Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, Fire Emblem, nor any of the other series which I may or may not make references to in this fic.
Player [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] has logged in. Welcome back to YGGDRASIL! The countdown to the server shutdown is at 5:40:00.
"Libby! You came just in time. Here equip this gear!"
Before I could take in the familiar sight of our simple guildhall, [Sothis] had already bombarded my notifications with item transfers. Arcane Knight's Breastplate, Poseidon's Harpoon, and a… Ring of Mana Restoration? "Is this a proposal just for me? Jumping straight past the dating phase huh." The corners of my lips twitch as I try to keep a straight face, but ultimately I fail and laugh aloud when [Sothis] begins to sputter.
"Y-YOU nevermind, ugh! I'll have you know that if I were to propose to anyone it would definitely not be here in this boring guild hall." Sothis jerks her back to me so quickly that her wild green locks smack her face. I manage to stifle my giggle this time although I'm sure she knows of my own amusement by how quickly she begins to scroll through the guild inventory menu.
As she shakes her free hand dismissively, no doubt finding whatever she was looking for, she sighs, "That equipment was left to you by [UnsacredBlacksmith]..."
"He came back? By how much time did I miss him? I know that he's been super busy since he and his wife had their first child."
"You missed him by 15 or so minutes. I was just as surprised as you were since it had been a few months since he had last been online. He told me that he had used all of his data crystals to forge a few items, but never had the time until now to deliver them to us. He ended up saying good-bye after clearing out all of his inventory and leaving here." [Sothis] sighs as she traces her fingers along a set of robes she pulled out of guild storage.
By appearance alone I could already tell that the flowing set of purple robes inlaid with golden embroidery was a [Divine]-Class set, likely meant to amplify [Sothis]'s use of Divine and Arcane-type spells given how [UnsacredBlacksmith] tended to specialize his works on an individual basis. My own set of gifted equipment was of no less quality, and I sighed.
"It's a shame I missed thanking him in person. He did so much for this guild."
[Sothis] nods in agreement although preoccupied with her own status screen. I glance at my own and a quick swipe at my inventory menu enabled me to view my new equipment's status:
Arcane Knight's Breastplate
Equipment Class: [Legendary]
Equipment Effect: Increases magic resistance by 30% when equipped and physical resistance by 20% when equipped. Boosts the crit rate of Magic Attacks.
Equipment Description: This breastplate is made from the fabled Lunar Adamantite metal. It was once said that this armor received the blessing of a Moon Goddess's wish to protect her beloved knight.
Poseidon's Harpoon
Weapon Class: [Divine]
Weapon Effect: Greatly boosts water and wind attribute attacks. This weapon can be thrown and recalled to the user using the [Recall] command. Allows the user to summon a magnitude of water proportional to MP stat with the [Summon Spring] command (Cooldown: 24 hours).
Weapon Description: This legendary harpoon was once favored by the God of Seas, Poseidon, has the power to call upon storms and bless desiccated lands with divine waters.
Ring of Mana Restoration [Custom]
Equipment Class: [Divine]
Equipment Effect: Recovers 5% of total MP every minute. If the user possesses the racial-class [Leviathan] the following benefits will be incurred: Increases MP recovery rate when using Water-Attribute spells to 7% every minute. Eliminates cooldown for Water-Attribute spells of Tier 8 and lower.
Equipment Description: This once [Legendary]-Class Ring of Restoration ascended to even greater splendor when embedded with a soul shard of a Leviathan. It's said that those of Leviathan's bloodline can unlock its' true power.
"Holy. Shit." While I was anticipating one of the items left by [UnsacredBlacksmith] to be Arcane Knight's Breastplate because it was the remaining piece of the armor set which he had helped me farm for, the Poseidon's Harpoon and the Ring of Mana Restoration perfectly fit my build.
"Holy shit, indeed." [Sothis] chimed in from where she stood. In the time I took to gape at my new equipment she had already changed into her new mage robes. The emerald green eyes and hair of her avatar surprisingly complemented the purples and gold of the mage dress she wore. The pink and white ribbons tied in her hair brought the entire look together nicely, making her seem like an elegant goddess who decided to grace the Earth with her presence. Although… the elegance of her form only belies the strength of her dragon-form.
After equipping her favored staff, [Sothis] walked over to the world map which sprawled across a large table at the end of our guild hall. Her fingers traced over the rolling plains, mountains, forests, and lakes which made up most of Midgard where many of the Human and Demi-Human races resided. The further one went from the Starter City, Midgar, the higher the level of mobs and terrain one would encounter. The continent itself was surrounded by a sea which was the most dangerous area of all since one could accidentally trigger [Raid Boss: Jörmungandr] if they went far enough out.
