Enri shifted her weight as she stared at the eight human-shaped blobs, watching them solidify into defined figures. As their forms became clear, she took note of their appearances and the items they carried. The objects in their hands seemed to be weapons—or at the very least, important enough to be held at the ready.
As the mercenaries fully materialized, Enri scrutinized them, mentally cataloging their physical traits. Her gaze lingered warily on the large figure at the center of the group. From what little she had learned from Ainz, each of them was extremely dangerous, though she didn't yet know the specifics, as the only measure is that Ainz considered them dangerous.
She also noted that, despite their differing styles, all the mercenaries had one thing in common—the color red in their attire. Enri pondered for a moment, "If they're wealthy, why are they mercenaries? Maybe they're nobles by title but lack the right of inheritance or wealth?"
She shook her head. "I don't understand.. But my job now is to hire them on Ainz's behalf."
She took a deep breath, pressing a hand against her chest to steady herself. Under her breath, she whispered, "Alright, Enri… You need to convince them to work for you, then find a way to house them in the village—if possible—on Ainz's behalf. But…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Enri jumped back and "AAAAAAA!" too with the mercenaries' sudden screaming-
The mercenaries' eyes were locked onto her and Kaijali, their expressions tense—except for the one wearing a red helmet and the masked figure beside him.
The red-helmeted man glanced around before a wide grin spread across his face. "Minion of Merasmus! I'm gonna kick your ass once again!" he bellowed before erupting into loud, americanly slaughter.
"Ooh, wunderbar, ze vialzzzz over zer are.. interezzting" The man in a long white coat said while glancing to the shelfs
The wiry (skinny) one beside him smirked. "Now that's a neat trick with the portal thing. Are you here for some knuckle sandvich?" he quipped and patted his metal club on his other hand
Enri didn't understand what he meant, but his stance and the metal club patting his hand made his intentions clear. She quickly waved her hands in front of her with a nervous smile. "No, no! I'm not here to fight!" She let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm here to hire you all. You're mercenaries, right?-
-Merasmus' lackey! Prepare for a thorough American ass-kicking!" the red-helmeted man bellowed. He slouched down into a sprinting stance. "Come here, and I'll—"
Before he could charge, an arm shot out in front of him. The orange-helmeted one held him back, standing firm like a barrier between him and Enri.
"Hold it there, fella. No need to be rowdy with a lady like a pack of wild coyotes," he drawled.
The red-helmeted man halted but crossed his arms with an indignant scowl. "Fine! But if this woman tries to un-Americanize us, I'll strangle her and that Merasmus' minion at the same time!"
The orange-helmet sighed and shook his head, while the rest of the mercenaries collectively straightened up and took a step back.
Turning to Enri, the orange-helmeted man gave her an apologetic nod. "Sorry 'bout that, girl." He exhaled before asking, "So, you're sayin' you're hiring us for what, exactly?"
Enri forced her smile to stay in place, though her eye twitched slightly. "You all are… dangerous individuals, right?"
Before he could respond, another voice cut in.
"You bet we are. So, you want us to beat the crap outta someone?" The wiry one grinned, resting his metal club against his shoulder.
"E-eh? Beat the crap out of someone?" Enri echoed.
"Well, yeah," he said, swinging his club in lazy loops to emphasize his point.
Enri nodded quickly. "Y-yeah…" She thought for a moment. "So that means 'smite him mightily'… Alright."
A massive figure stepped forward, arms crossed. His deep voice rumbled through the room. "Do you pay a lot?"
Enri got startled from the rumbling voice, but recomposed herself and nodded. "Mhm! We will pay a lot!"
The giant glanced at his team, and after a series of exchanged nods, he turned back to Enri. "Will there be many to kill?"
She let out a nervous laugh, nodding again. "O-of course… there will be many!"
The giant smiled. "Then we have a deal." He extended his enormous hand toward her.
Enri hesitated for a second, then mirrored his gesture, gripping his hand as firmly as she could.
"Today, we will help you destroy tiny babies," he declared.
Before Enri could let out a relieved sigh to the completed deal, the man with carbon-man abruptly tipped forward, collapsing face-first with a loud thud. "Bloody… hell… goddess scrumpy… kiss me…" he mumbled in his sleep.
Enri gasped. The mercenaries glanced at him but seemed largely unbothered. "Is he okay?" she asked, pointing at the fallen man.
The engineer just shook his head. "Ain't nothin' to worry 'bout. He downs a barrel of Scottish booze daily."
