Pandora's Box V

Aldemir stood up carefully and flexed. Selene shoved down any worry about his abilities deep down and stood almost as tall as he was. He slowly walked to the tent flaps and waited for her to exit, keeping himself completely restrained and calm. As long as no harm was going to come to the prince from her, nothing would happen. As they both left the tent, Tariq was brought over from a small tree and noticed the monks were all released. "Aldemir!" he laughed out as he ran to hug the man who kneeled and waited for the boy's arms to be flung around him. "You found me!"

"We would search the entire world for you, young prince." The Woad Master simply accepted the hug, not returning it as if he was normally not allowed to show affection due to his status or rank. That might have been reserved only for his father and mother. "Are you well?"

"I am, thanks to the dark elves here and… these metal people caring for me."

"Those metal people are called automatons, young prince" Selene interjected. "How are you feeling?" The boy looked up at the empress, then looked at her odd clothing. She wasn't wearing her armor to this meeting, just a simple steampunk Victorian dress with a buttoned side.

"You… I get the sense that you are the one who is in charge here."

"Perceptive; I am Empress Selene of the Clockwork Empire. A pleasure to meet you." He stood at attention and bowed to her, remembering his manners.

"On behalf of the others who were rescued from the forest as well as my people of Tal Salunbal, I thank you for your hospitality given by your citizens."

"You are quite welcome. As you can see, we aren't like Artinia. Tal Salunbal may find friends here if it just tries." Tariq seemed a little enamored at that prospect as he looked up into her blue eyes. He was thinking that maybe his kidnapping was meant to allow his people to finally meet this empire.

"When will you bring him to our lands?" Aldemir asked sternly.

"Aldemir! Remember your training and manners! Unbecoming of one of the Order of the Hidden Path!" Tariq chided.

"My apologies, highness; however, we must bring you to your father, that is the only reason our force left our borders. Your safety is paramount."

"He's quite safe in my empire, I can assure you of that." Aldemir looked at the empress. Although his eyes did their best to remain calm, there was a glare hidden behind the façade. "You were knocked out by my security, not even my military needed to be here. My empire is safer to be in than within your lands, Aldemir. Don't worry. I'll bring him quite soon, I just want to see if he would be an honorary ambassador, at least temporarily. That would require a little bit of a tour, so he understands we don't mean any harm unless provoked."

"Why would he require a tour if he's going to head back to our palace?" Selene rolled her eyes.

"Tariq how often are you sequestered away, never to see the outside of your royal walls?" she asked. The boy looked at Aldemir and stuck his tongue out, the answer already given with that response. She knew exactly how he felt being hidden away, though it seemed it was for good reason for the young prince to be protected. Whoever this vizier was, his plans seemed oddly thwarted already.

"That is unbecoming of a prince" Aldemir told him quietly.

"A child needs to be given the chance to be a child instead of growing up so quickly. Once he's older, he can't go backwards or turn back time." The dev offered her hand to the prince to lead him towards the dark elf palace, to meet King Weren and his daughter. The monks all followed, watching the surroundings carefully. The dark elven guards stared at the monks, remembering the altercation that had caused them to be incarcerated. Their own strength and speed was no match for the warriors from Tal Salunbal, though a single security model automaton blasted through a wall in an incredible display of power to taze each one of them with an AOE strike that continued to increase as it worked to bypass their elemental resistance given by a woad. Then the rest of its squad showed up.

That show of force told every elf in the city that the empire would not tolerate anyone harming its citizens, as they never saw what happened at the Underdark cave to begin with, just heard the thunder.

The dev explained the situation to the king, who was all too willing to show the young prince around the city, hopefully cultivating trade between his forest and Tal Salunbal. The whole time they moved about, Tariq kept stealing glances at Silara which Selene noticed and smirked as she shook her head softly. A crush at his age was something she did not want to get in the middle of. The dev didn't want to break his young heart that by the time he was of age to court her, she'd probably already be married.

