Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord or Dungeons & Dragons
The Greater Apotheosis of Ainz Ooal Gown
Book : Consolidating Power
Chapter 6: Preparations for War
Beta:
Ainz stepped into Gargantua's forge and surveyed the set up that the 4th Floor Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick had built. Housed inside of a large cavern of the Underdark not far from Nazarick itself, the newly minted god of stone had used its new powers to smooth the walls to a mirror finish. That is with the exception of a large pool of magma at one corner of the perfectly cuboid chamber next to which stood a massive adamantite anvil and a rack of blacksmithing equipment that were appropriate to the aforementioned metal block's size. On the far side from the magma pool was an elaborate furnace which could heat things well beyond even the temperatures of the magma and stacked neatly into piles next to the currently dormant structure were ingots of various metals.
"Gargantua," Ainz greeted the formerly unintelligent golem. "I see you have put my boon of skill at the forge to good use. Should I perhaps also grant you the portfolio for such?"
"You honor me Lord Ainz," the god that now wore the face of Suzuki Satoru said with a humbled expression. "I would not ask for more than what you've already generously granted me."
"Is that so?" Ainz said with a chuckle, even as Albedo nodded in satisfaction from where she stood respectfully behind him and on his right. "Well, if your efforts prove successful than you might just gain the portfolio naturally. If you do, accept."
"If that is your will, my Lord. I shall gladly do so."
"Now then, why don't you show me what you've been working on?"
With assistance from the Sliver Queen and Baragon, Gargantua had been busy using his mastery of the earth as the god of stone alongside the skill at the forge granted to him by his use of one boon that Ainz offered him, and had burned a small portion of his captured divine essence to grant, to begin work on an array of divine class items for the other gods of the Felmidian pantheon. The golem had pointed out that not all of them had equipment of the level and that he would like the honor of attempting to rectify this oversight.
Ainz had doubts he would succeed. Not because he would be unable to forge divine class items but due to the various Guardians' attachment to the equipment loving produced by and granted to them by their creators. That said, not all the gods of the Felmidian pantheon were Guardians and not all Guardians, like Gargantua himself, possessed much in the way of equipment. And even those that did surely could benefit from some divine class items to augment their existing arsenals. Ainz had thus reasoned that the god of stone's efforts had a reasonable chance of at least enhancing the strength of Nazarick and after outlining his concerns to the golem, had allowed him to proceed.
"At once, my Lord." The gargantuan golem said as he gestured to a pair of more human sized earth elementals that looked like a set of rocks piled up in the rough shape of a humanoid and given life. The two animated rock piles immediately rushed off somewhere but in the meantime, Gargantua produced a pair of armored gauntlets with a large revolver built midway up the forearm from the sealed space of his inventory.
"I call them the Revolver Knuckles." Gargantua said proudly.
A rather unimaginative name. Ainz thought. Then again not all names can be creative. I'm looking at you Warrior Takemikazuchi! Seriously!? Why did you keep naming your primary weapon Takemikazuchi!?
"It looks impressive," Ainz told his subordinate, letting none of his exasperation at the name show. "What does it do?"
"At its most basic it significantly boosts my attack strength." The weapons' creator said. "But more importantly using magical power I've stored in the revolver sections, I can use these gauntlets to unleash various effects."
"An external store of your power?" Albedo asked, looking at the weapons curiously. "Is it necessary?"
"Against mortals probably not." Gargantua said, outlining his reasoning behind his creation. "However against other gods? I would think so. I am not a god of magic by any stretch of the imagination, thus having a store of magical power that I can use to stretch my reserves will be useful."
"A prudent precaution." Ainz opined, noting the thoughtful look of Albedo's face. Judging by that alone, he wouldn't be surprised if the various gods under his command all soon sported external reserves of their power as part of their standard equipment.
"Ah! My minions have returned." Gargantua said as the two elementals from earlier reappeared carefully carrying a pair of items. One was holding onto a mannequin upon which was mounted a set of full plate whilst the other cradled a long box. "I have not had the time to finish much else but I have finished the equipment I would like to offer Enri."