"Downs Scottish… booze?" Enri muttered, glancing at the snoring man. She studied his dazed, unconscious state. "Yeah… maybe something similar to ale or mead…"
She cleared her throat and straightened up. "Um, so… I'm Enri. Enri Emmot. And you all are…?"
The giant uncrossed his arms. "Mikhail. They call me Heavy."
The wiry one smirked. "Scout. But the ladies call me Jeremy." He popped a piece of gum into his mouth.
The long-coated man adjusted his glasses. "Oh-oh, I am ze Medic. My name's Ludwig." He bowed, then straightened up.
The quiet one tipped his hat. "Sniper."
"Mpph mphh."
Scout nudged the unconscious man with his foot. "This guy? That's Demoman. Name's Tavish." Then he pointed to the masked man and said "That mumbling freak is Pyro."
"Soldier!" The red-helmeted man shouted. "You do not deserve to know my real name!" He turned away with a scowl.
The orange-helmeted man removed his headgear and nodded. "And I'm Dell Conagher. But just call me the Engineer. We're please to meet t'cha and make business"
Enri nodded, but before she could say anything, Scout stepped forward, lacing his fingers together like he was about to pray—or propose. His grin stretched a little too wide, his teeth just there, and his eyes, locked onto hers, didn't so much as flicker away.
"Soooo…" he dragged the word out, rocking on his heels before sidling up beside her.
Enri tensed, shoulders drawn tight, her hands curling into small fists. She darted a glance at him, wary, but he was already leaning in slightly, head tilting.
Scout hummed—low and drawn out, like he was savoring some private thought. "You… loooook…"
A bead of sweat prickled at Enri's temple. "Err… Scout?" Her voice came out stiff, her body unwilling to relax.
Scout chuckled, breathy and just a little too pleased with himself. "Scout? No, no, don't call me that." His voice dipped, attempting something smooth, but it cracked at the end. "Call me… Jeremy."
His grin deepened as he leaned in just a fraction more. The space between them shrank—his presence there, the warmth of him just close enough.
"Aaahh… What I was sayin' was…" He hesitated, eyes darting across her face, searching for something—a sign, a reaction, anything.
Enri's fingers twitched at her sides.
"You look… err… err…" He trailed off, scratching the back of his head, his confidence visibly fracturing. One of his hands twitched like he wanted to make a grand gesture, but instead, it floundered, hovering awkwardly in the air before stuffing itself into his pocket.
A weird, breathy laugh escaped him. "Ravishing…? Huh…" His jaw clenched slightly before he forced the word out. "Delicious?"
The moment stretched, thick, suffocating.
A silence so thick settled between them that even the snoring of Demoman in the background couldn't break it, until-
Enri blinked, then a chuckle let out "What?" And she continued to laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle it, but she couldnt contain it.
"Soft! No! Round!" Soldier suddenly barked.
Scout's face was white as snow from embarrassment but, pressing his luck further, leaned in closer—
A massive sword suddenly separated that little gap there was left between their faces. Scout yelped and recoiled. "What the hell?!" but Enri remained still, her gaze flickered downward, and let out a soft, bewildered "huh?"
Kaijali stood at her side, gripping the hilt of his sword. The green goblin narrowed his eyes. "Look, kid. I know our boss is the sole shining rose in a field of weeds, but she's already married to someone else."
His gaze hardened "I let you that close because I thought you wanted a favour or a certain condition. but this isn't something I can accept."
He pointed the blade at Scout's face. "Are we clear? No more approaching boss like that."
Scout sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Without a word, he turned and walked back to his team.
Enri let out a long, slow breath, calming herself from the laughter. She surveyed the group before glancing over her shoulder, toward where Ainz and the Floor Guardians stood behind the barrier that acted as one-way glass. In this case for her and the mercs, it was opaque.
"Can you all wait here for a moment?" Enri asked
Heavy raised an eyebrow. "Where you go?"
Enri was already walking away with a small smile. "Just going to talk with my… friends. About the payment and the plan." She waved a hand toward them as if to tell them not to worry.
Heavy let out a low hum and gave a subtle nod.
Enri and Kaijali forcibly pressed her hand against the barrier behind her, and it seamlessly absorbed both her and Kaijali. Stepping through to the other side, she emerged where Ainz and the Floor Guardians stood that so far were silently observing her interaction with the mercenaries.
The mercenaries exchanged glances—then immediately turned on Scout, laughing at him.
