---

---

In the end, it was the Omn Tops mountain range where the translocated Ragnavault had decided to appear. Facing a large lake on one side and verdant volcanic plains on the other, the Ragnavault was situated in just the right spot that made morning sunlight reflecting off the lake bounce up and illuminate the side of the mountain in a ghostly light. Toasty stared out at his dawn-lit balcony on one such morning, considering the plight of their situation.

Five days, he thought as he walked out into the crisp morning air, hands folded in the pockets of his tunic. It's been five days since we've gotten here.

And there was so, so much to take stock of. Their situation, their location, the locals, the wildlife and most importantly, the affairs within their own walls. That list of growing concerns didn't even begin to take into account the hundreds of petty niggles like the sustainability of their fortress or what they'd do in the event of attack. Even their circumstances and their chances of ever getting back home baffled them, every insight raising so many more questions than they answered.

Tensions were rising. His friends and fellow guild members were scared. All except for Nostromo, who seemed way too at home with this revelation. Toasty... Toasty didn't know what to think about all this. At times like this, he sometimes wished he'd picked an undead for his race. It would be so much easier to keep things in order and stay calm if he had the same racial abilities as a skeleton.

But then you'd lose all empathy and the ability to feel your emotions, not to mention... other things. Doesn't seem like a great tradeoff, even if it would make you seem like a better leader.

The dwarves remained unflinchingly loyal, Toasty thought, just like they'd been programmed to be. Even the high-level dwarven guardians. He'd expected the low-level mobs of workers, miners and smelters to remain loyal out of fear of the great Dwarven King, but for the higher level dwarves who could at least conceive of a limit to the king's power to go along with every ridiculous order he'd given to test their loyalty... that was surprising.

I can't believe I even made them form a human pyramid...

The other NPCs were no different, least of all their own custom-created NPCs. They showed a level of dedication and reverence towards them that bordered on the religious, not to mention creepy. Still, he supposed it played to their favor, no matter how uncomfortable it made them feel.

Think of how they feel for just one second. To stand in the presence of your creator... it's like the same thing as if a human met their god.

He shook his head. Still didn't make it less creepy. At least they didn't have to worry about them being betrayed by any of their NPCs, at least not yet. None of the dwarves had seen him out of his armor yet, and he intended to keep it that way, lest he lose their respect and admiration.

Of course, there was still that one NPC...

There was a heavy thunk as the vast mechanisms inside the giant locked door to his chambers tumbled into the open position. The noise was positively deafening. He could even hear it out here on the balcony, where he had another locked door and almost fifty flights of stairs to block out the noise.

"Milooooord!" an energetic and cheerful voice cried out; again, loudly enough to be heard all the way at the top of the staircase.

Oh no.

Yes. That NPC. Shammura Judecca, the betrayer. His own personal creation.

She burst through the balcony doors like a schoolgirl in love, tackling the object of her affection.

"Good morning, milord! Your ever faithful Shammura awaits you with open arms!"

Toasty grunted and almost fell over as she tackle-hugged him, the look on his face mirroring something close to exasperation rather than fear.

I'm getting really tired of this chibi body... he thought. He looked up at Shammura's wide smile.

Originally intended to kill him in a spectacular, over-the-top way after he conferred his position as guildmaster to Nostromo, Shammura had taken on a life of her own in the mythology of the Dwarven King once Toasty had decided to cancel his retirement. He had always designed her with the motif and aesthetic of a traitorous sorceress or vizier in mind, but as he spent the last few months before the end of YGGDRASIL meticulously crafting her personality and behavior settings into something that would match his standards, she became so much more than that, both to him and to the Dwarven King. As a joke, he ended up giving her contradictory mandates; one that she must always love the Dwarven King and two that she must always be trying to kill him. She was conflicted, torn between two loyalties as she decided to either follow the urgings of her cold heart which beat only for the Dwarven King, or the evil in her soul which demanded she kill him.

It had started as his idea of a twisted joke but he had no doubt she was here to try and do just that. In the few short days they'd been here, she'd already tried stabbing him, shooting him, poisoning him, pushing him into the lava pits, and even crushing him in elaborate death traps. Thankfully someone had come to his aid every time, but he was getting kind of tired of the whole thing already. Fear had turned into frustration, and he ended up spending a lot of time trying to predict what she'd do next.

Shammura noticed his grimacing facial expression.

"Are you alright, milord?"

"Oh, it's uh... it's nothing, Shammura," he stuttered. It was weird interacting with her from this height. She stood almost a full foot taller than him. "I'm just feeling a little tense."

He had no regrets designing Shammura the way he did, of course. Okay, maybe that was a lie, but he didn't regret creating her, that part was true! He just wished he would've known how the behaviors he programmed into her would've played out when he was first designing her. This was nothing like the classy but conflicted femme fatale he'd imagined. It was more like living in some kind of twisted ACME cartoon with a paranoid schizophrenic who also happened to suffer from bipolar mood swings, like she didn't understand the difference between love and hate or that there even was one. Maybe the conflicting commands had short-circuited the rest of her brain?

"It won't do for the head of the Æsir Syndicate to be so stressed he can't focus on work. Would you like me to give you a backrub, milord?" she said, smiling sweetly.

"I..." Toasty said. Oh crap! What do I do?! This is such a trap! She's going to try and kill me for sure! But I can't say no, then she'll know I'm on to her and she'll just try something different again later! I'll be trading in one death for another, except I might not see the next one coming! He thought some more. Yeah, but that's no reason to risk your life right now! Then again...

Toasty's eyes wandered where they really probably shouldn't have, towards the leaning figure of Shammura, and he started having second thoughts.

True, it's been a long time since I've had a back rub or a massage from anyone, especially a girl as beautiful as Shammura. This might be my only opportunity to enjoy something like this, so I should capitalize on it, right?! Besides, I don't know for sure that she's trying to kill me. Maybe this is just her more loving personality peeking through...

"Is something the matter, milord?" Shammura asked. She gasped. "Don't tell me you'd like me to change into something more revealing before I give you a massage!"

Toasty's eyes bulged as Shammura started loosening her garments, her robe drooping and revealing her shoulders as well as just the slightest window of cleavage.

Too much, that's too much!

"T-That won't be necessary, Shammura!" he said, interrupting her. "The way you are dressed now is fine!... and I would love a backrub from you too!"

Shit, he thought. I went and said it.

"Awww, are you sure?" Shammura pouted, then clapped her hands together. "Well then, I promise not to let you down, milord! These hands were made to serve you! I shall only take a moment to apply some aromatic ointment..."

She poured the contents of a translucent pink vial on her hands, rubbing them together until dry. Gently, she walked over to him and started rubbing his shoulders from behind. Her grip was soft and delicate, with surprising strength guided by nimble fingers. Almost immediately he felt relieved.

This feels nice, he thought, sighing and falling into her arms as he relaxed. He felt something soft against the back of his head, and realized he'd become nestled in her chest. This was a pretty good reason not to be an undead.

Maybe there are benefits to having this tiny body after all. This is still a bit too distracting though... he thought, afraid to look or turn his head at all. He coughed.

"Ummm, Shammura," he said, trying to sound authoritative, "please use your Distant Vision to bring up a view of the surrounding area. I'd like to see if anything has changed around our fortress."

"Certainly, milord," she said as she rubbed, and an ethereal mirror with a bird's eye view of the mountainous valley appeared. Toasty eyed it intently, try to distract himself.

"Hmmm... move it to the right a little."

The mirror moved. Toasty exhaled involuntarily as Shammura dug into a knot in his shoulder.

"Any news from our expedition teams? Have they found any suitable sources of drinking water or sustainable crops in the valleys?"

"No word yet, milord. I tasted some of the meat from the wild beasts they brought in yesterday however, and it was quite delicious. Nice and bloody. Tender too."

"I-is that so?" Toasty said, a little unsettled by one of those comments.

The guild members (or "Supreme Beings" as some of the NPCs had started calling them) were still eating from their pre-existing supplies and rations, just in case anything the expiditions brought back turned out to be poisonous or have long-term health effects. Shammura's skills made the former a largely pointless concern, but the long term effects of this New World food on their diet had to be observed.

Experimenting on the NPCs was actough choice to make, but it had to be done. The dwarven workers eating the food were the control, while DD had volunteered to be the variable (although Toasty suspected he'd just grown tired of eating rations a bit sooner than the rest of them had).

So far there had been no problems, but he'd had Shammura prepare a number of emergency potions in case anyone started suffering, including the lesser dwarves the fortress automatically spawned. Mathematically speaking, in YGGDRASIL the level 55 dwarves had less value than the dirt they were spawned from, but this wasn't a game anymore, and Toasty didn't feel right about putting the low level dwarves at risk without a life-line.

Toasty noticed a small settlement to the east of the mountain the Ragnavault had been teleported into (somehow).

