"Three more on the left side!" Hara yelled as she swung her Naginata in a broad sweep, disembowelling a pair of goblins as they jumped at her.
"I see them!" Amrita declared as she shifted her neck to the side, an arrow passing by harmlessly, before she then swung her own weapon in a low sweep, knocking a trio of goblins off their feet.
The goblins tried to scramble to their feet, but were quickly unable to as plant matter like vines and roots grew out of the ground and wrapped around them, holding them down before piercing their bodies and killing them.
"Flora," Ainz spoke up from where he stood nearby atop a small earthen mound. "Restraining bodies will require you to do so faster against stronger enemies. Focusing on speed first, then quantity against most enemies will keep them held and allow you to move on."
"I'm trying!" Flora grumbled as she took a step backwards to avoid a goblins claws. "It's hard to manipulate plants in a fight like this when I'm not a fighter!" she complained loudly as she stumbled backwards over a rock and was caught by one of Hara's legs lifting up and poking her backside before she send a chain of fireballs at the goblins that were attacking Flora.
"Yeah well maybe try harder!" Hara commented as she twirled her Naginata and then thrust it forward a couple times, impaling a half dozen goblins that tried to swarm her. Some also tried to attack her from behind as well, right up until the vents on her abdomen shot out gouts of flame, cooking them in seconds and drowning out their screams.
"I am not a fighter!" Flora said again in annoyance as she swung an arm forward, a great vine growing out of the ground at her feet and slapping a goblin in the face and sending him into others.
"That is true. you slapped the beast instead of impaling it," Amrita commented as she kicked a goblin in the crotch, grabbed it by an ear, and with a quick twist broke its neck before pushing it into the path of another.
"What part of I am not a fighter do you not comprehend!" I was an Herbalist and then a Peddler! Not a force of nature used to kill monsters!" Flora yelled as she moved to avoid another Goblin, conjuring a vine to burst out of the ground and punch the goblin in the chin from below.
Amrita killed that one as well.
"Dryads are forest spirits, beings akin to natural phenomenon given form," Ainz said as he raised a hand and clenched it, a heart suddenly in his grasp, still beating, as a larger hobgoblin near the back of the goblin group suddenly fell to the ground. "If you decide a creature is an enemy to the world, then the land itself should thus follow your will and deal with it."
"Yeah that's a nice theory, but how am I supposed to create plants to kill goblins in a barren wasteland!?" Flora yelled in clear aggravation.
She was not entirely wrong, A inz noted to himself. The badlands they were in were parched and rugged. A rocky land where the only plants were extremely hardy bushes, cacti and grasses that were difficult to tell due to being nearly the same color as the rocks and dirt that surrounded them. It was not an ideal climate or landscape for manipulating plants even if she already had been doing alright.
Yet, it in a way was also perfect for flora to learn to push past her own limits. The last many days had shown that she was hesitant about fighting directly herself, so that needed to be dealt with, at least to a small amount, or she could likely become a liability.
Until now though they had encountered no enemies or even travelers in the badlands, so a seemingly random Goblin force in the hundreds was a boon in disguise indeed as it allowed Amrita and Hara to relieve some stress and practice, and flora to get much needed practice herself.
Of course there was the question of where these goblins had come from or where hiding, but that was secondary for now.
"It's not hard you know, right? Just let it happen, like instinct," Hara said as she continued to slaughter goblins, looking like she was barely even breaking a sweat.
Unlike Amrita who was very obviously sweating from the amount of fire Hara was putting out around her.
"No, that's not how it works," Flora deadpanned in annoyance as she stepped back a bit closer to where Ainz was sitting. "I did not just gain an understanding of things from becoming an elf, and this is no different. I can't just, gain knowledge of how to do something!"
"And why not?" Ainz spoke as he noted that the goblins, without a leader barking orders, were becoming increasingly chaotic and uncontrolled. Granted they had been chaotic and a mere rabble in the first place, running headlong into them as if they hadn't been their target, but it still meant that this little skirmish would be over soon.
"What?"
"I am not expecting you to instantly learn as quickly as Hara did, but you should be able to feel your body and its abilities. Even if not naturally, you should be able to learn the skills to make them natural eventually," Ainz explained as he watched Amrita and Hara begin ruining the goblins as they tried to scatter, their morale broken as they realized the predicament they were in.
Flora stared at Ainz for a second before sighing and shaking her head. "Yeah, I don't believe that."
"Belief is not necessary for something to become truth," Ainz said sagely before letting out a hum. "I suppose we will see in the future how your abilities advance."
"I suppose we will, but-"
"Stop running away and let me burn you to a crisp!" Hara suddenly yelled as she leapt over some goblins to crash upon some others, swinging her Naginata around and slicing the goblins in twain whilst flames licked out from her in every direction.