Medic said while leaning to his face with his hands intertwined together "Oh, oh, zer 'delicious' woman! Will ya accept my ring of dirt!" And jumped back and laughed at him.
Scout just hunched while crossing his arms, with an annoyed face.
Ainz and the Floor Guardians were overseeing the interview between Enri and the mercenaries. The Floor Guardians quietly observed her interactions with them, snickering occasionally at a comment or two.
However, Ainz himself was plastered to the barrier, like a child watching a toy behind a glass window. The Floor Guardians, noticing this, didn't know what Ainz saw that required such intense concentration, but they mimicked him, plastering themselves to the barrier to scrutinize Enri and the mercenaries, like the wise Ainz Ooal Gown. Despite their attentive observations, the voices of Enri and the mercenaries coming through the barrier were muffled.
Ainz, with his glorious face pressed against the barrier, thought, "What the hell? I knew she was a capable person, but to convince them so quickly? I mean, I trusted that she would succeed, but this quickly?" He almost passed through the barrier, but pulled back just enough so he didn't end up going through.
After finding his footing, he suppressed a sigh so the Floor Guardians wouldn't think Enri had failed in some way. Ainz scratched his chin. "Is she just better at this, or has my appearance affected the relationship between me and them that much...?"
Ainz turned to look at the Floor Guardians. "Eh… eehh..?" Ainz could only mutter that in his mind, as the Floor Guardians had their faces buried in the barrier, just enough so it wouldn't make them phase through. Ainz's jaw dropped for a second, and he facepalmed. "Alright…"
But before he could say anything, he noticed that Enri and Kaijali seemed to have already finished the negotiations. He stepped away from the barrier and said, "Everyone, give space to Enri and the goblin."
The Floor Guardians immediately complied and stepped back, standing behind an invisible line—the line being Ainz himself.
Enri and Kaijali pressed their hands against the barrier, and it allowed them to phase through. Enri stumbled on her first step but regained her composure and stood quietly. The goblin jumped out of the portal and landed normally.
"How did it go?" Ainz asked, his tone curious.
Enri collected her thoughts and answered, "They agreed to work. They requested payment and a lot to kill. How… do we continue from here?"
The Floor Guardians behind Ainz exchanged glances, a few knowing smiles passing between them, along with some comments about their eagerness to kill. There were also murmurs about their request for payment—they should work for Ainz's praise, after all.
Ainz ignored the soft rumors behind him and answered Enri, "I see. Do you think there have been any difficulties, or is there any indication that they aren't convinced?"
Enri glanced at the ground, studying the memories of their reactions. Finally, she looked at Ainz. "Um… I think they all agree. The Heavy…" She pointed to the giant of the team, "seems to be the leader. They follow his decisions."
Ainz nodded thoughtfully. "Alright… so the Heavy is the leader of the team. Does that mean whatever he chooses, the team will follow? Alright. So, if I have to convince the team, I might have to approach him first."
He mentally facepalmed again and groaned inwardly, "To think I first summoned the most unreliable member, and the second I summoned had trust issues, and i had to climb a mountain to just hire one of hem. If I had summoned the Heavy first, it would have been a lot better…"
However, he ceased whining about past mistakes. Now, supposedly, he had achieved what he wanted—all the mercenaries were hired.
Ainz nodded at Enri's words. "I see. Now, onto another matter…" Enri listened closely. "Do you think your fortified town is capable of housing them? Or do you think they'd be too unpredictable for you?"
Enri immediately responded, "I can host them without a doubt in my village!"
The goblin looked up at her with a questioning and suspicious eye but no words were muttered.
Ainz nodded. "What makes you say that? Are you saying it just to please me, or do you truly believe you can house them?"
Enri nodded again, this time putting both fists in front of her face with a determined expression. "I can host them without a doubt, Ainz-sama!"
Ainz had his suspicions. He wondered what she had in mind but wanted to try something. "Hm. Just know that failure in doing so will displease me greatly. It might make me reconsider—"
"I will not disappoint!" Enri responded, her confidence even stronger.
"Huh… umu. Alright."
Ainz tapped his chin for a moment and glanced at the Floor Guardians behind him, who were visibly angry, likely because Enri had interrupted him while he was speaking. "You all can calm down. She has done no offense." They complied.
He looked back at Enri. "Hmm… your confidence is admirable. However, I have my doubts. Do you have a plan in mind, or are you just pushing forward blindfolded?"
