Chapter 11: Unforeseen Consequences
"Dialogue"
'Inner monologue'
[Yggdrasil Spells]
{Elden Ring Sorceries/Incantations}
{Message}
"The stars glitter like jewels in a treasure box. Perhaps I was sent to this land to obtain those jewels for myself…" A lonesome voice called out into the night sky, watching the stars adorning it.
The scene could put any man or woman into a trance. Its mere beauty poison to the minds of men.
Not from these lands, Ainz savored the moment. However, he feared the time would come when even such a spectacle would be of no worth to him. A recurring wonder is a wonder no more, he thought.
"I would not have thought you to be an admirer of stars, Ainz. But then again, you are a sorcerer." Melina appeared beside Ainz on a balcony.
"It was the first thing I said when I appeared in my previous world-!" Ainz forgot he kept it a secret, staring at Melina, but it was too late now. He was so in thought he forgot to filter his words. "I suppose the truth always comes to light."
"I suspected it. Your appearance is otherworldly, which is no new thing here in the Lands Between. But please, continue." Melina said, seemingly unmoved by the fact that Ainz was somewhat of an overpowered alien undead.
"Very well. I rose into the sky, and my servant was with me. I watched over the edge of the world and stared into the cosmos, seeing beauty like never before…" His descriptions made it sound like he longed for that day to come again, for time to rewind and retake its course, but this time, on a different path.
"Rather a selfish claim." Melina stated.
"And it was. My ever-loyal servant took it as seriously as one could take it, having already offered to conquer the whole world for me." Ainz said with a laugh until it suddenly died down. "Anyways, the past is the past. What is important is the future." Ainz tried to change the topic.
"Accurate. Yet never have you told me tales of your old home. I am curious to know more." Melina said.
"What do you want to know about Nazarick?" Ainz asked.
"Explain it to me. Then, I might ask questions I do not yet have." Melina answered.
"Very well. Nazarick, or its real name, the Great Tomb of Nazarick, was a tomb in name only. It was built into multiple floors. On the surface, a mausoleum in ruins can be seen. Descending into it, one would enter one of the first three floors, which were catacombs. Now past that, one had to use gates to teleport to the deeper floors. The 4th floor was a giant lake. Besides that, nothing interesting could be said about it. The 5th floor was called Glacier, filled with icebergs, snow, and clouds. The 6th floor was a jungle, which had its own day and night cycle. The 7th floor was a lava world. One could call it hell. The 8th floor was a desert, nothing big except for the beings inhabiting it. Now the 9th floor was where my servants and I lived. It had everything one could wish for. And the final floor was the 10th floor, the Throne Room." Ainz finally finished, yet there was more to explain.
"I cannot say I can picture it myself, but if I have to guess, the floors you described seem like entire biomes or even worlds." Melina said.
"They may seem so, but are much smaller scale-wise." Ainz answered.
"You had servants. What were they like?"
"Loyal, too loyal. In their eyes, I made no mistakes. They believed every word I said. I wanted to change that but ultimately decided against it." Ainz said, remembering how difficult it was to talk to one of the Floor Guardians without them worshipping him every second.
"Where are they now?" Melina asked, yet did not understand that she took it too far.
"Gone. But, as long as I exist, they are not dead." Ainz said, making Melina believe in his memories, that they still exist.
The both of them kept silent for a moment.
"What about you, Melina? I believe it is time to tell your story as well. Wouldn't it be selfish to not ask you about your past as well?" Ainz inquired.
"That might be true if I had one. Sadly, I do not remember much, just that I arose roaming around the Lands Between as a spirit with no purpose." She explained.
Ainz then put a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes.
"We make our own purpose. But, if you wish to seek one, you are free to do so. One should always strive for answers." Ainz told with his ever-growing wisdom. "But now for other matters. Radahn was defeated and revived, yet that was not the task Ranni gave me. She said to retrieve a treasure hidden beneath the earth in an ancient city." Ainz recalled.
"Hanzo's!" Before a second passed, five shadowy creatures stood before him.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Traverse into the giant hole made by the meteor and search for anything resembling a treasure. Search for anything unusual, anything standing out." Ainz said.
"Of course, my lord." As quickly as they appeared, they vanished again into the portal Ainz made for them.
'Let's see how it looks down there.'
A mirror appeared before him, showing the grand hole in the east of Limgrave.
Moving his fingers, he navigated into the pit, navigating through ruins long overcome by wilderness and giant structures that collapsed on each other.
But these were no obstacles for the divination item. Going past them, he soon found himself before a sight nothing could have prepared him for.
Stars, like the night sky, appeared in a place underground with a hidden city right underneath his feet. It reminded him much of Nazarick and the 6th floor with its false starry sky.
There was a large bridge in the distance, similar to aqueducts the Romans once built. In the far back, atop a cliff, one could see a lit-up pantheon towering above the rest.
As he glanced to his left, he saw the city Ranni mentioned. While it wasn't small, he would not call it such a name. Or perhaps the rest of it fell into the abyss. He didn't know.
"A giant statue? No, that is, was a person." Just then, he caught a glimpse of his Hanzo's infiltrating the city, one going right under the giant throne.
{My lord, we found an item. Perhaps it might be the one you're seeking.} A Hanzo said telepathically.
{Perfect. Bring it to me.}
Ainz opened another portal, the Hanzo standing right before him, holding a curious blade in hand.
"Mmh?"
Ainz reached for the item and appraised it first.
"The Fingerslayer Blade. I assume it does what its name suggests. A weapon to kill a finger. Strange indeed." Ainz said.
