After drifting in an eternal dark abyss for what felt like eons, Lakyus consciousness began to return. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a room that was only slightly less dark, just enough for her to be able to see silhouettes. She was in a plain room, only a makeshift bed made of straw and a wooden bucket for purposes she didn´t want to think about right now were around her. It was obvious what this place was. A prison cell. Lakyus recollected the events that led to her current condition. She fought Geralt and must have lost the fight, resulting in her imprisonment. As she tried to stand up, a sharp pain ran through her right shoulder. The spot Geraltsｴ swords had pierced her was covered in bandages. It seems like her hosts didnｴt want her to die from her injuries, but didnｴt want to heal them with magic in case she tried to resist. This was most likely the compromise. It would probably be impossible for her to use her right arm in battle, but slight movements should be fine for now. She struggled to stand up, hearing a metallic clatter behind her. After turning around she saw the source of that noise. A heavy chain, connected the wall and, as she noticed for the first time, a collar around her neck. Shocked she immediately reached for the back of her neck to find a lock or something similar. Her surprise was huge as she was easily able to open it and fell to the floor. But the relief only lasted for a handful of seconds, as she now could feel intense cold invading her body. It took only a couple of moments for her to lose the feeling in her fingers and for her lips to turn blue. She put her arms around her chest to maintain at least a little bit of her body warm. Then she also noticed that she wasnｴt wearing her armor or the clothes she wore underneath it. Her body was enveloped by plain rags, something a homeless person would wear. With shaking hands she grabbed the collar from the floor and put it back around her neck. In the same moment she heard the lock of the collar closing, she could feel the warmth returning to her body and the pain to subside.

What a wicked way to torment me. Forcing me to put on my own shackles.

She sank back down on her bed, waiting for her captures to show themselves. Despite her dire situation, she didnｴt even think of despairing. She firmly believed that her efforts were enough to help her friends escape. What other reason could there be to let her live? If her friends are save, it would be worth enduring whatever agony was awaiting her. But despite every horror she had depicted in her mind what happened was...nothing. She was left in that cell for a very long time. Lakyus had no way of measuring the time except for her own perception, but she was nowhere as proficient as the twins. From her own feeling around twelve hours must have passed since she woke up. She used the time examining her cell. Apart from the interior, the walls were much more interesting. She couldn´t see it in the dark and only noticed it after slowly palpating it. The ground, ceiling and walls were all completely made of ice. That also explained the intense cold whenever she took of the collar. She also found a rectangular fissure in one of the walls, probably a door. Her guess was correct as soon after the huge block of ice was pushed aside. Bright daylight filled her cell and forced Lakyus to raise her arms to protect her eyes from the light. Then she saw somebody standing in the door. It was a woman, but Lakyus didn´t even think for a second she was an ally, as she obviously was not human. Long, black hair like a moonless night, a well-featured face with bluish white skin and deep, blue eyes. Not only the iris, everything was blue as if somebody had picked up sapphires and put them in the empty eye-sockets of a doll. Her snow-white dressed looked expensive enough to trouble even wealthy nobles. With an icy voice fitting her appearance she said.

"Eat."

She dropped a loaf of bread and some apples, as well as a water-bag.

"I don´t know what you are planning to do, but you will not win."

Bored of her, the mysterious woman disappeared and the heavy ice block effortlessly slid back in its´ original place, filling the room with darkness once again. This act repeated itself several times. Lakyus estimated that the woman came roughly twice a day, always dropping some food and water. She never said anything besides `Eat`. Reluctant at first, Lakyus tried to avoid the food that was given to her by the warden, but in the end hunger won. She put the remains of the apples in one line, to count the days she was here. Today was the seventh day of her imprisonment and the block of ice opened once again. But despite the usual woman, somebody else entered the room. Lakyus´ eyes widened in surprise.

"Momon?"

She tried to go to him, but was stopped by the chain.

"Hello. I´m sorry I couldn´t make it earlier. As soon as I heard what happened, I tried to reach you, but I had to ask for a lot of favors to see you."

"You shouldn´t have done that. I guess those people are not the kind of guys you would like to owe favors to."

"It´s fine. The boss of this place is not such a bad guy at all. Hey."

He turned to the woman behind him.

"Do what you promised."

"Hmpf."

The woman waved her hand and the chain attached to Lakyus slipped out of the ice-wall.

"Lord Ainz allowed you to take her for a walk, but make sure to bring her back."

He picked up the chain and said.

"Yes."