"It seems the Goblins are scattering," Ainz noted with a sigh.
"I'm surprised they didn't sooner," Flora admitted with a sigh as she seemed to relax, as no more goblins were near her or Ainz now.
"Yes, but this may pose a problem," Ainz muttered as he looked to flora. How close are we to that Town?"
Flora looked to Ainz for a second before realizing what he was meaning and quickly pulling out the map she was carrying. "Uh, let me see . . . .. if we were making as good of time as I think . . . uh, it should be maybe an hour away at best. . . . in the direction Hara is chasing those goblins."
Ainz shuffled closer to Flora and gazed down at the map. There were few roads around aside from the one they were on, and from the look of the map the canyon near them was where the town resided.
On the other side of said canyon.
"Hmmm, Remote Viewing," Ainz said as he rose a hand and let him magic thrum.
In that second the Viewing window for the remote viewing spell appeared in front of him, showing a wide image of the area they were in. It clearly showed Amrita and Hara culling the spread out goblins to stop them from escaping, but it also showed Hara chasing some of the last few hobgoblins toward a cliff.
The cliff that lay opposite the nearby town with a canyon separating them.
And disconcertingly the town seemed to be having trouble of its own with some kind of conflict at it's edges.
And a carriage with a coat of arms upon it, surrounded by knights.
"Oh dear," Flora commented as she stared at the viewing image in front of Ainz.
He merely nodded in agreement. "Oh dear indeed."
xxxxxxx
"Lady Fiorire, Please stay in the carriage and keep away from the windows!" Mala commanded as she deflected a sword blow back into the one wielding it, making the bandit wince as his own sword cut his shoulder.
"Y-yes, of course," Prim said from inside the carriage as she watched through the window. Their mission had been going so well since they left Ur. The first day had no issue, and the second had gone well as well. Yet now, on the third day as they arrived art the mining town in question, everything had fallen apart.
Before they could even stop in the town to speak to the villagers bandits broke out of the buildings and surrounded the carriages. Over thirty of them, all equipped with surprisingly solid gear of leather body Armour, short cloaks, bucklers and short blades and axes and maces. They were also very skilled, working in small groups, and changing their groupings as needed, to keep the knights under Mala's command under stress and strain. The knights had managed to incapacitate a few of the bandits already, but in turn a couple of the knights had also taken wounds.
And they were still outnumbered regardless.
"What have you done with the townsfolk!?" Mala demanded as she parried three blows in a row from different bandits before flicking her blade forward and slashing the underside of ones dominant arm between the pieces of his arm, making his arm go limp instantly. It was an act that also made the others nearby seem worried as well.
"Shut up, You'll find out once you surrender for their sake, bitch!" one of the bandits spat back before lunging to strike Mala with his mace.
Only for her to deflect it, grab the shaft with her open hand, and then punch the bandit square in the face with the guard of her blade. A harsh crunch echoed out as he recoiled from the blow, making it quiet clear his nose was likely broken.
The other bandits recoiled from this as their comrade crashed to the ground, limp, blood pouring from his nose.
"I will only ask you once more before I stop holding back my blows," Mala declared with steel in her old voice. "Where, are, the townsfolk?"
the bandits in front of Mala were silent, making the sound of her knights still fighting all the more obvious as she glared daggers at the ones in front of her.
"Where they belong, in service of their betters," one bandits spoke up with a worried expression, yet a sick grin. "In the inn that we've converted into a brothel, and the mines!"
"But, why?" Prim asked loudly from inside the carriage.
"Because why not!" another said with a cackle as he hefted a hand axe and threw it to the side of Mala and towards the carriage.
Mala easily reached it with her blade, knocking it out of the air, but it gave a pair of bandits an opening to strike at her.
Luckily Mala had trained her own knights as well, and her own lieutenants dashed in and blocked the blows. "Not a chance cretin!"
"Gah, just get on your knee's where you belong, Bitch!"
"The only one's I kneel to are the captain and Princess Knight!"
"Kinky, think we can can make them give us an example later?" one bandit asked another lecherously.
Right before Mala steeped up and sliced him across the neck in his moment of weakness and lack of attentiveness.
"Dammit, stop thinking with your dicks and kill these bitches, we can bandage up the ones that survive after!" another bandit yelled in aggravation as he hefted an axe and threw it at the carriage, the blade embedding itself in the door and making Prim let out a sharp squeak of surprise.
"Enough, you will not-" Mala began to yell, until the sound of other, inhuman screams, caught everyone's attention.
The screams were many, and the sounded ragged, pained, terrified. And they were getting closer, echoing through the canyon until finally a hobgoblin ran over a distant cliff edge, screaming as it fell down into the canyon.
