They arrived in the capital that evening with little regard for proper protocol, flying straight to the castle without introducing themselves or seeking permission. As they began to land in the courtyard, an alarm suddenly rang out, causing Askuna to startle.
'Did they have any measures to detect invisible intruders, or did we get spotted by some patrolling mage?' he pondered to himself. Despite his concerns, he remained confident that the kingdom's magical defences were lacking.
But then, the story is presented from the perspective of Ainz Ooal Gown's perspective, so it's possible that the castle was marginally protected by something that could have detected their approach.
Alternatively, it could have been the aura of their enchanted items or magical energy that gave them away, or perhaps a message from another town had alerted the castle to their presence. Honestly, he had no idea.
Askuna and J'zargo stood outside the castle, scanning the walls for a potential entry point. After a few seconds of searching, they spotted an open window on the fifth floor. It looked like their best bet for a covert entry, but they would have to be careful.
Both mages reached into their bags and retrieved their sneak rings. As they slipped them on, faint energy enveloped them, and they felt themselves slipping into the shadows.
With their sneak rings activated, they quietly made their way up the wall and through the open window. They landed softly on the floor inside the room and looked around. It seemed to be a study, with a few bookshelves and a desk cluttered with papers and quills.
As they stood in the study, Askuna cast Detect Life to survey the area, hoping to sense any nearby threats. Startingly, he couldn't sense anyone nearby, not even J'zargo. This was a sobering realization - J'zargo's sneak ring was so powerful that it could conceal him even from Askuna's heightened perception.
'Dangerous,' thought Askuna, his paranoid mind ringing alarm bells. After recognizing the threat posed by J'zargo's ring, Askuna determined that he needed to obtain or enchant an item to augment his perception.
Having previously cast Detect Life and sensed no one in the vicinity of the hallways or connected rooms, Askuna approached the doors without crouching.
With the sneak ring activated, he knew it was working as if he was already in stealth mode. Even without the aid of invisibility, the ring seemed to distort reality, concealing its user from the perception of others.
As Askuna made his way to the doors, however, before he reached the doors, they opened by themselves. Askuna could only spot it because he just so happened to be staring at them, but for some reason, he felt the urge to look away and act as if it was completely normal.
"Definitely dangerous," his mind supplied again.
He stopped channelling power to his ring and said, "Okay, this is too ridiculous. We can't even see each other, and there's no one around."
But nothing happened - the doors simply closed. Askuna's eye twitched in frustration. 'The fucker's toying with me,' he thought, but quickly reconsidered 'If I entertain him, he may do it again and become an immense pain in the ass.'
Therefore, he just walked up to the doors nonchalantly, and as he passed through the corridor, he applied invisibility when he neared the presences he was sensing. As he drew closer through the hallway, he encountered two maids jogging, escorted by a guard.
He passed them through and as he walked through the castle, Askuna saw some guards moving from one place to another. He was fairly certain that J'zargo could see a small haze from his invisibility and was following him closely.
"Okay, it's not fun," a voice next to him supplied.
Say what you can, but in that instant Askuna's half-undead heart jumped to his throat, but he quickly composed himself, grateful for the helmet covering his face. "Sure, let's try that room next."
They moved on according to the simple pattern. Basically, in the corridors, they used only invisibility, but upon reaching the rooms, they activated their rings to conceal the opening and closing of doors as they scouted inside.
In one of the rooms, they finally found someone who wasn't staff. Unfortunately, it wasn't Renner, but rather her older brother who was engaged in questionable activities with a maid. Askuna and J'zargo simply ignored it and left the room, though Askuna wasn't sure what J'zargo did.
They continued their game of espionage throughout the palace, overhearing conversations about intruders and alarms set off by magicians. Askuna didn't care much about the details, instead relying on his Detect Life spell to ensure they wouldn't be caught off guard.
Finally, as they turned a corner, they spotted Climb, fully armoured and standing watch with vigilant eyes scanning both sides of the corridor.
'Perfect,' he thought, as he prepared to cast a harmony spell. But then, without warning:
Suddenly, 'Ding, ding, ding, ding!' He felt a blunt force applied to his neck and hamstring before a tanto slashed at his neck, which did absolutely nothing to him.
