Brook walked out of the tent still not entirely sure what had just transpired. In the weeks since he'd been falsely accused he had managed to do decently well for himself. It wasn't as if he was rolling in coins, mind you, but he had what he assumed to be a decent amount when comparing prices of things he was familiar with. Part of this had come from the monsters he'd killed. Past the fields where he'd fought balloons, he came across a forest where he found more monsters. As to be expected, they were stronger than balloons and took longer to kill, with the benefit being that they gave more exp and the parts he could sell went for a higher price. Brook did find it odd that the merchants he went to always gave a lower price than he'd heard them give other people, but once he asked "Re~ally?" and gave a look that showed he wasn't fooled, they changed it to be the same. His best guess was that it was a tactic to try to cheat people who didn't know the market price. But a larger majority had come from a doctor who'd hired him to act as a learning aid for his apprentices. Apparently intact human skeletons were hard to come by without resorting to graverobbing. That had paid well, but he still felt awkward having been naked while they examined him. And since they'd included room and board for the few days he'd been with them he managed to save up over 60 silver coins.
The problem Brook had been having was how his ability to fight was severely limited by his low attack stat and inability to use a weapon other than the shield. Sure he could tank hits no problem, but the strongest thing he'd managed to beat was a strangely shaped rabbit which he had to choke to death. There had been people who offered to join his party, but most quickly revealed themselves to be trying to scam him. A few wanted him to come to their countries, but that sounded too much like the guy who turned him into an attraction shortly before his being summoned. The fact that his declining their offer was met with harsh insults only affirmed to him that he'd made the right choice and chose to ignore any similar attempts from then on. Had he not been contacted by Ainz and informed that both he and Sans believed in his innocence then he likely would have fallen into a depression.
It was shortly after he'd made a mockery of a group of hoodlums thinking they could mug him that the man approached him. Had Brook known that the well dressed man was a slave trader from the beginning then he likely would have ignored him and walked away. But as he didn't know any better, he allowed himself to be drawn in by intrigue and a sliver of hope that he could prove true to his word of offering assistance. Then somehow, the man managed to use his silver tongue to get Brook to buy a slave. The pirate turned hero still has no idea how it happened. Things just happened so fast and everything he said made so much sense in the moment. All that leads to now, Brook having just exited the slave tent with a young girl with raccoon dog features as his slave. A part of him felt it slightly funny as he'd heard about how often people confused Chopper for a raccoon dog, but not enough to distract from the current situation.
"So… I wasn't really expecting anything that just happened." Book looked down to the girl that was now his legal property. "But I'm kinda going to need your help fighting monsters to level up and fight these wave things."
The girl's eyes, which had been full of fear up to that point, changed to focus and curiosity before she spoke in a whisper. "Y-you're going to fight the waves? But aren't you one of the monsters that came when it destroyed the village?"
"What? No." Brook frantically waved his hands and shook his head to emphasize his denial. "I was summoned in a ritual with the other heroes sometime after the first wave hit. We're supposed to fight the waves, though sometimes it feels more like I was brought for the locals to hate."
"You're one of the Legendary Heroes!?" The slave girl became far more animated than Brook thought possible considering her previous demeanor.
"Yes. I'm the Shield Hero. Not that I've had the reason to actually use the shield for anything other than hitting things so far." Considering that even the castle guards couldn't hurt him, albeit only using the back end of the spear, it would likely be a good while before he encountered something that could break past the defense present across his entire body.
"You're the Shield Hero!?"
"Ye~s, I just said that. Also, my name is Brook. I probably should have asked for yours earlier, but better late than never I suppose."
"Oh. My name is Raphtalia, Master Brook."
"Well then Raphtalia, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Brook bowed before thinking for a moment. "We should probably get you some clothes that aren't literal rags. And maybe a knife or something you could use to help kill the monsters." He started walking while scratching his chin. "He believed the rumors last time I saw him but it's not like I know any other shops that sell what we need."
Raphtalia had to hurry to keep up with the tall skeleton's pace until they reached their destination. Brook hesitated and took a deep breath before walking into the shop… which was empty of people.
"Is anyone here?" Brook called nervously.
"I hear ya," a voice called from a doorway further in before a bald man came out with a look of irritation. "I'm surprised you came back, bonehead."
