Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

The Four Adventurers had no idea what they were walking into. Following behind the Dragon that had saved them by chance, thanks to Ninya giving up her freedoms to him, they ventured forth through the massive open mouth of the Castle's archway that began to close with a mechanical hiss.

As they stepped through the foyer, Vertum paused, glanced over his shoulder and watched as the door let out a lofty blast of steam as it sealed shut. "What you are about to see, may not be shared with anyone outside. Do I make myself clear?"

The Swords of Darkness all looked at one another, before turning back to see him already walking away. The four then hurried after him towards what appeared to be a light at the end of the wide corridor-like foyer.

However the moment their eyes adjusted and they caught up with them, they came to a dead stop. "By the Gods..." Ninya uttered under her breath, gulping slightly at the sight of the varied sets of plant life that surrounded them for stories upon stories. Though despite that, the main thing that amazed them was the fact that this entire floor seemed much larger on the inside than it did on the outside. It was as if they had entered an entire new biome, with a number of them stacked on top of one another.

"This is only the first level, here we have exotic materials that no longer grow on the surface, or anywhere else in the New World. Rare premium teas, fruits and vegetables along with herbs." Vertum gestured towards a plant he walked over towards, before stroking the leaf.

"This is amazing," Ninya spouted as she pretty much had her face in a number of flowers, observing them closely and smelling them. "I've never seen plants like these before."

"You should be careful, some of these plants don't like being touched... And there are plenty of security mechanisms in this room. If you don't have an automaton with you, they will attack." Vertum warned with a brow raised before walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. There was a man eating plant centimeters away from her, its needle like teeth primed.

"You have defenses inside the Castle?" Dyne stroked his chin as he looked over the green house area. There were plenty of things in here he didn't recognize at all, and others which he saw as mere legendary plants that he had only ever seen in books.

"Yes, if the Eight Green Kings had been able to slay the Theocracy's God of Death and endanger the number of Dragon Lords that once roamed the skies, we had to be prepared." Vertum told a white lie, before looking to Peter and Lukrut who were watching the plants from a distance.

Ninya blinked when he mentioned the God of Death, but he didn't seem to go out of his way to name it. "That would be bad... Wouldn't it..." Her mind trailed off elsewhere for a moment before looking down the path towards the door at the very end of the room.

This particular level was almost two football fields long in every direction. Being able to see the door within the massive archway, that lead to a set of stairs, seemed almost intimidating.

"How was this place created...?" Ninya looked to Vertum, it seemed like a place built by otherworldly beings such as the four gods, or the Theocracy's Six. "Who created it?"

"Talent, Perhaps... Beings that far surpassed that of the Four Gods designed and made this place," Vertum began walking along the singular path towards the archway in a casual stroll. "According to legend of course..." He was giving a bit spice behind the true lore to the creation of his home.

By Vertum's logic, there was always a bigger fish.

"So... What do you plan on doing after you get your sister back?" Vertum asked curiously.

Ninya raised her head slightly to look at him, the question made her thoughts stutter for a short instance. "Make sure she is safe... Bring her here... I'm... I'm not sure, but I just don't want her to suffer anymore, where ever she is..." She ran a hand through her short brown hair.

Nodding to her, Vertum looked to the various biomes above. "And after that?"

"We'll prioritize finding a Sword of Darkness of our very own!" Ninya proclaimed as she found herself feeling upbeat as she thought about it, finally having one of the four weapons.

Her mind couldn't help but go towards the Noble girl who had a weapon from the set she sought. Taking it from an Adamantite Adventurer was out of the question, and she wasn't a greedy or immoral person.

She let out a sigh as she quickly simmered down, keeping her humbleness in the open.

However as they were walking, Ninya paused having seen something in the corner of her eye. Slowly, turning her head as she came to a stop, her gaze rested on a skull poking out of the flowers. It had beady red eyes that were looking right at her.

"Uh..." She almost turned blue in the face, noticing that it was more than just a skull, lavish robes visible behind the many plant leafs and stems.

Vertum turned his head as he watched the other Adventurers turn to look at their friend and jump at the sight of a Lich standing in the plants.

"Don't mind him, he tends the plants in his free time." Vertum shrugged lightly, "So does his twin." The dragonoid then shook his head slightly as the Adventurers nodded and scurried a little ways down the path before finally slowing down again.

It didn't take much for Vertum to catch up with them, teleporting several feet over to them.

"You have Undead serving your gardens?" Peter questioned with a brow raised.

"They're Overlords, Guardians, of the first floor here. They're exceptionally powerful magic casters, trained and created by the best people I knew." Vertum nodded his head slowly at this as he could remember his friends as if it were just yesterday they all played together.

Ninya and the others could see the sadness which was in his eyes. She of all people could recognize it from the day before, when she had shared a bed and room with him.

"You had many more friends here... Didn't you?" She asked with a sad, but humble and thoughtful tone.

Vertum looked at her for a few seconds, finding the will to keep a smile across his lips.

"You'll have the chance to make ones again," Ninya seemed assured, smiling as bright as the northern star of Earth. A star which Vertum only saw in the archives within his home Arcology's Libraries and Datastores.

Peter reached over and pat his friend's shoulder, before looking up to Vertum who was now staring at her with eyes he couldn't read.

In that long instance in which he stared, Lala's face briefly masked Ninya's in his mind.

"If you weren't a guy, I'd kiss you, right about now." Vertum suddenly spoke before looking forward and folding his hands behind his back.

Ninya's mouth almost dropped open, her cheeks overlayed with a light shade of pink. "I..."

Lukrut raised a brow at the man's words as if there was a hidden meaning in it, only to shake his head at his thoughts. "Nope," he laughed to himself as he gazed forward.

Dyne and Peter both stared at Vertum for a few seconds before just going quiet all together. For the rest of the stretch to the stairwell, they just gazed at the open biome around them.

As they reached the stairwell however, Vertum was the first to begin his ascent.

"What did you do last night?" Lukrut leaned over towards Ninya and whispered once the Dragonoid was no longer between them. However it was clear as day that he could hear.

"N-nothing, we just talked. He fell asleep really quick..." Ninya nearly jumped out of her boots at the question he asked, before hurrying up the steps after the Mirage Dragon.

"What did you just ask him about?" Peter raised a brow looking at his fellow party member.

"What they did last night," Lukrut snickered at the reaction Ninya had made. Something that he wasn't expecting from a guy, but it still matched what he knew of Ninya's humble and soft demeanor.

Peter rolled his jaw for a moment, before looking up towards their friend who was hurrying after the man in black and white attire. "Hm... What did he say?"

"That Vertum fell asleep really quick," Lukrut wore a foolish smirk across his lips.

Dyne shook his head as he walked passed them and up the stairs after the trio.

Clasping his hands together, he looked over his leader. Lukrut was letting the thoughts come back to him. "Do you think Ninya could be a girl? We've never seen him with his clothes off."

Peter bit his lower lip and shook his head, not really wanting to think about his friend in such a way. Just thinking about Ninya being a girl, let them undress them in their minds subconsciously. "You're horrible, you know that..." He punched his friend in the arm playfully, though a bit hard in the process, before walking up the steps after Dyne.

Lukrut rubbed his shoulder as he watched the others ascend.