Disclaimer: I do not own the Overlord series. The Overlord series is the property of Kugane Maruyama (writer) and Enterbrain (publisher) and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Warning: Swear words
Prologue
Ping!
[Pastel CottonGum has logged in]
Momonga's head shot up from the notification. Directly across from him in the Round Table Room was a face he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Professor Pastel…" he spoke in disbelief. Like all the other guild members, the dragon that's currently in human form was one that ghosted the game. Even though her avatar hardly moved, Pastel greeted him, her voice exactly the way he remembered. Bukubukuchagama once said that she sounded like the Yamato Nadeshiko-type characters she voiced and Momonga believed it too.
Her voice was nice to listen to; calming and serene, yet noticeably young. It really fit with the overall cutesy, delicate design of her character. An aesthetic that, truthfully, stuck out like a sore thumb against the other heteromorphic races of their guild.
A shame the same couldn't be said about her personality.
He patiently waited for the system to translate her English words to Japanese, the translation appearing as closed captioning along the bottom of his screen. Even though YGGDRASIL has significantly more Japanese players than any other demographic, there were still many foreigners that wanted to try the game that become synonymous with DMMO-RPG. Pastel was one of the few foreigners of Ainz Ooal Gown and the only person whose mother tongue was English.
"It's been an extremely long time since we last met, hasn't it? I'm sorry for not being here, Momo," the subtitle read. Bitterness welled up in him, but he immediately stomped it down with a lingering feeling of guilt. If their avatars could emote, there was no doubt in his mind that Pastel would have a face of remorse. She certainly sounded like it.
"No, no. It's okay, Professor! I'm sure you were exceptionally busy with other things in your life!" Try as he might, some hostility still leaked into his tone. No doubt Pastel had heard it. But instead of commenting, her avatar tilted its head down as if to read their subtitles. Grasping for some words, Momonga hastily asked, "By the way, how are you? I hope you've been doing well."
"I've been doing great! I finally finished moving!" A smiley emoticon dinged right next to her head, further showing her joy. "It's actually why I haven't been able to get on for a long time now."
"Moving?" Momonga questioned, to which Pastel nodded.
"Yeah, from the Gold Mines to the Railroad."
Any bitterness Momonga had left in his bones had been dashed away in an instant by that single sentence.
If the current state of Japan was bad, America could be considered apocalyptic. From what he heard; the land was so disgustingly polluted that underground bunkers were the only way to live. The punishment for criminals and unwanted citizens wasn't a jail cell or even execution. It was excommunication from the Pound. All of them. Living above ground was the cheapest death sentence a judge and jury can get their hands on, an agonizingly slow and painful one.
"Ho-How? Why?!" Momonga was utterly confused. The Gold Mines was the Pound closest to an arcology and not everybody could get in. According to Pastel, they had enough electricity to dedicate an entire room as a planetarium! That was insane! So what would make her leave?
"The Gold Mines were beginning to flood, so I took a chance and moved further inland. The only reason I managed is because of my position." Pastel grew quite at the end there, looking down. Momonga knew she was slotted as a teacher. A job appreciated enough to give her immediate passage and room in any Pound. But not respected enough to earn her a spot in an arcology.
"Such a thing…" Momonga cursed under his breath through gritted teeth. He worried immensely for his friend. They fell to an uncomfortable, twitchy silence.
"A-Anyway!" Pastel stuttered. When he looked up at her, she was frantically casting her gaze around the empty meeting room. Eventually, she finally settled on a topic and said, "Everything in Nazarick is truly top of the line, even this table. It really knows how to take a beating, huh?"
"Haha, you're right," Momonga forced himself to relax. "We've all slaved away to make sure our home is perfect in every way. Such things like our round table wouldn't be here right now." He splayed a bony on the surface, as if he could feel the glossy surface. Obviously, touch in their machines wasn't possible, but he felt more in the spiritual, emotional sense. Not just the smooth, white surface, but the sentiment behind the table. The grueling years and hours they've all spent to create a home they're all proud of.
"If we could interact with this world like in real life, I doubt this table would still be as sleek," Pastel chuckled, also running her palm across the surface.
"No doubt," Momonga agreed. "All those times you've tutored us in this room. Our scribbles would've been imbedded here."
"I'm glad Touch let me teach in the first place," she laughed, relaxing back into her seat. Momonga hummed in thought, the memory of that particular incident coming to mind.