Enri nodded. "I—I thought about this for a moment. I thought they would just attack me on sight, but it seems…" She trailed off for a second. "It seems while they are… dangerous, they don't just attack anything that comes into their sight… and if they do, the other members will hold them back."
Ainz nodded. "I see." Then his eyes darkened, and he thought, "So I had to summon the whole team instead of just one by one? So even if I had just summoned the Heavy, he would still be hostile toward me? And she—"
Enri spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "Also… they remind me of the goblins that I look after. They have their own internal hierarchy,order and each have different personalities. So, I think I can manage them."
He nodded with a hum. "I see. So, you already have experience with this sort of dynamic."
Enri nodded.
He mentally sighed. "Alright, so she wasn't just born with skilled communication—she already has experience with similar group dynamics."
Finally, he looked at her and gave his permission, "I'm convinced. I'll trust you to host and manage them."
Then Ainz started to tell her what to do now, Enri nodded and nodded again, and after a while Ainz stopped, and Enri was ready.
As the mercenaries calmed down, scratching their butts while waiting for Enri to emerge from the barrier, it suddenly rippled. Enri and Kaijali stepped through it. She stumbled slightly, but Kaijali landed gracefully.
The mercenaries turned in unison, their reflexes sharp. Enri froze for a moment, taken aback by their swift movements. She quickly took a deep breath.
"I'll show you where you'll be resting… um..." She turned around to face the barrier, and the mercenaries leaned to follow her gaze. A portal began to form, its corners struggling to solidify before dispersing into the air.
Heavy's eyebrows furrowed, and the other mercenaries tensed. Demoman immediately stood, wielding his grenade launcher.
"Bloody idiot! It's a trap!" Demoman yelled, pointing the launcher at the portal, then at Enri.
"That's it! I'll strangle you both! Merasmus' lackey and you lackey's lackey!" Soldier shouted, aiming his weapon between Enri and Kaijali.
Enri didn't know exactly what their weapons did, but she knew provoking them would only make things worse. She waved her hands frantically while shaking her head. "Wait, wait, please! Don't hurt us!" she pleaded, stepping back.
Soldier grit his teeth and shouted, "ATTTACCCCCKKKK!" As the hollow sound of his weapon erupted, a firework-like explosion went off—
The explosion blasted in front of Soldier, sending him stumbling back and landing hard on his feet. "Dammit!" he groaned. The other mercenaries watched him with passive stares. Despite the explosion, Soldier appeared unharmed. More surprisingly, the nearby mercenaries seemed unaffected by the blast.
It turned out that Heavy had placed his hand in front of Soldier's firework.
Heavy glanced over his shoulder at the fallen Soldier, snorting. "Hm. Stoopid."
He turned back to Enri and grunted, "Speak."
Enri's breath hitched, a quiver in her voice, but she steadied herself with a deep breath. "P-please… we mean no harm. Can you all… um, lower your weapons?"
Heavy shot a glare at Demoman, who immediately lowered his grenade launcher. Heavy then slapped Soldier's weapon out of his hand before turning back to Enri.
Enri sighed in relief, clutching her heart. She opened her eyes to meet Heavy's gaze. "Thank you."
Heavy simply hummed in response.
She finally smiled, now feeling a little more at ease. "This portal leads to the town I oversee. I'll show you around, so you can get familiar with it and know where to go. Then, we'll take you to the place where you'll be resting."
"But… I'll need you all to leave your weapons here, please."
Heavy's voice rumbled, shaking the room. He crossed his arms and glared at her. "Why?"
Enri's smile faltered, turning nervous. "You see, I don't want anyone who isn't a goblin to roam around with weapons. If you need help, the goblins in the town can protect you if you're in danger!"
Heavy snorted, then walked toward a wall. Each of his heavy steps made the wooden room tremble. As he stopped in front of the wall, a table appeared from his presence, and he placed his massive weapon on it. He turned to the other mercenaries and gestured to the table.
The mercenaries threw their weapons onto the table.
Heavy walked toward the portal, passing by Enri. But then he stopped beside her, turning his head to look her in the eye. He raised one enormous hand, pointing two fingers to his own eyes, then to hers. "Eye to eye. You touch Sasha, Heavy touch you."
Enri nodded slowly, whispering, "Hm… I won't touch…"
Heavy gave a single grunt before walking through the portal.