"There!" someone yelled, pointing it out just in time for more and more goblins to run screaming over the cliff edge as fire licked and followed them as if it was a living beast chasing them to their demise.
"What . . . the, fuck?" a bandit asked in confusion as they and the knights all watched in confusion as goblins threw themselves over the edge of the cliff in terror. "Why are the- gaah!"
"Enough gawking!" Mala yelled as she ran a bandit through with her blade. Kill these bandits and-"
An explosion ripped apart the cliff, sending pieces of debris, and goblins falling away from it and into the canyon right before a large object seemed to fly through the explosion. It was larger, bulbous in shape, with many thin appendages coming off it it, and as it flew towards the village, looking like it was not going to call into the canyon, everyone thought they recognized what it was.
"Aw fuck, we've got a giant spider on our-"
the thing crashed into the edge of the village, just shy of hitting some of the bandits, sending up a huge cloud of dust and smoke and bringing with it a feeling of heat that made everyone start to sweat in a way that felt unnatural.
And as the smoke cleared it was instantly realized why.
What had fallen down to the town was not a giant spider, but a giant monster woman in the shape of a spider. A Black spider body with vents that spat fire from its abdomen, a human woman's upper torso where a spiders head would be. A woman who some of the knights recognized, though even they could not believe it as the woman twirled a long pole-arm of some kind in her hands as she glanced around.
"Oh, knights and bandits . . . shit,"
"It can talk!?"
"Of course I can talk," the woman said as she thrust her pole-arm into the bandits chest and then lifted it and swung, sending his bleeding body over the cliff edge and out of sight with a scream. "Now die!"
"She's with the kni-aaaaaaggh-" A Bandit yelled as the woman moved forward and sliced him in half, her blade cutting through his Armour as if it didn't exist.
She took a step back to avoid a blow, and then plunged one of her spider legs right through another chest before conjuring flames without magic words, immolating the impaled body. The flames seeming to not bother her at all.
Mala had mixed feelings as she recognize the woman's face, but her first priority was still just that, and she knew how to take advantage of situations properly. "Kill the brigands, we have reinforcements, kill them now and leave none standing!"
The knights roared as they quickly turned back against the bandits, running through and executing a good third of their remaining forces before they could react to the knights sudden aggression.
The bandits on the other hand, were so shocked by the turn of events they couldn't control the selves, even those who remained. Being attacked by strict and well trained knights who oddly had no noticeable qualms in killing them like most knights would on one side, and a large inhuman monster that fought with blade and flame on the other was a bad position, and as more died those that remained realized their situation.
"Enough, we surrender!" one of the bandits called as he suddenly dropped his blades to the ground and put his hands up into the air.
The other bandits glanced at him, one dying in the process, before all the rest followed suit, dropping weapons to the ground and smiling the whole while.
"What absurdity is this?" Mala demanded to know, not lowing her blade as she spoke.
"We're surrendering," the one bandit said with a smug smirk. "we know when we've lost, so we'll let ourselves be taken into custody. Beats dying after all."
"You think we won't just kill you?" one of the knights threatened.
"As if, no noble knight would ever kill a prisoner!" one of the bandits said in a mocking tone, not noticing the huge spider woman step up behind him.
"I would," the woman said as she reached out and grabbed the bandit by the back of the neck, lifting him up off the ground while holding her pole-arm in her other hand, menacingly angling it toward the bandits side.
"Hold, Grey knight," Mala snapped in a commanding tone that was nothing else. It wasn't derisive, or hateful, it was simply commanding.
Though the title she used made many of her own knights exchange glances of mixed expressions.
"Who is that?" the spider woman said as she glanced at Mala, doing her best to hide her own recognition to the title that was just spoken. "I'm just a . . . wandering monster killing some time, and some people no one will miss."
"We need them alive until the princess knight decides their fate," Mala said quickly as she glared at the spider woman. "Stand down . . . That is an order, Grey knight."
"I don't know who you are talking about, and I don't take orders from you," the spider woman said with a smug grin as she looked ready to impale the bandit at a moments notice.
"Then listen to my order and put that man down so that he might stand trial," Prim Fiorire said as she stepped out of the carriage.
" . . . .Nah,"
"What?" one of the knights said in surprise as all of them, including Mala and Prim, stared in shock at what the woman said.
"I said nah, I don't feel like it," the spider woman said as she pulled her arm back to thrust her pole-arm.
"You would dare deny the command of a Princess knight?" another knight demanded angrily, pointing their blade towards the spider woman.
"Why wouldn't I?" the spider woman asked as she shifted the point of her Naginata towards Prim, a disdainful scowl covering her face. "What have these vaunted Princess Knights even done anyway, huh? Have they stopped the war? Defeated the dark queen? Improved the lives of people anywhere aside from their own fortress cities?"