.o0o.o0o.
"It's illegal to be teaching advanced material like this outside of an official institution, Miss Pastel. I don't want to see any of you getting into trouble, so it's best to stop before it gets out of hand," Momonga heard Touch Me gently advise the younger player. Pastel was a current member of Ainz Ooal Gown, brought into their small fold by Bellriver.
The two knew each other outside of the game, but he didn't know she was also in YGGDRASIL until she became one of the few remaining dragon players. And, considering her build, it was an extraordinary feat.
"That sort of name and getup? Yeah, no doubts it's her," Bellriver had laughed.
"I understand the risks and I've thoroughly explained them to everyone here. These tutoring sessions are completely optional, no one is being forced to come," Pastel calmly explained. The two continued their conversation in hushed voices at the wall, away from everyone else in the Round Table Room.
Momonga nervously glanced between his two guild members before his gaze fell to his system notes out of guilt. He'd just finished solving a math problem from the worksheet Pastel made for all of them. They were individualized and no two were the same, each digital paper reinforcing the taker's strengths while simultaneously helping them with their weaknesses.
Right now, they were on algebra and he was really good at it!
(4x – 3) * 2 = 10
4x – 3 = 5
4x = 8
x = 2
See? He really understood it!
The dragon player was among the rare intellectual elites in the entire game, a teacher in real life. The nature of her job was in her very blood and she offered to tutor anyone willing to learn in the guild.
In the beginning, most everyone was weary of her offer, himself included. And not without good reason as educators were notorious for their…malice. They looked down on the poor like they weren't even worthy of knowledge. At best, they'd throw a book and paper in your face and ignore you thereafter. At worst, they actively did everything they legally could to stop your progress; openly mocking and belittling you for every slight, overexaggerating problems to get you in trouble, and much more.
But Momonga could hear the sincerity in her voice and his curiosity got the better of him, so he went to one class. Then another. Then another. Eventually, her classes became a part of the reason why he looked forward to logging in.
Pastel taught them math and science – primarily physics – with a passion. Literature, English composition, and history were her iffy subjects, but she still went over them! She never denied them anything of her intellect and chose to help foster their scholarly talents and interests as best she could. Eagerly encouraging them along the way. And when one of them simply couldn't get a subject? She'd give them a cheery emote and patiently work through a plethora of creative and fun ways to help them understand.
That's not to say that her classes were perfect, of course. They were her first students and the only ones she will ever meet with like this. While most of her teaching methods were taken from or inspired by free books from long ago, they were not without their problems. And, initially, Pastel wasn't good at speaking, often backtracking or stumbling through her earlier explanations. These problems did become less frequent with time and experience, but they still happened.
Plus, her hyping them up can lead to their embarrassment. Even Peroroncino, who gushed about her design on a regular basis, was never safe from it. Don't get him wrong, it's the nicest, most touching sentiment and no one's ever done that for Momonga before! But…it just gets so embarrassing sometimes…
"Don't fuck with me, Touch Me!" Pastel abruptly shouted, causing all of them to jump. Even Touch Me visibly reacted. Never had they heard her say that full name after initial meetings. But more than that, they had also never heard her so furious.
Momonga shrank in his seat, concern and anxiety welling up inside him. He frantically glanced at the others, but no one was brave enough to step forward. Even Ulbert, who was sitting closest to their position, began to inch away ever so slowly.
"Education is a right, not some privileged commodity behind a paywall! I understand that you want to fight for justice and uphold the law. I get that. But is it really 'justice' if you're denying people benefits they should have for being alive?!"
"You're putting yourself and others at great risk by pulling a stunt like this! And for what?! What do you hope to achieve?!"
Their argument evolved into a shouting match, causing the others in the room to cower back. They were throwing big words he didn't know, philosophical ideas and forbidden thoughts of their respective societies that would've thrown them into a jail cell on its own. And all Momonga could do was watch on helplessly.
He'd never seen either Touch Me or Pastel this enraged before. They were among the friendliest people he'd ever known. But seeing this side of them, right in front of him was…it was frightening.
Eventually, all was immediately silenced when Pastel slammed a fist against the wall – the game registered the hit at [0] damage. The small shoulders of her avatar were shaking, but that cherubic face of hers remained ever so frozen.