The mercenaries followed Heavy into the portal. Scout refused to look at Enri, too embarrassed to face her again. Demoman, still dazed, was being dragged by Soldier, who yelled at her, "Don't look at me! I didn't ask you any questions!" before marching past her. Sniper and Medic walked past silently, exchanging only a quick glance, before disappearing through the portal.
Enri raised an eyebrow and muttered to herself, "1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7?" She counted in her mind, realizing something was off. "Weren't there 8 of them?"
"WOAAAAAAAA!" she gasped inwardly as a flash of red and yellow danced in her peripheral vision.
Turning around, she saw a massive fire roaring at the far end of the wooden room. Her heart raced. "A-A-A! A fire!" she screamed, rushing to the flames. She lifted her gown and stomped at the roaring fire, desperate to put it out, meanwhile Kaijali did the same thing.
As she stamped the flames, she glanced to the side and noticed Pyro crouched near the fire, staring at her through his mask.
"Help me here! We can't let this fire spread!" she shouted at him.
Pyro slowly stood and walked toward her, his fists clenched. He moved forward, stepping on the flames, and then swung his fist back, striking Enri's face with brutal force. She stumbled, her cheek reddening from the blow.
"Pyro! What are you doing?" she cried, rubbing her cheek.
Kaijali rushed forward, his giant sword in hand, ready to defend Enri. "How dare you hurt boss!" he roared, glaring at Pyro.
Pyro looked down at Kaijali, his muffled breath escaping as he said, "Mphh Mphh," before swatting Kaijali aside and launching a punch at Enri. She ducked, barely avoiding the blow. She quickly retaliated, landing a punch with her knuckles against Pyro's mask. Pyro turned his head, but then, his other hand shot out, grabbing Enri by the neck and slamming her into the wall.
"Mphh. Mphh. Mphh! MphhMphh? MPH!" His muffled words carried a strange mix of anger and wisdom.
The philosophy of Pyro was so advanced- that just made Enri's confusion deepened as she tried to grip his wrist, using all her strength to pull herself up.
"Mph… mph? Mpph mpph!"
Her eyebrows furrowed as she lifted her legs and stomped on Pyro's stomach. He staggered back, releasing his grip on her. She landed back on her feet, rubbing her sore neck.
Kaijali, finally recovering from his dazed state, stood ready to defend her again.
"Kaijali!" Enri yelled. She pointed to the portal. "Go call Heavy! Now!"
Kaijali stared at her with wide eyes. "But…"
"NOW!" Enri barked.
Kaijali didn't hesitate. He ran toward the portal while the mercenaries remained unaware of the situation unfolding.
Enri turned back to Pyro, who had already recovered. She quickly rolled up her sleeves, tying her gown's skirt behind her waist to keep it out of the way.
Pyro stood menacingly, his hands on his hips, a stern posture. Enri hunched her back, preparing for a fight, arms raised to protect her head and body. Pyro's breath was steady but loud. Enri's own breathing quickened as her muscles tensed, waiting for the next move.
Pyro let out a muffled battle cry and raised his fist. Enri dodged to the side, attempting to land a punch, but Pyro slapped her away, forcing her to pull back.
"Mphh…"
Enri jabbed at Pyro, landing a blow to the snout of his mask, causing his chin to dip forward. She stepped in, throwing a punch toward what she assumed was his chin.
Pyro grabbed her hair, yanking her toward his fist. Enri's head jerked back as her arms flew outward. She quickly regained her footing, but her eyes widened as Pyro materialized an axe in his hands, raising it above his head.
Enri's mind raced, "He has an axe… I can't fight him now! Not like this!"
As Enri distanced herself, Pyro charged toward her, raising the axe high above his head. She dodged the first swing, continuing to move backward, leaning to avoid the next strike. But—
Pyro's axe swept through the air, or at least, it was supposed to. As he pursued her, the blade cleaved the space around her. She cried out in pain as her arm was struck, the sudden agony forcing her to the ground. Her vision blurred for a moment as she held her arm with her other hand, her eyes twitching from the shock. She glanced down, and her heart skipped. Her severed arm lay on the ground beside her. Looking up, her blurry gaze met Pyro's imposing figure, looming over her.
Terror flooded her mind. "N-no.. I can't end like this."
Desperately, she clutched at the stump, her fingers fumbling over the blood-slicked skin. "Please, don't let this be the end."
"P-please don't kill me!" Enri stammered.
The shadows of her past rushed back to haunt her, their images dancing like specters around Pyro's looming silhouette. He once again raised the axe above his head. She closed her eyes and her shielded with her remaining arm-
End of the chapter