"The Princess knights lead the defense of all of Eostia!" one of the knights declared proudly.
"Yeah, by sitting behind walls and making others do the same," the spider woman said with a sneer. "Meanwhile, Demons sneak past and ransack towns and villages and nothing is done about it!"
"We knights can only be so many places, and the Princess knights are Beacons of hope for the people!" another knight called out, earning a chuckle from one of the bandits.
"Beacons of corruption, that is all they are," The Spider woman sneered as she looked back to the bandit in her hand and tightened her grip, making him struggle in vain to escape her grasp. "The mere idea you want to keep people like this alive and give them a chance is proof enough of-"
"Grey Knight Hara, Previously of the Knights of Ansur, under Princess knight Claudia Levantine," Prim said as she took a step forward toward the spider Woman. "You were charged with Necromancy, and then forced to become a Grey knight for your crimes due to the begging of your longtime friend, Melodie Anasha."
Hara blinked, her expressions one of surprise, that quickley soured. "So you know how to memorize names. So what?"
"I read upon what occurred with you after we had met, and what I read seemed wrong, like something about it was hidden," Prim said as she took another step forward. "I will not deny that you have been wronged, or that these men have wronged the people of this village, but we need them alive to be punished properly for their crimes when the people of this village tell us what has happened to them. So please, could you not kill them and work with me to help the people of this village?"
Hara stared for a moment before throwing the bandit to the ground in front of her. " F ine, you want to play at being the naive prissy noble, be my guest. But I'm not helping you with shit!"
"What?!" one of the knights almost shrieked., "Lady Prim asked you and you-"
"Asking, is not commanding, and she has no command over me as I serve another," Hara said with a smirk "One who actually deserves respect, rather than just demands it!"
"Then perhaps you should give her the benefit of the doubt, seeing as she just admitted to finding your earlier situation, at the very least irregular and wrong, Hara."
Everyone looked up to the sound a new, deep voice, one that Prim vaguely recalled hearing before, to find the large and ominous form of Ainz Ooal Gown floating down from the sky and landing just a few meters back from Hara. His broad form, garbed in black robes with fine detailing marked him obviously as a mage, yet the large gauntlets, shoulder plates, and the metal mask over his face made it seem less than likely, and seemed to confuse the bandits.
"What the hell? Some kind of mage that thinks he's big?"
"Yeah, then, lets turn this around!" Another bandit yelled as he leapt to his feet and grabbed his dagger off the ground, rushing toward Ainz.
"Crap, move mage!" Mala Yelled as she instantly realized the bandit hoped to use him as a hostage. But then she noticed that Hara did not seem worried at all, not even reacting to the bandit running easily past her and within range of her blade.
It became obvious when, as the bandit reached Ainz and was about to stab him, Ainz simply swung his arm out and slapped the bandit.
And splattered the entirety of his torso across the dirt, while his legs and head simply flew through the air past him to topple to the ground.
Everything was silent. The bandits and knights, Mala and Prim, but also the environment itself. The wind had disappeared, there were no sounds of distant birds or insects or even the shifting of plants, it was as if the world itself was shocked into silence at what had just occurred.
"W-what the fuck he just-"
"Silence," Ainz said with a wave as magic pulsed away from Ainz and all of the bandits suddenly seemed incapable of making noise. With that done he nodded to himself and stepped forward, his helmeted head looking to Hara. "You ran off too Far, Hara. Amrita Could not keep up."
Hara looked like she wanted to say something, but instead drooped down, hanging her head a bit even as her large spider-like lower body shifted lower to the ground. "Y-yeah, sorry. Got a bit too into it."
"Yes, I understand it can be difficult to stop once you start going, but please keep the fire under control," Ainz said in an almost bemused tone that made Mala stare in utter confusion.
Prim had told her of the meeting the Princess knight had had with this man, this mage who Celestine declared the same as she. If it was not for that show of strength, she would have assumed he just was a silly little mage or something similar.
But that kind of power was not normal by any stretch.
"Sir Gown, it is a pleasure to meet you again," Prim spoke up as she walked forward, around the prone bandits and past Hara without any noticeable fear in her eyes and up to Ainz, choosing to stat a few meters away as to not crane her neck to look up at him. "I do apologize for it not being under better circumstances."
"Hmmm, you are one of the Princess knights," Ainz said with a slight nod of his head. "The one who asked Hara about magic and created a scene. Prim, correct?"
"Yes, though had not been my intention at the time, Prim said with a bit of an embarrassed look that she quickly shook off. "More importantly, I thank you and your ally for the assistance," Prim thanked as she gave a curtsy to Ainz and to Hara each individually. "We did not expect such a large force of bandits to be here."
