AN: Time Capsule went through a minor rewrite. Nothing too big, just a few scenes here and there and some of the old writing fixed up. Someone wanted to know where all of the new scenes were to avoid having to reread the entire fic again, so this is just me telling you where all of the new scenes are. If you started to read Time Capsule after June 1st 2024 though, you're fine to skip this part.
I'll underline the things that you should read, though.
I'll remove this section in like, 5 chapters. So 5 months from now, basically.
General notes:
Made it clearer who was speaking in basically all chapters through 1-12, particularly when Vagisilious was speaking and was never referred to by her name, but rather a very nebulous "She." Which was the result of me usually writing first person, then trying to write third person.
Fixed some minor typos.
Removed spoilers from Author's notes. If you remember the spoilers, no you didn't.
Extended some sentences to make them make more sense.
Cut a few of the unnecessarily large paragraphs into smaller paragraphs. But then I kept some other large paragraphs for some reason.
Fixed some spacing issues between some paragraphs because for some reason it gets messed up when I copy and paste from google docs.
Did a recount and figured out AOG only has 20 mages. Some dialogue has been changed to reflect that.
Changed the New World's name to Apotheosis so my oddly large amount of Portuguese speakers don't see "Earth is better than Earth" whenever the planet name is brought up.
Chapter specific changes:
Chapter 2:
New Scenes:
Bellriver Incompetence scene 1 (Starts with "As Vagisilious was getting used to being in Nine's Own Goal"),
Vagisilious being introduced to roleplaying (Starts with "Vagisilious looks oddly at Momonga,")
Chapter 5:
New Scenes:
Ulbert & Orphea arguing on Yggdrasil Forums (Starts with "Yggdrasil Forums")
Chapter 6:
New Scenes:
Wasewaru's music (Starts with "Ainz Ooal Gown was filled with a bunch of average people")
Chapter 7:
New Scenes:
Peroroncino & Orphea conversation (Starts with "Orphea, while waiting for their roleplay group to finish their scene, asked Peroroncino,")
Denshosho lore rant (Starts with "Ugh, are you kidding me?! BigStall, who runs the lore department, who's writing the damn story for this game?!")
AOG pirate ship roleplay game (Starts with "Decked out in a full set of gear from 3 expansions ago that looks suitably evil on her, Vagisilious used a paid emote to appear from a gust of smoke.")
Bellriver incompetence scene 2 (Starts with "When they eventually set out for the Supreme Underground Tomb of The Undead King")
Chapter 8:
New Scenes:
Bellriver mentioned dead to Principality (Starts with "The group of the three Ainz Ooal Gown members, the two members of the 8 Greed Kings, and the guild leader of Triumvirate were once again assembled to farm gold in various old raids in order to ensure that their guild bases wouldn't collapse due to them not being able to pay for the upkeep")
Fujitsu Takeover scenes (Starts with "He wasn't hanging up the call, but she could hear some faint conversations on the other side of the phone so she stayed on her phone for another minute until Kotako got back to her with an annoyed tone,")
Chapter 9:
New Scene:
Yggdrasil Forum announcing game's end (Located at start of the chapter)
Chapter 10: Removed Author's Note telling people I forgot 2 players.
Chapter 12:
New Scenes:
Reactions to getting kidnapped (Starts with "Takehiko nervously looked towards his wife, Kano.")
Nazarick Tomb Guide, Tiansebas (Starts with "Tiansebas, the dutiful Nazarick Tomb Guide of the 9th floor)
Chapter 14: Zenith's fight scene is slightly longer to no longer make him a total pushover. Zenith has now canonically died twice, to Seraphim & Principality
Chapter 15: Two Worlds Mandala is no longer nerfed.
Chapter 20:
New Scene:
Principality realizes Bellriver is alive now (Starts with "Then, Principality takes a look around the various members of Ainz Ooal Gown)
Chapter 22:
New Scenes:
Garud, the runecrafter (Starts with "Garud nervously fiddled with his thumbs as he nervously waited for his captors to show up.")
I don't have an exact total of the amount of words this is, but I think it's like 10k or so. You don't have to go back and read it all right away, but if you ever get the urge to reread Time Capsule, it'll hopefully be a better read than before.
If you would instead like to just have a single google doc with all of the new scenes, I do have one in the Grand Library of Ashurbanipal discord server in the pins in my channel.
After Principality made his very dramatic exit, everyone was basically stuck in place not knowing what to do after that point.
Momonga, luckily, made space for them as he declared, "You are all dismissed."
The NPCs quickly left the throne room as the players stayed, still a bit shocked that Principality would so easily abandon them in a situation where they thought they were basically in the right.
"Seriously?" Ulbert continued on from his comment of 'well, shit', "I can't believe after 4 fucking years, he would just say that…"
"It… Makes some sense," Vagisilious reluctantly said, the words burning her mouth to say, "I mean, from his perspective, the society that Seraphim is creating must be enticing to him, considering our old world and the fact he had to wait with uncertainty for the last 100 years."
"Still, we're here now," Momonga said, his voice hurt, "And he still ends up isolating himself? Why?"
Punitto cut into the pity party the three were having, "Look, I know you three are pretty upset with him, but let's just count our blessings and be glad that he's neutral. If he wasn't neutral, our chances of winning against Seraphim would plummet. I think this is the way he's respecting both of you, because of the time you four spent together. If you guys weren't friends, we would have the top two guilds both going in on us. Principality will be fine, we just need to focus on the battle ahead."
Vagisilious sighed, having to choose to agree with Punitto's logic, "Yeah, you're right. It still sucks though."
No doubt she's going to give Principality the biggest tongue lashing seen in the history of tongue lashings the next time she sees him! Absolute rat, that guy is, to say "Nah, I'd be neutral." In front of his best friends!
Best friends…
"Principality already gave us the location of the 8 Greed Kings', or at the very least Theadul and PopStarry's, grave site," Vagisilious mentioned as she remembered the other two friends in that group, "We were holding it off until we knew exactly what Seraphim was going to do, and since we now know… Maybe we can try to revive them?"
"To get two more players on our side?" Ancient One questioned, "Or to get two more new enemies?"
Ulbert snarled at the dragon player, "You shut the hell up, Ancient."
Vagisilious followed up with a deadly glare, "Those two wouldn't go against us. You don't know them."
Ancient One knew when his opinion wasn't wanted, so he took a step back and conceded, "I'll trust you guys, then. Where are they?"
"They're in the middle of the lake next to the Dragon Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom," Momonga said, reciting Principality's words, "I think it's named the Forgotten City."
If Momonga recalled Principality's words correctly, it was constructed by the people who lived there 600 years ago, who named it Sea City due to the city being able to float on the lake. However, it didn't last long, as the Incarnation of Fate's Will ended up taking over the city 500 years ago, sinking the city. Which was why it was named the Forgotten City.
Though, Principality decided to err on the side of caution and not actually enter the city itself, as Principality could tell that there were a lot of genuinely dangerous traps inside of the city that could give even him a bit of trouble.
Momonga wasn't quite sure how it was possible that the Cult of Fate was able to create such high level traps according to Principality, but he was sure to approach the city with caution.
"Do we take the whole guild?" Blue Planet asked, "Just in case Seraphim decides to do the same thing?"
"I don't think we have to do that," Punitto said, "They don't know what our next action is going to be, and since we're the 'aggressors' in this scenario, we have the first move advantage. I think we're fine if we let Momonga, Ulbert, and Vaggy enter the city alone with a backup team outside. Then, the rest of us can make sure that our new friends in the Argland Council State aren't being spied on by Seraphim."
Garnet raised his hand, "Are we going to pretend that Nazarick is in the Argland Council State, then?"
Punitto nodded, "Exactly. We're in the middle of Seraphim's territory, so we need to make sure that they look anywhere but here. We're lucky we went wide when we went to investigate, because this way, there are more places where Seraphim needs to look."
There was a small issue to be mentioned, namely that Momonga himself appeared in Re-Estisize. Considering the stature of the guild leader, it wouldn't be too hard to guess that Re-Estisize might be the closest district to Nazarick, and thus was the reason why Momonga appeared there. To be closer to Nazarick in case of an emergency.
Which is why, of course, they're doing all they can to bury Nazarick to ensure that nobody can just randomly stumble upon it. And trying to divert attention away from Re-Estisize.
Seraphim were experienced PvPers despite being a PvE focused guild. They certainly had the capabilities to know that their attention was being deliberately diverted. However, unintentionally letting them know that they were being fooled was better than not attempting to fool them at all. The chances of them actually being fooled weren't 0%, after all.
Vagisilious crossed her arms, "Then, can we start now? It's better to go now and make sure that we don't let Seraphim have the time to think that getting to Theadul and PopStarry might be a good idea."
Punitto thought about it for a second before nodding, "You're right. Go now, I'll get everything else organized."
Vagisilious already knew where to teleport to, so she quickly made the Gate and jumped in, Ulbert and Momonga quickly following.
