Chapter 21: A Suspicious Journey

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Overlord: Celestial Crusade

It was late in the morning, to which inside the Elysium Fortress, Mary Jane listened onto Aetheion as Mimir stood beside her as the Guild Leader began to explain that another player as appeared, however Mary Jane simply raises a eyebrow quite sceptical at the claim.

"Another player?" Mary Jane questioned. "You sure it's another player, and not some random person that MAY identify as a player? I had never seen another player since I arrived!" However Mimir decided to interject.

"Mary Jane, don't you remember some days I got was transported by an glowing beam of light?" Mary Jane nodded slowly. "That was no ordinary beam of light, it was the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard, the Bifröst and I believe that is where you, Aethaion, lead to believe another player might be around?"

"Pretty much yes.He is a player, no doubt about it. He knew you, my name, my guild and he could use 7th tier for fun." explained a troubled Aethaion in thought "Also, he said he is an Angel of Death bearing the name of darkness." he said serious while looking at Mimir.

"Darkness huh? I would've think that be Alessia but she is not for some darkness..." Mimir explained, looking through his knowledge of players he knows from the game. "I take it, you may refer to Dunkelheit?"

Aethaion's eyes then widened from realization "Yes, it *must* be him! Angels of Death were only a handful and from them, only his name means darkness!" he claimed, with him then tightening his fist "This is bad though, if it's him, then I imagine that he has blended into the Theocracy and was responsible for most incidents I met." he said certain "What do you think we must do?" he asked Mimir and Mary Jane as he was looking at them uncertain.

"Know Dunkelheit personally?" Mimir questioned Aethaion after seeing the distress he displayed from the mention of the player's name.

"Personally, no." he replied "However, he was an infamous player known to appear when Parties were PvPing or when Guild Wars occured, targeting those low on HP to look like a true Angel of Death." he explained and then looked at Mary Jane "If one knows him personally, even a tiny bit, is Mary Jane here. Didn't he appear in a vital war you had with 2ch Alliance and messed things up?" he asked her curious.

"Before the game masters and developers interjected with new policies, it was the 2ch Alliance that instigated hostilities first right before the war of Midgard commenced between the Alessian Faction and the Knights of the Round Table." Mary began to expain. "Dunkelheit appeared at some point in the War of Midgard and interfered with my battle with the 2ch Alliance guild master." Mary Jane then looks towards. "From what I remember, our little battle was stopped when they interfered with the War of Midgard, no idea why considering we weren't involved." Mary angrily explained as Mimir sighed.

"There has been large scale PvPs that it gotten out of control, especially in Midgard thanks to the hostilities between the Knights of the Round Table and the Alessian Faction, your guild as well the alliance was not helpful and actually caused more issues since your guild and the alliance aligned with the two major guilds of the war."

"Don't blame me for that last part, the previous leader was bribed into participating alongside the Knights and we had no choice. If it were me, I wouldn't participate at all despite my fondness of the Knights unless the guild was threatened." he explained while looking at Mary Jane with a nervous smile "Anyway, the Theocracy having a player complicates and worsens things, however, I don't think they know his true nature." deduced Aethaion "If they did, he wouldn't need to pose as a human." he said and then, a voice rung into his head.

"*Lord Aethaion.*"

"Oh, Lady Lily, what's wrong?" asked Aethaion curious telepathetically.

"*I need your help with something or, to be more specific, I need adventurer Theon's help.*" she said, puzzling Aethaion.

It was afternoon

Aethaion was levitating alone and further away was a gigantic, stone bridge that had numerous buildings inside it, with the one catching the eye being a huge mansion with two towers at its rear, the mansion being at the bridge's center. The gigantic bridge was built on a huge river and there were a handful of entrances on each side that allowed ships to come and go and Aethaion landed on the forest and headed towards the guards on the left entrance "Hello. I'm adventurer Theon and I come on behalf of the Holy Queen, Lily Baraja Bessarez herself." he announced serious while showing a signed paper "I have come to talk with this city's authority." he explained still serious.

The woman sitting behind the gatehouse desk tilted her head confused, but took the paper and gave it a quick look over. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know she was expecting anyone." She thought for a moment, before perking up and pulling a small collection of papers from one of the desk drawers. "But, if you wish to see her, your best bet would be to find Lady Tyr at the adventurers guild. But first, I need to ask a few questions." She set an ink well on the table and took the quill, then looked up at him with a smile. "Are you bringing any animals or livestock into the city?"

"No." he replied.

She made a small note on the page, then smiled up at him again. "Are you alone, or are there others accompanying you?"

"As you can see, I'm alone." he replied a little frustrated from how pointless the question was.