"... Zoom in."

The mirror focused like a microscope, revealing a modestly-sized capitol city surrounding a makeshift castle nowhere near as grand as the Ragnavault. It was, from what the initial reports told them, a human settlement. Seeing as most of the Aesir Syndicate was human, at least in the world they'd come from, there was an immediate interest in making contact. But...

Toasty zoomed in again on a procession making its way to the castle at the heart of the city. Ogres and orcs and goblins and ghouls marched in rank and file formation around a group of lavishly dressed dwarves, like the ones working just a few stories beneath them. A group of humans walked out to meet them in the castle courtyard, and it became obvious who the dominant party in this relationship was. Gifts passed hands from the humans to the dwarves, and everyone regarded the procession with barely contained fear. That could only mean one thing. They'd observed this behavior a number of times, and everyone was starting to come to the same conclusion. These dwarves and other demihumans were exploiting this human settlement.

Toasty clicked his tongue, annoyed. Of course it didn't help that these humans didn't seem to know anything about magic or how to defend themselves properly, which made it all the easier for the physically superior demihumans to walk all over them. Problem was, no one from their guild could just run in and do something about it, even if they wanted to (Toasty sure did). They knew nothing about these demihumans. What their forces were like, what kinds of technology they possessed, what their average level was... not knowing any of these things could lead to them making an enemy out of a sleeping giant. So for now, they'd decided to play it cool and watch, at least until they could all decide as a group what they wanted to do.

Down below, a path was being cleared through the human capitol. The sea of people parted, and anyone who would not or could not move was trampled underfoot of the dwarves. Toasty watched as a child, six years old or younger, was kicked to the side of the street by a heavy metal boot. Her parents, instead of rushing to their child's aid when she'd likely sustained serious internal bruising, instead rushed to the feet of the dwarf to beg forgiveness for what their baby girl had done.

Toasty furrowed his brow. "Shammura, could you-"

He felt a sharp, stinging pain where his shoulder used to be. He looked down. A large ceremonial dagger was pinning him to his chair.

Toasty screamed.

"Oh my, it seems like the number of levels I have in the Assassin class still isn't enough to score a critical hit on someone as powerful as you. I have failed milord, the Supreme Being," Shammura said, clasping her hands on her face and looking sad and ashamed.

Toasty grunted. "Really, Shammura? Again?"

She licked her lips. "Then, how about this?"

Two flaming skulls leapt off of Shammura's jewelry and she started preparing her spells.

"Acid Javelin! Solvent Bath! Go, little ones!"

"Greater Magic Shield! Destroy Magic Item!"

A wave of sickly green fluid passed over Toasty's shield harmlessly as the two skulls shattered, returning to Shammura's necklace. For now, he had protected the remainder of his HP. She smiled.

"It seems I still cannot defeat you in a pure magic battle either, milord. Truly I could have been born to kill no one greater."

Toasty huffed with pain and exertion. Bullshit. Save your buttery compliments for when you're not trying to kill me, dammit!

Shammura rushed to his side, her desire to kill him completely forgotten, buried underneath her toxic love. She reached into her robes and pulled out a vial of red liquid, offering it to him.

"Drink this, milord. It is a handmade potion, made with my love~"

Toasty snatched the health potion without a second thought, uncorking it as he pulled the knife out of his side and drank. The pain quickly went away.

"Whew! That's bette..."

He stopped as his lips slurred together before refusing to move. His arms and legs went limp and his muscles slackened.

Ah, I see, he thought, oddly calm. I wasn't being healed. It just felt numb...

Shammura jumped up and down, squealing like an excited schoolgirl. "What do you think, milord? It's my newest paralysis potion! I disguised it as a health potion so I could get you to drink it! Oh, and I poisoned the knife with a blood thinner so it would inflict extra bleed damage once you pulled it out too!"

Toasty didn't respond. Not out loud.

Oh shit. Oh fuck. I'm going to bleed to death! he thought as he watched his HP slowly tick away. He tried calling for help, but every muscle was frozen, even the ones he used to speak.

Shammura snuggled up close to him, her body warm against his cold, clammy cheeks and bloodsoaked hands.

"Oh, milord! I've done it, I've finally killed you! I don't know why it feels so sad parting like this, but I'm also glad I could finally murder my maker and make you proud of me, your creation!" she said, going through some seriously rapid moodswings. "I love you ToastyEnji~nia, my supreme and almighty creator, more than words could ever express! So this is how I decided to show my love to you! Do you like it?"

She smiled wickedly into his frozen eyes. "Y'know, I could always show you my love another way too. There's still some time left before you die. We could... have some fun, if you wanted..."

Somebody help me! She's going to rape me!... and then kill me! Toasty thought in a panic. Nostromo? DD? Now would finally be a great time for one of you to barge in unannounced!

The sound of wings filled Toasty's chambers. Many small, fluttering wings. A cluster of bats descended from the high ceiling of his personal chambers, and coalesced in a vague swarm practically atop of where he laid immobilized. Dark mist filled the gaps between the swarm, and eventually the form of Nostromo, the vampiric loremaster of the Aesir Syndicate. Dressed only in his more casual Vampire Prince armor, his cloak billowed threateningly, revealing the Parasite Blade hanging heavily at his hip. Red eyes looked down on the entwined forms of Shammura and Toasty disdainfully, arms crossed and face twisted in agitation.

"Loathe as I am to interrupt your disturbing tryst," Nostromo began, in the queer accent he used when he wanted to sound serious and in-character, "I believe our time would be better spent deliberating our next course of action."

Nostromo reached down to pry the succubus off of the ailing dwarf, pulling her away with an expression that seemed as though he were touching something disgusting. Handling Shammura by the nape of her neck like some misbehaving cat, Nostromo snapped his fingers with his free hand. At his command, the pitter-patter of small footsteps bounded up the steps to Toasty's chamber. Eventually Nostromo's curious little underling, Kizumono Mary, was visible, hauling a rather large chest of medical supplies. She bounced over to the prone form of Toasty as fast as her tiny, misshapen legs would carry her, dropping various medical implements all the while, and quickly set to work at addressing his wounds.

"You'll be right as rain in no time, Toasty-sama." Mary assured the guild leader in her rough yet charmingly childish voice.

As Mary set about forcing an antidote into Toasty's mouth and bandaging his wound, Nostromo dealt with Shammura. "Leave us. Try to make yourself less of a detriment." He set her down and flicked his hand to shoo her off. Looking back to Toasty, he didn't seem any more pleased. "Half of your misfortunes are self-inflicted, I swear. We have fresh reconnaissance reports from the Syndicate, and will be meeting in the Copper Hall to discuss them within the hour. I've already sent out the round of messages, but this damned anti magic field around your quarters seems to have kept you out of the loop. You're lucky that I'm considerate enough to keep you informed on these things, otherwise you'd most likely be dead." He seemed smugly pleased with himself, but looking down at the now mostly-restored Toasty, a tone of genuine concern seemed to creep into his expression. "We should be off. Can you walk?"

“There is too much to do…” Silva muttered to herself as she walked down the long corridors of the guild, checking everything from how clean they are, to if all the defenses are in place. Ever since they were send to this world, things were hectic. Silva barely had a chance to rest, not that she needed much resting, but still. From the looks of all of it, most people were at least a little bit on edge, even the supreme beings. The angel didn’t like that… there must have been a way for them to make the supreme beings feel better! It was their duty to find that way!

Suddenly she was torn away from her thoughts when a message arrived.” A meeting within to discuss the reports from the reconnaissance within hour?” She muttered to herself, panicking just a little bit as there still were so many things she needed to do. After a quick metal check list, she quickly began walking down the hall again. There were some things she could do in the meantime before the meeting in the Copper Hall.

-----------------------------
30 minutes later
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After some intense rushing around to finish her rounds, Silva had finally finished her checklist of things to do for the moment and now was at the entrance of the Copper Hall. With quick pace, she walked to the place where in the past her creator used to sit and positioned herself behind that seat. Even after all that time, she still waited for her mistress to return. She had remembered long in the past when news of her creator’s death arrived. Silva didn’t understand how can a Supreme being die, so she still waited and hoped to see her creator even now.

She looked around, observing the surroundings in case something was lurking around. It wasn't likely someone had managed to infiltrate this deep within the guild, but one could never be too careful. There seemed to be some time before the meeting really starts, so she quickly pulled a small book and began writing her own report for the day.

