7 The Destruction of a Man's Isekai
Silently nodding to the pair of Forest County Knights, I tended to the remaining dragons in my stable as they wordlessly dragged the disheveled Captain Nigun Grid Luin over to me.
I only had a score and a half left of my lesser familiars, and felt like they might need to see me in a less stressful situation. It seems that I only interact with them when its time for some of their number to die, and that can leave any being anxious. My dragons have started pulling back from social and sexual interactions, are constantly on guard and jumpy. To combat this PTSD I've been polishing scales, brushing manes and horns, cleaning teeth, as well as taking them on safe ventures into the wider world. Though it may seem like I'm wasting time when I could be amassing endless godly might, a man needs to spend some time touching grass. Don Frye was a farrier and his mustache has more masculine fortitude than the sum total of The Company's contractor force. I can only hope to someday match that energy, but all the power in the world won't develop grit, only getting out there and working manly jobs.
As for Nigun, well, I didn't need to talk to a dead man, no matter how much he tried to gain my attention. Once I confirmed he was the guy I waved the knights to go quarter him, and take the parts to my neighbors with a letter of introduction. Kind of like bringing them cookies after I moved in, but Metal. Diplomacy always lands harder when it's attached to a piece of a dude.
When I finished my allotted time in the stables, I intended to return to my studies. Despite regular interruption, my progress on spell casting made me feel like a whole new man, especially with the quick access to buff spells Wild Magic offered. It made sense that augmentation and defenses came early in such a primitive spell system, and though lesser in spell variety, they mostly covered the same bases as what Ainz would show with his Tier Magic, stat boosts, damage reduction, elemental protections. I'd describe my efficiency with these spells as absolute rubbish, but efficiency doesn't matter when I can simply keep ramming soul into the spell to increase the output, even if slowly, and the cycle of charging and refreshing my buffs created a feedback loop that constantly improves my capacity and prowess with Wild Magic. Though this world operates with RPG rules, I can move beyond such limitations through my Talents and good old fashioned hard work. I can still train my strength through progressive overload, and increase my mastery over my Class Skills. With Everlasting Talent I'll never atrophy in body or skill, so it's only onwards and upwards so long as I have the will to continue such intense effort.
Despite my intention to continue this grind the approach of someone I'd been waiting on took precedence. I had my homunculi out to funnel any persons of interest to me, and I so swiftly netted the white whale for my minimal efforts.
A huge man came up the path to my fortress dressed in a robe unique enough to make a statement anywhere though I'd call it far from delightful. More like frightful with its obvious edge lord qualities. Though lacking taste in design, none could impugn the materials and workmanship. Then he had to go and pair it with the most ugly gauntlets in his collection and a mask of questionable choice if it hadn't matched with the enormous sanguinary bands clamped onto his insect-like pauldrons.
An eclectic look to say the least.
He came with a statuesque bodyguard in a suit of black armor that fused knighthood and bdsm fetish-wear into a midnight purple and gray fantasy combat harness. Two of her heteromorphic features popped through her helmet as a pair of small horns that curled around her temples, though she could also sprout black wings from her waist. She brought with her a divine axe with a quite modern tactical look to it. I didn't like it, but not everyone has Shrouds of semi sentient solidified magic capable of taking a vague and stylish idea and producing works of true aesthetic superiority.
I'll admit I adapted quickly to the Georgian style of the Re Estize noble class, but who can blame me. The cut of George Wahsington's jib founded America. Unfortunately, wrist chainsaws clash with the holy nature knight thing I have going on, so I cannot complete the look.
Musings on style aside, The residents of Nazarick have already fallen into my trap. Through the Jungle Shroud I generated benign bacteria on the persons of Albedo and Mamonga, though the forces on the latter died after a brief resistance on contact with the skeleton of the undead overlord, my Fatality Defense failing. Despite that inconvenience, it mattered little, as I successfully pervaded Albedo's body with super cells taking the place of the bacteria in her body, her natural biome quickly replaced with my organized hyper competent Shroud creations. In just the time it took us all to enjoy this awkward silence of an introduction, her body was now ten to one my personal design. This is the true depth of the Jungle Shroud's power. The speed of Binding is directly proportional to the amount of coverage and penetration into the subject. Even with the reduction in binding speed for subtle Shroud manifestation, this level of coverage simply makes those matters moot.
By default I have Talent and Defense sharing turned off for routine members, so Albedo gave no indication of her change in station. As Keikaku intensified, my face split into a wide smile. Hard to see under my thick black Hungarian style mustache, but I imagine it set poor Satoru's mind a'spinning.
"Well met." I finally greeted the pair as I finished washing my arms up to the elbows using water from a barrel.
I'd idly wondered the efficacy of Company's Lures against a fanatic like Albedo. My presence is a multi pronged assault on the female physiology and psychology, all of which can be resisted, but together, on the Turin Turambar chassis? Now that is the question. My physical senses pushed to the limits by my Shroud and the New World's power of progressive evolution, I easily made out the Succubus's tightly throttled trembling as she encountered something her one track NPC mind could barely conceive of, let alone understand. Someone attractive besides her skeletal master. Like nails on a chalkboard, the moment her instant attraction turned to murderous intent couldn't have been more clear and distinct. Her trembling increased as her need to destroy this horrible new thing before her clashed against whatever commands the overlord yoked her with.