Making another few notes, the woman then stamped the paper, turned it around, and held the quill out to him. "Please sign here. If you show this to the reception at the adventurers guild they should be able to help you." The gate then began to open, and the woman offered a quick bow. "Welcome to Hashigin, sir adventurer."

Ten minutes passed

Aethaion was walking around the town, with him seeing buildings being rebuilt and the road being full of activity "*I know this is a port town and all, but it has way too many people.*" He thought skeptical and as he was walking. When he turned back around however, he saw an item slung across the back of what looked like a town guard, and his eyes widened by what he saw. It wasn't like any he'd ever seen before, but it's shape was unmistakable. "Rifles*? Impossible! This world's technology surely isn't so advanced. Then, that means-!*" he thought alerted, but his thinking process halted upon realizing that he was outside the adventurer's guild "Now, let's get some information." He said serious. Once he entered, the gazes of some adventurers that were there fell on him, with them increasing and becoming more intense once he reached the clerk "Hello. I have some serious business and the woman at the entrance to the city urged me to find Lady Tyr, can you help me?" He asked with a smile.

The clerk seemed a little startled, but quickly nodded her head. "Y-yes, I can fetch her for you." She took half a step towards the edge of the desk, but stopped short. "May I... Ask what the problem is? You might be better served alerting the town watch."

"Don't worry , I'll handle it. I heard everything." A slender woman descended the stairs, wearing a tight fitting blue uniform with a loose white jacket. She had long white hair, and dull orange eyes. From her equipment, a short sword across her back, a pack of knives on each thigh, and no doubt more weaponry hidden all over her, she seemed to be a ninja. With a tired expression, she waved away the clerk and focused on Aethaion. "You sent for me? Sir...?" She trailed off, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Hello, Lady Tyr. I'm Theon, an adventurer sent by her majesty, the Holy Queen, for a diplomatic mission and so, I need to meet whoever is in charge of this town and I was informed to seek you. Can you help me?" he asked serious.

Her tired orange eyes flicked back and forth, sizing the man up. "When you say Holy Queen, I'm assuming you don't mean Yarna..." She sighed. "May I ask where it is you hail from?"

"I'm coming on behalf of Lily Baraja Bessarez of the Roble Holy Kingdom." He explained with a smile.

It didn't look like that was a name she recognized. Or if she did, she hit her reaction flawlessly. "You implied this was an urgent matter." She said, nodding back to the clerk, who was doing her best to listen in from the other end of the reception desk. And obviously failing. "I hope you don't mind if I sit in with you." Without another word, she rounded the desk and headed for the entrance nodding for him to follow.

Aethaion followed after her, stepping into the busy street and shielding his eyes from the sunlight. "So, the queen of the Holy Kingdom learned about this city's sudden independent state and wants to establish friendly relations, an alliance of sorts." He explained with a smile as the two walked together.

Tyr raised her eyebrow slightly, glancing at him over her shoulder. "She sent an adventurer on a diplomatic mission?" She muttered, though it didn't seem like she was waiting for an answer. Seconds later, she and Aether turned a corner, and ahead the large manor in the center of the bridge loomed into view. Not wasting time, Tyr unlocked the front gate, allowed herself and Aethaion to enter, then closed it behind her. When she approached the manor's entrance however, she stopped short, placing her hand on the door and looking back at him. "Before we enter... I must insist you surrender your weapons." She held out her hand, her expression flattening once more. "I'm sure you understand."

Aethaion then raised his hands "I don't carry any weapons. You can do a body search if you wish." he said with a faint smile.

Tyr gave him another look over but, seeing no weapons on him, ultimately shook her head. "Then I'll just warn you. I may oversee the adventurers guild, but my first duty is as Lady Astra's personal bodyguard." She opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for him to follow. "I hope for everyone's sake your intentions are what you claim."

Aethaion nodded and then entered the building, with him looking around the empty hall and then, he saw a girl of crimson eyes and short, silver hair that was wearing a light grey gown "*Is this girl the daughter of this Lady Astra?*" he wondered as the girl walked down the stairs.

Seeing the two enter, the girl smiled and abruptly changed direction to great the pair of them. "Tyr? I thought you where overseeing the guild today?"

Likewise, Tyr's eyes lit up as she returned the girl's smile. "Well, I was. But something came up." She stepped aside, gesturing to aethaion but never taking her eyes off of the girl. "He says he's from the Roble Holy Kingdom. He has a message from their queen."

The girl's red eyes flicked to him, studying him up and down not unlike how Tyr had when they first met. "A diplomat?" She said with a tired smile, ovvering a small bow. "I'm terribly sorry, I must've forgotten our appointment. If you'll be so kind as to give me a moment I'll-."

"No no, he has no appointment." Tyr interrupted, holding up a hand to stop her. "Someone at the gate told him to come find me. And he asked to see you."

