A/N: OKAY SO! Things are gonna be a little different for the next couple of chapters as I'm currently Rewriting the first two chapters to remove those blocks of text.

So for the next few chapters, things are gonna be either shortened or made into two-parters. But this should only last a little while then back to the usual 10k updates.

Oh and I'm thinking of setting up a Q/A thing but don't know where to put it so any ideas would help!

Chapter 5

Everlasting Bonds

"What do you consider family?"

Surrounded by a sea of darkness two figures sit, the endless night only held back by a single flame, a crackling campfire.

"Well that depends, on the one hand, you have blood relations, your parent's siblings and what have you, and on the other, you have close friends, who you care the most about is up to you.

But in my opinion, I think both options are a little stupid, what really matters, what you can really call family.

Well, it's simple, who do you trust and cherish enough to die for?"

The answer was longer than they had expected but it satisfied nonetheless.

"Thank you that helped."

Confused they watched as the oddly dressed figure stood from the makeshift campsite and started to walk away.

"WAIT you can't leave the fire you'll be torn apart by monsters!"

All they received, in turn, was a smirk as the strange woman clad in her black and white outfit continued to walk away slowly vanishing from the safety and light of the fire.

They wanted to run after her, truly, but they couldn't fight at least not meaningful anyway. They would mourn the loss of their unusual companion but committing suicide via monster wouldn't help anyone, better to hope they make it to safety, or bury what is left in the morning.

Their thoughts turned somber at the prospect of such a young woman torn to shreds by monsters but even that vanished.

CRASH!

The log the woman had been sitting on was reduced to splinters as a blur of motion whisked past their face. Landing at the base of a tree coated in blood and wood splinters were the bisected remains of an ogre, a look of agony and surprise plastered across its face.

"I think she'll be okay on her own."

Turning back to the fire they poked and prodded the flickering embers trying to forget the terrifying woman's face.

Certain Death, that was the code name she'd been given the day she joined the black scripture, well joined as in stolen as a young child and trained to kill her whole life.

She had a real name and remembered it well even after so long, but she would never use it, not so long as he still lived.

Thinking about the words the camper said helped 'Who do you trust enough to die for' she couldn't help the wide grin those words gave her. She loathed the idea of ever meeting her family outside of removing their head but thinking of those she trusted, really, trusted made her reconsider the word altogether.

Comrades, brothers in arms, whatever people wanted to call it, it all had the same meaning in the end. People you fight alongside and trust so much you're willing to die to protect each other. And quite a few people came to mind if she thought of them as a family instead of simple combatants.

The first that came to mind was a certain pushover that had tried to act as a father figure only to end up more like an anguished teacher who failed to reign in their rowdy students.

'I still remember his freaked-out face that time I snuck into the council room during a meeting.

Haha, he would have beat my ass good if Berenice hadn't stepped in first.'

Fond memories, gone like dust.

Wiping away a tear the reminder that everything she once considered home was now buried under a pile of rubble still haunted her. Oh, she'd avenge her comrades and the destruction of her home, but all in due time as her first grudge was much, much older.

Moonlit path the only guide she pressed onward, it had taken weeks of travel but she was so close it took everything she had not to break into a full sprint just to close the gap that much sooner.

Her whole life had led up to this point, this one chance to right the wrongs done to her so long ago.

Was it vengeance?

Or perhaps justice?

In the end, she didn't care about justification not when the bastard who'd sold her away like a diseased hog still breathes. Every step she grew closer the more she could taste his blood in the air, each step a reminder his days neared their end and she could finally relax her greatest burden gone.

The faint yellow rays of the morning's sunshine inched past the horizon its declaration clearer than the finest of crystals.

Tomorrow her father would die.

Nazarick

A desk darker than the night sky, so dark the well-lit room around it seemed to dim just to match its presence. Shimmering as though a solid crystal one would gaze upon it and be awestruck at how a single piece of gemstone so large could be used not as jewelry nor magic item, instead being a simple desk.

But what lay atop this monument to craftsmanship was so innocuous compared to its magnificence it would be overlooked entirely.

What laid atop this grand desk was no more than a simple leather-bound book.

A book Momonga was terrified to read.

"Who did this, who was so, so...

Kind... to torture me like this."