Afterwards the woman left. They both stepped out of the cell, Lakyus a couple of steps behind Momon. The outside was even more hostile than the inside of her cell. As far as her eyes could reach she saw nothing but snow and ice. Despite the wind blowing in her face, she didnｴt feel cold at all. She touched the collar almost grateful for its´ protecting effect.

"I´m sorry, this has to be very humiliating, but it was part of the deal."

"I understand. I´m very grateful you came to visit me. Seeing a familiar face is a nice change of paste."

"I assume you have a lot of questions and I will try to answer them as good as possible, but there are certain things I´m not allowed to talk about. I hope you can understand."

"Yes, of course. Can you tell me what happened to my friends?"

"Somehow I knew you would ask this. Rest assured, they managed to escape to safety."

Lakyus sighed relieved.

"Thank god. Then it was worth it."

"It seems like they used teleport to get away in the last second. You were fighting Geralt with a transformation caused by your sword, right? Where did you get it?"

"It´s a family heirloom and has been in the possession of my family for generations. But what happened after I lost consciousness?"

"Geralt brought you here after he defeated you. He was furious."

"He was?"

"Well, he pretended to be as calm as always, but you could see him burning with anger."

"I guess I should apologize to him."

"Huh?"

"I know it sounds weird after what I have done, but it wasn´t my intention to misuse his trust and generosity. I feel guilty for treating him like that."

"I´m sure he would appreciate that. From what I have heard whenever someone tried to break into his home in the past, a member of his family died. Your actions have triggered some bad memories and emotions."

"I see."

"By the way, what were you even doing there in the first place?"

"I´m sorry, but I can´t tell you."

"It seems like you were looking for something. I don´t think you were after the money. If it had been that, you could have found other places with lower risk."

He carefully looked over his shoulders and then whispered.

"He has turned that place upside down but there was nothing worth that big of a risk. If there is something the Sorcerer King mustn´t find, tell me."

Lakyus, equally careful, responded.

"I know for certain that the Dragon Lords hid something a couple hundred years ago and somehow the Witchers of that time stumbled upon it. We were hoping to find a map or some clues as to where to find it."

"But why?"

Momon sounded almost desperately curious, but Lakyus thought she just imagined it.

"It seems to be a source of great power and might be useful in defeating the Sorcerer King."

"What makes you think the Sorcerer King hasn´t already found it?"

"Because I know it is still save."

"Thank you for telling me. I appreciate your trust. I will do my best to keep you informed of the situation. Now ask me some more questions, so we don´t look suspicious. There are some of these creatures coming closer."

Lakyus couldn´t sense anything, but decided to trust Momons´ instincts.

"Where even is this place? From the weather and the surroundings it must be somewhere far north. Is this the place the Sorcerer King originally comes from?"

"Well, it´s not like you are entirely false, but you aren´t entirely right either."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmmm. It´s really difficult to explain. First of all, all of what you can see right now is not really outside."

Lakyus looked at him in disbelief.

"Look, I´m not even pretending I totally understand it, but from what I know this place seems to be one of the underground levels of the Sorcerer Kings´ lair."

"This place is underground? But there is daylight and weather, how is that even possible?"

"Imagine this place like a multi-stored house. Every level had a different environment and is occupied by a multitude of different creatures. In addition, every level is bigger than a large city. My best guess is that each level is around one and a half times the size of the capital."

Lakyus seemed to calculate.

"That would mean his lair is the size if a small nation. Is every level like this?"

"No. Every level is different. The Sorcerer King resides on the lowest level and many levels are protected by one or more of his closest aides. They are called guardians."

"How many of them are there?"

Momon remained silent for a while. Lakyus assumed he was thinking of how much information he could share with her.

"Four."

He almost whispered. Lakyus was glad Momon was trusting her to that extend. From their conversation she was sure he was preparing some kind of resistance against the Sorcerer King. He was carefully gathering information of the Sorcerer Kings´ hideout and his strongest warriors.

"Is there any way out of here?"

I´m afraid that will be impossible for now.

Was she imagining things or did he made a little pause before for now? He was probably telling her to wait for the right moment.

"There are hordes of enemies everywhere and facing them without proper equipment and preparation is insane."

Now she could see the mysterious woman approach them.

"Your time is up."

Reluctantly Momon handed the chain back to her.

"I will try to come again."

Lakyus bowed.

"Thank you very much. I´m grateful for your consideration, but I don´t want to be a burden to you."