Before he could react, he was kicked in the face. Then groin. And as a crescendo, there was an attempted leg sweep.
None of the attacks pushed him, and he stood his ground as the twin assassin sisters positioned themselves before him, each wielding double tanto.
Noticing the shaky leg of the one who had kicked him, Askuna thought, "Probably heavy armour's damage reflection perk."
As for how they were detected, it was most likely the work of Evil Eye or the twins.
However, before he could ponder longer, now that he was actually in the heat of battle, his instincts somehow awakened, his beast bloodline and warrior training kicked in, prompting him to twist his torso just in time to avoid a large icicle that had flown through the window and was headed straight for his head.
Nice instinct, but unnecessary,' he thought, watching with satisfaction, how the icicle pretty much disintegrated upon hitting J'zargo.
Their armours had significant magical and elemental resistances. Even if only Askuna had spell absorption, J'zargo should be pretty safe from most if not all magic.
'I could use harmony magic now, but where's the fun in that?' Askuna decided to risk it and underestimate his enemy. It was not advisable, but he had a whim to indulge.
Therefore, he said to J'zargo, "Don't punch them, or you will kill them by mistake. Everything else is allowed." Seeing the two assassins visibly recoil at his words, he prepared a telekinesis spell and focused it on Evil Eye's robes, flinging her from the air and slamming her into the wall.
Just as Evil Eye collided with the wall, Lakyus exited the room and instructed Climb to protect Renner and escort her somewhere safe. Climb being Climb quickly took the hand of an approaching princess and both of them started to flee.
Lakyus immediately tried to jump into the fray, sending her flying swords at Askuna and J'zargo.
To which Askuna stepped forward and used his Thu'um, shouting "Fus Ro!", which made the assassins fly back a little and caused everyone in its path to stumble, especially Climb and Renner. The swords were also disrupted from the air.
As any good gamer capitalizing on the stun, Askuna repeated the shout, overusing its zero cooldown and sending two orbs of paralysis flying towards Renner and Climb.
One bolt was intercepted by Lakyus, neutralizing it with her sword, while the second was met by the self-sacrifice of Climb, who took the hit with a heroic jive. He fell to the ground like a rock, but his act of protection proved a lifesaver for his beloved princess Renner.
"Climb!", Renner shouted, staying by Climb's side, staring at his unmoving form.
In the meantime, Lakyus sent her swords shooting at us as she ran to Climb and started trying various spells to heal him. She tried Heal, Mind Protection, and then some variant of protection against curses, which seemed to finally work.
But Askuna wasn't idle; he was sending paralysis at the twins, who were dodging, while J'zargo was trying to throw bigger and bigger fireballs at them and toying telekinetically with Evil Eye.
The ground started to tremble a bit, and suddenly, a strong unfeminine roar followed by heavy stomps filled the room.
Askuna turned around, ignoring the kunai that struck him in the back of his head, and extended his arm to catch the big-ass Warhammer cantering towards his head.
'CLANG!' echoed through the hallway as dust rose from the ground. The warhammer stopped dead in its tracks on Askuna's palm, who then extended his hand with paralysis towards Gagaran.
Gagaran's eyes widened in surprise when her hammer had no effect whatsoever, but she swiftly extended her leg to kick his hand off trajectory.
No such luck, paralysis hit her... and the kick continued unobstructed towards his face, doing absolutely nothing.
"Huh, so normal paralysis doesn't work on her," he muttered before trying some fireballs, ignoring echoes of some other spell impacting his back.
Gagaran tanked his fireballs and went on trying to maul him with her hammer, yet it was useless, and by the fifth hit, Askuna's perk worked, and Gagaran recoiled in a wince and stumble when the damage was reflected to her.
In the meantime, Lakyus had finally made her way back to the fight and joined in, sending her swords flying towards Askuna and J'zargo. Askuna simply ignored them, like a buzzing fly... scratch that, he hates flies.
And he knows exactly what to do with them.
With a simple flick of his wrist, the swords were knocked out of the air and clattered to the ground.
"Is that all you got?" he taunted, cackling wickedly.
J'zargo, not wanting to be left out, added a barrage of lightning bolts to the mix, crackling and flashing around the group.
