Well, I'm glad my first foray into Overlord fanfic has been so well-received. Before we get to the next chapter, I'd like to say that this probably won't be my last Overlord fic, published or not. I find Overlord considerably more interesting than Dot Hack or Sword Art Online (please don't flame me, that's just my opinion), and I'm beginning to read the second novel, as well as watch the anime in earnest. Hell, for anyone who cares about these things, I may even include some references to Team Dai-Gurren's Abridged series...well, the single episode they've done so far, but it's already a gold mine of comedy material (like Albedo's...reaction to Momonga's impromptu breast exam, and HIS reaction to that...or Momonga being way more of a dick than in canon). If you're interested, here's the URL, minus the YouTube bit at the start. May offend some, so, use your discretion.
watch?v=vEwFDH3M57g
Anyway, here's the second chapter.
YIELD TO THE DARKNESS
CHAPTER 2:
LORD OF THE MONSTERS
Harry's first reaction was, understandably, sheer disbelief and shock. Hermione began to gently caress his cheek again. Harry noted distantly that her hand, while covered in scales, actually felt nice. Warm, and the texture of the scales actually felt interesting. "It's okay, Harry," she said soothingly in Parseltongue. "It's okay. You'll be fine."
Albedo spoke up next, moving closer. "My lord, I understand this is somewhat confusing and distressing to you. But we would not have accepted you as heir to your legacy if we did not think you capable of assuming it," Albedo said, clasping his hand hand in her own. "Yes, you are young, and we are not fools as to assume the hyperbole of the Boy Who Lived is real…but through Hermione, we have learned of you performing feats well in advance of your age. While the one responsible for protecting you from Voldemort is most likely to be your mother, you yourself have proven yourself to have the potential we need. We need an heir to the legacy of Ainz Ooal Gown, if only because some of us would recognise no other authority."
Harry blinked, before he decided to roll with it, if only because they had rescued him from the Dursleys. "So…what are you exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I am a Succubus, my lord, and Shalltear is…a lamprey."
"A True Vampire, actually," Shalltear said haughtily, shooting an annoyed glare at Albedo. "One born and bred of the Bloodfallen line. After I reach adulthood, I will live forever young! Of course, so will our lord and any who has his favour, once some pesky pests are dealt with. Ah, the thought of laying waste to my lord's enemies arouses me."
"We know," Albedo remarked. "A lot of things arouse you. If there is a god in existence, then I wonder what was going through his mind when he created you."
In another plane of existence, a man who went by the name of Peroroncino sneezed, frowned, and then put the finishing touches on his NPC for his guild in Yggdrasill…
"Are they always like this?" Harry asked Hermione as Albedo and Shalltear glared at each other.
"Sometimes, they're worse," Hermione said. "Despite it all, they're…friends, I guess. Though they've been better friends since Luna came along."
"Luna?"
"Luna Lovegood," Shalltear said, breaking off her glaring contest with Albedo. "She's a student at Hogwarts. A Ravenclaw, in the year below you. She lives not far away from those redheads of yours. She's somewhat open-minded, perhaps too much. But she's entertaining for a human. Of course, so were those so-called relatives of yours. Though I have to admit, I'll have to avoid fatty foods in future after the walrus and the baby whale."
"We faked evidence of a Death Eater attack, Harry," Hermione said. "We have a very experienced mage, a Dark Elf called Mare Bello Fiore, to tamper with the wards and heal you. He's even more of a scaredy-cat than Neville, but if you want things dead or protected, he's second to none."
"Dark Elf?"
"Yes. He looks like a child and acts like one, but he's actually older than us by decades," Hermione said. "He and his sister, Aura, are amongst the last survivors of the race that wizards warped and turned into House Elves."
"We faked the attack, my lord, as we wished to throw others off the trail," Albedo said. "Few in Magical Britain would view your ascendancy as a good thing."
"Yeah, ascendancy to what? What is this Ainz Ooal Gown thing?"
"I will handle this one, Hermione," Albedo said. "My ancestor, the one I was named for, was the right hand of the original Ainz Ooal Gown. I know you enjoy reading the lore, but it is my responsibility."
"Okay, Albedo. Just remember our agreement: no throwing yourself at him until you know each other better," Hermione said.
Albedo nodded, but her usually serene smile became a smirk. "Well, you have an unfair advantage, Hermione, what with being a schoolfriend…and there's the life debt for saving you from the Troll. I would normally kill you to remove an obstacle…but I actually like you."
"Albedo, if you tried to kill me, you'd have to deal with my parents," Hermione said. "Even Succubi are vulnerable to dentistry without anaesthetic…" She looked at the now-smirking Shalltear, and added, pointedly and with her own sadistic smirk, "…and so are vampires, True or not. There are just more teeth to drill."