Lady Pastry sat alone in the Librarium it was the only room that reminded her most of her life. The life she left behind when she was whisked away to this strange new world. Leaving behind a loving mother, and beloved pet dog. No more goodnight hugs no more shoulder to cry on. She was alone save for the blue pet dragon that followed her around. Slitherton was it's name, and it was at that moment sleeping on her shoulders. The warmth of it's body the steady breaths near her ear all of it felt real. But, none of it really "felt" real to her. The past couple days she'd been showing off pretending none of this bothered her like it were all just some weird fever dream. That'd it'd end, and be an amazing story to tell. Yet as the fourth day came to a close she realized that this wasn't going to end, anytime soon. Questions, the same questions in different forms always permeated her mind. Why am I here? Did I do something wrong, and being punished for it? Why didn't I just log out like everyone else? Why did I decide to stay on till the very end? Why am I just so damn stupid? Why? LP brushed her eyes as she shut one of the books she'd pulled from the shelves, sliding it back into place. Then slowly began to walk the library halls, getting lost at least once before making it to the Astrolab. She stared at the sky as her hands, and arms loosely hung down at her sides.

--- 1 hour later ---
When Nostromo's summons message came to her, she laughed softly. She'd been feeling a lot better after taking a while to just breath, and relax."Hmm seems I'm getting summoned. Wonder what sort of mischief I'll be getting into." Slitherton awoke at its masters laughter looking up at her curiously, and soon got off flying behind. LP used her guild Ring to appear in the Copper Hall. "Hello, hello lovelies! How are we all doing this fine evening? Well I hope, if not it's about to get a whole lot better. Because LadyPastry is here to brighten your day with laughs, and thrills!" She'd made a show of her arrival to the hall: symphony spheres played fanfare, and she posed as her dragon flew around her landing on her shoulders than roared, a cute tiny purring roar. Please let my efforts make someone, anyone, happy today. After she was done with making a show of her arrival, she went to take her seat. Swinging her legs over the side as she sat sideways getting comfortable, while Slitherton climbed over her finding a comfy spot on her belly to curl up.

Revenmar was not far away from the Copper Hall when he got Lord Nostromo's summons, as he did not have much to do really. Sure, the Ragnavault was on high alert after the worlds shifted but had this place not been built for protection in the first place? The Syndicate was a banking clan, and you could not be a banking clan if you had no means of protecting your investments and stock. The thought was amusing to him, it had been five days but nothing had really been happening besides the chaos of the shift, which was minor to him. The Supreme Ones were the people that he worried for the most, for they had to take the brunt of this change themselves. He had tried to help, but felt that he was only getting in the way, so he simply walked the halls, always on patrol. Lord Dagartopoli was one of the guilds protectors and it only seemed fitting if he took on the job that his creator once did. He found that it was boring and on the sixth day, he needed something to do, before complete boredom overtook him and this might be the chance.

On the day everything changed, and YGGDRASIL became the new world, Revenmar had been in his creator's room, unwavering as usual. It was if he had awoken from a long dull slumber, completely aware of everything that had ever happened to him. The first thing he did was actually explore his creator's room, for he knew Lord Dagartopoli was gone from this world, perhaps never returning. He touched each object as delicately as his large hands could, he did not want to be the one to break his creator's personal belongings. His gaze finally found a painting of his old Lord, majestic and beautiful as ever, hanging above the fireplace and when he looked at it, he felt a deep longing. Those other NPC's that lost their creators could at least count themselves lucky, as a group of Supreme Beings stayed behind, much to his enthusiasm. They had decided to stay, even in the face of the very end, and for that he was completely and utterly devoted to them.

He had left the room, most likely not to return to it, as he it was only a reminder of what never would be. Revenmar would uphold his creator's principles, Dagartopoli had created him to protect the weak from evil and to smite the forces of the undead. Being in a guild where half of the members were heteromorphic, complicated this duty. He truly wanted to kill them all but was also completely devoted to the Supreme Beings who were monsters, that he found himself unable to act. He could say the same about the other NPC's that were hetermorphic, he could not touch them because they were the Supreme Beings creations and if he did harm them, he would inadvertently harm the Supreme Beings. Revenmar was in a state of confusion those following days after the shift. Many a time he would brandish his sword, when he saw a hetermorphic, but then would sheath it. Eventually he finally came to terms that apart of himself will always have animosity towards those that are heteromorphic but at the same time, he has a deep respect for them, which prevents him from doing harm, for now.

He did not really care if the meeting was in an hour, so he arrived early and went to stand beside his old creator's chair. He moved his hand up an down the chair, stroking the cold stone. Another memory of a time long gone. As more people began to arrive, he bent the knee. This was his place, a subordinate to those much greater then he was and he would remain in this position until called upon. When Lady Pastry arrived and did her small display, a smile crept on his face behind his helmet. There was one Supreme Being that he would follow anywhere but Lord Toasty was the one that he would die for without hesitation. His face became flushed, to be in the presence of such powerful beings, was truly a wonderful thing, even if half of them were inherently evil.

Mercuria leaned back into the smooth stone walls of the waters of the underground hot spring, her bare shoulders sinking deeper into the steamy waters. Her long, wispy-white hair was tied neatly into a small bun with a black ribbon.

As the sole creation of one of the guild's Supreme Beings who was once known as Lady Circa, Mercuria required no rest or relief from her duties. The reason for her presence within the luxurious underground hot springs was not for pleasure, but rather relief. Although she had received summons from Lord Nostromo to appear within the Copper Hall within thirty minutes, she had good reason to remain where she was presently until some more time had passed.

She was incredibly hungry. Although her physical appearance was that of a human, her true nature was a Metal Slime, a race of monstrous creatures with voracious appetites. Due to uncertainties about the safety of the food that could be obtained from outside of the Ragnavault's walls, the Supreme Ones declared that only prepared rations must be consumed until further notice. However, Slimes were immune to all poisons and toxins, and therefore she should be completely safe from harm no matter what she consumed. However, the orders of the Supreme Beings were absolute and without exception. That was what she believed.

The measly rations were sufficient for all those within the Ragnavault, but for a Slime being such as herself, they were grossly insufficient. For five days, Mercuria had to struggle against the ferocious hunger that threatened her self-control over her actions. Even the lowly dwarven servants that scurried around the halls appeared appetizing after the second day of hunger.

Even though none would notice a few missing dwarves here and there, Mercuria refused to give into her selfish needs so easily. She was one of the only, if not the only, of the Supreme Beings' creations to be remade in the image of their own creator. Therefore, she could not possibly bear the sinful act of defiling her Creator's image by gorging herself on one of the guild's lowly servants, no matter how delicious their succulent muscles and flesh may seem. Mercuria's hands leaped up from the warm waters of the hot spring and covered her face in shame of the mental image that her hungry state had just conjured.

What have I done! Forgive me, Lady Circa, for my moment of weakness!

She was nearing the limits of self-control. Not even the comforts of the underground hot springs could hold off her neglected appetite any longer. With her face still hidden behind her two hands, Mercuria slowly counted to three in her mind, using every ounce of her willpower to push all thoughts of food from her mind.

Steeling her mind with the full force of her will, Mercuria finally found her impulses under control for the time being. Lifting herself up to her feet, the warm spring water ran down her body as her fingers quickly adjusted her hair to its usual flowing style, setting it in place with the black ribbon. As she stepped out of the soothing waters onto the cold tiles, silvery liquid pooled out from the surfaces of her flawless skin, forming themselves into her usual attire of flowing white cloth.

It was almost time for arrive at the meeting declared by the Supreme Ones. Without any further delay, Mercuria began a brisk walk through the halls of the Ragnavault, careful to avoid catching the lingering scent of any dwarven workers that passed by recently.

Before long, Mercuria finally found herself before the entrance of the grand Copper Hall. She could already feel the powerful aura of the Supreme Beings who had already gathered there, waiting. Slightly fearing that she had in fact arrived late, Mercuria proceeded past the entrance, the heels beneath her feet sending sharp echoes through the air with each step. Stopping before the grand table where a number of the Supreme Beings were already gathered and sitting, Mercuria proceeded to kneel on both knees, her hands placed palm-down upon her knees. She had positioned herself at precisely the correct distance for her lowered head to be visible to all those seated.

"Your faithful servant, Mercuria Alpha, responds to your summons. I bow before the greatness of the Supreme Ones." Mercuria softly spoke with closed eyes as she lowered her head.

It had been five days. Five bloody long days, and all DD had ever managed to do was sitting in his room, contemplating mass genocide.

Unlike many others of his guild, getting stuck in a game didn’t actually sit that well with him. He liked YGGDRASIL. Hell, he loved it. The combat, the story, the gameplay, and more, the freedom it offered players. This game was heaven to him; it allowed him everything he wanted but couldn’t have in real life. And yet…

The revenant known as DozingDonut sighed, racking fingers through his stock white hair as he paced the carpeted floor of his quarter. For the millionth time since their final feast, he closed his eyes and activated the log out command again. Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened. He sank into a nearby chair, suppressed another sigh. As days passed, many of his theories had come crashing down. This was not YGGADRASIL on life support. Neither was it YGGADRASIL 2 beta. For all he knew, they weren’t in a game anymore. As an avid gamer, he had sampled most of MMOs on the current market, even going as far as trying region locked games from overseas. There were some pretty amazing stuffs out there, mind-blowing mechanics and breath-taking graphics, but nothing had even come closer to the level of realism they were currently experiencing.

