22/09/2018

Summary: We've all noticed how things always work out for Ainz. That's because he has a secret weapon. The weapon comes from Yggdrasil and is so secret, he doesn't even know about it! Everyone else in the Guild knew what it was, and now you will too.

Thank you to PervySageChuck for beta-ing

Ainz' Secret Weapon

-asw-

Yggdrasil, Great Tomb of Nazarick

"You're leaving?" While this particular Avatar did have a mouth, as always, there was no movement. Games had come a long way in development but Yggdrasil didn't have that sort of detail.

"Retiring," Nubo corrected. "You should too," he added with a sigh-emoji.

"I should," Punitto said but there was a note of reluctance in his voice. "There's nothing left to do here. The Shitty-Devs-" There were so many endings to that sentence. Almost too many to count.

Nubo shook his head. Yggdrasil graphics allowed that much at least. "They don't care," he said forcefully. Truly it had been Punitto telling him that many times. "It's all about money." Everything in their world was about money. That's why Yggdrasil had been so fun. It had been about more than money. Exploring. Friendship. Adventure. All the things you couldn't do in the real world.

"It's about money," Punitto agreed, sounding more like normal. "But if they continue this then there won't be any money. They just won't get the new players." A sad face accompanied his words.

Another emoji appeared over Nubo's head. The comic expression had one eyebrow raised to question Punitto. "That might be but it's not my concern," Nubo said. They never saw any of the money. And players like Momonga just put money in. "It's not yours either." Sometimes Punitto needed to be reminded of that. Not as much as Blue Planet but just sometimes.

"Heh. I know, believe me I know." A placating emoji appeared. "It's just-" Punitto had regrets about the game of Yggdrasil. They all did.

Nubo was interested. A question mark appeared over him. "Just?" He prompted. Usually Punitto wasn't this open. It was a good chance to see what Ainz Ooal Gown's strategist really felt, now that he was leaving. It's not like Nubo would risk the Guild. He knew better than that.

"It's a shame," Punitto said earnestly. "There is potential here."

"Oh, I know!" Nubo agreed wholeheartedly. The question mark changed into an exclamation mark. He had no doubt that if Punitto was on the Dev team Yggdrasil would be a much better game. Though it would likely be a game from hell! Fun though for those willing to put in the time. He wasn't sure he'd be one of those Players though. "Momonga still sees it." Momonga would put in the time. As far as Nubo knew, Yggdrasil was the only game Momonga played, despite urging from other Guild members.

"He's in love." Punitto said it coldly but there was an odd note of fondness in his voice. While Momonga didn't push his beliefs on anyone, there was a certain intensity with them. But it was one which made him endearing rather than annoying. His obvious love for Yggdrasil, combined with his calm ability to keep the peace and mediate between Guild Members was one of the reasons he was the only Guild Leader Ainz Ooal Gown could have. Besides, having an Undead Overlord as their Leader was great for the role play of the Ultimate Evil Guild.

Nubo snorted. "Just because he's in love is no reason to stay." He said it yet at the same time he acknowledged it wasn't that easy. People did stupid things when they were in love. People did stupid things even when they weren't. He wasn't sure which was better but at least those in love could claim to be blinded by that love.

Punitto sighed. An unhappy emoji appeared above his head. It clashed with the green of his avatar. "I probably won't stay much longer," he admitted quietly.

"So come with me," Nubo urged. It wasn't like they'd go on to another game together yet it would be one way of making a statement to the Guild. It was time to move on. Maybe it would also make a statement to the Shitty-Dev's if the members of a high ranking Guild like Ainz Ooal Gown all left enmass… Though Nubo knew that was simply wishful thinking. Momonga wouldn't leave. And what did the Dev's care? They'd probably just advertise that Nazarick was open to be conquered.

"No," Punitto told him. "I can't." A negative emoji appeared over his head. There were many reasons he couldn't retire yet. "We can't go at the same time." He picked one of the easier ones. While he usually hoarded information, sometimes it was better to give some. It meant people wouldn't seek deeper.

Nubo wasn't fooled but he knew Punitto. "It doesn't make a difference you know." He might have a nice little fantasy that it would but he knew that's all it was. A fantasy. People were good at fantasies, especially those who had money. Then he rather thought their entire lives were a fantasy. For them, things were much more pragmatic. "We've done everything we can here."

That was really the core of the matter. For Level 100 Players there was nothing more they could do. Each member of the Guild possessed enough Divine Items to make other Players weep. They had the most World Items and they weren't about to give them up any time soon. The little raid the other Players had attempted, which really wasn't that little, it had been the defining Player Organised event of the Game and had established Nazarick as the next thing to invincible. The various complaints to the Devs about them breaking the rules when building their Guild Base had been put down by the Devs, who for once in their lives had not been Shitty. All that did was truly cement their reputation.

There was nothing more for them to do. They could terrorise other Guilds yet what was the point? Unless there was another huge undertaking, they'd win and Ainz Ooal Gown was not known for provoking other Guilds, they were known for finishing any provocation.

"We've had some good times" Punitto agreed. The emoji floating over his green form changed to one displaying a cheesy grin. He'd organised some good times for the Guild… and that raid. He played other games but there was nothing like the raid against Nazarick in any of them. In the gaming community it was a watershed event.

