章 508: 17
Chapter 17 - Dealing With the Intruders.
The worker team, Dragon Hunt, was walking through the unnaturally quiet forest for about an hour. No encounters, no monsters, nothing. Not even the sounds of wildlife. Team's thief scouts ahead with the rest of the team following its leader Parpatra, some distance behind the thief.
"I don't like this. The forest is far too quiet to be natural," groups warrior whispers.
"I agree something is off," Parpatra whispers back.
They continue to walk, seeing nothing but trees. The team's spell-caster is using the second-tier spell, 'Mapping', and taking notes on a sheet for reference. In a situation like this, even a simple spell like mapping is invaluable to not get lost in the immense uncharted forest.
Suddenly thief stops and raises his hand signaling the rest of the team to halt. Everyone crouches, sneaking closer to the thief and blending in with the green forest floor. In the distance, a group walking can be seen between the trees.
Three scaly beastmen, reminding them of crocodiles, walk in front of the group. Even from the distance, it is clear that they are much stronger than a regular human by their massive muscular statures.
Parpatra quickly assesses they alone are a threat big enough to not engage. What is much worse is the six skeletons following them. Each is clad in shiny gear emanating a faint light, a clear sign of an enchanted gear. Finally, they are tailed by a strange floating monster with many eyes. His guess was that monster was some kind of scouting unit.
Seeing the safest option to just wait for them to pass, Parpatra lays close to the ground and gives the rest of the group signal to do the same.
Unfortunately, their attempts of avoiding the patrol were fruitless. The floating, many-eyed monster turns a gaze on the location where the Dragon Hunt hides and, with a weird echoey voice, informs the rest of the patrol.
With the option to hide, failing Parpatra signals his team to take a defensive stance and stands up, raising his spear. Patrol approaches them with raised weapons and stops few meters away from them. The largest crocodile-like beastman steps forward and speaks in a loud voice.
"You are trespassing in the territory belonging to the Empire of Nazarick. State your reason for being in the forest of Tob."
Even in his long and adventurous life, Parpatra hasn't met a beastmen acting so formally. One would expect such a sentence from an imperial guard in the Baharuth, not from an uncivilized beast. But the Dragon hunt was far too deep in the forest to feign ignorance and pretend to be lost or to look for herbs.
A quick semi-lie might at least them a wiggle room and avoid fight away.
"We are following the exploration contract. We heard that the forest was much safer lately and are mapping out the area. No one told us it belongs to this new nation." Parpatra says in a calm voice.
"Drop your weapons and surrender. General Cocytus will decide your fate." Lead beastmen commands.
"We can't surrender to these monsters, they will eat us." Cleric quietly whispers.
"We have no option. We will lose if we fight either way." Parpatra whispers back, dropping his spear.
Monsters or not, they acted like proper patrol, and even if this empire was brutal and unforgiving, with surrender, there was hope to provide some value and get out of this with the skin intact. For a moment, he doesn't hear the rest of his team dropping their weapons.
"Lads, trust me on this, drop your weapons. We are just trespassers for now." Parpatra says louder, but when none of his team responds, he closes his eyes and sighs. For fifty-two years, he has been the leader of the 'Dragon Hunt' team. Dozens of people joined and left, not one dying under his leadership. For a moment, he considers picking up his spear again and just take the last stand with his team, but what would it change.
"Take them out but spare the old man, if he doesn't move." Beastman shouts an order.
The dying screams of his team broke the old man's heart. He couldn't talk them out of it. They have chosen their fate against his advice. He remains unmoving, listening to every scream from his former teammates.
As screams die down, the lead beastman speaks again.
"Pick up corpses. You, old man, come with us."
Parpatra didn't know for how long they walked, as it was getting dark. Three beastmen made a small camp while the undead took positions around it. He could sit by the fire with them. They ate raw fish and casually chatted. The banter was more human-like than he could have imagined. Joking around, talking about future plans and loved ones. One of the beastmen was anxious. His mate was pregnant with his first child and he was afraid to miss the birth, being out on patrols so often.
The old man silently eats the dried food from his bag and drinks water from the flask as he listens to the banter until sleep overtakes him.