The girl's eyes moved back to Tyr for a moment, then back to Aethaion once more. Something about her demeanor had changed. Even through her smile she seemed sharper, more attentive. "Well, in that case." She muttered, offering another small bow, "My name is Astra Arbias, lady of Hashigin." As she gestured to one of the side halls, Tyr waved for Aethaion to follow her. "Tyr can show you to a room where we can make ourselves comfortable. If you'll give me a moment, I'll have the cook prepare some tea for us."

"Thank you very much, Lady Astra." replied Aethaion bowing his head and followed Tyr, with both passing through a hall with various paintings "So, she is the one in charge? She definitely seems too young for that." said Aethaion to break the silence.

Tyr shot him a brief glair over her shoulder. "She does a good job." Her tone was that of someone who had repeated herself many times. Apparently Aethaion wasn't the first to comment on the young lord's competency. Turning abruptly, Tyr pushed one of the doors open and entered a medium sized room. It looked like a small dining room, complete with a table and a handful of chairs. Opposite the door was a large window that overlooked the river, and on the horizon in the far distance sat a large cathedral in the middle, bridging the east and west banks. "I think you'll find Lady Astra is far more capable than many others of noble blood." Tyr continued, gesturing for Aethaion to have a seat while she rested her back against the wall next to the door. "Despite her age..."

"I see. Appearances tend to be deceiving, right?" asked Aethaion with a smile and a little humorous tone to break the ice.

Tyr opened her mouth to respond, but caught herself. slowly, her blank expression curled into a small smile, and she chuckled to herself. "You have no idea..." He wasn't sure how, but it appeared Aethaion's joke had succeeded in lightening the mood. Maybe Tyr just had an innate distrust of strangers.

A few minutes later, Astra returned, followed shortly after by a maid pushing a small trolley. "I'm sorry for keeping you." She said cheerfully. "I hope my dear Tyr has been a decent host."

The young lord shut her a sly glair, makin Tyr squirm uncomfortably. "Astra..." She muttered, barely louder than a whisper.

Moving along, Astra sat down across from Aethaion and interlocked her fingers on the table. "Would you like some tea?" As if on command, the maid poured a cup and placed it in front of Astra. She took it and pulled it closer to herself, before looking up to Aethaion again. "Or, would you prefer to get right to business?"

"Well, discussing over tea would be nice." replied Aethaion smiling.

The maid poured him a cup and play it on the table before Aethaion. As she did, Astra took a long sip of hers, but kept her eyes locked on him. "So..." She spoke first, dabbing her lip with a T-towel. "You've come a long way, what did you wish to discuss first?"

Aethaion then leaned to grab his cup from the table "The Queen of the Holy Kingdom, Lily Baraja Bessarez, is aware of this city's sudden independence and wants to offer you an alliance." He said. "If you ask me, after recent events I heard left and right that transpired, having a kingdom such as this backing you up will bring quite the protection, even the Lazuli Kingdom won't do any move carelessly." said Aethaion smiling and took a sip while having a face of satisfaction from the tea.

Again, Astra took another sip, but kept her eyes firmly on Aethaion. "Well... I can assure you we are fully capable of defending ourselves." She motioned to Tyr, who had by now moved to stand behind Astra, though still with her back against the wall and her arms crossed under her chest. "My friend Tyr leads a newly founded adventuring guild, and our relations with Lazuli are no concern. Queen Yarna herself has ensured me she would support our independence." She paused a moment, interlocking her fingers under her chin and resting her elbows on the table. Astra's eyes narrowed slightly, but she tilted her head and offered an innocent smile. "I'm more than happy to form an alliance. But with how far away our kingdoms are, and with how small Hashigin and its territory's are by comparison, I'm afraid a military one might not prove very fruitful to either of us."

Aethaion then placed his tea on the temple "Oh? Is there any official document bout what she said?" asked Aethaion with closed eyes "The queen might have promised that, but the worst attack is the one people can't see coming. As for the defending yourselves part, I happened to see a peculiar weapon that seems to be used like a one-handed crossbow, is that why you are so confident? Seems powerful. I bet the one who invented it must be a genius." ended up Aethaion saying while looking at Astra with his left eye open.

Astra narrowed her eyes the moment Aethaion mentioned the guards weapons. Apparently this wasn't the first time someone had inquired about them, and she likely knew where the conversation was headed. "I assure you, even if I didn't have it in writing, I trust Queen Yarna's word." With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and smiled again. "As for the weapons you mentioned, we call it the Hashigin Rifle. A merchant brought them to me, you see. Trained a few volunteers to use them. I've no idea how or where they are created. Or whom by. But your assessment is correct, they are quite effective at repelling threats." Relaxing in her chair a little, a new thought popped into Astra's head. "If you're concerned we'd use them against your kingdom, I assure you I only intend to use them for defensive purposes."