Shalltear pouted, while Albedo rolled her eyes. The Succubus looked over to Harry, before saying, "The origins of the title of Ainz Ooal Gown are somewhat obscure, even to their followers. What is known is that, in ancient times, the world was ruled secretly by forty-one wizards and witches, whose descendants eventually fell prey to bitter squabbling and in-fighting. You are aware, for example, that many myths involving gods, like those in Greco-Roman mythology, were actually those of wizards and witches. The Trojan War, for example, was triggered by what was effectively a beauty contest between the three witches that were later known as Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena, judged by that fool Paris. Of those forty-one and their descendants, one stayed out of the fighting. Instead, he began taking in the dispossessed of the magical world, particularly Dark Creatures. Until then, he was known to the Roman mages as Sciurus, or the Squirrel(1), for his supposed timidity and cowardice and tendency to hoard. But we had another name for him, bestowed by the Goblins on the original forty-one. Ainz Ooal Gown is Gobbledegook for Shield of the Shadows(2). It is a title we have bestowed upon our leaders ever since, and used for our organisation in general. Most of the time, they are wizards who have been sympathetic to our cause, but sometimes, one of our people have risen to attain the role…or else act as a steward. Our base is the Tomb of Nazarick, the tomb of one of our former leaders, which is based deep within the island of Azkaban…which, incidentally, is where we are now."
"I…see. So, this isn't one of these 'conquering the world' deals?" Harry asked.
"As much as I'd love to see the world ground beneath your feet, my lord, and I would gladly support your ambitions if they ran in that direction, our ambitions at present are more about survival and protection of our kind from the humans, magical or mundane, who would make every effort to wipe us out. The world has changed, and not for the better. Unlike the majority of magicals, we are considerably more aware of the dangers, and benefits, of mundane technology."
"Seriously, according to Hermione, the so-called expert in the Ministry doesn't know what a rubber duck is for," Shalltear said with a roll of her eyes. "It's a toy! I'd bet if you asked him what a nuclear bomb was, he'd look at you blankly. And they called a gun a type of metal wand Muggles use to kill each other in The Daily Prophet while Black was a fugitive. Whereas we've managed to make TV and videos work here. Albedo can't get enough of serial killer thrillers, post-apocalyptic movies, and period dramas." In a stage whisper, as if saying something in confidence to Harry, despite it being clearly audible, she hissed, "She loves Jane Austen."
Albedo cleared her throat pointedly, looking somewhat embarrassed. "As if you have anything to say about my taste in films and television, Little Miss Hammer Horror. I remember the look on Christopher Lee's face when you went to that Hammer Horror Convention and showed him your fanart."
Harry looked at Hermione, and the Gorgon bookworm shook her head. "Don't ask. For your sanity's sake, don't ask."
"Oh, you don't need to ask!" Shalltear said rather cheerfully. "I can go and get them now if…"
"NO!" Albedo and Hermione chorused simultaneously.
As Shalltear pouted, the door to the room opened, and a trio of people entered. He recognised Remus, of course, but he was accompanied by a pair of what looked like androgynous children, both with brown skin, blonde hair, pointy ears and mismatched eyes, one green, the other blue. One had a somewhat enthusiastic demeanour, dressed in trousers and a vest, with an undershirt made seemingly of red scales. The other was dressed in somewhat more feminine clothing, clutching a staff like it was a lifeline, and having a somewhat wimpy demeanour.
"Ah! Our lord and master is finally awake!" the enthusiastic one yelped with a grin.
"Don't crowd him, Aura," Remus said. "Mare…thanks for healing him."
The timid one nodded. Harry had to wonder why the poor sod was dressed in…well, he wore a skirt and stockings, for crying out loud! And this was the brother Hermione was talking about? Still, he reminded Harry painfully of himself before Hogwarts…or poor Neville. "Yeah, thanks for healing me…Mare, was it?"
A faint smile touched the skittish boy's lips, and he bowed. "It's my honour to do so, my lord," he said, his voice quavering a little.
"Sorry about my brother, my lord," Aura said, shooting Mare a look. "He's a wimp."
"And yet, he saved my life," Harry said. "Well, so did Albedo and Shalltear, and I'm grateful for that. But he healed me."
"Mare and Aura are always like that, Harry," Hermione said. "You'd think they'd act their age. Which is 76, incidentally. And yet they act younger than us. Of course, you'd better not underestimate them. Mare is one of our best mages, and Aura is a skilled combatant and beast tamer."
"And we are entirely at your service, my lord," Aura said, bowing, as did her brother.
"Can we…I dunno, quit with the 'my lord' stuff?" Harry asked. "I mean, I prefer people to just call me Harry. And now that I come to think about it, how did I become the heir to this Ainz Ooal Gown stuff?"
