Authors Note
Got in the mood for this after watching the dubbed for Overlord season two, binge watched all three seasons. Im still waiting with baited breath for the announcement for the next season. This is also the second of two stories I wanted to post to give a kick in the pants to the writers for Overlord to see if we can get some more good chapters.
Overlord - Tonoigusa - The World Poison
Momonga watched, despairing as Hero-hero logged out. He cursed as he slammed his clenched, bony fist slamming into the round table.
"Damn it! How could he just abandon what we built like this!?"
Momonga spun as he heard a dry, feminine chuckle from behind him. There stood a player he had never expected to see again. They had been the thirteenth player to quit, but had never formally resigned from the guild.
"Oh dear Momonga, I realize that you might not be particularly enthused by the low turn, but are you really intending to take your frustrations out on the table?"
Tonoigusa. They had been one of the very first players to join, right after Momonga in fact. They were referred to by gender neutral pronouns by the rest of the guild because of two reasons, the first was because they played a female character, the second reason was that the voice they heard over the chat changed week by week and day by day, sometimes a masculine American voice, other times a silken, feminine Japanese voice, other times a genderless British tone.
Today, it was the feminine voice, it made Momonga smile as he inclined his head at the other player, who even in Yggdrasil was almost totally unique.
Tonoigusa, or Tono for short, played a Joregumo, a spider demon, from the waist up they were a beautiful woman, with long black hair, and a beautiful silver kimono that seemed to glow with an inner celestial light.
From the waist down however, their body was that of a monstrous black widow, with a prominent red hourglass shape on their thorax.
Tono lightly moved forward on their eight legs before delicately nesting at the table, at Momongas right hand. They nodded at their guldmaster.
"So, other then slamming the table, what are you planning to do to commemorate the end?"
Momonga snorted at his oddly formal way of speaking. No matter what voice they heard over chat, Tono had always spoken with that same oddly stilted and formal way of speaking. Tono had also been one of the earlier member to drop off the map, but they had never formally retired from the guild, and none of the other members had ever required their retirement for one simple reason.
They had acted as a guardian for the very first floor until every other floor had been designed and created.
They had eventually even gained the unique class of 'Word Poison' that they had shared with the top ranks amongst the guild. Like the two other classes of 'World Champion' and 'World Disaster' that two other members of the guild had possessed, it granted unique bonuses to both the player, and the guild as a whole.
In this case, the 'World Poison' class granted an entire range of unique poisons, including one that in game was absolutely terrifying. Conceptual poisons, a unique series of poisons that could target the stability of the victims mind, the condition of their gear, their allegiance to a guild or membership in party.
Coupled with Tono's abilities with summoning high level spiders that provided the opening for that single strike with the Conceptual poison had made it so they were an undefeated Guardian. After the rest of the floors had been created, along with their Guardians and other NPC's, Tono had been given the entirety of the 1rst floor to create whatever they wanted.
Momonga still got the occasional shiver when he remembered the floor as he and a few of the other guild members had gone through to test it, the glowing eyes of the spiders that had covered every available surface were terrifying.
Momonga stood up, and began walking towards the guild weapon, the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, speaking as he did.
"Its nice to see you again Tono. Do you think… Do you think the other guild members would be fine with me taking the staff, just for today?"
Tono shrugged, her human body dipping slightly with the movement.
"I believe that you might as well. After all, if anyone cared enough to object to it, they would have showed up Guild Master."
Momonga nodded sadly as he plucked the staff from its resting place and began moving towards the throne room, robes rustling on the ground and staff clicking with every step. Tono on the other hand was absolutely silent as they took a position a step behind and to the right of Momonga.
Momonga turned a corner too see a line of various maids and a butler standing at attention.
"The Pleiades huh?… And whats your name, Sebas huh."
The guild master stroked his chin absent mindedly as he tried to remember exactly what the command words for the Pleiades were. After a minute Tono coughed lightly.
"I believe the commands were bow, and follow, Guild Master."
As soon as Tono spoke those words, the Pleiades bowed as one, and fell into line behind them, their heels clicking on on the stone as they followed Tono, who in turn followed Momonga into the throne room where the Overlord elegantly took his seat on the massive throne that dominated the room.
The Lich glanced at Albedo, the main Guardian, and captain of the Guardian from her spot next to the throne.
"Hmmm… What were your settings again?"