"Touch Me. You and me, at the entrance of Nazarick. One hour," she spoke lowly, a growl biting at the edge of every word.
[Pastel CottonGum has logged out]
No one talked after that for a long while.
"Touch…" Peroroncino trailed off in a hesitant whisper, uncharacteristically subdued. His question was on the tip of his tongue, yet everyone knew it regardless.
"Miss Pastel intends to challenge me to a PvP. And I intend to face her challenge head on," Touch Me announced. But it wasn't spoken in that prideful, heroic voice he always used. Instead, he stated it calmly. Too calmly. Momonga couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Is this really necessary, Touch?" Herohero asked, sliding out of his chair and moving towards him. "Maybe…maybe you guys should take some time to cool down and talk about it later when you're calm…"
Touch Me seemed like he was going to say something but stopped himself. Rather, his head shifted down, deep in contemplation. And when he looked up at them, he merely murmured "maybe," before he used the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown to transport himself out of the room.
Not knowing what else to do, Momonga stared down at his worksheet in shame. Shame over what? He didn't know exactly. The guildmaster stayed even when all the others quietly left, frozen in his chair until the fated time.
.o0o.o0o.
Every member of Ainz Ooal Gown was at the entrance of the Great Tomb by the hour, with Touch Me at the base of the stairs and everyone else at the top. And exactly on the dot, they were all hit with a wave of messages.
[Pastel CottonGum has logged in]
[Pastel CottonGum has left guild Ainz Ooal Gown!]
[Pastel CottonGum challenges user Touch Me to a PVP!]
"So you truly intend to fight at your fullest for your ideals then, Miss Pastel?" Touch Me noted. But there wasn't any disappointment or betrayal in his tone. Even through his helmet and nano-interface system, Momonga knew that the former clan leader was looking at their friend at the other side of the swamp with pride. "Very well! I, Touch Me, shall honor your conviction and fight you with everything that I am!"
[Touch Me has accepted Pastel CottonGum's challenge!]
Pastel became blinding light and turned into her full dragon form – the size of which was big enough to curl up inside of a pro-league football stadium and barely fit – and gave a mighty roar. Touch Me unsheathed his trusted silver blade and rushed in. The duel had officially begun.
"Pastel might be able to win this," Warrior Takemikazuchi pulled some of the attention to him. He may not have been there to witness the argument, but the news of it spread like wildfire across the guild. "She no longer has the guild restrictions holding her back and she's in her dragon form."
"Plus, she has her [Celestial Miracle] class," Bukubukuchagama pointed out. With every vicious swipe of Pastel's silver claw, Touch Me was quick to fall back, clearly wary of her reach. "It may not be at full level, and her gear is still incomplete, but it does give her an edge over Touch Me."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Look at the way she's moving," Punitto Moe redirected their eyes solely to Pastel's form. It didn't take much to notice how awkwardly and clunkily she navigated her enormous body. Especially when compared to Touch Me's fluid movements. "This is her first time as an actual dragon, and she doesn't have the experience needed to wield it efficiently."
"And her build is of a full-on healer and backline support, not a combatant," Bellriver added on. Even though Touch Me managed to slash through her armored scales, they glowed a mint green and returned to their previous condition. Still, he was quickly dishing out more and more damage, gradually getting faster than her heal rate. "Fighting just isn't her style."
"I think you guys are forgetting the most important thing," Ulbert spoke up after some silence. "Pastel's on a strict timer, Touch isn't. She only has a limited amount of time to kill him before the interface forcibly kicks her out, which will result in her loss."
"As the guildmaster, what do you think, Momonga?" Tabula Smaragdina brought all the attention to him.
"I…" Momonga trailed off, not knowing exactly what to think of the situation. A part of him liked what Pastel was doing, deeply admired her for fighting for her beliefs against someone like Touch Me. All for them. But another part of him was afraid. Apprehensive and terrified. The last time someone seriously fought against Touch Me, they permanently left the game and the man himself stepped down as clan leader.
Would the same thing happen again? Would history repeat itself? Momonga's chest constricted at the painful thought.
The fight ended in Pastel's overwhelming loss. She truly gave it her all, as did Touch Me, but it simply wasn't enough. At least she didn't make it easy for the man. It was a pitiful sight to see, her human form dejectedly slouched in the dirty sludge mud, beneath Touch Me and his sparkling silver armor.
