NO, MAN! That's NOT the script we agreed upon! Goddammit, why…?
Momonga internally sighed at the chimera's over-the-top announcement, eliciting exclamations of trepidation and panic from the Swords of Darkness. Though, if Momonga was being honest, he wasn't entirely surprised.
Even in the glory days of Yggdrasil, Mekongawa had always been one for dramatic entrances and awe-inspiring performances. His powerful build and unique appearance would leave enemy players star-struck...up until they were relieved of their avatar's heads.
The plan was so simple too. Mekongawa would've been pretending to hunt Aura, disguised as the human child that Peter protectively held onto, where Momonga, Ariel, CZ Delta, and Ra Ra Rasputin would "happen" to come upon the duo.
A "fight" would've broken out, where the guildmates rubbed dirt and grime over their attire to simulate that, and thus be forced to "run" after realizing the "Wise King of the Forest" was too powerful for the four of them alone.
Only now, Mekongawa, as always, had taken control of the script.
"INDEED, little morsels," the beastmaster confirmed, "the former Wise King of the Forest was no match for my prowess and strength! He fell before me like grass before the coming storm! He was NOTHING, and soon, YOU yourselves shall be NOTHING!"
Flames lit the insides of Mekongawa's maw, and he spat a column of liquid fire towards the dual adventuring groups.
"ARIA, NOW!" Momonga bellowed, crossing his blades in front of himself and the Swords of Darkness.
Ariel threw a small, totem-shaped object that grew in size drastically as it touched the ground, revealing the carved shapes of several different animals stacked atop one another. It glowed ghostly blue, absorbing the stream of flames as it burned a swath towards them.
Momonga's gear negated any of the heat he could possibly feel, but when he looked back at his charges, he could see the foreheads of Peter, Dyne, Lukrut, and Ninya dabbed with sweat.
"Hmmm...Not bad," Mekongawa said, appraising Ariel's quick thinking. "Where was this magic in the forest? Were you really saving all this for me?"
Mekongawa's smug look dissolved as it was replaced by something far more volcanic. "But it's not enough! To hide from me like this is foolish! I demand BATTLE! I demand CONQUEST! I demand your BLOOD!"
The chimera crouched to all fours, launching himself with such incredible speed that he was no more than a blur, even to Momonga's enhanced senses. Mekongawa reared his fist back, and prepared for a fearsome uppercut.
Momonga's friend's punch annihilated his defenses, sending the disguised Overlord flipping head over heels above the Swords of Darkness with a shockwave. The adventuring group was sent flying themselves, Peter clutching the wayward "child" to his chest as he and his friends landed some distance away.
The bear traps and pitfalls which had been meticulously prepared were blown to pieces by the force of the punch, rendering them useless in the oncoming fight. The horse that had carried the weapon wagon bucked and neighed, tearing its harness and sprinting into the Forest of Tob, never to be seen again.
Mekongawa snarled. "Weak! Very weak! And you wished to catch the former Wise King this way? Absolutely PATHETIC! He was no more than an overgrown gerbil, but even he put up a better fight than this!"
Mekongawa tore open the ground and barreled towards the incapacitated Swords of Darkness on all fours, his ivory fangs and talons flashing in the now-afternoon sun.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The chimera stopped in his tracks, yowling as the rubber bullets of Ra Ra Rasputin's revolvers bounced off his skin, leaving noticeable bruises forming upon the dented scales beneath his fur.
Holy crap! I didn't think he'd hit me that hard! At least it looked more realistic, Momonga thought groggily, rubbing his head and prying himself from a tree he had snapped in two upon landing. The pain that Momonga felt now had already faded to a dull throb, but it was the memory itself that made Momonga wince.
Mekongawa pivoted on his hooves, lowering his head while the spines on his back stiffened. They fired out as quickly as the bullets had, though most of them missed the automaton gunslinger. A few lodged themselves into Ra Ra Rasputin's clothing, the padding deflecting the brunt of the damage he would've suffered anyways.
Ariel came running in from the sides, her eyes glowing as she invoked whatever magic she could to get the upper hand. Though Momonga had noted that he had to verbally say the spells he knew in order to get them to work, Ariel's racial skill, [Will o'the Wisp], seemed able to make her repertoire of spells function without a verbal trigger.
The mirage of a bear's paw appeared over her fists, and she pounced on Mekongawa's back with a soundless battle cry. Mekongawa roared, bucking like a raging bronco as he tried to dislodge the diminutive fey shaman off of his back.
CZ Delta provided covering fire with her sniper, circling the battling duo and making her way to the fallen Swords of Darkness. Her optic glowed with each shot, likely her targeting systems providing her one-hundred percent accuracy and precision that no organic sniper could ever hope to contend with.
Momonga tore off the last of the tree's corpse, pieces of bark and branches lodged in between the plates of his raven-black armor. He snatched up his dual broadswords from where they had landed.
Though he left quite the crater where he'd landed, Momonga was sure the remaining trees covered him from the Swords of Darkness' line of sight. He held two fingers up to his head as he activated a private messenger to his raging guildmate, who still hadn't dislodged the smaller Ariel.
"Mekongawa! Remember, man, we got to include the Swords of Darkness too, or else this was for nothing!"
The chimera made no move to show he heard his guild leader's request, finally shaking off Ariel from her perch on his back. His wings flared out as he growled, an assortment of bruises and slices already healing themselves all over his body.
"Not bad, little morsels," Mekongawa commended, "It seems I misjudged all of you."
He pointed a clawed finger towards the Swords of Darkness, who were now getting back to their feet as CZ Delta administered medical aid. Aura, disguised as the child from earlier, had disengaged far enough behind the wounded adventuring group that she could safely give a thumbs up, her smile beaming.
"However, I spy four more among you, and that hardly seems fair now, does it?"
"Fair?!" Lukrut demanded, shakily standing to his feet with bow in hand, "You just took all of us out with the air blast of a single punch! How is that 'fair?'"
Mekongawa chuckled, shaking his head. "I had no idea that one was so whiny! But he's right, so let's step this up a notch, eh?" The chimera placed the index fingers of his hands into his snout, and let loose an ear-splitting whistle.
From the wrecked tree line of the Forest of Tob sprinted the nemean lions, baring their fangs in challenge and taking their places on either side of the beastmaster.
"Little morsels," Mekongawa began, "this is Sasha and Neagan. They've been with me a long time, and I'll think they'll be more your speed."
The lions growled in agreement, strands of drool hanging from their mouths. Mekongawa pointed to the Swords of Darkness, and snapped his fingers.
"MAIM," Mekongawa said simply, and the lions charged towards their would-be prey.
To Momonga's surprise, the Swords of Darkness snapped into action, Ninya leading the charge as his staff crackled with power.
"[Fire Blast]," Ninya shouted, a bolt of flame arcing out towards the racing felines. The nemean lions dodged easily enough, still rapidly closing the distance.