"Ma'am, sorry to bother you while you're helping build relations with a far-off neighbor, just wanted to ask you a few things" Will chimed in through the empress's coms.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you decide to go instead of an ambassador?"

"I'm the best choice for this one, trust me. Knowledge of the Woad Master gave me an edge with Aldemir, he's thrown off balance and uncertain how to treat me. For all he knows, I'm the start of his order. That gives me leverage with diplomacy in the future if they somehow feel we might be their ancient mecca or start point for some of their beliefs. Making sure the prince has an easy time before being shipped back to his father helps to let them know we don't want to be their enemy, and also show them they really don't want to be ours."

"Understood. Should we consider the woads they inscribe into their skin a threat?"

"I don't know yet, we need some spies to keep a close eye on any temple or monastery they live in to better understand how strong or prevalent it is. I didn't exactly balance the whole thing, just worked out how the mechanics function. I'm still mulling it over on how exactly it got here. The game never came out, shelved for another project. It's possible there might have been a private event showing to bring in funding to polish the product, though that's just a guess. That guess makes me wonder if an investor got stuck here during the test."

"It's entirely reasonable to assume they were a Shah or prince that came here from the middle east."

"That would explain the culture most definitely. They chose the Woad Master, got transported here, somehow built up the land of Tal Salunbal unknown centuries ago with likeminded people. It's fairly impressive if that happened, given Aldemir is level 99, though his subordinates are level 90. Could mean the tester somehow figured out every skill and ability that was available to him quickly and built up an order of monks around him to defend his lands, training his followers carefully to raise in capability well beyond the rest of the humans. Morlan was only a level 35 when I met him, Gabriel was an exception as I expected a level increase due to his experience with dimensional magic." Tariq laughed as King Weren told a small joke to the prince.

"From initial reports about their culture, it seems they've done away with restricting women long ago. Both sexes hold power equally, though it appears it is seen as unbecoming of a woman to ever have a job in physical labor. Their military also shows equal mixture." Selene watched the princess break away from the group and head towards a panther group ready to head out for a hunt, to Tariq's dismay. Once he left this place, it would be some time before he'd see her again, and even then, she may have found someone to fall in love with.

"That seems like there might be some influence from Israel or a conflicting view from the tester on how to treat others. Do they have-" she stopped communicating mid-sentence as Aldemir and the other monks all looked at each other, then turned in the direction of Tal Salunbal.

"Something evil has appeared within Artinia's borders…" one of them quietly spoke. Somehow, they could sense what was happening.

"Ma'am, we have confirmation that the artifact has been used" Grey reported immediately. "Nine portals have opened, most of them in, oddly, strategically poor locations. Most of them are out in the open, one of which has appeared behind General Galdin's camp near Silvinholm."

"Huh… so it's true, they really did put one of those in… fucking idiots…" Selene whispered to herself, no one else hearing her. "What's the threat analysis? Can we fight back?" she asked through coms as her staff all chimed in.

"We've already got reports of multiple level 100 demons swarming out of each portal, nothing below it seems, though nothing above. Positions are Aureos Palace, Caerel Mines, Caerel Harbor in the water, near Silvinholm, five in Aureos with all of them being splayed at the front gate and walls for spread trajectories. Composition seems to be whatever can get through the portals, though they have grown to a relatively large size."

A camera view popped up on her Hud showing a few massive demons squeezing through the already huge portals, with some of them being a hundred feet in height. Not one of them was higher than max level for Yggdrasil. The smaller ones were gnashing their teeth and surveying the landscape, looking for any living creature, human or otherwise, to slay for fun.

Was that a restriction of the artifact or the creator? Something blocked the maximum from going higher, and yet I was expecting a range of levels like the spell [Armageddon Evil]. Still… the numbers in my Hud say there are well over a thousand demons already out and about, trying to find things to destroy. Last I thought, each spell that could summon an 'army' of demons had a maximum of around maybe 150 in total due to server stability, with all of it combined being below level 80 and fairly easy to take down. Where the hell did this thing get so much power to push out… now thirteen hundred… fourteen hundred… level 100 demons?