Aethaion then had a big smile as if ready to laugh "Oh, no, they wouldn't be a threat to the Holy Kingdom at all!" he joyfully claimed "Now, you said you aren't opposed to the idea of an alliance, yes? If so, we can teleport right away so you can discuss with her Majesty the nature of your alliance, as her honored guest of course." he said as he stood up.

Both Astra and Tyr recoiled slightly. "W-well... I could hardly leave my city unattended on such short notice." Astra muttered, quickly regaining her composure. "Even if it were to only be a few hours, any number of things could go wrong that require my attention." Thinking again, she leaned over and muttered to the maid. "Would you fetch Shino for me?" The maid nodded slightly, and hastily made her exit. "I hope you understand." She said again, refocusing her attention on Aethaion while Tyr stepped up to stand next to her, a hand resting behind her back. "Alliances take time. Rushing such things would be of no help to anyone."

"I understand, but..." said Aethaion as he extended his hand and created a Gate "I have another reason for being here." he said serious and an invisible force was unleashed that pushed Astraea and Tyr to the Gate that closed once they passed through and Aethaion was left alone in the room, with him being skeptical and serious.

Not even a minute later, the door burst open. A short, robed woman with fox ears glared at him through the eyes of a half fox mask. He eyes flicked to the chair where Astra had been sitting, and the still steaming cup of tea on the table. "What did you do?" She growled, her hand emerging from inside her robe to produce a large, purple writing quill that began to glow with magic. "Where are Lady Astra and Tyr?"

Aethaion's eyes were now filled with curiosity "*That quill...Appraisal Magic Item !*" Aethaion focused on the quill and it glowed by his spell, with a small screen saying that it was a Divine Class item and his expression became more grim "You..." he said and brought out Circe's Staff, transforming back to his original to the woman's visible surprise "...You will come with me even by force!" said Aethaion as he had now his Judgement Spear in his right hand.

The small woman's eyes went wide, her fox ears dropping in fear. "S-stay away..." She muttered meekly, brandishing her quill like a knife. magic began to gather around her, a chilling wind that began to form into snowflakes. For a moment, it looked like her confidance had returned, but seeing Aethaion's true form, she dropped to her knees in despair. "Y-you're... Another-."

In that instant, something struck the side of Aethaion's head. He wasn't sure what it was, only that the bay window overlooking the river shattered, and the womman covered her head and screamed. An array of warnings flashed through his vision. Debuffs, powerful ones at that. All showed that they'd been resisted, but only just. He turned to glance out the window just as another shot flew at him, which he deflected with his spear. Again, more debuffs, but this one one got through. One that doubled his MP cost for casting magic. More shots flew at him, he couldn't tell from where, but each he deflected with his spear, causing more debuffs to be resisted. until another, a Bleeding effect made it through as well. Slowly but surely, his HP began to decrease. This wasn't just some trick, this was another player. Or an NPC. Either way, it was more than he was prepared for.

"'What?! Is this a trap? Astraea's?*" he thought bewildered and then quickly grabbed the woman's arm "Gate!" he shouted and a Gate appeared, with him jumping with her just in time as the Gate disappeared before another shot could connect, with it leaving a mark on the wall.*

Far in the distance, overlooking Hashigin as just a bump on the horizon, sat a grand, dark cathedral teetering at the edge of a waterfall. A loan figure stood at top one of the lookouts, a thin, zombified cowboy clutching an ornate revolver in his outstretched hand. His hollow eyes staired into the distance, watching as the figure had dragged the fox woman through a portal. "Damn..." His raspy voice groaned, flicking the hammer back on his gun. "Varmint got away..."

"Hexis!" A door burst open, and a girl wearing a short green kimono and metallic headset ran out, first stairing at the figure, then gnacing into the distance, then back at the figure. "Where... You shooting at something?"

"Sure was..." He groaned, spilling his revolver over with his finger and slamming it back into its holster in his hip. "Let the others know what happened. I'mma call the boss."

Nodding quickly, the girl tapped the side of her headset. the side of it popped open, and a radio antenna flicked out and extended. "Attention everyone, this is Arti speaking." She paused a moment, glancing at the figure, Hexis, once more. "What... Do I tell them?"

Taking out a large cigar and lighting it, Hexis took a long drag before next retrieving a scroll from the counters next to him. "THat someone just made off with our little lady and her posy." Nodding again, Arti went back to speaking into her headset, while the scroll in Hexis' hands burst into a blue flame. "Hey boss, whatever your doin', ya might wanna put it on hold for a sec." He said, holding a finger to the side of his head where his ear would have been. "We got a problem."