That knowledge might be a little bit difficult to take in. After all, he, along with his guildmates, was strained on gods-know-where, with nothing but the guildhall surrounded them. He felt like freaking out. He should. But he was conflicted. He was not stuck here as a lanky human guy with odd working hours. No, he was here as DD the revenant, the demon zombie dude that wore fear like a cloak and flipped off Death as he charged headlong into battles. He was Ragnavault’s one man army. He had got nothing to fear, or moped about for days, to be honest. It was getting a little pathetic. So bloody uncool.

(strained, caught, they are trapped like flies, where to go?)

He rose up from his chair slash throne, topping the finely decorated piece of furniture over in his haste. No time for bad thought now. He willed himself to think of their situation differently; they were kids trapped in the playground, might as well try out all the rides before daylight. Feeling slightly invigorated, he rolled his shoulders as he opened the door of his bedroom to step into the massive living room. Despite the fact that he didn’t hang around the guild hall that often when compared to other members (Nostromo came to mind, that dork), his position in the guild was still high enough to grant him a private quarter. Toasty would probably weep if he knew DD didn’t bother with decorations in his living room. Instead, he just opted to fill the beautiful room with all manner of junks, ranging from a variety of skulls to rusty weapons and strange artifacts, like several braided centaurs’ tails he had hanging from the nearby wall. He was quite certain he was high when he got those.

Nostromo chose that exact moment to send out his message. DD turned his head, the sharp tang of magic stung his senses as he listened to the disembodied voice relaying the message. It was simple; they were to meet at the Copper Hall to discuss stuffs and probably have some quality guild time or whatever. By the sound of it, Toasty and Nostromo were probably cooking up some kind of plan for them. DD half-smiled, picking up his skull mask and sword from the cracked vanity on his way out, anticipation coiling in his guts.

However, just as the door to his quarter slammed shut behind him, his thought drifted to a certain NPC, and his gaze dropped to the shadow behind him. Urgh. Ever since every NPC in Ragnavault had come alive, i.e gaining consciousness and sentience, some really creepy things had happened. His lips curled in disdain as he remembered the first time he caught the guild leader and his NPC in a rather compromising position. It took him thirty minutes to pry Toasty out of that crazy contraption. Now, DD wouldn’t judge one of his best bros in the guild, but dude could use some therapy. And maybe an extra helping of Jesus or whatever his preferred religion on the side.

After that little ‘incident’, he had called up Furiko and asked her to go do the first task that had come to mind, namely finding all the skulls in his quarter and stacking them into a pyramid in the bathroom. That alone would have taken quite a bit of time, he knew the vast number of skeletons he had in his closet.

(475, it’s a big closet.)

He had got used to thinking of her as his personal pack mule, but knowing that she had thoughts and feelings now, it just didn’t feel right to treat her like an object anymore. Still, having a girl literally shadowed his steps slightly crept him out, so he sent her away. But she wouldn’t be gone forever; he figured he should deal with this as soon as he could. So he did.

“Furiko?”- He said, shifting a bit into his berserker voice so she could hear it through the wooden door.

--
Her lord had seemed rather distressed on the day a few days back. Enough so, that he seemed to have felt the need to send her on a mission to deal with the count of the Skulls. Indeed, her lord was wise and this mere action must truly be worthy of anything. But she still felt a sort of tinge, of not being able to help him in some way. Why hadn't they moved out to check out and slaughter creatures? Or maybe found a town to gain concepts on what was selling or not. She didn't mind to much, this task was more then enough for her. Her black sclera, holding around her golden iris, watching her porcelain white skin on her slender hand as she placed the white skull on top of the last line of stacks. 475 skulls, in a pyramid to match what he had asked of her. She needed to place them carefully. Her gaze watching as her steady hand placed it perfectly, not over use of strength or anything else. Her long nails lightly trailing on skull for a moment after she finally finished it. Smiling cooly at it. Her arms covered by the dark purple sleeve that seemed to extend from her shoulders. Her demonic reptilian wings holding behind her, kept up to help keep her balance. Her black tail, springing from right about her butt seeming to hold loosely behind her as it occasionally would swing about seductively, her apparent interest in this project being rather obvious.

Her ears twitched lightly, as she heard her lord call for her. Her eyes looking to the door behind her in the amazing bathroom in her eyes that her lord was indeed worthy of. She stood up lightly, her boots and seemingly interesting design in armor showing. She wasn't going to make the skulls fall over. Not after the time she managed to put into them. But why? Did it really matter...aside from her lord telling her to do it. Did he care about how they were? She would often question some of her thoughts...

“Yes my lord?” She stated as she pushed the wooden door open, the wood was slightly warm to the touch, though this may have only been because of her own body heat probably being raised slightly from the amount of time she spent hunting and finding more skulls. “The task you have asked of me is completed my lord.” Her voice didn't hold much emotion. It was generally mono-toned, neutral if you could think. It was fine in her mind, though she did think that maybe she could figure out a way to be more accepting of her lord. So many others seemed to show....excitement? She couldn't be sure. Taking a few steps forward was she walked closer to her creator she stood before him from a respectable distance. Looking over him, it seemed they may be going...that message she heard but ignored. It said something about meeting? She wasn't one to go to anything unless her Lord took her to it...for she was more accustomed to living in his shadow. She pushed back her purple hair, it's long length just hovering over the top of her back thighs as her tail swung powerfully. Her wings stretching occasionally. She would just wait on him, whatever he asked, she had no reason to not do. –

“Eh. You actually did that? Wow.”- DD sucked in a breath, amazement obvious in his features. –“Yeah. About that, you don’t have to do whatever I say. If you don’t want to. And you also don’t have to follow me around all day. Feel free to go out and do whatever you want, ya know, like seducing dudes or whatever.”

He groaned inwardly, making a mental note to ask Nostromo about succubus. He should have read the race description before pressing ‘next’. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, as DD seemed to be fumbling with his words. After a while, he managed the question.

“So… do you want to kill me or anything?”

--
Her eyes watched her lord carefully as he spoke to her. Taking in anything he asked or said of her. He showed a sign of surprise possibly? About her doing what he asked. She was going to say, of course she would have done anything. But his next statement puzzled her a bit. Her tail twitched lightly, it's spade heart like shape end hovering over the ground as it did so. “My lord, I don't understand.” She stated, the same normal blank tone. She took a step towards him, pushing her hand lightly on her mouth, pressing against her chest as she tried to think. He asked her to do what she wanted...but there wasn't anything she could think of. Then he asked a very odd question.

“I would never betray you my lord.” She stated sternly, probably one of the only times she showed emotion. She may not be able to comprehend some things at this moment....like the questions before. But to kill her creator? No. “I would much rather be at your side if it doesn't bother you.” She stated once again neutrally. Though her eyes wondered about for a moment, taking in his information. “If you have anything you wish. Feel free to ask me for it. I will help you the best I can.” She continued as if she was thinking over what she was saying. She was trying to understand his reasoning for the questions. What did she do that would have caused this?

--
“Cool. Yeah.”- He mumbled lamely, before turning to walk to the Copper Hall, where there was still a meeting waiting for him. A few steps in, he realized he could use the guild ring to get there immediately, instead of trudging about like an idiot and wasting everybody’s time. Sighing heavily, he slowed down and gestured for Furiko to come closer, before putting an arm over her shoulder and activating the spell woven into his ring. It worked as it should, deposited them right in front of the Copper Hall in a flash of bright light. He put a gloved hand on the door handle, before a thought popped up in the back of his mind.

“Also, you don’t have to stay in my shadow all the time. Stay outside, make friends and, well, do stuffs.”- He said, tone light and casual, but his expressions were anything but. DD was a creature of whims and freedom; the thought of him restricting someone else’s gnawed at his insides endlessly. However, while he wished to treat Furiko as she deserved, he just didn’t know how, with the whole NPC being devoted to their creators thing going on. He should also consult Nostromo on this matter; dude seemed to be managing just fine.

Before he could make the situation anymore awkward than it already was, DD pushed the door open and strode in. Just in time to witness LP’s usual antics. He gave her an easy smile, before taking a seat nearby, dropping his mask on the table and putting his sword across his lap.

“Chipper as usual, eh? Don’t tell me you’ve found my candy corn stash, LP. Sugar crash is no joke.”- He faked a scowl, just as he turned to take a quick look around the room. A few NPCs (not just npcs anymore, they have gained sentience) have gathered, and he gave each a nod, unsure of what to say to them. The thought that each of them was real beings now, rather than just lines of codes, took some time getting used to.