"Yes well… I don't really know any other weapon shops and we've already established that you aren't going to punch me over false claims."
"And how's the slave factor in?"
"Er… well, I didn't really plan on buying a slave. The merchant was just so persuasive. And I didn't want to leave a kid to suffer in that place." Brook nervously rubbed the base of his skull. "So, do you have anything she could use?"
"What is this country coming to?" The blacksmith muttered under his breath while shaking his head before responding. "She's too small for anything bigger than a knife, and I think I have some sturdy clothes that'll be a bit big on her but will last as she grows." He began to rummage for the items in question. "Hate to see anyone fighting in something like that." Looking at Raphtalia's current attire, Brook had to agree.
"Am…" Raphtalia spoke up, "Am I really going to be helping you fight?"
Brook looked down to see Raphtalia looking up at him and could see the blacksmith eyeing his response.
"That's right. While I don't like the idea of putting someone so young in danger… I kinda don't have any other options." He looked down in shame for a moment. "I should probably explain. After summoning the four of us as heroes, we were told that we can't gain the experience necessary to level up if we are too close to each other. The king gathered some people to help us fight monsters and get stronger… and maybe they were supposed to help fight the waves too? I'm not too sure on that part to be honest. Oh I missed a chance to use one of the puns I got from Sans. Anyways, the morning after that I was accused of attacking the only person who was willing to join me, and now everyone assumes the worst about me. Well, worse than they already would about a talking skeleton. Not that most of the merchants let it stop them from doing business."
"Yeah, I've heard you've been threatening people with a death glare any time they try to hike prices on you."
"WHAT!? I would never. Though, I guess since I'm dead any glare I give is a death glare. YOHOHO. But no. I've only asked if they were sure about the prices."
"Yeah sure." The blacksmith said without belief. "These'll be 10 silver."
"Re~ally?" Brook leaned in and looked at him the same way he did with any other merchant.
"Yeah I can definitely see where that rumor came from. I've got a changing room just over here kid."
Brook was ignored as he sulked and put the money on the counter.
Ainz looked around at the remains of the village before him. "So, this is where the first wave struck?"
"That's correct, Lord Ainz," John answered. "A nearby town was also destroyed by it but this is where the boss was found and slain."
"Nearly everything is destroyed," Eira said as she looked around.
"It's actually in better condition than I expected. From the way Aultcray described it I would have thought every building was leveled in the wave, but many are at least somewhat intact and would work as temporary shelter for any survivors to rebuild. But, given the complete lack of such efforts, I would surmise that there were too few survivors to attempt such efforts, likely taking refuge in other settlements."
"I'm not so sure they left willingly," Farrie said while looking at a smashed in door. "Some of these damages look more like they were done by people rather than monsters."
"People, then you mean…" Eira spoke with a note of horror.
"Slavers." The entire party was shocked to hear a new voice come from behind them. When turning to look, Ainz saw what he could only describe as some sort of killer whale person. This caused him to wonder how someone so big was able to sneak up on them, as well as to be glad that he chose to wear armor to hide his appearance. He didn't like the idea of being mistaken for a monster and killed in a sneak attack before he could explain his situation. "The soldiers sent too late to fight the wave decided to attack and enslave the survivors." While Ainz couldn't read her expression, her voice was undeniably filled with anger and sadness. Not that he blamed her, the fact that she was here and knew what happened suggested that she knew the people of the village if not being a resident herself. Ainz himself still held a deep anger at the one who had attempted to take control of Shalltear. Then he realized the full implications of what she said. Ainz disliked the idea of slavery to begin with, even if some of the things he did weren't much different, but the idea that people would enslave their own countrymen was sickening. "Why did you come here?"
Before Ainz could answer, John took the initiative, "Mind your tongue beastman. You are in the presence of the illustrious Sword Hero."
Ainz knew he shouldn't be entirely surprised by John's words. The priest had often spoken up whenever anyone didn't show Ainz the respect he felt he, or rather, the sword hero deserved. The man had also made no attempt to hide his dislike of the various people with animal traits locally known as demi-humans. Beastman was a new term to him, but he surmised that it was either a slur or classification for a more animal-like demi-human. He would need to verify which later. Now he needed to do damage control.
