Shortly after having bumped into the strange duo of Aizen and Amelia, the newbie adventurers Momon and Nabe settled down in the cheap inn that had been so cordially suggested to them by the guild. Having reached their room, the wooden door closed behind them with a "thud". The room was bare, apart from a pair of crudely-made bed frames with accompanying chests. Momon looked around the room, and his shoulders slightly sagged, his body language clearly showing disappointment.
They then momentarily lifted these necessary personas as "Momon", with a brief wave of his hand, the helm of his black armor and the two greatswords on his back melted away into nothingness, revealing the bleach white skull of the Overlord of Death, Ainz Ooal Gown. He twisted and stretched his neck, finding it oddly comfortable being free of the extra weight.
"I can't believe they would dare to let you stay in a place like this, Momon-sama."
"Don't say that, Nabe. Our aim is to become adventurers, and then increase our fame to the point where everyone knows of us. Until then, it won't hurt to experience the life of a newbie. Also..."
Ainz got into a brief conversation with his companion "Nabe", on how she should not address him so formally, with only limited success. As they then discussed their current situation, the conversation eventually went to how they, even with all the resources available to them, needed a job if they were to make any of Ainz's goals possible. It was then that one, simple encounter once more came to the forefront of the Overlord's mind, as even if he had not admitted it, said encounter had never really left him.
Ainz had wondered if he should have accepted their offer, even with his previous commitment to the guild. After all, to him the life of a mercenary sounded somewhat more profitable than that of an adventurer. Not only that, but the freedom that could come from such a life, could possibly allow him to gather information at a much quicker rate, than a newbie adventurer working his way up through the ranks.
"Nabe, what did you think of those people we met on our way here?"
"I believe such insects should be properly punished for how they treated you, Momon-sam... san."
Ainz tapped at his forehead with a finger, lamenting on how useless his companion was on learning something as basic as addressing him informally in the outside world. He then brushed these thoughts aside as he continued...
"Don't say that, Nabe. Remember that while we are here, we stand on the same footing as them… No, perhaps we are on a lower social-tier. They did seem to have this superior presence to them." Ainz remarked with a thoughtful tone.
"A-A superior presence? I... I do not understand Momon-sa... n. How can beings like them be in any way superior?" Narberal asked in a confused tone.
"Remember that while we are under the guise of the newbie adventurers 'Momon' and 'Nabe', we don't have much in terms of social status. On the other hand, they seemed to belong to an upper echelon of society." Ainz said in a wistful tone, as if remembering a long-ago experience.
"I-I see. Such insight, as expected of Ai... Momon-sa... n. I greatly apologize for not having understood…" Narberal began with a bow, but Ainz was quick to stop her.
"At ease, Nabe."
"Thank you very much, Momon... san. Should we have them put under surveillance?" She suggested.
Ainz contemplated her suggestion. The Espada could prove to be useful in the future. If for some reason his job as an adventurer went south, accepting their offer could be his only other option. As it is, the only reason he didn't accept it, was because he had prior commitments with the guild, and he was worried about what people would think of him if he was a mercenary. He didn't know anything about these Espada, and for all he knew they could have a bad reputation. Something he surely didn't want to get involved with.
"No. The both of us will look into them ourselves, as adventurers. For all we know, there could be nothing noteworthy to them."
"As you wish, Momon-san." Nabe replied with a bow.
Still, Ainz was unsure of how he should act. He did not like the presence of the man named Aizen. He felt different from anyone he had come across in his entire life, even those from Nazarick. There as a certain air of unease around the clumsy looking man. It was almost as if something in him actively assaulted his very nature. That in itself could be a good reason for them to look into Espada. Yet it could also be a good reason to stay away from them, since he failed to understand what was making him feel such unease.
"Hmm... Still, I wonder what these Espada are like..." He mumbled aloud, completely ignoring Nabe's presence.
Annika and Jillur had just arrived at Peixe Village. It was a small and somewhat isolated coastal village whose population lived from fishing. Given their isolated nature few were those that when they came of age would remain there. Most would leave, but still some of those would come back from time to time to visit distant family, old friends, or simply to reminisce.
It was one of these individuals that returned home, when it had not long before fell into an unending nightmare. Their way of living and their livelihood was now put at risk by a 25-foot shark that had decided to make its home near the village. The creature attacked from time to time, taking a few fishermen with it, before retreating back into the seas' depths.