Even in the dim light of his room Annwn could tell that Gnash was glaring at him, or more specifically at the couple stands of fur that the doppelganger had pinched between his right index finder and thumb. Sighing Annwn reached out with his left hand, the elongated fingers of his base form curling around the rodent to stroke its back in attempt to assuage the small thing's anger "I'm sorry Gnash, I had to make sure. Although in hindsight, it would be obvious from the other times I have done this the past few days that the results would be the same, but still.." His voice trailed off as his blank face tilted slightly as Gnash turned away slightly and scampered away, to ether hide under the bed or to go 'exploring' (as Anwnn called it) the rest of Ragnavault. Letting out a disappointed sigh Annwn hauled himself to his feet "I was going to say I was sorry again. But if don't want to hear it I suppose that's your own prob..."

Stopping mid sentience again, this time by the feeling of a message, Annwn would have scowled if he could have. He was used to being interrupted in normal conversations, but alone the phenomenon was getting very annoying. The feeling of annoyance faded as Annwn received the message from the guild's second. A meeting? At least its n an hour Annwn thought to himself as his eyes rolled over the short message, before darting over to a self rotateing hourglass mounted to a bed side table that was marked with the time or much, much less as my case may be. My god how long did I lose track of time!?

Mentally slapping himself the shadow dancer jumped into action, snatching up and storing his knives in their sheath located on the small of his back, and influencing song to wind around his waist like a belt with a deadly blade attached to the end. Doing a quick once over Annwn was satisfied that he was presentable "If your still her Gnash, be good, ill be back soon maybe. But if your not here, dont get stepped on. And for the love of everything don't startle someone again. I can only cover for you so many times."

With that last statement the world around Annwn blurred for a fraction of a second, coming back into focus as not his room, but the hallway beyond it. Walking at a brisk pace Annwn blinked periodically to make up for his tardiness. Any who saw him would see him walk for a second and suddenly blink much further down the hallway in a puff of smoke. If any continued to watch him they would notice that his own form blurred and shifted independently of the blinking, settling on that of a elven male, his Dark heart armor remaining as is.

Reaching the Copper Hall's door, Annwn stopped. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself and listened for a moment. It didn't sound like they were starting, so he couldn't be that late. Right? In any case he quickly ran down his list of options on how to enter the hall without drawing any ire or flak for being late. Finally he decided to, slightly, cheat. Breathing out he began falling back and blinked, appearing in his chair within the hall, sitting, with a small smile on his face as he scanned the room. He wouldn't tell anyone, but he enjoyed the back and forth between his guild mates, even before the shift, and it was nice to see that some things still haven't changed.

Shammura, in the middle of mounting Toasty, looked up as she felt a powerful aura fill the room.

"Oh my, if it isn't Nostromo-sama," she said, pronouncing each word with snide vitriol the same way a disgruntled salaryman would speak to their bosses in middle mamagement. "To what do we owe the pleasure, you shitty vampire?"

"Loathe as I am to interrupt your disturbing tryst, I believe our time would be better spent deliberating our next course of action."

Shammura frowned.

"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm in the middle of killing milord right now, and it won't do to have you interrupt such an... intimate moment," she said, licking her lips with a disquieting slurping noise. She laid herself on top of the guildmaster, moaning. "Ohhh, Toasty-sama! Promise you'll stay with Shammura to the very end! I want to enjoy every last second we have together~"

The aura went from fierce to overpowering as the vampire lord made it very clear this was as far as she'd go as long as he was around. She stood her ground against the enormous pressure, but then felt Toasty's dampened aura resonating with Nostromo's. Shammura flinched involuntarily, caught between the two crashing waves.

Damn, so this is what the power of two Supreme Beings feels like? Am I really supposed to be able to beat them? Even if I'm the same level, it still feels like we're worlds apart...

Reluctantly, she crawled off of Toasty's paralyzed body to show her respect for her creator and the other Supreme Beings. Or that's what she would have done, had the shitty vampire not picked her up by the collar like a cat.

"What do you think you're doing?! Only milord is supposed to be able to touch me like that! Unhand me! Unhand me this instant!"

As soon as he did, the impish little library zombie ran up and started administering an antidote to her poison. Shammura felt like smacking the little flesh-doll so hard it separated into all its different stitched together parts, but this was a valuable lesson, and she was already in enough trouble as it was. Next time, she'd need to make a more advanced, less derivative poison.

"Leave us. Try to make yourself less of a detriment."

Shammura stood from where she'd been dropped and dusted off her robes as Toasty's body started to twitch. She laughed haughtily.

"That goes to show what you know, you shitty vampire. What I'm doing is in accordance with the wishes of the highest authority. What could possibly be detrimental about a servant fulfilling her master's wishes?"

Her "master" coughed, reinvigorated by Mary's medical care.

"Shammura..." he wheezed, forcing oxygen back into his lungs. Immediately the demoness eagerly whipped to attention, like a loyal puppy.

"Yes, milord?"

"It is as you say. I ordered you to do that. And you failed. As punishment for your failure, you are to dig as big a hole as you possibly can, then fill it back up. I want you to do this until you've fully depleted all of your stamina and MP, understood?"

Shammura bowed elegantly. "Of course. I would do anything for my beloved Toasty Enji~nia-sama. Well then, Mary, shitty vampire-sama, I bid you farewell."

Curtsying in a manner unbecoming of a master of the dark arts, Shammura tiptoed out of the room to begin her "punishment". Toasty leaned forward and sat atop the table, recovering.

"Half of your misfortunes are self-inflicted, I swear. We have fresh reconnaissance reports from the Syndicate, and will be meeting in the Copper Hall to discuss them within the hour. I've already sent out the round of messages, but this damned anti magic field around your quarters seems to have kept you out of the loop. You're lucky that I'm considerate enough to keep you informed on these things, otherwise you'd most likely be dead."

"Yeah," Toasty said sarcastically. "Thanks, oh wise and humble one."

He hated Nostromo's "game face". He took his vampire lord persona way too seriously. In his eyes, there was roleplaying and then there was what Nostromo was doing. The former was fun play-acting you did with friends. The latter was just being an ass and making an ass out of yourself while you were at it.

"I think it's best to just play along with her game, y'know?" he said to Nostromo, explaining his decision. "She's confused and unstable as it is. She can't reconcile her feelings. The last thing we want to do is to push her off the edge."

He got up, testing that his muscles were working again with a few short hops.

Nostromo seemed smugly pleased with himself, but looking down at the now mostly-restored Toasty, a tone of genuine concern seemed to creep into his expression.

"We should be off. Can you walk?"

Toasty hadn't been expecting that. He smiled softly.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said. "Thanks for caring, man."

---

After dressing himself in his Dwarven King armor for the sake of appearances and equipping his voice modulator item, Lungs of the Viking, Toasty and Nostromo departed for the meeting in the Copper Hall.

Pulling out his chair at the head of the table (the court of Camelot this was not!), Toasty made a big show of carefully seating himself, his armor clunking and shifting at every slight movement. Awkwardly, he coughed to clear his voice.

"Nostromo, Donut-san, Lady Pastry, Annwn-san, Revenmar, Silva, Wolfgang, Mary, Furiko," he said, nodding at everyone seated at the table. "Thank you all for coming. And thank you to you as well, Mercuria Alpha. Your dependability is astounding as always. The Ragnavault is lucky to have been blessed with such a capable caretaker. However, in the future, you... do know that we don't demand you do that every time you come to a meeting, right?"

Having greeted everyone, Toasty nodded.

"Excellent. Now before we get down to business, I'd like to say that Shammura won't be joining us this morning. She is currently in the lower levels, far away from the Automatica this time," he reassured, remembering an earlier incident. "She is... performing her duties as the grand vizier."

There was a large bang and a rumble following what sounded like extremely powerful magic being cast in the lower levels of the mines fifty floors beneath them. Toasty started sweating inside his armor.

"A-Anyway, she won't be finished for quite some time, and won't be able to attend the meeting this morning. I don't know why Lines isn't here right now either, although I can hazard a guess. Discounting those two however, it seems like everyone is here. So, who would like to begin?"

There was a moment of awkward silence. No one knew what to say and they were looking to Toasty for direction. It was too bad he didn't have any either.

"Ummm..." he said, sounding very un-kingly. He pointed a finger at the one sitting next to him. "Nostromo. Have we received news about our expedition teams? Have they made any progress at determing our location or any of the other objectives we gave them?"

Once Toasty had managed to get himself back up onto his feet, Nostromo followed him down the lengthy stairwell from his private quarters to the Copper Hall. Mary attempted to follow with her hefty chest of medical supplies, but a firm look from Nostromo gave her the hint to set it down and carry on without it. He’d send a runner for it later, it was really of little consequence. And so the three emerged into the Copper Hall, King followed by Vampire followed by Zombie.

