Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord. That belongs to Kugane Maruyama, and all illustrations are made by So-Bin.
"Shalltear Bloodfallen? Guardian of the first three floors?" Ulbert peered down, a clawed hand raised over his brow in an imitation of blocking sunlight.
"Y-yeah. That's her." Peroroncino sounded hoarser by the moment, the fierce inflection of his voice giving way to something worse.
Far below the airborne players, a speck of movement could be distinguished against the shadowy backdrop of the Grand Cemetery, wondering around the edge of the taboo markers that was the only indicator of their being a perimeter around the graveyard.
"Okay?"
"Okay!? She's moving!" Peroroncino hissed back.
"And? NPCs have their patrol routes." Amanomahitotsu interjected, unconcerned.
"She's moving, and she's alive!" Peroroncino's aggravation clear. "Can't you guys see her?"
"It must be your racial perks, Peroroncino-san. I can see fine in this darkness with my skill, dark vision, but as far as seeing the Tomb it's just a bunch of tiny dots. We must be miles above the world." Momonga placated his friend. "What exactly do you see?"
"She's alive. I don't think she's just an NPC anymore, guys."
This declaration finally punched through the casual atmosphere everyone had regarding the NPC.
"What?" Momonga asked, stunned. "What did you just say?"
"I said she's alive. I can see it from here. She's too...alert, and...and too smooth. The way she walks. It's the same, but it's all different. I can see her eyes from here. She's looking around. I'm telling you guys, she's real!" The bird man conveyed seriously.
"How can you be sure?" Blue Planet asked cautiously.
"Because I made her! I played with her all the time! I know how she walks and how she moves! That's her alright, but she's real too! She's alive, I know it." Peroroncino insisted. "Well, undead, actually. But alive."
"Ew. Don't tell me- Creep." Bukubukuchaguma floated far away from her brother, too aware of his perverse inclinations.
"What? No, I mean, it was a game. I mean, just, no!" Peroroncino defended himself. "Whatever! But I'm telling you all, she's real. She's not just an NPC any longer."
Everyone stood still to take in this new information. An NPC, come to life? What did this mean and were the other NPCs just as alive?
"Alright." Touch Me acknowledged, mediating again. "What do we do now?"
"We go down and have a chat with her. Carefully, and polite." Punitto Moe supplied, ever the pragmatist. "But safely. Don't go in guns blazing. That might draw aggro. Instead, we just head on down. However, everyone be prepared to defend yourselves in an instant. Remember, she's fast and a close quarters specialist, but also has powerful ranged options. Withdraw back up here if things look to be heading south."
"And watch what you say. We have no idea how she might react to any random bit of information. We were human, and she might not like that. That, and she was made to be an NPC to defend the tomb, she might attack us on sight." Tabula reinforced their caution. "We have no idea how she'll behave now that she's come alive. No one say anything to her unless you think it's vitally important, and think it over twice before you say anything."
Momonga took the words to heart. He had fought alongside her in defence of the guild from an outside attack, and knew exactly how strong she was. Everything that Punitto and Tabula had said was sound advice, and hoped everyone took the warnings seriously.
"Right, let's go." Momonga lead the way. "As guild master, I will take point. Peroroncino, with me. You're going to talk to her. Touch Me, Bukubukuchaguma, I want you both to flank us. We'll need you two to protect us if she aggros. Yamaiko, Punitto, you'll be in direct support just behind us four. Blue Planet, second layer support. Tabula Smaragdina, Ulbert Alain Odle, I want you two at the back for long casting. Amanomahitotsu, watch their backs. Nishikienrai, keep eyes, and disappear."
Momonga's orders were crisp. He had studied well from Punitto Moe's own style of instruction for PvP tactics and party assaults. The others arranged themselves into the formation as they descended, wordlessly accepting the orders as they made their first real confrontation in the new world. Ironically, their first threat might originate from themselves.
Beside him, Bukubukuchaguma brushed up alongside his arm in the formation, and he could sense waves of mirth radiating off her. He could almost imagine her mocking his behaviour as he pretended to be cool. He accepted her ribbing in stride, opting to focus on the task at hand and engage her later.
They slowed their rapid descent as they came within two hundred meters above the cemetery. The boundary line was approximately one hundred meters in all directions from the edge of the border walls, meaning they were close to crossing the line. If this was like the game, and she's hostile to outsiders when they cross, then she might aggro and attack if she doesn't accept them as members of the guild.
Momonga raised a hand to slow them, drifting soundlessly, where even Peroroncino's wings were silent under an ability that provided him stealth.
However, long before they were even close to landing within the cemetery's courtyard, the gothic lolita vampire knelt in a surprising display of grace, casting her crimson eyes upon them with bright adoration.