"But you did expect them, then?" Ainz asked bluntly.
"We expected it as a possibility when coming this way to investigate a significant lack of trade caravan and ore shipments from this direction," Mala spoke up quickly.
"Hmm, I see," Ainz seemed to ponder as he glance around, and then turned toward a pair of cloaked figures who were approaching from behind. "Amrita, would you and Hara kindly go and secure the villagers of this place. The bandits keeping them should only be spared if they surrender."
One of the cloaked figures removed their hood, revealing parts of garments, and the pommel of a sword, with marking of the inquisition upon them. She walked over to a nearby bandit and drew her weapon, an absurd octagonal rod on a hilt and handle, and pointed it at him. "Where are you keeping the villagers?"
"I'm not telling you any-"
"Before you finish that sentence, know that I am an inquisitor ,and I do not heed the words of the Princess knights. Lady Fiorire's desire to see you tried for your crimes will not stop me from making you wish you were dead, and then forcing you to keep living as long as I wish past that point. So I will ask again. Where, are you keeping, the villagers?"
The bandit looked up at the woman, her form almost entirely covered by the cloak, and swallowed hard. "I-in the tavern, or the mine for the men."
"Good, Hara, lets go," Amrita said as she walked away from the bandit and toward the village, prompting Hara to start walking n that direction as well.
"Fine by me!"
"Also, let me climb onto your back,"
"What? No!"
"You are too fast, it will speed things up."
"No, its weird."
"You're as large as a horse now anyway."
"No. Ask Lord Gown to change you if you wanna go faster. Maybe you'll get lucky and get wings or something."
"No, I plan to stay human, thank y- "
Prim and Mala simply watched as the two women, human and monster, inquisitor and criminal, headed off into the village bantering as if it was normal. It was a surreal sight, yet technically it should have been no different than watching an elf and dwarf speak to each other as friends, but somehow it didn't seem the same.
"That is, strange," Mala commented.
Prim nodded, but then glanced to Mala's with a smile on her face. "As strange as it might be, perhaps we should probably secure these bandits so that we might guarantee the safety of the village?"
"Yes, get them tied up, move it!" Mala called out to her knights who got to work in an instant, allowing Prim to step closer to Ainz and his other companion.
"Sir Gown," Prim spoke up with a soft and friendly, yet official, looking smile. "May I ask what brings you to this area of Eostia?"
"We are searching for information as part of something i am investigating," ainz replied, as if such a simple answer would be enough.
"Then, I presume you were hoping to make use of Ur's ?Library?" Prim suggested in a hopeful tone. After all, if she could speak with sir Gown at length, perhaps she could learn if what Lady Celestine said was the truth, and perhaps he could assist her with some of her own problems.
Like maybe the nobility, though that was a stretch to say the least.
"It was certainly a hope I admit, yes," Ainz said just as the other cloaked person stepped up beside him.
"I feel . . something?"
"like?"
"I'm not sure. Like a . . . . tickling? An itching in my feet?" the woman said uncertainly as she fidgeted about in a strange way, as if something was poking her feet, or as if her footwear was absurdly ill fitting.
"What about direction," Ainz asked his covered ally. "Can you feel which way the feeling is coming from?"
"I . . . .think maybe, the centre of the village? Maybe the back of it?"
"I see," Ainz said simply as he then turned his head back to Prim. "Before we speak of if we may or may not come to an agreement on matters as such, perhaps we should confirm the safety of the villagers, yes?"
"Yes, that is a good idea," Prim said as she turned to Mala, only to find her already walking over to her.
"I will company you. The bandits are tied up and the knights will watch them."
"Very well, then-"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"- I suppose we shall see what state we find the villagers in," Ainz stated as he began walking toward the village with Flora to his left and Prim and her knight commander Mala to his right.
It was certainty a strange situation to be in, and while he did wish to admonish Hara for getting them into this situation and being seen right out in the open, the situation itself did present a number of options he hadn't really been considering until now
Meeting the Princess knight of Ur outside of her fortress had been a surprise, but more surprising was that she did not seem horrified by Hara's new form. In fact, it almost seemed like she was curious about it in a way that was different than just plain and simple curiosity. Was it that she hated humanity and wished to leave it behind, or perhaps was looking i nto the idea of living in peace with races that could accept such a thing? The latter seemed far more likely, but there was other information Ainz needed to learn before caring about such a far in the future idea of possibility.
"You are not one I would expect to be leaving their fortress to investigate mere banditry," Ainz asked, hoping his question would not set off some rich girl tirade or bitchy string of complaints. Prim seemed the most mellow of the Princes knights when he met them as a group, but she also seemed like a sheltered rich girl. And they were the worst kind of people Ainz found from previous historical life experience.
Nothing made an office job as bad as a r ich girl thinking they deserved others to do her work for her.