Surprisingly, [Sothis]'s finger stopped and pointed to an area by the sea known for spawning [Scagols] which were praying-mantis-like creatures with a crystal caprice. The things were deceptively slow but extremely good at dealing instant-death attacks and were also excellent at using the sea for camouflage.
"Are we going on one final monster hunting expedition? I know that [Scagols] have a rare chance of dropping [Transparisteel]."
"No, it's going to be a surprise." [Sothis] smirked mischievously at me, sharp teeth peeking out from the corners of her lips as she smiled wider, "Gear up, Libby! We're going to speed-run through Midgard before it's too late!"
Both of us knew that neither of our builds were meant for prolonged bursts of speed, but I'm sure that we could come up with some way to smash our way through the mobs and heteromorphic PK'ers to the end of the map. [Sothis] was always a better planner after all.
2:32:45
"Are you sure this is going to work… and not get us instant-banned by the Mods?" I nervously ask. [Sothis] borrowed an abandoned boat once used by some NPCs in the river-side town we were currently on the outskirts of. She had me carry it too, out of the water and into a… field?
"Oh I'm sure it will work, I saw some ViewTubers pull this trick off before! Besides it's literally the last day of the server, I doubt the Mods give a crap at this point" she huffed before puffing out her chest in pride at finding a way for us to cross half of the continent in less than two hours before pointing a finger at the boat. "Now then. [Stasis]. Hit that boat with everything you've got!"
As the magic washed over us the boat and our surroundings became encased in a yellow hue. Normally [Sothis] used this magic to freeze our enemies as I beat the crap out of them, but now I would be using my newly acquired [Divine]-Class weapon for a boat of all things... But I'm sure [Sothis] was having me do this for a reason. Might as well get to work.
"[Mist Fang]! [Spiral Surge]! [Vapor Rush]! [Drowning Pulse]! [FALCON P-]"
"That's enough Libby, Jump on NOW!" [Sothis] yelled as she pulled me onto the boat right as the [Stasis] spell ended. She quickly hooked her arm around the mast while using her free hand to urge me to do likewise. Although at first glance, it seems like my attacks surprisingly did no damage to the boat. Was this a test for a new way to use [Stasis] as a form of defense?
"What was this supposed to do agai-EEEEEKKK!" WHY ARE WE FLYING! OH SHIT, OH SHI-
0:19:42
"Libby."
"Already on it." I quickly got used to the sensation of hurtling through the air after the first few [Stasis] jumps since it wasn't much worse than the excitement of going on a roller coaster in one of the many amusement park simulations on the VR-Net. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as the sandy shore below rapidly approaches us.
To land without taking fall damage, I would use my [Water Manipulation] ability to generate enough water to cradle our descent before repeating the process of [Sothis] casting [Stasis] while I used one of my stronger physical attacks to launch us into the air. After catching the boat, this time I simply dispersed the water I summoned and hopped off. [Sothis] followed without a beat and pointed to a nearby cave.
"The fastest way to the cove would be through that cave. Unfortunately, I was only able to secure one minimap from the auction so we must be cautious and stay together." she sighs, while glancing back at me.
It's a bit surprising that [Sothis] of all people wasn't able to get an item at the auction with how savvy she normally was at procuring items. However, the more pressing matter was that we couldn't stay here on this beach. I could already see [Gallserpents] and [Scagols] starting to spawn. I turned so that my back was facing [Sothis], one free arm stretched back while the other equipped [Posieden's Harpoon]. With nary a moment to delay [Sothis] quickly hopped on, wrapping slim arms around my neck before casting [Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] on me.
[Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] will cool down after 5 minutes have passed.
0:15:25
I dashed forward, my surroundings blurring from the yellow of the sandy beach to the darkness of the cave. [Sothis] quickly solved that issue with a cast of [Torchlight] and the darkness gave way to glittering crystal walls which reflected varying shades of sapphire blue.
"Go down this pathway and make a right at the second hallway." [Sothis] spoke as her eyes scanned our surroundings. "While it may take a bit longer than the other pathways, we'll encounter fewer enemies."
"We've already encountered some." before I could dash to the second entryway five [Scagols] made their presence known. Two used their claws to cling to the ceiling while one charged me head-on. The other two converged towards me from the sides. Might as well test out my lance's capabilities now since there won't be any opportunity later. "[Summon Spring]."
A geyser of water erupted from the lance. Using [Water Manipulation] enabled me to send a third of it towards the ceiling where it converged on two of our enemies. While not strong enough to knock them down, it was enough water to envelop both of the monsters. [Sothis] raised one of her hands to cast the 6th Tier spell [Scald], which quickly turned the cool water into molten-like steam hot enough to melt the caprice of both of the mantis-like creatures.