"My prayers have been answered. My Creator has come home to me. Lord Peroroncino! You've returned at last!" Shalltear cried exuberantly in her sweet melodic voice. Momonga had thought of several scenarios in his mind, of which none of them was anything like this.
'Silent magic. Message. Peroroncino, she's all yours.' Momonga dumped the problem on him.
Momonga barely perceived the Birdman glaring at him out of the corner of his eyes. The raptor strode forward, leaving the formation the players had arranged themselves in to greet her.
"Shalltear. It's been a while." Peroroncino made for a brilliant sight. His golden armour gleamed in the darkness and contrasted well with his pure white feathers that contained their own soft glow. His long, black crown feathers draped like hair down his back and over his folded wings, almost appearing like a cloak against the shadows surrounding them all. He held his arms wide in an innocent gesture, but Shalltear must have interpreted it as something else, rushing towards him in a blur of movement speed reserved for only the most powerful of physically oriented builds.
Momonga, as a pure caster unable to react to her speed, was concerned when neither Touch Me nor Bukubukuchaguma did anything, either. That was until he saw Shalltear crash into Peroroncino in a hug, embracing the bird man with all of her might, swinging him off of the ground in her exuberant affection.
"My lord! My maker! Peroroncino-sama!" Shalltear sang, nuzzling her face into his chest feathers, completely oblivious to the other players standing around the pair awkwardly.
"A-argk, yes, Shalltear. It's me. Please, put me down now." Peroroncino choked out from under her tyrannical strength.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, placing him down gently, before snapping into a razor-sharp curtsey. "Please forgive my insolence!"
"No, it's fine." He clutched. "Just...overwhelmed, by your...enthusiasm."
Momonga observed the NPC turned real life vampire loli. Her luscious, silvery blonde, semi curled hair was pinned up by a large black bow to tumble gracefully around her youthful form. Her pale skin was as smooth as marble, and probably just as hard, hidden away by a Victorian era black dress, all with red and white trim. Her most distinguishing features by far, however, were the two large orbs shining red on her face. Yeah, let's go with that. Oh, and she had a big chest on her tiny frame.
"Shalltear Bloodfallen." Momonga called. She had proven harmless to her maker, but what about the rest of them?
"Oh! Momonga-sama! And the Supreme Beings! I sincerely apologise for my irreverence!" The vampire girl genuflected deeply, in contrast to her earlier curtsey and kneeling. She seemed to be ticking off a list of how to greet them all respectfully.
"Pay it no mind, my dear. It's only natural that one might lose their composure after a long-awaited reunion." Momonga assured her, drawing on his own experience of not just a few hours ago. "All is forgiven. We simply came here to greet you this evening. Tell me, what brings you here tonight?"
Momonga tried to word it in a way that would get him answers about herself without blatantly sounding like he was fishing for information. Shalltear straightened up upon her forgiveness, standing tall as she was addressed by the guild master.
"This evening I had come to make my rounds of the First Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and all appeared well, however it seems we have moved locations, and are now no longer in the Grenbera Swamp. I was going to raise the alarm to the Guardian Overseer, but I sensed your divine selves out here already, and I knew that you would bring it to our attention if it was truly noteworthy." Shalltear gave her report.
Momonga thought over her words, finding them to be a simple yet accurate summation of events. Punitto Moe thought otherwise.
"Sensed us? You sensed our 'divine' selves?" the Death Vine queried the guardian.
"Of course, Punitto Moe-sama. There are none in Nazarick that would mistake the auras of the Supreme Beings."
"And you've already made a brief survey of the immediate surroundings?"
"I have. If there is something that I've missed please explain it to this one to know how to do better in the future!" Shalltear begged, suddenly flustered under the dead even interrogation by the death vine.
"Oh, leave her be, Punitto." Bukubukuchaguma bubbled before the vampire. "She's far too precious to be nagged by a prune like you. Besides, things are clearly under control here, right?" The slime challenged him. Everything seemed to be fine, but there was obviously a much bigger problem looming ahead of them. The NPCs were alive, and there were a lot of them.
"Very well. If that's all handled then, might I propose that we return to the Meeting Room. To discuss current events, and our change of locale?" asked Punitto Moe, looking at Momonga pointedly.
"But of course. Carry on in the course of your duties Shalltear. I promise you can speak more with your creator later." Momonga attempted to appear casual, but somehow still sounded like he was trying to role play. "Right now, I agree that we should meet to discuss current affairs."
"As you say, Momonga-sama." Shalltear curtseyed in parting.
"To the Meeting Room." Momonga ordered, activating his Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.
"To the Meeting Room, and beyond! Up, up, and away!" Ulbert barked humorously at Momonga's cheesy lines. "Really, you couldn't- "
"Guys. The fuck?" Punitto whirled on them all. "What happened to the plan?"