It belonged to the Mythril-Shark species, named as such due to its color resembling the metal. In terms of appearance it could be compared to a Great-White Shark, yet these were far bigger, bulkier, cunning, and voracious than that species. This one was of decent size, yet some were known to reach 30 feet, but what made this one strange was that it was so close to the shore. Most of its kind preferred the open ocean, only coming close to land at certain times of the year.
What most fishermen used to justify this, these being the men who saw the beast and lived, with some even managing to hit it with some harpoons, was that the animal was in fact old. From previous scars they had managed to see, one clouded over eye, and other marks that men like them could associate with great age. This was their most reasonable conclusion. Still, it didn't mean they could let it do as it wished, yet the entire village could not do much against it, even when the odd harpoon hit.
That was why when one of those previous residents returned to the village and was told of recent events, he suggested the use of a mercenary group a friend of his had heard about. At first the village elder was against it, thinking they would ask for prices equal to the Adventurer's Guild, but when he was informed of the low pay for good results, he relented, and the request was made.
The Espada seemed to have arrived at about the right time., for as soon as they did, someone recognized who they were from their numbered rings. They were swarmed by a small group of villagers headed by the village chief, Keao.
"Y-You are the Espada correct?" The man asked with a concerned, yet stern tone.
"That is correct.~" Annika cordially, and softly replied.
Keao carefully eyed the duo. One of them had most of his face covered with a less than pleasing air about him. The other was a woman whose beauty alone made him feel like a young man once more. Nevertheless, he trusted the advice that had been given to him, since those that returned to the village were generally more well informed than those who had never left, like himself.
"Very well. You will be taken to the beach. That thing has attacked us once again. There are injured are already on land, yet there are still some in the water. Can you help?" He curtly asked.
"Lead the way." Jillur promptly replied.
A group of younger men took the duo to the beach, where they were surrounded by a small crowd composed mostly of women. Some of the men leading them made the crowd step aside so the duo could take a closer look at the injured.
There were three of them with several degrees of injury. One of them had only minor scrapes, another was missing part of his left leg, and the last one was missing part of his right side. The final two were the most serious cases, and were men who in the given situation would have certainly died. However, with the presence of the Espada that would not happen.
"I'll heal them. Jillur, take care of the rest." Annika calmly instructed.
"We need to prepare a group of ships to deal with the animal." Jillur announced, getting the attention of those around him.
"T-To arrange several of them will take time." One of their guides nervously informed.
"Then I'll make do with just one to save those that are still in the water."
"F-Follow me." The same man quickly said, leading the Espada.
Meanwhile, Annika moved in to heal the injured men, but in her way stood an elderly woman. She didn't seem defiant of her actions, but seemed unsure if she should allow them.
"I need you to let me through if I am to help them." Annika calmly informed.
"I-I know, however if you do heal them, the village will have to pay extra, c-correct?" The woman nervously asked, visibly split by her actions.
"What are you saying!?" One voice shouted.
"They are going to die!" Another loudly added.
"B-But the village will have to pay more for it. As it is we are giving them most of our money to solve our problems. We don't have enough to pay for the healing." The female elder argued back, distraught with her own words.
"That's right.~ Everything you said is true. If I was still affiliated with a temple you would have to pay extra for my healing services. However, that is no longer the case. I left my temple when I joined the Espada. I never agreed with people having to pay for our aid, or ever will, that is why I offer my services for free. And if you want them to live, you will let me through.~" The Espada calmly informed.
"M-My apologies." The old woman said, taking a clumsy low bow before stepping aside.
"I will do my best to make sure they will live. However, I must ask all of you to keep what you see here to yourselves, and make sure no one ever learns of it." Annika said with a serious tone that sent chills down the peoples' backs.
"A-As you wish. Please help them!"
Some of the more experienced villagers completely understood the meaning behind her words of, "make sure no one ever learns of it". Even if one was not affiliated with a temple, the use of magical healing was considered to be their jurisdiction. It was their purview, and thus their law. If healing magic was used, a fee or a portion of a fee was to be turned into the temples.
The reason for this regulation, was related to the continued existence of the temples. In order for the them to provide for the people without becoming controlled by any nation's politics, the only source of income they received was from the nation's people themselves.
This was done either through tithes, the selling of magic items only they knew how to produce, or in this case, healing. Those that failed to comply with these rules could end up being targeted by one of the temples' punishment squads, whom would target those branded, "apostate priests", in the name of safeguarding Temples' continued existance. Knowing all of these things, made the villagers all the more grateful for this beautiful woman and healer, whom seemed to become an angel in their eyes.