"No, I am not," Prim admitted with a light sigh and a small nod as she walked briskly to keep up with Ainz. Something Mala seemed to have no problem with. "There are, issues in Ur and . . . well, I needed some time to think about things, and this was admittedly a good excuse to both get away, and do something that had meaning."
Ain z softly hummed at Prim's words. They were well chosen to be as uniforming as possible, but they did hint to a number of possibilities. "Trouble in paradise?" He asked with a light chuckle.
"You could say that," Prim said with another sigh. "There are an umber of-"
"Lady Fiorire, it may not be proper to have discussion about Ur's politics or economy when in such company," Mala suddenly spoke up tensely. "Especially when we do not know the intentions of one who turned a criminal into a literal monster!"
Ainz couldn't help but chuckle at Mala's tone. It was t he exact kind of ton e and worry he expected if Hara, or Flora's, looks were discovered. "I assure you, Hara is better than she has ever been before."
"Better does not mean less of a danger to Eostia," Mala countered.
"Yes, except she has already done more than most knights, in that she killed a corrupt noble who worshipped evil gods," Ainz said as he turned his head toward Mala and Prim. "Can your knights say the same? Can you?"
"Lies. There is no chance that-"
"I have seen that report," Prim spoke up, cutting Mala off. "I have not had the chance to read it yet however as it only arrived this last week, but perhaps you could tell us yourself what occurred?"
"Perhaps when we are at a place that is more secure, and less potentially dangerous," Ainz said simply, hoping alluding to speaking of it in Ur would help with gaining access to the city itself without issue.
"You think that your servants cannot keep themselves safe?" Mala then asked, throwing Ainz for a bit of a loop as that was about the furthest thing he was saying.
"More that such conversation should be done in private," Ainz replied as he quickly thought of how to counter her accusations. "As for Amrita and Hara, neither of them are so weak as to be easily defeated. They-"
Ainz was cut off the four of them turned a corner of the street to see a house slightly larger than the rest around them. And then witnessed its entire front wall explode outward with plumes of debris and flame.
And Hara being sent out of the explosion with what looked like a giant chunk of sandstone the size of a wagon barrelling into her.
"You fucking piece of-" Hara was in the middle of screaming as the boulder, and her, flew down a street out of sight.
"Wha- what is-"
"Shhh," Ainz said as she raised his arms to the side, stopping Flora, or Mala or Prim from going further as he stepped to the side closer to the buildings as he stared at the hole that Hara was sent flying out of.
And a mere second later of trio of cloaked figured leapt out, their cloaks fluttering as they moved.
"Penetrate Magic : Slow!" Ainz called out as he pointed three fingers towards the figures. They had enough time to glance toward him before the spell took hold, and their quick escape turning into a crawl, as if they were moving through tar or molasses even in the air.
"What, what did you do?" Mala asked in disbelief as she shifted herself between Prim and the unknown figures defensively despite the distance between them.
"I merely slowed them," Ainz stated as he took a few steps forward and noted that all three of them seemed to have a feel of magic emanating from them. It made sense if one, or many of them, had sent Hara flying with the boulder via a spell, so it would be best if he played it safe. "However, hmm lets see. . . . Triple Maximize magic: Temporal Stasis!"
I n that instant the figures froze up completely as a shimmering layer of light seemed to surround their bodies. They did not move, could not move, and even one who had stepped slow motion into the air did not move, as if frozen in that moment.
"What, how did you-" Prim began to say until, a sudden and very abrupt cracking noise made her jump. Everyone looked over to the hole in the building to find another cloaked figure fall out of it limply, and there standing right where they had been was Amrita, her cloak missing and letting her inquisitors gear and armour be on full display.
"Sir Gown, I believe your hopes may have been proven," Amrita said as she hopped through the hole, clearly glancing at the three seemingly frozen in the air with a slight smirk.
As if it was normal to see.
"And what makes you think that?" Ainz asked as he began walking forward, Flora following first, followed by Mala and then Prim.
"Because they had just killed the bandits holding the villagers hostage and were in the progress of freeing them and-" Amrita paused as she reached down and pulled the cloak off the one below her while lifting her body up, revealing dark skin, pale hair, and long pointed ears. "Because they are dark elves."
Mala immediately tensed up and looked like she would lunge in for the kill, so Ainz raised a hand. "The one is unconscious and the others are unable to be injured while separate d from tim e itself, do not bother," He explained before walking up to Amrita and then looked down at the dark elf she was holding. "Hmm, her choice of clothing is rather, conservative."