Seeing Gagarn about to charge forward with her warhammer, Askuna had other plans for her. With a flick of his wrist, he used telekinesis to lift her armour and hammer, aiming to shoot her to intercept Renner and Climb from running away. "Whee, let's play catch!" he exclaimed.
However, as he looked ahead, he realized they were too far away. 'No matter,' he thought, holding Gagaran above his head and shouting "Wuld" three times in succession.
The shout triggered Whirlwind Sprint, propelling him forward at incredible speeds, which he further boosted with telekinesis, and shooting past all of the blue roses to the retreating pair.
"Hey, wait up!" he shouted as he sped by them, then without a warning, he launched Gagaran at Climb, propelled by a shout of "Fus Ro," making her fly even faster.
And slightly at Renner... 'Ouch' - winced Askuna.
What happened next was a mistake on his part. Young Climb did his best to shield Renner with his body, and Gagaran roared "Nooo!!!" at the top of her lungs, trying to manoeuvre in such a way that she wouldn't hit Renner. But it was too late. The 150-kilo giant slammed into Climb and grazed Renner, falling on them both with a sickening crunch.
Askuna immediately rushed to the pair, using "Wuld" to reach them faster and created a healing circle followed by Healing Hands on each of them.
That seemed to stabilize them, but Gagaran was already getting up, also healed by the circle, so he just did the full package on her "Fus Ro Dah!" making her ragdoll while her companions far behind stumbled.
Yet Lakyus regained her composure and caught Gagaran as if it was a small puppy and positioned her near her.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
In the background he could see J'zargo going berserk with a flame cloak, thunder and ice spears sending them left and right. Lakyus decided to run in my direction, preferably to take back my presumable hostages.
As Lakyus approached, Askuna put on his best innocent pose, showing his free hands in a jesting manner. "Oh, these two? They're not my hostages, I swear," he said, chuckling.
Lakyus didn't buy his bullshit and drew her cursed sword. "Let them go!."
"Is that a challenge?" Askuna replied cheekily, "Bring it on!"
And with that, Lakyus charged at Askuna, while Askuna thought. 'If I don't use this shout now, I'll probably never get the chance because it is too weak.'
Therefore, half a second before she reached him, Askuna tried to use Liz to freeze her solid, but he felt something hit his leg.
Turning around, he heard a loud 'Ding,' the sound of a sword impacting his chest, but he ignored it and the subsequent strikes. Instead, he looked below him.
It was Climb, kicking him from behind and then attempting to tackle his legs. But it was entirely pointless. So, he just looked at Climb and said "Fus," sending him flying two meters back and impacting the floor with his face.
He could hear another shout of Renner for Climb, but when he turned his head, a cursed blade struck at his face with immense force.
His head tilted around a centimetre, before he lamented internally that he doesn't have enough good shouts and just said "Liz.", making Lakyus fall frozen in ice, which coincidently made the ice break and freed her, so he repeated it when she was on the ground.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Lakyus shouted from her icy prison.
"Hey, it's called being resourceful," Askuna replied with a smirk.
But, no, she broke again after a second, so it must have been her strength or resistance that broke it, nevertheless, he just repeated three times the same word, each making her more covered by ice.
But despite the increased ice cover on Lakyus, she broke free once again, prompting Askuna to let out a sigh of frustration. "Tough cookie, aren't you?" he muttered, ignoring the indignant wail from her.
Now Gagaran, seeing her comrade in danger, shouted "Lakyus!" and charged at Askuna with her hammer glowing and using martial arts to boost her abilities, turning her into a blur.
For Askuna, Gagaran's attack came at quite a fast speed. Probably without armour, he could have been injured, as he couldn't even raise a hand fast enough to defend himself. Nonetheless, when Gagaran struck his arm, he barely moved, which created quite an air pressure.
"Sorry, not today," Askuna taunted. Unluckily for Gagaran, Askuna's physical reflection triggered again, causing her to spew blood from her mouth and eyes before falling onto her back.
As Gagaran fell, Askuna turned his attention back to Lakyus, who was now encased in a thick layer of ice and unable to escape. As a safety measure, he shouted "Liz" again.
"Hmm, I suppose that will have to do," he said before turning his attention to Renner, who was sitting 'scared' up the wall and asking, "Yo, sorry for that tumble you had a second ago. Were you healed alright?"