Wait, it was a capacitor… he didn't… did he?

"They're milling about the gates, probably waiting for a sizeable force to occupy and destroy the remainder of civilian population that is still part of the kingdom. What do you want to do?" The towns that weren't under the empire's control were quickly being evacuated as civilians ran for their lives at the wall of demons climbing through and holding position until there was a sufficient amount to wipe them all out without letting any escape.

"What do you mean what do I want to do? We fight."

"Yes ma'am. All air fleets will be prepped and ready to go in fifteen minutes for an airdrop, which by our estimates will be how long it will take for the army outside Silvinholm to be wiped out once the demons commence attack. The situation there is currently at a standstill with a breach from last minute trebuchet shots, incapable of being closed at the moment with so little mana available to the wizards that are part of the rebel military. All our forces are mobilizing towards the frontlines. I guess this time you really will be getting Silvinholm and then some."

"Might I suggest we hold off temporarily in saving that location until Galdin's army is wiped out? Demons don't usually care about collateral damage, and that camp is between them and the city. Could also allow for a grand entrance to rescue them knowing those monsters out there were routed" Grey commented.

"It's possible if we time a teleport with 1st Air Fleet right above, could provide a surprise counter" Dominic replied.

"Do we need to let that army be destroyed? There's a possibility they'll break and run, hoping the rebels will take them in. Not every army needs to be fought" Gala responded.

"True, though that General will be a nuisance. He should probably be eliminated regardless" Selene told her. "Let Hrist know she's needed in 2nd Air Fleet and Brynhildr for 3rd. We're going to keep this contained and push in, have QRFs wrap around the sides and keep them from spreading beyond what's left of that kingdom's borders. Artinia is done for, that's clear given the king just doomed his own people in hopes of having new ones. How much time until the demons filter enough of a force to start a full assault? Are they outright attacking anything right now? You said something about them just milling about."

"At the moment, just clumping up and securing their front doors, though why they are doing that makes no sense unless it's also acting as a respawn point to come right back through; their essence might get collected each time we kill one of them, making it annoying to keep their forces locked down until we're on top of each portal… unless we want to act like ghostbusters. Bar our military and maybe the monks from Tal Salunbal, no one out there has the capability to defend against them. Just one of the demons could slowly work its way through most of the Artinian borders. We're going to need to be quick, while there aren't many more villages and towns between us and Aureos, those that are need to be gotten to quickly to stop any unneeded loss of life. We… should also check for survivors in Aureos as well" Dominic reported.

A wireframe map was brought up in her Hud to show just how few villages and towns still belonged to the Kingdom of Artinia, roughly around 25-30. How they didn't notice the empire creeping up on them and keeping everyone from knowing there were mechanized soldiers sniping scouts or keeping any wandering adventurers or traders from blabbing was an amazing feat. Stealth systems helped immensely in that regard.

"You don't need to meet the king face to face in some weird heroic duel like seen in movies, do you ma'am?" Will asked her.

"Absolutely not, as soon as we are near the palace which may not be today, strike teams head in and eliminate him. I don't need to know the motives of a certified madman, I don't need to even see his face unless he's verified as a corpse. We figure out how to close the portals either before or after… then… somehow figure out how to unfuck the rest of Artinia after this miniature Armageddon fell upon them. Shit, I'm not looking forward to the cleanup and integration… or the damned church of the Clockwork Empress expanding with new sheep joining…"

"Just as an aside, we might want to keep the monks and the prince in Olva'lore Forest for their protection. I doubt there's going to be a threat to Tal Salunbal bar aerial stragglers, and it would give the prince a chance to stay in good company with the dark elves, build up a bit more of a bond that could be brought back to the sultan" Gala informed them.