With sunrise, they were on move again. Walking for almost the entire day was very taxing, but even in his advanced age, he was used to it.
On the fourth day, they reached a large lake with a town beside it. The average-sized dwelling was filled with the same crocodile, like beastmen. It resembled a regular busy town. Folk going about their business, children playing games and running around. Group of what look like elder smoking pipes and loudly arguing about something.
A statue of a skeletal being in the central square came into view. Seeing the curious look on the old man's face, the lead lizardman speaks.
"That is our leader, emperor Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Is he an undead?"
"He is a god. That is all you need to know. General Cocytus is his adoptive son. Be respectful and you might live."
Parpatra could only nod at the statement and follow his captors to the largest building in the town.
The sight of the General chilled him to the bone, both figurately and literarily. Large insectoid exuded freezing cold as he looked down at the much smaller human in front of him while the lead lizardman reported the incident.
"YOU GAVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT, WHY?" Cocytus asks.
"To my estimate, my team couldn't win the fight."
"IF YOU HAVE DEEMED TO HAVE FIGHTING CHANCE YOU WOULD HAVE FOUGHT?"
Should he tell this monster that in case of winning chance he would have killed the general's troops? Despite the inhuman nature, this insectoid gave off the impression of an honorable warrior.
"Yes."
"GIVE HIM HIS WEAPON BACK. I WANT TO SEE HIS ABILITY."
Lizardman gives Parpatra back his weapon and motions to follow the general outside. They stop at the training ground with lizardmen sparing with each other. Cocytus takes a stance and says,
"STRIKE ME WITH ALL YOU GOT."
Parpatra stands still for a moment. What would happen if he would injure the general? He could only hope it would not end that way. With activated gale acceleration, he charges the opponent, performing his best move, 'Dragon fang thrust'.
Cocytus blocks the two-strike attack without effort. Remaining in the same position. Parpatra executes 'Pierce Dragon thrust' with the same results.
"WAS THE REST OF YOUR TEAMMATES ON YOUR LEVEL?" Cocytus suddenly asks him.
"Unfortunately, they hadn't reached my level of ability," Parpatra responds.
"YOU ARE A FORMIDABLE WARRIOR FOR A HUMAN. I AGREE WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT, YOUR TEAM, EVEN WITH YOUR HELP, WOULD HAVE DIED AGAINST THE PATROL ANYWAY. I WISH TO TAKE YOU UNDER MY DIRECT COMMAND. WOULD YOU AGREE TO BECOME CITIZEN OF THE EMPIRE OF NAZARICK?"
"Do I have a choice in the matter?"
"YES, YOU HAVE ONLY TRESPASSED WITHOUT BREAKING ANY OTHER LAW. IF YOU REFUSE TO JOIN, YOU WILL BE ESCORTED TO THE BORDER OF THE EMPIRE AND LET GO WITH WARNING TO NOT COME BACK."
Offer intrigues Parpatra. He already knew if he was to return to Baharuth, there would be no more team 'Dragon Hunt'. After losing his team for the first time during his long career, he was sure to never assemble another team again, even if willing volunteers showed up.
Noone waited for him to return. To go back would mean to slowly whiter away alone.
"I will stay and accept your offer, general Cocytus."
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There were fourteen members of the team 'Heavy Masher' that entered the mysterious forest of Tob. Lead by the short but bulky Gringham, they were the largest worked team in the entire Baharuth empire. Four warriors surrounded their mapper, letting him turn his full attention to the task. With three archers and two thieves serving as scouts, they had made an ambush on them near impossible.
The unnaturally silent forest unnerved them from the very start. With not a single barghest or giant spider or any other beast-type monster, encounter for the first three hours filled them with a false sense of security.
However, the first encounter came soon in form of a small band of patrolling undead. Two skeletons in glowing enchanted gear and nine clad in mithril armor without enchants. For a seasoned team like them, it wasn't too much of a threat.
Gringham gathers teams, warriors, with a shout and takes on one skeleton with the enchanted gear. In a one-on-one fight with such a monster, he may not have been able to hold his ground, but support from thieves and clerics turned battle in their favor fast.