Renner tilted her head, making Askuna think, 'she must have deduced that since I healed her, I'm not going to kill her, moreover, I also healed Climb, which doesn't make sense, for a typical kidnapper. Also from an outsider's perspective, it is as if I'm toying with Blue Roses, therefore she probably is confused about my motives.'
Renner answered invoking a semi-trembling voice, "Yes, but I would like you to stop harming others."
Askuna replied, "Meh your performance is 3 out of 10, anyway I can't do that as I want to kidnap you and Climb, yet those girls are in my way."
Lakyus broke free from the ice, while Gagaran took long, wheezing breaths as if coming back to life. Askuna ignored them and focused on Renner's answer.
"I see. Is there anything specific you require of us?" Renner asked him, still acting scared and speaking in that high-pitched voice that could make one deaf.
"I need your strategic mind. That's why I'm kidnapping you," he gestured with a finger at her, then at Climb who had just gotten up. "And as I need you to be happy and cooperative, I'm bringing him along."
Oh, is that genuine surprise on her face, even for just a second? Askuna mused, ignoring everything else and focusing all of his attention on Renner.
"Then wouldn't it be better to approach diplomatically?" she inquired, gesturing around the room as if admonishing him. Then, with a pouting expression, she informed him in a condescending tone, "Look how much trouble you have caused!"
"J'zargo told you!" suddenly shouted the Khajit, more annoying than ever, as he saw that his opponents were pretty much on their last legs.
Everyone turned to look at Askuna, but he only had eyes for Renner. "No, you are not safe here anymore," he said, making her contemplative.
But before she could respond, Gagaran shouted in his ear, "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
Askuna turned to her and replied, "Fus Ro Dah!" Gagaran had already started dodging at the sound of "Fus," but it wasn't enough to avoid being sent flying along with Lakyus, who was nearby. They landed far away where J'zargo was slowly coming back to reality from his berserk state.
Askuna then turned his attention back to Renner and asked, "So, what will it be?"
She sighed and rubbed her temple with one hand while her chin with the other, then asked, "Still, wouldn't it be better to talk it out peacefully in the room?"
Askuna shrugged and replied, "Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for you, I could have decimated those girls the first second we met, but I tried to restrict myself to non-lethal and non-maiming measures," but at the sight of her glare, he turned his head guiltily and added quietly, "and to have some fun."
Renner giggled, almost cutely. If Askuna didn't know her true personality, he might have fallen for her trap. However, after chuckling, she turned to the boy on Askuna's left and said, "Climb, don't resist. We're going with them."
"But Lady--" Climb tried to protest.
"Climb!" she ordered him, then turned to Blue Roses, who groaned at another session of getting up from the floor, and spoke up louder, "Lakyus, I'm sorry we didn't finish our tea."
At that point, Askuna was already ending the casting of the harmony spell, which enveloped them all. As he finished, he mused to himself, "Two people resisted, probably J'zargo and... I bet Evil Eye."
Lakyus, realizing that she couldn't fight, sent a complicated gaze towards Renner and said, "Renner, I-". However, she was cut off as Renner shook her head and commanded, "No," then added softly, "they are too strong. You know that they were not serious. Anyway, Blue Rose, please stay safe, and until our next meeting."
"Evil Leader, stop her," said one of the twins to Lakyus, who looked conflicted as she glanced between Askuna and J'zargo, who was coming up behind them. After a moment, she shook her head and said, "Go. We will tell your father."
As he pondered his next move, Askuna considered his earlier plan to give Climb and Renner the Rings of Sneaking to accompany him and potentially avoid further conflict.
However, now that he realized he might not be able to detect them while wearing the rings, the plan could result in Renner and Climb disappearing forever.
Anyways, refocusing on the world around him, he exclaimed, "Eh, actually, I came here to rob a treasury of sacred treasures and whatnot. Can someone point me in the right direction?"
Everyone stared at him, so he asked, "What?"
"J'zargo knew you are a terrible strategist, but now he knows you are even worse at diplomacy.", J'zargo shook his head.
"..." - Askuna fell silent and dropped his head, but then after a second he asked Renner, "So, where is the treasury?"
Renner's response was a wordless stare before she turned and started walking away.