While [Sothis] took care of our enemies from above, I directed the remaining two-thirds of the water in the form of a wave, sweeping our remaining enemies into a nearby cavern. With our path cleared, I continued rushing forward, making a sharp right turn, while at the same time using my lance to cast [Spiral Surge], a 7th Tier spell aimed at drawing water in the form of a drill around a lance while also boosting the user's speed and attack in proportion to the skill level of [Water Manipulation]. With no hesitation, I jabbed forward, stabbing a [Cavern Hawk] through its chest, the force of the blow directly turning it into pixels.
0:12:20
"Make a left after the third opening. There will be an exit we can utilize to reach the cove… be prepared to jump. [Thoron]."
A blast of lighting from [Sothis]'s fingertips lit up the cave with arcs of blue, while also blowing a hole clean through a [Scagol]. The normally 4th Tier spell became greatly amplified with the bonus from [Sothis]'s [Master of the Arcane] class. I reach the third opening with a burst of speed and can see the light of the sun gleaming from the exit right before us. A sharp whistling noise reaches my ears, and almost instinctively I hop backward, right before a claw swipes through space [Sothis] and I once occupied.
"A [Scagol Queen] hmmm. We'll just have to show her the way to defeat." [Sothis] states while calmly gazing at the large insect currently blocking our path. It stretches out a pair of wings and claws made out of sapphire blue crystal similar to that of the cavern surrounding us.
"Afterall she is facing both of us." I smile. A quick glance at my hud shows 2 minutes left of [Haste]'s and [Quickened Pulse]'s effects. While [Haste] increased my speed, [Quicked Pulse] shortened the cooldown time of my skills. I flexed my lance before casting [Spiral Surge] once more, this time instead of using the magnitude of water to pierce, I used my [Water Manipulation] skill to direct most of the water towards surrounding the mini-boss.
"[Widen Magic] [Ice Pike]." Multiple ice spikes emerged around the [Scagol Queen] and accelerated towards the monster preventing it from advancing under the threat of [Sothis]'s magic. The remaining water was used to form a much smaller drill of water only covering the sharp curve of the harpoon's tip. Sothis gently tightened her arms around my neck, her own way of showing that she was ready, and I as I began to cast my own spell, [Sothis] merged her chain cast with my own.
"[Penetrate Magic] [Flowing Fang] [Minor Spiral Surge]."
"[Boost Magic] [Wind Blessing's Calling]."
A violent burst of wind magic also began to rapidly turn around my lance, joining the water already present. The roaring of the wind magic nearly deafened me but I didn't need to hear [Sothis]'s voice to know that she was shouting along with me as we cast our joint-magic.
""[TEMPEST SPEAR]!"" With a hurl of my arm, the lance vaporized the remaining ice spikes the [Scagol Queen] failed to destroy in its' attempt to reach us. Undeterred by the danger approaching, it raised a claw casting a [Crystal Shield] large enough to surround its body, only for the [Tempest Spear] to rip through its shield. Without slowing down, the spear directly bisected the miniboss, violent wind magic blowing the rest of its body apart before condensing into crystals.
I quickly dashed forward using the [Recall] command to call my lance back to me and jumped off of the cliff.
The effects of [Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] have ended.
00:10:25
"[Group Fly]." [Sothis] quietly cast as she let go of my body to float beside me. The sound of waves crashing drew my eyes to the wide, blue sea before us. Before I could speak on how beautiful it was a notification appeared in the air before us.
Congratulations Players [Sothis] and [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] for being the first to discover [Sea God's Cove]. As a reward, no enemies will spawn for the next ten minutes.
"How cute." [Sothis] states before smiling at me, "I think this may be one of the first times the shitty devs have ever been nice to us. Come now, there's rarely an opportunity to enjoy the ocean without a dozen mobs spawning!" She floats down towards the shore and I follow quickly after her. It was exceedingly rare for YGGDRASIL to grant spawn-immunity to players, I'm honestly surprised that [Sothis] didn't gush upon it some more as she did when we encountered other odd events during our explorations. Then again my own reaction, or lack of, could also be considered rather muted for the event.
We both reach the sandy bay, with crystalline cliffs stretching out on both sides of the cove. Emerald green vines drape down the cliffsides and extend into the sparkling sea waters, while white sea foam washed up on the beach.
00:08:50
"Surprisingly, I think this is the first time we came to Midgard without having to trash PK'ers…" I sigh while kicking my feet into the shallow surf. The setting sun left Midgard's sea with a shimmering golden hue. I loved swimming in YGGDRASIL, sea monsters be damned but there was no time to dive into the deep blue waters.
"Was it not your idea for us to adopt dragon builds? You knew that choosing a heteromorphic race would be like painting a target on our backs" [Sothis] interrupts my thoughts as she playfully raises an eyebrow at me. "Although, I do admit that adding dragons as an update to playable heteromorphic races is one of the better choices the shitty devs made. Transforming into dragon form never gets old!"
