Since I imagine it has been a while for many of you, I think it's best I put a reminder here on some of the core canonical changes in the earlier chapters.

Evileye (AKA Inberun) and the rest of Blue Rose are defeated by Rhamnusia just before the demonic disturbance gets into full swing. Evileye is the only real survivor. As a result, she flees the city and never meets Momon or Jaldabaoth.

Brain also does not participate in the demonic disturbance after his fighting spirit is shattered a second time and his katana is snapped. He too, journeys away from the Re-Estize Kingdom as a result.

Renner read the letter over many times. She couldn't help but giggle to herself. The tone was just so unexpectedly polite that she hardly even bring herself to imagine the man actually speaking that way with her.

But at the same time, she was also disappointed. She had grown to enjoy the company of Stockwell's combative personality. It often lent her the opportunity to openly and cathartically stretch out her own, uninhibited personality.

And even if she knew that Stockwell had likely not changed at all, the wording of the letter suggested that he was no longer planning on competing 'openly' with her anymore.

A strange thought passed over her. Perhaps in some part of her mind, she had considered Stockwell a friend, or perhaps just a play mate or even just a tool to stave off the crushing boredom that came with severe sociopathy and incomparable intelligence.

But it didn't really matter too much, she thought.

The promised contentment in her life would eventually come from the complete monopolization of her knight's affection and nothing more.

It just meant that she would be playing with Stockwell on a slightly different field now.

She turned to Demiurge. "The fact that he sent me such a letter indicates there has been a change of plans, no? I thought Wesley-san wasn't supposed to be leaving E-Rantel."

In short, the letter that Renner had received from Stockwell indicated a complete willingness to cooperate with the founding of the Sorcerer Kingdom and the continued seizure of Re-Estize's steel production. Or in other words, Wesley Steel Works was completely on board with operating out of E-Rantel and crippling Re-Estize's capacity for war and industry.

And though such a thing was not at all necessary in the face of the already overwhelming difference between the Sorcerer Kingdom's and Re-Estize's military strength, there were certain political repercussions and relations with other countries that such a seizure would cause. It was those repercussions that Renner and Demiurge were scheming for.

And there was also the possibility that, depending on how long Stockwell was willing to put up with the Sorcerer King's puppetry, that Wesley Steel Works and by extension the Sorcerer Kingdom could simply just end up controlling all free market steel on the continent.

Wesley Steel Work's technique for refining iron ore into steel really was that game changing. The actual gravity of it had not been fully discussed before.

Not even Nazarick could refine ore in such a way. Of course, they had NPCs capable of magically refining iron ore with just a wave of the hand, but the spell for doing so only produced a single type of steel. Granted, it was good steel, but it wasn't unique in the way that steel produced in the Grey Wolf's foundries was unique.

It was as though the Grey Wolf just simply understood things about iron that know one else could. He had the ability to alter the composition and technique of the ore refining process to produce a variety of steels tailored perfectly to any given task.

Everything from cart wheels to ship riggings to armor. And basically over night as far as economics are concerned, steel became cheaper and more abundant than iron, and the steel became better.

It was the beginning of a new era that currently only the smiths and artisans were able to pick up on.

Anyways, the Grey Wolf's inherent value as a steel trader aside, Demiurge and Renner were much more intrigued about the other side to the man.

Demiurge gazed out the window of the little tea room. "There was never a change of plans. Ainz-sama has been moving in this direction all along and I was simply too slow to catch on. I had to give him the clearance to leave E-Rantel in a hurry." He laughed lightly.

"I don't mean to sound impudent," Renner said, "but I assume that Wesley-san simply hasn't had change of heart after seeing his majesty the Sorcerer King in person."

Demiurge smirked. "If Ainz-sama had truly wished to earn that human's allegiance, he could've easily done so. No, that man is most certainly still bent on opposing Nazarick."

"So then, how have you interpreted Wesley-san's actions?"

"There is only one possible way to interpret his sudden willingness to cooperate openly with us." Demiurge smiled. "I saw in person just how perfectly Ainz-sama wrapped a net around him."

His crystalline eyes glowed in reverence. "Ainz-sama has already deduced that Rhamnusia is not the only enemy we face. Now that he has riled up this 'Wesley', Rhamnusia is now assuredly going to go out and look for allies to recruit. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' is probably what Rhamnusia is thinking."

Demiurge continued. "There is only so much Nazarick can do in the search for our true enemies if we are to remain in a state without risk. But the existence of Rhamnusia solves that problem."

His smile continued to grow. "By drawing Rhamnusia out onto the battlefield at Katze and getting him to reveal his power, our true enemies will flock to him in order to form an alliance. The powerful cannot stay hidden forever, and Rhamnusia will simply be a tool for rousing them from their hiding places."

"But what's more," Demiurge said, "Ainz-sama has perfectly evaluated Wesley's personality as a sore loser and has already entranced him into a way of thinking that will keep him bounded to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Wesley also has a colorful history of acting irrationally and impulsively, he is likely more useful in the enemy ranks than our own."

He began to chuckle. "Such is the net that Ainz-sama has cast. Wesley benefits us no matter what he does. If he stays in E-Rantel, we benefit from his company, and if he leaves to conspire with forces unknown, it furthers our progress on this secret war we've been waging. And so far," Demiurge laughed evilly, "he seems to be doing both. Either he doesn't comprehend the situation he's in, or he actually does and is simply acting out of frustration."

Renner thought it over silently. She had more less come to the same conclusion, but it was always worthwhile to hear Demiurge's take on things since he usually had more detailed information.

"By the way," Renner said, "have you come to a consensus on whether or not Wesley-san is actually Rhamnusia himself? It's obvious he has inseparable ties to him, but you've yet to tell me your precice thoughts on the matter."

Demiurge paused. He was actually still completely unsure. On one hand, nearly all of Wesley's actions have been consistent with him being the demon in the flesh. But on the other hand, Demiurge had already had several good looks in person at the human and had confirmed that there was simply no way that he could have pull off the feats that Rhamnusia had done. He couldn't even cast a single spell and his level wasn't even high enough to register on their appraisal magic.

Ainz had described Rhamnusia as a threat warranting the highest possible level of caution. And since it was impossible for Ainz to be wrong, the only option was simply that 'Wesley' was just a close subordinate of the actual Rhamnusia.

But even with all of that being said…

"...In truth, I am still unsure myself." Demiurge confessed.

Renner took a sip of tea. "Why don't you just ask his majesty?"

Demiurge felt the immediate urge to loudly reply "Don't be ridiculous!" to her face. But really, the only reason he had not already asked his ruler, who overflowed with wisdom and intellect, was because he feared coming off as incompetent.

If he couldn't even figure out something so simple, how would Ainz's opinion of him change? In the very worst case, it could be just another impetus for Ainz to leave them, just like the other 40 supreme beings.

That was the singular thing that Demiurge feared the most, and the reason why he worked so hard at everything he did.

He seamlessly regained his composure as though nothing happened. "Don't be ridiculous. I would never stoop to bother Ainz-sama with such a trivial question."