The book was title-less no author's mark nor indication it had even been handwritten like so many other books his guild mates had authored.

"Either speech to text, or a keyboard.

Shit...

That doesn't narrow down the suspects at all"

Content aside, finding which of his friends had written the book would help the ever-growing pit that had begun to form in his stomach.

Well, where it once was anyway.

In the end, he already knew the outcome he faced, with no markings nor handwriting he had to read more of the book every page a clue to who had left him this gift. But could he read more of it? Every line seemed to drag him deeper and deeper into the pit of realization that his friends may truly not be here.

"No, it may be hard to find them but the evidence is clear. Players were here before and one of them could have been from the guild.

Even, even just one...

Please."

The cover pages were heavy, too heavy, but regardless they turned to the next

And the next.

And the next.

Until staring up at him like a wolf ready to pounce were the words on the page he'd last left off.

"I didn't want to write today.

We lost someone again today, not like before...

Bellriver, he...

God damn it! I know people have left already but I didn't want to lose someone like this.

Not so, so permanently.

He's gone, actually dead, not just down a few levels but gone for real.

I'm sorry this was, difficult, for me to write but I did get a quote from him a while back.

'Well, what do I think? He's our unity.

Oh, don't you dare start laughing you know I'm right damn it! If Momonga wasn't here we would have dissolved the guild and you know it!

Hell, the whole reason we finished the guild weapon in the first place was that he kept pushing us to do it.

But dick riding aside he's a good guy. Way too into the game I swear it's like he never sleeps, always on grinding away.'

Well there, I guess it's a little piece that we won't forget huh?"

Bellriver, Ainz Ooal Gowns' lead strategist, died under unknown circumstances leaving behind only his guild to mourn his death, having no family.

And mourn they did, as even now the memory of the one friend Momonga knew he'd never see again crashed against his skull.

Pulling his head away he couldn't bear to gaze at the page any longer, but the legacy of his friend overwhelmed the growing melancholy of his loss. Shaking away the awful feeling as best he could he slowly turned back to the page wondering why of all his emotions sadness didn't get suppressed.

Eyes passing over the page as fast as possible he found the next entry.

"Um, hey Momonga I know things are a little hard right now with well, everything so I wanted to lighten the mood a little. Sooo... I'm gonna retell one of our great adventures!

Yeah, I thought telling you about one of the quests we did with Bellriver might help some. Amazingly this is one of the few times you weren't on to join us, crazy right?

Alright well to begin with you know Peroronchino's NPC, salty tears or something like that right? You know the vampire 'totally not a loli' he made for the first three floors.

Well, he wanted to get her some new items and asked me and Bellriver to help since we were the only ones on at the time. He said he wanted to go to this low-level dungeon he found in Asgard, yeah the human-filled Asgard so I knew something was up.

Anyway, we all sneak into the world, mind you it's three am, and find the dungeon he wants us to raid.

And I shit you not Peroronchino points at a damn castle in the sky swarming with valkyries and fucking dragons and says 'it should only take an hour or so' I wanted to clock him so hard then.

So we're out there, I'm ready to bail but then Bellriver gets an idea, we're three well know pk'ers in a human-dominated world why not ask for some help?

Yup, you probably guessed.

We agro'd like fifteen guys, all thanks to Peroronchino, and start booking it for this castle mind, you still swarming with level ninety enemies everywhere.

We ignore everything and just fly straight through, those players behind us had no clue what we were doing. They pull every mob there, we hide in the castle and finish the dungeon while they fight.

Fifteen minutes later we're back in Nazarick not a damn scratch on us.

So if you ever pass by the third-floor look for a dress made of white flowers that, was the reward for beating it in one go."

Momonga chuckled softly, he did remember Peroronchino bragging about his newest dress for the suspiciously small vampire and how everyone just called him a pervert the moment he equipped it on the poor NPC.

The warm smile vanished as a faint green light engulfed his joy gone with it.

Slamming his fist on the table in annoyance he sighed.

"Every damn time, why, why can't I have even this little moment to myself!"

Closing the book he stormed from the room, it was time to do his rounds he had no more time to read about days long past.

Re Estize Capital

"So you think you think he is going to form a coup?"

"Yes father, word has come to me that brother is amassing a large number of loyal nobles and their armies."