"Calm down John. You shouldn't snap at people for asking a reasonable question." He then turned back to the orca woman and gave a slight bow. "I apologize for my companion's rudeness. As for your question, we came to try to get an idea of the sort of damage the waves cause. As you may have guessed from how he introduced me, I was summoned to this world as the sword hero and therefore given the duty to fight against them. As someone who believes in gaining as much information on the opposition as possible prior to a battle I felt it was a prudent choice." Ainz paused for a moment, "By any chance did you bear witness to the event?"
"The Sword Hero…" The woman whispered to herself as she thought before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. "If I'd been here the village would still be intact. No, I was out at sea in search of a particular fish, at Lord Seaetto's request, when the wave stuck. The storm it created delayed my return and by the time I got here the only people I found was a single group of men hoping to catch any villagers that escaped the soldiers." Her eyes narrowed, "They won't be missed."
"I would expect not," Ainz chuckled. The more he heard the more it sounded like she was a recruitable character with a tragic backstory and possible special missions attached.
"Lord Ainz!" John exclaimed. "This filthy demi-human just admitted to murder. How can you laugh at a time like this?"
Ainz looked at John for a moment. Had he had a face, its expression would've clearlead read "Are you serious?" but as he didn't and was wearing a helmet over his bare skull, it lost the intended effect.
"I would do the same, or worse, to anyone attempting to enslave my subjects."
"It also sounded kinda like they picked a fight with her," Eira added.
"I don't believe that a lord's death removes the laws they set in place over their lands. So the men were criminals to begin with," Farrie gave her view.
"You two can't truly be siding with a disgus-" John's words were cut off by Farrie chopping the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious.
Everyone looked at Farrie quizzically. "What? Don't act like none of you wanted to do the same."
"True."
"I don't have any sleep spells."
"I normally prefer to solve interpersonal issues diplomatically… but yes he can be rather irritating," Ainz admitted before returning his attention to the orca woman. "Perhaps we can now properly introduce ourselves. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, prior to being summoned to this world I ruled my kingdom as the Sorcerer King. Now I hold the position of Sword Hero and am bound to fight the waves in order to return home. But you can just call me Ainz."
The woman smiled before introducing herself, "Sadeena."
Spear Hero had been chasing down and killing large flightless birds for the past several hours. He was not alone, of course. Malty, who revealed her true name and status after her traumatic experience being assaulted by Brook, was with him. Though she had initially joined using the pseudonym "Myne Sophia" she was actually the first princess of Melromarc. Being a country of matrilineal succession that would normally mean that she would be the one to inherit the throne and thus shouldn't be risking her life fighting the waves. Unfortunately she fell victim to her younger sister's cruel schemes, losing both the position of crown princess and her mother's love in the process. Thus she now struggled to reclaim what was rightfully hers by traveling alongside the heroes and saving the world from catastrophe. Such a tale of betrayal amongst royalty didn't surprise him in the least after what he had seen nobles do in his own world.
They were also joined by Malty's friend from school, Lesty, and a merchant's daughter who got along well with them. Both seemed to be kind young women and it was clear to see how Malty's mood had improved since they joined them. On the other hand, the cleric who had originally joined him left after several disagreements as to how they should be spending their time and the amount of work each person should be putting into their fighting. Spear Hero didn't understand why the man had been so intent on scolding the girls for needing to recover their mana after casting spells. After all, normal humans shouldn't be expected to have the same level of reserves as an undead who'd been infused with significant amounts of lu-lium, and a cleric trained for years will naturally have more physical endurance than girls who spent their time on more scholarly pursuits.
There had been several others who had requested to join them on their journey, but they'd all had a change of heart upon learning that the rumors of the Spear Hero being a skeleton were true. Malty had taken it upon herself to screen anyone at the guild who wished to meet with him. It was surely tiring to talk to them and he often worried what could happen if they were to become angered and attack, but she always came out fine after confirming that they were not the type to be trusted. While Malty's efforts dealing with groups trying to meet officially were of great importance, that didn't stop random adventurers from coming up to them on the street. The occurrences lowered drastically after the first week, but it still felt tiring every time someone came up to him wanting to join his party. It got to the point where he would simply raise the face of his helm rather than speak, as that often caused them to leave quickly. While he honestly wouldn't mind having more assistance fighting, he rather not have to deal with those who couldn't tolerate him or made the girls uncomfortable.
