"You have done very well, Shalltear. Those low-lives now know how weak they truly are. They never stood a chance against Nazarick and you taught them that so very well. I'm very pleased with your work."
The Myobu of even a year ago would probably hold her face and blush in shame at what she was doing now; however, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had Momonga then. He was gone now, leaving her to lower herself to this. It was pathetic how this was still the highlight of her day, but it truly was.
The Celestial Kitsune hadn't actually been deep into role-play when she still had guild-mates. She focused more on min-maxing and abusing the hell out of every trick she could find to rise above other players. Now, alone, she relied on it to keep herself sane.
If she didn't have even this false social interaction, she'd likely go mad with loneliness. Not that her guildmates had cared. They probably hadn't even given a thought to those they'd left behind. Momonga had felt that loss too and she had been led to believe he would stay with her to share that pain between them. He had promised, even, that he would stay until the very end. They were partners.
It had all been a lie! He left, just like the others! He left what they had worked so hard for – the Great Tomb of Nazarik that was their home – and betrayed her by going back on his word.
Was it her fault?
"Considering how many Players had gathered to conquer Nazarick in this latest attempt at glory, your success in turning them away is something to admire. For such hard work, I believe you deserve a reward. I shall give you the Amulet of Despair, which increases the damage caused when using magic with a negative alignment."
Was it because she had burst his bubble of denial? She had seen the decline of Yggdrasil. She knew what the shitty devs would do. She knew Yggdrasil had a deadline in the future, but Momonga hadn't wanted to admit it.
She had pushed, trying to use it as an excuse to take riskier ventures while they could. It was why so many other players had been trying to conquer their guild base. Who wouldn't want the glory in destroying a guild that had withstood all other attempts? Their attempts infuriated her and she was merciless in her retribution, but she understood them.
While she herself was not focused on other guilds, she had tried to get Momonga to seek the greatest treasures to be had in the most dangerous dungeons. After all, her [Alarm Talisman] would alert her if any intruders tried their luck on their guild base, so they could have fun without having to worry needlessly.
He had gone with her for a time. The rest of their party spaces were taken up by powerful mercenary NPCs to make up for their missing friends. Summoned creatures made up for any additional firepower needed. Considering her specialty was summoning and racial skills, this was hardly a problem. Many successes were had and she had felt a rush of triumph and glee at each victory. She hoarded each treasure and used every data crystal to forge even more treasures.
She had thought that they could continue to adventure and better Nazarick until the very end. She thought he would stay and help her defend their home from invaders until everything was shut down.
She had given him her faith, her trust, and he had betrayed her. He betrayed Nazarick and all it represented. He left her alone with only NPCs to talk to. How could he?! He was her partner! He had promised!
But Momonga's soul had been chipped away bit after bit, day after day, as the reality of Yggdrasil's end weighed heavily upon him. It had not actually been declared until last week, a year after his disappearance, but the loss of so many players made it obvious that Yggdrasil would not last much longer. The devs had a new game to attract paying customers and make up for the loss of profits. That only spawned more rumors that echoed her suspicions. The foretelling she had made Momonga face.
Perhaps it would've been different if the announcement had taken him by surprise, but was that really an excuse?
She was staying. What was so different between them that she could face this and he couldn't? What reason did he have to run from what they'd made with sweat and tears and their IRL cash?
Wasn't she as beat down as he was? Wasn't she just as alone in real life? Wasn't she hurting as badly because of the other guildmates had left them behind? Didn't she also consider Nazarick to be her true home? Didn't she also suffer at her job? Wasn't she also missing her own family?
She had stayed. She would stay until the end!
Why couldn't he?
Why was everyone leaving her behind?
Myobu, the last of the Original Nine and Guild Master by default, clenched her fists. She took a deep breath and then forced herself to relax. She had to keep her role, after all. This was the point of everything now.
Her nine gold tails swayed behind her as she regally stood from her throne and equipped Shalltear with the promised amulet.
"[Shalltear: return to your station]. Keep up the good work."
The vampiric NPC, the one created by the bird-kin archer Peroroncino, curtseyed with her static smile and walked out of the throne room without a word.
But what had Myobu really been expecting? They were all NPCs. She was the one role-playing. It was her who was projecting on them. She was the one pathetically using them to not feel so alone, so empty and without purpose.
"Fuck what anyone else might think," she muttered as she sat upon her throne once more. "They're mine. I can damn well project on them if I feel like it."
It wasn't exactly the best way to cope, but it was keeping her from…no, she didn't want to think on that. She was better now. She was not going there again.
Myobu really did bury her face in her pale, clawed hands then. She felt so heavy, so tired.
"Maybe it's time to log out," she said to no one. "The closing date is tomorrow and I want to have enough energy to stay up until the very last second."
Her hand slowly rose to call up her menu. She hesitated just a moment before letting her finger fall on the [Log Out] button.
In her quiet and empty apartment, she dragged herself to her room and fell into her bed.
She hoped to dream of Nazarick.
She had called in sick for work. It might as well have been true. She felt listless and sick to her stomach. She was barely able to swallow down her breakfast without throwing up.
She might have cried a little after she was done eating, but no one was there to see it.
She put the bowl and spoon in the sink after she was done and stumbled to her recliner. She just stared at the headset that would send her to Yggdrasil – to home – for quite some time. She didn't know how long she sat there before she reached over and grabbed it. She put it on her lap and stared at it a while longer.
She tilted her head to see the clock over her desk and realized, "Only sixteen hours left."
Sixteen hours was a long time to play all at once, even for an enthusiastic gamer, but it was all she had until she lost everything. It seemed so short when she thought of it like that.
"Sixteen hours," she said. She sighed and slumped in her chair. "Only that long until it all ends."
No game was as good as Yggdrasil in her opinion. She had never invested so much of herself as she had into it and into her guild within it. She loved the Great Tomb of Nazarick and everything in it. She loved the NPCs who would never leave her of their own free will.
She loved the memories she had of their guild, even as she resented the ones who tarnished those very memories.
Sixteen hours didn't feel like enough time to say goodbye, but that was all the time there was.
As if suddenly realizing how quickly the end was coming, she shoved the helmet on and scrambled to plug the link-cord into the back of her neck. The home screen faded into her vision and she wasted no time on clicking the symbol for Yggdrasil.
Everything went black for a few seconds before the log-in screen faded into existence before her eyes. She shakily typed in her [Username] and [Password] and then selected her [Avatar], named Myobu to honor her chosen race of Fox Spirit.
She was the fabled Celestial Kitsune of Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who had gradually grown nine tails from one as a sign of maxing out her racial levels. She was the feared Summoner of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
And she was home for the last, heartbreaking time.
A/N: I feel like Overlord doesn't nearly have enough fanfic to read, so I decided to write some of my own. Like the story Overlord, expect OC to be absurdly powerful compared to the competition, while also being surrounded by fervently loyal NPCs who practically worship the ground she walks on. So, yeah, pretty much a power trip. Can't blame me though! The original story started it.
Things will be a bit different than the original, however. She's a kitsune, not an undead, so she's going to have a lot of different instincts. Keep in mind that she also has a physical body, so lust is one of those differences. Also, while she is primarily a magic-caster instead of a physical fighter, her skills WILL be different than Momonga's. Between her mentality and her skills, there are times where things will be very different.
Warning: I've watched the full anime so far and then switched to the light novels to get ahead instead of waiting for July's new anime season. So, if things happen differently due to the change in media, I don't know.