Lukrut strung an arrow and launched it towards the lions' eyes. His aim was dead-on, but it shattered like delicate glass against the pupil of Sasha.
The she-lion blinked but didn't slow down. Now they were no less than fifty feet away from the adventuring group when Neagan lunged, his jaws wide open in anticipation of the first bite.
"[Blessing of the Forest]," Dyne the druid said, placing a hand against the earth as it shimmered with yellow light. The glow spread to his teammates, a wall of roots erupting from the earth so fast that Neagan slammed against it in his attempts to dodge.
Momonga knew from experience that those lions could smash through Scarletite enforced barricades, but the uprise was so sudden that it caught Neagan off guard, diverting the brunt of his force in trying to dodge.
Peter somersaulted over the wall of roots with a war cry, slamming his hand-and-a-half sword down upon Neagan's neck with the full force of his body weight. Momonga nearly giggled at how the blade bounced off harmlessly with a twang-ng-ng-ng, Peter squeaking as he rolled behind Neagan and ended up right in front of Sasha.
Sasha snarled, swiping at Peter noncommittally with her platinum claws. It tore through Peter's armor like butter, sending the Swords of Darkness's leader through the root wall and bowling over Lukrut in the process.
Dyne roared himself, charging the lions and swinging his mace at Neagan's snout. The male lion yawned as the mace struck home but bounced off. Like his mate, he lazily swung his claws at the druid. Dyne was able to jump back in time, the very tips of the nemean lion's claws brushing against his belly.
Sasha took that opportunity to pounce on the druid with a roar, collapsing the bearded man like a sack of bricks. She closed her canines around his throat, only to be shot off by CZ Delta's sniper rifle before she could chomp down.
Dyne breathed heavily as he gingerly touched his throat, where the she-lion's fangs had been moments prior.
"Thanks...for the save...Cerise," Dyne wheezed out. He rolled out of the way not a moment too soon of Neagan's paw as he slammed it down. The male lion howled, his gorgeous mane quivering with primal rage.
Peter groaned as he slowly stood back up, holding his chest wounds. "These beasts… our weapons don't hurt them!"
"You just now figured that out, man?!" Lukrut snarked, wincing as he sat back up. The two lions backed off, prowling on the outskirts of the team's reach with wary eyes.
"They seem to be giving us a breather," Ninya said, holding his staff close while he regrouped with his team. His breathing was labored from the excitement of the seconds-long exchange.
"Yeah...but that doesn't necessarily mean this fight is over," Peter said, hefting his sword with one hand and holding the other against his chest wound. The slashes thankfully weren't deep, and they bled very little from Momonga's view.
It was at that moment that the guildmates realized they had stood there and watched the whole exchange, enamored with the flawless synergy of the more experienced adventuring team. Momonga lifted his dual broadswords, dashing from his crater with a cry as he launched himself into the air to strike at Mekongawa.
Mekongawa guffawed with pride at the Overlord's attack, raising his arms above his head to catch the attack as Momonga brought down the full force of his blades upon the beastmaster.
FWOOM!
Mekongawa's hooves sank into the ground, but was otherwise unmoved by Momonga's slash.
"YES! This is what I'm seeking! Even so far apart, both your teams fight with dominating will, but it's not enough!"
Mekongawa shot a hand towards Momonga's face, grappling with the Overlord and throwing him over his shoulder to smash Momonga into the earth with a crash. Momonga lay in the imprint of his own heavily-armored body, watching some of the clouds pass by.
Why...why did he have to grab my face? I thought this was supposed be a show…
Ra Ra Rasputin took that time to tackle the beast king, the two of them toppling over as the gunslinger straddled him and emptied both cylinders of his revolvers into Mekongawa's chest. Mekongawa cried out, grabbing the barrels of the revolvers, and shoving them upwards.
The chimera's cobra tail hissed, it's mouth opening to twice its size as it bit down on the automaton's midsection. Ra Ra Rasputin let out a startled whir as the cobra head threw him off with unmatched strength, more rivulets of venom dripping down its needle teeth.
Just as Mekongawa was getting back up, Ariel smacked him in the face with the brunt of her staff, a spiritual eagle zooming out and clawing at the beast king's eyes. Mekongawa roared, goring the spirit eagle with his horns, the summon disappearing with a sigh and sprinkle of mist.
He backhanded Ariel, sending the fey shaman flying as more spirit eagles flew from her staff and circled around Mekongawa. The chimera slashed at them all, breathing more streams of fire as he shot down each and every eagle that came at him, talons bared in a suicidal divebomb.
Meanwhile, the nemean lions charged back into the fray, the both of them leaping with claws extended out.
"[Shield of Resolution]," Ninya slammed down his staff, the same force field from earlier forming around the adventuring team as they huddled closer.
Sasha dug her rear feet into the ground and shoved, forcing first her front claws and then the rest of herself through the shield, clashing with the much smaller mage and the both of them falling down.
"Ninya!" Lukrut screamed, Neagan likewise tumbling into the archer. Peter's body glowed with some kind of magic Momonga didn't recognize, rushing towards the archer and grasping the throat of the nemean lion on Lukrut with the flat end of his sword.
Dyne sped towards Ninya himself, actually managing to shove off the she-lion with the force of his body. As Dyne and Sasha tumbled along the ground, he managed to land on top of the metallic lion. He wrapped both of his arms around the muscular neck, sliding the handle of his mace between his hands to get better leverage. Sasha snarled as her body writhed, bucked, and rolled, trying to shake off the magic user.
CZ Delta dashed towards the druid, her automaton strength activating as she assisted Dyne in trying to strangle Sasha. Sasha yowled, swinging her paws blindly as she fought for some foothold, any foothold, away from the druid and sniper. A lucky hit got in on Dyne, a single cut bleeding profusely over his right eye.
This seemed only to anger the druid, who wailed harder as he used the handle of his mace to increase his chokehold on the she-lion's throat. CZ's hands overlaid his, giving Dyne the strength he needed to hold on.
There was a definitive CRACK, and the body of Sasha went limp.
Just as Sasha breathed her last, her body exploded with a combination of light and heat, blasting both CZ and Dyne off, flooring them. Peter, who himself had little luck in actually choking out Neagan, was similarly thrown off, and Neagan batted at his eyes while the light blinded him.
Where Sasha's body had previously been was now a single golden gauntlet, the fist end carved into the snarling, wide open snout of a lion. The metallic mane covered the entirety of the forearm portion, a single, spiked ring right where the elbow would rest once the gauntlet was fully put on.
The Swords of Darkness gaped at the new treasure before them, torn out of their awe at the pained wailing of Neagan, who was now able to see the gauntlet where his mate had been. Peter scurried on all fours towards the gauntlet, sliding his right hand in and grasping onto a handle within the gauntlet.