As a mere Momon of Felmid and not a Guardian of Nazarick before her elevation, Enri's equipment was rather meager in comparison to her peers. She didn't even have the natural resilience and strength that Deathwing possessed by being a Dragon. As such it was only fitting that Gargantua prepared his gifts to her first.
"Good of you to think of Enri first." Ainz said approvingly. "It is very considerate of you."
"Thank you, my Lord." Gargantua said with a humble bow.
"Let us see that armor first." Ainz said, gesturing for the elemental to bring the mannequin closer.
"I call it the Regina Proelium (Battle Queen) Armor." Gargantua informed them as his subordinate obeyed Ainz's wordless command and placed it directly in front of their Supreme Ruler.
The armor had a breastplate emblazoned with the symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown with a waistguard composed of two hanging plates that were paired with a ruffled cloth sprouting from under it over some chainmail, all of which were surmounted by a long skirt which would reach down to Enri's knees and covered the rather featureless greaves. The skirt featured white frills along its edge and a blue banner hanging down from her waist with his symbol once more in gold. The gauntlets, covering the entirety of her arms, were largely unadorned with only her pauldrons, composed of overlapping plates, having some golden decorative markings in the shape of avian wings over the upper plates with similar wings appearing over the footwear. The entire armor set was complemented by a velvet cape that was tucked under her pauldrons, which possessed a white fur finish and a gold frilled edge.
"It is very ornate." Ainz observed. "What is its properties?"
He could have used the Appraisal Magic Item spell or one of its variants to learn all he wanted to know but it was more polite to simply ask its creator.
"It boasts formidable defensive capabilities whilst also providing substantial bonuses to the commander type abilities that Enri favors."
"Albedo, your opinion?"
"The defensive boost is substantial, my Lord." His Consort told him after running a finger carefully over the armor. "I can feel it."
Ainz nodded. "And the boost to Enri's favored set of abilities is thoughtful and useful. Overall, it is quite well done."
"I thank you for the praise, Lady Albedo, Lord Ainz."
Waving Gargantua's response aside, Ainz gestured at the box. At this the elemental holding the mannequin moved it out of the way and his counterpart stepped forward.
"A sword?" Ainz asked as the elemental opened the box for his inspection to reveal a sword sitting on a pillow of soft velvet. It was a curved cavalry sword that would not have been out of place on the battlefields of the American Civil War. The biggest difference however was that all along the flat of the blade were a host of runes that glowed with stored magic.
"I call it Coram Imperio (Commanding Presence)." Gargantua explained. "And it follows the same logic as Regina Proelium in serving the item's function, in this case it's prowess as a blade, whilst also boosting Enri's command type skills."
"You even chose to emulate her favorite type of sword? You really are thoughtful in your efforts." Ainz said as he nodded and turned away from the blade, causing the elemental holding it to respectfully back away. "I, for one, am satisfied with your work and am sure that Enri will appreciate it as well."
"It is my honor to be of service to you and my fellows, my Lord." Gargantua said with a respectful bow.
"Victim? What are you doing?" Ainz asked as he teleported alone to the blasted plain outside the ruins of the Rome Arcology where the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and god of sacrifice and binding had taken up residence for the past few days.
Days in which Ainz had been receiving confused but disturbing reports as to his activities. Reports that as Ainz surveyed the piles of malformed and rotting flesh that dotted the already hellish landscape of the glassy plain filled with craters seemed to have some merit.
"Ah! Ol tabaan! Ah matb pardons! (Ah! My lord! A thousand pardons!)" The bright pink fetus with an angelic halo above his head and featherless stick-like wings on its back said in Enochian as he spun around to face Ainz and offered a deep apologetic bow. "Ol uls ge fafen de trouble g g ol experiments. (I did not mean to trouble you with my experiments.)"
"And what experiments are you conducting exactly?" Ainz asked, glancing at a nearby pile of fetid pink flesh meaningfully. "And does it have anything to do with these piles?"
"Apologies lap a mess, ol tabaan. Ol shall clear par farzm ca soon ca ol'm uls. (Apologies for the mess, my lord. I shall clear them up as soon as I'm done.)" Victim said spinning around in a circle nervously as he looked at the many piles of meat, as if noticing them for the first time.