Tonoigusa swiftly took there place to the right of the Guild Master as he read through Albedo's settings. They turned curiously when Momonga made a noise of surprise, they moved over to beside the Lich and peered over one shoulder.
"Huh… A slut hmm? I suppose it was Tabula who created this NPC after all. The settings maniac strikes again after all."
Momonga stared at the settings for a few moments before turning to Tono.
"Do… Do you think that the other members would be angry if I edited her settings?"
To their credit, Tono took a few moments to consider the question, before finally shaking their head.
"I wouldn't think so. Even if they did, they are not here, and therefore do not get a vote."
Reassured, Momonga tapped the settings screen with his guild weapon, it granted him the administrator privileges which he used to erase the slut description, and replaced it with,
'Is in love with Momonga'
Tono chuckled as Momonga quivered in embarrassment. Finally, both players calmed. Their moods plummeting as the timer slowly counted down. Momonga gestured with one hand as he looked out at the Hall.
"Bow Down."
He commanded, causing the Pleiades and Albedo to swiftly drop to their knees in a show of programmed fealty.
The guild master sighed.
"It was fun wasn't it?"
Tono just placed a hand on their guild masters shoulder and squeezed.
23:59:49
"It really was Momonga."
23:59:55
"I hope we meet again in Yggdrasil two my friend."
00:00:001
Chapter two
I blinked. I hadn't been logged out. I hadn't been logged out…
I tapped at the air to bring up the console commands, and nothing happened. I tried to turn to Momonga when my legs failed causing my body to fall to the ground, scraping my hands against the ground.
What.
WHAT?!
I ignored all the other goings on, especially whatever Momonga was doing with the Albedo as I struggled to get my legs under me.
What in the absolute fu#% is going on?
I turned my head just in time to see Albedo, the Pleiades, and Sebas all walk out the main door of the throne room, closing it behind them. Momonga took a few steps to move in front of me and kneeled down.
"Are you alright Tono?"
REALLY!?
"NO! Im not alright! Why the hell do I have spider legs?!"
There was a brief greenish-blue shimmer around Momonga before he spoke in a new voice, that sounded deep, rich, and smooth.
"I don't know. As far as I can tell the game has somehow become real."
What? What in the hell did this boney bastard just say?
"Please tell me that you happen to be joking."
Momonga shook his head.
"I wish. Can you walk?"
I looked down at my quivering and spasming spider legs before forcing them to relax. I shook my head. It would take me a lot of time to get my legs under me.
"No. Could you perhaps teleport me to my vault room?"
In the game, I, for the first 6 months of Ainz Ooal Gowns possession of Nazarick had acted as an artificial guardian of sorts over the first floor, I had created a guardian for the rare occasions I wasn't there sure, but the floor had been tailored for my play style and I knew it backwards and forwards, with the number of hidey-holes and safe rooms it possessed, as well as my final room which was a literal fortress inside Nazarick, at the moment with my reduced abilities it wouldn't actually be much of a help physically, but since no NPCS were allowed inside, and only those with a ring of Ainz Ooal Gown could physically access it without traveling through a gauntlet of traps, it would be the safest place in Nazarick.
But Momonga shook his head.
"Ive arranged for the Guardians to meet us on the 6th floor. I want to get read on how they see us. If they're loyal we need to know. If there disloyal, we really need to know."
"Fair enough. But I don't know if I should be there,"
I gestured at my twitching spider legs.
"This doesn't exactly impart a good first impression."
Momonga nodded thoughtfully.
"True. But we can get there early, the Guardians shouldn't be getting to the six floor for a couple of hours. You should have enough to time to at least get situated, if not figure out how to stumble around."
I sighed and grabbed onto Momonga's arm.
"Fine. Lets see if the teleport works then."
And then our surrounding blurred in a flash of light, and with a slight whoomph of displaced air. We were somewhere else.
Scene Break
Momonga glanced at Tono as they materialized at the sixth floor amphitheater, a question arising in his mind. He glanced at his fellow guild member.
"You know, I never actually thought to ask this. But are you a man or a woman IRL?"
The spider woman gave Momonga a look.
"I never really cared about gender. I'm more concerned with the fact I have FREAKING SPIDER LEGS!"
Tono sighed as she rubbed her forehead with one hand as she gingerly used two of her middlemost legs to inch forward.