After the skeleton's wide swing, Gringham retaliates with a kick, making it stager. Caster uses the opportunity and sends a flame arrow in its direction, distracting the monster and giving Grinham full opening, who quickly uses it by crushing his heavy axe in the skeleton's midsection, shattering it to pieces.
Ending the encounter with only light injuries that can easily be mended by the clerics put the team in an even more elevated mood. The gear that monsters leave behind in their deaths by itself is a significant find. Enchanted gear alone is worth over one hundred gold by their estimate.
The next few hours again were uneventful. Just the unnaturally quiet forest. The forest was slowly getting darker with the sun setting. The team was still on alert, but the atmosphere was rather light. It all quickly came to a halt with a bloodcurdling scream.
They quickly found the culprit. One archer was laying in a pool of his own blood, maimed by what seemed large claws. One of the clerics quickly kneels and casts healing on the poor man, who is clearly in shock. It was easy to see that damage inflicted on the archer wasn't meant to kill, but to cause as much pain as possible. Punctured stomach, crushed genitals, and deep claw marks on face.
The healing spell did its job to mend the body. Physically, the archer was good as new, but the shock from the attack was clearly scarred him. The man sits up, repeating,
"Claws, something light furred, monster."
Something monstrous was prowling around and, with the sun setting, surrounded by trees, they were essentially in a trap. Gringham makes a quick decision and shouts,
"Stay together. No one goes out of sight of others. We are making camp here. Only three of us are sleeping at the same time. We are getting out of this forest tomorrow."
They set only one tent up and lit a small fire. Because of the secrecy of their mission, a fire was by itself a risky thing, but with a monster prowling around, spending the night in darkness was a much worse option.
The silent forest was unnerving during the day, during the night, it quickly becomes soul-crushing. Eleven men on their edge stationed in the circle around the small camp while rest try to get at least some sleep. The air itself felt bad and itchy. One of them sneezes loudly, taking away the attention for a mere moment.
Another scream and one of them is gone. He was still alive somewhere in the dark forest. The Heavy Mashers now had to listen to how one of their own was maimed to death somewhere in the darkness. The almost inhuman screams would weigh heavily upon their minds for the rest of their lives.
At this point, no one even attempted to sleep. Gringham and his men were reciting every prayer they could remember, praying to make it out alive till the morning.
Sometime later, after its first victim, a female voice rang through the forest.
"Help, please, someone help. I am all alone here."
When there is no reaction, the same voice breaks into almost hysterical laughter and shouts,
"Come out and play. It is so boring."
When taunts didn't work either, a strange female monster emerges from the darkness and grabs one of the clerics, dragging him back into darkness, nimbly avoiding being hit by the nearby warrior. Whet few glimpses they caught of it looked like a mix between a human woman and a beastman.
Again, they were forced to listen to how a man was torn apart somewhere near. During the night, many more joined their fallen comrades. It was clear that the monster targeted clerics and casters first.
When morning sun finally came, only eight of the original fourteen team Heavy Masher members were alive. The rising sun gave a view of the horrific scene. Grass and trees filed with the bloody remains of their former teammates. Those few bodies that still had heads with faces were locked in permanent, horrified expressions.
Gringham resisted the urge to vomit and ordered his men.
"The hell with our supplies we are getting out of this godforsaken forest right away."
Suddenly, a woman walks into view, her mouth, hands, and bare feet covered in blood. Despite the gruesome display, she still is enticing enough to distract the group momentarily. Her slim-toned body is covered with very revealing chain armor and the pretty blood-covered face carries a confident smile. Only moments later, they realize that on top of her head sits two blonde beastlike ears and her purple eyes have vertical slits.
"What the hell are you?" Gringham shouts at her.
She does a polite bow and says,
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Clementine, the Apostle of Murder. You have the honor to become my victims in the name of the great Lord Peros, the God of Murder."
The announcement and the increasingly insane expression on the monster's face make the hardened worker team shudder. With a determined expression, everyone prepares to strike the monster down.
Clementine smirks and moves with the speed they can't match, grabbing one of them and pulling him away from the rest. She rapidly morphs her human hands into beastlike paws with sharp claws and digs them into the man's back, using him as a living shield against the others as the man screams in pain.