"They are not a problem." Ainz told his Guardian kindly. "Now tell me what experiments are you conducting?"
"Excuse ol tardiness, master. Allow ol de explain. (Excuse my tardiness, master. Allow me to explain.)" Victim said with another apologetic bow. "Ol seek de qaal, ol tabaan, ah new race c Angels g ol image g a lel sacrificial allar bab ar ol as originally created g. (I seek to create, my lord, a new race of Angels in my image with the same sacrificial binding ability that I was originally created with.)"
He's trying to create a new race? That's ambitious.
"And these are your failed attempts?" Ainz said pointing at the mounds of rotting flesh. "What were they lacking?"
He already had an idea but it was best to get confirmation. He did not want to seem foolish in front of his subordinates by being mistaken.
"Par lack a sacrificial allar bab. (They lack the sacrificial binding ability.)" Victim replied, confirmed Ainz's suspicion.
"I am not surprised." Ainz told the Angel with a sigh. "Granting you that ability was not easy and took a lot of effort in carefully choosing your job and racial classes and syncing them with the specific items you possess. It is not something that would be easily duplicated. If this was what you intended, Victim, you should have approached me directly."
Looking chastised, Victim bowed his head low. "Ol lava g iehusoz, ol tabaan. Ol merely gil de capimali oi c ol own. De surprise g. (I beg your pardon, my lord. I merely wanted to achieve this on my own. To surprise you.)"
"I appreciate the thought, Victim." Ainz said genuinely, touched by the fetal looking Angel's sentiment. "But since the surprise is ruined now, shall we at least finish the gift?"
"Darsar, ol tabaan? tol ol attempts blans noan failures. (How, my lord? All my attempts have been failures.)" Victim said mournfully.
"By working together, of course." Ainz declared with confidence he did not truly feel. "Now, create your Angels and I shall use my powers to ensure they come out as you intend."
"Da once, ol tabaan! (At once, my lord!)" The Angel said eagerly as he began to stretch out his divine power and flesh seemed to appear from nowhere a short distance ahead of his own body.
Immediately Ainz stretched out a portion of his will as well, an effortless process here on Felmid which was now as much his body as the Overlord one that had been his YGGDRASIL avatar, and forced the newly emerging beings to fit with their creators' designs. He encountered a slight resistance as something, the laws of the world perhaps, tried to counter his efforts but he easily smothered this obstacle. And as the conjured flesh shaped themselves into visually identical copies to Victim and floated into the air like their creator, Ainz could feel that they'd succeeded.
"You," Ainz said pointing to the leftmost of the six newly created Angels. "Test the Sacrifice Bind ability."
"Ca g bogpa, Micalz El! (As you command, Supreme One!)" The Angel replied promptly before exploding in a shower of gore that proceeded to transform into chains of golden energy that wrapped around its five other compatriots.
"T worked! ol tabaan, t worked! (It worked! My lord, it worked!)" Victim cried out excitedly.
"Yes, it has." Ainz agreed as the chains faded and the remaining Angels were freed. "But let us test something else. You five, can you reproduce?"
"If ar i g wish, micalz el, ge darbs. (If that is your wish, supreme one, we obey.)" The Angels said in frankly creepy unison.
"It is." Ainz said, letting none of his unease show and watched in morbid fascination as with the unnatural stretching of pink flesh the five Angels fissioned and became ten.
"There, Victim." the Overlord said with a grand sweep of his arm at the new Angels. "Your new minions. What will you call them?"
"Tol ol thanks, ol tabaan, lap assisting g creating par. Perhaps g trian gnay ol a iaiadix c naming par ca balit? (All my thanks, my lord, for assisting in creating them. Perhaps you could do me the honor of naming them as well?)" Victim asked with a begging quality to his voice.
Just the situation I wanted to avoid. But I guess it cannot be helped.
"Let us call them Sacrificial Cherubs then." Ainz said after a moment as he recalled how his old friend Ulbert Alain Odle had once compared Victim himself to a twisted Cherub. "I look forward to seeing them serve Nazarick well."