"And besides," he continued, "Such a distinction on whether or not this 'Wesley Aamon' and Rhamnusia are the same being is irrelevant at this point in the game. They are functionally the same as far as the plan is concerned, and that is all that matters."

Renner smiled softly. "Well, if you say so."

She put down her tea and went to retrieve a pen and paper. "I suppose I shall draft a few letters then. It would be troublesome if legal action is taken against Wesley Steel Works now that they are technically based in another country. Though… father has been particularly despondent after coming back from the war."

She laughed politely, which would've been sickening to anyone watching given the context.

"He may not even care anymore… maybe I should pull some strings on Onii-sama instead…"

Demiurge nodded and started to excuse himself seeing that their conversation had concluded. A [Gate] appeared before him. "I'll leave it to you then."

…

He was the triad magic caster.

The strongest wizard in all the human world… and he was beginning to lose his mind.

Fluder Paradyne lamented as he gazed hoplessley at the little glass jar. Oh how I wish I could've been there. I should've urged him to let me go so much stronger!

His master had cast a spell belonging to the 11th tier of magic, and he had not been there to see it. And no matter how many times he had heard the scene described to him, it gave him no solace, and only served to irk him even further. It burned like a hot stone in his gut.

But not only did he miss the chance to see his master's spell, Rhamnusia's enigmatic magic had also been on display. It was just salt in the wound.

And though it was no consolation prize, at least he had been able to get a hold of quite a few samples of the gaseous potion lingering on the battlefield afterward.

He lamented even further.

How does it work!?

He gazed murderously at the fine yellow mist floating in the jar.

For the last week he had done nothing but analyse the substance. Though his specialties did not lie in alchemy specifically, he was still more than knowledgeable enough to extract the alchemical information from even high level potions.

That is what he thought, but…

Not being able to extract all the information from a potion made by a high level alchemist is one thing, but finding absolutely nothing at all is even harder to believe!

Not only were his appraisal spells not extracting information, they refused to even look at the clearly visible potion in the jar. Such a thing was unheard of.

Normally when an alchemist attempted to hide the alchemical formula infused into their potions, they would cast an encryption spell to interfere with appraisal spells. It was usually a sure fire way keeping their trade secrets safe. And though alchemists who had the skill necessary to do this were rare, they were not completely unheard of.

Normally, when an appraisal spell attempted to read an encrypted potion, the spell would simply spark out and the caster would be notified. Or, if the appraisal spell was at a high enough level, it would just get past the encryption altogether.

But the encryption magic on Rhamnusia's potions was unlike anything he had ever seen. The only explanation was that the demon had somehow figured out a way to make the potion completely invisible to magic altogether.

And it really was the only explanation.

Rhamnusia had not simply remotely unenchanted the gas after the battle, since to this day, the potion was still able to poison those it came into contact with.

He had even tried to glimpse at the workings of the potion in a roundabout way by appraising soldiers coming back from the battle field, checking what their status effects were.

But the same thing happened. He couldn't find anything at all. The legionnaires covered in blisters, coughing out their lungs and dying in droves, showed no signs of being poisoned by a high level potion as far as the appraisal magic was concerned.

And it was the same story with the enchanted weapons that delivered the potion too.

The metal cylinders that they found had an explosive charge in their that launched them across a great distance, that much was easy to deduce. The explosive material however, which should've been enchanted with a fire or explosion-type magic, registered as invisible once more on his appraisal magic.

There was one other possible explanation of course, but it was just too far fetched a theory. That would be that Rhamnusia created the weapons and the gas completely out of non-magical materials.

But that was just crazy. Ludicrous even.

Ingredients found in the natural world could never have done what Rhamnusia's poison gases had done. Blistering of the skin, suffocation, blindness, vomiting, convulsions… every conceivable type of poison induced death under the sun was present, from the quick and merciful to the slow and painful. Of all the poisons he had seen, Rhamnusia's were undoubtedly unmatched in cruelty and efficacy.

It only made him want to figure them out more.

Fluder slammed his head into the table in frustration.

He had tried asking his master, the god who ruled over all that was magic, what he could do about it. But just as it was with his other magic lesson, his master's words were cryptic and near indecipherable to his mere mortal ears.

He tried to growl at his own powerlessness, but all it did was morph into a anxious sigh.

He estimated he would only have a few more days at most to study the gas.

All of Rhamnusia's gases seemed to possess the odd property of decomposing over time, which did not happen in normal potions. Of the five colors of gasses found on the battlefield, only the one currently in front of him still retained its ability to poison those it came into contact with. But it too was weakening and would soon be rendered harmless.

He sighed once more.

Emperor Jircniv wanted a counter measure to the weapons and a cure to the poison as soon as possible. Many of the legionnaires who escaped with their lives had ended up developing debilitating conditions that would forever keep them from returning to their duty as soldiers if left uncured.

But so far, the only answer Fluder could provide him was simply the advice to not get hit by the weapons in the first place.

Without being able to analyze the gas directly, a true counter spell would be many years away, if it all.

...

The innermost reaches of the Slane Theocracy, all twelve of them cleaned tirelessly.

The Pontifex Maximus. The Six Cardinals. The heads of the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches. The head of the research institute. And the Grand Marshal.

Though they had all convened in the inviolable sanctum not too long ago and the place still glowed with cleanliness, their faith demanded that they clean it anyways.

Despite their ranks as the highest authorities of the nation, they cleaned with nothing but their humble armpower as though they were mere servants. Grit and humility was the simple truth expected of them.

The lined up before the six statues looming over the room and lowered their heads. The Pontifex Maximus spoke the traditional words. "Today, we give thanks to the gods that human beings like ourselves are still alive. Thus do we offer our thanks."

The cleaned the meager dust from their clothes and took to the table as equals.

"Then, let us begin the meeting."

They had convened not too long ago to discuss the sudden appearance of powerful beings in the Re-Estize area. Honyopenyoko, Momon, Jaldabaoth, Rhamnusia, and especially Ainz Ooal Gown and his newfound Sorcerer Kingdom.

They had covered all they could've in that meeting with the information they had on hand. It had all been speculation for the most part since their information had mainly come from one off personal accounts and the scryings of the Thousand Leagues Astrologer who now sat traumatized her room.

As a result, the clearwater scripture had been deployed to gather more detailed information.

The meeting today had been organized by the cardinal of water, Ginedine Delan Guelfi, so the others assumed that he must've undercovered something important requiring immediate attention. After all the shriveled old man's intellect was second to none.

"I will spare all of you and get straight to the point."

He revealed a small envelope. "We received a letter. It was handed to an operative investigating a tip off in Re-Estize. It is addressed to all of us."

"Who is it from?"

"Rhamnusia. Its authenticity has already been confirmed."

All of the men's eyes narrowed in concern and understanding. It was well known at this point that along with the massacre of the Re-Estize army on the Katze plains by Ainz Ooal Gown, the Baharuth army was also decimated, losing over half of their men. Rhamnusia was the culprit behind that one.