Jillur was now being taken on a small boat to the spot where a larger fishing ship that was already half underwater rested. On it were three other men waving wildly for the incoming boat. However, with Jillur was only an old fisherman. The only one that had managed to get a boat ready as quickly as the Espada wanted. Not only that, but the other younger men seemed less than open to the idea of going into the water with the creature still in the area. Something the old man didn't seem concerned about.
"So, you're going to kill it?" The elder asked, his voice worn out, as if from years of drinking.
"Yes." Jillur replied in an uninterested tone.
"Huh. You're the silent type, I see. Still, this old timer must ask, how do you plan to move underwater with that cloak and hood on?"
"These are rather simple to remove, so there is no need for concern. But I must commend you. For someone who might be heading to his death, you are rather calm." The Espada replied, moving his fingers through the water.
"I'm not concerned about such things. I have long accepted my own mortality." The old man nonchalantly informed, as if he was talking about an everyday topic.
Almost as soon as the fisherman said this, the Espada lifted his fingers from the water, and rose back to his feet looking around, as if searching for the creature. At the same time the elder's keen and well trained senses began to feel something odd in the air. He didn't have time to think about it however, as the boat was sent flying out of the water.
The shark they had been so intently searching for had in fact swam up from under them and propelled itself into the boat. Sending both the vessel and itself flying out of the water. Jillur and the old man both saw as the massive beast's body broke through the surface of the ocean before crashing back into it, almost at the same time as they did. The old man violently coughed as he emerged from the water's surface, looking about.
"Kid…"
The fisherman tried to check on the Espada next to him. However, before he could he only saw Jillur being pulled under water most likely by the cloak he had talked about just a few moments ago. Since nothing happened after, he could only swim to the sinking ship, an effort that with his advanced age proved difficult yet still achievable.
For a while nothing happened, but then they eventually saw the creature's fin emerge from beneath the waves. Yet much to his surprised the shark was not moving in their direction, it was moving towards the shore. As it moved, it left a large trail of blood behind it, and continued its advance at great speed. As it did, the blood trail got larger and larger in the water.
It was only when it got really close to the shore that it became visible to all watching, that Jillur had rammed a dagger into the creature's side for leverage, while using another to stab it repeatably. This process allowing him to disorientate and drive it onto the land.
The villagers saw Jillur's violent motions, which seemed to not be affected by the water. Each wound drew more and more blood from the creature, until it ultimately hit the shallow water, and effectively trapped itself. The mighty shark now fated to die a slow death. At least, that would have been the case, if not for the group of harpoon wielding men that were now more than eager to help the Espada. One of them helping him up and away from the creature, while the rest finished it off with savage blows.
Jillur, whose cloak was now reduced to a few shreds around his neck, calmly dismissed the young man's help taking only a few moments to regain his bearings, before making his way back to Annika. It didn't take him long to find her. He had only to follow the words and sobs of gratitude that normally followed her actions.
Annika was the healer of the Espada, meaning the injuries he had seen on the men, as long as proper secrecy was sworn, were nothing before her. Jillur didn't even need to get close in order to confirm this, and decided to keep his distance from the people surrounding his partner.
Even with the creature dead, the duo remained in the village for a little while longer. At least until everyone was safely back on shore and healed up.
"Here is your reward." Keao informed, approaching the duo who were preparing to leave.
"Thank you.~" Annika remarked with a graceful head bow, as Jillur took the bag from the elder.
"N-No. We are the ones thankful. If not for you, who knows when this nightmare would have ended."
"We're glad that we could be of use. We wish you and your village all the prosperity that you deserve. And if you ever see yourself faced with a similar issue, with are more than happy to help.~" The former priestess informed with a gentle tone.
Keao then watched them walk away, seemingly going back to where they had come from on foot. He knew that as sweet and caring her words were, even if they were willing to solve their issues, that would only happen when the right payment was offered. Still, compared to the price of hiring appropriately ranked adventurers for the same task, he could not deny the results, nor the blessing of having their lives saved.
Having successfully completed their assignments, Alvis and Cayo decided to rest at an inn while on their way back to E-Rantel. Alvis, even if able to go without any real rest for long periods of time, still enjoyed the feeling of a good night's rest. That being why he went to bed while Cayo stayed behind to get a drink.
Unfortunately for the young Espada, what was supposed to be a simple drink soon escalated to what he understood to be an all-out party. So much so not even his pillow was enough to muffle the sound. Things only got worse when the room door, which he shared with Cayo, flew open, and through it emerged his partner, one woman on each shoulder and two others doing their best to hold on to his arms.