In the throne room of the ninth floor of Nazarick two people were watching over a multitude of monitors, one of them depicting the frosty glacier of the fifth floor. The people watching, Albedo and Demiurge, were eagerly discussing things. Demiurge said.

"So that was the reason our lord wished to speak to the prisoner himself. Who would have guessed he was already expecting things to develop that way."

"We can never hope to fully grasp the abysmal intellect of our master and creator."

"With the knowledge we gained from that orc we can now safely assume that there are other people looking for that secret. Lord Ainz must have foreseen that development when he first visited the fortress and has been carefully preparing traps for his enemies."

"Now that we know of a possible danger, we must deal with it as quickly as possible. If the information we got about it is true, it might become a threat in enemy hands."

"The meeting with the dragon is scheduled for later today. We should be wary of him."

The next moment Ainz teleported into the room, right on top of the throne. Albedo and Demiurge immediately got on their knees. Ainz then motioned for them to rise. He stared at them in silence for a couple of seconds before saying.

"Demiurge."

"Yes, Lord Ainz?"

"Please fetch Geralt and bring him here. I want to ask him some questions."

"At once, milord."

Geralt, who was waiting in one of the rooms nearby, arrived only moments later, also immediately dropping to his knee. Geralt could feel three pairs of eyes on him, growing more and more nervous as the silence continued. Ainz broke the silence by saying.

"I made you come because I wanted to ask you some questions."

"I will answer to my best knowledge."

"First let me ask: When the Blue Roses came to you and asked to stay, why did you allow them in?"

"I am truly sorry if I have evoked displeasure. It will never happen again."

"I don´t think that is an answer to my question."

Geralt could feel the bloodlust, not from Ainz but the two demons behind him.

"Please, speak your mind freely."

"I thought I could convince them to recognize your majestys´ greatness and join your ranks. I know it was a silly decision on my part and I will do my best to make up for my blunder."

Ainz seemed to contemplate for a couple of seconds. And mumbled something along the lines.

"That is the difference."

Then he said.

"Well, I guess it´s nothing to be concerned about. You were acting in the best interest of the Sorcerer Kingdom, right?"

"Absolutely."

"And since you prevented the enemy from getting his hands on what he was looking for and even brought us the leader of the invaders. I think there is nothing to be angry about."

Geralt realized the hostility originating from behind him subsided. Relieved, he let out a deep sigh.

"But there is one thing I´m still curious about. What were they looking for?"

"I am terribly sorry, but I have not the faintest clue. I swear."

Ainz seemed hesitant at first but made no attempts of further inquiry.

"Then it´s settled. Any objections?"

He looked at Albedo and Demiurge. None of them seemed to have any objections, but it was Geralt who spoke up.

"With all due respect, I think I deserve at least some kind of punishment. I have acted on my own accord and let my emotions get the better of me. It´s clear I´m lacking discipline."

"If that´s how you feel, I will think about it."

"Milord."

Demiurge said.

"May I suggest a compromise?"

Ainz seemed to nod in affirmation.

"Lately there has been a large influx of orphans in our facilities. I think it would be fruitfully to let them train and learn at the fortress."

"An excellent idea, as expected of you, Demiurge. Geralt, you will take a couple of children and train them. Maybe we can raise capable adventurers from scratch. Anything else?"

"As you are speaking of raising, it seems like my last attempts to breed and raise superior abellion sheep was a failure and I am now lacking in flock."

"Can you acquire them from the holy kingdom, like last time?"

"I´m afraid that won´t be possible. After our last hunt the herds have been thinned severely. Any more might cause the population to collapse. But I know of another large herd in the east, in the Dragonic Kingdom."

"Then you have my permission to do whatever is necessary to secure them. The scrolls their skins are the basis for are an essential necessity for Nazarick. Now that that is taken care of, I think we should head to the meeting with the Dragon Lord. I´m curious of his proposal."

Ainz left the Room via teleportation and Demiurge ordered Geralt to wait outside. Left alone, Albedo asked her fellow guardian.

"I know what your goal is with the ´sheep´, but what are you hoping to achieve by sending the young worms to the fortress?"

"I guess you heard what our lord said, right?"

"That´s the difference. What about it?"

"You see, despite all his flaws and his inferiority, the Witcher became a loyal little pet. On the other hand we have thousands of rats we have forced into submission, but are eagerly looking for ways to escape. The difference is, that obedience can be forced, loyalty not. Therefore, if some of the children were to see the life our lord can offer them and desire to become his servants, there would be nothing wrong about it."