"Supper is still far gone, but you've arrived just in time for the afternoon tea." I informed the pair.
"You will find me a poor mealtime guest." the masked necromancer replied, "I am sustained on magic, and must abstain from food and drink."
"On the contrary," if anything my smile widened, "such makes for an even more fascinating guest, and as an added bonus I get to indulge in some light sadism as I enjoy the rich fruit of my land before your appetized eyes."
"Such disrespect!" Albedo shouted as her whole body bristled under her black armor.
"Haha. Yes." I nodded and toweled off, wrapping that damp fluffy goodness behind my neck.
As Albedo boiled and fumed I led the pair to a nearby table where a gilded and enameled samovar furnace heated a glass kettle full of a rich golden oolong tea. I took the only seat and poured myself a cup, taking a deep breath before my first sip as I looked out over my holdings. Down the mountain side and across a sea of trees. All mine, and thus all good.
"We can see quite far out from up here." I grinned widely, "And I own all I see."
"Quite the mantle of responsibility." Mamonga flattered.
"And only a small swath of the realms of men." I gave freely the kind of information the skeleton so desperately desired.
"I have remained in seclusion a long while, exploring the depths of magic, and find myself barely able to recognize the world today." Mamonga revealed his prepared backstory, "Might we speak of the current state of affairs in the wider world?"
"You've picked a good time to come out of hiding." I cheerily told him, "There aren't any major disasters unleashed in the world currently. Just the usual catastrophes of life, though even those are put to rest here in the County of the Great Forest."
"Can you speak to the goings on of the lands beyond your holdings." the overlord wheedled, perfectly falling for my act as a useful idiot.
"Extensively." I answered then went back to sipping tea.
"My deep appreciation if you deemed to do so." Momonga goaded and I complied.
"To our north-west is the failed state of Re-Estize, often referred to as the Kingdom." I informed the pair, "Inept, corrupt, weak. Only the blessed geography and the lack of interest from its neighbors keeps the Kingdom from collapsing. To our north-east is the Baharuth Empire. A shockingly well run state helmed by a series of good emperors. Unless checked, they will likely conquer the Kingdom within the next decade. To our south is the Slane Theocracy. The other nations exist because the Theocracy allows them to."
Mamonga processed what I told him, then nodded under his hood.
"Thank you very much for sharing this information with me." the skeleton spoke.
"You are very welcome." I replied while keeping my intentions clear of my expression.
The skeleton obviously wanted to leave and I gladly allowed them to, feeling no need to extend my hospitality further now that we both had what we wanted. The pair departed back down the mountain, unable to teleport or portal out of my fortress without my permission.
I simply waited for night to fall. After darkness settled in I took out my Company Phone and purchased Apportation, a handy little 25 point purchase that allowed my Waifu's and I to teleport to each other. Nazarick may have many defenses, but they matter not a whit when I have a woman on the inside working as my anchor. I confirmed this by purchasing the Mapper app, that gave my device a general map of the world. While locations hidden from the general populace are not included in this purchase, my routine and I are capable of filling the map in via exploration. I simply waited for her to retreat for the night into her room and gave her an hour to fall asleep.
Once reasonably assured that the succubus was down for the night, I teleported to her location and asserted control over the leftover Shroud in her biology to put her into a coma. My Mission to capture ten members of Nazarick came with the optional objective of not allowing them to know they are being targeted by me, and so I didn't risk selling the succubus to get rid of her. Not yet. Colorless, odorless, transparent cells crept under Albedo's door and into the greater complex of Nazarick. With Albedo subdued and my attack so subtle, I chose to go for the gold, or in this case, to target only the Tier 7 NPC's to complete a hefty thousand point optional objective. They were spread across the tomb, a place physically separated into floors only accessible via magic gateway, but the Xeric Shroud simply subverted the physical stone separating these locations, so the silent advance of the Primal Shroud continued unimpeded. Albedo, Nigredo, Aureole Omega, Sebas Tian, Cocytus, Demiurge, Shaltear Bloodfallen, Mare, Aura, and Gargantua. I silently captured all 10 of the Tier 7 NPC's, triggering the end of my mission, Heavy Is the Sorcerer's Crown, and the completion of all but one of my objectives. This brought me 1675 credits, and a Tier X ticket. A godly haul, but I readied my smart device and made it even more.
Sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, and sell. I had no use for Ainz's demented pack of NPC's, and though I felt bad about ruining a man's Isekai, I am ultimately team people, something the Great Tomb of Nazarick is not. I even got a little 50 point bone from the Mission: With Velvet Glove, for defeating a team of antagonists that threaten the setting.
That brought me up to 3386 points.
Such wealth.
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I've been quite down about my health, having contracted both the cold and covid in a short span of time, and I haven't fully recovered from my run in with the world halting virus. It's been quite the trial to manage the motivation to write, which is quite the shame as it is one of the few things that makes me happy. Despite the downer mood from constantly feeling like I have a child sitting on my chest, the call of finishing my various works managed to rouse me for the grind. This story is done, outside of an epilogue chapter. I considered bringing in lots of out of setting drama for Donnchadh to contend with, but ultimate felt that it was better for me this way. Not all of my stories need to go multiversal off of the rails.
You can support me and my family at
ko - fi . com / jmanm
And now for a brief word from my two and a half year old son:
hot