"What do you mean what happened? It was fine." Said Blue Planet, brow raised.
"No. Everything turned out fine. The plan went to shit." Punitto ground out, branches clashing together and leaves shaking in fury.
"How did that go wrong? I thought it- "
"Peroroncino broke formation, exposing himself. She rushed him and could have snapped him in half. These two lugs." Punitto jabbed a thumb at Touch Me and Bukubukuchaguma. "Didn't do squat. A ranger within melee distance of a knight? He could have been half dead before we even thought to draw weapons."
"Hey, I saw it in her eyes, okay?" Bukubukuchaguma defended her inactions, and her brother's. "She cares about him. I knew that when I saw her, she wouldn't harm him."
"It is as she says." Touch Me supported her claim. "I knew immediately that she meant him no harm."
Punitto turned his withering glare on the two of them.
"And just how do you know that one, Touch-san?"
"He was perfectly safe." The insectoid clicked back. "I too have a daughter."
"Wait!" Peroroncino squawked. Silence followed the Birdman's cry. "W-What? Daughter? Huh, why do you say that?"
"She is your creation, is she not? Did she not call you her creator? She was overjoyed to see you, running to hug you in front of us, ignoring us. Despite her thinking that it was disrespectful for not acknowledging us first." Touch Me reasoned. "She obviously adores you. Why not? Do you not like her?"
"Like her? Of course I do! But, daughter? Ack, I just-" The bird man trailed off into silence. "You ruined it. She was perfect, and amazing, and you ruined it." Peroroncino groaned mournfully, tearing at his head feathers with clenched talons. Touch Me seemed a little lost before Bukubukuchaguma planted herself between them.
"Don't mind him Touch-san, he's just being a perverted dweeb again." She consoled the older man, even as she turned around and bopped her brother on the head with a tentacle. "Foolish brother. Hah! Hear that? You're a father now, so I better not hear any stories about you- "
Bukubukuchaguma went still. Even her vibrating purple mass seemed to recoil into itself. She had obviously reached the same conclusion that everyone else had reached concerning the nature of their relationships with the NPCs.
"Oh my goodness, I'm an aunt." She gasped weakly. "Shit! I'm a mother! I have twins!" She began bubbling franticly.
Momonga and the rest of the guild members, as far as he himself could tell, were contemplating their apparent children.
'Natürlich, mein Schöpfer.'
'He was alive, and I didn't even realise it. How fucking bad am I?' Momonga thought to himself, Pandora's Actor's parting words finally filtering into his empty skull.
"It seems we have all just become parents. Cool. Now what?" Nishikienrai summarised everyone's thoughts accurately.
"Now? Now we need another plan." Punitto Moe slapped a heavy branch down on the Round Table, leaves scattering in his wake. "And this time we stick to it.
"We just became parents. But even more than that, we just became Supreme Beings." He continued. "You heard Shalltear. Divine aura. She sensed us. Apparently, so can everyone else. We need to address this first, above everything else."
"Why? It sounds like a quick way to solidify our authority in Nazarick." Said Blue Planet nonchalantly.
"Because, my ignorant friend, pretending to be gods is an awful idea, and can backfire horribly in so many ways. It'd be easier if we just told them we're dumbasses pretending to be geniuses. It'd amount to the same thing."
"Er, okay. Sheesh, sorry for asking." The fae elemental sulked.
"No, don't be sorry. It just makes it easier to broach this subject." said Punitto Moe. "We can't pretend to be gods. That is rule number one on the 'what not to do with god-like power' list."
"What's the difference, though?" Nishikienrai asked curiously.
"The difference is that one is having godlike power, and the other is being a god." Tabula interjected. "One is just wielding power, and the other is being an actual god. Being a god usually comes with a lot of additional perks and responsibilities, like being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. None of these qualities we even come close to embodying, even if we somehow combined our skills and powers into one person.
"Then there's the whole ball and chain of a religion, which would impose huge restrictions and expectations upon us. We're more likely to be worshipped as abominations, and pretending to be gods is only going to set us up for failure. Besides, we're not exactly angels, you know?" Tabula ranted. "We wouldn't have the patience or the discipline to maintain such a farce of an existence, especially if we had to keep it up forever. And that's ignoring the fact that we'd have to invent some kind of fiction first and hope that none of us screws up the narrative and says something stupid like-"
"Okay. Point made. We know, now. We get the concept." Ulbert rolled over Tabula's diatribe. "New plan. Ideas?"
"We can't go with honesty. Telling them they were our playthings, and that their entire existence hinged on our whims is a terrible idea. How many of you would like to be told you were a joke character, or some way to pass the time while your maker lived out miserable lives?" Yamaiko added thoughtfully. "But we can't just make up a tale and lie to them. I don't want to lie to them. I won't, and we shouldn't."
