AN: Self-advertisement time. I have started to publish a new story: Supreme Beings of Azeroth. It is about Ainz and Buku in the Warcraft setting. As with all of my stories, there is no need to know the source material to enjoy the story so please go check it out.
As of late, only four out of six Gods attended all the meetings, with the last two appearing only to give input on critical matters that directly concerned them. Both Pero and Tabula couldn't be too bothered about smaller, more day-to-day decisions as long as the said decision didn't impede their respective line of work. Pero was busy wrangling his religion into shape, and Tabula was … being Tabula. No one wanted to look inside his domain.
The re-adjusted conference room, now with six seats and six crests decorating the walls, still served its intended purpose whenever called upon even with its modifications. To make the atmosphere more casual, various refreshments were prepared beforehand at the request of Buku, sourced from both Nazarick and the local area. She was slowly sipping coffee and snacking on cookies as the last attendee, Ulbert, teleported in, rushed to his seat, and grabbed a can of coke, popping it open.
"So, boss, I need a solution for Slane. Are you letting me use Rubedo or not for the next set of operations?" He asked after taking a slurping gulp.
"I will summon a seraphim or metatron, as I planned. It's best not to overuse Rubedo. A potential enemy could figure out her limits and make countermeasures, and then one of our reliable cards will become less useful." Ainz shut him down.
"Feeling suicidal, huh? Metatron will burn your bony ass into ash with its mere presence," Buku commented.
"We don't need such filth in the Great Tomb of Nazarick." Albedo voiced her agreement with Buku, her wings slightly shaking at the mere idea of angels wandering around the sanctuary of heteromorphs. The holy magic-orientated creatures had earned a reputation as arrogant and self-righteous creatures, since they looked down on the rest of the heteromorphs, despite being heteromorphs themselves. Undead, in particular, were scorned, which was why Ainz suggesting he summoned one was practically sacrilegious even among the quirks of the Gods.
Albedo knew that her knowledge of them came from a game, but considering that information about other creatures was relatively accurate to date, there was no reason to dismiss her assumptions just yet.
"I picked up enough items from the treasury to be safe. Luckily, the talent works even with nonessential items as long as its previous owner had worn it for a long enough time." Ainz commented while raising his hand and showing that each of his fingers had two rings on and that there were three bracelets on his right arm.
"Any luck in duplicating the skill?" Ulbert continued, his eyes glowing with envy. "I doubt I can defeat your cheating-ass talent if you can use most of the guild's special skills, including mine."
"Neither I nor Tabula have any idea on how to duplicate it. This talent seems unique, although nothing is stopping you from learning abilities you want to use compared to the game system. I intend to learn more myself so I'm not as reliant on items." Ainz ignored his comment about cheating.
"Either way, are you sure it is smart to summon the top-tier angels? They would have personal agendas," Buku questioned.
"I can't rely only on the death part of my role. Besides, there are a few dozen angels patrolling the woods and no one seems to mind, especially my undead summons. Getting high-level angels could increase the number of servants capable of using resurrection spells freely. Worst comes to worse, we send them back to wherever they were summoned." Ainz dismissed her concerns with a wave of his decorated skeletal hand.
Thus far, all the sentient summons seemed to be aware of who would summon them and held a decent amount of loyalty towards their new master. There was no reason to believe that the strongest angels would be different, that is, if they responded to his call in the first place. The pattern of the higher tier the less chance of success was proven beyond all doubt when it came to summoning angels even in-game. But the benefits of a successful summon could allow him, and by extension Nazarick, to command even greater amounts and qualities of forces if they could obtain such a boon.
"I still object to summoning them. There must be better creatures to utilize." Albedo stated, crossing her arms. After so many meetings, she had finally gotten used to speaking as an equal, especially when there was no experimental data to conflict with in-game data.
"I'll start with one and won't attempt to summon more until enough testing is done with the first. We need summonable angels if we want to break Slane Theocracy slowly and methodically, and I won't risk using Rubedo for that purpose." Ainz declared.
"Eh, you are probably right. We can't leave that place alone for months until I get a grip on summoning high-tier valkyries, they could do something unexpected. Speaking of which, I need resources to get the local army equipped. There are a lot of volunteers, especially among lizardmen." Buku gave in and switched on to the next topic, internally sighing as she took a sip.
"Take whatever you need. Of course, try not to give out rare equipment to everyone." Ainz nodded.