The Forgotten City was underwater, much to all three player's joy.
After all, they get to go swimming for the first time in forever!
Ulbert casted [Unending Breath] on himself and Vagisilious, as Momonga didn't need the spell, as he was a skeleton.
Like children, the moment they casted their spell, they jumped into the water without care.
And they immediately regretted their decision as the water was freezing cold and they hadn't experienced something like it outside of cold showers.
"AH!" Vagisilious yelped, which was followed by Ulbert similarly cursing the water.
Momonga looked at the two flailing players oddly, tilting his head to question, "Huh? Is the water really that cold?"
Vagisilious angrily shouted back, "Shut up! It's really cold!"
Thanks to Unending Breath, they could speak underwater, though it was a bit uncomfortable in Vagisilious's opinion. Definitely the last time she ever goes swimming.
Vagisilious takes a quick look to make sure that her soaked clothes aren't revealing her body unnecessarily. Luckily, it looks like her clothes were waterproof.
Ulbert groaned as he added onto Vagisilious's comment, "Yeah, Momonga! Have some consideration for us warm-blooded lifeforms!"
"Sorry," Momonga apologized, before looking around the lake they had just jumped in.
It was still the middle of the day, so the sun was able to illuminate the sea floor.
Just like everything else they've encountered on Apotheosis, the scene was astonishingly beautiful in comparison to Earth.
Schools of fish swam by the trio, startled by their presence. They ran closer to the deeper ends of the lake, passing by coral reefs and the various plant life that dotted the lake.
"Oh, this is kind of like the great lakes!" Vagisilious mentioned as she was busy trying to catch one of the fish for fun, "I visited there once!"
"No clue what that is, Vaggy," Ulbert pointed out as he decided to share the same braincell with her and try to catch the fish.
Momonga wanted to tell them that they had a job to do. However, Vagisilious and Ulbert were having fun trying (And failing) to catch fish with their bare hands. So, Momonga stayed silent.
After almost 20 seconds of concentrated chase, using actual PvP tactics where Ulbert was trying to swim ahead of the fish to try and corner it, Vagisilious was finally able to catch the fish.
"Hahaha!" Vagisilious laughed as she held up the fish currently trying to struggle out of her grasp, "We caught one!"
"Let me cook it!" Ulbert asked as he pointed his arm towards the fish.
Vagisilious quickly defended herself by putting the fish in front of her, "Wha- Hey! Don't cook me alive too!"
At that point Momonga finally interfered, "Ahem, if you two are finished, we still have a job to do."
"Oh, right," Vagisilious let go of the fish, letting it swim away.
"Wha- Our fish!" Ulbert cried out in dismay, watching the fish swim back to its school.
Vagisilious blinked, "Oh, what? I tried to put it in my inventory but the portal didn't open…"
"Maybe it doesn't work on living creatures," Momonga theorized, "Anyhow, we still have to look for this Forgotten City that Principality talked about."
…Oh, right.
Vagisilious actually forgot about that momentarily when she jumped into the pool. The memories of playing in the water from her childhood had overpowered her duties to find her friends and revive them.
PopStarry and Theadul would probably laugh at the two of them. They were always fairly casual around the five of them.
Vagisilious sighed, "Alright, I'll focus."
Ulbert nodded, a bit embarrassed, "Right, right. Sorry."
Firing up her divination, Vagisilious looked around the lake to find any signs of structure. Though she didn't know what the Forgotten City would look like, she was fairly certain she would be able to find it. After all, cities are quite large.
Which was why it was worrying to, despite being able to search practically the entire lake through chaining her divination through the fish, unable to find the Forgotten City.
However, though she couldn't find the Forgotten City, she was able to find some odd ruins that were dotted around the lake.
3 of them, actually. Suspiciously like a game, where you would activate 3 puzzles to be able to complete a larger puzzle.
"So, I think I found the way to enter the Forgotten City," Vagisilious said, showing off those locations using her screens, "There are 3 small ruins scattered around this lake. I also see some weird puzzles, or mechanisms, inside of those ruins. I think that if we can complete those puzzles, we might be able to enter the city."
Ulbert clicked his tongue in frustration, "Seriously? Why the hell is the entrance hidden like a damn game?"
Vagisilious shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe the Cult of Fate likes games?"
Momonga then spoke up, "Well, all we have to do is split up and complete those 3 puzzles, right? Vaggy, can you gate us to those locations?"
Vagisilious looked a bit worried, "Split up?"
"We can keep contact with message," Momonga assured, "If we don't hear from each other every minute, we can rush to each other's aid."
Vagisilious wasn't quite sure about splitting up, but she trusted Momonga, so she agreed, "Alright. I'll do that."
With that, the three of them split up to the three ruins underwater.
The ruins she found herself at were surprisingly clean, as though they've been maintained through the ages.
The architecture was… Surprisingly modern, though. She was fairly certain that this "Ruin" was actually just a skyscraper that's been cut down and tossed into the water.
The Cult of Fate built this, most likely. If that's the case, then how the hell do they know what skyscrapers look like?
Vagisilious put a pin in that thought, as she decided that it was likely that the Cult of Fate were made up of other players. Though, she has no idea if Zenith was an NPC or not. But skyscrapers were rather distinct buildings, and she doubts that the natives in this world could replicate such a look.
Entering the ruined skyscraper, Vagisilious was once again struck by how clean everything looked here. It really did feel as though someone was keeping this place deliberately clean. Not even the chairs were out of place or floating in the water.
Which is when she notices that there were words on the walls.
Swimming closer, Vagisilious reads everything she could read.
Words that were painted on the wall with red that stated, "The Gates of Hell are not for the virtuous."
A wanted poster without a picture that said, "WANTED FOR BEING A PARASITE: SENGOKU"
Odd graffiti that spelled out, "The walls"
A large wooden sign with the following words carved on it, "Aspirations to the Divine"
Then, a big poster that just spelled out in all capital letters, "KEEP CLEAN OR ELSE!"
The most curious thing about them though, was that they were a mix of languages.
"The gates of hell," and "aspirations to the divine," are both in English. "The walls" and "keep clean or else," were in Japanese. And the wanted poster was in some new world language she couldn't read and had to use a translator tool for.
Trying to find a theme between the signs in the lobby of the ruined skyscraper was rather hard. They all seemed to have very little connections between them all.
Vagisilious was rather experienced in making little connections big, or making big connections meaningless, however.
The easiest thing to decipher was that someone named Sengoku was a parasite. Sengoku is a Japanese word, so it's very likely that this Sengoku person was a player. But why was he a parasite?
The Gates of Hell being not for the virtuous could connect to Sengoku. Maybe he was trying to go to Hell?
Which would connect with the walls, as perhaps something was walling Sengoku from something. Maybe his aspirations to the divine?
But then, of course, what the hell does keeping something clean connect?
Maybe the languages are the key. The gates of hell and aspiration to the divine are both in English. Maybe an English-speaking player was trying to become a God by… Going through Hell, and committing evil?
Then the wall and keeping it clean is perhaps the builders of this skyscraper just telling those who previously worked here to, just plainly, keep the place clean.
And then the wanted poster…
Hm, are the Cult of Fate English-speakers? Zenith used Japanese, but they couldn't see Zenith's mouth as he spoke, as it was covered by his face mask. Vagisilious noted that there was a lip sync error whenever she used her own innate translating magic that she had from reincarnation. Maybe that was the same thing happening to Zenith?
Either way, there was a puzzle here…
And the answer to the puzzle was probably as simple as she thought it was.
"[Widen Triplet Magic: True Exorcism]," Vagisilious calmly stated, using Trillion Teraphims.
Considering the puzzle was incomplete, due to her not being able to find the Forgotten City, there was only one possible way to interpret the signs on the wall.
Namely, that the cleanliness was a mistake.
Each of her talismans from Trillion Teraphims made their way to a certain section of the lobby, destroying it completely and sending everything flying over the place.
Somehow, the walls of the lobby themselves weren't harmed. However, everything inside of the lobby was practically destroyed.
Which is when Vagisilious heard gears shift nearby.
Messaging Ulbert and Momonga, Vagisilious asked, "I finished my part of the puzzle, do you guys need help?"
Ulbert accepted her aid as he blatantly admits, "Yep. I have no idea what I'm looking at."
Momonga denied her aid, "No, I'm alright. It's just tedious trying to fix this room, but at least I have my summons to help me."
Vagisilious chuckled as she made a gate over to Ulbert's location. She liked him, but Ulbert really wasn't blessed with his mind, likely due to all of the lead in the water up in Hokkaido.
As she arrived, Ulbert pointed out the issue right away, "So, you see those English words on the wall there?"
Vagisilious looked towards where Ulbert pointed, and she immediately understood the issue.
With her puzzle, the instructions to complete it were in Japanese, but there were English words involved as well.
Momonga knew English, she taught him so. So if Momonga's instructions were in English, he would be able to complete the puzzle without issue.
Ulbert's words on the wall were as follows.