Nubo nodded his agreement. The emoji above his head changed to a smile. "The best!" He was firm with the statement. They had shared and enjoyed the best of times in Yggdrasil and he doubted he'd ever find another gaming experience or another Guild which was quite the same but all things came to an end. "Which is why I'm going now. I'm going to leave while I still have some affection for Yggdrasil. If I stay, I'll just end up hating it." It went unsaid that he'd probably come to hate the Guild as well. The two were closely linked.

Punitto took a deep breath even though his avatar didn't shift. He was silent for a few moments. The happy emoji faded becoming a series of horizontal dots before he spoke again. "So, are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Nubo was confused. A question mark hung over him.

"What the others did?" Punitto explained The emoji became considering. "What did Temperance call it?" Usually he'd know exactly what it was called but this was something Temperance had made up himself. Yggdrasil had a lot of things like that which was one of the reasons it was such a good game… but even a good game went stale after a while. "Transfer luck?" That's what Temperance had called that little ceremony. A really simple name for something that...

Well, if it worked then Momonga could probably face the raid again with half the defenders and still emerge victorious.

That might be a little ambitious but it would certainly make their Guild Leader one of the best players in any of Yggdrasil's worlds, even without the bonuses brought by being a World Champion or a World Disaster. If everyone in Ainz Ooal Gown who retired did it, with their stats… Momonga would become Ainz Ooal Gown's very own champion.

The smiling emoji over Nubo's head nodded vigorously. "Of course! It's not like I'm going to need Yggdrasil luck," he said earnestly. He hadn't picked out another game to really get into yet. The emoji shifted. It stopped nodding becoming more sedate. "And…" Nubo drew out the word.

"Regrets?" Punitto understood the tone.

"Not regrets…" Nubo said slowly, thinking about what he meant. "Not really. It's just that…" He huffed. "We built all this," he gestured around him. They were standing in Nazarick and that was enough to say what he meant. "And I don't want to see the little shits destroy it… Even if I'm not here. I guess I just want something to stay." The eyes on the emoji floating over him glowed red.

At the very least, he wanted to make it as difficult as possible if anyone did try to take down Nazarick.

Punitto chuckled. The noise was odd coming from a Death Vine. "I know what you mean," he told Nubo comfortingly. He did know. "Even if Yggdrasil doesn't last much longer, memory will." Gamer memory would immortalise them. At least for their generation and that was enough.

"And memory will say that Nazarick was invincible," Nubo shared the chuckle. He still remembered the tight excitement he'd felt when he'd gotten word of the raid. He'd logged into Yggdrasil, appearing in Nazarick in case a final stand was needed.

The excitement was still there. The almost let down feeling that no one made it past the Eighth Floor didn't diminish it. If anything, it made it tighter and harder. They had created Nazarick. They had made it so strong and they had stood victorious. "So yeah," Nubo's nodding emoji appeared again. "I'll do that luck transfer Temperance worked out."

"To Momonga?"

"Of course to Momonga," Nubo confirmed, though his emoji frowned. "Or do you want it to you?"

"No, no! Momonga makes sense," Punitto was quick to reassure him. Nubo had apparently forgotten that he was probably on the soon to be retired list as well. His emoji sighed for him. "Then even if there's another attack on Nazarick he'll be fine." At least in theory he would be. It would depend on how many of the others were still here. And… well, those who had attacked knew at least some of the traps now. They'd updated them. It was just there was only so much they could do. Another attack would be difficult but…

That was the beauty of winning the first. Another attack would take a long time to organise and a lot of resources. It was doubtful anyone really wanted to do that but it was possible. If those from Ainz Ooal Gown were retiring, then others would be retiring. Maybe they'd want one last crack at Nazarick before they logged out. Maybe they wouldn't. He wasn't completely sure. Punitto looked at Nubo. "You know what would happen if we lost…" he said softly.

Nubo nodded. "If we were all here, he wouldn't mind," he said confidently. That was probably true. If the entire Guild was here and they lost Nazarick, Momonga would see it just as part of Yggdrasil because they were together. His emoji was unhappy. Small tears appeared in its eyes. "But now… I know what you mean." Momonga would see it as some sort of failure. He'd be devastated both in Yggdrasil and in real life.

"So to Momonga," Punitto confirmed.

"I'll do it after I put my gear in the Treasury," Nubo agreed. "I don't need all of it either so he might as well use it. He's…" He could probably sell his gear to another player but that felt wrong. The Guild had helped him get so many of his divine items and it wasn't right that he should profit from that. It was better to leave them in the Guild. Besides, if someone did attack again and he found out… well he wasn't sure he wouldn't log back in to see how it went.

"He is a good leader, even if he doesn't know it," Punitto gave his assessment.

Nubo chuckled. "I think that's why he's a good leader." His emoji raised one eyebrow as if to challenge Punitto to query his assessment. Ainz Ooal Gown's strategist was silent. "So wanna help me with that Transfer Luck thing? I have no idea what I'm meant to do."

Punitto's emoji shook its head before he sighed. "It goes like this…"

-asw-

And there you have it! Why everything works out for Momonga.

Of course, this is my head cannon of why Momonga is so darned lucky and has everything work out even when he doesn't really know what he wants but I think it works :D

Review please.