Killing 35,000 highly trained legionnaires was far from an insignificant feat, and was comparable Ainz Ooal Gown's slaughter of 200,000 peasant conscripts and Gazef Stronoff. So in other words, Rhamnusia's power was not to be looked over.

They had speculated during their last meeting that the demon was not likely working with Ainz Ooal Gown, considering that they had been on opposing sides during the battle. However they could not be sure of it, just like how they could not be sure of Momon's true allegiance and of Jaldabaoth's real motivation.

It was still entirely possible that Rhamnusia and Ainz Ooal Gown were simply working together to slaughter mortals more efficiently.

"What does the letter say?"

They had not made dialogue with Ainz Ooal Gown, Momon, or anyone of note yet, so this letter would likely contain vital information for figuring out just who was on who's side, and provide a vital clue for figuring out how to navigate the typhoon they all saw gathering on the horizon. All the more so since it had sounded like Rhamnusia was the one taking the initiative to contact them.

He opened the letter. He had already examined it many times over before coming to the meeting.

Firstly, it was written in the Slane Theocracy's script and with normal ink and paper.

If he had been forced to guess based on the handwriting alone, he would say it was written by a woman's hand. It was also written in an aged style that used punctuation and accent techniques standard to old academic documents.

The letter's content however, was in a relatively more freeform and casual tone. Putting two and two together, he came to the conclusion that the letter was probably dictated by Rhamnusia and was penned by a woman who was only familiar with Slane texts written in a non-conversational style.

He read aloud to the room. The letter went as follows:

"Dear Dozen or so Fine Men of the Cloth,

It is with great urgency that I write to you. Consider this letter a fateful warning.

As of the founding of the Sorcerer Kingdom, I have witnessed in person three times the power of the Sorcerer King, his pet demon Jaldabaoth, and his lapdog Momon. And I can state with confidence that the prognosis for those infected with the urge to resist him is not very promising.

Moreover, the Re-Estize Kingdom is already lost to him. The royal family and the eight-fingers are at his mercy, and there is no longer a faction capable of opposing him there. I imagine the Baharuth Empire too is already under his sway given their involvement in the recent war.

I do not know the specifics of what counter measures you possess for combating the undead, but I know that they are not enough. As is, I estimate that your country, which stands as the strongest and last bulwark of human sovereignty, will eventually too be crushed under the hoof of Ainz Ooal Gown within the next ten years.

And so It is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you, that homosapien magitheus, or 'the human race' as we so lovingly call it, has now been moved to the endangered species list.

Now, even supposing you actually believe me word for word and are open minded enough to comprehend the full extent of Ainz Ooal Gown's power, I imagine you lot will still try to undermine, resist, or destroy him.

...Likely down to the very last man.

And though not evolutionarily sound, I can respect that depth of spiteful defiance intrinsic in the human character. If nothing else, it certainly makes for good story.

But even still, good story will not keep you all alive.

I have seen enough and I assure you, you can not win this game against Ainz Ooal Gown. You can not win with magic, you can not win with martial arts, you can not win with mystic artifacts, you can not win with faith, and you can not win with clever diplomacy.

Even if you play absolutely perfectly into every single card you hold, hidden or otherwise, and exploit every possible resource you have to their maximal theoretical effect, you still can not win.

For you see, this is not a competitive game of merit where victory is always within theoretical reach. Instead, this game is a horribly unbalanced trash heap created by a shitty developer where the only mathematical criteria for victory is how much magical power said developer decided to give you upon your birth.

And I assure you once more, the human race and the Slane Theocracy are not on the mathematically favorable side of the equation.

And so, you are doomed.

But,

Not precisely. There is meaning in your damnation.

I have suggestion. A revolutionary idea for your world. If Fate has damned you to an unwinnable game, simply refuse to play it as intended. If said game is coded to be literally unbeatable, well, quite frankly, your only option is to hack it. Cheat.

Coincidently, humans just so happen to be the only race I know of capable of finding bugs in the mechanics of the universe and figuring out how to exploit them. Finding loopholes in God's creation is truly a riveting profession, only fit for those made in his image, but I digress.

I Rhamnusia, have in my possession the keys to upsetting the chess board; our only shot at suckerpunching that unfeeling god.

But only the keys.

I regret that I can not do it on my own.

I require the cooperation of a populous and resource rich nation in order to set this plan into motion.

The Elven nation won't do due to that mad king of theirs and their limited resources. The Roble and Draconic Kingdoms are too politically unstable. And Re-Estize and Baharuth are out of the question for reasons mentioned previously. The only two nations who can possibly take on a task of this scale are the Argland Council State and you, the Slane Theocracy.

And between those two option, I trust you the most, the nation of humans. Because one could say that I understand your condition better than anyone else. I am the demon you spawned, after all.

So,

I formally request an audience with all of you, to discuss the fate of mankind. Send your reply with the same agent whom you've received this letter from.

Warm regards,

Rhamnusia.

P.S.

If you should all decide to deny me an audience, or outright ignore this message, do not expect me to just to go away. I will make it my personal mission to annoy you as much as possible until you come around to reason. And I am not above bruising your nation if that is what it takes.

Ainz Ooal Gown must not go on without a worthy opponent. And though he doesn't deserve it, we at least owe it to ourselves to give him one.

I am through with giving up. I am immune to dissuasion. Grüße aus Earth."

After he concluded the letter, he looked around the table. There were many different kinds of expression, but none of them were relief.

There was a lot to unpack.

Several seconds of silence passed as they all thought over the letter's implications.

"It's hyperbole." Was the first thing one of them said.

That seemed to be the general consensus.

"As is, you will be crushed under the hoof of Ainz Ooal Gown within the next ten years."

"The human race has been put on the endangered species list."

They were all very much aware already that their world was as fragile as a little boat which has been tossed into the ocean. And knew as well that there might be a typhoon every 100 years or so.

Their written history was nothing if not meticulous, so they were not so closed minded to think that they could never face real danger.

However, the tone of Rhamnusia's letter suggested something blown out of realism. Not something that could merely defeat their Gods, but something that could swat them away as though they were nothing.

"I think we can all agree that even if these claims are grounded in truth, they are blown entirely out of proportion."

Everyone nodded.

That was the only rational conclusion, or rather, if the opposite happened to actually be true, then there would be no point in discussing in the first place. Thus, the only rational conclusion.

Planning under the pretext that planning is futile defeats the purpose.

"Then where do you suppose Rhamnusia fits into all of this himself?"

"... At the very least, I think it's safe to say that the theory we discussed last time has been confirmed. Ainz Ooal Gown, Jaldabaoth, that Vampire, and Momon are all allied…"

"So we're all just going to automatically assume that Rhamnusia is telling the truth? We already discussed this. Momon slew the vampire and stood against Jaldabaoth. After that, he negotiated a truce with the Sorcerer King and became his ally only to maintain peace. That's still the most likely scenario, not this 'lapdog' that Rhamnusia said. "

"No, if you remember what we actually discussed, we also considered the possibility that they were all working together from the beginning and that we needed more information to come to a consensus. This seems to be that conclusive information."

