"I can't believe that I'm having to deal with this of all things," Ainz muttered under his breath as he got to setting things and handling them around the base.
One would think that his long years as guildmaster would've prepared him for such a role, but honestly, being guild leader was more about smoothing things over between people (and quite honestly he had the feeling that the only reason he was elected was because he was the most inoffensive person who was online enough to get things to work) rather than actual management work.
Suzuki Satoru had no idea how to manage things- he had never risen above the station of lowly grunt in his normal corporate life. But, now he found himself thrust into the role because there was no one else who could.
Remedios was busy practicing her blade and preparing for the assault upon Kalinsha. Dantallion was currently trying to steal as many of Ainz's possessions as possible. Neia... was trying to help him out but with Remedios constantly dumping scut work on her- it was hard for her to help Ainz.
If only he had a subordinate that he could trust to dump this work onto- thinking that made him feel like a terrible boss. However, he now had a new appreciation for his old bosses- the idea that people at the top did absolutely nothing was definitely wrong.
Because there were a lot of things for him to look after. The grain that they had 'liberated' from the demihuman camp had to be inspected, made sure that it was not poisoned, and then distributed to the people in their camp. Two other species of demihumans, the Orcs and the Fae had also wanted to desert from the Death Emperor's forces. Ainz was coordinating transporting their members away from the demihuman camps via a [Gate] spell, hopefully decreasing the enemy's numbers even further.
On top of that, he had to deal with experimenting on various things that he had to find out about this world. Things regarding karmic values, his protective wards, spells, etc.- there were a hundred and more questions that he had in his mind, and he could only test a few of them with any certainty.
For example, one of his summons using [Summon Undead Ninth Tier] was called a Zombie Basilisk- and had a similar physical damage nullification ability as his own, though it only went to level forty. He had dropped this undead from a great height, and noted that it took no damage. Would the fall be considered equivalent damage based on how much the creature would've taken? Or was it a matter of fact that it would only take physical damage if dealt by a level forty or higher creature? And even if his summon worked that way, would Ainz, a player, perhaps be bound by different rules? He hadn't even had a chance to test out resurrection magic yet- though Remedios did say it was possible and that her sister had once been able to use it.
However, alarmingly she said that if the resurrection magic was used on someone too weak, they would burn up and no further resurrection attempts would be possible.
Above all though, Ainz was trying to find out more information about the entity that they were facing- this undead (called a Night Lich based off reports, though this could be false) that had styled itself 'the Death Emperor.'
Ainz had had Dantallion draw a picture of one of his Death Emperor summons based on a verbal description (one of the few times that lazy lout had actually been useful to their cause) and showed it to those who had seen glimpses of the Death Emperor- as per all of them the image did not match. There was a possibility that the enemy had swapped out gear or used an illusion in case of facing someone like Ainz, but any more information was greatly limited.
Remedios had told him that the Death Emperor was also capable of using the spell [Grasp Heart] that he had used to kill Rokesh. That upped his threat level from an eighth to a ninth tier caster.
He had gone under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable]- a very risky move as that would not have shielded him in case his enemy was indeed around level ninety, to scout out the region around Kalinsha. A scouting group of demihumans had emerged, and Ainz had followed them. When one of them stopped to relieve itself, Ainz had kidnapped him under the influence of [Dominate], extracted all the information he could, and then killed him and thrown the corpse into the ocean several hundred miles away. There was a risk that this might alert the rest of the scouting party, but if they found no corpse, perhaps they would simply assume that it had deserted or gotten very lost? Regardless, a corpse would have generated far more alarm then him simply going missing.
He had taken a mere grunt, meaning the information that he could glean was limited, but he couldn't risk taking someone else, as two disappearances almost definitely would've alerted the enemy.
The Death Emperor was indeed in the city, with the military parade already concluded. The minion could not verify whether the Holy Queen was still alive or not- but that if she was still alive, she would be held within the city's citadel- which was also its central cathedral.
