
Nazarick, Ninth Floor
Genjiro hummed to himself happily, dusting the shell bits of his new Bug Queen away from the nest. His newborn pet latched onto the duster hungrily, gnawing with needle teeth on the wooden handle but making no leeway.
He squealed in amusement, but the noise came out as an airy whistle because of his unique mouthparts. "Oh my god, you are so adorable! The maid outfit was totally worth it if I got a cutie like you out of it."
The little insectoid latched onto his arm, letting out a high-pitched roar as it wrapped its long, whip-like tail around his wrist. It nibbled on his claws, but quickly withdrew when it realized it was about the same as trying to bite through a rock.
It skittered around its nest on six spindly legs, moving with lightning speed but not leaving the confines of its nest. It hissed at every little thing, puffing itself up and shooting out a spiked tongue to stab at perceived threats.
The baby Bug Queen was an odd looking creature, with a whitish shell that was already beginning to darken. The head was a smooth carapace that lacked any eyes and ears, instead possessing only a wide mouth packed to the brim with teeth. The tail was long enough that it could fully wrap around a person's neck twice over, ending in a stinger that pulsated, revealing webbing in the openings of the chitinous weapon.
Each leg ended in a two clawed foot, digging into the nest and tossing around multiple pieces of fluff. The miniature animal always burrowed its head deep into the holes it made, gnashing and stabbing the hole while in mock kills of non-existent prey.
"Whoow! That little guy is wired, Genjiro! He's already got that killer instinct, it's just a shame he can't hear or see us, or else I'd take him with me and train him how to hunt!"
Genjiro's brow furrowed, his mood slightly soured as he heard Variable Talisman's voice. "No, it's not time for her to go out into the world yet. She was just born, you know, and I haven't even had a chance to call the others in for this. I wanted to savor this by myself before I did."
Variable laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the world. "Can't keep everything to yourself, I know I can't. I just want to pick it up and squish it, or let it run wild in the forest. I wonder how fast it could catch me if I ran into the forest as a head start."
"Variable-"
"This thing can make little bug clones of people right? I wonder what it would be like if I got it to make multiple versions of me. I could get so much done, like taking Nuzzles out for his flights, or fixing up Rasputin's revolver, or getting in some one-on-one time with Ariel."
"Man, listen-"
"Actually, now that I think about it, I want to introduce it to the others now. I want to let it see the humans we have in Nazarick first though, see what it does with people outside Nazarick, but not until it grows a pair of eyes first."
Genjiro sighed as Variable Talisman went off on his latest tangent, rivaling the hatchling in terms of energy. He sat there patiently, allowing his mimic friend to burn through the near-endless energy of his latest mood.
At first, when the two of them met, Genjiro assumed that Variable was a calm and regulated individual, someone who managed their time well and was methodical in his methods. Everytime he and the arachne interacted, they got on well.
As time went on, however, Genjiro began to notice the many highs and lows of Variable's mood, wildly swinging from depressive lows to manic highs day-to-day. It wasn't every day however, coming more in cycles of emotion. The unpredictability of these cycles usually set everyone on edge, since it was difficult to determine which version of Variable Talisman they'd be dealing with.
That being said, there were certain signs that the guildmates of Ainz Ooal Gown could look for. On days like today, Genjiro noticed the hyperactivity and elevated good mood of his friend, leading him to believe he may be having a manic episode. So far, Variable was unusually energetic and over the top, speaking a kilometer a minute and practically bouncing off the walls.
Something particularly interesting to note about Variable was that ever since they arrived in the New World, his head would change into a variety of different objects and tools reflective of his mood automatically. This was something he manually had to do back in Yggdrasil, as part of his mimic class.
It was his way of indicating to his friends his current mood and how the others should approach him that day. He went to great lengths to provide a "cheat sheet" of his different head morphs and what they meant, but there were three distinct ones that everyone in the guild knew about.
When Variable Talisman was more reserved and collected, he tended to use different tools like ball-peen hammers and screwdrivers. When he was experiencing heightened moods of euphoria, he usually morphed his head to become a brush of some kind. Both of those head morphs meant that it might be an easy day to deal with the mimic player.
On days when his head became a weapon, like an ax or a sword, that was when the others walked on eggshells. In especially bad instances, they'd call for Ariel or even Yamaiko to help calm him down. Today, his head was a toothbrush.
When Variable finally took a moment to breath, Genjiro tried speaking again. "Look, man, have you gotten to see Ariel today? Have you been going through some of your exercises? You know how important it is to her that you follow those rules."
"I know, I know! I've been doing everything she told me to do. I got a full eight hours of rest, spoke with Shihoutu Tokitu to set up an eating schedule, and now I'm here with someone I trust so I don't isolate myself."
"I- Wow, I'm glad you trust me that much, man. I just thought you'd prefer to hang out with Ariel or Tigris, since we haven't really hung out super one-on-one. Is, uh, is everything going alright with them?"
"Sure, I think everything is okay. Why wouldn't everything be okay? Why, do you have a problem with me coming to visit you?"