"J'zargo is quite hungry, actually," his companion mentioned offhandedly.
"Well then, head to the kitchen and grab some provisions. Use telekinesis to help yourself, and I'll store them for later," replied Askuna as he began walking, with J'zargo disappearing from everyone's perception.
As everyone was still surprised by J'zargo's sudden disappearance, Askuna took a couple of steps forward but stumbled and fell to the ground, muttering "Fucker."
Renner paused and looked at Askuna incredulously, to which he responded with a deadpan expression, "..."
Quickly getting up and brushing himself off, Askuna continued on, ignoring his previous stumble.
In the meantime, Blue Roses and Evil Eye, being unable to fight, decided to rest on the ground. Climb walked alongside Renner and Askuna, stealing nervous glances at the latter.
"You'd like armour like mine, Climb?" asked Askuna, making the young man quite embarrassed. Climb stammered incoherently, not sure of what to say.
Renner looked at her loyal knight and decided to tease him a bit, "Climb, I think you would look quite manly in armour like that."
"I..., Lady Re-" Climb began to respond, Askuna's actions cut Climb off, as hearing the sound of Blue Roses pursuing them again, Askuna quickly recast the harmony spell, causing their pursuers to come to a halt once more.
It appeared that Evil Eye had run out of mana as she was now running alongside them. Thinking she was clever by faking being under the spell, Askuna told her betting he is right, "Evil Eye, I know you are not affected."
"Evil Eye, can you do something about it?", asked Lakyus stoically gesturing at themselves, as she was under the effects of the spell.
Evil Eye shook her head and replied, "No, I don't have any more mana. Moreover, it seems as though that man can cast it over and over again, so it would be swiftly reapplied."
Under the spell's effects, Lakyus couldn't muster any anger and simply replied, "Oh well." The group then sat down on the ground to rest.
As they walked, it appeared that Renner was fishing for information from Askuna. "Seeing that you will require my assistance in the future, how should I address you, sir knight?" she asked.
"Askuna. And by the way, I'm not a knight." then he thought about something and asked, "Was there anything in your room that you wanted to take with you?" Askuna inquired, intrigued by the possibility of the monster hiding anything there
Renner hummed for a moment before responding, "If it wouldn't be a problem, I would like to visit my room for a second and retrieve my clothes and other belongings."
"Hide any incriminating items and evidence, I got it," answered Askuna casually. They were now quite far from Blue Roses, though there seemed to be some soldiers on their way to them.
She gasped and pretended to be embarrassed, then admonished Askuna, "Mr Askuna, it is not appropriate to talk to a lady that way." She then caught the arm of her "puppy knight" and said, "Tell him, Climb!"
"Sir, it is not-" Climb, as a dutiful drone, began word for word repeating what he was supposed to say, but Askuna rolled his eyes and didn't care. He reactivated his harmony spell, knowing that he would have to figure out a way to hold them indefinitely at some point.
Previously, trading was kind of annoying, but having to perform this stupid dance every time was even more so.
After casting his spell, Askuna shrugged and replied, "I don't see the puppy you do, but whatever. Your choice. You're useful, so whatever you want, as long as it's not too inconvenient, you can have it."
Suddenly, Renner jumped at Climb and dramatically held her head, "Ah! Climb, he bullies me, help me!" Climb was taken aback and didn't know what to do with his hands, so he settled for glaring at Askuna menacingly.
For a brief moment, Askuna caught a glimpse of Renner's cold gaze directed at him, but it quickly dissipated like an illusion. "I saw that. You're not fast enough. And go faster," he called her out, snorting and gesturing impatiently with his hand to quicken the pace.
Renner pouted while Climb looked at him with barely concealed hostility, suppressed by the effects of the harmony spell. The tens of guards around them let them pass, completely under the influence of the spell and not understanding what was happening.
They arrived at the gates of the treasury, and Askuna observed a massive closed door. He didn't bother to search for a key, instead taking a random lockpick from his inventory and trying his luck.
'It can't be that hard, right?' he mused to himself before a loud snap was heard. It was his lockpick breaking, and he cursed under his breath.