Peter heaved, his eyes bulging at the titanic weight of the weapon. Veins popped up on his neck and forehead as Neagan charged, still wailing at his loss. CZ Delta was able to sucker punch the lion away, and a cloud of dust billowed from his rough landing.
CZ turned back around, the rest of the team trying in vain to help their leader lift the weapon with both hands. CZ reached out a single hand, gently lifting the gauntlet and allowing it to slide on properly.
The gauntlet locked into place, humming with a soft glow. Peter found that he was more easily able to lift the activated weapon, but the weight of it still threw him off. The Swords of Darkness's leader ambled forward to the unconscious he-lion, having to somewhat drag the gauntlet against the dirt.
Just as Neagan was raising his head, all the members of the Swords of Darkness hoisted the gauntlet together, bringing it down with their respective war cries. It caved the he-lion's skull in, the explosion of light and sound emanating from the wound.
The Swords of Darkness were blown away like before, and Neagan left behind his own gauntlet. CZ Delta lifted the gauntlet with one hand, strolling over to Peter, her cloak billowing in the breeze.
The team was able to recover far faster this time around, and all of them placed a hand on the gauntlet as they slid it onto Peter's left hand. Once the gauntlet clicked into place, Peter's eyes lit up with rejuvenated strength, laughter bubbling out of his throat.
"Holy cow! I've never felt like this! I feel like I could take on the world!"
His teammates surrounded him, basking in the warmth of the bands of lightning which arced around Peter's entire body. The glow had spread to his entire being, giving him a supernaturally healthy look. To them, Peter oozed raw power, and might just from wearing the new prizes.
Slow, polite applause interrupted the team's afterglow, all of them turning around to see that Usurper of the previous Wise King was clapping.
"Bravo," Mekongawa said, "I'll admit, that was quite the show. Not many could wrestle my pets like you did, but here you are. I wonder how YOU'LL do in comparison with the others?"
Ra Ra Rasputin had been shoved into the fork of a tree, idly swinging his legs as he peeled at the bark. Ariel slowly circled Mekongawa, her staff raised as spiritual energy flowed from her cloak. Momonga was barely getting back to his feet after being mercilessly thrown into the dirt as he had been.
Mekongawa's expression devolved into one of savage delight, hunching over. Peter's eyes began to spark with slight bursts of electricity, the gauntlets glowing even brighter with each passing second.
Mekongawa gave the Swords of Darkness his signature grin. "I wonder...how long will you last in a fight with ME?"
Mekongawa launched himself with a roar, his eyes ablaze with literal fire as more flowed from his open mouth. Peter crossed the gauntlet's over his chest instinctually, a small field of energy covering his team from the worst of the flames.
Mekongawa reached them all, raising a fist like a battering ram to swat them, and Peter, empowered by the gauntlets, threw his own fist to meet it.
BOOM
A shockwave erupted from their colliding fists, throwing the rest of the Swords of Darkness back, but much to everyone's surprise, Peter remained in place.
He recovered quickly, yelling "[MARTIAL ART: FLOW ACCELERATION]!" as he threw his other fist at Mekongawa's face…
…only for him to block it, resulting in another BOOM.
Peter grit his teeth, his body now cloaked in two glowing auras, and started throwing more punches. Blow after blow, his hits increased in speed and power as any excess energy from the gauntlets was thrown into his punches rather than his body.
Mekongawa grinned as he caught and blocked the blows, matching the oncoming punches with more and more of his natural strength and speed.
Each of Peter's blows came faster and faster than the one previously, throwing shockwaves that bent the grass, further pushed back his allies, and threw debris away from their clash. Momonga himself could only watch on as Peter lost himself in his flurry of attacks against his guildmate.
"[Enhance Ability: Ox's Endurance]!" Dyne yelled, putting a buff on Peter to keep his stamina going. His multiple auras grew brighter as he got faster, his feet digging into the ground from the force he was experiencing.
"RAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Peter roared as his punches grew stronger, his fists no longer visible as anything less than golden, lightning-coated afterimages.
"RAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Mekongawa responded, his expression getting more and more excited as Peter just kept getting more powerful.
Their impromptu screaming match blended with the shockwaves from their fists, which were now growing strong enough to tear apart Peter's armor and even his shirt. There seemed to be no end to the amount of power they were unleashing.
…but for all his might, Peter was still having to literally punch above his weight. Despite his growing strength and speed, Mekongawa was bearing down with his greater size and heavier body.
Soon, the inevitable happened: one of Peter's punches landed at a wrong angle, and Mekongawa was able to slip past to land a BOOM-ing punch right to his gut, sending him tumbling head-over-heels across the ruined grass.
Before he could press the advantage further, a blur slammed into his side, driving the beast king off-kilter. Momonga grunted with the force needed to try and knock over his significantly stronger friend
The chimera and mage sprawled out across the field, Ra Ra Rasputin freeing himself and Ariel rushing forward from her respective position to wrestle the beast master to the ground.
Peter was already back up, his body having been protected by the gauntlet's power. He sprinted to where Mekongawa had landed, his newfound strength taking him to the air as he reared back a gauntlet. He struck with thunderous force, knocking the wind out of Mekongawa and pushing him backwards.
The chimera stumbled into a sitting position, Ariel spouting ghostly falcon wings from her back to blast the beast king with gales of wind. Mekongawa snarled, moving to swipe at the shaman with his own brand of indomitable strength.
His arm barely budged, held back by the near-divine might of Ra Ra Rasputin and Momonga. Momonga scooted over to the other arm and pried Mekongawa's other limb from his body, forcing the chimera's fingers open.
Mekongawa bellowed in indignation and thrashed his head. "HOW DARE YOU HOLD ME LIKE THIS?! I'LL TEAR YOU ALL TO PIECES!"
"PETER! HIT HIM NOW! NOW!" Momonga yelled, his armor bulging and creaking from the force needed to hold down one of Mekongawa's arms.
Peter moved to do as Momonga asked, but staggered when he tried to do so, his Martial Art having run its course. It didn't help that the power of the gauntlets were overloading his nervous system, his forehead feverishly hot. His own body, despite the strength increase, felt sluggish and slow.
Peter shook off his Martial Art's exhaustive aftereffect, his glowing eyes narrowing in determination. He took a single bounding step, rearing back the gauntlet and hollering with zeal. The first punch struck Mekongawa straight in the chest, lightning branching off from the impact point.
Mekongawa's feral grin from before seemed to take its place on Peter, who whooped with unbridled joy as he beat down the beast king.
Mekongawa bucked and writhed, his breaths of fire passing harmlessly over Peter and around his team, who had followed behind their leader. Their eyes were bright from a combination of worry and excitement, witnessing as more and more lightning streaked off from Peter's form.
Soon, Mekongawa's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Peter finally stopped, his breathing heavy and his body slick with sweat.