"It really doesn't!" I chuckle, "Fortunately my own build lets me swim as much as I please. Do you think the oceans IRL once looked like this?" I look towards the horizon as the growing dusk of sunset begins to show hints of the starry sky. Days in YGGDRASIL progressed far more rapidly than those in the real world.
I walk further out into the ocean, letting the cool water reach my knees. [Sothis] falls into step beside me, long and wild green hair gently swaying in the cool breeze as her own gaze settles on the stars. She shifts her purple and gold robes before sighing.
"Who knows with all of the chemical dumpings that's been going for the past few decades. In my own city, it's been even longer since people were able to go outside without wearing gas masks. I wish that I could just wipe away all of the damage those corporations caused to our own world."
00:04:30
"I wish for that just as much as you do… " while disappointment at the state of our own world seeped into me the pressing countdown left me with a pang of even greater sadness. Today may very well be the last time [Sothis] and I ever speak with each other. [Sothis] likely realizes the same, as we fall into a companionable silence.
She plays with the ornate golden threads and ornaments of her robes, uncharacteristically fidgeting in contrast to the prideful act she normally put on. Her hand reaches up towards her holographic menu, perhaps she's going to log out now!? She can't, not yet!
I never brought up exchanging contact information in the past due to my anxiety about being rejected. In the real world, years of intense schooling and working to pay off debts left me without much social interaction. I brace myself for the worse, and struggle to fish out a smile to shoot out my proposal. "I'm glad to have met you though [Sothis]. These past 2 years have been a blast! I wish that this time could have lasted a bit longer and I'm sure that exchanging contact information may be asking for too much…-WOAH!"
500 damage dealt to [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] by player [Sothis]
Surprisingly, Sothis looks almost frustrated, "Enough! Libby, we've been playing together for the past 3 years, why wouldn't I want to meet you IRL too?!" My shock must've been written all over my face because [Sothis] quickly lost her frustration and began to laugh. She twirls me around in a snippet of a short dance as though she didn't just smack me in the head.
Although the pain filters only let me feel a small portion of the pain from the hit, I can't help but laugh along with her in our odd dance, nervousness forgotten. The corners of her eyes crinkle with her wide smile, "Fellow female players are super rare and you know we can always play another MMORPG together! I heard Final Testimony XIV is pretty good right now…" She twirls me again in our impromptu dance and I can't help but dance with her just as earnestly despite my own clumsy steps.
00:02:15
Sothis stops our dance before reaching out her hand towards mine. I clasp my own in hers, meeting her eyes, and she smiles once more before speaking. "I'm Hajime Mirai, but you can just call me Mirai!"
"Alright, Mirai, I'm Libelle Thompson, but you can just call me Libby!"
Mirai laughs, although I could tell that wasn't actually laughing at me. "Libby that's just like you! You can't just have your real name in your gamer tag like that! You always were super trusting, I'll have to be sure to watch out for you in the future."
"I'm looking forward to that." I laugh with her, letting go of our clasped hands.
00:01:00
"Well, there is something else you should be looking forward to…" Mirai excitedly goes into her inventory menu swiping rapidly "Ahhh where did I put that thing! You know what I'll PM you my contact info first."
I quickly do the same and send her a similar PM, although as the countdown presses on Mirai becomes even more frantic. I can't help but be curious about what exactly Mirai is looking for. "What are-"
With a hurrah, Mirai quickly pulls out a rectangular box. She touches her own character's necklace before transferring the item over to me.
00:00:30
Necklace of Promise (½)
Equipment Class: [Legendary]
Equipment Effect: Increases Magic Avoid and Hit Rate by 10 percent. Has a rare chance of protecting its user from one lethal blow. When in the presence of its companion necklace will glow a deep blue.
Equipment Description: This necklace is one of a two-piece set. It was once said that an Archmage enchanted this item so that two lost individuals may find their way to each other once more.
"I know that the game is going to end soon. But accepting this necklace means that we have to meet again IRL no matter what!"
I quickly equip it and in the last dying rays of daylight both of our necklaces glow a faint blue.
"It's a promise then, Mirai."
00:00:05
As the countdown reaches its end, Mirai sighs and steels an expression of resolve before beginning to… shout?
"You know, Libby I-"
00:00:00
"Huh?" In the blink of an eye, there is no more knee-level ocean water. Mirai is gone and I never got to hear what she tried to tell me before YGGDRASIL cut her off, but more importantly, wherever I am is not the [Sea God's Cove].
Instead, a Red Canyon stretches out before me and the [Necklace of Promise] no longer emits its' familiar blue hue.
Hi there, If you made it to the end then thank you for taking the time to read my first fanfiction! I'm really looking forward to building the Overlord and Fire Emblem lore in this story and I hope that my readers find following Libelle's and possibly Sothis's journey enjoyable.
I would also like to give a HUGE thank you to DestructionDragon360 for helping me with the timeline and lore! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Until the next update! -legendary stvsrt