King Ramposa placed a hand under his chin and stroked his beard.

"While I loathe to act so harshly against my own children if what you say is true I may have no choice.

I thought with the attack none of the noble would attempt such a thing, to think my eldest son would do so in their stead.

Where have I gone wrong."

Renner watched as her father lowered his head a small tear falling to the floor.

'Pathetic, so idiotic to feel pity for the man after your own head'

She only had to wait a little longer before her darling Climb would be hers and the kingdom could be run properly.

Assuming that mage let her rule at all.

'No he's too despised right now, he'd have to rule through a puppet, or the masses would revolt.

Perhaps I should thank my luck he picked me and not one of my brothers'

"Renner!"

"Yes father it could work but if they found out it would only empower the remaining noble not sided with Barbro."

"Well I'm glad you think the same, but I fear with no other options before your coronation he will do something far more drastic.

Gods forbid he make an attempt on your life!"

She wanted to laugh at her father's words, feeling for the small hairpin she was reassured nothing would go wrong. The masked mage had told her it would protect her and after testing it on one of the maids, she was certain of its use.

Slipping it on a maid's head when they weren't looking, the item seemed to imbue its wearer with luck, unlike anything she'd ever seen so long as they were engrossed in some kind of task.

While polishing a vase the maid had managed to dodge a flurry of pins Renner had thrown at her, narrowly moving away the moment before impact.

And so unless her father suddenly started employing adventurers as maids she was certain the hair piece worked. Even more so when the maid fell down a flight of stairs not long after the item left her head.

'So he didn't lie, I suppose it's his way of preventing his puppet's early demise'

She smiled and curtsied when her father asked her to leave him to his thoughts the soft sobs as the door closed behind her showing just what those thoughts were.

Turning down the hall, her darling close behind her was thrilling but she had to focus on her task ahead.

The current plan was to amass all of the retired adventurers into the army bypassing the rules of the guild on assisting in wars.

This way they could stop Barbro and his army of leftover guards and untrained footmen before they ever spilled the first drop of blood.

Assuming he isn't as stupid as she thought him to be.

A small laugh was her only response to that thought.

The real reason she hadn't changed her father's plan was for the superior army of adventures to even out the difference in strength between them and the empire. And if what she knew of the bloody emperor was true he was well aware of her plans already.

"Climb dear could you fetch some tea I have a guest coming soon and I'd like to greet him properly."

"Yes, your majesty."

She hated sending him away but the meeting had to be perfect and no perpetrations would certainly look bad on her part.

Coming to her room she stopped just shy of the door.

She hated playing the innocent child act, but just a little longer and it would be over.

Pushing open the door she brightened her smile.

"Ah I apologize for being tardy but his majesty wished to speak to me and I couldn't refuse."

Sitting alone at her tea table was a tall stocky man with a greying beard and scars crossing his face every action he made seemed to have a purpose. Even the way he waved seemed to waste not a moment of time completing its goal.

"No, it was no trouble at all after all it's not every day you meet with a princess."

This was Pluton Ainzach the leader of E Rantel's adventurer's guild and a former mythril adventurer himself.

"Well sir Ainzach, I thank you for making the journey to me I've heard how dangerous the roads have become since the attack."

"Yes, things have grown troublesome, more so around E Rantel now that so few teams remain to fight back the stronger of the monsters.

Although I suppose I should be thanking you for sending so much aid, I truly think we would have perished without it."

A soft knock on the door halted the conversation.

"Your highness I've brought the tea you requested."

"Ah yes please come in, sir Ainzach would you care for some tea? I'm sure our talks will take quite some time and I'd hate for you to miss out on the kingdom's best."

Climb zoned out the moment the talks began in earnest, serving the two tea being the least boring part.

But regardless he remained vigilant, even though he was certain no one could bypass the castle guards, at least quietly that is.

Gazing over at the two he couldn't help the stare of awe as Renner talked about the fears of a civil war. To think it was a little over two months ago she'd lost some of her dearest friends and here she sat as strong-willed as ever.

Climb himself wanted to bawl his eyes out when he first heard the news, one of the strongest groups in the kingdom gone just like that. It was unthinkable that anyone of that strength could even be hurt and yet it was the second time the kingdom had been rocked.