'Five levels till unbreakable lockpicks perk, why, God, why?" lamented Askuna, realizing that not having that perk may have been one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
After trying and breaking twenty lock picks, he gave up and simply punched the door. He wasn't at all surprised when it exploded where he punched it, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. He then kicked it below the hole, and the entire door fell off its hinges and crashed forward.
"I'll do better at the Slane Theocracy treasury," vowed Askuna to himself before recasting the harmony spell and walking inside. The treasury was filled with piles of gold, gems, paintings, and other works of art, all of which he carelessly shoved into his inventory.
As he approached the second set of protected doors, he didn't even bother trying to pick the lock or find another way in. Instead, he just punched the doors off their hinges and walked inside.
Inside, Askuna found the treasures of the Kingdom to be quite underwhelming. Among the items was a sword that looked no better than those he had purchased from a merchant and a bronze armour that was neither impressive nor aesthetically pleasing.
"Is this what they call a national treasure?" Askuna snorted, but he stowed it away anyway in case it had useful enchantments.
Despite the lacklustre findings, Askuna's eyes gleamed as he thought about getting his hands on Gazef's ring in the future, which could temporarily boost the wearer's level beyond the maximum of 100. Don't believe check Rigrit's Ring Wikipedia page.
Askuna pocketed the items, including a ceremonial crown, but then a sudden thought occurred to him. He turned to Renner and asked, "Say, do you have a prison nearby?"
Renner replied, "There are dungeons below the palace. Why do you ask?"
Thinking better of it, Askuna brushed off her inquiry and said, "Never mind. Seeing as we have a large company, going there would be quite inconvenient. Let's just return to your room. If there is nothing left, we can leave."
Renner pouted again but followed Askuna out of the treasury.
He recast his pacifying magic and used telekinesis to lift all of them off the ground, flying back to Renner's room. There were people who attempted to intercept them, but none of them dared to strike the princess.
Once they arrived, Askuna left Renner alone while he used telekinesis to lift Climb and spin him in the air to distract him.
Renner took a moment to observe the scene before indulging in her evil deeds. She moved some things around on her desk, fiddled with her mirror, and adjusted the clock and wardrobe. Askuna noticed a sai blade among her possessions, finding it satisfying to watch her work from the corner of his eye.
After a few moments, Renner prepared everything and placed it on her bed. She then turned to look at Askuna and Climb. Without saying a word, Askuna understood her message and carefully placed Climb on the ground before recasting his harmony spell. The spell stopped Climb's nausea from ruining his armour.
"Great, help me pack all of this in," Askuna said, opening a black hole and beginning to shuffle the clothes and other questionable items of torture inside.
He was pretty sure, that in one of those suitcases, there was a skeleton, but he didn't bother to mention it. After all, they both knew there was a skeleton in one of those suitcases, and she knew that he knew it, so how could he address the elephant in the room and ask, "Is there a skeleton in this?" It would be silly to do so.
'Oops,' he thought, totally unapologetic, before dropping the suitcase in his inventory.
Renner simply gave him a coy smile and replied, "It's a family heirloom."
"Ah, I see. A bit creepy, but to each their own," replied Askuna nonchalantly. But then, she had to appease her puppy, so she jumped at Climb and let out a long whine, hitting that one painful note, and complained once again, "Cliiimb! He's bullying me!", before covering her head in his embrace.
Meanwhile, Askuna thought to himself, 'Let's try my luck at omniscience.' He then said, "So, J'zargo, are you ready to go?"
When nothing happened, he waited. And waited. And when he wanted to stop waiting, he kept waiting some more. Finally, when he decided to move, he was startled by a sudden "Boo!"
Internally, Askuna let out a girlish scream, though no sound escaped his lips. After a moment of composing himself, he spoke cheerfully, "Glad we have you here, buddy. Let's go!" He recast his harmony spell and they all flew out of the window, but then he remembered something else.
"By the way, do you have a library here?" he asked while suspending himself in the air.
"...," No one answered him, and he felt someone trying to wrestle telekinetic control over Climb and Renner. This startled him, and he unintentionally let them go.
As he watched J'zargo continue flying with the others, Askuna quickly caught up to them and asked, "Hey, can you answer me? What about the armoury? Crafting guilds? Magic guilds? Banks? Don't ignore me!"
But all he received in response was dead silence. So, he grumbled to himself before continuing to fly after them.