The newly named Cherubs and their creator bowed their heads low. "Ge apila od die lap Nazarick! (We live and die for Nazarick!)"
Nodding in satisfaction at their pledge of loyalty, Ainz turned and teleported away. He'd run away from his paperwork for long enough. If he dallied any further Albedo would likely come looking for him and he definitely wanted to avoid that!
Months later, Ainz stood alongside Albedo, Enri, Shalltear, Pandora's Actor, Sebas and Victim on a platform overlooking a large parade square that had been specially created for the occasion so as to inspect the army of liberated slaves that were standing in ordered ranks with their various equipment that filled up the square. Hovering above them in ones and twos were hundreds of Victim's Sacrificial Cherubs.
"Are they ready?" Ainz asked as he looked upon the blocks of infantry before him armed as they were with various plasma and laser weapons as well as the parked battalions of armored vehicles and artillery.
"Thanks to Lady Shalltear's help," Enri, dressed in her Regina Proelium Armor and with Coram Imperio strapped to her waist, said as she gestured to the True Vampire who smiled politely at the mention. "The troops are ready for the task of supporting your children as intended, Bone Father."
"How ready exactly?" Ainz asked meaningfully.
"Ready enough to fight any foe, even a god, with confidence and some chance of success."
Ainz nodded at Enri's glowing report and looked to Shalltear for confirmation, receiving a hasty nod from his Consort in reply.
"I hope they live up to you high expectations of them, Enri." Ainz told the Momon kindly, causing the girl to blush.
"Victim, are you certain you want to add your Cherubs to the army's ranks?" Ainz asked his Angelic Guardian.
"Ol zir certain, ol tabaan. (I am certain, my lord.)"
"Very well." Ainz said consideringly. "But they are small in number at the moment. So let us keep them in reserve for now and deploy them when their population is more sustainable."
"If ar i g bogpa, Micalz El, uml ol darbs. (If that is your command, Supreme One, then I obey.)" Victim said sounding a tad disappointed.
Ainz was adamant though. He would not send his Guardian's creations into battle when there were so few of them. He would not see them extinct before they even had a chance to stabilize their numbers. It would be a shame to Nazarick to lose their abilities. That and he did not want Victim's efforts in creating them go to waste.
"The same applies for your clerics, Sebas." Ainz told the Iron Butler. "Let their numbers grow first. Once your cult is more established then you may select some of them to serve in our armies. Let the Veryon girl know this when you next speak to her."
"I will, my Lord." Sebas said with a polite bow.
"Pandora's Actor," Ainz said as he looked over the square and found something missing. "Where is the fleet you promised?"
"Here they are, mein Vater." The Greater Doppelgänger said with a flourish and a snap of his fingers.
At this signal, a fleet of dozens of the new Ironclad spelljammers descended from the sky as they escorted a new Felmidian-type dreadnought. It was a thoroughly impressive sight, as the firepower of this one fleet alone matched the total strength of many of the spacefaring factions of Realmspace.
"Well done, Pandora's Actor." Ainz said in honest appreciation. "But have you deciphered the secret of constructing new spelljamming helms?"
"We have." His creation assured him. "Helms produced based on the designs Demiurge 'extracted' from the Neogi are being tested as we speak. Soon we will be able to produce our own helms."
"And in the meantime?"
"We still a glut of helms retrieved from the wreckage of the enemies that Cocytus, Deathwing and the Sliver Queen have destroyed."
"I am satisfied," Ainz said making a sweeping gesture to indicate the assembled forces before him. "But Albedo what is your opinion? Speak honestly."
"I think we are as prepared as we can be." The Guardian Overseer said after a moment of consideration. "As you knew we would be."
"You give me too much credit." Ainz said with a chuckle. "However, I must agree. We are ready. It is time to unleash our might on Toril. May the fools shudder in the face of our fury. As a great bard once said, 'Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the dogs of war.'"
Done!
I hope you guys liked how I tied up everything in this 'book' in the last scene there. It's a little flimsy in some cases but still works. At least I think it is. Let me know if you disagree.
Well, till next time, bidaee!