In English, "King of The World, Show Me Your Army," "For on no path we shall walk alone."
And in Japanese, "Imagine there was no one but you," "Let me help you."
And, again, there was the same poster in her ruin, "WANTED: PARASITE: SENGOKU."
Now that Vagisilious thought about it, the wanted poster looked rather empty. There was only the name, and no pictures. Nor were there any bounty attached to the poster.
But either way, Vagisilious took notes of what the words likely meant.
They weren't as divided as her's was, but Ulbert's words basically meant that he likely needed a friend here to help him. Then the English words essentially told him that he needed to show an army.
Vagisilious hummed, "Ulbert, did you bring your translator lens with you?"
Ulbert pulled it out of his inventory, "I tried, but the damn thing doesn't work for me."
…It doesn't?
"Seriously?" Vagisilious questioned, pulling out her own translator lens which she just used on the wanted poster in her own ruins, "Mine worked."
Ulbert confusedly questioned this, "Really? Here, try mine. Is it possible for the translator lens to break?"
Vagisilious took it out of his hands, and held it up to the wanted poster.
It worked perfectly fine, translating it into Japanese, the language she was currently using with Ulbert.
"It worked fine for me?" Vagisilious said, giving it back to Ulbert.
"What?" Ulbert immediately held the lens up to his eyes, "It's still not working for me! I'm putting mana into it and not getting anything out!"
Vagisilious was completely baffled. How does the translator lens just straight up not work? Especially when it worked for her?
Vagisilious's thoughts were put on hold as Momonga arrived at their location, "Alright, I finished my puzzle. What's happening here?"
"Quick question, Momonga," Ulbert spoke first, "Did the translator lens work for you?"
Momonga tilted his head, "The translator lens? I didn't use them. Everything was in English or Japanese, which I could read."
Vagisilious pointed to the wanted poster of Sengoku, "Can you read that with the translator lens, then?"
Momonga looked at the wanted poster, pulling out the translator lens.
Then, Momonga said, "I can't."
What? What's going wrong here? Vagisilious could use items-
"Does that apply to all items?" Vagisilious asked, pulling out a small party popper from her inventory.
Vagisilious activated the party popper, though because of the water it wasn't very joyful, it still worked as it was supposed to.
Ulbert and Momonga followed her lead as they got some random items out of their inventory and tried to use them.
However, their two items, a small wand that summons an imp, and a windup jigsaw box, didn't work.
Vagisilious scrunched her face as she confusedly questioned, "Are items disabled while underwater for everyone except me?"
That doesn't even make any sense. There were some things in Yggdrasil that disabled item use, but they were all in special instances like in dungeons or raids, or special events. Not just being in the water.
Even so, Vagisilious isn't wearing her Mianguan. Her headpiece is a small flower that just boosts her healing spells. There's no reason for her to not be affected by whatever is causing Momonga and Ulbert's inability to use items.
Ulbert shrugged and decided that the item question wasn't that important as he moved on, "It might be something to do with the puzzle? Speaking of which, it's to just summon some minions, right?"
Momonga nodded, "Yeah, that's what the directions sound like. Here, let me summon some things. [Summon Horde]!"
The dead were conjured from Momonga's mana, as there were no corpses nearby to fuel his summoning.
The zombies and skeleton stood idle, waiting for answers.
The sounds of gears turning fills the lobby they were standing in.
Which, now that Vagisilious thought about it, "Why are there gears inside of a modern skyscraper?"
Momonga scratched his head, "I'm not sure. Though, these words in these lobbies…"
That reminded Vagisilious to ask, "Oh! By the way, what were your words? Mine were "The Wall," "Keep Clean or Else," "Aspirations to The Divine," "The Gates of Hell are not for the virtuous," and the same wanted poster here."
Momonga put his hand on his chin as he recalled, "Hm… Mine were both in Japanese and English. The Japanese were "The Floor," and "Keep it ruined," and the ruined nature of my room told me to clean it. Then the English was "We Will Meet Again," and "Make a Desert and Call It Peace," and then I didn't have the wanted poster like you and Ulbert did."
Alright, so Momonga's instructions were in Japanese, the same as Vagisilious. But Ulbert's instructions were in English, unless helping someone meant being able to create minions for them. So, why was Ulbert's words different?
These puzzles have a connection, but what was that connection?
Breaking it up, Momonga's English words seemed to connect to some kind of destruction, and calling it peace. But then he said the words "We will meet again" and that immediately made Vagisilious think that the words must describe something that happened in the past.
And if this is the 8 Greed King's tombs…
"Alright, I think I have a working theory," Vagisilious stated, getting the full focus of her two friends, "So, I think it's clear that with the surrounding context, these words have something to do with the past. Specifically, I think it speaks of how our friends in the 8 Greed Kings died. First, Ulbert's words speak of having an army and having people to help to not walk alone. Then, Momonga's words are about creating a desert and calling it peace, but also saying they'll meet again. My words were about some type of ascension or fall to Hell. And then we have someone named Sengoku, who the posters call a parasite."
Vagisilious collected her thoughts before continuing, "So, my theory is that the 8 Greed Kings made a friend named Sengoku. And Sengoku likely gave the 8 Greed Kings an army so that they didn't have to walk alone. But Sengoku had an ulterior motive, likely something to do with his aspirations to the divine and not being virtuous. Then he might've controlled the 8 Greed Kings with his army to create a desert, and the 8 Greed Kings called it peace. But then some type of betrayal must've happened, and that's why they call him a parasite. But then Sengoku said that they'll meet again, and so Sengoku might be alive right now, waiting for today when we revive him."
In her own opinion, there were still some holes in that theory. After all, why were the hints to this story put in plain sight in these puzzle ruins? That were in the shape of skyscrapers? Who decided that?
Additionally, considering the light power scaling going on, it seems as though nothing in this world, aside from maybe the dragons, could fight against level 100 players. Why would they need an army?
Vagisilious heard from Ancient One, who heard from Euryalus, that the 8 Greed Kings went to war with the Dragon Lords of the past. Was that army necessary?
But then they killed each other in the process…
Was Euryalus a reliable narrator? Was he there when the 8 Greed Kings killed each other? Or was there a coverup going on?
And who is Sengoku in the first place? Was he another player? A really strong native? Something relating to her first reincarnation?
After digesting her words, Momonga replied with his thoughts, "I think it's a good theory. But I'm still unsure of how the 8 Greed Kings could've lost to Sengoku, or maybe his army. The Cult of Fate sounds strong, but is it possible that their overall strength is closer to a level 100 world enemy?"
Ulbert sneered in disagreement, "No need to be overly paranoid, Momonga. I think they're strong, since obviously the 8 Greed Kings aren't here today. But I don't think they're that strong. Both Seraphim and Principality kicked their asses before we got here, right?"
Momonga nodded, "Right. I wasn't suggesting that they were actually as strong as a fully powered world enemy. I was just suggesting that they have more strength than what it seems like."
Vagisilious agreed, "If they can take down the 8 Greed Kings, then they really aren't to be underestimated. Let's agree on that, right?"
All of them nodded, as Vagisilious moved on to the next topic, "So, with that theory, are we sure the Forgotten City is actually where PopStarry and Theadul are buried? We never got to ask why Principality thought it was here. And it sure doesn't sound like those two got to pick where they died."
Ulbert spoke up with his own theory, "Well, it did say that they'll meet again, right? Maybe that Sengoku guy put their bodies here to make sure it would come true."
Vagisilious wasn't that convinced, "Eh? Then why would Sengoku say that, but not revive them? The Cult of Fate has revival spells, that's why Principality was able to kill him once and he was able to come back. Why would it not work on PopStarry and Theadul?"
Momonga worriedly pointed out, "The more that we talk about how sketchy this all seems, the more it sounds like the Forgotten City is just a trap that we're walking into…"
Vagisilious crossed her arms and nodded, "Yeah. But Principality seemed confident that this was the right place. He wouldn't lie to us, especially before he even decided to go neutral, right?"
Ulbert groaned in frustration, "All this talk about whether this is a trap or not is starting to get on my nerves. Who cares? Even if we walk into the Forgotten City blind, I think we'll be alright. What in this world, aside from other players, could hurt us?"
"That's exactly the point. We have no idea what can hurt us," Momonga pointed out, "Don't be too reckless, Ulbert. If you got hurt, Vaggy would be sad."
Vagisilious raised an eyebrow with Momonga implying that only she would be sad. What could he have meant by that?
Ulbert seemed to get what he meant by that, though, wisely nodded, "Ah, that's right. Sorry, Vaggy, I'll play it safe."
Vagisilious seemed to be out of the loop, but it sounds like Ulbert would keep himself safe, so that was all she needed to hear.
Vagisilious sighed, "So, do we want to check outside to see if the Forgotten City revealed itself, or do we want to say that it's a trap and leave?"
Momonga hummed, "I say we go inside as far as we can, and leave the moment it feels too dicey."
Ulbet nodded, "I agree with that decision."
Then it was decided, as Vagisilious started to swim outside, "Alright, let's check outside."
