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Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 13

The tapping of metal on metal sounded in the air outside of Lord Mare’s tree house on the Sixth Floor of Nazarick. After securing her tent to its pegs, Ludmila took a step back to examine her work.

See? It came in useful.

It was perfectly reasonable to bring camping equipment with her. One never knew when one would need it. Packing a small armoury’s worth of cosmetics and personal items as her friends did was nowhere near as practical.

“You sure you’re alrig...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 12

I’m not going to get a chance to speak with him if it’s like this…

Ludmila frowned over the railing at the massive queue that had formed for Shihotsu Tokitsu’s hot dog stand. She had meant to speak with him between the night’s matches, but an army of His Majesty’s Maids suddenly swarmed the Boarc. Each of them had ordered four of the sumptuous hot dogs she had sampled before the fight between Lord Mare and Lord Tian, plus a tall cup filled with various drinks.

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 11

“Ainz-sama! How about another?”

“How about it, Aura?”

Crap, how is she going to respond?

“Sure!” Aura smiled, but then the smile faded, “I wonder if I’ve eaten too much today…do you think I’ll get fat?”

A chuckle rose from Ainz’s throat, half out of relief that she hadn’t replied with something outrageous.

What was I thinking? Aura has always been the dependable sort.

At times, it was difficult to imagine that Aur...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 10

The orchards in the Green Hole weren’t arranged in the same way as any orchard one would find in the Human-inhabited lands above the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Rather than being planted in parallel rows, the fruit trees radiated from a set of central points. At each of those central points was the home tree of one of the resident Dryads. Ludmila could only presume that the orchard took this form because the range of their caretakers was limited.

“Does the distance that a Dryad can be f...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 09

Ludmila breathed in a lungful of air as she stirred from her oblivious state. She smelled green, earthy odours that suggested she wasn’t in the same place as before. Additionally, there were two other scents that she immediately recognised, one much stronger than the other. Her eyes fluttered open.

“Lord Mare?”

“H-Hello.”

She looked up at the wooden ceiling for a moment before turning her attention to the rest of her surroundings. The walls, floor and furniture all...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 08

All’s well that ends well…or something like that?

An odd mixture of worry and embarrassment ebbed from Ainz’s bones as he looked down at the fallen form of Baroness Zahradnik. Holenyot cradled her in his tentacles, his single eye fixed into a look of concern. The disaster that Ainz had feared would happen hadn’t, but Shalltear had created a disaster of a different kind.

“Holenyot,” Shalltear whispered to the Roper, “this is your chance!”

Ainz chopped...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 07

In a dark pit somewhere on the Second Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ludmila watched as a patrol of Undead equipped in golden armour made their way across the walkway above her. They were significantly stronger than the Nazarick Old Guarders, but it wasn’t until a few minutes ago that they started leaving their posts to patrol the corridors. She wasn’t sure why they had chosen that very moment to become ‘active’, but there was a clear purpose to the movements of the forces in th...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 06

With a flag in hand and a tall cup of melon soda in the other, Ainz Ooal Gown, the Supreme Overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and sovereign of the – reportedly – burgeoning Sorcerous Kingdom, sat in the shade of his VIP booth in the Sixth Floor’s arena. They were between matches early in the Nazarick Grand Tournament, and denizens from across the tomb had come to spectate the event.

How did it come to this?

His gaze drifted over the buzzing crowd. Not t...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 05

“Are you sure you need to pack this much, my lady?”

“I am going to be away for at least a week,” Ludmila replied. “Lady Shalltear mentioned visiting with Lady Aura and Lord Mare, as well, so I will be travelling extensively.”

“I wonder about that…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Wiluvien said, “Lady Aura and Lord Mare come by at least once a week, don’t they? They don’t make a very big deal out of it. Half of the time, Lord Mare ends up cur...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 04

“Stop! Do it again. Keep both hands on your weapon!”

“But I can’t reach him, Captain.”

“You can,” Ludmila said. “You have over two metres of reach even with both hands on your weapon. That is more than enough to land a solid hit.”

