Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord or Dungeons & Dragons
The Greater Apotheosis of Ainz Ooal Gown
Book : Dusk War
Chapter 1: End of the Beginning
Beta:
The humanoid white void that was Nameless sat at a wrought iron table in the expansive gardens of the Witch's House across from Lord Ao in his guise as a tall man who was neither young nor old with a visage that lacked any remarkable features save for a white beard and hair. The Overgod of the Forgotten Realms was dressed in a black robe dotted by millions of stars and moons, arranged in a not-quite-perceptible pattern but which had a beautiful and harmonious feel. Seated to Nameless' right was the House's mistress and their hostess, Ellen. She wore the shape of a beautiful aristocrat with long purple hair, feline gold eyes and was sporting a knit top and plaid strapped dress. Across from her sat a pretty little five year old with straight waist length brunette hair wearing a simple white sundress and clutching a stuffed penguin.
"You're needlessly dragging this out Nameless," the Outsider in the shape of a little girl scolded as she sipped daintily from her cup of tea. "This Ainz Ooal Gown fellow could have become one of us ages ago."
"Maybe, Blakelord." Nameless allowed. "But I'd rather let him slowly grow into his role."
"Yet you have not refrained from tampering in his affairs to make things more amusing for you." Ao accused. "It is purely for your own entertainment that you made him accept the advances of his Consorts."
"Guilty as charged." Nameless said offering his fellow Outsiders a cheeky grin.
"I wonder what his response will be when he inevitably finds out about your tampering." Ellen told him with a glare. "I think few would appreciate such blatant manipulation of their love life."
"Considering he'd be celibate if I did not, I think he'll thank me but even if he does make an issue of it I'm not worried." Nameless said with a nonchalant shrug even as he reached over and picked up a cupcake. "Or did you all forget I am an aspect of the Primal Void."
"That does not make you invincible." Blakelord warned him with a glare. "So long as you are an Outsider you are still bound by the authority of the Moderators. Need I remind you of that?"
"Your faction only wields as much power over the rest of us as we let you." Nameless countered defiantly before stuffing the cupcake into his mouth.
"We can argue Nameless' lack of respect for authority another time." Ao said with a sharp look at Blakelord. "Let us focus on the reason for this gathering."
"On that note, let me just say that I have no stake in this matter whatsoever and even I am perturbed by your dilly dallying Nameless." Ellen told him with a frown. "You're not usually so slow in dealing with things."
"And rushing things is better?"
"No." Ao allowed. "But letting the seed become complacent is not desirable either. If he grows too comfortable as what he is, he might not have the will to become greater."
"You're just worried that if he doesn't then you'd have wasted the effort of splintering off an iteration of your precious Forgotten Realms."
Ao moved to say something but Blakelord beat him to it.
"You may be right but it doesn't change the fundamental fact." The Moderator said in an uncharacteristically stern tone for her child like guise. "You need to act quickly before the seed withers."
Both Ellen and Ao nodded at that, causing Nameless to sigh in resignation.
"Fine~!" The void of a man said. "I'll set things in motion that'll force him over the top alright?"
"That is satisfactory." Ao said with a nod.
"Agreed." Blakelord said as she put down her teacup and stood. "Thank you for offering your House as neutral ground for this meeting, Ellen."
"You have my thanks as well, Ellen."
"It was my pleasure." Their hostess said in return to Ao and Blakelord just as they both vanished. Once they were gone, she turned to Nameless. "You're not going?"
"Let me finish my tea at least."
"You're procrastinating."
"So? You're going to kick me out?"
Ellen tilted her head in consideration for a long moment before shrugging.
"Enjoy your tea," she said as she stood and walked off back towards the main building of her estate.
Nameless watched her go as he sipped his tea.
Now what exactly can I do to push old Ainz over the edge into Outsiderhood? Hmm…
He ran through a thousand different scenarios in his mind and dismissed all of them as either inadequate or just boring. That is until he hit on one that brought a mischievous smirk to his lips.
Oh! This one will work! I wonder how the Bone Father will like dealing with his failed predecessor?
Unaware of the higher powers scheming to shape his destiny, Ainz sat in the command throne of the flagship of his space fleet, the super dreadnought Pride of Nazarick, as it and its escort fleet of voidships, a mix of traditional Felmidian designs and ironclad spelljammers, descended through Toril's atmosphere.
"Father, might I draw your attention here?" the Pandora's Actor said with a flourish at a viewscreen that presented a view of the Pride's exterior. "We will break the cloud cover soon."
Normally Ainz would scolded the god of treasure and intrigue for his extravagant theatrics, but for this trip at least he refrained. The fleet they were traveling on was quite an achievement on his creation Pandora's Actor's part and as a reward to the Greater Doppelgänger's efforts, Ainz had decided to cut him some slack at least over the course of this trip.