Nostromo seated himself in his appointed chair, immediately to the left of Toasty. It was a fine seat for one such as himself, inlaid with onyx and ivory, and rubies wrought about the headrest to form a crimson halo about the vampire’s head. It was a strange thing, how much power Nostromo had begun to assume in the syndicate once they had emerged into this New World. He had never been among the most powerful, nor the most influential when the guild still exerted its influence over YGGDRASIL. Perhaps it was his strength in the face of these new challenges, combined with his already close relationship with the guildmaster that had elevated him to essentially the second in command among the remaining players. Toasty seemed to think that Nostromo was needed in such a position, at least. If one were to judge him having Nostromo’s seat moved next to his. Thinking back on the matter, Nostromo remembered objecting to being positioned at Toasty’s right side. He far preferred his position on the left; he was the left hand of their leader, Shammura was his right.

In any case, as Nostromo sat down, Wolfgang had already been waiting for him, stood dutifully behind his chair. Looking about, Nostromo saw that many of the NPCs behaved similarly, standing behind the seats of their absent masters, as though attending to their ghosts. It really had a pitiful appearance to it, sharply contrasted by how complete Nostromo and his underlings appeared in comparison. Even Mary, who usually didn’t attend these meetings, knelt dutifully by at Nostromo’s right. They seemed like a family, whole and complete, compared to the others that had lost their masters.

Toasty began the deliberations, and Nostromo could tell what a toll this change had been taking on him. To say nothing of Shammura, he seemed to be straining under the pressures of leadership. Nostromo had no doubts that Toasty could rise to the occasion, but the guildmaster may not have shared his sentiments. Managing a guild in a game was far different from managing a fortress full of living, thinking persons, he admitted, and Toasty had not changed as a person since the end of YGGDRASIL. He gained nothing in this New World.

Nostromo, however… he had gained everything. Perhaps it was because he had become undead, but Nostromo felt more confident now than he had ever been while he was a human being. He felt power coursing through his body, and he felt the willingness to use it. For the first time in his life he was strong, he was a wolf among sheep, and he loved every second of it.

In any case, Toasty was now calling attention to Nostromo. The vampire had sent out some of his Vampire Brides and other summons over the last few nights for reconnaissance on the local area, and the findings had been… underwhelming. Nostromo stood up, his long coat flourishing, as he took the floor. He held out his hand to Wolfgang, who delivered the papers to him with a bow, and then immediately resumed his half-subservient, half-threatening posture.

“Yes, the scouts returned this morning. The Ragnavault seems to have been relocated to a mountain range near the southern coast of this continent. The region immediately north of us is temperate woodland. Geopolitically, it seems to be in the early stages of feudalism. There are a several scattered villages, each apparently subservient to a nearby keep or city-state. Farmland is abundant, and there are several rivers sufficient for fishing and milling that run nearby. ” Nostromo moved on to a second set of notes. “Regarding my own personal tasks, I plan on making more regular visits to the nearest of these city-states, Sur-Rain, and consult any centers of education or archives they may possess. This is to further our attempts to decipher their written language, which will be invaluable when we reach the point of forging contracts with the locals. Mary and I have made little headway so far, but as our spoken languages are identical, once we have greater resources on hand, progress should be swift.”

Nostromo bowed and took his seat, looking out over the other guildmates and NPCs. He was honestly starting to tire, though he could not tell if that was because of some strange effect of his vampire physiology during the daylight hours, or because he was working himself ragged. Being second in command meant fulfilling a large number of roles in the guild; especially considering that the other guildmates and their underlings were currently accomplishing very little. Nostromo had always been a generalist, never quite good enough at any one thing to achieve notoriety in the guild among such powerful specialists. However, in this New World, the roles were reversed and Nostromo’s numerous practical skills were far more advantageous than the extremely focused abilities of his “stronger” guildmates, most of which that had become useless.

Soon enough, his guildmates started coming in, along with the NPCs as well. He grinned and nodded at each of them, with the exception of Annwn, to whom he waved at and greeted:

“Morning, Annie. Doing okay?”

Both Toasty and Nostromo arrived shortly afterward, the vampire’s little servant shuffling in behind him. DD raised an eyebrow at the absence of a certain deranged sorceress, but quickly decided that he didn’t really care. As long as she stayed away from their guildmaster, they just didn’t have any reason to interact. As Toasty and Nostromo took their respective seats, a quiet smile graced the revenant’s lips. He leaned forward, the sword in his lap fell to the marble floor with a loud clang, but it was promptly ignored. To Toasty’s brief greeting, he nodded, smile all teeth and inappropriate glee as he replied:

“Busy night, eh Breakfast?”

When their guildleader finally began, DD schooled his expression into one of mild interest, a face he usually he put on when he started to daydream. This time, however, he was quite focused. Getting stuck inside a game had certainly changed his priorities somewhat, after all. It would be best to know what Toasty and Nostromo had managed to find out about this world. He would have gone out himself, of course, but he digressed. Among the diverse talents of the syndicate, DD wasn’t the fastest or the stealthiest. To be honest, if Toasty had sent him out on a reconnaissance mission, he would have slapped the dwarf senseless, before heading out to find Shammura because whatever poison she used had obviously got to his brain. For a brief moment, DD wondered what his fellow guildmates had been up to for the last few days. Had any of them snuck out of the fortress to check out the surrounding areas? He wouldn’t put it pass Annwn or even LP, but then again, what did he know? He had accomplished nothing worthwhile in the last five days, expect maybe rearranged his collection of jars.

His attention shifted back to the meeting once their second, Nostromo the dramatic vampire, stood up and began speaking. DD tapped his fingers on the table surface as he listened, the clawed gauntlet clanking softly on marble. He didn’t envy the vampire’s new position, to be honest. All that responsibilities, the mere thoughts of them were enough to make him groan. No, he was definitely glad that someone was at the helm of this ship, and that someone was not him.

The results they got back from their scouting parties were…disappointing, to say the least. By no means the information was unhelpful, of course, but DD thought it was just a tad uninteresting. It was important to survey their surroundings and locate resources first. He knew that, he watched enough survival shows on TV. But who in their fucking right mind would be concern about books in a situation like this?

“So… Basically, you are translating their books? Right now?” –The revenant laughed breathily, the red orbs of his eyes seemed to dilate.-“ Priorities, man, priorities.”

After a short pause, when DD seemed to have collected himself, he continued with questions: “So how about the habitants? I’ve seen demi-humans and humans about, some animals too.”- He might not have been completely idle the last few days; there were times when he used Scavengers’ March to poke around, but never got too far, as the spell’s range was a bit limited. –“Anything on their number? Strength? Would they attack us, if, erm no, when they spot the giant fortress just sitting around near their homes?”

LadyP was waiting for Nostromo or Toasty to tell them what they should do to help out. When they just stopped talking she put a hand to her face sighing tiredly.
"I'm going to scout the surrounding areas myself then. Check out the town see what I can pick up about their education level. Who knows maybe see what their currency is by putting on a little show in their square. Frankly I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing, I want to use my skills and be of use. After all I'm the fastest out of all of us not to mention even despite my appearance, I am the stealthiest. Just to be safe I am more than willing to take one or two of you with me."
Then slowly moved to sit upright Slitherton nearly fell off, but managed to climb up her chest to rest on her shoulders once more. She looked at Toasty, and Nostromo this was what she could do easily for the guild. They'd not gone into town yet by the information given, and they've yet to see what money they exchange. For all they knew YGGDRASIL money wouldn't work here, and LP was working on that assumption till she could see for herself. Plus she could probably buy a few supplies, namely food which they were starting to run out of.
"Perhaps even set up a rapport with some of the local farmers, and fisherman to supply us regularly with fresh food. Ragnavault is still very much a mine so we have raw materials to trade in town for money, and could use that to buy food or other supplies. Plus if I figure out what their money is we could have a forgery master turn the raw materials into their currency. Well? I'm certain that some of the others here could do that while I check out the town... That is what you were telling me wasn't it Toasty? You're such a brilliant leader coming up with those ideas. I don't know why Nostromo didn't think of that himself. The cool collected guy that he is."
To be frank she didn't want to take any limelight away from Nostromo or Toasty by revealing to the others she was a very qualified leader. She hated leading preferring to be the clown that made people laugh. Than to push orders around, and demand someone do this or that. It reminded her too much of her disgusting prick of an ex- father that ran a multi billion dollar company that with her other siblings tried to mold them into him. With manipulation, and every other form of brainwashing in the book. Who divorced her mother leaving their lives in disarray, all for a younger treasure wife of a floozy receptionist. After a short nervous laughter she just grew dead silent, and pulled out her cards to play solitaire with them.

As the people from the guild gathered and the guild master appeared, Silva like the other NPCs stood in the usual for them place behind the chair of her creator, but her chair was empty. Still it felt good to know that at least some of her brethren among the guild still had their creator, but at the same time she also felt a little bit of a emptiness inside her. It hurt a lot to know your master will not return probably... she planned to ask Toasty about her creator, but never got the chance. He was the guild master and the leader of the Supreme beings, how can she just attempt to converse with him...