"You are hoping they desire to become Witchers themselves, abandoning being human. A lot of them would probably die during that process."

Despite saying these truly concerned words, she wore a happy smile upon the thought of many humans dying.

"If we have to exterminate a hundred obedient rats to gain one loyal dog, don´t you think it would be worth it?"

Arriving in his chamber, Ainz collapsed onto his bed. Mentally exhausted and wishing for rest, he went over the events of the last couple of days. First the Blue Roses broke into the vault of the Witcher Fortress and fought against Geralt. Not that there was anything interesting to begin with. After he gained access, Ainz had this place turned upside down to find any hidden secret. The result? Nothing. Lakyus was caught in the progress. Then he managed to convince Albedo and Demiurge that he himself should interrogate her, even if this was just an excuse to ditch his office work to someone else. Then, when she was brought here, he learned that the Dragon Lords were preparing an attack on the Sorcerer Kingdom and one of them was willing to negotiate with him in secret. It seems like the problems kept piling up. When talking to Geralt, he could feel that he was very depressed. Getting tricked by them must have damaged his pride. But he report was pretty interesting. His fight with the Blue Roses was apparently pretty intense and he also could use his wild magic to protect others from Tier magic. During the conversation he kept thinking about the differences between those two. Absentminded, he pulled Lakyusｴsword out of his inventory.

(So this is the legendary demonic sword I have heard so much about. It´s rather disappointing.)

After closely inspecting it, Ainz could evaluate the swords´ abilities. This black blade was a mid-tier item from Ygdrasil and not a particularly powerful one. It was mostly used by players around level 50-60. It could temporarily grant its´ user the mid-tier physical nullification skill. However, that came at a cost. The users´ mana was cut in half and while equipped, the user would lose all damage bonus a weapon usually provided and for the duration of the skill equipping another weapon was impossible, as it still occupied a weapon slot. It gave a slight boost in strength, but overall this was more of a joke-weapon players would use for role-playing. Ainz remembered one of his old friends using a similar weapon once, pretending to be possessed by a demon. The memory of that event caused Ainz to feel so ashamed he slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead and rolled around in his bed. It got to the point his emotion suppression kicked in and calmed him down.

Ainz got up from his bed, straightened his robe and prepared to depart. They agreed to use a transmission spell to talk to the Emerald Dragon Lord, but that didn´t mean he would do so inside of Nazarick. Ainz still couldn´t fully grasp the strength of wild magic, so he was still wary the spell could also do something else, like teleporting someone inside. The possibility wasn´t zero, so he decided to put the fake Nazarick that was built during the Lizardman invasion to good use. The emissary was already there and Geralt should also arrive now. For some reason the Dragon Lord was adamant that he should attend. After yet another swift teleport Ainz found himself in the fake throne room. Geralt kneeling a couple of feet away, as well as the orc, also kneeling. After telling them to stand up, the orc said.

"I´m very grateful you managed to find time. If you allow it, I will start the procedure."

He placed a small green jewel on the ground. Interested, Ainz asked.

"Are you performing the magic?"

"No lowly being as myself could ever hope to wield the magic of the dragon lords. This is a magic gem made by my lord, specified to show the location of the projection."

Then the gem started to shine and the light formed a triangular wall, depicting the image of a dragon. This dragon had emerald green scales, a large, snake-like body, but his four short, stumpy legs looked more like those of a salamander. If not for the wings on his back, Ainz would have thought he looked like an eastern dragon. He looked like a weird mixture of dragon, snake and salamander. Ainz was fascinated by the foreign magic he saw for the first time. He carefully glanced around and saw the orc-messenger similarly bewildered, obviously witnessing it for the first time as well. Geralt on the other hand looked totally composed and unimpressed. Ainz made a mental note to remember that. His ability to overcome the physical damage nullification was impressive alone, but his adaptability to new phenomena was also noteworthy.

Of course Ainz couldn´t know what was really going on in Geralts´ mind. He wasn´t paying attention to the situation at all. He was too busy thinking about the mess that was going on in his home. The morning after the big fight with Lakyus, he noticed that Triss was gone. She must have left the night before, leaving only a small note behind, ordering him to take good care of Ziri and that she would return as soon as she was done. He noticed that the scholarship for the magical academy was also missing, so he could guess where she went, but he couldnｴt understand why she left so suddenly without saying goodbye. Only when the big shimmering image began to speak, Geralt noticed what was going on. He did his best to remain calm.