Alvis could only slowly turn on his bed, so he would be looking away from what he knew was about to happen, and kept using his pillow to drown out the sound. As things went on, and the room began to get filled with a primal and carnal atmosphere. Even he was beginning to find it hard to keep his composure. Things got even more ridiculous every time the room door opened, and his senses told him it was even more women coming to join in on the fun.
Having reached his limit, the young Espada was ready to get up and walk out of the room to go and get some fresh air, or take a cold shower, when he felt tugging at his sheets. That coupled with what his senses easily picked up on, and the audible giggles, Alvis was soon aware of who was trying to get his attention, and what their intentions were. At this he could only sigh in resignation, and went with the flow.
When Alvis woke up it was already morning, his body groaned and ached slightly as he lifted himself from his bed. Letting out a loud yawn, his tired eyes scanned the room, almost with a shimmer to them.
Cayo's bed had collapsed, and the man himself was still asleep surrounded by an insane number of women, that Alvis didn't even try to count. What really surprised him was when he took the time to look down he found himself completely naked, covered by a mess of sheets, with one naked woman to his left half against the wall, another on the floor, and one half on the floor half on the bed.
Sitting up on the bed, he could only sigh as he felt slightly disgusted and ashamed of himself for having so easily given into urges that were more befitting of an animal than a human. He understood that now, he wasn't really human anymore. None of the Espada were, and that his other half was usually connected to certain indulgences. Still, he felt like he had acted beneath himself that night, and he wondered if this would in anyway affect how others saw him if they knew.
His eyes went to the semi-opened windows from where the sun was shining through. He knew the basics of telling time from watching the sun, and so he tried to do it via the light entering through the window.
Using his [Talent] called [Probability Sense], his eyes took in every little detail of the scene before him, while his mind easily worked out the calculations and associations necessary to determine what time it was. His still somewhat dull expression quickly straightened as he realized that it was already mid-morning, and that they should have already left at a maximum 3 hours ago.
Getting up from the bed, wrapping the sheets around his waist so as to hide his lower body, he made his way towards the still sleeping Cayo. Being careful not to step on any of the women, he managing to get close to his partner. Alvis could only shake him awake, as subtly as his sense of urgency allowed him.
"Let me sleep." Cayo mumbled, pushing Alvis' hands away.
"I-I can't. W-We're late!" Alvis pointed out, with a nervous tone.
At the sound of the word "late", Cayo mechanically sat up let out a loud yawn, blinked his eyes open and turned his head to look at his younger companion.
"How late?…" He asked, once more trailing into a yawn.
"... At least 3 hours."
"And you only warn me now!?" Cayo growled, now fully awake and stumbling back to his feet.
"He he. I-I actually just woke up myself." Alvis replied, with a nervous chuckle.
Cayo raised an eyebrow at this. His companion was never one to deviate from a task or a set goal, so the fact he had actually slept in was mind blowing for him. His eyes trailed his partner, and then went to the bed where he had slept, in which he found 3 naked and still sleeping women. Momentarily forgetting their current situation, Cayo could only laugh while hitting Alvis in the back in a gesture of pride.
"He ha ha. So, you finally popped your cherry." He announced with a smile.
"I-I already told you that I was not a virgin before this." Alvis pointed out with a sigh.
Cayo could only raise an eyebrow at him, before going back to the matter at hand.
"S-Sure. Alright… We'll take a quick shower and leave. We can get something to eat while on the road." He instructed.
"…"
Alvis was about to say something, but got interrupted.
"Aaaand~, we should do all of that in less than 5 minutes. Because from experience, something tells me sooner or later we're gonna get confronted by their fathers, and/or significant others."
"Ugh... W-Why me…" Alvis said with a sigh and facepalm.
Jaecar and Elsa watched the surrounding forest from one of the taller trees in the region, with their attention on a nearby camp. It was small, with walls built from wooden trunks, and inside were several different sized tents. Elsa took the time to carefully examine its layout, while Jaecar prepared his bow and arrow for firing.
"You can fire at pretty much everything except the tents. There may still be something salvageable down there." Elsa said in a professional tone.
"Hostages?" Jaecar asked.
"Doubt it. The bodies we found on our way here matched the last group of people taken by them."
"Alright. I'll open fire. You go down there and get the goblins and ogre's attention. Rylen will handle the leader."
"All right. I'll go and get ready."
Elsa jumped off of the tree, and Jaecar calmly prepared his bow and arrow, taking aim as he activated his ability, [Hunter's Bursting Arrow: Red]. A red aura emerged on the tip of his fingers and enveloped the projectile, gifting it with an explosive ability upon contact. Taking one final deep breath he opened fire.