"No no! Nothing like that!" Genjiro quickly backpedaled, waving his hands reassuringly. "It's just that… I usually don't see you doing much else with the rest of us, so I thought maybe you were trying to avoid them or something. Didn't mean anything by it, was just curious is all."
As subtly as he could manage, Genjiro glanced at the head shape of Variable, noticing how the outline wobbled and began to shift. It settled on its own, remaining a toothbrush. He internally sighed a breath of relief.
Suddenly, his guildmate turned on his heel and began to walk out of the hatchery. "You know what, I think you're right! I'm gonna go to Carne and visit some of the peasants! What is it Whitebrim always likes to brag about? I shall 'grace them with my presence'!"
"I don't think that's why you should-"
"Keep me posted about that Bug Queen. I want to see who you choose to make clones out of! Maybe if I get lucky, I can have my own little army and play minion chess with Bellriver to get Temperance off his back. Until then!"
The dragoon player practically skipped out of there, humming a merry tune to himself. Genjiro could almost feel a sweatdrop go down the back of his head, nervously chuckling at the other player.
I feel like I can never get a read on this guy, even when I know what I do with him. At least he's fun when he gets like this, even if he does start interrupting others from how fast he talks over them.
An impression of needle teeth at the base of his ankle prompted Genjiro to look down, seeing the newborn pet chew at the chitinous shell of his own body. The little creature would make no leeway, even as it matured and become a full level seventy creature. He gently scooped up the hatchling, amused as it began to try to strangle his wrists with its tail again.
"A clone army huh? You're supposed to breed up new minions for the guild, but I don't think I've ever heard it described that way. I have no idea who we'd even find that was able to fit the bill. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who would be close to level thirty-five."
While it was true that the Bug Queen would accept a compatible sample of any creature below and up to level thirty-five, Genjiro did not wish to just start throwing random low level mercenaries and summons at the Queen, since lower level soldiers meant a longer time spent trying to level them up.
He doubted that an undead would work, since they didn't really have any DNA to work with, or did they? No, that didn't seem right. He was no biologist, but he assumed that skeletons without flesh and blood wouldn't make for suitable candidates.
Supernatural creatures like angels and demons might not work either, given their mythic nature. The sample would have to be humanoid in nature, something that was alive and could feasibly give "DNA" in the way that Nearata's appraisal skills indicated the Bug Queen needed.
Hmmmm. Actually, what if we started pulling in some of the New Worlders? I'd need to run it through Momonga and the others first, to make sure they feel comfortable with possibly experimenting on unknowing people. If I did get approval, then I'd need to start looking through suitable candidates and allow the Bug Queen to pick one, but the risk with that is I don't know how she'd react with someone she doesn't like. I need to use people who we know already and could feasibly trust. They'd need to be higher level people, people like-
A lightbulb turned on in Genjiro's head, his mandibles rubbing together in excitement. "Wait a second, we have all those third tier magicians from the Sunlight Scripture in Carne, as well as those guests we have in Nazarick. There was that one blond girl that Sebas brought back, and that Nigun guy in the dungeons. If all goes well and I get the approval of the guild…"
He stroked the back of the Bug Queen with his smaller hand, in the way he might pet a house cat. This astonishingly got the rabid animal to calm down, enough so that the iron grip its tail had on his wrist loosened slightly.
An odd image of him in a suit lounging in an office chair while he stroked a white cat's back came to him then, a scene from a spy movie he watched once. He felt like one of those old world supervillains when he recalled that, only he was wearing a maid outfit instead of a fancy three piece.
An odd sucking noise that was his version of a laugh came out, startling the hatchling. "Well, I guess I know what I'm gonna tell Momonga and the others when I call them to see you, little one. By the end of this week, once you're all grown up, I'm gonna be primed and ready to play matchmaker yet. Your daddy has big plans for you."
Rather than snap at him and start ravaging his arm again, the Bug Queen hissed softly, curling up around his arm in a tender embrace. It seemingly fell asleep, listening to him whisper sweet nothings and his plans for it in the future.
Hello dear readers,
I hope you're all having a phenomenal day, and I do wish to apologize for that. Midterms were a pain in the ass but they're finished now, so hopefully my schedule will pick up now. I hope you guys all enjoyed the additional chapters I made and that they enriched the story for you. Previous author's notes were deleted to clean up clutter, and I will only really use it to make announcements, such as this one.
I have set up a Ko-Fi account! I didn't want to do a as I don't really have anything extra to offer that I don't already giove you guys for free. This is just to help me out and help me manage finances as I type up this wonderful story for you all. I can't post links to it on here since the website, as I found out, does not like them. If you guys wish to help support me, just send me a message at my gmail of dynobot0102 and I will send you all the link. You can donate as little or as much as you want. Every donation helps.
As always, I'd like to thank the beta team and my regulars over at the Library of Ashurbanipal server for helping me make these chapters the best they can be. I also would like to thank you dear readers, for all your patience and kind words over the months. I couldn't do this without you all.
Until you collect the other eight!