"No. We can't lie to them. Anything we make up will have to be repeated as truth by everyone, forever. We won't be able to keep our stories straight." Punitto Moe accepted her input mindfully. "We don't reveal the truth, but we tell no lies. A simple deception is in order, I think."
"A simple deception? Okay, we're with you. Go on." Peroroncino nodded, having come out of his mournful stupor.
"Simply, don't tell them anything. Deny everything. Make up something about it not being your place to reveal these secrets." Punitto shrugged. "Refuse to elaborate. Deny being gods or 'Supreme Beings'. Actually, it might be better to go in the exact opposite direction."
"Are you suggesting we act as simple and humble beings? Saying things like we were mortals, but changed our fates?" Tabula stroked his tentacle beard in consideration. "It's not entirely fallacious logic, and claiming to be simple creatures doesn't really have any deficits. The problems only pop up when you start to complicate things."
"Exactly. The simple narrative is that we don't speak of it. Absolutely deny being a god. We can't keep that kind of lie up forever. If we really get backed into a corner, just say we were simple mortals, something like humans, but we rejected our mortality and chose new paths. Don't complicate it any more than that. Keep it simple, please." Punitto concluded, establishing their backstories.
Momonga and the other players fell into silence as they contemplated the idea. Appearing as gods did seem to be a lot of work, and the more he thought about it the more holes he could see in such a plan. Maintaining such a fiction would be a huge pain in the ass, and would surely come back around to bite them. That, and he was impressed with how Punitto Moe and Tabula Smaragdina had fallen back into their habit of connecting thoughts over something so esoteric and obscure as rejecting godhood.
"So, now that that's decided. What's next?" Momonga chaired the meeting once more. "Where do we go from here?"
"I believe our first plan of action should be to establish our return." Amanomahitotsu volunteered. "Shalltear said that Peroroncino-san had returned, but didn't say anything about Momonga-san who's been playing nonstop, since we left. We should reintroduce ourselves to the NPCs."
"Hmmm. Agreed. But I propose we do it individually with our own creations first. Shalltear's reaction to Peroroncino is a good indication of our welcome, and it would be faster and safer if we saw our own NPCs independently. We know our own creations best, and it would take less time than visiting them one at a time in a whole group." Said Momonga. "We can call a general meeting later on once we've sorted ourselves out more."
"Wait. I have a condition." Punitto spoke once more. "Once is not enough to establish a trend, and an exception doesn't prove a rule. Using Shalltear as example does not prove that the NPCs are non hostile."
"Then what do you propose, Punitto-san?" Momonga conceded.
"We should visit the Sixth Floor Guardians, Bukubukuchaguma's twins. Oh, and on that note, stop using honorifics. They're a mark of respect. Social identifiers. We're familiar enough that we can call each other by our names, and we're all friends here. Don't give them the idea of a hierarchy, or something silly like taking sides." The Death Vine grumbled. "I know it seems like a little thing, but if the NPCs are going to treat us like gods, accidentally implying we have a social order can cause major repercussions if we're not careful. Dropping them plays into being simpler beings than maintaining them. It's really not worth the hassle."
"...Okay. I can get behind that." Yamaiko agreed, and everyone nodded in affirmation. "But why are we just seeing the twins first?"
"Seeing the twins first as a group covers a lot of bases. We see two NPCs in a single go. It's more efficient, and will give us a better indicator on their behaviour. They're a pair of backlines, being a ranger slash tamer and mage duo. They'll be at a disadvantage in close quarters with us." Punitto listed off. "That, and they're children. If everything has become real, and judging by Shalltear, they'll be children. It's just easier."
Finding no fault in his logic, Momonga agreed to the course of action, and nobody else dissented. Bukubukuchaguma had been bouncing erratically since Punitto suggested the idea, and seemed excited by the prospect of meeting her creations. Momonga wished he shared her enthusiasm, as he wasn't quite as happy about seeing his own.
"Then we are in agreement then. We'll see the twins in the Sixth Floor Amphitheatre first, then split up and meet our own NPCs, and then once we're done, we come back here and meet up again straight away. Don't get sidetracked. Not for anything. If anything does happen, then retreat here and call an emergency meeting." Momonga set the tone of their trip, reminding everyone to be cautious with his stern warning.
"To the Sixth Floor."
Like the rest of the Great Tomb of Nazarick the amphitheatre, as well as the rest of the sixth floor, had clearly undergone some realism modifications. That was to say that nothing had changed, except now everything was in a higher definition than what they could have possibly conceived.
The stone flooring was rougher and more textured than its digital counterpart, and the edges and colours of the designs just looked sharper and more vibrant. If they had not first made the journey outside before coming here, then they might have agreed that this was a vision of perfection.