"I'll help with the details. We have enough raw low-tier resources to create suitable equipment for the soldiers recruited among the locals."
"Great, then Albedo and I will handle the things. Have fun, and give a heads-up when you plan to do the summoning. There is no way we are letting you do this alone." Buku stood up and downed the last of her coffee, Albedo doing the same.
"Noted."
Ulbert and Ainz watched both women leave and once alone, Ulbert spoke up, putting down his can of soda. "There is something I wanted to talk about with just you."
"Has something happened?" Ainz asked, concerned. If his friend had waited this long before spilling the beans, it was likely of exceedingly high importance.
"Umm, I have a hunch that something has influenced my decisions, and I fear it's the same thing that forced Tabula to uplift Albedo," Ulbert spoke in a low tone while glancing around, as if fearing to be overheard. And they were in one of the most secure rooms of Nazarick, which theoretically shouldn't be eavesdropped by any means they knew of.
"So you feel it too. To be honest, I am unsure if trying to fight the influence right now is a smart decision. Whoever that entity is, it might turn things for worse if we openly defy it." Ainz replied. "And if it can influence us now, they could do so in the future."
"So we're fucked either way. Maybe we should squeeze the tentacle face and his wife for answers. They know something," Ulbert suggested.
"Perhaps. But they already said they know little about that entity, and the less we mess with it the better. They wouldn't likely hold back crucial information. For all we know, it could be listening in." Ainz let his paranoia make the conclusions for once. It wasn't always the best approach, but in this case, it was better to be overly paranoid than recklessly endanger Nazarick.
"We can't just pretend it's not happening either. Sure, we'll play the game for now, but it's better to know what we are dealing with. Ignorance could bite us in the ass."
"You have a good point, but we can't push Tabula too hard either. You know how he is. Losing a guild member right now would be disastrous," Ainz commented, sighing as Ulbert nodded.
"How about I go in hard and you pretend you're holding me back? Good cop bad cop. I'll bring Flornohe with me to get a bit more fear in Mariposa and we'll figure out what they truly know."
"I guess we can try that. Try not to overdo it though." Ainz warned, knowing full well how far Ulbert could take his theatrics. He had scared many a prospective guild member away with how seriously he took his bloody appearances and even a few now-former guild members as well.
"You know me. I wouldn't-"
"I am warning you not to go overboard because I know you. We don't need Tabula holding a grudge against us." Ainz interrupted Ulbert, the flames in his eye sockets flaring up.
"Point taken. Just a tiny bit of pressure that's all." Ulbert vigorously nodded while smiling like a used car salesman.
"Right." Ainz shot him a suspicious glance.
"I swear I'll behave. Let's go talk with them." Ulbert raised his right arm in mock oath.
Ainz, internally sighing, decided against further drilling of the goat demon and at his signal both appeared before Tabula's quarters in a blink of an eye, with Flornohe teleporting in a moment later.
She bowed deeply, exclaiming, "I am ready to be of service!"
"As I already told you, we need to ask the pair a few questions, and your task will be to squeeze Mariposa if she decides not to cooperate," Ulbert explained.
The demoness straightened out and assumed position by Ulbert's left side, holding onto her superior's biceps.
The trio entered Tabula's quarters and the first thing all of them noted was how quickly Mariposa tensed up upon detecting them, likely suspecting what was about to come.
"Lord Ainz, Lord Ulbert, it's an honor to receive you both. And it's nice to see you, Flornohe." She greeted them with a short bow.
"I hope you don't mind our sudden visit. We won't intrude for long." Ainz returned the greeting.
"I could say the same, but we have a particular matter to discuss. Call out Tabula from his den and let's chat about that mysterious benefactor of yours." Ulbert skipped pleasantries altogether and went straight to the point, half-growling.
What he didn't expect was for his concubine to freeze up as well, her nails digging into his flesh as she gripped tighter onto him.
'So she knew as well and didn't say anything. Well, looks like a replacement is in order.'
As if sensing his decision, the elder succubus immediately messaged him. { I will explain myself. I intended to avoid putting you and Nazarick in harm's way. }
{ So much for your proclaimed loyalty. } Ulbert retorted as he peeled her arm off his biceps and pushed it away, receiving a hesitant glance from Ainz in the process.
As much as he enjoyed her company, such a blatant attempt at hiding important information couldn't be overlooked.
