85The Overlord of Tensura
Chapter 2: The Goblin Village
The sun beat down on Ainz Ooal Gown as he walked through the verdant forest, the trees towering above him, their leaves rustling in the wind. He couldn't help but appreciate the natural beauty around him, so different from the damp and polluted world he knew. He wondered how his guildmates would react to this new world, and thought that Blue Planet would surely love the sky's elegance, so clear and blue, with birds flying through it unharmed by the speeding wind. He remembered Blue Planet's artificial sky he had created on the 6th floor of Nazarick, an achievement that he was proud of, but it was nothing compared to the real beauty of nature.
Ainz wished his friends were here to see this world and its mysteries, to uncover its secrets as if it were a gift wrapped just for them. He thought about TouchMe and how his PvP experience would be beneficial in fighting unknown threats.
However, despite the beauty and wonder of this new world, Ainz could not shake off the feeling of melancholy as memories of his time in YGGDRASIL flooded back to him. The hours spent exploring the game world with his friends, the creation and designing of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and the creation of intricate NPCs, all brought a sense of longing for the past. Though their journey was not without its difficulties, their relentless pursuit of progress and improvement was nothing short of awe-inspiring. And though he stood in a new world, the memories of his past life in YGGDRASIL still lingered heavily in his heart.
'TouchMe, Blue Planet, HeroHero, Tabula, BukubukuChagama… How I wish all of you were here, standing beside me while we explore the new world that has seemingly fallen into our hands.'
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard movement up ahead. Out of the foliage, a group of goblins appeared, their ragged clothing and chipped weapons indicating they were not a threat. Their whole bodies shook as if they were scared of an all-powerful being. But as they began to speak, Ainz, knowing they were directing their plea towards Rimuru, did not interrupt.
"Mighty ones! Stop, please!" one of the goblins shouted, trying to grab Rimuru's attention.
Rimuru, catching on to the hint that their plea was directed towards him, decided to respond.
"Do you need something from us?" Rimuru responded, curious as to why they had stopped them.
The goblin who had shouted took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to speak to the two powerful individuals before him.
"Well, you see, mighty ones, we wish for you to come back to our village. It's not far from here!" The goblin spoke to the pair, his voice trembling with urgency.
Ainz considered the goblin's request. A village would be useful. It would give him a sense of the geological region and allow him to gather more information about what was happening in the area. The goblin's frantic state indicated that something was amiss.
"Rimuru, I believe heading to the village might benefit us. It would allow us to settle down for a bit, instead of walking an incredible distance to any other nearby settlement," Ainz said, hoping to convince Rimuru to accompany the goblins.
Rimuru took a moment to think about Ainz's proposal, and Ainz appreciated that he was taking the time to weigh his options.
"Alright, we'll head back to the village with you," Rimuru said, and the goblins' faces lit up with relief.
"Thank you, oh mighty ones, but one thing, can you turn down your aura? It's incredible and it scares everything nearby," one of the goblins said, catching Rimuru and Ainz off guard. As for Ainz, he was surprised that Rimuru had no aura.
"Hmm, why do I sense nothing? Perhaps it is due to the differing systems?" Ainz pondered as he cast his gaze towards Rimuru. He then activated his [Mana Essence] spell, but to his utter astonishment, Rimuru possessed no mana whatsoever.
'Hey Great Sage, can you turn your perspective towards me?'
[Answer: Yes, now changing perspective]
As the sage obliged, a black purplish aura could be seen emanating from Rimuru, spreading across the ground and into the surrounding forest.
'Holy crap! I had this leaking out of me the entire time?! How did those adventurers not notice me? They must have been idiots or something.'
He racked his brain for a solution to the leaking aura and ultimately decided to simply try and absorb it back into himself. To his surprise, it worked.
'I cannot believe I've just been walking around with such a huge aura. Thank god they told me; I can just imagine myself walking into a human settlement and being attacked immediately for that!'
The Goblins immediately stop trembling upon Rimuru's control over his aura. And then they start to head toward the Goblin village, which Rimuru as well as Ainz are quite keen to see. However, upon their arrival, they are stunned. The entire village is old, and all their houses seem like they are about to fall apart and shatter away with a slight gust of wind.
'Why is everything about to break down?! Do these Goblins not know how to build anything or something?!'
With that sudden thought, a small hut in the corner of the village collapses, and dust is sent into the air, reaffirming both Rimuru and Ainz's suspicion that these Goblins have no idea how to build.
However, the subject at hand is quickly changed as an old Goblin with a stick holding him up comes up to Rimuru. Immediately bowing down to his greatness, his face turns from happy to a sad, sorrowful face.
"Oh mighty one! I know this is sudden; but may you please protect our village!?" The elder said, as a large group of Goblins immediately walked alongside the Elder and bowed down to Rimuru.
"Please! Lend us your strength!" All the Goblins say together, holding their bows and awaiting Rimuru's answer.
Rimuru found himself confused as he had no idea why the Goblins were asking for his strength in such a desperate manner.
"Lend my strength? But why? It doesn't look like you guys are in any trouble other than the collapsing huts." Rimuru responded in confusion.
The elder looked up but still kept his bowed stance; his face was a mix of desperation and slight hope.
"Oh mighty one! It may not look like it, but we are in dire straits. We have many injured by a sudden attack from dire wolves. They plan to wipe us away and take over the forest; we have no means to fight them! So please, we will even become your faithful servants!" The elder said, his voice mixed with desperation and sorrow; it's as if his life hangs in the balance of Rimuru's decision.