Amrita blinked and looked down at the elf she was holding by the neck. Her entire torso was covered in a dull brown vest and shirt, while black pants covered her legs in their entirety. Her arms were uncovered aside from som e simple leather vambraces, and on her waist was a simple belt with a number of lops and pouches. "Yes, that is why I said that we may have found the answer you were seeking. Dark elves are known fore wearing exceedingly little, and this dark elf is wearing much more."
"Ah, I see what you are insinuating," Ainz said with a nod. "Yes, this may be what i have been looking for. Though I admit that it falling into our lap feels a bit anticlimactic."
"YOU FUCKING BITCHES!" Came a screaming roar as Fire speared down the street and slammed into the three time frozen figures before Hara came barrelling out and leapt into the air, Naginata raised high to strike.
"Hara!" Ainz said sharply, making her stop with her blade mere millimetres away from hitting one of the frozen forms, blinking in confusion as she looked to Ainz.
"Y-yes?"
"They are frozen in time. You cannot hurt them and may damage your blade."
Hara blinked again and then looked at the figures, gently tapping them with the flat side of her blade and scowling. "Dammit they threw a fucking boulder at me and you're saying I can't get some payback!"
"Cool off and look closer firebrand, they are who we've been looking for," Flora called out as Amrita shook the unconscious dark elf in her grip a bit, before her grip slipped and her body fell to the grounds limply.
"Yep, she's out."
"What is going on?" Mala demanded loudly as she stomped up to Ainz and glared at him, her gaze shifting back and forth from him to the elf at Amrita's feet. "Why were you looking for Dark elves?"
"That is simple," Ainz said with a simple nod to her. "I have been looking for Dark elves not part of your enemies forces, to learn of what the truth behind the foolishness of this war may be.
"What?" Mala asked in utter confusion. "Why would you believe those scum? We know how the war started, it isn't something that needs to be confirmed."
"isn't it?" Ainz asked as he walked over to the frozen people and walked past them to Hara. "Are you alright? That boulder looked heavy."
"I'm fine it just snapped a leg is all," Hara said as she lifted one of her middle right legs, showing that it was snapped clean at its second joint and no longer even bleeding.
"Good," Ainz said as he looked back to Amrita. "is that one just unconscious?"
"Yes, but will have a headache for weeks at best," Amrita said as she picked up the dark elf again and tossed her over her shoulder.
"Good. Then bring her inside and secure her. I will bring these three in shortly," Ainz said as he opened his hand toward the frozen figures. "Levitate,"
The time frozen trio all lifted into the air, still frozen as if mere objects.
"Sir Gown," Prim spoke up as she stepped closer to Ainz and looked at him with an expression that was almost pleading, but with eyes that were serious. "What do you plan to do with them?"
"Why, I plan to speak with them of course," Ainz said simply as he noted a glint in Prim's eyes. Similar to that same glint he had seen when they had first met. The glint of intelligence that was being held back. It was perfectly clear now that Princess knight was different than the others. More like Celestine in a way, though it was also clear she had no real experiences to fall back upon, her mind filled with naivete instead.
Perhaps it was something to be fixed?
"Would you and your knight like to be present for this conversation?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asarada did not expect to open her eyes again.
Dark elves were hated, universally, so when she saw a giant flaming S p ider woman, monster, thing, she and her sisters had been startled and scared. Then the Inquisitor appeared, and her fear became legitimate terror. Her sisters were skilled mages, but did not know how to use a blade, so engaging the inquisitor was all on her, and she knew she did not have the skill for it.
Still, her sisters used magic to get the spider thing out of their way, so all she needed to do was hold her off for just a moment. And in that moment she would die, and her sisters would escape without harm.
At least, that had been her thought.
The inquisitor looked older than she had expected, and perhaps it gave her a moment of hope, but that hope was dashed instantly when they crossed blades.
Mostly because her own blade was snapped in twain on the first strike.
The inquisitors blade was less a blade than a massive forged chunk of steel with weight behind it so great she felt her wrist cr y out in agony when she tried to block the swing and her own blade break. In that instant she tried to run and everything went black in an instant.
So waking up tied to a chair in the main square of the village was surprise. And more of a surprise was seeing her sisters, seemingly frozen in time, surrounded by a huge cage seemingly made of bone of all things.
"You're awake."
Asarada looked to her left to find a woman woman, more a girl really, in a long pink dress that showed off an absurd amount of her lar g e breasts, standing there with a soft curious look in her eyes and a smile on her face. She had long pink hair with pronounced curls in it, and she recalled from what she had read that this was likely the Princess knight of Ur. The one her people considered the weakest of all of them and m ost likely to bend over and break should things go sour.
"Captured by the Palace Princess," Asarada murmured in what she figured was just loud enough to hear. "Going to execute us for our crimes? If so, get it over with."
Prim blinked and shook her head." No, we won't execute you. Actually, we have some questions for you."
"I will not answer them. Kill me and get it done with."
