Alea Jacta Est

The goblin on the roof was the first to die. In the distance, he was no more than a vague shadow in the fading dusk as he crouched down by a chimney over one hundred meters away. But as the sun receded beneath the mountains, the creature began to stir, stretch, and finally stood to greet the darkness. Momon's sword took him in the chest, the blade piercing entirely through flesh and bone as if cutting through a stalk of rye. The goblin, shaken and caught unawares, tumbled lifelessly down the steep, slate pitch and fell with a loud thud down to earth. The noise carried far in the silence of the night, and soon the whole horde of hideous monsters perked their ears in curiosity, not yet aware that one of their own had departed the world.

The head of the tribe had set multiple sentries to keep a close eye on the dirt-laden road and the forest to the north. But their numbers were few and disorderly, leaving the village unguarded and porous. Momon had already crept close by the time he launched into the air, his one remaining sword resting tightly in his hand. He descended in a blur of steel and found a pair of goblins with crude weaponry still strapped to their backs. The two barely laid eyes on the armored clad adventurer before their vision swam. The heavens inverted with the earth as a cold blade cut through their throats in one clean stroke. By the time their heads fell at Ainz's feet, there was a cry of alarm by the goblins huddled near a fire in the central square.

One of the creatures stumbled to his feet and let the flames lick his leg. He released a painful screech as his ragged clothes took fire, and that was the end of subtlety. Another goblin shouted in alarm, and the rest moved forward to attack in earnest.

A few hundred meters off, Nabe watched as events unfolded on the crest of a wooded ridge that overlooked the small settlement. Brushtree, the village was called, though the battle maid did not think it warranted such a designation. The hamlet consisted of eight tumbledown, three-room domiciles of unmortared stone that were roofed with sod, the windows shuttered with tattered pieces of hide. They all surrounded an empty granary and a pig den while an adjacent brook streamed down from the Great Forest of Tob. The large wood loomed over the settlement with an ominous air, shadows stirring from its depths. And beyond the trees, she spied the bulking figure of an ogre arise that meant to cowardly strike at her master's back. Before the ogre could so much as to get close, however, a spray of blood erupted from its forearm as a snake-like appendage freed the limb from the ogre's body, yielding yet another growl of pain to permeate the night.

By now the western horizon glowed a faint violet, and overhead a half moon gleamed through low, scuttling clouds. A cold wind blew, and Nabe could hear the continued cries of agony as they disseminated along with the rush of the brook, the rivulet now tainted with blood as another ogre's body fell deafly upon it. There was also a faint smell of rain in the air, but no drops were falling as of yet.

A few arrows flew at her master but bounced harmlessly off his armor. Before he could dispatch the archers hiding within the houses, however, Ainz's attention was drawn to the three bugbears that entered the fray. They were hairy, feral beasts that stood nearly seven feet tall and were donned in gear no doubt purloined from fallen enemies, tattered and in disrepair as they were. A thick hide encased their form, and their coarse bundle of hair swayed as powerful muscles stretched underneath. The humanoid monsters came bursting from the dark shroud of the woods; halberds wielded high. One of them died at once. Another managed to duck and save its head, but Momon's blade left its mark, as it ripped through its shoulder, severing muscle, tendons, and nerves alike. The bugbear staggered, but only for a moment, till another quick blow found and slit its breastplate as if it was made of silk instead of boiled leather, ending its life as the steel sunk deep.

Meanwhile, the last of the three creatures swung its halberd with all of its strength in a horizontal arc, a desperate act driven by hate and alarm. Once again, Hamsuke came from behind and saved her master the trouble, and soon all the beasts lay slain while pools of crimson began to litter the battlefield. The archers appeared again, but no sooner had they loosed their arrows than Ainz was upon them. One of the projectiles managed to rattle of his helm, but the goblins were finished a short moment later.

Even from a distance, Nabe could sense all conviction drain from the remainder of the creatures. Between the death of the strongest amongst them, and the two foes that had slain them, their eyes clouded in a haze of panic and primordial terror. The night was fast upon them, they knew—just as well that they would never live to see the dawn. It was then that the entirety of the tribe erupted into wails of despair and broke into a rout. All of the non-combatants, females and young pups, boiled out of the houses like desperate ants caught amid a torrential rain shower. Most of them rushed in the direction of the forest, almost as if it were a sanctuary of sorts. The last of the combatants trembled at the knees, and whether it be due to fear or a pulse of madness, a few stood their ground and raised their shaggy, brown shields high, while others lifted their swords in a final act of desperation.

Foolish, thought Nabe as the darkness thickened and the screams intensified. The shield bearers' fell with a grunt, their limbs severed in an instant, and they were soon drowning and dying in their blood. Those who raised their weapons found that their blades were brittle and useless as the steel cringed and severed into pieces as a dark sword cleaved through them. Finally, the stride of the females and pups came to a quick halt, their short limbs unable to deliver them from certain death. The swift blade gleamed in the night and danced, kissed flesh, spun and kissed again, over and over, until there was no more blood to spend. Only after the eerie silence descended was the battle concluded.

Lightning split the northern sky, etching the mountains in the distance against the dark-grey horizon. Five heartbeats later came the thunder, like a distant drummer. A cold gust blew from the hills and with it, the flame of the central square swayed and shivered.

Narberal Gamma could feel the peasant girl next to her shiver as well.

She was a young one, to be sure, perhaps no older than ten or eleven years of age. An ugly dress of lambs' wool trimmed with lace hugged her form. Her sleeves and bodice were ragged and dirt ridden, tearing at the seams. And on her feet were russet, doeskin slippers with weathered soles and visible toes. Her face was pale as a corpse, bloodless. Her amber locks partially hid her dark hazel eyes, but still one could see the tears and apprehension reflected in their depths as her shoulders trembled. The carnage below was too much for her, it seemed, and she turned her wary gaze to the battle maid in search of reprieve.

The face of a child, Nabe recalled, remembering the words her master had used to describe the girl when they had stumbled upon her a day prior.

Darkness found her unconscious form partly hidden amongst the brush alongside one of the dirt roads. She was thin, dirty, and utterly incapable of forming coherent sentences when she first awoke. The sight of Hamsuke especially unnerved her, and it took almost a half hour to appease the girl's fear. It was after she ate and drank her fill that she seemed convinced that she was safe. And while Nabe held her life in little regard, she did appreciate the submissiveness the young girl exuded towards the Supreme One. In response to his inquiries, of who she was and where she came from, the child would habitually address him as her master at every opportunity, always bowing and asking for forgiveness for prior doubts towards his intentions. It was an appropriate sign of humility that was often lacking amongst humans. Nonetheless, the fact remained that the human was ultimately a hindrance, and perhaps, something far more troublesome, her master had mused.

"Momon-sama is expecting us. Come, we must not keep him waiting," Nabe curtly said.

The girl was visibly startled as if not expecting the battle to have ended so quickly. "Are all the m-monsters gone…truly?" There was genuine doubt in her voice as if she expected further creatures to burst forth from one of the houses. She inched closer to the battle maid and in fear tugged at Nabe's plain, brown cloak.

The maid's ire rose in response to the touch, but she bit her tongue and instead gave the girl a gentle shove forward. "Momon-sama gave you his word that he would keep you safe. Move, or I'll leave you behind."

Reluctantly, the girl did so. The stench of death was drawing closer with every step forward.

-Henupenko