Time was of the essence if they had any hope of rescuing the Holy Queen, which they intended to do the very next morning at dawn, right before the guard would change.
As the time drew closer and the others were sleeping, Ainz grew more restless. The end of their journey was likely drawing near. The question now arose- what then?
For him, if he had truly liberated the kingdom, he would likely be rewarded. He couldn't think of anything he'd want, the usual rewards in this time were likely land (which he had no idea how to manage) and title (which would tie him down in one place, something he didn't want). He would most likely leave, going to search for the next adventure. Dantallion would likely be executed or placed in a jail cell if he managed to contribute enough- Neia would go back to being a squire. Remedios would go back to her duty...
...and that made his stomach ache. As annoying as all of this had been, it had been an adventure all the same. Without them, his thoughts drifted back to his friends and if they might be with him in this world...
He would miss them. His comrades now- well, not Dantallion, but Remedios and Neia definitely.
But then again, what was he thinking of the future for- there was no guarantee he would win against the so-called Death Emperor- if there was one thing that Punnito Moe had told him, it was not to count your chickens before you hatch, especially before a battle.
He swapped on of the rings on his finger for another one that completely resisted undead domination. He had not needed it since his character had crested level eighty, but in this world, while fighting an unknown enemy with unknown powers, and a necromancer to boot (he had seen Death Knights patrolling the the side of the wall) one could never be too careful.
The hours before dawn came, and with it the four of them were ready to infiltrate Kalinsha. They would be entering the city through an old door near the seaside, which had been used by smugglers before, Remedios had told him. It had been boarded up, and had been forgotten about for some time, so hopefully it would be unguarded.
Dantallion had complained. About having to wake up so early. About having to come along to this thing in the first place (he had some Thief skills which may have been useful- unfortunately Neia did not have any despite being a Ranger, and wasn't really allowed to learn the tricks of Thievery being a Paladin- this was something that Ainz thought was a bit of a problem with their organization, any large-scale place needed people talented in various fields), about not getting breakfast, and about not getting any sleep because of his rash.
"I have no idea how this happened," Dantallion said, with a bright red rash appearing over his arms, chest and neck, with him seemingly unable to resist constantly scratching it.
"Oh, that rash?" Ainz asked. "You might've gotten that when you stole all my stuff that I coated with poison ivy."
"Agh! Who does this? This is cruel and unusual punishment!" He turned to Neia. "Mind healing me up, Babe?"
Neia would've punched him- but that rash looked contagious so she just walked away in disgust (this was typical for how woman [and men] treated Dantallion so it was all par for the course).
Remedios grunted and case a low-tier healing spell on him, and the rash mostly went away.
"Honestly," Ainz said to Dantallion, "I'm amazed that you didn't find it suspicious as to how it wasn't more closely guarded. If say, for example, hypothetically, you were invited to invade a rare tomb that sprung out of nowhere and found a large amount of treasure near the entrance- gold enough, let's say, for you and the next four generations to live comfortably. What would you do then?"
"Go deeper in the tomb for more treasure!" Dantallion said without hesitation.
Yeah, someone like him was most definitely going to end up dead. "Alright, we've been over the plan but once again- we will approach under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable]. Remember that the stealth only works so long as you do not attack- and by that I mean doing any kind of damage, am I clear? If you so much as trip someone over by mistake, or launch a pebble at them by kicking it unintentionally, you will be exposed. And if there are any undead however, we will have to act quickly. They usually can see through such things."
Ainz had not picked up any undead reactions near this part, but this could not be relied on. He himself had a ring which completely blocked such sort of magic- which is how none of the priests had ever detected his true nature as of yet.
"Also, this is for you," Ainz said. He pulled out a Yggdrasil crystal- one of the few things that he had. "If we run into the Death Emperor and are separated well, you cannot beat him, but this might help you buy enough time to flee." The crystal had [Summon Undead Tenth] imbibed in it- it would summon a Doom Lord, which could give even a level ninety warrior a run for its money if used correctly temporarily- and would give her time to run away. He had only one, which is why he entrusted it to Remedios the (he was a bit loathe to admit it, but she was far more important than Neia) more important one of the three.