"Supposing that Rhamnusia is not also allied to the others and that he isn't lying to us."

"If there really was an alliance between the five of them, then Rhamnusia wouldn't have sent us a letter explicitly revealing that to us."

"He could just be trying to lead us astray. To confuse us."

They all collectively pinched their foreheads in frustration, they would get no where so long as they kept arguing hypotheticals.

"Because this is the only explicit information we have received so far, our first priority should be in deducing the credibility of its writer. That is to say, under what pretext is a demon writing to us for aide?"

They thought for a moment.

"...He seems to be desperate. Perhaps Ainz Ooal Gown is chasing him and he is scared that he might be killed. That would explain the fear mongering."

"That is good theory."

"That would also explain the tone of the second half; 'suckerpuncing that unfeeling god'. He seemed more concerned about getting back at Ainz Ooal Gown then helping humanity, which according to him is doomed."

There were a few nods around the table. "In a way, that makes his words more believable. It wouldn't make sense for a demon, who are the embodiments of sin, to go out of their way to save humans. It's much more believable that he is deigning to work with us for the sake of destroying his enemy."

"That should make responding to him easy then."

They all looked to the one who spoke. He continued.

"He intends to use the Slane Theocracy as a tool. After we help him defeat our common enemy, he'll simply turn around and try to destroy the entire nation. In other words, as long as we're able to deal with the situation by ourselves, then there is no reason at all to let a powerful demon into the country."

"...that is, assuming we can deal with the situation ourselves." It was the head of the research institute that had spoken. He often played the devil's advocate at these meetings. It wasn't the most pleasant role to play, but everyone at least understood the importance of the role and respected him all the same.

"I have faith that we can deal with the situation." Someone else said. "The fact that Rhamnusia tried so hard to scare us in the letter suggests that the situation really isn't that dire. He's simply trying to scare us into giving him what he wants."

They all nodded. A clearer picture of the true scope of things was coming into view in their minds.

Many showed signs of relief.

"So, if we take what we know so far, it is likely the Rhamnusia made an enemy of Ainz Ooal Gown and is on the run from him. If we ignore him, then Ainz Ooal Gown will likely just kill this demon for us."

"And after fighting Rhamnusia, hopefully Ainz Ooal Gown will be in a weakened state and we can then finish him off."

One of the raised their hand. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We still don't know the full extent of the power of his subordinates. Let us just be calm for now."

They sighed in disappointment. Though, their disappointment was only on the surface level. The could see the makings of rays of hope, peeking through the clouds, and the feeling that gave them was overwhelmingly relieving.

"I assume then we know how to respond to Rhamnusia?"

"Bar him from setting foot in this country and wish him luck in hurting Ainz Ooal Gown as much as possible."

It was a near unanimous decision. But they were nothing if not thorough.

"The post scriptum… he mentions that he is 'not above bruising our nation' should we deny him. He is capable of killing over three Baharuth legions in a single battle. Making an enemy of him isn't exactly ideal."

They pondered once more, but were ultimately unswayed. "We can assume from the letter that Rhamnusia is weaker than Ainz Ooal Gown. If we cannot even deal with him, then we cannot even hope to deal with the Sorcerer King. Likewise, if we willingly let Rhamnusia, who is an enemy of Ainz Ooal Gown, into the country and allow him to work on this 'project' of his, then that would just provoke the Sorcerer King to attack us outright. The causes belli for that wouldn't even be that unsound. If worse came to pass, we'd have a treacherous and powerful demon at our back and an even more powerful undead at our front."

The reasoning was solid enough. There were no objections.

They turned back to the cardinal of water. "Guelfi, would you be willing to compose our reply? We trust you know the right words."

"I had assumed that I would be doing that already. Of course."

"Good."

There was a lull in the the conversation.

Someone eventually asked the question that had been bugging them. "...what did he mean by that? When he said: 'I am the demon you spawned'."

They all frowned.

"The name Rhamnusia has appeared in story before."

"Has it?"

About half of them nodded. "Yes, I think I remember hearing that name before, when I was much younger."

"The name originates from a short story in the Gospel of Dale in the Book of Fire." It was the cardinal of fire, Berenice Nagua Santibi, who had spoken.

They all turned to her. "Oh yes! That does sound familiar."

Santibi continued. "He's depicted as a demon who judges mortals filled with pride. He is fair and just in the beginning, but Rhamnusia himself eventually becomes corrupt with pride in his role as judge and starts to abuse his power. He begins burning villages that refuse to bow down to him. Soon, the Great God of Fire appears before him and informs the demon of his evil acts, demanding that he stop.

Rhamnusia refuses to stop and declares that the Great God is being prideful for thinking he is able to decide what is good and evil. Rhamnusia attempts to fight, and then is of course cast into holy flame."

They all released a collective "oooh!". They all recognized the story now that it had been retold.

"That's the story as it first appears in scripture. It's quite short, spanning less than a dozen verses ." Santibi said. "But over the centuries it has morphed and branched out into many different stories. Nowadays, the name Rhamnusia is mostly just an echo appearing in secular fairy tales since the modern liturgy rarely discusses the Gospel of Dale."

The others nodded in agreement to each other, perhaps making mental notes to re-read that section of one of their holy books. They looked to one another. "...So the question is, what is Rhamnusia doing here?"

They turned back to the cardinal of fire since she was the one most intimately familiar with the holy texts concerning Rhamnusia.

She simply shrugged. "St. Dale's writings have been known to be more in metaphorical than in not. Little is known about the exact ways that the demonic realms function and how demons are birthed, other that they are created from mortal sin. So all demons, weather they are written about in scripture or not, tend to appear in our world without rhyme or reason anyways, such as was the case with the evil deities."

They sighed collectively. They hadn't learned too much about Rhamnusia, but at least it could be said that they didn't learn anything about Rhamnusia that would've indicated he was a threat the Theocracy had not been able to overcome in the past.

"So really," one of the men said, "We can treat Rhamnusia as though he is just another incarnation from the demonic plane and can be dealt with just like any other demon. Our reply to him has not changed."

"Precisely."

And so, the moved on to other pressing matters.

...

The City of a Thousand Waterfalls, the Desert's Jewel, the home of Platinum Dragon Lord, the Tree in the Center of the World, the Great City in the Sky, Eryuentiu. There were many names for the ancient city. It's architecture was grand and its history even more so. But Brain was never interested in all that scholarly nonsense, all he needed there was to do some business with the people who lived beneath the flying city.

It had been a tedious journey across the desert, but it had been a successful one thus far.

His newly reforged katana hung ready at his side. He thanked the golden princess in his heart since he would not have been able to acquire the funds necessary to repair his sword without her help otherwise.

After he had finished his business, he had trekked out into the night going west moment he was able. He was currently a man on a mission.

The metropolis sparkled dimly in the night behind him, now just a shiny dot on the horizon. In front of him spread a dark landscape of sand dunes, lit by nothing but the stars and a waning crescent moon.