The warrior captain's death still haunted the king as even now he would lament his loss and how it would cripple the kingdom.

Though he never said that to anyone besides him and Renner.

"Climb dear what rank do you believe you would be?"

"What do you mean your highness?"

"Of the ranks of the adventurers guild which do you think would you be in?"

Climb had to think hard to answer that, while he was certainly not stronger than Gazef he could overpower almost any other rank and file soldier in the kingdom.

"I would say around platinum rank, your highness."

Ainzach stared at Climb as he said this, his eyes never moving as he inspected Climb's face.

"So you say young man but what of actual skill?

Sure you may be strong but could you beat out a monster of similar rank?"

"Yes sir, so long as it had no poison abilities I should be able to defeat something equal to me."

Breaking his unnerving gaze Ainzach turned back to Renner.

"So, you truly think this will work and not end with your servant becoming ostracized instead?"

"No, with what has happened I know the masses crave some form of retribution for the dead and we can bring it to them. With the yearly war still looming on everyone's mind, it would be best to prepare while we still can."

Climb was lost.

"My apologies but how am I involved in all this?"

"Well young man, how do you feel about leading the largest team of adventurers ever formed?"

"HUH?"

Arwintar

"Wrong.

Wrong.

WRONG!"

Piles of books came crashing to the ground as a startled man jumped out of the way.

"You bring me these books yet not one contains what we seek!"

"Master Paradyne we've brought you every book on magic in the empire, I fear no more is left for us to find."

He had to calm himself.

"I see, and you are certain of this?"

"Yes, master Paradyne, all that could remain would be hidden within the palace and far outside our reach."

Fluder stroked his beard in thought, he could always ask the emperor personally for the ancient tomes as he was told to prepare for war. But time was of the essence and he was far less patient than many thought him to be.

"No, they are well within mine, go fetch a carriage we depart for the palace post haste!"

The palace was as it always was, opulent to the point of nausea.

He detested the waste of materials it took to make the palace but the message it gave far outshined any other meaningful expenses.

With golden archways, marble windowsills, and hundreds of glass windows reflecting the early morning sunlight it proved to any who saw it that the emperor was a figure unlike any other.

Still, the materials could have helped his research a thousandfold.

But useless pondering aside he had work to do, as the carriage left the palace grounds he made for the entrance.

A pair of soldiers dressed in the empire's white uniform pushed the doors aside as he entered, coming face to face with the emperor himself.

"Ah good, young Jircniv you've saved me the trouble of seeking you out."

Jircniv sighed the crazed mage wanted something from him.

"You see young Jircniv, in effort to complete your request I've run into quite the issue."

"Out with it old man what do you need from me this time?"

"Ah, yes, I've been studying the masked mage as you asked...

However, I seem to have run into a wall of sorts."

"Oh?

The great mage is having troubles, what could you possibly gain from me a magic-less man?"

Fluder hesitated, he had to word this carefully unlike when he asked for more research money. He was asking for a relic of Jircniv's family that was well over five hundred years old.

"Well, so far your request has brought many eyewitnesses and much info in regards to the unknown caster.

The issue is no books in the empire appear to house a description of his magic and even from accounts I remain clueless as to what spell he cast."

Fluder paused, his next words would have to be very careful.

"Enough!"

Fluder was stunned silent at the emperor's sudden outburst.

"You seek my great grandfather's books do you not?

Just go get them already, to think you of all people would waste my time for something so trivial."

And with that Jircniv left followed by his entourage of elite guards.

Frankly, Fluder was a little shocked, he truly thought the emperor would guard the tomes as though priceless.

But it didn't matter now that he had permission, what did matter was reaching the basement and locating the book he so needed.

And find it he did.

After an hour of cobweb-covered searching he found it among the rows of various ancient cookbooks, boring novels, and magic tome alike there it stood.

With no discerning features and bound in simple leather many would overlook it in favor of the other more eye-catching tomes, some of which actually glowed they held so much magic power.

Pulling it from its dusty resting place he flipped the cover open.

"As expected, it is written in the ancient language of the gods it will take ages to finish."

But that didn't matter after all translating would be the easy part.

"Your majesty are you alright?"

Jircniv wanted, to tell the truth, he did.