The trio swam outside, Momonga's minions failing to swim and so just walked on the floor of the lake.
And in the middle of the lake, where there was previously nothing but a few stones and plants, laid a transparent dome with a city inside of it.
A city that looked far too modern for the time period.
Ulbert pointed out something he thought was interesting, "You know, this kind of looks like if someone put one of the shorter chunks of Tokyo and put it inside a glass globe."
Ulbert was right. The buildings were all made of concrete and glass, but there were no skyscrapers inside of the dome. Nothing got close to touching the actual dome itself.
Momonga pointed towards where the entrance seemed to be, "Should we enter from the front? Or should we try to teleport inside?"
Vagisilious frowned, "Let me try to look inside first. We'll see if anyone's home."
Using her divination, Vagisilious tried to get inside of the city. However, she instantly figured out that there were anti-divination wards all over the city that would harm her if she tried to get close.
But they were low level anti-divination wards. The damage done would be negligible, and she could probably just ignore them with a few items and buffing spells to her divination abilities.
Though, just to be sure, Vagisilious went to get permission from Momonga to do so, "Alright, there are a bunch of low level anti-divination wards around the city. I can ignore them if I use some of my spells and buffs, but there is a chance that it might have higher level anti-divination wards further into the city. Do I have permission to risk it?"
Momonga nodded, "Yes. However, only look to find if there are any living people inside the city. If there aren't, we'll break in from somewhere else. If there are, we'll be polite and enter through the front door."
Ulbert pointed out, "Also, be sure to not get caught in the first place."
Vagisilious rolled her eyes, "Thanks for the reminder, Ulbert."
Vagisilious applies all of the divination buffs she had on her, and enters the city with her divination.
Immediately, she can tell that this city has two living residents… And four souls.
Three of those souls were in the largest building in the city, which was in the center. Coincidentally, it had a bunch of high level wards that she wasn't sure she could pierce without alerting whoever was inside.
And the other one seemed to be wandering the city near the entrance.
Focusing her attention on the wanderer, she finds… A green witch is what she'll describe her as.
The green witch was a short, youthful girl. She looks to be an elf, so Vagisilious didn't rule out that the green witch might be far older than she looks to be. Additionally, she was carrying a small staff which seemed fairly sleek, and her witch's hat was also comically large. And Green. In fact, everything about her was green. Her hair, her hat, her staff, her accessories, her eye color. The only thing that wasn't green was her skin color, which seemed to be like a dark elf's skin color.
But Vagisilious has no clue why she's there. The green which seems to know, though, as she walks with full confidence towards somewhere in the city.
Vagisilious takes the opportunity to look at the direction where the green witch was heading towards.
Vagisilious's face falls when she realizes that there were more puzzles inside of the city.
Who the hell made this city? She didn't think that people actually made puzzles outside of games!
Vagisilious sighed and exited out of her divination, "Alright. So, there are four souls in this city, but only 2 living people. One is in that center building with the other two souls, and the other is wandering around the city, I think they're trying to complete another puzzle."
Ulbert and Momonga groaned at the notion that they would have to do another puzzle.
Then, Momonga asked, "Do you think it's safe if we go inside, then?"
Vagisilious nodded, "Yeah, I saw no traps. And the only place I couldn't see was inside of the big building in the center. So that's probably the only place where I would advise caution… Though, Principality mentioned traps, right? I don't know how he would've known."
Ulbert crossed his arms, and irritatedly said, "We gotta grill that guy the moment we get the gang back together. That guy really needs to spill what he knows about this world."
Vagisilious agreed, "You read my mind, Ulbert. There are a bunch of questions we need answered."
Principality shared a lot of stories when they spent the week together in Nazarick. But none of those stories were actually relevant to the situation at hand and answered any big hitting questions.
Was that on purpose? Would Principality deliberately mislead them?
Vagisilious didn't believe it. Such a thing wouldn't happen. It couldn't.
Either way, Momonga kept a level head and pointed to the entrance, "We shouldn't let the wanderer get too far into the city. We should probably enter."
And with that, they all swam towards the city entrance, with Momonga telling his minions to stay behind, lest they frighten the people inside.
The first thing that they found out was that the entrance was basically unguarded, and it kept the water out by using a barrier magic that kept out water from entering, but everything else could enter.
Which would explain the dead bodies and skeletons of various fish laid all over the floor.
Vagisilious winced as she laid her sights at the scene laid before them, not having words to say to all of the fish that died due to reasons beyond their comprehension.
Ulbert clicked his tongue, "Poor bastards."
Momonga pointed out, "This likely means that the Forgotten City is probably open all the time, but it's only seeable when all of the puzzles are completed."
Vagisilious thought that was likely, but at the same time, she wanted to move on from the entrance, so she suggested, "Alright, why don't we continue on?"
The two agreed to her request, and so they continued into the city that kept looking exactly like Tokyo. The only difference was that the sky was more beautiful, as you could see the lake from below, with all of the fish swimming past the barrier.
It was the only thing that prevented the bad memories from making themselves present in their heads, at least.
Vagisilious led the way through the Forgotten City, in order to get to the witch before she completed the puzzles inside of the city.
After a few twists and turns, they finally find the witch, who was still casually strolling through the city.
But before they could even speak, the witch stopped dead in her tracks and said, "Ah. We are to meet so soon?"
The three of them were confused. Did the witch know that they were coming?
The witch turned around, her sight focused on Vagisilious, "You are…"
Vagisilious thought that this was the moment where they introduced themselves, so she said, "My name is Vagisilious, the skeleton is Momonga, and Ulbert is the goat. And you are?"
The witch continued on with her sentence as though she wasn't interrupted, "Far smaller than I expected. For someone of your standing, anyways."
Vagisilious blinked, "What?"
"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?" Ulbert questioned, defensively standing to the side of Vagisilious.
The witch shrugged, ignoring his question, "My name is GreenWitch. I suppose it is nice to meet you."
Momonga confusedly repeated, "Green Witch?"
"GreenWitch without the space between the Green and Witch," GreenWitch explained, "Don't forget it. You speak of someone else otherwise."
"GreenWitch?" Vagisilious experimentally tested on her tongue. But it still felt as though it was a stupid name to say.
GreenWitch nodded, "Precisely. Now, I believe we have questions for each other, yes?"
Ulbert nodded, "Exactly. First of all, how the hell are you here?"
GreenWitch ignored him, "I believe it is mutually beneficial to ask one and answer one. Why don't you start first?"
Ulbert repeated, "Sure. How the hell are you here?"
GreenWitch didn't answer his question.
Momonga tilted his head, "Ah, GreenWitch, why don't you answer Ulbert's question? It's what all three of us are thinking anyway."
GreenWitch doesn't even shift her gaze away from Vagisilious as she stated, "Who?"
Vagisilious frowned, not approving of GreenWitch's attitude, and warned her, "Hey, GreenWitch. You take that back or we're just going to get the answers we want out of you by force."
For the first time during the conversation, GreenWitch lifts her gaze… Nope, it was just a singular eye, towards Ulbert, lazily stating, "Oh. I suppose there is someone of significance there. You are a rare specimen, though. It is a novelty that doesn't deserve the title, considering your fate."
Most of that flew over Ulbert's head, but he was able to tell that GreenWitch was insulting him.
Ulbert glared at GreenWitch, "Oy. You're testing my patience. How strong are you?"
"Right now? I suppose I would lose to you," GreenWitch casually said as though it didn't bother her, "Even so, I know that no matter how loud a dog barks, I will simply be able to kick it."
What even was that analogy?
Momonga sighed, "Alright, so you don't like Ulbert very much for some reason. Ulbert, I know this sucks, but just let us ask these questions, alright?"
Ulbert hated it, but he wasn't about to say no to Momonga, so he agreed, "Alright, fine. I'll let you off the hook for now…"
As Ulbert went to sulk behind him, Vagisilious put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
They spoke no words, but it still did help Ulbert feel better for feeling sidelined.
As they did so, Momonga asked, "So, how are you here?"
"I walked through the front entrance," GreenWitch simply replied, "The same way as you did, I presume? The wards surrounding this city are quite deadly."
Momonga tilted his head, "There are only anti-divination wards in this city, though?"
GreenWitch tilted her head back at Momonga, "Oh? I suppose someone must've solved the puzzles out there."
"...That was us," Momonga slowly said.
GreenWitch didn't look too surprised, "Ah, I see. They were shoddily made and far too simple anyhow. Anyone with a basic understanding of how puzzles are solved could easily solve it."
Momonga questioned, "If you didn't solve them, how are you in here, then?"
"The fish found their way in, didn't they?" GreenWitch pointed out, "The puzzles simply keep the city out of view and ensure no one teleports in or out. Beyond that, there are no barriers to entry."
Momonga supposed that made sense. Though, it did bring up another question of how GreenWitch knows all of this.
…Could she have been involved in its fall into the ocean? Elves are long lived creatures, it wouldn't be a stretch to guess that GreenWitch may be several hundred years old.