"Through your mother, Harry," Hermione said. "During the early 20th Century, the Ainz Ooal Gown bloodline was already reduced to few members. An ambitious young wizard by the name of Grindlewald took it into his head to demand the current head of the line to ally with him. However, the-then Ainz Ooal Gown refused, and the line was decimated. However, a Squib line was overlooked, one that became part of the Evans family, and this line Grindlewald overlooked or ignored. Those under the banner of Ainz Ooal Gown, however, were forced into hiding. Others tried to avenge themselves on Grindlewald, only to find him defeated by Albus Dumbledore in the dying days of the Second World War. When they tried to kill him then and there, Dumbledore attacked them, and made a vow to prevent the line of Ainz Ooal Gown from rising again."
"At the time of your parents' death at Voldemort's hands, there was still an Ainz Ooal Gown leading us, but with no direct heirs," Albedo said. "We had been acting against Voldemort, for he wanted our subjugation and destruction when we refused an alliance, but the fools at the Ministry believed us to be either his thralls, or just targets for extermination anyway. My own parents were murdered by overzealous Aurors," she said bitterly. "Shalltear's parents were murdered by vampires Voldemort had in his employ, made examples of as traitors to their species. When our prior lord perished with no issue after the war, there were no more candidates left, save for yourself. Of course, that meant that we had to be careful. Leaving aside the fact that we weren't sure whether you would be suitable, there was also your fame in the magical world. We also had little idea where you were. It was decided to send a spy to Hogwarts, one who wouldn't trigger the wards that would alert Dumbledore to the presence of a demon or a vampire. Hermione's parents had been acting as our eyes and ears in mundane society. Given her magical ability, we asked her to be our spy within Hogwarts. Gorgons would not trip the wards, though her abilities were sealed to be sure."
"Which would have been fine, if there wasn't a Basilisk slithering around," Hermione remarked. "I was sent to keep an eye on you, evaluate you as an heir, and perhaps even train you covertly. Becoming your friend was an accident, but I don't regret that. Beyond Albedo and Shalltear, I didn't have many friends. I am pretty much like that normally. We're still friends, aren't we?"
"…Yeah. I don't care if you're a Gorgon, and frankly, I probably wouldn't have reacted well if you told me sooner. But, well, one question. About your eyes…"
"Oh, you're wondering why I'm not petrifying or killing anyone nearby? Secondary nictating eyelids, blocks my gaze from affecting anyone I don't want to hurt. Gorgons are similar to Basilisks, but I guess Voldemort told that Basilisk not to use its eyelids."
"Huh…"
Albedo, after a moment, looked over Harry, and said, "Well, Mare, I believe your healing magic has done a superlative job. Good work. I would expect nothing less when giving our lord healing."
"Th-thank you, Albedo," Mare stammered.
"Well then, it's time that you came along with us, Harry," Albedo said. "It is time to meet your people…"
He found himself able to walk, despite the condition he had been in when Albedo, Shalltear, and Mare had rescued him from the Dursleys. So he followed the others as they led him through various corridors. He wasn't quite sure why he was going along with this. Maybe it was because these people had saved his life, and despite being monsters with a contempt for humans, they had helped him when nobody else could or, more to the point, would. Maybe it was because he just wanted to go along with the flow, until he could figure out what was going on.
Or maybe it was because they were offering him power, and it was like a draught of water to a thirsty man, as power was to the powerless.
He would NOT be like Voldemort. He would not kill anyone because of their magical blood or lack thereof. And he didn't intend to let Voldemort run around killing Muggleborns out of an idiotic preconception of superiority. But if someone made themselves his enemy, then their days would be numbered. Dark thoughts, but while his morality hadn't quite died at the Dursleys, it had changed somewhat.
Soon, they entered a chamber, a vast opulent throne room with columns and banners hanging. An older man with aquiline features, white hair and beard, and in a butler's outfit stood at the ready, with a number of maids next to him. They were easily amongst the most normal people in the room, well, aside from Harry himself, along with Remus and, he could see to his relief, Sirius. There was a massive, hulking insect-like creature. There was a rather sharply-dressed man with glasses…and a long, inhuman tail. It was pretty much a menagerie.
Albedo moved forward. "Everyone, I bring the most excellent of tidings!" she declared. "Our lord and master has made a full recovery! May I present to you Harry Potter, the heir to the throne of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry's gotten more exposition, as well as having met Aura and Mare. Plus, can you see Albedo sitting down to watching Pride and Prejudice? Or Shalltear watching a Dracula film?
And is it me, or is Mare basically Gasper Vladi from Highschool DxD?
1. If you're wondering about this, the name 'Momonga' comes from a Japanese flying squirrel (no, really!), so this is an indirect reference to Momonga, or at least his name.
2. I thought Ainz Ooal Gown sounded like Gobbledegook, and I made up what it means. I know of where it comes from in the novels, thanks to the Wiki.