His first arrow hit one of the camps walls, the arrow releasing a shockwave of super-heated air, punching a hole into the wall and burning the area around it. He fired two more of these arrows at the walls, followed by equipping the [Blue] enhancement and firing it at the initial group of goblins that emerged at the entrance. With this aura the resulting impact sent shrapnel in every direction taking out the group and some others nearby.
Elsa then went into action, actively taunting the survivors in such a manner that pretty much all of the goblins ran out of the camp after her into the forest, leaving the path open for Rylen. Walking into the camp, the elder began to make his way towards the largest tent, where they believed the leader of this group was.
As he was making his way there, 2 ogres emerged from within the tent and immediately lunged at him. Removing his hood Rylen awaited calmly for what would come next. The first ogre that got next to him brought its club down on the Espada, to which Rylen calmly took a step back, causing the creature to hit the floor.
The elder followed this by placing his foot on top of it effectively stopping the ogre from lifting it. Using his foot as support Rylen threw himself head on into the brute, spinning midair, and landing a clean blow on its head with his walking stick. This simple move was delivered with enough force to shatter the creature's skull, sending blood everywhere as it collapsed on the floor.
The remaining ogre went in to grab the old man, who swiftly ducked under the hand and uppercut the beast, sending a cracking noise echoing through the area, before it collapsed. Dusting himself off, the Espada continued making his way towards the tent. Upon finally entering it he was faced with this group's leader, a Zoastia.
The bulky centaur like being, was resting on worn out yet comfortable looking cushions, most likely taken from the people they attacked. On its right was a large two-handed hammer, and on his left was a blonde woman in chains. The only surviving human in the camp. It was covered in white fur with black stripes, on its face rested two saber like teeth, the left one broken. On the left side also rested a large scar which covered most of that side of his face, including a missing eye.
Rylen was surprised, to see one of their kind so far away from the Abelion Hills, yet that did not matter now, since the assignment involved killing the group of goblins attacking people in nearby villages, and roads and their leader.
"Finally, some proper entertainment." The Zoastia growled, getting up and picking up his hammer.
"Is that what you think this is?" Rylen asked in an empty tone.
"Grr... Honestly, no. You're going to be just another fly I have to swat out of the way, on my way to grandeur."
"Do you have a name, o' great Zoastia?"
"He ha ha ha. You don't need to know my name. Just call me Chief, like everyone else in this camp does." The Zoastia said with a laugh.
"I see... A shame. I wanted to know the name of the very first Zoastia I ever had the opportunity to fight in one-on-one combat, during my long life. My name is Rylen Tsezguerra, the Primera Espada."
The "Chief" almost didn't wait for the old man to finish speaking before lunging straight into action, determined to put a quick end to things. He was truly annoyed that his goblins seemed to have been killed. It meant that once again he would have to go and find new minions.
The scar on his face from when he tried to take over his tribe seemed to ache with his growing annoyance. The situation shone light on his damaged ego. The ego that had made him set out on his own after defeat to create his own tribe, and conquer his own territory. Getting close to the man he swung his hammer at him, just to have the elder jump clean over it and hit the damaged side of his head with a stick, sending the Chief stumbling to the side, hissing in anger.
"You talk much, yet in the end it seems you are just a brute." Rylen remarked with a bored tone.
"Graggh! Don't you look down on me human!"
The hammer once more was swung towards Rylen, however this time it was stopped by the Espada's right hand, with such ease it looked like he was stopping a child.
"I-Impossible…" The Chief gasped in shock.
With a simple motion, Rylen got close to the Zoastia breaking its arm, which forced the Chief to let go of the hammer, and by taking possession of the weapon proceeded to hit its former owner on the head with it, flooring the creature permanently.
His attention then went to the chained woman, who he quickly went to release, just as Jaecar and Elsa returned, with a bag full of goblin and ogre ears, as physical proof of having fulfilled their assignment.
"We killed the rest of them." Jaecar matter-of-factly announced.
"Very good. Elsa, take care of this girl here. We'll be taking her with us. Jaecar take some kind of proof from the Zoastia, perhaps the remaining tooth." The elder calmly instructed.
"Yeesh. Why do I have to be the one cutting parts of them off?" Jaecar said with a sigh, still doing as he was told.
"It is good experience for someone as young as yourself." Rylen deadpanned in reply.
"Right... What should we do with the body? I mean, these things are pretty rare around here." The weaker Espada asked.
"True. We will take the proof, since that is mandatory for this request. We will then transport the body back to Aizen. I'm sure it will be useful."