"It´s a pleasure to meet you, Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. I´m glad my servant managed to deliver my message."

"I´m equally pleased, Emerald Dragon Lord Horaki Folter. If you don´t mind, I would like to cut the formalities as much as possible. Your servant has conveyed some disturbing news to me and I´m eager to know more."

"I guess that´s understandable. But before we continue, I have to make sure of one thing. Am I right to assume that the young man standing next to you is a Witcher?"

"Yes. That is correct."

"Good. As you are probably aware, your alliance with the Witcher guild has caused some commotion among our ranks and now some of us are thinking of dealing with the cause of that commotion, you, with violent matters."

Ainz placed his hand on his chin and was almost freaking out, mumbling some inaudible words.

(What´s going on? I have done nothing to upset the dragons. I always made sure not to cause unnecessary trouble. Well, since I have no idea what this is about, time to ask him directly.)

The only words Horaki was able to understand were about time. Was the Sorcerer King secretly waiting for them to act hostile to have a reason to destroy them? Did he maybe already plundered that place and was eagerly awaiting their reaction? He had waited for the perfect opportunity to make contact with the Witchers. For him, the death of the previous head and the sole surviving member being an inexperienced and naive young one must have been like present being delivered at his home. He had patiently baited the Dragon Lords and prepared all kinds of counter-measures. Just how much did he know about them? Was he aware of their individual strength and abilities? Yet he seemed confident he could easily take them on. As much as Horaki hated to admit it, he had to agree with Tsa in one thing. The being he saw through his projection was much more terrifying than the eight kings of greed. Feeling confirmed in his initial believe, his resolve was even stronger. It was the right decision to reach out to him.

"I´m deeply sorry, but I am not aware of any action on my side attracting the wrath of the Dragon Lords."

He was feigning innocence. This being named Ainz Ooal Gown was extremely cunning and intelligent. Even now he was careful not to show his hand.

"It´s not what you did, but what you might do now that you are in possession of the secret knowledge of the Witchers."

Almost looking bored, at least Horaki interpreted his empty skull like that, the Sorcerer King turned around to speak to Geralt.

"Is there anything you have told me that warranted such a reaction?"

The Witcher frantically shook his head.

"If, perhaps, you could be a little clearer?"

Deeply looking into the hollow skull with the only thing inhabiting the eternal darkness being two little flames, Horaki felt like a cold hard hand was slowly tightening around his throat. He tried to swallow some saliva, but was unable to. It was clear with the malice this being was radiating that he was openly threatening and taunting him. One wrong move would be the end for his ambitious plans. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Some of my brethren are afraid of what you are capable of and therefore wish to exterminate you."

"And you hold a different opinion?"

"I think there is more to gain from siding with you."

Still bewildered by the prospect of an invasion by the Argland Council State, he now had a pretty good grasp on the personality of the dragon before him. He was like a mid-level manager, loving to exert his authority over his subordinates but being frustrated of being inferior to others, always looking for a way to ascend the career ladder. Such a person would easily leave a company if a better offer was presented. This lack of loyalty was somewhat troubling since you never know when you are betrayed. That is only, if you arenｴt the one making the best offer. With this understanding of his new acquaintance, he asked the important questions.

"How would that alliance look like?"

"First of all, I´m not really that concerned with you finding that place. If you want it, you can have it. I don´t care. All I want is what I have deserved for a long time."

"I´m sure we can come to an agreement that´s mutually beneficial. What is it you desire?"

Horaki felt like he was about to sign a contract with the devil, but now that he has come this far, there was no way back.

"I want to take my rightful place as the ruler of the dragons. I want my brothers and sister to acknowledge my rule and if not, I want them gone."

"I think that can be done, but if you are currently not I a ruling position, what is there to gain for me?"

Frustrated he responded.

"I know I´m not among the strongest of my kin, but I´m confident I can control at least two other dragon lords. I can make them support my claim. So instead of seven, you would have to only face four of them. And I can lead you to the relics left behind by the eight kings of greed."

"The eight kings?"

"Yes. My brother is currently hording their relics and denies everyone else access. If I was in charge of guarding them, I would grant capable people access to them."

"I have to admit, that sounds intriguing. Your proposal sounds promising and I´m willing to consider it. But I have one last question. That place you keep bringing up..."

"As I said, I don´t care. For me it´s just a useless remnant of the past with no merit keeping it around. If you have use for it, I don´t mind you controlling it, the grave of the Dragon Emperor."