He struggled to read the note in his hand through the darkness. That old crone was unnecessarily cryptic with these directions. It's like she's just trying to play a prank on me.

The note read:

"March westward, into the night, till city founded on the back of royal greed is as a star in the sky.

From there you shall see, the necromantic ring, a circle of bone and the apple of your eye.

Do not approach without the key, or saunter cross the bounding line.

If you fail to make light of the darkness, you will surely die."

Brain squinted at the dark landscape, but nothing resembling a "circle of bone". He thought that Perhaps he should've waited until it was a full moon out. But that would've taken to long! And I don't remember her giving me any kind of key.

He glanced back behind him, indeed, the city looked like nothing but a star on the horizon. He sighed and continued to march forward. He shouted into the empty desert. "You here you old crone!"

All he got as a reply was the cold desert wind. He muttered to himself, "...I'm going to be wandering this desert all week aren't I? ...Crappy necromancer, I swear, the moment I find you I'm going to-"

As if Rigrit heard him, Brain found himself immediately tripping over something hard. He face planted into the ground and took in a mouthful of sand.

He sat up and spat out the course material. "Pleah! What the hell?"

The object he had tripped over was covered in a deep layer of sand. He brushed it off to get a better look, but it was hard to see what it was in the darkness so he felt it with his hands. "... what is this?"

It was hard and smooth, but he couldn't quite make out it's shape. He felt around it some more. It was hollow and had two large holes in it. ...It feels almost… like a skull? Hey! Wait a second-

He was proven right almost on cue. Two ghostly lights appeared within the skull's eye sockets and it floated out of the sand. Several of more lights appeared some distance away, forming a great circle around him.

"Oh boy…"

The skull rose to head height and a translucent body formed underneath it.

"You know, Rigrit. If you wanted a rematch, you could've just asked nicely."

He smirked and drew his katana.

…

Rigrit put her palm to her face and closed her eyes. She sighed deeply. "So all four of them… that's disheartening."

She thought over the long story that the little vampire girl had just told her. It was quite the story. "Did you try to get their bodies back?"

"I tried." Inberun said, "But Tia and musclehead were gone when I went back to look. And I didn't want to stick around and alert Rhamnusia or Jaldabaoth that I was still alive… so..."

Rigrit nodded pensively. "I understand… I will honor their loss."

The air in the little sandstone bunker was dry and heavy with solemnity.

Rigrit leaned back in her rickety wood chair that looked to be over a hundred years old. "Rhamnusia… where have I heard that name before?"

"It gomes from a fairytale," Inberun supplied, "He's a demon that punishes mortals for trying to be like god or claim the power of gods, for hubris, in a sense. But that's just a fairytale. There's no evidence of such a being actually existing."

"So you think that this Rhamnusia is just using that name for himself?"

"I don't know. Probably… I think… At least, he didn't act like how the story portrays him at all. He was cocky and didn't stop taunting us for even a second. Not exactly humble for someone whose tale is all about the virtues of humility. Absolute hypocrite"

"I see..." Rigrit replied.

"He even had the gall to claim to know how my magic worked." Inberun spat. "Said I used something called 'silica' or some shit like that."

"Hmm… interesting." Rigrit retreated deep into thought. She closed her eyes and became like a statue.

"Hello? You there?" Inberun prodded her but Rigrit remained immovable. "...Tsk, old hag."

Inberun took the time to examine the little sandstone room. She looked around at the walls in the dim candle light. There were dozens of mystic artifacts: Maps, drawings, magical vessels and tools. She recognized many of them from her time adventuring with the thirteen heros.

She remembered how Rigrit and the others had saved her from a life of hiding in the shadows as "Landfall the Vampire Lord." It was so long ago now. Once Rigrit finally reached the end of her lifespan, then she and Platinum Dragon Lord would be the only two remaining. Time had a way of blowing away achievements and washing away history, of turning even the greatest empires, those that last more than 10,000 to just pages in a history book.

Even to this day, she still wasn't sure if vampirism and it's immortality was a gift or a curse. At the very least, she wish she could've been turned into a vampire when her figure was a little more developed.

Rigrit's voice broke her thoughts. "I'm not quite sure of it yet, Inberun. Poison fog… red vapor… a weapon that spits fire and metal… silica… Kinds of magic that did not operate according to the rules of magic. Things that make little sense to us."

"Any thoughts?"

"Leader often said things that made little sense to us."

Inberun paused. "...Leader…you think that he and Rhamnusia..." She trailed off.

Rigrit's old features shifted into a smile. She was remembering the days when her face was looked so much younger. "Ahh, he was such a lovely young man. So lost at times, but always so kind. He sure did change, for better or worse." She drew her sword halfway out of its scabbard and stared at it lovingly.

Inberun rolled her eyes. "You like that sword too much."

"Well, it's his after all."

Inberun crossed her arms, "It isn't even that good a sword...Senile hag…"

"Oh don't be like that, crybaby." Rigrit said. "Now make yourself presentable, we have company."

"Excuse me?"

There was a loud thumping on the walls of the the room followed by the muffled voice of a man. "Hey! Granny! You in there?"

Rigrit laughed lightly to herself. "Yes yes, hold on child." She waved her hand and the sandstone bricks making up the walls magically shifted their positions, opening an entry way into the room.

Brain stumbled in. "...*huff*...*puff*... 17 ghasts. You don't treat guests very nicely… *puff...not like Gazef at all." He feel supine to the floor, exhausted.

Rigrit smiled playfully "Well if you had just payed attention to the riddle or to the circle instead of crossing it like a moron, you would've saved yourself a lot of trouble."

"You cheated… *huff… no one could possibly see that circle covered in all that sand. And you didn't even bother to give me a key."

"Bwahaha!" Rigrit Laughed heartily. "What ever happened to that sporting spirit of yours?"

Brain laughed tiredly. "You can't just be satisfied with a draw can you, Rigrit?"

"And I doubt you can either, Brain Unglaus."

Inberun raised an eyebrow. "Brain Unlagus? I feel like I've heard that name before."

Brain suddenly found himself looking upward at a pair of eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

These were not the eyes of a human. These were the eyes of a predator; deep red, the color of blood. The eyes of a vampire.

He instinctively sprang to his feet and attempted draw his sword. "Vampire!" Images of Shalltear Bloodfallen flashed through his mind. He unsheathed his sword and struck at Inberun in one motion. His blade did not harm the girl however.

Inberun's reflexes had allowed her to put up a defense in time. Brain's blade creaked and whined as it dug into a translucent layer of crystal coating the vampire's skin. "Why you…" Inberun began to ready another spell.

Rigrit drew her own sword and pried Brain's blade away from Inberun. "Brain-kun, calm down! She's my friend-"

Brain's pupils struggled to refocus. "She's-"

Rigrit struggled with Brain, her sword and his katana locked together. She figured that the warrior was not actually in the right mind, otherwise he could've easily disarmed her by now. "-She's not an enemy. She's Evileye of Blue Rose. The Adamantite Adventurer."