The chimera was snoring, Peter's last hit being a straight blast to his forehead. Peter even allowed himself a tired smile when he saw he had not only beaten back the one who killed the former Wise King, but had supposedly knocked him out.
Though Momonga could not truly do it as he once did, he gave Peter a private smile behind his helmet and a thumbs up.
"Peter!" Ninya cried out, his voice becoming alarmed. "Take the gauntlets off! You need to do it now! Now, Peter!"
"Wha'... what are you… talking about? I'm fine–" Peter panted, only to look down at himself and see that the lightning still coiled around his form. It tore off and burned what was left of his already destroyed armor and clothing, and his skin was an unnatural yellow color.
The hum only grew louder and louder, the electricity popping and giving off painful shocks. Peter yelped and shook off the gauntlets, huffing while they slid off painfully slowly.
They clanked as they struck the ground, their glow fading away once they were completely off.
Momonga and Peter's respective teams fell flat on their backs, most of them panting and enjoying a nice view of the sky together after such an intense battle with the new "Wise King". Momonga's private messenger pinged.
"Hell of a fight there, old friend," Mekongawa complimented. When Momomga looked over at the chimera, he was still "knocked out", but now he had a small smile on his noble visage.
"Same to you."
"That other guy wasn't half bad… gonna have to power-level him and do this again sometime. That punch exchange felt AWESOME."
"That'll have to be YOUR project, old friend. Quick question," Momonga began, slight annoyance tracing over the mental call, "but why did you think it was a good idea to say you killed the wise king when YOU were supposed to be the wise king?"
Mekongawa's face didn't so much as twitch, the slight smile disappearing.
"Sorry," Mekongawa said, sounding the exact opposite of his words. "This fight needed some sprucing up, and who was I to allow some opportunity to slip away?"
"You didn't have to throw me away like that you know," Ra Ra Rasputin grumpily said, Momonga realizing that his and Mekongawa's "private" call had been made public to the other denizens of Nazarick. "You're lucky I'm immune to poison."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ariel butted in, "But I was having a great time! Days like this remind me of why I started playing Yggdrasil."
A sigh came over the call, before being interrupted by a far more excitable voice.
"By the You Guys, that was AWESOME!" Aura said, giddiness coming over her end of the call. "I don't think I've seen strength like that being thrown around since Lord Touch Me and Lord Jo-Bro's duel!"
"And where exactly were you when all this was occurring, Lady Aura?" CZ's Delta's monotone cut in.
"I was hanging out in the tree line. I'll give you guys a few more minutes before I come out, unless you guys need me to come out now?"
"No," Momonga said, rising back to his feet. "Just wait it out as if you're unsure the danger has passed, then we'll come pick you up. We have to keep this as authentic as possible if we want this tale of ours to work."
Aura hummed in agreement, her end of the call silencing. Momonga surveyed the surrounding area, watching as the landscape itself had changed from the fearsome "battle" that he, his guildmates, and the Swords of Darkness had all partaken in.
Much of the grass had been scorched away, leaving gray piles of ash that spread out in the wind. Several craters dotted spots where there had once been entire swaths of trees. Two especially large scorch marks, around twenty feet in diameter a piece, marked the areas where Mekongawa's nemean lions had been defeated.
One crater was much larger than the others, with two sets of footprints embedded in the middle, one made by boots, the other by hooves.
All in all, Momonga reflected, it had been a rather significant fight, one that he himself had gotten lost in. If this didn't boost his and the Swords of Darkness's reputation, he was almost certain nothing would.
All's well that ends well, I suppose. I wonder what we should do now?
"Hey! What the hell is going on over here?"
Momonga turned to find the source of the new voice, which was low and extremely rough. He spotted a stout goblin, wearing plate armor and with a large broadsword on its back, near the tree line where Mekongawa had burst out of the woods. Several others flanked its left and right, slowly spreading out as they notched arrows or hefted their own weaponry.
The Swords of Darkness and Momonga's guildmates all stirred, lifting their heads to see the new goblin arrivals as they established a perimeter around them. Some of the goblins gasped and pointed when they saw the "slumbering" form of Mekongawa. One of them, wearing a skull helmet, even taking a step closer.
"Back off, Cona! We don't want to give these adventurers any trouble! It already looks like they've been through hell and back," the broadsword-wielding goblin yelled and readjusted the straps of his armor.
The skull-wearing goblin, Cona, shrugged, backing away from Mekongawa's prone form. Just as the lead goblin, a male as far as Momonga could tell, refocused his attention back on Momonga, a familiar face appeared from behind him.
The lead goblin's shoulders relaxed, and he stood aside to allow the friendly arrival forward.
Momonga tilted his head. "Enri…?"
—-
It was a relatively short range of introductions afterwards, with Momonga, Ariel, Ra Ra Rasputin, CZ Delta, and the rest of the Swords of Darkness being invited back to Carne Village to rest and relax after the heated battle from earlier. Aura took that as her cue to rejoin the groups, sniffling and dragging her feet behind her.
"Let it never be said that Carne Village wasn't hospitable to its guests," Enri declared, giving the two adventuring teams her brightest and warmest smile.
Momonga had made a point shortly before that they chain up the "Wise King's murderer", so as to prevent him from escaping and unleashing even more havoc. Ninya and Ariel had seen to it, creating enchanted, spectral chains to wrap around Mekongawa's massive body. For good measure, Ariel even cast a levitation spell after realizing that the cart the Swords of Darkness brought along was far too small to support the chimera's weight.
Peter was thoroughly unconscious, having exhausted himself against the Chimera, and no amount of healing magic or prodding would wake him up. Scars like lightning bolts covered his arms, beginning at his fists and tapering off at his shoulders. He had to be deposited into the wagon, where he muttered "it all tingles" in his sleep.
Ra Ra Rasputin picked up the gauntlets from where Peter had slid them off, both dormant and cold to the touch without a guiding fist. In a casual display, the automaton clipped them to his belt so that he wouldn't have to carry them the whole journey.
The walk to the village was calm and peaceful, punctuated by Mekongawa's snores as he actually fell asleep along the way. Momonga noted once they arrived at the village that great stone walls had been erected around the borders, the forms of summoned angels hovering along the ramparts.
The former Slane Theocracy mages standing guard outside the gate had discarded their previous robed attire, instead choosing to wear simple peasant's clothing. Two of them even waved to the adventuring parties as the heavy, oak gate was slowly pulled open from the inside.
The village was positively bustling with activity, various farmers, mages, and goblins all carrying items and bundles of raw materials. Though the mages and the goblins kept a somewhat healthy distance, they did engage in civil conversation when they passed one another.
Enri led the parties to the town square, many of the village's denizens gaping and tagging along to get a better look at Mekongawa, who still slept soundly. When they finally stopped, Momonga saw that there were three statues that were slowly being carved out of granite by skilled artisans, most likely more of the mages.