"W-we already told you everything we know." Mariposa stammered as she stared at the interaction between the God of Trickery and her former superior, nervous.
"That will be for us to judge. This entity is subtly influencing our decisions and I for one will not stand for any duplicity among my subjects." Ainz declared, fully exercising his authority as the absolute ruler of the Tomb. The 'good cop bad cop' plan was already out of the window, so there was no point playing the planned role anymore. It was his turn. "While I don't believe you and Tabula have any malicious intent, I'm not convinced that either of you told the whole truth, fearing said entity and prioritizing his desires over the need of Nazarick, which would make you both traitors."
"We told what we know, if you want to raise your voice at someone then you can start with me and leave my wife out of this!" Tabula teleported into the room between Ainz and Mariposa, aura flaring.
"Cut the crap! If we don't squeeze her, you'll just keep your trap shut and I, sure as hell, am not leaving without answers!" Ulbert retorted.
"Before this goes any further, there is someone who wishes to speak with you and use me as a proxy, but won't do so without your explicit permission," Flornohe spoke up before the interrogation got too out of hand. She was also implicit in silence and the risk of getting dismissed or worse, permanently damaged by the angered God, was too high, as even she knew what they did not.
"And who would that be?" Ainz questioned. Whoever she was referring to at least was courteous enough not to just take over Ulbert's summon, but that also meant they had access to everything Flornohe had, including Ulbert's deepest secrets.
"Great Mother Lilith. She wishes to shed some light on the matter and resolve any misunderstandings. Would you grant her permission to use me as her temporary avatar?" Flornohe continued.
"As long as she is not hostile and leaves after the conversation is done, she has my permission." Ainz glanced at the blonde demoness, flames flaring.
At his command, Rubedo appeared in the room and took her place a distance away. She should be enough to handle the visitors, should things go south. But even that was no guarantee.
Flormohe took a sharp breath as her green eyes faded to pitch black and her entire presence grew to at least match the Gods, if not overshadow them, in just a few moments. Her previously tense expression relaxed into a faint smile.
"I bid you welcome Ainz Ooal Gown, let us converse as equals for a moment. As my daughter already introduced me, I won't do so again, but know this, my type of existence is that of an Infernal Lord. Now then, you wish to know about the one who meddles in your affairs?" Her voice carried both the authority of a queen and the softness of a mother, both conniving and convincing if he wasn't already on guard against such tricks.
"Infernal Lords stand above Gods in the cosmic hierarchy," Tabula added.
"I see. Yes, I would like to know more. Hopefully, you can provide answers, but I would also like to know your stake. I am certain there are numerous summoned entities within Nazarick answering to you and have not disclosed this fact."
"My sons and daughters are my stake. Should I not have ordered Flornohe to take the place of unruly ones, they would have come to this world without knowing the forces behind the veil. I am not your enemy and won't ever become one as long as my children are not treated unjustly." Lilith moved Flornohe's head to stare at Ulbert.
"They swore loyalty yet hid things from me." Ulbert retorted.
"They did so by my orders. You speak of loyalty when you offer none to them. You have not trusted Flornohe nor taken her vows to heart." Lilith's tone grew harsher, lips turning downward.
"And why would I do that if you can turn them against me when you see fit? Or maybe it was your goal: send one of yours to seduce me so you could make me do whatever you want through her." Ulbert raised his finger in an accusatory manner, tone growing hostile.
"Indeed, loyalty goes both ways. You are young and inexperienced. Not disclosing their orders from me was not a sign of disloyalty, it was one of seeking trust. I gave control of them over to you, but don't think for a moment I cannot take it back."
"How convenient. Ainz, are you hearing this? We have another one to worry about."
"We are getting off-topic. We can resolve the demon situation after hearing her out." Ainz commented. Instead of finding out more, the scene had devolved into Ulbert bickering with Lilith about the demons he had summoned.
"Please give me a moment to resolve this matter and then we'll return to the main topic at hand. There is no need to rush things." The politeness towards Ainz and dissatisfaction and maybe even disdain towards Ulbert was plain for all to see.
"Very well, but don't drag this out. If there is no agreement, I want all of your servants, save for Mariposa, gone from Nazarick." Ainz nodded. He couldn't reasonably ask for Tabula's wife to depart, knowing that the brain eater would instantly follow, and that loss would be devastating. There was no doubt in his mind that Lilith had her agendas, which only complicated matters even more.
