A short, deathly pale woman, dressed in a crimson Victorian dress, cautiously sauntered in the aftermath of a battle that took place in a reality where everything was inside a grocery store. She held an open umbrella, the same tone and design as her dress, over her head, resting the stem on her right shoulder.
"I still cannot believe that that knight overpowered Albedo and Cocytus."
The deathly pale woman commented. She was Shalltear Bloodfallen, one of the great guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She was an undead being, a true vampire.
The tiled floor was covered with soot and other degrees of damage.
The grocery shelves were destroyed, and the displayed products were scattered across the ground. The neatly lined pillars, aligned with perfect symmetry, were either damaged or gone. Those farther away remained undamaged, while everything nearby was destroyed.
It was as if several violent storms had passed through here.
"Come, we need to hurry up. Fenrir picked up on their scent again."
An even smaller woman said she appeared younger, wearing matching white trousers and a vest over a red long-sleeved undershirt. She had short golden hair with eyes of two different colors. Her striking physical feature was her pointy ears.
She was Aura Bella Fiora, also a guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Behind her was a large canine beast — a wolf with majestic yet overgrown dark pelts. The beast was sniffing the floor and the air, already picking up the unique scents of its prey. The beast howled and followed the scent with its active nose.
"Shalltear, what do you think of our enemies?"
Aura said with a cheery voice, curious about Shalltear, who lately has been more of a thinker rather than a conversationalist. A quiet Shalltear was an interesting sight.
Shalltear hummed, placing a finger on her mouth. "They're stronger than those two that I have encountered. Arinsu~"
"Ohhhh right, that Hellsing vampire and that atomic kid?" Aura said, remembering the after-action report and the containment cell of that captured lesser vampire.
"That vampire was very combative; he hasn't given a single ounce of information. No matter how many times Demiurge would experiment or torture him, not a single ounce of relevant information was blurted out. Arinsu~"
Shallter muttered. The captured lesser vampire had given only its name. The source of his vampiric power, his weaponry, and his original location were not given. Shalltear giggled, however, thinking that with enough time, Demiurge can wring out anything valuable out of nothing.
"As for that atomic kid. No luck whatsoever. A couple of death knights managed to corner that kid, but he effortlessly killed them."
Shalltear muttered, frustrated, since she was the one responsible for tracking troublesome newcomers down but had only achieved half of her objectives. The atomic kid remained free.
Aura sighed, closing her eyes while placing her hands behind her head. "Albedo suggested sending my beasts and me, but Ainz-sama objected."
She continued. "Ainz-sama instead suggested a heavily fortified perimeter for now since we have better things to deal with. Let that guy roam free for now, we'll get him eventually."
The two continued walking, following the canine beast. After some time of tracking, the beast stopped, no longer catching the whiff of the unique scents of its target. The beast turned to Aura, shaking its head and letting out a soft gruff.
"Well, that's that. End of the line." Aura said.
"So they've found a way to mask their scents?" Shalltear said, placing a pen on her mouth.
Aura shook her head. "Nope. If that were true, Ainz-sama wouldn't have sent us on a tracking mission; it would be far too dangerous. They likely destroyed the entrance from the other side to buy some time."
Aura muttered as Shalltear relentlessly jotted down her own analysis in her small notebook, as if she realized an epiphany. Aura sighed. Shalltear was improving, but in her own methodical pace.
The entire level hummed then lightly rumbled as the floor glimmered with green light, rippling with shimmers like a disturbed puddle of water. It was another sign of instability spreading everywhere, appearing with annoyingly depressing regularity.
Some shattered products or shelves fell through the floor. So far, it was mostly harmless, a reminder that something was happening behind the scenes. They paused for a moment as the rumbling passed, then continued talking.
"More people are appearing, too, from other realities as Demiurge explained,"
Aura added with an exhausted sigh. She was responsible for the creation of the holding cells, acting as the head warden while her beasts and Mare kept the peace. Demiurge's job was to interrogate or intimidate the prisoners.
"Have we met more problems?" Shalltear questioned.
"The ones in our cells? No. The ones roaming around, yes."
Aura answered with a whistle, unbothered. The two of them, along with the canine beast, were heading back. They passed by a group of undead skeletons, a scouting party looking for entrances. Aura waved at them while the skeletons remained impassive.
"Ainz-sama, however, spared those fancy soldiers with kinetic weaponry. They called themselves a self-defense force. He was especially intrigued with them." Aura continued, while Shalltear scribbled words after words.
"Ah, right, those soldiers who called this place a special region,"
Shalltear said, remembering the strange sort of soldiers. They weren't fighting for a king or a monarchy, as far as she remembered. They wore strange uniforms, she thought it was like sprinkling green, black, and grey dye randomly all over the fabric.
Their kinetic weaponries were similar to CZ Delta, loud and deafening.
"You know, I never really liked this place from the start. I feel like we're fighting an uphill battle." Aura finally said, letting her true feelings be known, but in a quiet, inoffensive tone.
"I share your sentiment, but Ainz-sama has plans for this place, and it's up to us to enact his will and orders." Shalltear answered, noting that there were some truths to her words.
Although she was not a genius, the task of repairing the new world, damaged by their rash act of vengeance, while simultaneously exploring this unfamiliar reality, was exhausting Nazarick's resources.
Also, three of Nazarick's loyal maids were dead, and it is currently difficult to resurrect them.
Shalltear could only sigh, but with a proud face. "Ainz-sama will see us to victory. Nazarick and the name of Ainz Ooal Gown do not know defeat."
Aura's expression finally beamed, revealing a wide, huge smile, her chest swelling with confidence and pride. This was, for her, another challenge. A surmountable difficulty.
"Yes, Nazarick does not know defeat."
She said, as the canine beast behind her howled with fervor.