As Nostromo brought the topic about written language of the natives of this world, another one of the supreme beings didn't seem to agree that's was the most important thing right now. Silva threw quick worried glances between the vampire and DD, unsure how this will play out. Considering the situation, what were they going to do if a rift was to form between the supreme ones and they leave them... The mere thought of that made a shiver run down her spine. Then she heard DD's concerns about the possibility of battle. While she wasn't really convinced the natives were much of a danger for the build, she still had an obligation to protect it like all others.

“E...excuse me, Supreme ones, but should I prepare for a wide area illusion?” With the absence of her mistress who was the expert on illusion magic, Silva somehow felt the obligation to propose her abilities to the guild was now.” With my abilities, I should be able to create an illusion to hide the guild for now.” Silva asked, hoping that she will not get punished for her interruption.

When she heard that LadyP plans to go scouting herself, Silva's back straightened. While there were many she could take along with her if that scouting mission was approved, Silva felt the desire to go and assist the supreme one. The angel's duties within the guild were mostly random things that needed to be done every now and then. She lacked proper position and job to do. Since they appeared here she just patrolled and helped with misc jobs because of that reason. She wondered if that was because of the death... of her creator.

The aura emanating from each of the Supreme Beings was simply overpowering. The strength and gravity of their aura was easily enough to vanquish all traces of the ferocious hunger that burned within herself. For a lowly servant such as herself being granted the privilege of witnessing their divine presence was a blessing in itself.

Mercuria had only found the strength necessary to rise up to her feet and stand by her departed Creator's seat when the leader of the Supreme Ones acknowledged her presence. Mercuria listened quietly and attentively as the Supreme Beings discussed matters relating to outside of the Ragnavault's walls.

As the topic of discussion touched upon farmlands, the passing thought of engorging herself on the lesser beings and cattle that roamed the lands beyond was nearly enough to send Mercuria beyond the limits of her self-control. However, these impulses were easily suppressed by the beautiful aura of the Supreme Beings who sat so closely by. Each word they spoke was enough to make her forget about the very concept of food.

The discussion was now coming to its conclusion. Lord DD appeared to be more tactically-minded in his questions, while LadyP was interested in interaction with the local inhabitants. Her fellow servant, the angel Silva, suggested preparation of an illusion to conceal the Ragnavault. As a servant of the Supreme Beings herself, Mercuria felt an obligation to serve by voicing her own suggestions.

"Please pardon this interruption from your humble servant." Mercuria started to speak in a respectful tone as she slightly bowed her head and shoulders.

"We are currently in a situation where we have little intelligence about the strength and power of the beings that live in the surrounding regions. Therefore, we should adopt a defensive strategy and proceed carefully until we have gathered enough information to determine our relative strengths. Although I fully trust in the strength and wisdom of the Supreme Ones, as one of your humble servants, I believe it is my duty to ensure the safety and well-being of each of your lives. Therefore, I request that I be allowed the privilege of accompanying any of the Supreme Ones that wish to leave the safety of the Ragnavault."

Mercuria forced her eyes to raise, looking towards each of the gathered Supreme Beings with a earnest, pleading expression. From her current standing position, the act of looking down upon the seated Supreme Beings felt like a gravely offensive act of the highest degree. However, she forced herself to endure every instinct to avert her eyes, as she would never be able to forgive herself if she let any harm befall any of the remaining Supreme Ones.

Silence, That was her general answer to this entire meeting. She was here merely because her lord decided she could come. Which, she felt wasn't needed to much. She could have just as easily stayed in his shadow. She stood beside him, rather then behind him. Keeping a blank face as her golden eyes moved to each speaking person. Listening, trying to understand what was being said, and of course what would need to be reacted to. She didn't understand most of these feelings they were showing. Why did they have the need to do this? She didn't know. Even when the Silva spoke. She watched the angel carefully. Hearing the change and fluctuations in her voice.

If her lord willed it, she would have easily helped in the task with the other supreme one. However, she would much rather travel with him as was normal for her to do. It was interesting to hear the exchange at times, and others she felt too distant from them to care. But, it was best she took note of their reactions. If she could go into town using her human disguise it would be more then enough to get information for the situation. And if like her lord said, they were possibly dangerous. She could give the information to him...he did tell her to do as she willed did he not? But was it really good to act?

It seemed as though it was an all to common thought by the few that spoke out. To accompany their lords, the supreme beings where indeed loved by all their servants. Was that what she should be feeling? I mean sure she felt a duty to follow her lord and help him. But to say she loved? What would that have meant. She glanced over to her lord for a moment. Looking him over in his own pose since awaiting the answer to his statement. Looking away back to the others, pausing on the supreme beings before her. Each one, looking them over carefully once more. But no sign of true emotion present on her face. Merely a neutral watch to each as they spoke, to all...who spoke.

As Nostromo finished his dissertation, the first person to speak up was DozingDonut. Speaking of persons that had become mostly useless since the shift to the New World, DD was one of the few combat specialists in the Syndicate, and as they weren't a raiding guild, he didn't contribute anything of particular use to the guild's goals. It didn't surprise Nostromo that he could only see this situation in terms of battle, utterly missing the finer details.

Nostromo sneered at DD, looking down his nose at him with eyes of red. "Allow me to explain some 'priorities' to you. As of the current moment, we are utterly ignorant of this world, its history, its culture and its inhabitants. It is sheer luck that we speak the same language, but that will not always be sufficient. Contracts will need to be drawn. Treaties will need to be signed. It is integral to the fundamentals of our guild that we should master the written word." Nostromo got the feeling that DD still didn't get it. He rubbed his temples wearily, and continued. "Even now, our dwindling rations will demand that we branch out and trade for our essential supplies until we achieve self-sufficiency. Local farmers do not have the stock we need to feed our workers; we will need to procure these supplies from the storehouses of larger settlements. These trades will be drawn up in writing, and things like grain and meat have market prices; we do not wish to be swindled. The land our very guildhouse sits on could possibly be owned by another party, and we would need to buy a deed to secure it. Before you say it, I know that these issues could be solved with violence. However, taking a hammer to these issues will eventually end in one of two ways," Nostromo held out two fingers for emphasis, "Either with us as rulers over a dead and empty world, or with all of us killed."

Nostromo sighed. That was about all he had to say on the matter. He didn't really have answers for the other inquiries, as he had ordered his scouts to keep their distance from human settlements. He didn't need the locals associating a large influx of vampires with the huge fortress that happened to appear at exactly the same time. The idea to conceal the Ragnavault with illusions was a good one, and he would back the idea if Toasty found it acceptable. Or if he didn't find it acceptable; Nostromo was an individual, not a sycophant. LadyPastry suggested trading raw materials with the populace, and wondered why Nostromo hadn't mentioned it. He hadn't brought it up because it was so obvious that he assumed that everyone had already figured out that much already. Nostromo's head hurt; this is why he spent so much time on his own during the YGGDRASIL years. There was also the matter of flooding the local area with their resources or money, and making either useless by crashing the economy. It was a delicate game that they were playing, and one that they could not master until they had sufficient information.

In any case, they would have to start outings on their own very soon. They couldn't stay cooped up in the Ragnavault forever. LP could perform reconnaissance at her leisure, she seemed well adjusted for such ventures, after all. However, as Mercuria brought up her proposal to personally bodyguard any of the guildmembers that ventured on such outings, Nostromo felt an unusual aura slowly gather behind him. It took him a moment before realizing it was Wolfgang. He was still getting used to how... tactile magic had become, and how it interacted with his senses. Of course, now it was too late to prevent whatever Wolfgang was about to do.

At Mercuria's suggestion, Wolfgang cleared his throat loudly. "That should be quite unnecessary, Mercuria." He looked in her direction without turning his head. Though his body, an intensely trained weapon of steely muscle, was perfectly calm, his eyes shined with barely-contained bloodlust. "At least, in the case of Nostromo-sama. I am more than a match for anything that would dare to wish harm on my master. Your services will not be required."

Wolfgang's life had not changed in the least since the shift to the New World. Whereas many of the other former NPCs of the Syndicate had been left "orphaned" without their creators, Wolfgang served Nostromo as he had always done. With his master, he had direction and purpose in life. A value to commit his life to as a warrior. That as more than sufficient for Wolfgang, and so he was merely pleased to continue to stand at Nostromo's side. That was not to say that he was not... anxious about this new world. He silently wondered what strange beasts and mighty warriors lurked outside the walls of the Ragnavault, for Wolfgang to test his skill and strength against. Perhaps in this world he could find an opponent worthy enough to challenge him.