"My, my, so eager to play. This will be so much fun." She says with a laugh. Then morphs her mouth much wider and filled with sharp teeth. She digs them into the man's shoulder with a sickening crunch and tears out a large piece of meat and bone. Then she chews the piece in her mouth with a slight moan.
It is too much for some of them as a thief and two warriors violently vomit at the scene. Clementine swallows the meat and lets out another laugh, dropping the rapidly bleeding out man on the green forest floor. With no healer left alive, he will be dead soon.
She then fully morphs into a catlike beast and disappears into the canopy above them with a vertical jump. The remaining seven men are just left broken. With no hope to defend themselves, they run in the direction they came from yesterday. There is no more point in holding any kind of formation. Each could only hope to get out of the forest while the monster takes out the rest of the teammates. Each man was on his own.
One by one, they are picked off. There was no sense to even look back, just run in hopes to get out of the forest. Gringham ran on his last legs slowly, losing hope. He is running alone for some time already. All his comrades were dead, or at least dying somewhere in this cursed forest.
Finally, not being able to run anymore in his heavy plate armor, Gringham collapses to his knees. Panting, he tries to stand up but can't.
Clementine drops in front of him, morphing back into a human.
"That's it, giving up?"
"You damn monster!"
"That's it, get angry. I killed most of your friends one by one. I scatter the remaining ones around the forest to be played with later. You know how cats like to play with their victims, right?" Clementine says with a wide smile as her hands transform into paws again.
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The team Tenmu or more precisely, Erya Uzruth and his three Elven slaves were creeping through the forest, avoiding the undead patrols. Erya Had found out beforehand that the emperor of this Empire of Nazarick was a skilled necromancer. Killing his summons might just draw unnecessary attention. As capable as he was, he knew that even a small country will have an army and even a powerful and skilled swordsman as he could not fight alone against an entire army.
Erya's slaves were cleric, a druid, and a ranger. They were the ones doing the tedious task and mapping the forest. By the frequency and direction on patrols, they had already avoided, Erya had figured out the general direction they were coming from.
To find the center of this small empire would guarantee a hefty bonus.
The first day on its own was uneventful. Erya was a highly skilled individual and could avoid the low-level undead monsters with ease, and the forest was like a second home for the elves, as all three women could blend in with the forest almost perfectly.
When night came, Erya ordered slaves to set up the small tenet for him. Elves would sleep outside as he planned to spend nighttime in sitting meditation to be battle-ready with a blink of an eye and could easily suppress his urges to use his slaves for few days.
Each Elven woman took a turn to sleep while the remaining two stood guard. Their ruthless master would surely inflict torture before killing them if they made a mistake. Each recited a silent prayer to gods for giving a chance for peaceful, if not a short, sleep. As tonight, because of the risk, their master would rape none of them.
The second day did not differ from the first. Patrols got more frequent and Erya saw more powerful undead with much better gear. It was tempting to kill them and take their gear for profit, but ultimately, it wasn't his mission to kill the monsters.
Finally, on the fifth day, they reached a stone structure by the great lake. The odd lack of guards was suspicious, but Erya investigates the central building anyway, hoping to report something useful and receiving the additional money for the discovery.
They slowly walk in and moments later find themselves in a large hall with a throne in the middle. The throne is made of bones and decorated with skulls. On the throne sits a stunningly beautiful plate-clad Elven woman with long blonde hair and with one green and one blue eye.
Next to her stands a girl with one white and one dark eye. Her hair was colored opposite to her eyes. She holds a long scythe in her hand.
Erya stares silently at the sight. The plate armor woman sitting on the throne is wearing is clearly worth a fortune. By the little rumors and reports he had heard, it was safe to assume that she was one of the lords. Also alarming was the size of the weapon the girl standing next to her held. Anyone proficient with a weapon of such size was clearly stronger than a regular human.
Erya was confident he would win the fight against the girl and could take this lord as one of his slaves. Her unnatural beauty enticed him and he could already imagine various ways he could break her.
"So one of the spies has finally arrived. Since you were so careful to not touch our patrols, I am willing to let you go with a warning if you leave those three girls behind."