"She- what..."

Brain's eyes drifted over Inberun, focusing clearly now. Unlike Shalltear Bloodfallen, Inberun's pupils were round and not slit. She was also shorter, and her hair was blonde. He withdrew his blade.

Inberun scoffed at him and stopped her spell. "The first thing you do when you see a vampire is attack them? Rude, and offensive. Racists like you are why I have to wear a mask all the time. You'd think that with a name like 'Brain' you'd be smarter."

"Not now, Inberun." Rigrit replied.

Brain calmed down and sheathed his sword. He took a deep breath and sat back down on the floor. "... warn me next time... wrinkly old witch."

Rigrit smiled tiredly. "Brain-kun, this is Inberun, an old friend of mine. But you probably know her as Evileye of Blue rose."

Rigrit turned to Inberun. "Inberun, this is Brain Unglaus, someone I met before I left Blue Rose. He's a skilled swordsman. You two should get along well."

Inberun recoiled. "I'm not shaking his hand."

"Hold on-"

"-Good, I wasn't planning on making nice with a vampire either." Brain layed back down on the floor without looking back at either of them. "Evil-eyes is right… I also thought all the Blue Roses were killed... "

"Don't be like that you two." Rigrit looked back and forth between them. It was clear that neither of them wanted anything to do with each other.

She sighed resignedly. "Okay. Feel free to act like two-year-olds. Brain-kun, it's late so why don't you rest and we can talk in the morning." She waived her hand once more and left through an opening in the wall.

...

They gathered the next morning.

"More coffee, Brain-kun?"

"Please." Brain held out his cup and Rigrit obliged. "And, would it kill you to stop calling me 'kun'? I'm a grown man, Rigrit-san."

Rigrit chuckled. "I'm old woman Brain-kun. Even if you lived a hundred more years you'd still be a child to me."

The walls moved and Inberun entered the room. "You're up early shit-for-Brains."

Brain coldly averted his eyes, "Says the undead who never needs to sleep."

Inberun sat down at the table.

The atmosphere of the room shifted. Despite their topical attitudes, everyone was still very much ready to get straight to business.

"So, Brain-kun." Rigrit said, "What compelled you to come all the way out here? Not many people trek out to the middle of the desert on a whim."

"I'm in need of advice, and you're the only person I could think of who might be able to help me."

"Advice?" Rigrit raised an eyebrow. "What exactly happened?"

And so Brain told them everything. Everything from his encounter with Shalltear Bloodfallen to his fight with Rhamnusia.

...

"-It was also conveniently close to Eryuentiu so I was able to get my katana repaired. And so now I'm here." Brain finished his story and looked back up to the two women.

Rigrit exchanged a few glances with Inberun.

It was the vampire who spoke. "Before you ask, no, I don't know anyone named Shalltear Bloodfallen. If you're trying to find her then I'd suggest getting in contact with that new adamantite adventurer, Momon I think his name was. Apparently he's a vampire hunter, killed one named Honeyhoney...pokopoko… or something like that."

Inberun turned to Rigrit with an intense fire in her eyes. "But if you're looking for Rhamnusia…"

Brain saw the look in Inberun's eyes. "Is there something I should know about?"

Inberum scowled. "It was Rhamnusia who killed my teammates on the night of the demonic disturbance. Not Jaldabaoth."

Brain nodded in understanding. Even if he was talking to a vampire, he was now at least humble and understanding enough to respect another person's loss. "Sorry for your loss."

"I don't want you condolences shit-for-Brains." Inberun spat. "I want vengeance after the way he treated us."

Brain frowned. "Sorry… but there's no need to be rude about it. I owe that demon some payback as well. But before we do anything, we need to figure more out about him."

They both looked to Rigrit. The old woman nodded. "I was discussing the topic with Inberun before you got here Brain-kun. I've come to suspect that this demon of yours may actually be more than just a simple demon."

"Well I could've told you that you old crone." Brain replied.

"She didn't mean it like that." Inberun corrected. "... I guess, it's a little bit different than that. You didn't fight him for as long as I did so you probably couldn't tell. But, he's different different. What I mean is that he didn't play by the rules."

"What the hell is that to mean?"

"Help me out here, Rigrit."

Rigrit closed her eyes and thought deeply. "I'm unsure. I think It's best that we consult Tsa. If it is true that Rhamnusia is like Leader than it is only right that Tsa be involved."

"Oh god do we have to? I haven't seen him since we learned the truth. It'll be really awkward." Inberun protested.

"It'll be fine, crybaby. I'm sure he'd be overjoyed to see you."

"Who's Tsa?" Brain asked.

"He's friendly," said Rigrit, "Come on, he lives in Eryuentiu."

Brain was disheartened by that statement. "I was just there. You're really going to make us walk all the way back?"

"He lives in the flying part, Brain-kun." Rigrit chuckled. "Besides, we won't be walking."

She went to one of the many artifacts lining the walls of the little room, an object resembling a large iron ring. She took it in her hand and said something under her breath that Brain could not discern. Perhaps a magic word or phrase. The ring grew several times its size and a translucent membrane of colors appeared within it.

It was unmistakably a portal.

"Come along now."

…

The portal deposited them inside a closed corridor just outside a large set of ornate doors.

Brain looked around, mystified. "So we're in the flying city itself then?"

The palace's blue indoor architecture was lofty and elegant, credence to the fact that it had once been the palace of the Eight Greed Kings who ruled the continent hundreds of years ago.

"We're not here to sight see Brain-kun. Tsa's just through here, follow me."

Rigrit pushed open the large doors.

They entered into a truly colossal circular chamber. It's ceiling was so high that when Brain tried to find it, he was surprised at how he kept having to strain his neck further and further upward just to see it.

And, resting peacefully on a raised platform at the room's center, was a beast of mythic proportions. A true dragon lord.

He looked almost like an ornate sculpture. As though an artist crafted him from platinum, silver, and aquamarine. His exposed underbelly glowed a faint light blue whilst his white scales sparkled so brightly as to create the illusion of him being surrounded by a radiant aura.

To Brain who'd only heard the beast's name thrown around once or twice, it was still immediately clear on appearance alone exactly who this dragon was. "...Platinum… Dragon Lord."

And he practically radiated power. Dare he say, even comparable to Sebas and Shalltear Bloodfallen.

He wondered for a moment as to how the dragon had managed to fit through the door. Then he realized that the room was currently being lit by a ray of sunlight...streaming through a dragon-sized hole in the ceiling.

Before he could figure out exactly what kind of manners to assume before the ancient beast, Inberun had already started to approach and Rigrit basically dragged him after her.

The dragon stirred.

"Back so soon, Rigrit?" His voice echoed clearly through the chamber. It was lighter and more elegant than one would've initially presumed from a creature of that scale.

Platinum Dragon Lord raised his neck at the newcomers. "Oh? Could it be…"

"Yeah… It's me." Inberun said.