"A God of Trickery is scared of being manipulated. An amusing sight, indeed. Is your willpower so low that you need to assert such an illusion of cold-hearted dominance toward those who have entered a covenant with you? Have you so easily forgotten the uncaring ways of those from your world of origin? She was willing to give you her all, yet you couldn't be bothered." She asked as she gently stroked the cheek of the body she temporarily possessed.
Ulbert paused. Her comment hit its mark. He had been rather dismissive towards Flornohe, but there was a good reason even if this reason wasn't revealed until now.
"I'll make it very clear to you. I can recall all my children and make sure you wouldn't ever be able to summon them again. As mighty as you are now, I am more!" An aura threatening to overwhelm everyone spilled out of her as Flornohe's skin darkened, as if exposed to intense heat.
"Good for you. Then do it! I don't need servants I cannot trust. I'm sure there are others like you out there who are willing to cooperate without sneakily sending in their own." Ulbert spat back. Melborius needed to be questioned about his allegiances as well since he was the only high-tier demon who wasn't related to Lilith.
"As I said, trust goes both ways."
"Exactly! And I don't see a reason to trust any of your demons if they can fuck me over if you order them to do so."
"What a young fool you are, Ulbert Olain Odle. The covenant made through summoning is not so easily broken. I can only call them back and not make them go against your orders within this world."
"Like I would believe-"
"Believe what you want. I won't let you abuse my children. Treat them fairly or they will leave and you will make an enemy out of all my line!" Lilith's expression darkened as the host body increasingly struggled against her anger.
"I am treating them fairly you twat!"
"Enough of this! You either get to an agreement or there is nothing more to talk about." Ainz interrupted them both, flaring out his own aura. Lilith may have been declared to be a higher being by Tabula, but he wasn't about to tolerate direct intrusions and foreign agendas within his home.
"How little is needed for you to naturally express your role, Ainz Ooal Gown. Very well, A deal then." Lilith took a small bow toward Ainz and then returned her attention to Ulbert.
"I will enter a covenant with you directly. All of my children who decide to serve you will be ordered to hold you in higher authority than me, as long as they are in your care. In return, you will not damage their spiritual forms and reward them for their accomplishments accordingly. Their hearts and minds will belong to you without deceit and you will treat them as your own."
"That works. But if you screw me over, I'll make sure you have nothing to recall." Ulbert exclaimed.
"Don't issue threats you do not want to see carried out. A covenant is not so easily breakable by myself either. Your will over my children in your service will be absolute!" She declared.
"You know what, you have a deal," Ulbert smirked in response as Tabula muttered something.
Ainz silently watched their exchange to learn as much as possible, noting to question Ulbert about what his will could do over the demons. The main thing to bring home was that sentient summons likely had other masters and assurances of loyalty would need to be made each and every time they attempted a new type of summon. He already knew some tidbits from the angels who had confessed to being abandoned by their creators, but this only reinforced them.
Lilith dragged a nail over the palm of her host's body, making it bleed of thick midnight black blood, and motioned for Ulbert to do the same. His friend cut his hand with a dagger and joined his palm with Flornohe's. The air filled with a mix of divine energies of two kinds, resonating within the minds of everyone within the room.
"The deal is sealed. Remember your part well and treat Flornohe with the respect she deserves; in turn I will not interfere with your dealings, and should I have any business in this world, converse directly with you or Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Noted, Mom." Ulbert nodded, sounding borderline mocking.
Lilith raised the brow of her host body but refrained from further comments. Instead, she turned back to Ainz. "Now then, I will reveal what I can. You are being played by a traveler who calls himself Regoz. There is nothing you can or will ever be able to do to defy him, so my advice is to play along for the time being and be mindful."
"So there is nothing we can do?" Ainz questioned.
"You can trace this influence in hopes of learning about the goals of Regoz. This world, you are about to inherit, holds many secrets that you will have to discover of your own volition, for even my influence is limited. Prepare yourselves in all ways you can to defend what is yours. I may come from time to advise and can be called if a host body is prepared and my name is invoked. The games of travelers can only be played through, and be assured, Regoz isn't the only one playing as something as inconceivable as him is standing in opposition to his plans."
"So all we can do is train and wait? You have not told anything of substance thus far."