But they all watched from their spots with bated breath as Touch Me held a hand out for Pastel and helped her up. They stared at each other, privately conversing as no sound came from them but their emotes still popped beside their heads.
Hope filled Momonga when two smiley faces appeared and Touch Me patted Pastel's head. Together, they walked up the stairs of Nazarick's entrance to tell everyone the news.
.o0o.o0o.
"Hah, both you and Touch Me were about to give me a heart attack because of all of that," Momonga fondly sighed at the memory. He was beyond glad that they made up so quickly and he was allowed to invite Pastel into the guild. All's well that ends well, right?
"Sorry about that," she sheepishly apologized. "Guess we were both heated up, huh?"
"But…I'm glad you were," he admitted. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't have enjoyed your classes for longer. I may not have been able to use that knowledge outside of YGGDRASIL, but I had a lot of fun."
"Really?" Momonga nodded. "As a teacher, nothing brings me more joy than knowing that a student found learning fun. Thanks, Momo."
"Hey, Professor."
"Yeah?"
"Since there isn't much time left until server shut down, what do you say we live this guild's final moments the way it deserves?"
.o0o.o0o.
Despite completely towering over her, Momonga felt the sheer power that effortlessly rolled off Pastel. His fellow guild member may be childish and goofy sometimes – most times – but she knew when to get serious and it showed. Standing beside him wasn't just a friend, but also a symbol. A true testament to the prestige players of the dragon race should have.
But hardly received.
The developers made the dragon race playable for a short period of time on the fifth anniversary of the game after years of demands. They didn't release any information regarding the race, just dropped it into everyone's laps on a whim. At first, people were ecstatic, and many tried to cheat the system in order to make a new character. Personally, Momonga didn't know of anyone who was successful on that front.
However, the hype rapidly died down when everyone realized how the shitty devs actively made them the most frustrating, rage-inducing, and even dangerous, way to play. Ever. Oh, dragons were strong alright, and the exclusive classes and skills people found out about long after the developers had taken the dragon race option down held tons of potential. But god, Momonga honestly felt sorry for the shit Pastel had to go through to get strong.
First of all, leveling. In YGGDRASIL, EXP wasn't hard to gain and it was possible for even a casual player to reach high levels. But for dragon players, leveling up was a serious grind. Not only that, but dragon players were also required to gather certain items if they wanted to level up past a certain threshold. The problem with this, however, was that the required items were stupidly rare. They were items used to make legendary and divine-class gear!
Next was player killing, or PK. While PKing heteromorphic races was nothing new, people doing so against dragon players were actively rewarded. There was no penalty, regardless of the killer's race, all of the player's weapons and gear on hand were given to the one who landed the final blow, and all involved in the attack were rewarded EXP. Certainly more than a random monster and other heteromorphic players at the same level of the dragon player.
Then there was being part of a group. Being part of a party would cut the dragon players stats by a fourth, but their HP and MP would remain. Being part of a guild would half the stats, including HP and MP. The developers explained this away as "dragons are severe isolationists by nature." So even if Pastel was level 100, she currently had the base stats of a level 50 because she's part of Ainz Ooal Gown. At the very least, she managed to somewhat mitigate this penalty through her divine equipment and class skills.
But the most damning thing for those who chose to be a dragon was actually being a dragon. Dragon forms were either much smaller or much larger than the average human, something that could not be changed. This presented a physiological issue with the player's mind, forcing them to inject more nanomachines into themselves to keep playing. To "compensate," the developers gave them several human bodies and special effects to use and customize instead, right off the bat and free of charge. But this would rob them of having the benefits of being in real dragon form.
All in all, playing the dragon race and being successful at it was, no doubt, the hardest thing you could do in YGGDRASIL. It was like the shitty devs way of saying "stop asking us for things." Really, Momonga had to give Pastel props for getting through it all.
At the moment, she was in her humanoid form, garbed in her pink and beige divine-class dress. Neither completely human nor dragon. Her pink-scaled and blue-skinned wings weren't large enough to realistically fly her on their own, but they were very pretty. Especially with how the light bounced off the golden flecks imbedded into the scales.
The claws that replaced her hands and feet weren't bulky at all. In fact, they seamlessly connected to her slim limbs. The only cumbersome-looking thing on her body was her tail, silver spined and daggered at the end. Her eyes had also changed from her human form, still the same color as before but with the pupils shaped like slits in that classic, dragon eye look.