"You are getting all of this wrong, elf. I am taking out your little guard over there and you will become my slave."
Erya snarls back at her. The arrogance of this subhuman vexed him. As the former citizen of Slane Theocracy, he truly believes that he is better than any of the lesser races and her place is on the floor begging for his mercy that would not come.
"Oh, really now? We will see. Zesshi, remember not to kill him. You know how disappointed I will be if I have to bother to get a resurrection for this little clown."
"Yes, mistress, I will be careful." The black and white-haired girl says and approaches Erya, who is red with rage at Elf's comment.
The girl is approaching him casually, leaving herself wide open. Erya smirks and strikes her with his sword internally, laughing at girl's foolishness. She, however, casually blocks his attack with ease.
Erya does another swing, but this time she steps aside. Zesshi quickly steps beside him while he is still mid-swing and elbows him in the back, making him lose balance and face plant against the floor.
To be played around like this is humiliating enough, but then the elf sitting on the throne lets out a laugh, making it all much worse.
Erya quickly rolls out of the way and jumps back up. He clearly underestimated the abilities of this girl. He activates his martial art boosts.
"Ability Boost."
"Greater Ability Boost."
Feeling invincible, Erya uses his ability 'Shukuchi', which allows him to close distance in an instant, and appears right before Zesshi swinging his sword with much greater speed and power. Zesshi once again blocks with ease, but this time she swings back, hitting the sword out of Erya's hands, who for a moment blinks in disbelief.
Zesshi tosses aside her scythe as well and hits him in the face, breaking his jaw. Erya jumps back and motions for his slaves to heal him, being unable to properly speak with a broken jaw. But healing doesn't come. He turns around and sees grins on their faces. For a moment he wants to just run up to them and wipe those grins off, but is suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and tossed at the wall.
He hits the wall rather hard and falls to the ground. Seeing no way out, he panics and gets up again, only to see Zesshi approaching him with a casual stride. I desperation he swings his right arm at her hoping to punch her, but Zesshi just grabs it and flips him around, dislocating it.
Erya screams in pain while Zesshi continues twisting his arm. She intentionally turns him so he can see the satisfied grins on the faces of his slaves. Moments later, he feels intense pain in the back as his spine is crushed, leaving him defenseless on the ground.
Bukuma gets up from the throne, walking up to him, and motions for the three slaves to come closer. All three slave women timidly come closer to the imposing woman, lowering their heads.
Bukuma drops a pair of large scissors and a stiletto on the ground, saying,
"Now is your chance to get back at him for a bit before he is transported to his next entertainment place. Just remember to not kill him."
They silently pick up the weapons. Erya, fully realizing what is about to happen, tries to plead to everyone present despite being barely able to talk with a broken jaw and already being in agonizing pain.
Bukuma just kneels down to him and says with a smile,
"Enjoy your slaves!" before getting back up and walking away.
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The first few hours inside the forest of Tob were uneventful for the team, Foresight. Just the eerie, silent forest surrounding them. Everyone was a bit on the edge, but not overly so considering the current situation. Only Arche seemed overly concerned and, from time to time, distant.
"Something wrong?" Hekkeran finally addresses her.
"No, it's just… something feels off like they are watching us."
"They?"
"Masters of this place. It is too quiet…"
"It will be alright Arche, the forest is just getting to you," Hekkeran says with a reassuring smile.
Arche gives a smile back but unease remains.
For entire they don't meet anyone or anything. When it gets dark, they set up a leaf-covered tent against the small hill blending in with the surroundings flawlessly and decide who will take the first watch shift.
Arche and Roberdyck get to sleep first, with Hekkeran and Imina getting the first watch. Arche quickly falls into a restless sleep.
She suddenly stands alone in the dark forest as two dark flames watch her from the sky.
'This must be a dream,' she thinks to herself, but not gaining a full lucidity.
She tries to hide from the flames, but they are always present. Then a child's voice calls out for her.
"Big sister you came here too!"
She runs in direction of the voice and sees a young woman with an eyepatch holding the hands of her sisters. Both sisters smile and point at Arche, saying to the woman.
"This is our big sister. She is really nice to us, but she has to work a lot and visits us rarely."
