Chapter 37: Lizardmen part 3

Atlas and Cocytus returned to Nazarick with failures weighing down on their shoulders. They proceeded immediately to the throne room to inform Ainz of their failures. With the guardians and Pleiades watching, the two began their speech.

"Lord Ainz. I have failed you. I have neglected to plan against the cunning of the Lizardmen warriors and have cost you an army." Atlas spoke.

"I have also failed you, Ainz-sama. I should have been more heavily involved as the General Of The army." Cocytus interjected.

Ainz stood up from his throne, giving off an aura of 'coolness'. The Overlord looked to his two subjects, waving his hand forward.

"I forgive you both. It seems that the troops were indeed too weak to use against the Lizardmen forces, so I will assign you a much more powerful force to wipe them out." Ainz spoke.

"But Ainz-sama, didn't you want to use some of their best warriors? Surely they are fit enough to become subjects." Cocytus said.

"Can you at least consider making them your subjects?" Cocytus asked.

"How would it benefit me?" Ainz responded.

"The warriors possessed a weapon that could break through our formation, without it, they would have perished. The warriors should not be a factor in sparing them." Atlas spoke.

"What of this weapon?"

"It is a weapon that summons ice. It is nothing against any of us, but it easily broke through the horde of low level skeletons." Atlas continued.

"It seems I am interested, thank you District Guardian."

Atlas bowed down briefly.

"Ainz-sama, would it not be advantageous to use the Lizardmen tribes as a foothold in the Great Forest? We could make them vassals Of Nazarick."

"Very well, you shall deal with them and make them surrender." Ainz announced.

The guardians left he. Room, followed by the Pleiades, and then the two speakers. Atlas followed Cocytus back to the fake base, unable to have any time to speak to Narberal, a punishment in itself.

After a brief travel, the two arrived at the base and talked through their plans.

"What shall we do, Lord-Cocytus?" Atlas asked.

"Fight the warriors ourselves, that is what a warrior must do." Cocytus spoke.

"I understand, but to grant them a death by your blade is too much. let me fight them." Atlas responded.

"Very well, Atlas, you shall be the one to make them surrender themselves to Ainz-sama. Do not fail our lord."

Atlas left the meeting room and proceeded to travel into the forest. He decided to do some exploring before his battle with the Lizardmen, a sort of soul searching that he dearly needed.

The woods were scorched with the marks of humanly flame, years and years had worn down the bark. The mark of human negligence and greed was apparent throughout the forest, the mark of the greatest evil. Atlas walked through the ancient pathways, observing his surroundings carefully to make sure he doesn't fall prey to a higher level monster.

The trees became much more tightly packed as he travelled deeper in, leaving almost no room for his armour to squeeze through what little cracks were there. The feeling of discomfort was not present though, letting he skeleton push on further. Before he knew it, the trek had become a challenge. The challenge was not clear, but he wanted to find out what was at the centre of this dense forest, what was so important.

Atlas already knew that the best security was centred around the most important of things, so the thickness of the trees was no accident. They were protecting something, something very important. The skeleton finally reached a small circular clearing at the centre of the labyrinth of trees, only showing nothing but bones at the centre.

"Bones, perhaps a strong beast lives here."

Atlas walked towards the pile of bones, inspecting them closely with his vision.

"Demon bones? In a forest?"

Suddenly the bones vanished, leaving nothing in the clearing but Atlas. The event seemed to be quite ominous, but felt like a foreshadowing of things to come. The feeling was rather threatening no matter how much Atlas tried to shrug it off.

With his trek finished, Atlas proceeded back to the base, ready for his next battle.