"If it makes it easier on you, since I'm in an indisputably female body at the moment, referring to me as a woman is fine. More importantly. Where are the twins?"
Momonga sighed internally at the blatant topic shift as he began to search the arena, just in time to see Aura flip down from one of the upper balconies and rush forward to greet him.
"Lord Momonga! Lady Tonoigusa! Welcome to the sixth floor amphitheater!"
The skeletal lich nodded.
"Aura. Where is your brother?"
Aura turned and huffed.
"MA-RE! Get down here! Its rude making Lord Momonga and Lady Tonoigusa wait!"
A figure still on the balcony yelled back, their voice quavering.
"But Sis!"
Aura on the other hand was having none of that.
"MARE! Get over here!"
"Im coming…"
Unlike Aura who flipped multiple times before making a graceful landing, Mare hopped off the balcony, almost falling over on the landing. He took a moment to straighten his skirt before jogging over.
"Greeting Lord Momonga, Lady Tonoigusa. Apologies for making you wait."
Tono waved one hand dismissively as she settled herself just inside the entrance to the amphitheater, to the right of Momonga, and where she could the majority of the arena.
"Do not concern yourself with making us wait Mare. We are here to conduct some minor tests in light of the new situation that the tomb is faced with."
The dark elf twins blinked.
"Tests, Lady Tonoigusa?"
Tono nodded as she idly smoothed her silver and white kimono, her long black spider legs nestling unconsciously underneath her main body.
"Yes. Something unforeseen has occurred. We intend to test some of our less destructive magics and items."
Aura nodded.
"Then should I set up some targets my lady?"
A nod later and a half dozen wooden stakes with with straw and cloth lashed around them were posted in a trio of small groups in the middle of the arena.
Tono ignored Momonga as he waxed on about the qualities of the guild weapon. She concentrated on using her legs to walk further into the arena and took position at the top of the steps. Once Momonga had tested his fire spell, incinerating a trio of the targets, she extended one hand, copying what she had seen the other magic user do.
"Grasp of the toxic web!"
Sticky, razor sharp strands of webbing that glowed a toxic green shot out of Tono's hand startling her, they latched onto one of the wooden target posts, and then cut straight through them, leaving a sickly green residue that immediately eating away at the surrounding wood. She looked over and gave Momonga an approving nod. The Overlord nodded back, and then thrusted out his staff, and called out in his deep voice.
"Summon! Primal Fire Elemental!"
And from where his targets were smoldering in the ground, a pillar of fire erupted, spiraling high into the air, after a few seconds it fell back to earth, compressing itself with a audible whine of fast-moving air as it took an almost demonic orange and red form. Instead of legs, it was balanced on pillar of fire.
Momonga turned to the Dark Elf Twins.
"Do you want to fight it?"
Aura gasped with stars in in her eyes.
"Can we!?"
Mare on the other hand, hunched shoulders and all merely quivered in place.
"I just remembered I have something else to do…"
Mare sister was having nothing to do with that though, and grabbed him by the collar before dragging him over to the Fire elemental as he whined.
Momonga moved back over to Tono as the elf twins were made ready, he then raised his staff high, and spoke, his newly deep voice impressive in the acoustics of the arena.
"Primal Fire Elemental! Attack the Dark Elf twins!"
The primal fire elemental roared, and with an explosion of heat that seared the ground nearest to the behemoth of flame, it swung into action, its massive magma like fists hurtling towards Aura, the nearest twin.
Tono ignored the battle as she mentally categorized her spell list to figure out wether or not she had something to give herself some normal legs.
The only spell that she could come up with however was a 8th tier spell called 'true polymorph'. In the game the spell was used for everything from combat by turning opponents into various insects, or animals like birds or pigs, but it was also used for disguise purposes on a number of missions, and allowed the caster to take a disguised form, and even take up too half their total health in damage before the disguise would be dispelled.
With a quick muttered incantation, she tried the spell, keeping the image of her character, except with two normal, human legs.
Ton was hard pressed to stop the scream of pain, discomfort, and surprise that threatened to force its way past her lips as her arachnid legs and thorax melted, and then slowly shifted and reformed into simple, pale white colored bare human legs.
Scene Break
Momonga blinked as he felt a tap on his shoulder. And then blinked again as he turned and beheld who had tapped his shoulder.
Tonoigusa. A more human looking version at least.