Currently the three were having a snack to recover their mana while he continued to improve his spear technique. That was something he found rather irritating. Despite all the essence he'd absorbed in his regressions, he didn't seem to have any level of spearmanship or techniques. And in all the time he put in swinging and lunging he hadn't gotten an alert about a spear related skill improving. The only things that had seemed to progress were the level of mastery for whatever spear form he used at the time as well as its progress to releasing its equip bonus so it would continue to apply while using other forms. Perhaps this was another difference between status magic and the blue window.
Sans looked over the letter King Aultcray had left out. Apparently his wife wasn't very happy with him and how he'd treated Brook. That was a feeling Sans could relate to considering the man's daughter was the one who framed the guy before crying to "daddy" to make sure he be punished. And somehow Mr high and mighty King of Melromarc didn't even have the slightest clue his daughter was lying to him. Or maybe not so high and mighty since he married into the position and the queen is the real ruler.
He was just about to leave when he heard a voice in his head. "Sans, are you free to talk at the moment."
This was far from the first time that Ainz had used his magic to contact Sans. He'd first used it to get in touch the night after the trial so as to confirm that they both understood it for what it was. The royal hero had also contacted Brook so as to let him know that he wasn't truly alone even if they couldn't be seen helping him directly. Unfortunately the Spear Hero fully believed Malty's lie and AInze determined that any attempt to convince him otherwise without hard proof would only lead to animosity. After Sans explained that he'd be investigating (without divulging his methods) Ainz agreed to contact him each night thereafter so they could stay on the same page and hopefully get ahead of any future plans against them or their fellow summoned skeletons.
"sure am. i just finished up a bit of snooping actually."
"Oh, anything of note?"
"queen's none to happy with her hubbie for how he treated brook. doubt he'll actually change how he acts, but it means he'll be boned once she returns, and not in the fun way."
"While I'm sure that his receiving due punishment will be entertaining, we need to focus on our current survival."
"true. i've been looking into the church too but they're smart enough not to leave incriminating evidence just lying around, even in hidden rooms. so, anything happening with you?"
"Umu. It seems that the wave itself doesn't cause any destruction, rather it is all a result of the monsters it unleashes upon the land. Unfortunately, while the knights Aultcray allowed me to question were able to describe their experience well enough, finding someone who witnessed the start will be more challenging."
"no survivors from the village then?" Sans spoke somberly.
"None left in the village at least. It seems that the survivors were attacked by soldiers of Melromarc. The adults were slain while the children were sold into slavery."
"makes me wonder if these scumbags are worth saving."
"I know, but our own survival is also at stake. Now I don't imagine we can do anything drastic like ending slavery, but finding and retrieving the children of the village is something of a priority for my new companion."
"how's that working out with the priest?"
"Things became… heated. Honestly, if it wouldn't cause Eira and Farrie to see me as heartless I'd kill him and let the body be torn apart by some monsters as a cover. As it stands, don't be surprised if he is no longer with me the next time we meet."
"It's a good thing the shield can cook the monsters we put in it, cause I don't really know all the steps for turning a rabbit into a meal." Brook admitted while he and Raphtalia ate the food that came out of said shield. "Too bad it doesn't make any silverware to go with it."
A/N: I didn't really think about how doing the multi-week timeskip for Brook meant timeskip for everyone until I got down to writing, but it worked out. Sorta feel bad for making Nameless/Spear Hero fall for Malty's lies, but is entire existence is basically him doing whatever he can to help [Female Character] achieve her goal, so there was never any other way it would go down. Meanwhile, Ainz has managed to stumble upon one of the strongest beings in Melromarc (Top contenders would be the King if he pulled himself together and the Old Lady with the secret techniques, I would include Gaelion as a possible contender for that spot but he got beat by a level 40-50ish Ren).
An interaction I thought I would include for years until I got this far and couldn't find a place for it:
Brook: "Might I see your panties?"
Raphtalia: *Starts to Cry*
Raphtalia: "I-I don't have any. They didn't give me back my clothes when he sold me."
For those who don't know, Raphtalia was originally bought by a noble who wanted her to be a maid the sold her due to her screaming in her sleep. Same with the 2nd, then she ended up with Idol. Logically she would've been given a uniform to wear as a maid which then would be taken when she is sold, resulting in her only having those rags.