'A dire wolf attack? Injured Goblins? Wait a second, I'm immediately getting into conflict the moment I get out of the cavern! What the hell!? Ok… ok… wait, think for a second. If the dire wolves are planning to take over the forest, wouldn't that cause trouble later for me?'
Rimuru looked down at the Elder and then looked up to Ainz, in which Ainz gave Rimuru a slight nod as if he was telling Rimuru that it was okay to accept their plea.
"Alright, I'll help you, but first, you must take me to your injured," Rimuru responded to the Elder's plea with absolute approval. Because of this, the Elder jumped up with happiness and started to dance around as if he were a young boy again.
"Woohoo!" The elder screamed out as the other Goblins joined him in his dance. However, after a short second, he recollected himself and spoke calmly, "Thank you, my Lord; now, if you will follow me, I'll lead you over to the injured Goblins." The Elder said while walking over to a large tent that seemed to be sturdier than the rest, which made Rimuru think a tiny bit.
'Why didn't they just make the other tents as sturdy as this one? This village is not making any sense to me…'
Rimuru, judging the ability of the Goblins, decided not to linger around anymore and moved toward the hut. He bounced through the cloth entrance and was instantly shocked at the condition the Goblins were in. A few of the Goblins had deep gashes into their stomachs, some had large scratches and cuts from dire wolf claws and teeth, but a few were in a worse condition; their limbs were detached, blood scattered everywhere.
'My god… This is a grim sight; I never knew that dire wolves could be so ruthless.'
Rimuru then shook a tiny bit as if he were wiping away his shock and awe.
"Alright, time to do this!" Rimuru said out loud as he hopped over to one of the Goblins, consuming him entirely. The Elder responded to this, "Lord!? What are you doing!?" but in no time at all, Rimuru spit out the Goblin, and all his wounds were healed. This shocked all the Goblins in the tent, and even the Elder was left speechless, but Rimuru kept going, he healed every single last Goblin back to tip-top shape without any hesitation on the matter.
"There we go, every single one is now healed," Rimuru said, happy that he could be of assistance in this matter.
However, the Elder then got onto his knees and bowed before Rimuru, which caught him a bit off guard.
"You are great, my lord! I cannot believe you are able to heal such deep wounds so easily. Your power sees no bounds!" The Elder said as a slight tear rolled down his face at the sight of his people being healed.
Rimuru was pleasantly surprised by the sudden display of appreciation and replied in kind. "No need to thank me. I did promise to offer my assistance, after all."
The Elder looked up at Rimuru. "No need for humility, my Lord! Your power is truly something to behold," his tone conveying a sense of total awe.
'What is with these Goblins? It's like every little act is a great achievement…'
"Anyway, we have important matters to attend to," Rimuru declared, his voice ringing with authority. "First, I want you to gather some Goblins and construct a fence around the entire village. Secondly, arm as many Goblins as possible!"
The Elder acknowledged Rimuru's orders with a resolute nod. "Yes, Lord Rimuru! Right away," he replied before hastening out of the tent, leaving Rimuru to his thoughts.
"Ugh...I'll need to discuss with Ainz about lending me a hand against those direwolves. I have no idea how strong they truly are," Rimuru mused to himself, his mind already set on formulating a plan to address the looming threat.
Whistling of wind weaves through the tall standing meadows, but said wind brushes against a large figure. He wears a magnificent German outfit and displays overly exaggerated gestures, but something seems to be wrong.
As Pandora's Actor's eyes scour the forest, all he spots is a tiny white rabbit nibbling upon a fresh vegetable, but once it spots him back, it scurries off into the forest, disappearing into the foliage.
'Huh? This place doesn't seem to have any resemblance to the swamplands surrounding the Great Tomb of Nazarick. But that doesn't make sense. I don't remember being hit by a spell. Wait a minute, Lord Momonga!? He was standing right next to me at the time. He must've been transported with me.'
Pandora's Actor takes another look around the forest. Even in the darkest parts, he couldn't find a trace of his creator Lord Momonga.
'What? This doesn't make any sense. Did Lord Momonga get teleported off into a different location? Or did I get transported alone…'
A dark thought hits Pandora's Actor as a feeling he hasn't felt before hits him: loneliness. Though in a matter of seconds, he scrubs away those thoughts.
'Alright! The possibility that Lord Momonga got transported alongside me is quite high. I just need to find where he's been transported, but first, I need a higher vantage point.'
Pandora's Actor looks around and finds the tallest tree. Without a second thought, he jumps upon its highest branch to survey the land. But all he spots is a pack of wolves moving through the forest at great haste.
'There doesn't seem to be any landmarks in the distance, nor any signs of Lord Momonga's presence. I might have to go off in a random direction in the hope for any clues or even civilization. I have no doubt that Lord Momonga would find the closest settlement in search of knowledge.'
Pandora's Actor looks around, then decides to go eastward. He jumps from tree to tree and disappears off into the distance in a grand search for his Creator, Lord Momonga.
Mikezilla Note's: Heyo! Thanks for reading Chapter 2 (rewrite) of Overlord of Tensura. I'm finding it very difficult to go back and rewrite my old work because I generally find it super sloppy and hard to comprehend myself. I know right!? The writer himself finds it difficult haha…
Anyways! I've finished this up so hopefully I can get to chapter 3 / 4 sooner or later. I've also changed a few things around in this chapter from its original, mainly the orginzation and interaction between Ainz & Rimuru.
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