The Sixth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick reflected the current time of day in the outside world, meaning that it was night in here as well. Just like the outside, the gorgeous night sky designed by their very own Blue Planet was its own depiction of all things beautiful in the cosmos. The deep night, radiant constellations, and scattered nebula were a sight far more inspiring than the real outdoors. However, after having seen the real deal of the outside, a sight that they had never witnessed before, they had immediately appreciated the beauty of nature in its rawest form.
Having seen natural nature, the lush biome and reflective sky seemed transparently artificial. As the sixth floor appeared so much more than the mundane outside world, there was something to be said about the real natural world.
Arriving inside the arena, it took a few moments to realise he had arrived alone, and a few moments more to realise that he hadn't quite specified where to teleport to, on a floor that had an area of about four-square kilometres.
Momonga turned in place and observed the stationary golems in the stands, noting that while they seemed like they too had come to life, he could also tell that they were currently on standby. His curiosity was peaked for a moment about whether he should practice giving them orders, he decided it was best to wait until after their meetup discussion. Now was not the time for playing.
"Momonga-sama!"
Momonga was immediately greeted by a young dark elf who who leapt into the arena from the VIP section of the stadium. Momonga should have been horrified to see such a small body plummet from such a height, but intuitively he knew she would be fine.
"Momonga-sama! Welcome to the Sixth Floor of Nazarick that my brother and I guard. It's an honour to have you here with us today. How may we serve you, Momonga-sama?" Asked the Dark Elf, Aura.
Aura Bella Fiora was an NPC created by Bukubukuchaguma. The tomboy was golden haired, dark elf child with heterochromia, her left eye an ocean blue and her right eye a forest green. She wore red and black scaled dragon leather clothes, covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown. Below it, she had a matching set of white trousers and gold-plated shoes, with an acorn necklace emitting golden light strung around her neck. Clipped to her belt was a golden whip that complimented her tamer's build, as well as a delicate and powerful bow strung over back as her ranger's weapon of choice. Despite her petite looks and tomboyish appearance, she was one of the most powerful NPCs in the guild as a level one hundred Floor Guardian.
"It is not for myself that I am here, young Aura. In fact, it is for you that we've come here. Both you and your brother. Where is Mare, by the way?" Momonga spoke with the child. Him arriving in the Amphitheatre alone wasn't how he imaging this meeting going, but he supposed he could make small talk with the child until his friends got here. It seems she was just a child, both in appearance and behaviour. How hard could this be?
The dark elf child whirled around with a puffed-up expression of indignation on her face.
"Mare! Get down here, you! You're making Momonga-sama wait!" Aura yelled loud enough that the dozen pop monsters patrolling the Amphitheatre cringed and skulked about faster. "Gosh, you're embarrassing me!"
The girl turned and smiled at him with the most beatific grin on her face. "Please, pay no attention to him, Momonga-sama. My brother's a little scatter-brained sometimes. Hehe."
"Pay it no mind. I can wait."
She turned again, lambasting the absentee boy in her wild manner. "Hurry up and get down here, stupid! Where the heck are you, Mare!?"
"A-ah! Coming Aura!" An effeminate voice piped back, seemingly reflective of his tomboyish sister. A small tuft of golden hair could be seen bobbing along just over the railing of the VIP section.
"Well, hurry then! You're so lucky Momonga-sama is waiting so kindly!" She yelled again. "Just jump down already!"
"I can't sis! I'm scared!" Mare's tiny face peered over from the admittedly high rampart.
"Just do it! You're being rude!"
"Okay, here goes!"
Mare Bello Fiore leapt over the bannister and plummeted to the arena floor. Unlike his sister, who landed with a catlike grace, he plonked heavily on his heels, shaking the floor and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Momonga hummed in amusement as he noted that the boy barely stuck the landing.
Like his sister, Mare bore dark skin and pointed ears, the signature traits of the dark elves, also sharing the golden hair and heterochromia of his twin; his right eye is blue and his left eye is green.
He wore a blue dragon scale leather full-body suit, covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown, all of which was peeking out from under his forest green-leaf cloak. Below, he had a matching short white skirt exposing his thighs, which were covered by thigh high pure white stockings. Like his sister, he also wore a shimmering golden acorn necklace. His slender hands, covered by shiny white silk gloves, carried a twisted black wooden staff.
Momonga noticed, distractedly, that the boy wasn't anywhere near as quick as Aura, a mark of his lesser agility score compared to hers. Momonga, however, was too busy staring at the twins, his analysis leading to a conclusion that would have left their 'mother' spluttering in denial.
'Et tu, Bukubukuchaguma?'
Whilst undeniably adorable, Momonga couldn't help but critique the obvious traps. He wasn't criticising the children, but their maker. Momonga had his...creation. But he thought it was cool. Ulbert made a demon. Touch made a butler. Takemikazuchi made a warrior bug.