Then there were her horns, sterling silver in color and immaculately clean. Sprouting right above her ears, twisting and curling back like a wild animal, the steel-hard appendages were the glory and pride of any dragon. More so than anything else. Like a natural crown, Pastel's horns served as tangible proof of her prowess and dedication to her race.
Out of all the dragon players, only three had managed to make it to the Ancient Dragon class. The fifth and final racial class. And Ainz Ooal Gown was lucky enough to have such a player in their midst.
Together, they stood side by side before the intricately carved, double doors to the Throne Room, Sebas and all the Pleiades behind them in a perfect line. As the only ones left and with the clock ticking, Momonga was sure that the other users wouldn't have minded them doing what they wanted. Huge mechanisms echoed from within the door frames as they slowly opened themselves.
Nostalgia hit them like a wave, but they didn't stop their stride into the magnificent, awe-inspiring room. They had created it this way in order to recognize the hypothetical players that managed to make it to the 10th floor of the tomb.
"Since they made it all the way here, we should gather in glory and welcome these brave heroes. Let others slander us as they will, but we shall welcome them proudly and openly, like the magnanimous lords that we are," Ulbert had declared. "Pastel, greet them as a dragon to emphasize the greatness of their achievements!"
"With what room?" That particular suggestion was dropped after that.
"What if Luci Fer's golems attacked us right now?" Pastel wondered aloud, curiously glancing at the lifelike statues in the hall. Her footsteps faded into nothing.
"Can't say I would be happy about it," Momonga chuckled, nervously glancing about. He hadn't been in the Throne Room in so long, too busy farming drops to ensure enough income outside of the treasury to keep the guild afloat.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder when he could no longer hear here beside him, only to see her under the deep red flag with her emblem embroidered on. The symbol depicted a slim, snake-like creature with relaxed wings, curled up like a funky question mark and under an arc with seven, equally spaced diamonds.
It was the symbol of the sleeping dragon, a being boundless and unequaled in power once awake.
"Ah, sorry." Pastel quickly jogged back to his side and they continued to the Throne of Kings. Once on the first step, Momonga ordered Sebas and the maids on stand-by, before continuing up the platform.
"Do you want to sit in it?" Momonga politely asked.
"You're the guildmaster, you should be the one in that chair," she pointed out. "Besides, I can just sit here." Right beside the throne, and on the other side of the beautiful Albedo, her tail planted itself on the ground and she hoisted her body up and crossed her legs mid-air. The position couldn't have been comfortable, but feeling wasn't a thing in YGGDRASIL, so it didn't matter.
"Ah, I suppose you're right." Momonga settled himself into the throne, his huge, skeletal build and robes fitting him nicely into the seat. Had he been in his human form, he would've looked like a kid in the adult's chair. Once settled in, they turn their attention to the Overseer of the Guardians, Albedo, who looked upon them with an angelic smile.
"Tabula did a great job with his design, huh?" Pastel idly intoned. But there was something off about her. She watched as Momonga opened up her settings and poked around, however she couldn't see what he could. As the guildmaster and in possession of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, only he had the power to view and change any settings he wanted. "What's wrong?" she asked, observing how he looked between the page and NPC.
"Tabula gave her a World Class Item."
"What?! No way!" Pastel scrutinized Albedo's form further but couldn't find anything amiss. "Is it the spider web necklace, then?"
"No, it's the Ginnungagap," he answered with a sigh. Her creator must have slipped her the wand without anyone paying attention. "It's not on her person right now, but it's definitely in her possession."
"What are you going to do with it?" Momonga hummed in thought.
"It's the last day, so I'll just let her keep it." He continued scrolling through the long, long, LONG backstory, skimming as best he can. Would've been nice to read it all the way through, but there wasn't any time. He eventually made it to the bottom and–
Incidentally, she is a slut.
"You alright there, Momo?" Pastel asked out of concern and shifted closer to him when he choked on his own spit.
"Yeah, yeah. It's just…" he trailed off in uncertainty. Should he tell her what he just found? "Tabula he–At the end–The settings –" Momonga kept tripping over his words, over and over. But Pastel just waited patiently in silent encouragement. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I just skimmed Albedo's story since Tabula likes to…get into details. His very last sentence, it…He basically says she's a–a…a slut…" he muttered that last word as if it was a forbidden curse.