"Build your base of power, gather the faithful and the loyal. Grow in might and wisdom. The path of a God is never easy, and above all be mindful of the machinations of those above you, but do not fight them needlessly. Trust your heart. Should I say more, I might risk changing the game for the worse and endanger both Nazarick and all my children. Those beings care little about the likes of us. All of us are but ants caught in a battle between a snake and a scorpion, and both are willing to engage in a bloody battle to end the other." Lilith gently tapped the center of his ribcage sending a jolt of energy through his skeletal frame and beyond; he would need to analyze this energy later.
"There is one thing I can recommend: As soon as you can, become aware of your true form and how it spreads through the immaterial. This frame you and others wear is but a fraction of what you can be." She continued.
"There is one more question-"
"Why Albedo was uplifted I cannot tell, but should you permit and she wills it, I can guide her to embrace her role when the time comes. I sense this world is a nexus of great events, but the future is clouded with veils upon veils. Only the unveiling of future events will tell more."
"This isn't much."
"I know. I want to help more and build an alliance, but I must be careful of them as well. Should I be able to reveal more, I will contact you again."
"I see. Thank you for clarifying these things." Ainz gave a slight bow of the head as much as his collar permitted.
"You're welcome. Until we meet again." She bowed in return as her presence faded from the demoness, her eyes fading away as quickly as they had faded into.
Flornohe took a few sharp breaths and quickly assumed her position by Ulbert's side, giving him a questioning glance. By the short nod and sigh of relief, their silent communication surely had ended on a positive note.
"Anything to add?" Ainz asked no one in particular.
"I don't like that we are roped in some sort of game, but it seems we can do fuck all at the moment." Ulbert let out a groan.
"It's best if we play along. I will warn you if Regoz is interfering in a way I can notice. If I knew things were so complicated, I would have warned everyone before the arrival." Tabula expressed his opinion, sighing.
"It doesn't change much. But as she suggested we all should be mindful and continue internal monitoring at the highest level. If anything seems out of place, contact every God immediately and wait for a meeting."
The helplessness of the situation wasn't exactly a preferable state of affairs, but there at least were enough tips from Lilith to generally know what to look out for. There clearly were more enemies hidden somewhere in this world and it was best to waste as little time as possible in preparations.
It had always been his preferred way to prepare as much as possible, and this time was no exception. His cold, logical, undead mind agreed.
On top of a ziggurat, a single temple sat, old beyond mortal understanding. In this temple, one throne sat at the core of what was the entity called Lilith, overseeing her countless children and even more numerous worshipers and allies going through their lives, along with monitoring many, many possible enemies.
The world she had tasked Zalarta to deal with was but one of many she had her eyes on. This world harbored newborn Gods, and many like her were eying to form alliances. The politics of immaterial realms were as complex as those of material realms with constant fight for influence and power.
Time was of little consequence here. She had seen many outcomes of events set in motion and knew what needed to be done to aid the fledgling divinities to flourish into proper Gods to work with. She had to pick them carefully and do just enough to avoid coming into conflict with the being she had crossed once and paid dearly for it. One of her eldest daughters was ripped away from her, turned into a mockery of what she once was: an image of the Infernal Lord who had feuded with her across the worlds and timelines.
Her attention fell onto an entity that was but a hole in the fabric of reality approaching her throne, wearing the appearance of a human man.
"It is a pleasure to gaze upon you, Great Mother." He greeted her with a polite bow.
"I have not broken our agreement. What is that you want from me?" She spoke frigidly.
"Oh, it's not what I want." Regoz smiled as he walked up the step, stopping right before her shifting image.
Lilith glared down at him, her form becoming more monstrous by the moment, bringing out the darkest side of her.
"Anger doesn't suit you." He remarked, grabbing one of her numerous hands and planting a kiss on its spiky scales. "I have not come to take away from you."
"Protect them and I will play along. I want not a single one devoured when the sleeper awakens." her form changed back to more human-like.
"Even her?"
"She is still my daughter."
"Very well. The deal is made. You know what to do."
"I will guide them, but make no mistake if the Crawling Chaos starts interfering with my business-"
"He won't. You know that rules will be followed. We don't want another stirring."
"You caused the last one! Such loss…" She paused. "No matter. Make sure he keeps to his dealings and I will keep to mine."
"Of course, be at ease, Great Mother, everyone will stay in their lane." Regoz smiled as his visage faded.
The reality rippled back into place, replacing the emptiness that was the Traveler as Lilith heaved another sigh.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Sluethen, Squid, x4x, fvvck, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, aidan_lo, and clagan.
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