Dantallion looked out into the waves, with the moist air washing up against them. "Do you think there are mermaids in the sea? And do you think they're as hot as the stories say?"
No one paid any attention to him, though Ainz did find it odd that the air was lacking the 'salty' taste that some people in the old days used to describe the sea. During his time, it was impossible to find even a liter of seawater that would not bleach one's skin immediately, and he would've liked to take a while longer to appreciate the sea- perhaps he could one day make a vessel which was manned by undead? He had heard stories about ghost ships in his world, and he would not find it surprising at all if there were actual ghost ships in this new world.
But that would be done later. They crawled through the darkness, and he heard Remedios and Neia making noises of disgust, and not just because Dantallion was with them. There was quite a bit of sludge, and they even came across some low-level slimes, though there was no need to attack them. They eventually came upon a barricade made of wood, which was likely how they had sealed off the place. Remedios volunteered to break it down with her fists, though a simple [Greater Break Item] from Ainz destroyed it without making noise- as it was just destroying an object this did not dispel his invisibility.
They trudged through for an uncomfortably long time, led by Ainz's ability to see in the dark. A fresh breeze told Ainz they were near the exit, and sure enough, the tunnel opened up into the main sewer line, bringing in an even worse stench, but at the same time, there was a drain high up above.
[Mass Fly] took them there, with Ainz barely able to squeeze through the slit above. His robes were filthy- though being magical, they should've been very easy to fix.
Ainz expected to see houses around them- but what he found was rubble. It looked like one of those war pictures- of towns after they had been bombed, with nothing but rubble there. It seemed the Death Emperor had razed most of the city to the ground, keeping only the walls and a few other buildings intact.
That said, the main cathedral was in sight. "Let's go!" Ainz said to them.
If this were a game, Ainz would've been fearful of the main building- but he had foreknowledge that it was not a guild base. They tracked along the shadow of the rubble, avoiding patrols, until they came upon the side of the building.
"Alright," Ainz said. "I see Elder Liches and Death Knights on the far side, I don't know how much [Perfect Unknowable] might save us, so we'll have to rely fully on stealth," Ainz said. It was here that Neia's skills would be invaluable (and Dantallion if not for the fact that he was in general, completely useless and also quite incompetent).
It was here that Ainz once again thought that it was a great limitation that the Paladin order restricted themselves to only Paladins (and priests from the temples occasionally)- which limited their usefulness in situations like that. Apparently, when the Adventurer's Guild was still active, they could recruit them when needed in case other skills were needed- but all Adventurers were either dead or had fled the country.
Neia led them all through crevices and corners, using [Fly] as needed. They did manage to avoid most patrols until they were near the inner sanctum.
It was built upon solid bedrock that all but the toughest of demihuman claws would be unable to dig through, and was connected to the rest of the cathedral via the narrowest of bridges that could be collapsed if needed. Upon this bridge sat a Death Knight, blocking the entire section with its mere existence. Near the roof of the inner sanctum were several murder holes from which arrows and slingshots could be fired at any aerial enemy.
It was excellently fortified, though unfortunately, they were on the other end of how things should be. And there was no way past an undead which could not be bribed or bartered against. Then again, this meant that their target was likely inside.
Ainz had several spells that could take care of it, but all of them would also alert the enemy. It would be much easier if he could sway the Death Knight under his own necromantic domination, but he could not [Dominate] someone who was already being mind controlled, if Yggdrasil rules were to be followed.
Instead, this next bit would require some finesse from him- and some luck as well. If that Death Emperor was indeed as strong as Ainz thought and was nearby, they would surely fail. But, if they weren't around...