Momonga wasn't going to ask too early though. He has absolutely no idea how GreenWitch will react to being accused of being a member of the Incarnation of Fate's Will.
…Yeah, he's just going to call it the Cult of Fate from now on. Everyone else had the right idea.
GreenWitch then asked, "It is my turn to question now. Vagisilious, do you know your role in the story?"
Role in the story?
Vagisilious confusedly looked at GreenWitch, "What? My role in the story? We're in a bizarre situation, but that doesn't mean it's a story."
GreenWitch had a sly smile on her face as she answered, "I see. That was my only question."
Then, GreenWitch, before anyone could even ask her why, moved the topic forward, "Now, I believe you are all trying to get into that central building as well, yes? I believe a temporary alliance will aid us both. I am in possession of 2 of the 4 keys that were in this city. There were dangerous traps and guards which once guarded these keys, however, you have solved the puzzles outside and now, they are unguarded. With the sole exception of the central building which is still dangerous, this city is free for us to roam."
Vagisilious really wanted to ask more about her role in the story, but it seems as though GreenWitch was entirely unwilling to explain it, considering her explanation of how they could get into where PopStarry and Theadul were.
Though, Vagisilious had to ask, "Why do you want to get into that central building?"
"I am harvesting materials," GreenWitch simply said, "And those materials are hidden in that building."
"Materials for what?" Ulbert asked, very suspicious of GreenWitch.
GreenWitch hummed, "Unfortunately, my past self has already done her job and erased my memories before I got here. I have no idea what I am gaining these materials for. Only that I must get them."
Momonga didn't buy it, the excuse being far too convenient and suspicious, "You erased your own memories to hide it from people? You do realize how suspicious that sounds, right?"
GreenWitch shrugged, unconcerned for their views of her, "It is the truth. Now, will we cooperate, or will we not?"
The three players looked at each other.
Cooperation was entirely optional to them. If they needed the keys to the central building that badly, they could always forcefully take it off of GreenWitch.
And all of them at that point knew that GreenWitch was likely part of the Cult of Fate. While the Cult of Fate was a smaller issue in comparison to Seraphim, they weren't very eager to see the Cult of Fate's power grow. Especially considering that they had the knowledge of somehow transforming themselves into world enemies, as proven by Zenith.
That being said, if they could somehow strike an alliance with the Cult of Fate to aid them in fighting Seraphim, that's a centuries old conspiracy on the side of Ainz Ooal Gown.
So, with the future coming closer to them, Momonga decided, "We have a deal."
Vagisilious and Ulbert didn't object to it, so GreenWitch nodded as she revealed the location of the keys, "The buildings with the third and fourth key are on the opposite sides of the city. I'll send you to the opposite side from here. It's labeled as a ramen shop, and the key is in the sink."
Vagisilious leaned closer to Momonga's ear and whispered, "Do you want to stay with her to make sure she doesn't do anything fishy?"
Momonga whispered back, "Sure. You two get the other key."
Vagisilious and Ulbert split up from Momonga as he said, "GreenWitch, I hope you don't mind me following you for a while."
GreenWitch shrugged, "Go ahead. I don't mind. I don't intend on changing my speed, though."
"That's fine, we can talk while we get there," Momonga said, preparing further questions in his head.
Even with amnesia, GreenWitch must be full of interesting things they could learn from her. Momonga will ensure that he thoroughly cleans her out of her secrets.
"You sure Momonga will be fine?" Ulbert asked Vagisilious as they were speeding towards where GreenWitch said the key would be.
Vagisilious was certain as she nodded, "Yeah. I checked her power, and she was only level 40 at most. No good gear either, though it's all customized."
Vagislious thought it was a bit odd for a long lived elf to only be level 40, but maybe it was a limitation from not having that many strong enemies to fight. However, Vagisilious won't complain.
Ulbert trusted her decision as he said, "Alright then. Let's just hope that GreenWitch isn't trying to pull a fast one on us, then."
"If she tries, she dies," Vagisilious plainly stated, "Momonga doesn't even need to summon anything to wipe her off the face of the planet."
Ulbert chuckled in agreement, "Yeah. You're right."
As they found the building, the conversation turned less serious as they searched the ramen shop for the key.
"So, Vaggy," Ulbert started off as he looked down one of the 4 sinks in the building, "You, ah, like your new body, right?"
Vagisilious was using her divination to check the sinks instead of having to physically look inside of them herself, as she casually answered, "Huh? Yeah. I mean, you said it best. I'm basically a human with wings. Pale, tiny, and glowy transparent. But It's not that different from before."
"Huh," Ulbert seemed a bit disappointed, "It took me a while to adjust to having the face of a goat, though."
Vagisilious looked a bit confused, "Eh? The first time we talked in Nazarick after the transfer, you guys seemed fine."
"There was like a solid 5 or 10 minutes of panicked shouting while everyone was adjusting to their new bodies," Ulbert snickered as he remembered the day, "Of course, it happened after we got all of the NPCs out of the throne room and we were safe, but it was a bit dicey for a while there."
Vagisilious paused her divination for a moment as she guiltily sighed, "Maybe I should've just warned everyone to let everyone change races to something more comfortable."
"Eh, everyone got used to it," Ulbert shrugged it off, "Besides, I think I like myself this way. I look cooler."
For the past 4 years, Vagisilious has seen Ulbert's avatar basically every day of her life, only missing a few days due to overwork or other unfortunate accidents. But she hasn't ever looked at Ulbert with a magnifying scope.
Looking at Ulbert directly, she could see every strand of hair that looked to be finely combed with just the right amount of light bouncing off of it, creating a pleasant color to look at. And his body filled out his clothing and made it seem as though Ulbert was physically strong, though he was just a mage.
And his face…
Vagisilious pouted. It was objectively a nice face to look at. But the goat aspect of it…
Ulbert noticed the pout, "Wha- Hey!"
"I'm just not a big goat person, even if you do look good with it," Vagisilious said, "I do like everything else about you, though."
She's used to seeing Ulbert like a goat, however. So it's not the biggest deal breaker in the world. She would probably still…
Wait a minute.
Why is she thinking of Ulbert like that?
"Key is in the sink upstairs, by the way," Vagisilious said to distract Ulbert, who eagerly took the bait to go upstairs.
Okay, Vagisilious was taking far too much of an interest in how Ulbert looked to be normal. She doesn't think of anyone else like that.
Ulbert has been one of her best friends since Vagisilious joined Nine's Own Goal. Well, aside from all of the petty fights they had with each other where he was her worst nemesis in the world. But none of those petty fights ended with bad feelings, even when Ulbert was being a hater and complaining about her avatar not fitting the vibe of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Was that good grounds for being her love interest?
Vagisilious once said that she would likely date Punitto, but…
Punitto is literally a weird tree monster. He's not that attractive.
Vagisilious was somewhat of a shallow person when it came to dating. A decent personality and good looks, and that was all she wanted.
Vagisilious wanted someone she can cuddle, and Punitto is not that.
Vagisilious then thought of Momonga, however, she was pretty sure he was being actively pursued by both Albedo and Shalltear, forming a harem for him.
Vagisilious liked harem animes. But actively being in one…
She just couldn't imagine it.
Vagisilious wanted to go on dates, confess their deepest secrets to only each other, and have a completely normal sex life.
Momonga was both a harem protagonist, and a skeleton. Vagisilious couldn't date him.
Meaning, of her close friends, only Ulbert fit what Vagisilious wanted in a romantic partner.
Meaning for the past 4 years, she's been putting him in the friendzone without realizing it.
Vagisilious could've put him on a plane to Tokyo- Well, no, she couldn't. Ulbert would've denied the handout because he absolutely hates megacorps with all his heart, even if she was there.
That did make Vagisilious feel slightly better about the situation.
Still, did Ulbert like her back?
Ulbert did make a few comments on her being the prettiest in Nazarick, and Vagisilious was pretty sure he wasn't having any relations with any of the girls in Nazarick, fulfilling her wishes for a monogamous relationship…
At that point, Vagisilious realized that she lived in the universe where her only viable romantic interest was Ulbert Alain Odle.
Fuck.
She was a goat fucker.
As Vagisilious mentally accepted the fact that she really wanted to kiss Ulbert, the man of the hour finally came back with the key, complaining, "Dude, there was still ramen in the dang sink and it smelled like shit! Can you believe that?!"
Yeah, that was Ulbert, alright. She definitely can't imagine life without him there.
Vagisilious resignedly sighed. She was going to save actually talking about her now very real feelings.
Vagisilious hated slow burns, but considering it's only been a little over a week since they've been actually able to talk in person, she was totally willing to ignore the decade she previously knew him for as not being relevant to the conversation.
"Yeah, that sucks," Vagisilious said, "Let's head back to Momonga, yeah?"
Ulbert nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."
Well, at least Ulbert was having fun and not dealing with a major crisis inside of his head.