Carmyn and Inon were making their way to the capital on an assignment given to them by Amelia. They were being taken by a carriage hired by her for the effect. Inon sat on one of the seats while his partner sat on the floor. Since she had work to do during the interim, Carmyn had placed on top of the free seat several parts of dismantled items, and a bowl with smashed herbs with a glass top.
"If I may ask, how is your work going?" Inon asked, trying to make small talk.
"It's... going decently. However, even with my abilities, I can only do so much with these materials..." Carmyn replied with a light sigh.
"Hm? But I thought we were working with the best materials available."
"That is almost true. I have studied and heard of tales of better quality herbs. Ones that could give us even better quality healing potions. We just need a concrete lead on their location."
"Surely, if they exist, our contacts would be able to find something on them." The giant pointed out reassuringly.
However, the small woman was not moved, as a slight gruff escaped her young sounding voice as she replied.
"They'll take too long. We could use them now…" Carmyn curtly said, then falling into silence.
She paused, and finding herself no longer interested in the topic of conversation, she decided to change the subject.
"What about your gauntlets? What do you think of them?" She asked noting that he was not using them, since he usually had no need to.
"They are marvelous weapons. Thank you." Inon replied with a grateful tone, taking a small bow.
"That's good to know. But if you want to thank anyone thank the Dragon Lord. After all, they used to belong to his treasure trove. I was always under the impression dragons didn't easily part with their things."
"It must have been because of Aizen-sama's influence. He showed the dragon that there is more in life than a dragon's natural, greedy impulse to horde treasure."
"Hm. If you think so..." Carmyn mumbled, before going back to her work.
"Still, I wonder why we have to be the ones taking care of Amelia's personal business." She commented with a sigh.
"Perhaps it's a sign of the value she attributes to our team." Inon suggested.
"Even if that's the case, we deserve more breaks. Someone my age doesn't have the patience for long travels like this." The small Espada pointed out.
The rest of their trip didn't take long, and soon the carriage stopped in front of a small manor in the capital of the Kingdom. Inon was the first to exit the transport, carrying with him a painting wrapped in cloth. Carmyn appeared shortly after. Given his height it was the male Espada that knocked on the door, as they waited to be received. It didn't take long for them to get an answer, as a young woman in a maid's uniform opened the door, before eyeing the strange duo.
"May I help you?" She asked.
"We are here in the name of Amelia Bedelia Aigner. She wants us to deliver something to the master of the household." Carmyn replied.
The young woman looked down at the child like figure, then at the shape that her keen eyes could tell was a painting. Giving them a nod, the maid opened the door fully for them.
"Master Wilde, there are people here to meet you. They bring the painting you requested of Lady Amelia Bedelia Aigner." She announced, her voice echoing through the building.
Shortly after they heard the sound of quick footsteps making their way towards them, until before them appeared the master of the manor. He was a man seemingly of the same age as Amelia. He had spiky hair, with a pointed goatee, and his skin had a slight tan to it, with his eyes being a deep green. He wore a robe, that from the way it moved told the Espada, that he was actually naked underneath it.
"Hoh! Interesting… A child and a giant…" He mumbled, looking at the duo.
"…We were sent here to deliver this to you." Carmyn informed, pointing at the painting while holding back her anger at his comment.
"I knew it! Having asked anyone else to bring this back to me would have been foolish! Please follow me." He instructed excitedly, already making his way through the house.
The Espada quickly did as he said, mostly because they didn't want to get lost in the building having lost track of Wilde. He, being a painter himself, lead them through corridors full of several paintings, some of which were his own creation, until they finally arrived at a large room with an empty spot on the wall. Stopping in front of it, Wilde unceremoniously took it from Inon's hand, carefully unwrapping it from the cloth before putting the piece on the empty spot.
For the first time the Espada's eyes fell upon it, and what they saw was truly stunning, as if seeing an image from real life. On it was depicted a woman wondering through some low-class street. She wore a light brown cloak which seemed to have served to hide part of her head. However, in the moment depicted on the painting, her face and part of her head were visible, and to say she was beautiful would have been an insult.
Her long hair was black and seemed to be as smooth as silk to the touch. Her skin was decorated with a healthy tan, and her features seemed to have been sculpted by the hands of the gods themselves. In another world, she could have been compared to an ancient Egyptian, even if it easily surpassed them. Finally, was the thing that drew their attentions even more than her overwhelming beauty and sheer presence. It was her eyes. Her fiery orange eyes which seemed to be pits into the void itself.