“Mmh…”

On the training grounds of the Royal Army base in Warden’s Vale, Ludmila walked up and down her row of Ranger recruits as they sparred with their quarterstaves. She stopped to observe the boy she had just addr...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 03

Olga and Raul sent unveiled looks of disgust in Miss Gran’s direction. The Elder Lich standing behind Olga looked up from its clipboard.

“Does this constitute a breach of labour rights?” The crimson points of light in its eye sockets flared.

“Did Dame Verilyn instruct you to not pay the Goblins?” Ludmila asked.

“She didn’t, my lady,” the seneschal replied, “but she was still quite pleased when she learned about it.”

...

Before the Storm: Act 05, Chapter 02

In the fiery light of the evening sun, a column bearing shields, spears, and shining steel sallets ascended the rocky slopes of Mount Verilyn. Ludmila, along with Raul, Olga, and three Elder Liches, floated in the skies behind a nervous-looking Nemel Gran, who was observing the troop movements below.

“This is a lot different when you have an audience,” the imperial scion said.

“Maybe you should join the league,” Ludmila said. “We have another class of Commanders starting...

Before the Storm: Act 5, Chapter 01

“Know your place.”

“Again.”

“Know your place.”

“Again!”

“Know your place…”

“Can’t you put some feeling into it?” Lady Shalltear asked, “You carry yourself so well when you’re out slaughtering the enemies of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Anytime else, you have all the flavour of raw tofu.”

“What is ‘tofu’ my lady?”

“It’s…never mind that! Focus on your training!”

On a windblown ridge high above W...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 9

『Xoc.』

With a dissatisfied noise, Xoc stirred from her sleep in the dead of the night. She uncurled slightly, then curled up again when she felt the warmth of her bedding threatening to escape her.

『Xoc.』

She opened a sleepy eye, searching for the source of the familiar voice. It sounded like Saraca, but, as far as she knew, he was far to the west helping to fight the Undead.

“Go away,” she murmured as her eye closed again, “I don’t want any dreams abou...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 8

“So,” Xoc said, “what was that you said about being attacked?”

Back at the clanhold, Xoc sat stiffly before her fully-assembled court. The midday sun beat down on the assembly, though none but the Humans seemed to pay it any mind. Elder Patli rose from his cushion, adorned in the full trappings of a clan mystic.

Why did everyone have to dress up? It isn’t as if we don’t see one another every day.

Xoc blew a long, blue tail feather out of her face. Since ...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 7

Xoc’s mouth fell open, aghast, as Vltava hurtled through the air towards Xigaoli. Then, she screamed as the fluffy little beast thing exploded on impact, knocking everyone in the vicinity to the ground.

H-He explodes? Since when does food explode?!

The scorching heat intensified, bringing with it the odour of burnt fur and charred meat. An orange glow cast long shadows into the surrounding jungle as a fiery form emerged from the ashes of the Gao caught in the inferno. I...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 6

“Hullo!”

Chimali’s voice drifted over the ripping currents of the Rol’en’gorek as he waved to a ship laden with cargo entering the lake. At first, the other vessel seemed to pay no mind to his calls, but, as it drew closer, Xoc spotted the crew taking up positions along its length. At the bow of the ship, a well-dressed Lup with windblown grey fur shaded his eyes, looking in their direction.

Her friend continued waving, making random motions as they closed distance with ...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 5

“Is it just me,” Xoc said, “or is our western border a lot further than it used to be?”

Not a few months ago, Xoc would have only considered the area around the hill where the Cuorocos Cliffs were as her home. If she was asked about her ancestral lands, they would also include the area around the lake formed by the old dam. Their ship has brought them far upriver of the lake, however, nearly to the shadows of the clanhold three kilometres southwest of hers.

“The people d...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 4

“Your communication skills have improved considerably from when I first met you.”

“Hehe…really?” Xoc placed a paw on her snout in embarrassment, “I guess all of that studying paid off. Somehow, I just knew the right thing to say when the time came.”

“That’s how it usually is,” Winter Moon said, “but most people I know put far too much thought into it.”