"Before we continue any further," Enri said, "I thought we should stop by here so that way you could see the saviors of this village. If it weren't for them, Carne Village wouldn't be around to give you guys the care you needed."
"That sounds pretty neat," Dyne said, one of the mages, a younger, blond woman, tending to his wounds. "What were their names? They sound like they did a whole lot for you guys."
Enri gave a wistful smile, holding one arm with the other behind her back. "Sadly, they never gave us their original names, but they did leave us a title to remember them by!"
"Really now? And what title would that be?" Lukrut inquired.
Enri pivoted on her heels and gestured grandly to the unfinished statues, her wistful smile becoming radiant. "They were the Sirs of Ainz Ooal Gown! Individually, they weren't important, though they came from the same family of beings, or so they said."
"That sounds quite fascinating, madam," CZ Delta said, parroting Ariel's words. "Would you tell us some more of these 'Sirs of Ainz Ooal Gown'?"
"Certainly," Enri agreed as she turned back around. "If you'll follow me, I'll lead you guys to the guest house, where I'd be happy to share with you the tale of it all!"
Mekongawa's bound form was led by the goblin troop from earlier, augmented by Slane Theocracy mages and their summons towards what looked suspiciously like the barn from Momonga's first visit. Momonga and Peter's respective teams were led in the opposite direction, almost towards the village entrance.
Peter was taken by what looked to be the village apothecary, to sleep off his exhaustion under medical supervision.
A longhouse was situated along the main road, where the adventurers were ushered inside and promptly sat down. One of the house's maids came by with a platter of ale, each adventuring member given their own cup.
"No, thank you," Momonga respectfully declined. "We are adhering to our traditions, which dictate that we fast for the next week and a half. Trust me, if we could partake, we would."
"If you don't mind me asking, what sort of traditions are you guys talking about?" Enri asked, sipping from her own oversized mug.
Lukrut leaned over the table, giving Enri a sly grin. "They're Wackens! They have some pretty sophisticated beliefs, and two of them even took vows of silence for it!"
CZ Delta smacked the archer upside the head, her expression never changing save for a small tick under her one eye.
"It's pronounced 'Wiccans', and there is far more to our beliefs than mere vows of silence."
Lukrut had his face buried into the table from the force of the automatons slap, shakily holding a thumbs up in response. The rest of his teammates chuckled, before Dyne spoke up.
"Don't mind him. He can be a little much sometimes, but I promise he's friendly. He'll be on his best behavior while we're here."
Enri chuckled, taking a small sip of her drink and placing it back down on the table. She placed one hand over the other as she became more attentative.
"So why don't you guys tell me what happened near the Forest of Tob? It looks like some kind of disaster happened over there!"
"Well," Momonga said as he stroked the chin of his helmet, "Allow us to regale you with our adventure, and the events which led up to it."
—-
Momonga and Peter's teams would take the next couple of hours explaining their build-up to the showdown with the beast king, how they had discovered that he had been hunting a child for sport, and how that had led to the fight out in the plains near the entrance of the forest.
Aura, still in her disguise, got some pitying looks from the other villagers, and many of the former Slane Theocracy Mages bowed their heads. A woman who looked old enough to be Momonga's grandmother pulled the elven child into a warm embrace, which caught Aura off guard.
By the time Momonga and the others had finished taking turns to explain their story, it was late in the afternoon, though not quite enough time for it to become evening. Peter had stumbled in at some point, to the cheers of both adventuring parties, and the complaints of the apothecary.
After downing enough ale for two or three people, he shared his perspective on the encounter with Mekongawa, using the Gauntlets, and the raw power ravaging his body.
"Those damn things're dangerous!" he'd said. "They make you feel powerful, like a living God, making you want to use them… but they'll destroy you if you're not constantly attacking with them." He gestured to his hands and arms, still red with his new scars. "My hands are still tingling… the apothecary said it's nerve damage, and only the expensive healing magic can undo all this."
"...oof." Ninya winced. "That'll take us a while to raise the coin."
"Maybe not," Momonga said. "Surely the Guild will give a big pay out when we bring that creature in?"
"They will," Lukrut nodded, "but it'll take a while. The Guild doesn't exactly keep a lot of coin on hand, just in case any high-end thieves decide to get ideas."
Ariel dug around in her pockets, and produced a small vial with red liquid, which she handed to Peter.
"Lady Aria says this healing potion is of higher quality than what she saw back in E-Rantel. Please try it," CZ translated.
Dyne squinted at it. "What the… why's it red?"
"It means it's a good healing potion," Momonga said.
Ninya's eyes widened as he examined the bottle. "Normal potions are expensive… how much did this run you guys?"
"Don't worry about it," Ra Ra Rasputin told him, which CZ translated. "If it's that big a worry, just take it out of our share when we cash in at the Guild. Your ability to use your hands is worth more to everyone than a potion."
Peter opened his mouth to argue, but no sound came out. He looked at his hands and arms, sighed, and took the bottle, downing its contents.
A green glow enveloped his arms, and the angry red scarring faded until it was difficult to see. Everyone stared as barely any sign of Peter's ordeal remained.
He rolled his wrist experimentally, and his eyes widened. "That…how?" he asked. "My wrist has had a twinge in it ever since I started learning how to use a sword… but it's gone now!"
Momonga nodded, "Like I said, it's a good healing potion."
Peter thanked "Lady Aria" for the potion, then ordered more ale. They continued to discuss the encounter with Mekongawa.
Enri stood from her spot at the table and stretched.
"Wow! You mean there was really something powerful enough to kill the old Wise King of the Forest? And he had pet beastmen who could turn into weapons when killed?"
"So far as we could tell, though I don't believe the creatures that the Usurper brought were beastmen in any capacity," Momonga confirmed, still seated.
Peter nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, they were way too animalistic to be beastmen… they even ran around on all fours the whole time!"
"Actually," one of the former Slane Theocracy mages spoke up, "all beastmen are animals anyways. All they know is to kill and slaughter, just because they consider themselves strong and us weak. How one of such power and ugly appearance made it all the way out here is beyond me."
Momonga found that the newcomer to the conversation still had some aspects of his original Sunlight Scripture robes, though a crude symbol of the Mask of Envy had been painted on the chest. He was an older man, salt and pepper colored hair but completely clean shaven. His features were just as chiseled as Rowan's had been, and Momonga would mistake the two for brothers with how similar they looked.
Huh...I just realised I haven't seen Rowan at all. I wonder what he's been up to this whole time.
Momonga snapped himself out of his thoughts when he felt a light rap at his pauldron. He turned to find Ninya looking imploringly up at him, and when he surveyed the rest of the room, he found all eyes were on him.
Shit! Did I just miss a big portion of the conversation? Okay quick, I gotta think up something fast!