Though it was hard to see, Platinum dragon Lord most definitely had a wide smile on his face and his eyes sparkled with happiness. "After all these years… Would it be safe to say you haven't changed a bit, Inberun?"

"Hey, that's not funny." And though she said as much, Inberun couldn't help but crack a smile at her old friend's joke. "Hi Tsa… I guess it's been a while."

Inberun's eyes fell upon a beat up suit of armor in the corner of the room. Her expression saddened. "Though… I guess Tsa isn't really your name, Platinum Dragon Lord."

"Oh come on crybaby," Rigrit said. "It's been 200 years and your still holding a grudge over that?"

"Rigrit…" Platinum Dragon Lord turned to Inberun. "I understood what it meant for all of you, to deceive you in such a way, and I understand if you still wish to hold it against me… I deeply regret that I was not more truthful. But, the fun we had adventuring together was not deceit. I wish for you to call me whatever you feel is right."

Inberun and Platinum Dragon Lord looked into eachothers eyes for several seconds. Then, after what seemed like a very long time, Inberun did something almost out of character for her; she smiled and looked away bashfully. "Sheesh… you can stop giving me that look… Tsa."

Rigrit and Platinum Dragon Lord smiled to themselves.

Then, Platinum Dragon Lord turned his attention to Brain. "The same familiarity is not extended to you, however. I do not recognize you, what is your name?"

Brain quickly went down to one knee, as was proper when addressing someone who radiated such power and magnificence. "It's Brain Unglaus, Lord Platinum Dragon… uh, Lord...sama."

Inberun laughed snidely to herself.

Platinum Dragon Lord chuckled lightly, but it was much more of a humorous laugh than an arrogant one. "Rigrit, who is this?"

"He's a friend of ours, and a skilled swordsman. I figured it would be best to have him along."

"Then there's no need to be so formal here, Brain-kun." Platinum Dragon Lord replied. "A friend of Inberun and Rigrit is a friend of mine. And besides, the honorific is already in the name, it sounds silly when people call me as such. There's no need to overthink it."

Brain smiled ruefully and stood up. "If you insist, Platinum Dragon Lord."

Platinum Dragon Lord nodded. "So then Rigrit, overjoyed as I am to see Inberun, this doesn't seem like a simple social call. Do you have information on the guild weapons?"

Rigrit shook her head. "It's not that. It concerns the centennial aftershocks."

Platinum Dragon Lord closed his eyes in acknowledgment. He let out a long and heavy breath. "...indeed, the power which stains the world."

Inberun stayed silent.

Brain looked around confused.

"Tsa, I believe that Brain-kun may have fought with the vampire you spoke of."

"I may have what now?" Brain gave a look of surprise to Rigrit, "You mean…" He shivered, "Shalltear Bloodfallen?"

Platinum Dragon Lord turned to Brain. There was urgency in his voice. "Describe this vampire you found."

"You want me…" He didn't wish to recall the images of Shalltear Bloodfallen seared into his mind, but he felt everyone staring at his with great importance. He did the best he could. "-Ahem… from what I remember, she was short, maybe looked fourteen or fifteen. Wore a dark purple dress… silver hair."

Platinum Dragon Lord nodded his head slowly up and down. "I see… so her name was Shalltear Bloodfallen."

Brain was amazed. "So, you met her, and lived!?" He caught himself. "I mean, of course one such as you would be able to fight her."

"I'm not so sure of that." Platinum Dragon Lord replied. "I encountered her only in passing. But I've seen enough of her to make me doubtful of my ability to defeat her should fate have us fight once more in earnest. Regardless…" He stretched his neck towards Brain, "I am surprised you survived, Brain Unglaus."

Brain clutched his head and smiled a slightly insane smile. "Yeah, you and me both. To this day I'm still not sure how I managed to escape."

"Then tell me, Brain-kun." Platinum Dragon Lord's head drew very near, to the point at which Brain could feel the air blowing in and out of the dragon's nostrils. "Was she evil?"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't mean to ask if she was despicable or simply unpleasant. I mean to ask if she was evil. You should be able to tell having seen her in person, Brain-kun. Was Shalltear Bloodfallen wholly, integrally, soulfully evil?"

If there was any hesitation in Brain's answer, it was only because of the way Platinum Dragon Lord had approached him and worded question. Having been direct witness to Shalltear herself, he understood exactly what Platinum Dragon Lord had meant, it was something ingrained deep in his soul. "Yes, she's evil."

Platinum Dragon Lord retraced his head and contemplated deeply. "I had suspected as much, but now there can be no more doubt about it, the powers that be are not an ally this time. The grit of the world shall be tested once more."

A solemn looked appeared on Rigrit and Inbern.

"And this time around seems particularly grim… Shalltear Bloodfallen can not be compared to the evil deities."

Brain looked around confused. Centennial Aftershocks? The grit of the world? The evil deities? As he was begging to piece together what the exact relationship between the three others was, Rigrit spoke up.

"There is another matter that concerns us, Tsa, and is the main reason I asked Inberun and Brain-kun to come. It's about someone named Rhamnusia, I think there is a high possibility of him being a player."

Platinum Dragon Lord's eyes grew slightly wider at the mention of the word, moderately intrigued.

Inberun cupped her hand to her chin. "So you really do think that that bastard is a player."

Rigrit continued. "Inberun and Brain-kun have both fought with him, and from what they've told me, I'm almost certain of it."

"What makes you so sure?" Platinum Dragon Lord asked.

"Both of them mentioned Rhamnusia saying the word 'Science'."

Platinum Dragon Lord thought deeply on the seven letter word.

"'Science'..." Inberun seemed confused. "He did say that word, but what does it mean?"

Rigrit shrugged. "I don't really know. But I do recognize the word. It's something that only Leader used to say every once in a while. He liked to tack the phrase 'because science,' on anything he couldn't explain. Frankly, from the way he kept saying it, I doubt he even knew what the word actually meant."

Inberun paused in recollection. "Oh yeah…" Inberun said. "I do think I remember him saying that."

Platinum Dragon Lord interrupted. His voice had inexplicably become very heavy. "He used that word too, didn't he? I remember him correcting Leader on the matter on one or two occasions."

Inberun's and Rigrit's expressions suddenly changed. "He." It was as though a shadow had suddenly fallen upon their faces.

Even to Brain who was a complete stranger to their conversation, it was clear to him that 'he' was a point of much guilt. He felt it wasn't right to ask about it, nor to ask about what exactly all this 'Leader' business was as well. If it was important, he would find out eventually.

"If that's true then," Inberun was now speaking very softly, "If both of them had used the word, then… Rhamnusia probably is a player."

Platinum Dragon Lord and Rigrit wordlessly agreed.

"So what is a player exactly?" Brain felt he should at least ask that.

The three others exchanged several glances. Their eyes eventually fell to Platinum Dragon Lord.

"Players belong to very a special kind of race. So special that they are not born to this world, and appear from an unreachable place beyond." He said. "They're marked by the ability to grow in strength at remarkable speeds, and to indescribable heights. In that way, they have potential to be the world's mightiest allies or most dangerous foes."