Inside of Ulbert's head…
'Hmm, I kind of want to eat a sandwich,' Ulbert thought as he was following Vagisilious back to Momonga.
As Vagisilious and Ulbert left, Momonga and GreenWitch were slowly walking towards the office building which held the 4th key.
As they were walking, Momonga remarked, "It's quite a shoddy system to have all of the traps turned off the moment that the puzzles which are outside of the city are solved, isn't it?"
GreenWitch nodded, "Yes, it is a shoddy system. It was only designed this way because the only visitors of the city are the ones who could easily cut through the defenses. And so, if they are able to solve the puzzle, then it is not worth wasting resources on trying to kill the visitors."
Momonga hummed as he thought about what she said. If the defenses were so easily cut through, then why did Principality believe that the traps here could harm him?
Momonga decided to ask that question, "One of my friends, one of a similar strength to I, believed that the defenses here could harm him. But you claim that the defenses are easily cut through?"
GreenWitch rolled her eyes, "He could cut through the defenses. However, as he has lost the respect of his subordinates, he would come alone. Without an army, he wouldn't come out unscathed."
GreenWitch seemed to know who Momonga was talking about. But how could she know that if she erased her memories?
Well, GreenWitch did claim that she only erased her memories of why she was collecting materials. Perhaps she knew everything else.
The Cult of Fate are quite tricky, Momonga decides. He should continue with caution.
"I see," Momonga neutrally said, "I hope that we will not find out for ourselves, then?"
GreenWitch informed him, "The central building is still trapped. It has no effect on me, for this city remembers its masters. But you might have a little trouble with it."
And there she goes, blatantly admitting her position in the Cult of Fate.
Perhaps she was just waiting for Momonga to ask.
Taking a risk, Momonga takes the bait, "Are you one of the leaders of the Incarnation of Fate's Will, then?"
GreenWitch sneered, "What a tacky name. Are we still known as such today?"
So, no denial. She seemed more concerned with the name than actually being found out.
Momonga tilted his head, "Was the name decided before you joined?"
GreenWitch sighed, "In our company, most things are decided by who is the strongest. Sengoku was the strongest, and so he decided on that name. He has a terrible naming sense."
"You seem more open now that we're alone," Momonga remarked, "You were much more closely guarded when Vaggy and Ulbert were with me."
GreenWitch shrugged as she explained, "You seem to have the idea that our group and yours could co-exist with each other. That isn't exactly true, but we both share a common enemy at this current moment. All of our primary members share only a single trait, an ego that shadows the sun," The shadows on GreenWitch's face darkened, "Seraphim has badly wounded our pride, and we have no issues with ensuring they are turned to dust."
So the Cult of Fate and Ainz Ooal Gown are fated to clash, then. Momonga didn't exactly like that, nor did he understand why they had to fight. But Momonga has made temporary alliances in the past that ended in war. He can afford to make another one.
They made their way into the building, as Momonga asked, "I see. However, do you know what happened to your friend, Zenith, a week ago?"
"Managing to reclaim a fraction of his power? Yes," GreenWitch confirmed, opening one of the cabinets, "It was a very beneficial fight to spy upon."
"You spied on the fight?" Momonga confusedly questioned. All of his guild members had anti-divination protection. They let the divination users of Nazarick through, but that should've kept GreenWitch out, shouldn't it?
GreenWitch held up the key, "It wasn't that hard. As long as the sun shined on Zenith, we would be able to see him. Besides, he's the weakest member of our group, at full power, anyways. You shouldn't be too concerned about him."
The world enemy was the weakest member?
Momonga mentally shifted the importance of the Cult of Fate a few tiers up. If they could somehow replicate what Zenith did, then that would have disastrous consequences for the future of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Which was why he asked, "Do you know how Zenith was able to reclaim his power, then?"
GreenWitch chuckled, "He was lucky- Or rather, fated- To be in the right place at the right time. There was nothing special about what he did."
GreenWitch turned her gaze to the central building, "I believe we will be as well."
Momonga stared at her back, contemplating at what point he needed to betray the Cult of Fate before they gained too much power.
Momonga didn't doubt that GreenWitch was thinking the same thing.
The group got back together at the front of the central building.
Momonga quickly whispered to Vagisilious and Ulbert to tell them, "GreenWitch admitted to being in the Cult of Fate, but she doesn't seem too concerned."
Ulbert narrowed his eyes, "Seriously?"
Momonga nodded, "We're still allies for now, but just keep an eye open."
The trio immediately split apart to make it seem as though they weren't just discussing their partner, as Vagisilious made conversation to get the conversation shifted.
Vagisilious took a single look at the front door with the four keys and stated, "Yeah, Ulbert could've just blown the door off."
Ulbert wisely nodded, "Yeah, I don't understand why we needed to go through this."
GreenWitch shrugged her shoulders, "You are free to try it. Just know that you should own up to the consequences of your own actions."
Ulbert looked to Momonga, "Can I?"
Momonga sighed, "No, let's not test GreenWitch's words here, Ulbert."
Ulbert's shoulders fell as he disappointedly conceded, "Aw, alright."
GreenWitch walked up to the door with all 4 keys in hand, inserting them into the 4 keyholes of the door.
Turning them all, the door flatly disappears. Not even a fade away effect. One moment, it was there, the next moment, it wasn't.
It was absolutely surreal to see in real life. It was actually hard to comprehend the sudden nonexistence of something.
GreenWitch didn't seem surprised by it as she said, "Walk behind me, I'll disarm some traps to use them as materials."
Ulbert narrowed his eyes with distrust, "And we should trust you not to lead us into one because?"
GreenWitch shrugged, "I am not fated to die today. You will trust me."
GreenWitch entered the building, not even allowing a retort.
Vagisilious narrowed her eyes at GreenWitch's back, "Wow, that's arrogant."
Momonga shrugged, "Well, she is right. We both need to go to the same place. Let's follow her, we can overpower her if we need to."
With Momonga assuring them, the trio followed GreenWitch into the central building where they'll hopefully find the corpses of PopStarry and Theadul.
The Central Building was, like the rest of the city, very modern. However, everything inside of the central building was extremely aged and not cleaned at all, in contrast to the rest of the city.
It was as though the Forgotten City was a place frozen in time, and the central building alone progressed through time.
GreenWitch walked through the messy room, occasionally stopping to open a drawer and take various mundane items, such as pens, papers, and rotten food out and hold them in her hand.
Vagisilious had to ask, "Why are you picking up a bunch of junk items?"
GreenWitch shrugged as she used her magic to create a bag to put her items in, "As I said, I don't know. They feel important, so I pick them up."
As GreenWitch pulled the bag of holding over to her shoulder to hold it like a purse, the lights began to dim.
GreenWitch was unconcerned as she simply stated, "Ah, Focalors is still here."
Focalors? That was…
"PopStarry's NPC!" Vagisilious said out loud, surprised one of their NPCs were still alive.
As if on cue, another woman's voice came from the walls around them, "You have a lot of nerve to show up here, GreenWitch," Her voice spat as though her name was bile.
GreenWitch didn't outwardly react as she simply greeted, "Focalors. We haven't met in 200 years, must you hold a grudge for so long?"
Focalors growled as she aggressively accused, "Your allies lead to the death of my masters. Now you dare desecrate my master's tomb with your presence. Leave before I put an end to you as well."
GreenWitch didn't seem too concerned about the threat, "As far as I'm concerned, that largely remains Sengoku's fault. Not me. Shouldn't you be more concerned with the other visitors here?"
Focalors was still not visible to them, but the three players could tell that Focalors was looking at them for the first time since the conversation began, "Who are you? More of this parasite's allies?"
Vagisilious waved at a random wall, "Hi! We're from Ainz Ooal Gown, we're PopStarry's friends!"
Focalors knew their name, because she audibly gasped, "Vaggy, Momonga, and Ulbert?"
And PopStarry didn't even bother telling Focalors Vagislious's full name, great.
Vagisilious confirmed, "Yeah! That's us! Can you maybe let us in? I know you don't like GreenWitch, but we're… Temporarily allied with her."
Focalors didn't like her idea, "I will absolutely not just allow GreenWitch to lay eyes upon my masters."
Vagisilious frowned, "We're here to revive our friend. GreenWitch is here to gather some weird stuff. Can't you just let it go just this once?"
Focalors was silent.
During that silence, GreenWitch spoke up, "You know, I don't need permission to find you, you know? I know where you are. I'm simply being polite."
Ulbert glared at GreenWitch, "If you want to be polite, why don't you shut up?"
Vagisilious nodded alongside Ulbert, "Yeah, you're not helping anyone."
GreenWitch didn't seem to care as she wandered off in a different direction, "I speak only the truth. Follow me if you want to get there faster."
Focalors was still silent.
With nothing to go off, the trio had no choice but to follow GreenWitch.
As they were following GreenWitch, Vagisilious tried to reach out to Focalors, "Hey, Focalors? Are you still there?"
Focalors was silent.
But the building wasn't.