"Well, I don't see why we couldn't," Momonga said neutrally, leaning back into his chair with a cool air.
Nailed it!
There were some cheers from the Swords of Darkness, and the members of Carne Village visibly relaxed. However, Ariel and Ra Ra Rasputin gave Momonga strange glances, as if he had just grown a second head.
Wait, what did I just agree to do here?
"Momonga," Ariel began over their private messenger "I get wanting to spread the story around, but do you really think letting the mages take a look at Mekongawa is a good idea?"
"Yeah," Ra Ra Rasputin butted in, idly twirling a revolver around his right index finger. "Big man doesn't exactly LIKE getting poked at with needles. He might like it even less if they're MAGICAL needles."
Momonga mentally face palmed at himself, letting loose a steady stream of curses at his careless actions. Before he could take back what he said, the familiar roar of Mekongawa rang out, shaking the furniture of the humble longhouse.
"WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" Mekongawa boomed. "WHY AM I IN A BARN OF ALL PLACES?! THIS IS NO PLACE WORTHY OF A KING!"
"...we might want to hold off on that," Momonga said, holding up an armored hand. "He seems rather angry, and if our appearances are anything to judge by, calming him down is not an easy task."
Enri accepted Momonga's answer, opening the door to outside to allow some mages to rush out, their hands alight with their respective spells. "We'll get it handled. From what the mages have taught me, those ethereal chains should at least hold the Usurper down for a little bit, right?"
Momonga, Ariel, and Ninya all nodded, with the younger mage giving Momonga a confused side-eye.
Enri clapped both of her hands together. "Well, let's go ahead and get you folks settled in. Chief Haru will make sure that you're well taken care of, and that all of your needs are met however they need to be."
Everyone else in the longhouse filed out by that point, Enri leading the Swords of Darkness and the guildmates of Ainz Ooal Gown on an impromptu tour of the newly renovated village. Many of the houses were more sturdily built, no longer cheaply made from either all wood or all stone like before. Several summoned angels zoomed about in the sky, with a great many more either hovering above a house or floating along the village walls.
A barracks had been built, where many of the goblin troops from earlier lounged around after completing their duties, drinking from wooden mugs. Almost all of them raised a toast to the passing adventurers, returning to their own conversations shortly afterwards.
A separate building had been built directly across from the barracks, where the former mages of the Slane Theocracy stayed. Some of them gave the goblins dirty looks, though most of them just ignored the goblins' presence all together. Only those who had been seen performing manual labor alongside the goblins spoke to them, but otherwise there was silence.
Many of the village women doted on the disguised Aura, the elders pinching the elven child's cheeks with a chuckle, or sneaking her a candy or some other sweet.
"Lord Momonga," Aura called to the Overlord, "I don't mind doing this, but these humans are getting kinda close. Can I push them away?"
"Just smile and wave, Aura," Momonga replied, "Just smile and wave."
The elf twin said nothing, but her smile became noticeably strained as she played up the part of a now-orphan child, allowing the older women to get even closer. Pretty soon, Momonga could hardly see his friend's NPC beneath the horde of grandmothers which swarmed her.
Many of the houses that had been destroyed in the initial attack of the Sunlight Scripture had been broken down entirely, leaving empty lots where the spaces had been marked off with wooden posts and twine. Villagers, presumably those who originally owned the homes, were still hard at work laying down the foundations and wooden skeletons of their new abodes.
It's crazy to think that a little under a week ago, these guys were on the verge of utter destruction, Momonga thought, impressed at the villager's work ethic. It also seemed to help that almost all of them had the assistance of a mage and their angel summons, doing the heavy lifting that the older dwellers could not do themselves.
Momonga and his guildmates silently took in the sights of brand new infrastructure as well, several new windmills, wells, barns, and general storage buildings having popped up in regular intervals around the much larger housing. By the time the tour had concluded, the Swords of Darkness and the guildmates of Ainz Ooal Gown had completely circled the twice-as-large village and ended up back in the town center.
Several iron-forged fire pits were being dragged out, the mages lighting them ablaze in a square formation around the unfinished granite statues. Wooden tables were also being dragged out as several families came from the finished homes that were around with arms laden with food.
"Ever since the...the attack on our village, lots of the families have been doing their best to take care of those who don't have their homes yet, or who lost their loved ones in the initial assault," Enri explained.
Her face darkened significantly, and she twisted the hem of her apron. "I know the mages mean well...well, at least some of them, but it can still be hard to look at them and not see the ones who took our loved ones away."
"It must be difficult," Dyne said sympathetically, "I know this may not sound like much, but you have our full support and gratitude for still hosting us in your time of need. I can't speak for Sir Momon's team, but I can say that my team and I will do whatever we can to assist you."
"She doesn't even need to ask," Momonga stated. "We, too, will help however we can."
Enri's moroseness vanished, and she spread her arms out wide. "Then how about you help us tuck in all this food? We'll make sure you're so stuffed that you'll have to be rolled out of here!"
"I can toast to that," Peter said, "How about the rest of you guys?"
Every adventurer present, and Aura as well, cheered at that, and the villagers moved with renewed gusto at hearing that at least nine more people would be joining them that night.
Night had fallen shortly after, and the meals that were laid out were both scrumptious and fulfilling. At least, it was to those who were able to eat.
Several times, the guildmates of Ainz Ooal Gown had to turn down the hearty plates of food from excited villagers. They used their "religious fasting" as an excuse to turn down each and every meal, though Momonga could feel himself just dying a little more on the inside as the delightful scents were taken away from him. None of the villagers questioned their excuse, and some of them enthusiastically encouraged it.
"I miss eating…" the gunslinger complained.
The mages who took part in the feast were given ample space at their spots at the table, bowing their heads and interlocking their fingers together for what looked to be a prayer.
"And now," said a man who was the center of the human prayer chain, "We offer thanks to the Six Great Gods of humanity, our stalwart defenders and teachers. It is to them that we give thanks for helping us to see the error of our ways, for sending the three sirs of Ainz Ooal Gown to spare us and realign ourselves on the right path."
"Lord Surshana, the god of death," A woman to the center's right said.
"Lord Alah Alaf, the god of life, and our patron god," said a man to the left of the center.
"Lady Hokey Pokey, the goddess of water."
"Lady Seresha, the goddess of earth."
"Lord Turmac, the god of wind."
"And Lord Vishnu Arash, the god of fire," finished the chain center, who unlinked his hands from the rest of his compatriots and began to dig into the plate of food before him.
The others joined him, keeping their heads low as they ate and not meeting the eyes of the other villagers. Those who surrounded them began to scoot in closer, some patting the former scripture members on the backs.
"...did they just call one of their Gods 'Hokey Pokey'?" Ariel asked.
"That sounds like something from back home," Ra Ra Rasputin agreed, "though I don't recognize it."