Arche stands stunned at the display. Even if this is just a dream, why her sisters, who is this woman?
"They are with us now!" A deep regal voice says, behind her.
Arche turns around and sees death itself staring at her with two dark flames dancing in the eye sockets of a clean skull. She stumbles backward, falling on the soft forest ground. Panic and fear, like she has never felt before, set in.
"Please don't take them, please."
"If you want to be with them, you will join us." The skeletal form dressed in a majestic robe says.
Then walks up to her, touching her forehead adding.
"You will take your friends with you and lead them to us."
Suddenly a rapid vision shows her the path from the tent she is sleeping in to a stone structure with a large building in the middle. Behind a throne made of bones, a dark void awaits her.
Arche then jolts up, covered with cold sweat. After momentary confusion subsides, she realizes it wasn't just a dream. It was an invitation.
Arche gets out of the tent surprising Hekkeran and Imina.
"You still have two hours to sleep, rest," Imina says.
"They know. They have my sisters."
"What are you on about?" Hekkeran asks with a confused expression.
"I had a vision. They have my sisters. I know how to reach them, but they want for me to take all of you with me."
"That sounds like a trap," Imina says.
"I know, but I have to go I know my sisters are there. The day we left for this mission, I saw a strange man visiting my home. I now realize that he looked out of the place. They took my sisters. I will go alone."
"We can't just leave you on your own. If you are sure that's the only way, we are coming with you, and knowing Roberdyck, he will not back down either." Hekkeran says.
True to the vision, they followed Arche and found the stone structure a few days later. Inside the building behind the bone throne, the ominous black void awaits them. Arche is first to approach and touch it only to see her hand goes through it with no problem.
Arche steps through it, followed by her teammates. A moment later, they are standing in a wide stone corridor with a bright light at the end. With no other option left, they walk towards the light. After momentary blindness, a large arena comes into view.
Four figures stand at the opposite end of the arena. An elf with a bow, a human girl in caster's robes with a staff, a large nature elemental, and a demon in dark armor. It seems they are handpicked to counter each of the team 'Foresight' members.
Between them in the middle of the arena stands an elven child dressed in a white suit over a red dragon scale leather armor. Five figures watch them from the VIP lodges.
The Elven child takes out a small metallic object and speaks to it as his voice resonates through the entire arena loudly and clearly.
"Team of Baharuth spies has arrived to steal the secrets of our home. Against the wretched invaders stand the Lord Peros' chosen, the Swords of Darkness. Before the tournament begins, let us pay proper respect to the leaders of the empire of Nazarick."
Child rises hand at the first lodge.
"Lord Tabula, the God of Knowledge!"
The child moves on, introducing the next of the Lords one by one.
"Lord Peros, the God of Murder!"
"Lady Bukuma, the Goddess of War!"
"Lord Ulbert, the God of Trickery!"
"And finally our supreme leader, The God of Life and Death, Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown!"
As the child speaks opposing team kneels in respect. All this situation feels so surreal that they can easily believe in being in the realm of gods now. Arche kneels as well, feeling the impulse to do so with the rest of the team following her example.
The monstrous appearance of the Lords of this place chills them to the bone. Especially the gaze of the Emperor makes them look away.
"Arche, do you see their power levels, what are our chances," Hekkeran whispers.
"That girl and the nature elemental are both tier five casters. I don't think we can win this."
"Teams you may start the match." Elven child says and walks away from the center of the arena.
A large fireball is tossed in their direction right away, with them barely getting out of the way before it explodes.
"Roberdyck, Arche buff me. If we don't take out the caster, we are doomed from the start." Hekkeran shouts and runs towards the brown-haired girl. The opposing team's warrior, who wields an enormous sword in each hand, usually meant for dual-wielding intercepts him.
His opponent is clearly faster and stronger than who Hekkeran desperately dodges and blocks attack after attack. He hears Imina letting out a cry of pain and it distracts him for the moment, leaving a small opening. He feels a sudden pain in his side as the world goes dark.
Imina, who moments ago was hit in the shoulder with an arrow, screams in shock as her beloved is killed in front of her. Another arrow hits her in the knee, making her immobile.