The ceiling above GreenWitch suddenly fell on her, and nobody from Ainz Ooal Gown felt inclined to save her.
So, GreenWitch reacted by simply saying, "Stop."
The falling debris suddenly stopped just before it landed on her head.
GreenWitch casually pushed it aside, "How useless."
Momonga asked, "Oh? How did you do that?"
"This place recognizes its master," GreenWitch simply replied as she found a flight of stairs and began to ascend it, "It cannot harm me. I would beware of the various monsters that still lurk around here, though. They enjoy the heteromorphs."
Enjoy the heteromorphs? Vagisilious didn't like the sound of that.
That gut feeling was immediately justified as a monstrous roar came from beneath them while they were climbing up the stairs.
"Ah, the clone of the divine general," GreenWitch remarked with some interest in her voice, "I'm surprised it's still around."
The building started to rumble as the divine general was loudly stomping towards their location, likely ascending the same stairs they were.
"You can kill it, I don't mind," GreenWitch said, completely unconcerned about the fact that there's just an actual monster named the divine general walking around in this building.
"I'll kill it," Momonga said as he calmly pointed towards the bottom of the stairs, "It dies to death magic, yes?"
GreenWitch confirmed, "I doubt this one has fought anything stronger than fish."
With that, the divine general made its appearance. It's eyes were replaced with white wings and its massive bulk-
[Silent Maximize Penetrate Magic: Death]
And the divine general fell down, not having the opportunity to even swing its sword.
It was anticlimactic, but they definitely didn't want to have to fight anything here.
GreenWitch wasn't even paying attention, as during the time where they were waiting for the divine general to show up, she was already going up.
Ulbert grumbled upon realizing what GreenWitch had done, "Seriously? I hate that girl. Can't even pretend to care. Or explain what happened!"
Vagisilious similarly nodded in frustration, "Yeah, she doesn't even explain why that thing was named the divine general! How did he
They had no choice but to follow GreenWitch still, as Focalors still didn't respond.
As they reached the final floor, where there was a single hallway leading to a doorway, GreenWitch called out, "Focalors, will you stop being so moody? It's not as though-"
GreenWitch was interrupted as a single shot of mana narrowly missed her head by the smallest of margins.
"A 10th tier spell?" Momonga recognized the spell, "That was one of the sniping spells, wasn't it?"
Ulbert nodded in confirmation, "I think so. Shame that Focalors missed."
Vagisilious forlornly sighed, "If only we were so lucky."
GreenWitch wasn't amused by their conversation, "What a truly stable alliance, to wish death upon our friends. There aren't any traps here, so go on ahead. You won't even notice me taking the materials I need."
They absolutely needed to notice what GreenWitch took, so Ulbert silently stayed behind GreenWitch while Momonga and Vagisilious continued onward.
Focalors made her return by irritatedly clicking her tongue, "Tch, I don't want to see her face."
Vagisilious chuckled, "It's okay, Focalors. GreenWitch won't do anything while we're here."
Focalors sighed, "As long as that parasite doesn't steal anything. Fine, come in. The doors here are never locked."
With that, Vagisilious opened the door, letting everyone peer into it.
It was a simple, plain white room with a table in the middle. In front of the table stood Focalors, PopStarry's NPC. She was a woman with white hair and blue highlights, similar to her creator. And she wore a simple blue dress that Vagisilious was certain came from an early dungeon from the beginning of Yggdrasil. The Fountain of Shattered Lies, if she remembered the name correctly.
Focalors silently stepped aside, revealing the bodies on the table.
If you could even call them that.
They were hardly recognizable as PopStarry and Theadul, most of their bodies were completely gone as if they hadn't existed in the first place. The only recognizable features of a human body were a few fingers attached to an arm, a skull that might've been Theadul's, and bits and pieces of their legs.
Vagisilious wanted to throw up, but all she asked was, "Can we take them to Nazarick to revive them?"
Focalors sadly informed her, "They have been like this for 500 years. Their souls are still here, as Lord Theadul was able to ensure that their souls didn't pass on from this world. However… There is no suitable vessel for them to enter anymore. I have tried my best to heal their wounds. However, it is of no use."
"I can fix them," Vagisilious confidently stated, looking directly into Focalor's eyes, "I will revive them."
Focalors resignedly sighed as she walked around the table to get a closer look of her masters, "Lady PopStarry has spoken much about you three. She always claimed that you were coming, and you were just a bit late. Even to her last words, she was sure you would all arrive. But… I must confess, I didn't believe you would. It has been a long 500 years."
Momonga offered words of comfort, "But we are here. We can help now. If we take them back to Nazarick and use one of our world items, they can be back at full strength."
Focalors forlornly smiled, "Is that true, though? These corpses are desecrated, you cannot simply just bring them back to life. There are laws that must be obeyed."
Vagisilious opened a gate back to Nazarick, "I don't care. It will happen."
Gently picking up the pieces of the bodies, Vagislious gestured to Focalors, "Come with us. I'll prove you wrong."
Meanwhile, GreenWitch had the largest and most vile grin on her face.
Ulbert hadn't even seen her pick anything from this room. But even so, he could tell that GreenWitch had gotten what she had wanted.
Focalors slightly bowed, "In respect of the friendship you had with my masters, I will agree."
And with that, Ainz Ooal Gown began to re-enter Nazarick.
"Don't follow us, by the way," Ulbert warned just as he was the last one to leave.
"I didn't intend to," GreenWitch replied as Ulbert disappeared, her grin persisting on her face, "I have all I need now."
GreenWitch left the room through the door and made her trek back outside, remarking, "How fascinating. It seems as though she isn't completely neutered."
GreenWitch looked inside her bag, her memories restored, "Yes, this will be enough for Sengoku. Perhaps this will grant him more power than he had in the past."
GreenWitch blinked as she remembered, "Ah, that means I lost another bet," GreenWitch pouted as she left the city, "Damn it."
The Forgotten City was hidden beneath the waves once more.
Ainz Ooal Gown had gathered in the throne room once more for another revival. Something that was becoming a bit too frequent to be comfortable.
Tokino was also there, taking a look at the corpses.
Normally, there was nothing in Yggdrasil that would be able to reverse corpse desecration, the thing that prevented revival. However, with time on Nazarick's side, it was possible that the rule was completely ignorable now.
Additionally, due to Theadul's job class, he was able to keep his and PopStarry's soul on the planet instead of being released. So if they had a body to go back into, it would be as though they never had a desecrated body in the first place.
Vagisilious told her NPC, "Tokino, revert PopStarry and Theadul back 500 years."
Tokino took one single look at the corpses, and replied, "Lady Vagisilious, this may be outside of my mana limitations…"
"Do you need me to use the Mianguan to fuel you?" Vagisilious asked.
Tokino nodded, "Yes, my Lady. Otherwise, I would require several days in order to fully revert this body to its prime."
Punitto had already thought of that possibility, so he silently handed the Mianguan to Vagisilious, who then told Tokino, "Go, then."
Tokino immediately activated her time reversal, and Vagisilious used her healing abilities to keep the both of them topped up on mana.
After nearly a full minute of just reversing time, Theadul and PopStarry came out to something recognizable.
Vagisilious slowly breathed in and out, holding the Chalice of Hygeia.
Trusting in her friends, Vagisilious quietly casted, "[Mass True Revival]."
Bonus Stories 1:
Nazarick Tomb Guide Scene 2 (Canon) (Originally meant to come in an earlier chapter but it didn't fit nicely so here it is.)
Nobara and Hanami were led by Maki through the 9th floor, as they wanted to be led to the cafeteria. While Sawaru did offer to just bring them food to their room everyday, it wasn't a viable long-term plan. After all, they couldn't raise a kid in a single room.
Well, people could do that, it was fairly common among lower economic classes. But for Sawaru and Nobara? They just couldn't imagine it.
Sawaru had only two creations in Nazarick. A maid named Maki, which Sawaru claims to have been forced into creating, and a butler named Sebas Tian, which he also claims to have been forced to create.
Coincidentally, both NPCs look like people Sawaru knows. Himself, and Hanami. Which was likely why Sawaru just called Maki, Hanami.
It does slightly annoy Nobara to not have a stand-in for her, though. Not very much, but still a bit.
As the trio were moving, they met two other people along the way.
There were 238 of them, so they inevitably split into a few groups. The group that Nobara and Hanami were grouped into were the "Direct Family" of Ainz Ooal Gown. That is to say, they're just related to one of the Supreme Beings, as the NPCs here call them.
They were the smallest group, but they were the most well treated by the NPCs here. The others were… Well, the players here told them to treat the other people fine, but they could tell that they were all mildly upset with their presence.
The two people standing in front of them were Yamaiko, and Yamaiko's sister.
Nobara couldn't quite remember their actual names aside from Yamaiko, who Sawaru referenced occasionally as someone trustworthy if they needed help. It was also easy to remember because Yamaiko often walked in her "avatar" as Sawaru called it, so she was easy to recognize. Hopefully, they'll bring the other names up so she doesn't look stupid.