CZ Delta turned to a nearby scripture member who had partaken in the prayer. "Lord Roger and Lady Aria do not recognize those names, would you so kindly explain them to us?"
The mage startled, accidentally knocking over his mug of drink. He rubbed the back of his neck as he grabbed a nearby cloth and started to dry off the excess liquid.
"Those are usually household names, at least back home," the mage said, his thin moustache quivering. "Well, for starters, they were divine beings who descended from heaven to help humanity in their greatest time of need, when we all were on the brink of extinction nearly six hundred years ago."
"Really, now," Momonga said, "What was so terrible that it nearly wiped out the entirety of humankind before these 'Six Great Gods' decided to come down?"
The mage shrugged. "A variety of factors; war, disease, attacks from the demi-humans and heteromorphs. The list seems to just go on and on."
"And what about before six hundred years ago?"
"Well...our records don't nearly go that far back. Whatever we were before, it was lost to us when we were driven to the brink. I never had that kind of clearance back home, so I wouldn't know."
The mage rubbed his hands together, taking that moment to stand up from his near empty plate and go warm himself by a fire. One of his comrades shot him a dirty look, and dragged the discarded plate to his own and stacked it on top.
"Seems kinda interesting that all of humanity nearly went extinct six hundred years ago...remind you of anyone?" Ra Ra Rasputin asked in dark amusement.
Ariel butted in with a huff. "What happened to them is not nearly as close to what happened to us. I don't think they were literally suffocating the planet with pollution."
"Except until the very end, at least…," the gunslinger trailed off.
"Yeah," Ariel said bitterly, "Until the very end of it all."
"My friends, please," Momonga implored, spreading his hands in a placating gesture. "There is no sense in ruminating on what could've been, especially considering we most likely would have never seen the fruits of our labors. All that matters is we're here now, and it's not like anything back home is ever coming to this new world."
"Actually, my lords," CZ Delta said, "If I may put in my input?"
"Go ahead, CZ," Ariel said.
"I believe that this new info about these 'Six Great Gods' could warrant some investigation. I have recorded the conversation regarding them, and with your permission, I wish to bring it to Lord Grievous Sin so that he may begin investigating."
"Do you really think that they're that important?"
"Lord Garnet has always instilled in me the capacity to learn and strive forward to understand one's circumstances. I cannot possibly comprehend any of the Supreme Being's plans for this world, but I truly believe, at the very least, that this knowledge may aid us and Nazarick in the long run."
Ariel and Ra Ra Rasputin gazed at their guild leader, awaiting to see what he would say. Momonga stroked his chin in thought.
"I don't know why not," the Overlord decided. "At the very least, it'll prove intellectually stimulating for the old coot."
"Yeah, like he doesn't already spend most of his time writing in those damn books anyways," Ra Ra Rasputin said.
"On that, we can agree, you bucket of bolts," Ariel said, playfully shoving the automaton's shoulder. Ra Ra Rasputin let out a slight burst of steam, though in the cold night it looked no different from everyone else's frosty breath.
Eventually, as the fires rose higher and the villagers, mages, and goblins, who joined the feast much later, drank themselves into the bottoms of their mugs, a merry tune was strung. Various villagers of all ages and standing were dragged by friends and family to dance around the unfinished slabs of granite.
Ninya grabbed Ariel's hand and dragged her out to the center of the cavortous crowd, where the two danced the night away around a fire pit. The fey shaman's skull helmet jangled with Ariel's clumsy but spirited movements, and Ninya's joyous laughter rang out through the night.
Ra Ra Rasputin spent some time with Dyne, the both of them were admiring the unfinished stone work of the villagers. Dyne pointed out the rough facial features of the three figures, to which Ra Ra Rasputin would nod along.
CZ Delta, surprisingly, was slow dancing with Lukrut, who was beet red and held his hands just above the smaller automatons shoulders as they swayed to a jaunty tune. Aura was nowhere to be found, but Momonga could've sworn he saw a small figure sneaking off to the large barn where Mekongawa was stored.
Momonga himself did not partake in the festivities, choosing instead to relax and readjust the damaged plates of his armor, and smoothing the long, red cloak he wore over one shoulder.
You know, this was all still worth it, even if we don't get that clout in the end. It's good to see my friends letting loose for once like this.
Momonga even saw that Peter was dancing with the blond mage woman, the both of them dangerously close as they attempted what Momonga believed was called a square dance. The skeletal mage let out a contented sign as he leaned back on the bench, politely waving off offers from several men and women to dance.
I wonder if Nubo can see this. I wonder what everyone else is thinking back home right now.
After the festivities, Momonga and his friends were led to a spare house that held only a few cots and the necessities of living in it comfortably. Enri was the one who brought them there, followed by the Goblin Troop as her body guards.
CZ Delta held open the door for them to gawk at inside, which is how they were able to see what commodities they had access to. It was modest, but it would serve its purpose for the night.
At least it's not the barn again. I just hope Mekongawa isn't too upset that he's been forced to sleep there. Ah well, at least he has Aura to keep him company.
"I hope you guys don't mind that this place isn't as spruced up compared to some of the other homes. This is one of the newer ones that was just built," Enri said with a kind smile.
"This will be perfect, thank you," Ariel said. "We won't need much in the way of sleeping. You could even say my friends are constant night owls with how late they stay up."
CZ relayed the inside joke to the young village girl, who giggled in response. "Just don't stay up too late. I wouldn't want you to be exhausted for tomorrow, since I did want you to be able to mingle more with the people here."
"It'll be no problem on our part, you don't have to worry about that," Ra Ra Rasputin said, "We'll make sure to stay quiet though. We wouldn't want to accidentally wake anyone up by being too loud."
"That is very polite of you, mister. Your friends, the Swords of Darkness, were being led to another empty house to rest and refresh themselves by Rowan. Once morning comes, you can join up with them and enjoy the day however you want."
"Which reminds me, now that we're on the subject," Momonga interjected, "Those mages who live among you, the ones you claimed the Sirs of Ainz Ooal Gown defeated, are they treating you and the people of this village well?"
While Momonga didn't doubt the word of the de-facto leader of the Sunlight Scripture, Rowan, to keep the members of his elite squadron on their best behavior, it never hurt to double check and ask for a firsthand perspective.
Scrying was fine and all to be able to check up on the activities of the defeated scripture, but Nubo wouldn't want to spend all day constantly watching the group for any suspicious behavior.
As expected, Enri's face scrunched up in a mixture of emotions, but the skeletal Overlord could hear the tint of honesty in her voice when she answered.
"They…They're very different from what I'm used to. They're extremely disciplined and rigid in how they act, and they never do anything that would go against their "atonement" as they call it. A lot of the villagers don't like them, because of how they came to be here, and the mages especially don't like that the Goblin Troop are here too."
"Do they consider the goblins to be a threat?" CZ Delta asked, trying to gather information.