Ladypastry looked up at Nostromo, and can sorta tell some of what she said was stupid. Then pulled her cards back together as a neat deck, and shuffled them quickly before putting them away. "Sorry... The idea about the resources was mine, and I can tell that everyone knows that. I'm just airing out ideas on how to try to get some quick money for some much needed supplies." Then she scratched the back of her head sighing deeply. I wish I knew what to do, or even what to say. All I want is to help, and even then I make an idiot out of myself. Then sat up slowly looking to Silva. "I'm certain once Silva is done casting a cloak around Ragnavault. Bringing her with me would be a good idea. As to help me blend in better by making us look like just another civilian in town. Would definitely make gathering information easier by not standing out like a sore thumb." Then turned in her chair getting back into the laid back position only to give up, and just stand to pace. Her pet just opting to jump onto the table, and clean it's paws watching his master pace. LP just couldn't sit still at the moment she wanted to get moving, and do something productive. Rather than just sit around talking all day long. After all LadyP was a take action sort, preferring to leave this sort of bureaucracy to those that enjoyed it. Plus she was SICK of rations, and wanted to go find something different to eat; preferably something sweet.

As conversations erupted around him at frightening speed, Toasty started feeling less and less like a leader, and more like he was completely and totally lost amidst the chorus of complaints and concerns. That, and a lot of what Nostromo was discussing was incredibly over his head. He was an engineering student, dammit, not an economist!

When DD finally brought up something he felt he could answer responsibly, he eagerly took the opportunity to flex his leadership chops.

“Anything on their number? Strength? Would they attack us, if, erm no, when they spot the giant fortress just sitting around near their homes?”

"There's no good reason to think they would, especially considering we live inside a giant, hollowed-out volcano. The lairs of aspiring James Bond villains are the kind of thing people tend to avoid unless they're crazy into virgin sacrifice to the local volcano god, and as you may have noticed, there are no volcanos here besides us," Toasty said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course the dwarves may be interested in us. They seem to be the only unifying force among the local demihuman tribes, which means they're likely already at a greater level of technological and societal advancement than their peers. We've seen that in the way they easily exploit those humans like subjects, or even... well... slaves."

Toasty said the word uncomfortably, voicing what was on everybody's minds. What would they do if they found out the humans were being mistreated? Well, they actually did know that already from what they'd seen (at least within a reasonable margin of error), but the question remained. What action would they take? Would they make an enemy out of the dwarves by fighting for the humans' freedoms, or would they betray their own moral compass by just letting it slide because it wasn't worth the trouble?

Coughing, Toasty began again. "Anyway, I'd be surprised if they weren't magically or technologically adept enough to measure earthquakes. Speaking as a dwarf, the little show we put on when the entire volcano just decided to wedge itself inside a mountain would be pretty suspicious. That being said, if they're knowledgeable to understand what happened, they're likely aware that such a feat couldn't be accomplished without some serious magical power, and are likely to leave us alone, at least for a little while."

He said that, but they did need to start being a bit more proactive. Like Nostromo said, these expeditions were turning up very little, or at least not enough to warrant the time being spent on them.

"I'm certain once Silva is done casting a cloak around Ragnavault. Bringing her with me would be a good idea. As to help me blend in better by making us look like just another civilian in town. Would definitely make gathering information easier by not standing out like a sore thumb."

Toasty clapped.

"Great! It's decided then. LP and Silva will scout out the town once the guild has finished being cloaked, but leave Slitherton behind," Toasty said, stressing the importance of not introducing an infant dragon to the local population before turning to Nostromo. "Nostromo, I need you to stay here. I need advisors, and you help temper Shammura. A leader can't function without both his right and left hands, and a Ragnavault without either of you is just as lost."

Of course that was half the reason. The other half was that Silva was generally well-behaved and Wolfgang... was not. Not to mention the vampire brides, which he had honestly been meaning to discuss with Nostromo. He'd seen what either of those things could do, and taking them anywhere near a human settlement was a bad idea.

Toasty leaned back in his chair, relaxing and exhaling. That seemed like everything, at least everything immediately important. They were playing a long game though. Immediately may not be as important as eventually. Food was still an issue, as was trading, diplomacy, and attaining self-sufficiency. These were all problems that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

A door at the far end of the Copper Hall opened up and Shammura walked in, covered in soot.

"I've done as you asked, milord! I dug as deep a hole as I could using all my MP! Unfortunately it seems as though I don't possess any earth-moving spells, so to fill the hole back up I had to collapse that section of the mine."

Somebody please help me...

DD locked eyes with Nostromo as the vampire spoke in response to his earlier comments, watching the crimson orbs that mirrored his own. His face was void of any expressions, but if one were to look closer, the revenant’s jaw line was dangerously taut. Once Nostromo finished with his explanation, DD leaned back a little in his seat, feigning calmness as he spoke:

“Don’t make this into one of your civ games, Dracula.”-He smiled wryly, which looked more like a show of teeth rather than an expression of good humor.-“What if they come knocking on our door tomorrow? What good would your treaties and contracts do then? I am not going to just sit idly while those assholes bring battering rams to our doors. What we need right fucking now is to fortify and prepare ourselves fo-“

DD abruptly cut himself off, realizing he had been shouting out in his berserker voice for the last few seconds. It didn’t really take that much perception to notice that his aura had spiked as well, thick with bloodlust and rage so potent one might thought he was preparing for combat. With a quick gulp of air, he curbed it down and took a seat, also came to a realization that he had stood up during some point of his mad raving. Marble dust marred the shiny surface of his gauntlet, which prompted a quick glance from DD. He had also clawed into the table, leaving three diagonal slashes on the smooth surface.

(Oh wow. 10/10 no chill. Way to go, DD.)

“Sorry, guys.”- He blinked dumbly, still staring wide-eyed at his hands.-“ That was… uncalled for. Just ignore me.”

The next few moments was spent rearranging the contents of this thoughts. DD wasn’t a pro at managing his emotions or anything, but he could say with confident that he had never had such an outburst. Not even when his raid wiped for tenth time and both tanks ragequitted. Even then, he used to just stand in one corner, typing ‘lel’ while initiating the dance sequence.

That what was that just now?

He only half-remembered the sudden burst of rage in his ribcage, burning star-bright and white hot, and before he knew it, his body was on auto-pilot. His brow knitted together as he bit the inside of his mouth with teeth too sharp to be human’s. Pain bloomed, but it was a good distraction for the remaining rage in his system, which finally fizzled out and extinguished. The stress of those last few days must be getting to him more than he thought. Not a good time to lose his cool. His guild needed him to bring his A game here, and he was not one to let them down. With a deep breath, he looked up, just in time to listen to what LP had to say.

“Second.” –He raised his arm.-“ We should totally do that. Can’t hit us if they can’t see us, right? ”

It was then Toasty decided to speak up. He clammed up then, letting the guild leader speak his piece. Meanwhile, DD quickly reached down to pick up his forgotten sword, the one he had left lying on the floor since their meeting began, before raising his arm again to get attention.

“I could, urgh, help collect food if you want? Just point me to somewhere with fruit or animals or stuffs and I will get my farming game on. Least I can do, since I’m not exactly contributing anything at the moment. I mean, the food here seems fine, right? I have been eating it. Feels fine. Just need someone to slap a few layers of illusions on me.”-He tapped his horns playfully. –“Not sure how our new neighbors feel about demon zombies.”

Revenmar had never been much of a talker, really though, in his background it stated that he preferred to listen most of the time when others spoke. Right now was no exception, with all the fuss about what to do he decided it would be best to just shut up and let those with more authority speak.

When Lord Toasty and Lord Nostromo had arrived he had bowed his head in respect. All the Supreme Ones gathered in the same room was something to be excited about, but no one could tell behind that emotionless helmet, just how really happy he was. Nostromo had excellent ideas, to which he had not even thought of. Knowledge is the greatest form of power there was, and to learn was to see the world as it really was. Lord DD, was also right. He couldn't really pick a side to lean on, because on one hand gaining knowledge about your potential enemies was good but strengthening your fortress was also good. So confusing they all were.

LadyPastry's idea was spot on as usual and he was confident in Silva's abilities to protect her from harm. This is what the non heteromorphic races should be doing, sticking together in these difficult times. There he went again, thinking about those damned hetermorphic abominations that flooded the room with their presence. Unknowingly he had put a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, as if in anticipation for the events to come.

When is racial thoughts calmed down he became aware that Lord Toasty had given some jobs out to those present, perhaps now would be a good time to speak up?

He stood up to his full height, posture straight as a board and spoke in a cool voice, "Excuse me, my lords? I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help? Preferably outside, where I can see the sun? If not I understand, I am after all, your humble servant. Do with me what you will. Thank you, my lords." Revenmar then bowed graciously, before kneeling again.

The Copper Hall then opened up, and who else would walk in besides Shammura? He turned his head to gaze at her, his intense dislike was apparent as his eyes followed her thought out the room. If there was one creature he despised above all else in the Ragnavault, it was her.