...oh well, there was no use in overthinking it. It would either work, and if it didn't, Plan B was to storm the inner sanctum in full force, grab the Holy Queen, and then teleport away if allowed. Worse case scenario would be if their teleportation would be blocked, but Ainz had tested it out near this structure, and it seemed to work, so hopefully something like that would not happen. Time was not on their side if they wanted to rescue the Holy Queen alive.
First, using illusion magic, he made it so that anyone who looked there would just see the Death Knight. He summoned a Doom Lord to push the Death Knight away from its position without killing it. He then opened up a [Gate] (it looked like indeed, teleportation worked) and he replaced the Death Knight with one of his own, with the Doom Lord taking the enemy Death Knight outside of the city. He then dismissed his summoned Doom Lord and dispelled the illusion.
And so, it would seem like nothing had changed to an outsider- however, given summons were mentally linked, if any of the undead saw the Death Knight their ruse would be up. He had not slain the enemy Death Knight since that would have almost certainly given them away, given that this was one of the things that would certainly set off the link between summoner and summoned creature. He was hoping the simple change in location would not have a similar effect, given the fact that he assumed any necromancer would have trouble handling so many undead, even if they had two heads.
But still, the enemy Death Knight, even if it had no way of alerting its comrades, would likely come running towards the city. Given its velocity and their current location... well, he had only studied up till fifth grade, but he knew that they needed to hurry.
"Get a move on!" he shouted out to the others.
The inner sanctum was richly decorated- though not so much as the Tomb of Nazarick of course, though Ainz had no time to stay and study its rich history. There were no guards which surprised him- though likely they did not expect anyone to get this far- and there was a reason they wouldn't station any demihuman troops inside.
"Ah- is that the Chalice of Charity? Those demihuman bas-" Remedios screeched as they passed by rooms of treasure that had been horded, she was dragged away by Ainz as there was something more important that they had come for. Dantallion of course attempted to stuff as many things as possible into his numerous pockets only to have his hand slapped away by Neia.
Remedios knew the place far better than Ainz, and so she led them to the innermost chamges, bursting open the door.
Inside, in the room barely illuminated by the hallway torches, there was a figure clad in royal robes- though they were tattered. The figure had a crown atop its head- and Remedios immediately dashed towards the figure before Ainz grabbed her shoulder.
She nearly punched Ainz, but the aura he gave off made even her hesitate. That is because Ainz had seen something that Remedios's eyes could not, and not only that, he had detected something.
An undead reaction coming from the figure in the room.
"No-" Remedios said as understanding dawned on her. The figure jerked towards them with a rotten face.
It appeared that they were too late.
Remedios pounded the floor- raindrops scattered across it although it was a clear sky outside and they were indoors. Clearly druidic magic or so (or so Remedios would maintain later on). Neia gave out a cry of despair- she was nearly as invested in this as Remedios was.
"[Dominate]!" Ainz called out, dispelling [Perfect Unknowable] and bringing it under his sway- so this was not directly under the control of the Death Emperor it seemed. "Remedios- we need to get out of here as soon as we can or-"
Remedios gave a loud roar more similar to that of beast than man, and then charged out of the room with Ainz calling after her.
"Are we sure this is her?" Neia asked.
Well, it was a possibility this was some random zombie dressed up like her- Ainz could think of no reason why someone would do that, however.
"Fetch Remedios, we have to get out of here as soon as we can and then think about our next move," Ainz said. The fact that he had used an offensive maneuver meant that any surrounding wild undead would be triggered. He then sighed as he realized that neither Neia nor Dantallion could possibly catch up to her on foot, as a matter of fact, he would have difficulty doing so without using [Perfect Warrior]. "[Summon Monster Tenth]!" He called out, bringing out Cerberus, and instructing the dog to bring back Remedios.
He hoped he would not need to restrain her by force.
"Who knows- maybe she's into that," the image of Tabula said in his head.
"Shut up," Ainz retorted to no one in particular.
"But I didn't even say anything!" Dantallion retorted.