"Hmm…" Pastel hummed in thought, leaning back into her tail-chair. "I see."
"'I see?' Is that all you really have to say?" he asked incredulously. But his friend just shrugged.
"Isn't she a succubus? Don't they, like, need to feed off men sexually in order to survive or something? Still, calling her a 'slut' is taking it too far." She glanced at the NPC, then back at him. "Look, you're the guildmaster and it's the last day. If you find it uncomfortable, you can always change it. After all, what's a few tweaks gonna do?"
"I guess you're right." So, with a mental apology to Tabula, Momonga put himself in administrator mode, opened up a keyboard and erased that last sentence. But it felt wrong to just leave that space blank. What should he add?
Albedo is deeply in love with Momonga.
Ah! How embarrassing! Even though Pastel advised that he could, in fact, change what he wanted, doesn't mean he should. It felt like he was designing a dating sim, with himself as the main character. God, how can Peroroncino even play those things?! His heart's pounding just from the little change!
But…Hmm…It didn't feel right to just write himself in like that and be done with it. He should do something for Pastel too, like make Albedo also in love with her as well. No, he didn't know if she swung that way and it would be insensitive to assume just because she liked the NPC's design.
Momonga's eyes drifted past Albedo's form and landed on Sebas, standing before the platform. Sebas was Touch Me's NPC and the man had a soft spot for Pastel ever since she joined. She was the youngest person in the guild, just barely old enough to work and get past the second requirement to join, so that might have brought out some protectiveness on his end.
And it only grew aftertheir bout. Simply put, Touch Me practically took her under his cape and treated her as one would their own child; guiding and understanding, yet firm when need be. Though sometimes he couldn't help but sigh and shake his head at her silliness. Momonga knew that Touch Me had a wife and children in real life, so perhaps he viewed Pastel as another one of his kids. Even though she never voiced it, Touch Me's abrupt leave from the guild was the one that affected her the most.
With his mind made up, Momonga opened Sebas's empty settings to type.
Sebas views and cares for Pastel CottonGum as his own daughter.
He's sure Touch Me would not have minded one bit.
"That's right…" Pastel's voice brought him back and he closed the window to face her. "It's gotta be midnight in Japan now. You still feeling good?" she asked him.
"Huh? Ye-yes! Just, you know, need to get up early tomorrow. I might be able to sneak in a few of hours once the servers shutdown," he tells her. A few? More like a couple at most. He needs to be up by 4 in the morning! But no need telling his friend that.
"Okay." She sounded unconvinced but left the matter alone. Momonga told the NPCs to bow down and leaned back in the throne and closed his eyes. The time in the corner had read [23:59:13]. Not too long now.
"Hey, Profe– No. Pastel?" Momonga quietly spoke her name. It felt a bit rude, not attaching the appropriate honorific to her name, but he knew she wouldn't mind. Plus, with YGGDRASIL only seconds away from going dark, he wanted one last indulgence.
"Yes?" Yep, she didn't mind.
"Could you…Do you think you could read the names of our friends?" He wanted to hear them one last time but didn't have the courage to do so. It's too much. It's all too much.
"Of course." Pastel lightly cleared her throat and started from the flags closest to them. "Momonga. Touch Me." She briefly paused but managed to continue. "Shijuuten Suzaku. Ankoro Mocchi Mochi. Herohero." She paused again and Momonga swore he heard a sniffle. "Peroroncino. Bukubukuchagama. Tabula Smaragdina. Warrior Takemikazuchi. Variable Talisman. Genjiro."
Pastel continued listing them with her soothing voice, one that wavered under the bittersweet weight of melancholic memories. It gently lulled Momonga into a light slumber as he deeply engraved every name into his heart. It's been fun. Truly.
If he and Pastel never meet again after this, he hopes she'll find the safety and happiness she deserves.
[00:00:00]
[00:00:01]
A/N: Haven't watched anime in a long time since I personally prefer manga cause I can get through them faster. But Overlord recently broke that record for me. I started it because I thought it'd be a quick watch – a season is 13 episodes as opposed to 26 – but stayed for the villainy and ass-whooping. Admittedly, not as much ass-whooping as I hoped but I think that'll change with the upcoming season? Hopefully!