But Peroroncino made Shalltear. Herohero made Solution. Nishikienrai made Narberal.
There was a fine distinction, a line between the two types of players that had made NPCs in Ainz Ooal Gown, and perhaps Bukubukuchaguma fell into the latter category. Momonga almost laughed at the thought, but found it wasn't as amusing as he surmised, and shrugged it off. Besides, she'd deny it with an accompanying fist, if he knew her as well as he remembered.
"Sorry, Momonga-sama! I didn't mean to make you wait!" the young boy trembled. Momonga was both delighted and saddened that the NPCs backstories seemed to hold true. Aura was a bully to her brother, and Mare was afraid of everything. That wasn't actually written anywhere in their flavour text, but one could infer it if they knew what they were looking for. That, and Momonga knew it was how Bukubukuchaguma envisioned her own relationship with her brother, at least in her own way.
"Not to worry, Mare. There's no need to rush. We're not all here yet, and since we're here for you, no time has been wasted." Momonga consoled the seemingly emotional boy. Unlike Aura, whose bio was transparent and who wore her heart on her sleeve, Mare's flavour text was a little more convoluted. The boy was written as deeply emotional, but had a swath of contradictory anecdotes and side notes tucked in that gave him more of a spine than would otherwise initially be believed. Momonga agreed with the Dark Elf's epithet of 'Untrustworthy'.
"Who are we waiting for Momonga-sama, if I may ask?" Aura chimed curiously.
"There's no need for such prudence with me. I won't bite, I promise." Momonga chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair. "Besides, a little patience goes a long way."
Momonga looked beyond the two dark elves up into the lower entrance to the arena stands. He could only see the many pop mobs and golems kneeling, and knew that his friends must have arrived outside the coliseum. The twins stared up at him curiously, before they turned to look at what had caught his attention.
The players of Ainz Ooal Gown made for a formidable sight indeed, each guild member cutting a striking figure of majesty, beauty, and power all presented in forms that transcended nobility. Such distinguished and respectable characters walked with the timeless grace of gods, and inspired pride and true humility with every glorious step. Momonga basked in the radiance with the solidarity afforded to him as a fellow member of the guild. He gestured to them, unnecessarily pointing them out to the observant children.
"Behold!"
"Bukubukuchaguma-sama! Wagh!" Mare promptly fell to his knees and burst into tears.
Momonga slumped slightly, a little put out that he couldn't make proper introductions for his friends, but he supposed it was alright if the children had their reunion with their maker without his posturing.
"Ah! Bukubukuchaguma-sama!" Aura wobbled, running over toward the parapet that held the newly arrived players, noticeably slower than when she had run over to him moments ago. Momonga surmised that she was just as emotionally volatile as her brother, if not as openly overwhelmed.
"Don't cry, my babies! Momma's coming!" Bukubukuchaguma erupted like a fountain, no, like an exploding oil rig, her slime body launching through the air in a torrent of liquid ooze.
Aura had barely made it halfway before the cascading waves of pink slime fell about her, enveloping her in a tight embrace. For a moment Momonga worried about the Elder Slime's multitude of dangerous and deadly passives, from toxic touch to corrosive burns, but dismissed it out of hand. Bukubukuchaguma wasn't so careless.
"Oh, I missed you, my darlings!" The now purple fluid made the closest approximation of a humanoid form Momonga had seen from her so far. Bukubukuchaguma appeared to be a woman, if lacking in true definition, kneeling on the ground embracing the sobbing girl.
Momonga looked down at the boy beside him, and noticed he still seemed too overwhelmed with emotion to move, let alone stop bawling his eyes out. With a sigh, Momonga picked up the crying boy and carried him over to his maker, enduring the barrage of tears that soaked his form.
'Ow. Wait, that hurts? His tears are actually burning me?'
Momonga observed the boy clutched in his arms as he strode over to the mother daughter duo. Surprisingly, the boy's tears were burning him, at a slow rate of one health point per second. It was less than his passive regeneration, and so no harm was being done. But it was something.
'Thoughts for later.' Momonga shrugged it off.
He was within ten metres of Bukubukuchaguma before she erupted again, flooding over to him in a wave that swept Mare from his arms and nearly bowled him off his feet.
"Oh, and my boy. My twins!" Bukubukuchaguma sang, oddly reminiscent of Shalltear's welcome with Peroroncino. "I'm home!"
Meanwhile, Momonga brushed himself off of imaginary slime ooze. Bukubukuchaguma hadn't actually left any slime behind when she touched him and, after a quick inspection, found that she hadn't left a trail at all behind her. He found this just as intriguing, because it meant that she never ran out of mass, neither did she leave any residue behind. She was entirely in control of every single piece of her liquid being.