Roberdyck is dueling the nature elemental, who is showing an apologetic expression as he pummels his opponent with the heavy war staff.
Arche and the girl opposing her both had taken flight above the arena and avoids each other's magical projectiles. However, Arche can see that even though her opponent is reluctant, she is clearly losing the fight. Finally, she takes a hit and plummets to the ground. She quickly casts a slow fall, only breaking her arm and shoulder as she hit the ground.
Her team lost and badly. Roberdyck was on his knees and wincing in pain. Imina has crawled over to Hekkeran's corpse, cradling him. It was all her fault she led them there.
"And the winners are the Swords of Darkness." The child announces.
Lord Peros and Emperor Ainz both descend from their lodges and approach the defeated team.
"So Peros, do they pass your test?"
"Yes, they will do just fine." the Avian answers.
First Ainz adreses Arche,
"Are you willing to serve?"
"My sisters, what happened to them?"
"They are safe and taken care of. If you refuse, you can leave with them. We ask for servitude that would be properly rewarded, not slavery."
Was it a trick would they let her leave? Could her friends leave? Hekkeran was already dead. Imina would never forgive her.
"What of my friends?"
"I will give them the same offer," Ainz says in a calm voice.
"I will never serve you monsters. You killed Hekkeran and for what, some stupid test?" Imina cries.
"Life and death are just states. I can change them at will." Ainz says waving his hand. Each of them sees a light glow around their bodies, including Hekkeran's. All their wounds disappear and Hekkeran opens his eyes, looking around, confused.
Roberdyck is first to react as he walks up to Ainz and drops on her knees in silent prayer. The miracle he just witnessed was enough to convince him that the emperor indeed was the God of Life and Death. He had heard that few individuals could perform a resurrection, but it always came with a heavy toll on the body of revived one, and only powerful individuals could withstand it. What he saw now was the perfect resurrection. Something he didn't believe was possible.
After finishing his prayer, he says.
"I pledge myself in service of God of Life and Death. I only ask to be allowed freely to help those in need."
"You will be allowed to free help everyone in our empire."
Arche is next to pledge her servitude. She now understood what had happened. From the very start, the plan was to recruit them. All that unfolded was deliberate. Gods would not go to such intricate planning just to toss them aside afterward. She also quickly realizes that no one in the world can oppose them.
Ainz turns his attention to the remaining two.
"What is your answer? You will be allowed to leave if you decline."
Two of their teammates already had decided. They could flee back to the Baharuth Empire, but then what? Filling up two spots on a team that had lost two members without a clear trace? No one would join them. Hekkeran had saved up money and both of them could live in comfort for a few years.
Hekkeran looks at Imina, who quietly nods. Emperor had shown his power. He could take lives just as he could give them back. It was better to join now than possibly face them in the future.
"We will pledge ourselves in service of the Empire of Nazarick."
Bonus Story - The Hunt.
The target was avoiding her again. This time, she was not alone. With her were two new recruits left in her care. All three crept slowly, hiding in the shadows and avoiding incoming patrols.
There was a close call when two masked servants almost caught them. Luckily, all three wore camouflage outfits and could easily blend in with their surroundings.
It took careful planning, but after a half-hour hunt, they were close. They could hear the target's loud and commanding voice just around the corner.
The leader gives a hand signal to stop and takes uses surveillance equipment to plan out an optimal route for capture. Although the creature was of short stature, he walked around with self-importance suited for a ruler.
With route planned leader says,
"Go!"
And rushes towards tarred with both recruits trying to keep up. Target sees her incoming and tries to run with a screech. He manages to run a few meters when the firm hands grab him. Air escapes him with farting noise.
"Shizu, put me down you are crushing my insides!" Assistant butler Eclair shouts while swinging his flippers wildly.
Shizu ignores his demands and turns around, kneeling down to the level of two girls left in her care, Ureirika and Kuuderika.
"Cute."
Shizu says in a flat voice while holding the poor penguin in front of two giggling girls who pet the assistant butler against his will.
Suddenly Shizu lets Eclair go and stands up as if listening to something, then turns back to both girls and says.
"Let's go, your sister has arrived and waits for you both."
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