So far, I'm caught up with the anime and have started reading the fan translation of the light novel. Currently nearing the end of volume 1! I understand that the novels will have way more information than the anime, so I've gone ahead and did as much research as I could so there won't be too many glaring issues between canon and my AU. And not only Overlord, but also the D&D system since Maruyama has said the series' game system is based off of that. As much as I love tabletop RPGs, D&D just wasn't for me.
Also, for a visual reference, I imagine human Pastel to look and is equipped like Miki Sauvester (artist akiman's version) from Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, except with slightly longer hair. As for her in-game stats (base stats, does not take her staff and gear into account);
Name: Pastel CottonGum
Total Level: 100
Racial Level: Hatchling (10), Child (15), Adult (15), Elder (15), Ancient (5)
Job Level: Celestial Miracle (15), Divine Dragon (15), Abjurant Wyrm (10)
[Stats when a member of Ainz Ooal Gown and in human/humanoid form]
HP: 45
MP: 55
Phy. Atk.: 38
Phy. Def.: 48
Agility: 65
Mag. Atk.: 43
Mag. Def.: 50
Resistance: 58
Special Ability: 50
Total: 452
[Stats when a member of Ainz Ooal Gown and in dragon beast form]
HP: 77
MP: 94
Phy. Atk.: 46
Phy. Def.: 72
Agility: 98
Mag. Atk.: 52
Mag. Def.: 75
Resistance: 87
Special Ability: 50
Total: 651
[Stats when not a member of Ainz Ooal Gown and in human/humanoid form]
HP: 90
MP: 100+
Phy. Atk.: 75
Phy. Def.: 95
Agility: 100+
Mag. Atk.: 85
Mag. Def.: 100
Resistance: 100+
Special Ability: 100
Total: 845+
[Stats when not a member of Ainz Ooal Gown and in dragon beast form]
HP: 100+
MP: 100+
Phy. Atk.: 90
Phy. Def.: 100+
Agility: 100+
Mag. Atk.: 100+
Mag. Def.: 100+
Resistance: 100+
Special Ability: 100
Total: 890+
[Racial Explanation]
Passive skills of a dragon (in all forms) include resistance to temperature, night vision, and blindsense. Dragons are also able to learn more spells than the 300 limit, increasing by 75 for every dragon racial class maxed out. Additionally, they have access to common spells at birth (cantrip spells) and gain more further down the class line progression (unlock spells shared between 3 or more classes).
In human form, dragons are only able to use their breath weapon, biologically speaking and not including other attacks and spells from classes and/or gear. A maxed-out dragon player can use all compositions of a breath weapon (fire, electricity, acid, poison, and cold) in any form (line, cone, and cloud) and can even combine two compositions in a single attack. In the case for poison, only a healer with a higher resistance than the caster can dispel it.
In beast form, dragons can also use their claws, jaws, wings, and tail as a form of attack (which can be enchanted like regular weapons). The form places heavy emphasis on HP and MP (+70% increase, rounded up), moderate emphasis on agility, physical defense, magical defense, and resistance (+50% increase, rounded up), and a little emphasis on physical attack and magical attack (+20% increase, rounded up).
[Jobs Explanation]
*Dragon players can only use dragon exclusive classes. These classes can by leveled up to 15 and will evolve (basic, to advanced, to rare) every 5 levels. However, classes that can only be gained through special achievements will not evolve but can still be leveled up to 15.
Celestial Miracle [15] – A class exclusive to those of the dragon race and only achievable by maxing out every level of each dragon stage. Only containing a single passive skill, [Emissary of the Cosmos], players with this class gain additional strength in proportion to the class's level. For example, with [Celestial Miracle] at level 12, a dragon player officially listed as total level 60 would have the strength of a total level 72 player.
Divine Dragon [15] – A class exclusive to those of the dragon race. A support-based role with heavy emphasis on healing (high, mid, and low-tier level), moderate emphasis on enemy debuffs and self/ally buffs (mid and low-tier level, few high), and a little emphasis on summoning (low-tier level, few mid).
Abjurant Wyrm [10] – A class exclusive to those of the dragon race. A support-based role with heavy emphasis on defensive spells (few high, mainly mid and low-tier level), moderate emphasis on enemy defense debuffs (mid and low-tier level), and a little emphasis on weapon enchantments (low-tier level, few mid).