The other players, unlike the happily crying slime, took their time to descend into the arena proper, to show some measure of privacy for the small family reunion. Peroroncino, on the other hand, had no reservations about gliding down to stand behind his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder analogue.
"Huh? Brother? Oh, here." She turned around and lifted the children with four tentacle arms, hoisting them up under their armpits. "This is Aura. And this is Mare."
She puffed up like a proud mother who was showing off her babies for the first time. However, ...
"You act as if I'm not already aware of who they are." Said the raptor, eyeing the two with a sharp gaze. The twins only gazed back quizzically, confident in their creators hold and the obvious sibling relation.
"Well, it's been long enough since we were last here!" Bukubukuchaguma huffed. "I thought maybe you'd forgotten."
"As if I'd ever forget. You really wouldn't shut up about them."
The slime slowly changed from a bubbly purple to an angry red, showing either embarrassment or rage. It was then that the other players arrived behind the bird man.
"Has he pissed you off already? You were so damn happy ten seconds ago! Literally squealing. What happened? He open his mouth or something?" asked Ulbert in a snarky voice.
"It was nothing. I barely said anything." Peroroncino defended.
"How do you know she's mad, guys?" Yamaiko asked, head tilted cutely in a grotesque, three-metre-tall way.
"Well, look at her. She's fuming. Bubbling in anger."
"Yeah, but how do you know that?"
"... How do I know that?"
It took Momonga a moment to grasp the context of their conversation, but once he did, he also failed to come up with an answer. They had only just been transported into this new world, and hadn't yet taken the time to properly explore their bodies.
Momonga highly doubted his skeletal form behaved or exhibited traits similar to the other fleshy or squishy bodied players. After all, they had a bug, a bird, a crab, a blob, a squid, a demon, a plant, a giant, a spirit, a statue, and the whole damned circus too.
Momonga had noticed it earlier, but how was he able to infer emotions and feelings from an indistinguishable blob monster? It was only now that she had displayed a shape resembling a humanoid form, but it entirely lacked definition, and assuming her mood based solely on her colour was guesswork at best. There was something more going on than merely becoming their characters. It was almost like they had become something more.
The whole isekai situation was obviously a complicated tangle of gameplay versus reality, but deciphering the intricacies of themselves and their friends may need to take higher precedence. How could they hope to take on this world when they didn't even know themselves?
"Questions for later." Momonga dismissed the emerging trail of thought. "We'll deal with it, in time.
"For now, how are things here on the Sixth Floor, Aura?" Momonga asked the more extroverted of the guardian pair.
"All is well, Momonga-sama." Aura provided from the comfort of her creator's goop. "We've had zero incidents, zero incursions, and zero occurrences out of the ordinary. Today is the most exciting day we've had in forever!"
"Wonderful! And you, Mare? Do you have anything to add?"
"N-no, Momonga-sama. Aura covered everything." The boy spoke up shyly, slinking behind Bukubukuchaguma like a child hiding behind his mother's skirt.
"Then if all is well here..." Momonga trailed off, looking at Punitto Moe pointedly, who nodded in response. "We can afford you some privacy to allow you to reforge old bonds."
Momonga signalled to his friends, turning on his heel with a swish of his cloak of shadows. He strode back up to the VIP section, leading his friends back the way they came.
"'Reforge old bonds.' Momonga, are you fucking kidding me?" Ulbert snickered to himself and stifling his laughter, as were their other friends. Momonga would have blushed if he could have, but could only make excuses as to his poor spontaneity.
"I can't very well go around saying things like 'oh, catch up with your little buddies, eh'." Momonga argued in a whisper. "That's not very overlord of me. I thought we were supposed to watch what we said. I was only trying to set a good example."
"A good example of being a dork." Yamaiko giggled monstrously.
"You've got the spirit, Momonga, but I think you missed the point of what I meant earlier." Punitto chuckled wryly. Now that they were out of hearing range for even the sharp eared rangers, the players didn't hesitate to take the mickey out of their supreme leader.
"You're an Overlord, not an overlord. There's a subtle difference in there, I'm sure you can tell." Blue Planet hummed humorously.
"I was only getting into the role, trying to get the hang of things." Momonga defended, embarrassed. "What's wrong with pretending to have a little more class?"
"The problem, Momonga, is that it is directly related to our point earlier." Tabula scolded lightly. "We can't go around pretending to be something we're not, because eventually we're going to slip up. That, and you don't want to feed them any ideas on how they think we should behave. Before you know it, we're strangling ourselves over some convoluted, fictional, dialects mosté ancient, choking on thee's and thou's- "
"The point, Momonga." Punitto cut off their long-winded friend. "Was to not make things harder for ourselves. Not too long ago, you mentioned that you struggled with impromptu speeches and performances. We know. We've all seen you in action and had a good laugh over it in the past."