Besides, the view that appeared on the screen as they breached the clouds was probably deserving of the flourish. Ainz had seen Marangor before, with so many of his worshipers living there his omniscient was perpetually active in the city. However, he had never bothered viewing the city from above. An oversight that he couldn't help but chide himself for as he beheld the beauty of the reconstructed city. It's concentric circular walls had been repaired, thus creating a city of a dozen separate districts separated by their towering edifices. Each district looked as fantastical as the next, one had architectural that would not have been out of place from medieval Europe back on Old Earth while another was modeled after classical Greek designs and yet another after various East Asian ones. This mishmash of fantasy tropes should have come across looking like a mess, but the city's planners had somehow avoided that and managing to meld them together into the appearance of a cosmopolitan metropolis instead.
They have done well. Ainz thought as he admired the view as they continued to descend towards the large square within the outermost walls that served as Marangor's spaceport. I must remember to reward the various city planners and architects handsomely for a job well done.
"You should." The familiar voice of Nameless said as Ainz suddenly found himself alone with the enigmatic higher being inside a featureless white void.
"Nameless," Ainz greeted the powerful being warily.
"Momonga." Nameless returned. "Or would you prefer Ainz?"
"Ainz please." The undead primordial said curtly. "I would prefer that only those of Nazarick and my inner circle call me Momonga."
"Fair enough." The white humanoid void outlined by an aura of deep darkness said with a shrug. "Congratulations, by the way."
"Congratulations? For what?"
"For that." Nameless said pointing at Ainz's sternum from which between the gaps in Ainz's ribs now suddenly flowed out motes of golden light.
"What is this?" Ainz asked even as he grasped at the motes and realized with a start that it was divine essence. Freshly generated divine essence.
"It's divine essence as you've guessed." Nameless told him with a grin. "Enough of it to create a new divine spark or to promote one of your subordinate gods. Your recent conquests and the millions of followers it's netted you have allowed you to rank up as a divinity, to the point that you're now able to produce it yourself rather than having to take it from other gods."
"Is that why you're here?" Ainz asked suspiciously even as he pulled the leaking divine essence back into himself. He could decide what to do with it later. Right now he had a higher being to deal with. "To congratulate me for this?"
"In part." Nameless told him, his grin turning menacing. "But also to warn you not to rest on your laurels. The hardest trail is coming."
"What do you mean?"
Nameless just wagged a finger in his direction. "Telling you now would be spoilers."
With that the damnable creature burst into a malicious laugh and vanished, taking his void with him.
Ainz immediately found himself back on the Pride's bridge looking at the bird's eye view of Marangor. His enjoyment of the view was ruined however and it had nothing to do with the emotional suppressor that culled his strong emotions which came with his undead constitution. Nor did it come from the distracting feel of the new divine essence he'd generated.
No, his joy was tarnished by a deep feeling of unease at the ominous implication made by Nameless that some kind of difficult challenge was ahead.
Whatever is coming, it won't be anything good.
Ainz was right to be worried. Moments after he had finished visiting Ainz, Nameless appeared in the deepest depths of the Abyss hovering above a swollen, crystalline cyst in reality nearly a mile in diameter that sat on the ethereal substance of the surrounding demiplane that was little more than a sea of boiling energy that occasionally twisted into nightmarish shapes before collapsing back into the main mass of the roiling ocean of raw dark power. This was the prison of the mad god Tharizdun.
"It's not as impressive as I imagined." Nameless commented to himself with a frown. "Then again I suppose my expectations were too high knowing that Ao can be so bloody unimaginative at times."
He stood there observing the prison for a moment longer as if seeking to imprint the sight into his memory forever more.
"Well, enough 'dilly dallying' as Ellen called it." He said at last. "Time to get to work."
With a casual wave of his hand, he unleashed an immense wave of force that smashed the crystalline prison to pieces and sending shards flying. As it shattered, the contents of the structure revealed itself to be a dark, amorphous sludge with a vaguely humanoid shape standing in the center of ooze of indescribable horror that promptly poured out into its surroundings where it immediately proceeded to corrupt everything it touched. Twisting the already heinous form of the dark ocean of energy into something even more abominable and making it more of itself.
Yet even as this vile corruption spread, its sludge like physical form flowed around the humanoid, never once touching it as if even it was fearful of what the man-shaped thing represented.
"Welcome back," Nameless said cheekily as the Chained God Tharizdun and the Voidharrow made their return to Realmspace after countless eons.
He naturally went unheard, lesser beings could after all only perceive him if he allowed it. Thus he received no reply. He did not expect one however and with a satisfied smile at a job well done, he vanished.
Time for the show to truly begin.
Done!
Short prologue for this last 'book'. Based on my planning, it's going to be a short but hopefully exciting one with long chapters. Hope you guys will enjoy it.
Till next time nirōpa!