Managing to look down at the frame, Carmyn's eyes went to the title that was written on to it. Apparently, the name of the piece was, "The Dark Empress from Beyond". In her mind it felt strangely fitting.
"Yes... This is it…" Wilde said with sheer excitement.
"I must thank you. And you must send my thanks back to Amelia. For having brought back this priceless work of art after having it stolen from my family 50 years ago."
Wilde added, turning from the painting to look at the duo, just to see that much like himself they were stunned before the beauty of the "Empress". He couldn't help but continue to speak.
"I see that both of you also recognize the beauty. Beauty so overwhelming that cursed the maker himself."
"What do you mean?" Carmyn asked in curiosity.
"This painting is ancient. Almost 300 years old. It, along with what remained of the maker's diaries, were bought by my family only 100 years ago. And on said diaries, the author wrote pages about the simple day he glimpsed this woman walking through the streets. He tried to follow her, but as soon as she appeared she was gone, and was only left with a mental image of her. An image that you see immortalized here, but sadly that wasn't the end for him." Wilde began, pausing to let the information sink in.
"He wrote about how the image of this woman came to him in dreams, and in dreams he experienced things reserved for the gods. These experiences ruined his marriage, and also seemed to send him into ruin. After that, I do not know what happened."
"Will the painting have that effect on people?" Inon asked, causing Wilde to laugh.
"Ha ha ha! Oh, no. There is no reason to worry. But now, let's go and get your well-earned payment."
The group of Momon, Nabe, Nfirea Bareare, and the Swords of Darkness, having come to an agreement for both parties to work as the young man's bodyguards, were making their way out of the guild. The common sound of other adventurers talking came from all around. So much so they seemed to have adapted to not listening to it.
Still, this meant that whenever it stopped it caught everyone's attention. That being what had just happened, as the guild fell into silence, this sudden change briefly stunning Momon, as he knew something must have happened to cause it. Indeed, something had caused the silence, as all eyes were now on the entrance to the guild and the two people standing in it.
The smaller of the two, a woman, had large blonde hair which slightly covered the right side of her face, and on her shoulder rested a large spear. The other was a man who stood at least as tall as Momon. He too was fully covered in armor which was made out of Adamantite. The helmet covered his face and was shaped like the head of a wolf. On his waist rested a large broadsword that no normal man could hope to wield with one hand, which the armored figure was known for doing.
"I wonder who they are?" Momon mumbled, thinking out loud.
"You don't know who they are?" Peter Mauk asked, looking somewhat surprised.
"N-No. I don't. Please remember we are new to this area."
"Ah, I see. My apologies. They are members of the Espada."
"The Espada? I see." Momon remarked in a distant tone.
"Are you not familiar with them?" Ninya asked.
"I can't say I am." Momon replied, half lying in a subtle attempt to draw information out from the young adventurer.
"Who are they?" Nfirea asked, being also ignorant of who they were.
"They are members of the Espada Mercenary Company, or the Espada for short. They are a group of mercenaries that offer their services at low prices." Peter replied in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
"I heard they were composed of 10 main members, divided into 2 man teams. And each of them has a rank equivalent to their strength, with the lower numbers apparently being the strongest." Lukrut added.
"Is there anyway to know their rank?" Momon asked in curiosity.
"Through their rings. It should have the number of their rank on it." Peter replied.
"I see. Then, that one doesn't seem to have a ring." The dark warrior remarked, looking at the armored figure.
Ainz took in the new information as he saw the duo walk into the guild, easily earning themselves scornful looks from the other adventurer's present. They made their way to where the requests were posted. Once there the female of the group scanned them intently, before stopping once it seemed she had found what she wanted.
"That one." She said, pointing at the specific paper.
"Are you ordering me?" The armored figure asked, looking down at her.
"No. But it is far too high up for me to take it." She explained with a light smirk.
"That sounds like laziness to me. After all, what is all that strength for, if you cannot pick up a simple paper?" He growled while picking up said paper.
"Should I ask you the same thing about your treasure?" She asked in a low tone, earning herself a hiss from her companion.
Ignoring his anger, she took the paper from his hand and began to make her way towards the reception desk. However, before she could do so, she was confronted by a group of gold-ranked adventurers.
"Is there an issue here?" Leinas asked, eyeing down the young group.
"These are not for you, or the rest of your people! These requests are for those of us adventurers." The leader of the group growled.
"You should stand down, boy. You know nothing of what we are doing here." The armored figure pointed out.
"Stand down, Nazz. I can handle myself." Leinas said, in a low annoyed tone.