Yamaiko noticed them, and called them over, "Oh! You're Touch's family, right? Nobara and Hanami!"
Nobara looked to Hanami, who seemed rather confused but eager to talk to someone.
Nobara was the one who spoke first, though, "Oh! Yes, we're Sawaru's family…"
Then, Nobara snuck a look at Maki, who looked only… Well, she looked perfectly content, actually.
Nobara wasn't even sure what Maki and that other NPC were to them. Family, maybe?
Nobara decided it was fine to ignore Maki for a little while to talk with Yamaiko and her family.
So, Nobara walked up to Yamaiko to start a conversation, "Ah, hello Ms. Yamaiko-"
"Drop the Ms!" Yamaiko insisted, "It makes me feel too old."
"Yamaiko, then," Nobara fixed, before tilting her head, "Though, I have to ask, is Yamaiko your real name?"
Yamaiko shook her head, "No, but I like Yamaiko better, so I'm using it."
Ah, well, that's fair. It also helps her remember her name.
Yamaiko continued, "So, how is your stay in Nazarick so far?"
Nobara shrugged, "We're trying to get out more since we got over our fear of… Well, the people here, I suppose."
Yamaiko chuckled, "Haha, don't worry about it. All of the scary stuff is on the upper floors… Or under my mask."
Nobara confusedly looked at Yamaiko, "You don't seem to be the type of person to be scary, though."
"I'm a Nephilim, I look scary," Yamaiko informed, "Though, I definitely feel better without any of those microplastics invading my body."
Nobara perfectly understood Yamaiko's position now. It might be scary, but if it felt better, then there really wasn't a better option.
"And also, my boyfriend likes it."
And that, Nobara did not have to know.
Nobara looked away and Yamaiko followed her gaze, taking a look at their younger companions.
They were locked in a deadly staring contest.
"Akemi, what's on your mind?" Yamaiko asked, also inadvertently helping Nobara figure out the name of Yamaiko's little sister.
Hanami didn't shift her gaze as she boldly declared, "My dad can beat your sister."
What.
Hanami was a teenager, she shouldn't be this petty! And Akemi is an adult! They couldn't possibly be doing this!
Nobara's hope in the youth of society disappeared as Akemi countered with, "Nuh-uh. My sister would beat your dad."
Hanami crossed her arms and stubbornly said, "Maki told me that he would!"
Maki immediately tensed up, suddenly very aware of the way that Yamaiko was looking at her.
"Oh? Maki? Would you like to tell me more?" Yamaiko questioned, "It's fine to say something."
"No, Lady Yamaiko!" Maki said a little too hard, "I have nothing else to say!"
Yamaiko shrugged, "Oh well. It's fine. Though, we should get a second opinion from someone like…"
"Oh! Lady Yamaiko!" Suddenly, a male voice came from around the corner.
It looked like… Sebas Tian, but wearing white clothing and was a lot shorter?
"Oh, Tiansebas," Yamaiko greeted, "How are you?"
Nobara had to let that name stew in her head for a moment. His name is seriously Tiansebas?!
Tiansebas eagerly said, "Wonderful, Lady Yamaiko! Lord Whitebrim just approved of my list for the things I'm allowed to tell the newcomers about Nazarick!"
"Oh!" Hanami spoke up, "Do you know who wins in a fight against my dad and her big sister?"
"Her dad and…?" Tiansebas confusedly looked at Hanami and Akemi.
"This is my little sister," Yamaiko introduced.
"I'm not little."
"You are."
Tiansebas looked shocked, "I did not realize that I was standing in the presence of royalty! I'm sorry for not recognizing you, Lady…"
"My name is Akemi," Akemi said.
"Lady Akemi," Tiansebas said, "Please, allow me to serve you as best as I can to remedy my ignorance!"
Akemi looked at her sister, confused on how to react.
Yamaiko shrugged.
Hanami crossed her arms, a bit annoyed, "Hey, my dad is important too! His game name is- um…"
"Touch Me," Yamaiko supplies.
Hanami touched Yamaiko.
"Not like that," Yamaiko chuckled, "That's what they call him. Touch Me If You Can."
Tiansebas was incredibly surprised by that revelation, "You are the direct descendent of Lord Touch Me!? Lady Hanami! Please forgive my insolence!"
"Um, sorry to butt in," Nobara cut in, "But are you also a creation of… Him?"
Tiansebas shook his head, "No, Lady Vagisilious created me!"
Vagisilious? Someone unironically called themselves Vagisilious?
Well, her husband did call himself Touch Me, so Nobara supposed it wasn't that bad…
Yamaiko then clapped her hands, "Actually, I got a great idea. Tiansebas, why don't you go help Nobara and Hanami here around the 9th floor? I know you've been helping the other humans here, but they missed out on your initial tour."
Tiansebas bowed, "It would be my honor!"
Nobara couldn't say she would ever get used to being spoken to so highly. However, it was nice to see that her mistakes were covered just by the virtue of being married to someone. Maybe Nazarick will be less intimidating the more she gets to know the people here…
Then, Hanami asked, "Would my dad beat Yamaiko?"
Anyone around Nobara could tell that her patience was being quickly shattered.
Tiansebas expertly avoided the situation by telling them a fact about Nazarick, "Ah, well… Did you know that Lady Yamaiko was one of the key advocates for creating the 41 maids of the 9th floor alongside Lord Whitebrim!"
Yamaiko nervously laughed, "Hahaha, whaaat? Me? Being a degenerate? Tiansebas, you must be mistaken…"
It convinced nobody.
"Pervert," Akemi blankly called out, staring directly at her sister.
"I've got places to be. Maki, Tiansebas, I leave this to you!" Yamaiko hastily said before teleporting out of that situation.
Nobara sighed, "Well, I guess we're going to skip lunch today…"
Tiansebas quickly pulled out a sandwich from out of nowhere, "Not to worry Lady Nobara! I will give you the food I was meant to eat later!"
…Well, if all of the NPCs that they've made were this eccentric, Nobara and Hanami shouldn't have an issue with leaving the area.
Focalors Status.
Focalors
Level: 100
Racial Classes:
Immortal Human (0)
Job Classes:
Hydro Mage (15)
Priest (15)
Bard (15)
TideBringer (10)
Bishop (10)
Musician (10)
Barrier (10)
Regina of All Waters (5)
Pope (5)
Pop Star (5)
Karma: +125, Good
Approximate Status
HP 60
MP 100
Phy. Atk. 10
Phy. Def. 70
Agility 50
Mag. Atk. 65
Mag. Def. 65
Resistance. 80
Special Ability. 100
Total: 600
X
Focalors Bio
Created from the waters of the fountain of youth, Focalors is a special human that is immortal. She is very smart and cool.
She has a natural talent in almost everything, but is also humble and not a showoff. Because she's awesome.
But she is especially good at music. She makes the best songs.
Focalors really loves Theadul's NPC, Amaru. They are married and have all the cutest kisses and cuddles and babies.
Also Focalors is super kind. She's a great helper.
Super protective.
She would be an awesome mom.
Sassy like my aunt. I like my aunt.
Mature.
Smart and cool. But more.
Focalors is more detailed and less chaotic like I was in my early years. She's just a nice mature lady now instead of all this weird stuff I wrote when I was younger.
She's still married to Amaru though.
AN:
I said that this was gonna come out either late June or early July.
It's still early June.
This chapter is about 11k, there's like 2k worth of words from the rewrite stuff at the top and the omake & stat sheet at the bottom, and this author's note.
Anyways, I think the nature of who the Cult of Fate are is rather clear. Maybe. Tell me if anyone's already guessed it. You can't change fate, but you can definitely see it coming.
And also, the next chapter is a massive flashback chapter about the 8 Greed Kings because 0bama requested it and I had a great idea for it.
X
Focalors is, of course, from the Ars Goetia. But her design is from Genshin Impact. And then her bio is a mixed bag where it's half 13 yr old PopStarry writing what is cool and Theadul occasionally giving her lines that PopStarry likes.
Amaru is an incan dragon, apparently.
X
This weekend I ended up signing a binding vow.
For the rest of my life, I shall dedicate 30 minutes to learning Japanese, the language of my homeland, and 30 minutes to learning (traditional) art, so I have a hobby that isn't just being on my computer (And to make cool drawings for my fics.)
Oh, and I would do a minimum of 1 hour of writing fanfic every day.
So, 2 hours minimum every day are dedicated to my hobbies. Definitely possible with my life, I just need to put effort into doing it every day and keep it consistent.
And if I can't do it, I am publicly humiliated. Which would suck.
I don't have any MS Paints for you this chapter, but I definitely have a good idea for next chapter. And that chapter should be released…
Well, I'm not going to put a date on it. You know as well as I do that I've yet to follow any of my predictions.
Anyways, we've reached the end. Feel free to comment if you have any thoughts.
[I skimmed through the chapter and just about every line in the 2nd half starts with a name but I ain't rewriting all of that. I hate sentence variety today.]