Unbound black hair fell down her back, framing a heart shaped face with plump, peach colored lips that were stretched in a wide, almost naughty smile. Tono was wearing a dark blue kimono that came down to her mid calf, the kimono itself had intricate stitching of the moon and stars in silver thread. The overall impression was that the player had ripped the night sky and turned in into an… Extremely well fitting dress.
"Soo… How do I look? Sufficiently un-spidery and human?"
Momonga swallowed briefly before what he was coming to realize was his undead nature shoved down any further reaction. So he simply nodded appreciably.
"I am impressed. Which spell was that?"
The proper woman frowned before seating herself on the steps next to him.
"8th tier true polymorph. I figure that way, no matter what I end up doing the spell will stay, and in the event I actually take enough damage it'll be very similar to a final form for a floor boss."
Momonga made a contented sound of agreement before turning to regard the Dark Elf twins just as they finished their battle with the fire elemental, its remains disintegrating into red and yellow embers that slowly faded away. Neither twin so much as batted an eye at Tono's new form.
Tono carefully observed as each successive guardian arrived. First Shalltear, then Cocytus, finally Albedo and Demiurge. Tono stood up, and moved to stand to the left of Momonga as the guardians knelt as one and swore their loyalty.
"To you, our supreme masters, our to blessed gods who stayed with us until the end, we swear to you, we the guardians will be your sword and your shield, we shall never fail you in whatever task you choose for us. This we swear."
There was a brief pause, but then Momonga began emitting one of his racial skills, Aura of Despair, a black corona of mist that exuded a palpable feeling of dread.
Tonoigusa blinked as she saw Momonga trigger his skill. Shrugging mentally, she triggered her own, 'parlor of the spider', a skill that acted similarly to Momonga's, but rather then an aura of despair, it projected one PREDATOR, that made those affected, at least according to the description of the skill from the lore, feel like the were a fly in the middle fo a spiders web.
The assembled guardians shivered underneath the weight of both players skills as Momonga spread his arms wide and spoke, his new voice deep and rich.
"Spectacular Guardians! I believe I speak for both myself and the Lady Tonoigusa when I say that we are pleased by your devotion, and we look forward to the great works you will do in our name."
Tono wouldn't have thought it, but the guardians somehow managed to kneel harder as Sebas arrived at the Guardians discussed the Butlers findings. Finally, Momonga turned back to the guardians at large.
"Guardians, I have one final question, what do you think of us, your creators?"
Shalltear looked up and spoke first.
"You my lord, are the crystallization of beauty, forever and unchanging, while Lady Tonoigusa is the penultimate predator."
Aura spoke next.
"You are a powerful master, and Lady Tonoigusa is just as powerful."
Then Mare,
"You a-are a kind lord, and Lady Tono is patient.
Cocytus was the next to speak, his breath coming out in great clouds of mist.
"You are the only one suited to leading the supreme ones, and the lady Tonoigusa is the only one worthy of protecting the great entrance of Nazarick."
Demiurge spoke next, his tail swishing gently behind himself.
"I believe you are the personification of the word 'ineffable' my lord. While you, Lady Tonoigusa are the personification of the word 'imperturbable'."
And finally Albedo spoke, her gaze… uncomfortably rapturous.
"You are the supreme one, the leader of our creators, and the man I love!" She finished with a breathy gasp, before turning to regard Tono. "And the lady Tonoigusa is the only woman I respect, and could possibly equal you, my lord Momonga."
Tono blinked again. That was a remarkably… Driven response, almost uncomfortably so. Momonga nodded in satisfaction before glancing to Tono and flashing a quick motion to teleport to the throne room.
"I thank you my guardians! And now, continue to do great works in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
And with an almost blinding glow of purple both the overlord of death, and the guardian player disappeared.
There was a brief moment of silence before the guardians began to rise, gushing about their masters.
"That was so amazing! I felt like we were going to be crushed or eaten!"
Aura squeaked, her hands waving to illustrate just how crushed she was talking about.
"But I wonder why Lady Tonoigusa didn't say anything?
Demiurge hummed thoughtfully as he stroked his chin.
"Perhaps she was displeased by our vow of fidelity, or our failure to stop this new event that has so effected Nazarick?"
Albedo shrugged dismissively, her features fixed and dissaproving.
"It does not matter, all that matters is what we do from this point forward, is that clear?"
There was a resounding roar of approval.