(Recommended Song: End of Silence – Polaris (featuring Kamila Nyvltova))

"Agreed." The empress looked at Tariq who was wondering what was happening and kneeled before the boy with her hands on his shoulders. "I'm going to need to have to cut this tour a little short, though King Weren will surely be able to play host for a few more days, the city is beautiful. I apologize for not showing you the rest of the empire, but something has happened that I need to deal with. Aldemir, I'm going to have to hold off on letting you leave just yet, I'll personally come by and inform you once it's safe to go back. In the meantime, stay as guests."

"You are no match for what is-" Aldemir tried to speak.

"You have no idea how wrong you are so let's just cut you off then and there. Take care of him. Let him learn about things outside of his homeland so that he can eventually become a better leader once he's of age to do so." The commander of the monks crossed his arms, thinking of something else to say. He simply nodded in acceptance. The prince seemed to perk up at hearing that; he didn't need to leave just yet, getting a chance to spend even more time here. "Sorry Prince Tariq. I'll see about continuing the tour after I've dealt with a particular issue." The young boy took a deep breath, remembering that he had to put on a mature air again.

"I humbly await that meeting, your imperial highness. Until you return to speak with us again." She nodded and squeezed his shoulders comfortingly as she smiled and stood up. The dark elf ruler looked at her in a worried gaze, as if he somehow could see she had gone from understanding and friendly to all business and professional.

"Something has happened, hasn't it?" he asked her quietly. She wasn't going to lie to a king below her keeping his people safe.

"Yes. Yes it has." Back at the castle, Bronze Team was preparing to load onto Majesty's Grace, followed by the thousands of other automatons ready for a real war, no longer hiding. The Extreme Heavy automaton size tier, or X heavies for short, were being brought out, mounted under the massive airships and ready to be dropped along with their smaller brethren. The naval fleets, while still not having shields available, were getting ready to move back out again towards Caerel Harbor alongside one brand new battleship barely launched from the shipyard with no shakedown cruise. Secondary armor was mounted on the hull to provide a temporary buffer.

Fighter garrisons across her empire loaded up ammunition for weapons that weren't energy based, others had bomb racks filled. Selene didn't yet know how to close those portals, the potential idea to quarantine the areas until a solution could be found popping into her head with a Maginot sphere. Another potential defense was to just orbital strike each portal, maybe it would overload and act as a cascade failure to seal the opening if tuned right.

Per her advisors, this wasn't going to be too difficult, but it also wasn't going to be easy, given the endless swarm of reinforcements from each gate. A constant threat was going to be looming over the lands until the gates to hell could be closed somehow, with help desperately needed from her science division on that front. "Time to see how we measure up against demons… or should I say, time to see how they measure up against us."

[[TACOM SAT/ 1= Combat Status verified: Orange. All combat units to the frontlines. All standard military units respond with full force, rapid responders to defensive perimeters. Sword Breaker protocols have been authorized.]]

Meanwhile

A staff was heard on stone as it clanked oddly each strike, the echo rippling down the hallway to the tomb. Once outside, a hooded figure looked towards the north, sensing that one of his experiments had been used, the one that was 'stolen.' He didn't know the specific location, he just knew that someone had found a way to charge it up and activate it in the northern hemisphere. That was a lot of ground to cover right now. Two more figures walked out of the shadows, one with wings and a white dress, the other a red suit and glasses.

I wonder… will those in the north that we've been fighting be able to somehow defend against even that? Is it even on their stretch of land? It's not as if it would work without a node with incredible power to fuel it. Would he really use it on one of his friends? Never mind, my attention right now is needed further east for the time being. At least I have a counter to it if they somehow leave whatever continent they are on.

"Ainz Sama. It is time" he heard from behind, the figure in the white dress gently reminding him of where they needed to be.

"Hmm? Of course. I was just noticing something. Greater Teleportation!" All three disappeared from the front of that tomb, known to all of the kingdoms that surrounded it, whether feared or loved it mattered little. Whoever had used the altered imitation would see how useless it was or lose their entire kingdom to their meddling. Right now, he had more important matters to attend to. The device used had limitations that even he knew would eventually cause whoever used it their own demise, in ways they would never expect.