But he couldn't not when his fears were so baseless and childlike.

"No, I'm fine just ate too much earlier is all."

That calmed his aides and guards.

Yet still, his mind raced as his fear grew.

For some reason ever since he ordered a delay in the annual war he'd grown more and more worried with each passing day. But this fear came not from the war itself but something much more...

Odd.

Yes, they would likely take casualties, many even if both armies acted as he expected them to. He even had plans for the takeover of the kingdom and how to weed out all its corruption. There were even plans should he lose the war and his army, however unthinkable that was.

So why, why did he fear the coming war so much?

He could only describe it with one word.

Wrong.

Something felt wrong, with princess Renner being crowned, the sudden attacks on the border, and the Slane Theocracy not sending one message for the last three months.

The last message being the usual spiel about donations from the masses for the good of humanity.

Something didn't add up, these sudden events were far too close together, maybe that was his fear? The fear that these mostly random events were all stringed together somehow.

'Bah, there's no point in dawdling over petty fears of the dark, the stress must be getting to me after so much work and not a day of rest.'

"Tell me did I have any meetings today?"

The aide flipped through a small book.

"Hmm, no your majesty it appears you have none planned today"

"Good, then today shall be one of rest tell the driver we're going to the arena."

"Yes, of course."

The arena, the single largest structure in the empire, taking over twenty years to build Jircniv considered it the only good thing to come of his fathers reign.

Taller than the magic academy's tower and wider than the palace grounds, it had held every major event over the last two decades from celebrations to tournaments.

Anyone could participate in the fights as well, even hosting the occasional adamantite team, those were quite the show. Today however would be nothing special but Jircniv didn't care, so long as the spectacle drove away his stress he could've fought himself.

But his stress vanished in no time the matches showstoppers one after the other, one in particular however stuck out like a sore thumb.

An unknown adventurer team from the kingdom.

'Yet more refugees, at least these have promise.'

While the team itself couldn't have been more than gold rank, two of its members stood out, far stronger than their comrades.

Two young women, one a mage and the other a thief. The mage a storm of magic with flame and lightning alike crashing against her foes rendering them to naught but ash. If the mage was chaos the thief would be order, bursting forth like a dam collapsed she struck her targets in an instant always killing in one strike.

To call it a battle for survival would be a joke, every monster lay dead within minutes the sand of the arena painted in gore.

He had to meet this team.

'Just who are they, they match no known teams and I doubt the kingdom could have hidden such strong individuals.'

"Set up a meeting, it's only fair after such a show is it not?"

Ninya was happy for the first time in weeks.

She could finally be herself no more secrets, no more lies.

Although the fact her team had flat out told her they'd known her secret since day one was well...

Kind of creepy.

BUT!

It didn't matter now, now she could focus on her sister and this time with far more help than before. Namely, an always pissed-off woman named Clementine who agreed to tag along, so long as they helped her kill the mage who took her hand.

The prospect of fighting the mage who attacked E Rantel would have frightened her in the past. But no more was she the weak child who could barely cast second-tier magic.

Now she was strong.

Really strong.

Actually, it was kind of weird how strong she'd gotten lately.

It was only a few days after the fight in the woods that she noticed it, but now she could cast magic she had never learned. And according to Clementine, it was magic of the fourth tier, a feat close to legends.

She wasn't the only one, both Lukrut and Dyne both became stronger after the fight as well, with both gaining new abilities they'd never trained before.

Clementine simply laughed in their face at the new development saying 'of course you of all people would get stronger' which confused all of them.

"So Clementine what did you think of my magic!"

Clementine only scowled at her as she wiped the blood from her stiletto.

"Well, young Ninya I believed you to be excellent with your magic, a wonderful job indeed."

Dyne had always tried to encourage her but lately, he was just trying to overwhelm Clementine's negativity, to her annoyance.

Their usual antics were interrupted however as a soft knock came from the waiting room's door.

"Excuse me Swords of Darkness may I have a word?"

When no refusal came the door slowly opened, revealing a man dressed in a white and gold threaded coat.

"I am an aide of his majesty Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix and have come to invite you to a meeting with the emperor."

Collective silence filled the room only to be broken by Clementine of all people.

"What did you just say?!"