"I'm not really sure. I don't think so? I mostly summoned the goblins to help protect the villagers in case the mages do turn back to their old ways," Enri said.
"And we'll make sure to keep every last villager safe to our last breath, that's a promise you know you can trust!" One of the goblins butted in, "You don't ever gotta worry about us. Whether we win or lose, we have your backs."
Enri looked back at them and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll never have to use the other Goblin Horn so long as I have you guys. But back to the other conversation, I don't believe the mages are out to hurt us, at least right now."
Momonga and his guildmates all shared a look, comparing their thoughts and feelings on the matter.
"It might be a good idea to patrol the village, and make sure everything is as clean as she says it is. I doubt she'd lie to us, but she may not be aware of some things," the guild leader said.
"Honestly, us being able to stay the whole day tomorrow and inspect the place would be wise," Ariel agreed, "Rasputin, you think you'd be willing to do that tomorrow? We can just survey everything and do a check up?"
Ra Ra Rasputin shrugged. "Fine with me. Whatever you guys are good with, I'll follow. What about the Swords of Darkness though? They're likely going to want to hang out and spend time with us during the day."
"We can just be honest and tell them what we're doing," Ariel speculated, "We can even have them go around and ask questions around the village separate from us, covering more ground that way."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Momonga said, and then he turned to Enri. "We thank you for your hospitality, and we hope to be able to repay it as best we can. I think I speak for all of us when I say we are looking forward to tomorrow if tonight is any indication."
"Oh, certainly!" Enri excitedly exclaimed. "I won't take up anymore of your time. Have a good night and see you in the morning!"
With that, the village girl turned on her heel and waded through the group of goblins, who obediently followed after her out the door. They all waved at the disguised heteromorphs, disappearing into the houses of the villages.
CZ Delta closed it behind them, standing in front of it to act as a guard. Ariel, Ra Ra Rasputin, and Momonga all conversed amongst themselves to see who would receive which bed, an endeavor they realized was technically pointless since they were all the same cot, it was just their placement they were deciding.
"I want something close to the window. I'd like to have the moonlight on my face as I sleep, I feel like it would be more peaceful," Ariel requested, which both of her guildmates acquiesced.
That just left the automaton gunslinger and Overlord to decide their beds.
"Sleep is kinda pointless anyways. You got another puzzle I could mess around with?" Ra Ra Rasputin asked.
"Just the one we used last night. It was a fun bit, and I recall you could work on your solving time for it," Momonga said, pulling it out of his inventory. He had recovered it after the "fight" with Mekongawa earlier that day.
"That works for me," Ra Ra Rasputin said, claiming the puzzle for himself and falling onto a cot to spend his time.
Momonga, meanwhile, pulled a book out to read, summoning a minor [Magelight] to light the pages so he could enjoy himself without bothering his other guildmates. He sat on the edge of his cot while he did so.
I wonder what sort of day tomorrow will bring? I just hope we don't accidently cause too many problems with our presence. It's bad enough my friends and I interfered with their lives the first time, we don't need a butterfly effect going on…
—-
E-Rantel
Earlier that evening
The Bareare residence
"Grandmother! I'm home!"
Nfirea called out, locking the door to the pharmacy behind him. His arms were piled high with bags of groceries and necessary materials for the business he and his grandmother ran together.
His voice echoed slightly throughout the house, and many of the lanterns had been shuttered and dimmed. Usually by this point, Nfirea's grandmother, Lizzie Bareare, would have opened the shutters to lighten the area.
"Grandmother?" Nfirea shouted, unease entering his heart as only silence responded. Nfirea shrugged and moved to set down the bags. It wasn't uncommon to get late night calls from one of their regulars, whether it was for upset stomachs, farming accidents, or even just a case of the sniffles.
Even still, his grandmother should've been home for dinner. He was making her favorite tonight as well, to officially celebrate their millionth customer just that afternoon. It was an oddity, but Nfirea supposed that even during dinner time, they never stopped working.
CRASH!
He just about jumped out of his skin, the sound of glass shattering against the wooden floor of the pharmacy right down the hallway. Nfirea set down the bags on a nearby counter, wiping his hands as he rushed to see what the commotion was about.
It couldn't have been my grandmother. She's way too careful with the beakers to even chance accidently dropping or breaking them.
The pharmacist had to grab a nearby lantern from the wall, as the pharmacy itself was pitch black. Not even the windows had been left open to let the moonlight in. The shadows seemed to slither across his vision as his eyes adjusted to the darkness ahead of him.
He unshuttered the lantern, the light of the small fire showing a lone beaker had fallen off of a shelf and smashed itself.
"Huh, I didn't think that the beaker was leaning off of the shelf that much. At least we got spares in the back," Nfirea muttered, grabbing a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess.
"Sorry about that. I would say I wasn't really sure how else to get your attention, but then I would be lying to you."
A woman's voice sounded off from behind, and Nifrea looked over his shoulder to see a blond woman wrapped in a cloak right behind him. Her smile was sleazy, and just the way she eyed him hungrily already was setting him on edge.
"Um, s-sorry ma'am, but the shop is closed for the day. If you need any help or to purchase some medicine, I'd be happy to help you out in the morning," Nfirea said, speaking as professionally as he could in the rather odd situation.
The woman's hair swished as she took a step closer, her smile deepening and the sparkle of something unhinged in her gaze reached him.
"I do need some help, yes, but it's a little something...different from what you may be used to."
"Dammit, Clementine, stop with this nonsense and just grab the boy, we don't have all night!"
Nifrea snapped his gaze back inside the pharmacy, where an older man seemed to solidify from the shadows. He reeked of decay, and his elderly features were scrunched in annoyance. He held a staff in one hand and a dark orb with a glowing center in the other.
The woman sighed from behind Nfirea. "Fine! At least the older lady was more fun to play around with. I think I'll have to satisfy myself with that for tonight."
"Older lady-wait, do you mean my grandmother?" Nifrea asked, his stomach plunging down to the bottom of his shoes as the reality of his situation sank in.
The two strangers closed in on either side of him, grabbing at his arms as he struggled in vain to escape.
"Let go of me!" outrage tracing Nfirea's tone, "what did you do my grandmother?! What did you do to my grandma Lizzie?!"
"I'd be more worried about you, boy," the elderly man rasped, grasping Nfirea by the shoulders. He forced the boy to face him directly, and he raised a single, razor-sharp finger towards Nfirea's face.
Clementine giggled sadistically, tracing the outline of Nfirea's minimal bicep. "Well, when this is all said and done, he won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Nfirea wretched a hand free of Clementine's grip, though in the back of his head he knew he only did so because she let him. Just as he raised a hand to try and hit her, to escape and find his grandmother, the elder man poked at his forehead hard enough to draw blood.
Nfirea's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and darkness engulfed his vision.