A day after their visit to nar Tamal, Xoc and her party strolled through the familiar undergrowth of...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 3

“…they left,” Xoc said.

“They did,” Winter Moon agreed.

As the last of the Council’s ships disappeared over the horizon, Xoc felt a lifetime’s worth of tension suddenly ebb away. Her legs gave out and she fell back onto a nearby tree root, content to lie limply looking up at the jungle canopy.

After speaking with Vogroth nar Ki’ra, the Nar and his retinue turned back to the crowd to resume their recruitment. Xoc could almost feel the frustration rising from t...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 2

“Well, this road wasn’t like this before.”

On the southern outskirts of Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr, Ilyshn’ish and her companions stood on an orange clay road abruptly cut short by a small lake. The road re-emerged on the opposite shore roughly a hundred metres away. On either side, a small crowd of Beastman stood about as they waited for a pair of boats that were ferrying people and their cargo back and forth.

“Should we swim?” Pebble asked.

“I’m not sure...

Before the Storm: Act 4, Chapter 1

“Thank you so much, Enxoc!”

“N-No problem. Um…it’s reassuring to have Rolo the Red with the Pa’chan.”

“Just Rolo is fine, Enxoc. Rolo the Red was just a name for the fighting pits.”

“…if that’s what you want. These guys will show you to your new home.”

The massive Nar and her two cubs rose from their prostrations and meekly followed their guides out of the court. Xoc waited for them to disappear down the steps before releasing a tired sigh. 2024-01-09 13:36:04 +0000 UTC View Post

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 10

19th Day, Upper Fire Month, 1 CE

“You did what?!”

In the crimson-hued court of Shalltear Bloodfallen, Ludmila puzzled over a piece of paperwork at her desk. She had come for a bit of quiet in the hope that she could sneak some work in before the evening’s events, but instead found Liane already inside. To be fair, it would have probably remained quiet had she not made the mistake of mentioning where Frianne’s party had gone after the...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 9

“Well, you two look like you had some fun.”

“Someone had some fun,” Rangobart said as he loaded another bag into the carriage.

“I got your lunch, Prez!”

Dimoiya rummaged through her spoils for a minute before locating a basket covered in red chequered cloth. The food vendor made a big deal out of preparing the meal for the ‘noble young couple’ which, of course, came with the requisite price.

“Rangobart, can you set up the table?”

“J...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 8

“You look relieved to be out of there.”

“Do I?”

Rangobart opened a sleepy eye to regard Countess Waldenstein sitting across the carriage’s cabin. For whatever reason, women loved to make observations about him in their idle time and she was no exception.

Travelling alone with them was a mistake. I’ll be sure to drag one or two other guys along in the future.

Admittedly, everything about his visit to the Sorcerous Kingdom had been impromptu after hi...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chatper 7

“Don’t look!”

“Wha–”

Rangobart’s head jerked back as Dimoiya reached up to clamp her hands over his eyes.

“Weren’t you just screaming at us to look?” Rangobart said.

“I asked the Prez to look,” Dimoiya replied. “You’re not allowed to look!”

“Someone please make some sense.”

Why wasn’t he allowed to look at a tree? Why was Lady Waldenstein allowed to? Weren’t they surrounded by other people who could also see th...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 6

What’s going on here, exactly…?

Following the Adventurer demonstration, they reconvened after a one-day break – mostly for the sake of Lady Waldenstein. When their tour resumed, Rangobart once again found himself at the army base in Warden’s Vale. This time, they didn’t come to register as guests, but to tour the grounds and visit with its first class of recruits. Much like the various types of apprentices they had seen around Lady Zahradnik’s territory, the recruit...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 5

They seriously left me behind…

Momon the Black was supposed to fade from prominence, but Pandora’s Actor wasn’t sure how he felt about fading into obscurity. Granted, he had gotten curious about some of the ruins he had walked by and then spent the next few hours exploring the forest as Tigris Euphrates, but he never expected to return to an empty expedition camp.

Baroness Zahradnik probably brought them back to Warden’s Vale to discuss Viscount Brennenthal’...