"No."
Asarada felt her entire body freeze up as if dunked in ice cold spring water as a deep baritone voice came from behind her. A large figure walked out from behind her, broad shouldered, cla d in black robes and grey steel. Yet his looks did not matter to her. She was personally terrible at magic, it was why she had pursued the art of the blade instead, but even with her lack of ability in magic it felt like the one before her kill her with a mere twitch of a finger. It felt like he was magic made manifest in the form of a person. She could feel her chest tense, her lungs tighten. It was like her whole body was trying to give out on her on reflex, ans if to save her from the insult of existing before this being.
"Hmm, it seems Dark elves are very particular about magic," the man said simply as he took a few steps and let out a sigh, the oppressive feeling bearing down on her mostly lifting and allowing her to breathe properly. "It seems I will need to be considerate of such things in the future.
"Well duh, we're only fine because we've acclimated to you."
Asarada followed the voice to a woman with black hair standing next to the strange prison holding her sisters. She looked familiar, but it was not till her gaze landed on the strange pole-arm that it became clear to her. This woman looked like the spider monster that had attacked them and her sisters had supposedly crushed, yet here she stood, looking perfectly human in armour that looked actually well designed to protect her.
As apposed to promoting sex appeal over everything else.
The Inquisitor was there as well, standing on the opposite side of the cage looking almost bored, while a third figure, cloaked, was kneeling by the cage doing something in the dirt.
"True, and those without like Amrita do not feel it as such," the cloaked, or was it robed, man said with a simple sigh. "Flora, how are you doing?"
"I'm, getting there," the woman replied, sounding strained in some way."
"You already have caged them," A old knight in armour with a lot of additional pieces of cloth connected to it said as she came up behind Prim protectively.
"It is for their safety as much as ours," the cloaked man said as he pointed a finger at the ground beside him. In that instant magic seemed to gleefully shriek and willingly bend to his will and the earth rose to create a stool for him which he then sat down on. "I have been looking for you."
"Creepy," Asarada said on reflex.
"I suppose it might be when put that way," the robed man said with a nod of his helmeted head. It was unnerving that it had no features, yet somehow it also felt right, and that just made it creepier.
"Sir gown, I am done Entangling them," the cloaked woman said as she got up and moved away from the cage, allowing Asarada to see that her sisters, seemingly frozen in the air, were now entangled by vines and roots.
But why did that name sound somewhat familiar? Which report had she heard it in?
"Excellent, thank you Flora," the man said as he looked to Asarada. "Now, I will remove the magic sealing your allies in time, and I hope you will help calm them down so that we might talk amicably."
"I'm tied to a chair and they are in a cage!"
"Yes, you are our prisoners, because you attacked my allies. However you also freed this villages people."
Asarad blinked as she was suddenly very aware that the majority of the villages men and women, mostly humans and dwarves, though a couple beastfol k s and elves, were all sitting on cloth mats to one side, seemingly listening in on the conversation that was occurring. They looked l ike they had seen better days, but they also looked thankful, and seemed to have been provided food and drink that som e were still eating. Worst of all was that they were looking at her with a strange mix of worry, but also curiosity.
"How do you know we weren't planning to capture and enslave them?" Asarada asked smugly.
"If you were slavers, it'd be obvious and you wouldn't have helped the villagers out of their bindings so gently." Prim said with a smile and a weirdly happy tone. "They told us how you helped them."
"So, I know it is uncomfortable, but we would like to ask you some questions, and, depending upon your answers, we can let you go."
"We shouldn't, she's a dark elf," the old knight grumbled, clearly upset by the situation.
Asarada scoffed. "If you think I'm, going to just believe your words, you are fools."
"Then we will simply need to prove our intent," the man said as he snapped his gauntlet covered fingers, with a heavy clinking noise. In that instant there was a pulse of magic, and then sudden Asarada's sisters all yelped as the spell effecting them ended and they suddenly found themselves wrapped up in vines and roots.
"Wha, what is going on!?"
"How, did, are we captured?"
"Oh great, how did this even happen?"
"Good morning Ladies, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and this is the Princess knight of Ur, Prim Fiorire,"
Ainz spoke up in a sort of grand way, as if he was standing upon a stage. "We have some questions for the four of you."
"And what makes you think we will-"
"Sisters," Asarada snapped, silencing her with her sharp tone. "The three of you were just frozen as if time didn't exist."
"That's impossible."
"Absurd."
"Then perhaps you need an example," Ainz said as he seemed to stop holding in his power. In an instant Asarada felt like it was nearly impossible to breathe, while her sisters, proper mages, looked like they were dying as they fell to their hands and knees and could only make choking noises. And then just as quickly at it came, it went away. "Now then, Shall we converse?"