"I know enough! We all know what you are doing here. We all know how you will slowly, one by one take what is rightfully ours! It all began when you took Cayo Ozzik Gantz away from us! Do you understand how this world truly is lacking in good adventurers? Because of you he was forced to leave the guild, since everything the Espada asked him to do went against what the guild saw fit for him to do. And now, what in the future could've been a top-ranked adventurer, is wasting his as a merc." The young man said in his indignation.
"It really is as Nazz says, you know nothing. If you did, you would know that what we do is not meaningless. You would know that we take the jobs that the adventurers see themselves too good to do. Have you ever thought about that? We do what you won't or can't do, cheaper and better than any of you would ever be able to handle. That is a fact." Leinas hissed back.
"Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."
Leinas began to walk past the speechless adventurer. He was truly at a loss for words, having had his weak argument destroyed by the woman. He was about to move, perhaps about to do something more driven out of anger than proper thought, when a massive hand fell on his shoulder.
"Reconsider what you are about to do. This is a fight you cannot win. The '3' on her ring is NOT for show." Nazz sternly informed, before letting his arm fall to the side.
The duo made their way to the receptionist, who seemed a bit overwhelmed in the presence of these two unpopular figures, especially now that they had directly taken a request from the Adventurer's Guild request board.
"This request was given to us, by the same man who made it to you." Leinas informed, placing the paper on top of the counter.
"I understand. H-However…" The receptionist began to say, but Leinas was already one step ahead.
"This is the paper proving that what I said is true. As you can see, it's signed by the same person who signed the request."
The receptionist could say nothing more as she took both papers so she could take care of the necessary paperwork to inform the rest of the guild of the change. Leinas and Nazz turned to walk away, when the woman's attention fell on the dark warrior and his beautiful companion. They seemed to be the same duo Aizen had mentioned to them just a few moments ago before they were tasked with taking care of the request and going to the guild.
"Hey, you. Your name is Momon, right?" Leinas casually asked, approaching the large group.
"Such, rudeness…" Nabe began to say through gritted teeth, when Momon chopped her over the head to halt her actions.
"Ahem! Yes, that is my name." He cordially said.
Leinas looked at the brief scene that took place before them. The woman seemed to be as impulsive and protective of her male companion as Aizen had suggested she would be. Still, her heightened senses could pick up on something that distinguished them from the rest, even if at the time being she failed to fully pick up on it.
"You know them?" Peter asked, surprised by the strange turn of events.
"He doesn't. But he did have the honor of meeting our bosses." Leinas coolly replied.
"Hmph. And foolishly not accept the offer they were made." Nazz bluntly added.
"Offer!?" The entire Swords of Darkness group gasped in shock.
"Ah... Um... Y-Yes. We were offered a place in the Espada." Momon replied, mentally thanking his undead passives that helped keep his voice steady at the surprises.
"But we declined, since we already had a commitment with the guild." He clarified, earning him loud cheers and awed looks from those that heard him.
"These people definitely don't know any better." Leinas sighed in a low tone.
"I'm certain that you will come around. There is nothing better with gaining experience as an adventurer, but do remember that as an Espada you will gain freedom beyond what'll forced upon you by a guild. Said freedom would allow you to evolve beyond what you would normally do here." Nazz said, looking at Momon.
"Hm. While I understand and see the truth behind your words, for the time being myself and Nabe, believe that our place is here, and we will not be considering changing anytime soon."
"What a shame. Perhaps you could've been a good replacement for that pain in the ass Cayo." Leinas remarked in mild annoyance.
"Ignore her. It was a pleasure meeting you, Momon." Nazz informed, extending his hand towards the dark warrior.
"Likewise." Momon replied, taking his fellow armored warrior's hand in a shake.
For a short, less then a second, moment they both seemed to stop as their hands went into place, before they parted once more.
"Heh. That's quite the strong grip you've got there." Nazz chuckled.
"Are you done? We still have work to do." Leinas curtly said.
"Yes. Let's go."
The Espada left the guild's entrance and began to walk away. Only after they were a good distance away from the building, did they speak once more.
"So? Did you get what you needed, Cero?" Leinas asked.
"Indeed, Tres. Aizen was correct. He is an incredibly strong undead. Certainly the strongest I've ever come across in a long time." The disguised Dragon Lord replied in his remotely controlled armor, as two ghostly blue eyes shined inside the helmet.
"Yeah. My senses were on alert around him."
"Hm? You didn't use your ability to gauge him?"
"No. Not this time. It wouldn't do to show my hand if he could pick up on it."
"A wise decision, Tres. Now, let us go. We can report this to Aizen later..."
"..."