"Wait so they just..." Brain scratched his head. "So they just appear out of nowhere?

"Well, nothing really comes from nowhere, Brain-kun." Platinum Dragon Lord replied. "But yes, in a sense. Are you familiar with the Eight Greed Kings?"

Brain nodded.

"Five hundred years ago, when I was a still a young dragon, they appeared from, as you say it, seemingly nowhere, and started conquesting the entirety of the known world. Because of them, my own race, the Dragon Lords, were reduced from hundreds to less than a mere dozen in the span of less than fourty years. The innate power that players wield is not to be taken lightly."

Brain gulped. It took true power to evoke the look in currently in that ancient dragon's eyes, who according to Brain, approached the same level as Seabs and Shalltear.

"...Okay, I understand more or less what these players are all about." Brain said.

"Good." Platinum Dragon Lord returned to his original position. "Then, Brain-kun. Was there anything else that this, 'Rhamnusia' said?"

The question caught him off guard a little since the conversation had seemed out of his purview. "Umm… I think climb-kun mentioned something about a uh… 'four fundamental forces of nature,' or something like that."

"Climb-kun?"

"He was with me when I fought against Rhamnusia, he's the one who Rhamnusia actually exchanged words with."

"I see." Platinum Dragon Lord turned to the other two, "'Four fundamental forces of nature'... What do you two make of that?"

The two women shook their heads. They had nothing.

Rigrit sighed, "Then lets try to figure out exactly what Rhamnusia is after. What do we know about his motivations?"

Inberun was quick to speak. "He's a maniacal sadist who's in cahoots with the Eight Fingers and Jaldabaoth. What's more to know about him?"

"In cahoots with the Eight Fingers?" Brain interrupted, "But when we saw him encountered him he had already killed Cocco Doll."

"Gods you're slow, shit-for Brain's." Inberun replied. "The Eight Fingers in-fight all the time. He also probably did that just to trick the us into thinking that our invasion would be unopposed. And we fucking bought it too."

The little vampire spit at the ground.

"Oh, I didn't hear about that..." Brain said.

"Yeah, well, that's how it is." Inberun grumbled.

Rigrit sighed. "So we really don't much then. In that case…" She turned to Platinum Dragon Lord. He gave her a wordless gesture of agreement and turned to the other two.

"How powerful is Rhamnusia?"

Brain paused, "How powerful?"

Inerbun crossed her arms. "It was hard to judge him accurately. He didn't fight like a magic caster or a warrior… or really any kind of class I'm familiar with exactly. He just fought like a coward; hiding in his poison fog, laying traps and waiting for us to make mistakes." She clicked her tongue. "And all that taunting! He doesn't shut up either!"

Brain was amazed. "Really? You engaged him for that long?"

Inberun scoffed, "Of course. Unlike you I'm not a moron."

"Can you really not find anything to insult about me other than my intelligence?" Brain replied.

Inberun was at a loss for words for a second. "Well- uh.."

"Whatever." Brain sighed. "You're probably right. I did drop the ball pretty hard against him."

Rigrit and Platinum Dragon Lord exchanged looks once more. "That doesn't exactly answer the question." Platinum Dragon Lord said. "How strong is Rhamnusia, just an estimate will do."

"Weren't you listening lizard-brain?" Inberun grumbled, "He fought like a coward. Never once did he go on the offensive and attempted to avoid every attack we threw at him. He never used a single martial art and all the spells he cast were more annoying than threatening, except for maybe the poison fog and his subordinate. He's no evil deity is what I'm getting at. I'll be ready for him next time."

Rigrit and Platinum Dragon Lord seemed to be greatly encouraged by that. They turned to brain expectantly.

Brain looked down. "I guess… I'm not sure. Like evil-eyes said. He wasn't normal. My fight was over fast but…" He thought deeply, recalling every tiny detail he could about the man he had met inside that little Eight-Finger's office. "But yes, he really didn't have the kind of presence you'd expect to feel from someone powerful. He was nothing at all like Shalltear Bloodfallen."

Then, a low tone permeated the room, emanating from the platform Platinum Dragon Lord was laying on. Brain looked around for its source before realizing that it was the dragon himself who was making it.

The dragon lord was humming a happy little tune.

"Then, Brain-kun, Inberun." The dragon lord said. "I would like to commission a quest for you two."

They could already figure what it was.

"It is imperative that Rigrit and I speak to Rhamnusia. It likely concerns the fate of the entire world. All I ask that you bring him to Eryuentiu. If you do so, I will be in your debt."

Rigrit smiled. "Tsa… you really do like giving quests don't you?"

The ancient dragon smiled warmly. "So much so that I sometimes disguise myself and adventure with the ones I give the quests to."

Inberun smiled too, though she didn't want to let anybody see it.

A fire raged behind her eyes. "I was going to get that bastard whether or not you asked anyway. You, shit-for-Brains, you coming or what?"

In truth, Brain did not share the same relationship as the three of them did to each other, and thus did not have nearly the same level of obligation to take the quest. However, he had journeyed south for exactly this kind of purpose. To restore his pride as a swordsman, and to restore meaning to his life. Of course he was accepting the quest.

If nothing else, he needed to get back at the demon that broke his sword.

He smirked, "What's this? Do I hear that all powerful vampire crying for help from just a little moron like me?"

"No." Inberun gave Brain a haughty glance. "I just thought it would be nice to have someone along to carry my things."

"In that case you'll have to find someone else to join us on the way." Brain rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. "Currently my muscles are being used to carry useful things."

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood right now."

Brain rolled his eyes and the little vampire. he was beginning to grow a little more comfortable around her. He turned to Rigrit. "Are you not coming?"

"No," Rigrit shook her head. She turned to Platinum Dragon Lord. "I have my own research to do. And now having heard your testimonies, I have to go back and dig through all the documents that Leader left behind. Few though they be, it will still take a lot of time "

Platinum Dragon Lord addressed Brain and Inbern. "All that matters is that we speak with him. But keep in mind that as a player, he has almost assuredly grown to be stronger than when you last faced him. Be diplomatic and convince him to come, only use violence as a last resort."

"Then let us all make haste." Rigrit said. "Time is of the essence."

And so, they retreated back to Rigrit's hovel, and the vampire and the swordsman prepared for their journey back north.

I'm not sure how I feel writing out "Platinum Dragon Lord" as the dragon's name every time. It is perhaps a little too long for the reader to stomach. But just "Tsa" on the other hand would be a bit strange since the section is writen mainly from third person limited through Brain's eyes, and he doesn't see PDL as "Tsa."

Of Course, I could just go ahead and abbreviate it to "PDL", but that doesn't quite sit right with me. Please tell me what you think if you have a suggestion on the matter.

Also, I'm well aware of the fact that the 'shit-for-Brains' pun only works in English and doesn't make sense in the world in regards to Brain's canonical Japanese name. But it's just too good of an opportunity to pass up so I'm rolling with it!

And thanks for reading!