"That is not to be taken lightly. Holding that weapon for long might make you a target of the Golden Order. If Ranni wants it, you should give her the blade as quickly as possible." Melina suggested.
"You're right. It seems the blade does not work in the hands of someone without fate, and it seems I have none…" Ainz whispered the last part, no one hearing it. But he could feel it; the requirements for wielding the blade did not allow him to utilize it. Not because he wasn't a warrior, no. The blade itself was an artifact usable by anybody and did not seem to have class restrictions.
'Perhaps fate is something for the living. I myself am unable to claim it.' Ainz mused.
"I will bring it now, then." Ainz said, disappearing on a whim.
"I have found what you have been looking for." Ainz said, awakening the slumbering Empyrean.
"Ahh…It was thee. Not Blaidd, it seemeth. Even in my slumber, I sensed its removal from Nokron. But beyond that, it seemeth that the blade was clouded, and myself being unable to locate it. But it is in thy possession, is it not? The hidden treasure of Nokron?" She asked.
"Yes. Here it is." Ainz offered the blade, which Ranni kindly accepted.
"My thanks. Finally, all the pieces are in place. Soon must I begin my journey. For a dark path awaits only I can walk upon." Ranni said.
"I see. Now that I have fulfilled my side of the agreement, it is time you fulfill your-"
Before Ainz could continue, he felt a mental link appear.
{My lord, the Demi-God General Radahn has appeared before the fortress. He requests you meet with him. It seems urgent.} The Hanzo explained.
{I will be there soon.}
"I will come another time. There is something important I must attend to." Ainz said, rather distressed, disappearing once more.
"General Radahn, I have not thought to see you so soon." Ainz said as he appeared before the mighty Demi-God.
"Armies march south. Both of the Haligtree and Golden Order. It seemeth, my revival at your hands has travelled far. The Golden Order now knows of you, the undead that can invoke life. Now that Malenia saw her work unfinished, she decided to take matters into her own hands." Radahn explained.
'What now?!' Ainz's mind needed a second to take in the information Radahn provided him with. It was, unexpected.
"But that cannot be the reason for them to bring their armies south. Malenia fought you before without me being in the picture. What exactly does make her hate you so much that she wants to kill you that badly?" Ainz asked out of curiosity.
"Not hate, love. Love for her brother. She honors his vow, one which he made on his side alone. I rejected it, yet he sent his Blade after me." Radahn said.
"What exactly are the conditions of this vow?" Ainz inquired.
"He will become a god, and I shall be his consort." Radahn said with disgust.
"But he is a boy, is he not?"
"Yes." Radahn answered as minimally as possible.
"Ohh." Ainz was taken aback for a second. "And why is your death needed?"
"Unsure. But Miquella is no intelligent mastermind. He is naive, trapped in a child's head. A child with terrifying powers." Radahn added.
"Then there is no time to waste. You should prepare your army or what is left of it." Ainz said, and Radahn nodded. "If I may inquire for corpses, strong corpses to be exact, would that be possible? I could transform your fallen soldiers into creatures ten times more powerful, aiding our cause." Ainz said, pointing to his left where a group of Death Knights stood guard.
"I will order my men to pile up any corpse they can find." Radahn said, but Ainz could feel he did not greatly support this method.
"I appreciate it. Also, as a gesture of goodwill and to prove my trustworthiness, I want to give you this back." Ainz said, stretching out his open palm for nothing to appear in it. But later on, Radahn's eyes widened, seeing his old Great Rune in Ainz's hands.
'While it could have been useful to me, giving it to Radahn would only help our cause. I already have one Great Rune. I do not need this one if Radahn can have it.'
"But, you have defeated me. You should keep the rune. It would not be right for me to take it." Radahn said, his warrior's honor showing.
"Please, I want you at your strongest, and without your rune, you would still not be at your prime. Accept it. Battle Malenia and you can keep the Great Rune when you defeat her. See it as if I lent you the rune until your final match with her." Ainz tried to convince the great lion, who seemed to slowly fall into Ainz's offer.
"I shall do my best," Radahn said. As he touched the Great Rune, he could feel its power, strengthening his spirit.
"Now, I must return to another matter. We will see each other soon, general." Ainz said, before disappearing back into Ranni's tower, only to find it empty.
"Ranni?" Ainz called out, but nobody was there.
"[Life Essence]"
Nothing showed up either.
{Hanzo's, come to me.}
Ainz opened a portal to his location.
"Search anything nearby for any signs of life."
They quickly melded into the shadows, and seconds later, they appeared again.
"We found nothing except a portal in the northeast tower. It seems activated, my lord." The Hanzo said.
"Good."
Ainz applied flight, hovering toward the tower and entering its tallest chamber, a portal of sorts in the middle of it.
"Hanzo's, follow me. This might be another unwanted adventure I might go on."
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Here's my discord invitation code. Join if you're interested in becoming a proofreader of my next chapters, or you just want to hang around. Both work.
Finally, another update for this story. It took time for me to finish the DLC and to watch tens of lore videos on YouTube. But while not everything might seen lore-accurate, I tried my best here. I would always like it if you would support me and give feedback in any way possible. Especially the Elden Ring fans out there.
While it may be a short chapter, it's to introduce the next big story arc that's gonna happen. Ranni's and the fight against the Golden Order and Malenia. I'm still unsure what kind of soldiers both of them are gonna send besides the normal ones. Malenia might come, but who's the Golden Order going to send? Tree Sentinels? Maybe Crucible Knights? Nights Cavalry? I'm not sure.