Everyone chuckled, and even Momonga had to concede on that point.
"But this time it's for real. Everything's for keeps, and there are no take backsies." Said Ulbert with an amused grin, baring his sharp fangs. "Acting in a way that we don't find natural will come back to bite us in the ass. We can't be caught up in a performance forever."
Everyone looked at the devil amongst them with squinted eyes.
"I'm just saying." Ulbert chuckled in a placating manner. "Leave the acting to the professionals. Besides, if we are truly 'Supreme Beings' in their eyes, how we behave doesn't actually matter."
"How did you come to that conclusion, Ulbert?" Touch Me challenged his frenemy. "I thought the idea was to behave simply, and not complicate things by acting like our human selves."
"No, that's not the idea at all, Touch." The demon whirled on the paladin. "If we are truly 'Supreme Beings', then we can act in any matter we see fit. Why do we need to hold ourselves to a standard? Who're you trying to impress?"
The demon tipped his hat jauntily over his eyes. "I say, we are the standard, we answer to no one but ourselves, and we set whatever trends we like. I will not bow or kneel to any king or court, neither will I conform to others' expectations, regardless of whether they're from Nazarick or are some snooty upper class shitlords out in the new world." Ulbert jerked a clawed thumb in the general direction of outside.
Both Tabula and Punitto Moe waved their appendages about in the classic thinking pose, mulling over the demon's words.
"I see. Simplicity in its simplest form."
"The best act is to act natural. So, not acting."
"We dictate our own behaviours and refuse to conform or comply with others' expectations."
"It may seem rude, but if we're not trying to impress anyone, our behaviour doesn't really matter."
"In which case we can actively be ourselves and completely disregard others' stifling traditions or stupid customs."
"We could even ditch the trope of superfluous politics in any external interactions."
"Our actions would need to be backed by our power, I'd imagine, or we risk offending everyone everywhere."
"But, if we were more powerful than everyone, then we don't need to cater to their overly delicate constitutions."
"And if we're less powerful than the outside world, then it doesn't matter because we plan to withdraw, anyway."
Momonga's head spun between the volleys of dialogue bounced back and forth by the two lore masters of Ainz Ooal Gown. He had no problem keeping up with the ideas polished between them, but wanted certainty on the future course of their actions.
"So the idea is...?" Momonga pried.
"To summarise." Ulbert spoke for the pair. "In the words of a great orator of the distant past, 'Bitch, I do what I want'!"
"In other words, there's no reason that we can't 'do what we want'." Punitto Moe rolled his eyes at the unrepentant demon.
"So don't blatantly be a dick, an asshole, a cunt, or a pussy." Peroroncino landed in the middle of their conversation. "Not to anyone in Nazarick, but otherwise, have fun."
"Astounding. You've managed to concisely render it into easy-to-understand terms, yes." Tabula's face pulled back in a toxic sneer, his tentacles lashing, baring a fanged mouth beneath.
"Vulgarity aside, Peroroncino is correct." Punitto grumbled. "Behave however you want. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Or be that guy. Etcetera. Etcetera. It's easier in the long term, and for the most part, we get to cut out the bullshit."
"Not to our NPCs, however." Momonga growled, adding his own stipulation. "The NPCs are the creations of our friends. Be. Nice. To them."
"No one here would dare to treat them bad." Nishikienrai spoke on behalf of the players, having heard their fill of the terms.
"That includes taking advantage of them." Momonga whirled on Peroroncino. "There will be no ordering, or seducing, or otherwise enticing anyone into your bed, or whatever fantasy dungeon you have in your room. Try to control yourself around the maids, Peroroncino, or there will be hell to pay. Oh, and that goes for everyone."
"We understand, Momonga-san." Touch Me soothed the agitated guild master. "No one here would be so callous as to take advantage of the NPCs, but I will support you in bringing justice upon any who would transgress on this account." The insectoid grinned wryly.
Momonga let out the breath he'd been holding, only to remember that the action was purely habitual. He hadn't taken a breath since they got here.
"Okay. Okay. Everyone agreed?" Momonga made the token offer.
"Aye."
"Someone'll have to tell Bukubukuchaguma later, but she seems to have dived in head first on the whole 'act how we want' thing. Otherwise, we should visit our own NPCs, catch up and get a handle on the state of the tomb, then head back to the Meeting Room for an update in an hour." Momonga dismissed everyone.
If he weren't an undead, or otherwise absolutely enamoured with the idea of being in a new world, Momonga would have been exhausted.
As the others teleported out to their own far-flung realms, in search of their creations, he decided he had to bite the bullet, and turned his mind back to the dweller below.