Chapter 3: Early Bonds


"Dialogue"

'Inner monologue'

[Yggdrasil Spells]

{Elden Ring Sorceries/Incantations}

{Message}


"Another question, if you don't mind, Melina." The Overlord asked after the two had exchanged a handshake.

"What is on your mind?" Melina replied, awaiting Ainz's question.

"Do you perhaps have a map of these lands?" The Ruler of Death inquired, prompting Melina to shake her head.

"Regrettably, I do not. Perhaps you could find one in the castle, no?" She suggested. Initially, Ainz thought not much of the idea, but what other alternatives were there?

"Then we should-" Ainz halted mid-sentence, his attention drawn to a figure kicking something in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the person was using the corpse of Godrick as kicking practice.

Ainz decided to go near the man, who hadn't noticed their presence yet.

"What a pathetic excuse for a Lord you were. Craven to the bone. Pushing me about like that. And after all that grafting? Where did that get you? Look down on me, would you? Godrick? You filthy slug. Feel it! Feel it! Feel my bloody wrath!" The man shouted as he continued to land blows upon the body of the fallen Demi-God.

'Perhaps he had some grudge against his lord. Better to hide my features before talking to him. He could help me get a map.' Ainz mused as he removed two gauntlets and the mask of envy from his inventory.

Approaching the man, he finally noticed Ainz walking toward him, somewhat surprised by his presence.

"You're not the Tarnished. But were you the one to defeat Godrick?" The man asked.

"Indeed. He must have been a cruel master." Ainz replied, at which the man let out a slight chuckle.

"This weasel was…Godrick was always looking down on me. He got what he bloody deserved, thanks to you, mysterious stranger. I tell you, though, what goes around comes around. He had an ugly heart, an uglier countenance, and met the ugliest of ends, eh." The man laughed, a hint of bitterness within before he continued his monologue. "Now, I supposed I'm free. I can do whatever takes my fancy…Can't I?" The man said.

"I believe so. And perhaps for his slaying, you could provide me with something." Ainz proposed, at which the man seemed confused.

"What do you want now, eh?" The man queried.

"Well, first, let me introduce myself. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, a pleasure to meet you." Ainz said, the man contemplating his words.

"Gatekeeper Gostoc. So, do you want runes or what? I have none to spare." The man replied, somewhat agitated.

"I am in need of a map. Perhaps you have one to spare for me. I would even be open to give some sort of compensation." Ainz said, hoping to pique the man's interest.

"Mmh, there was one. I have to see for myself. Because you finished off old Godrick, I'll give it to you for free. Was one of Godrick's anyway." The man agreed.

"That would do. I will wait here until you return." Ainz acknowledged, watching the man leave at a leisurely pace.

'Perfect. It will be ages past until that man returns.' Ainz thought.

He looked around to find Melina, yet there was no trace of her being around physically speaking. Yet Ainz's [Arcane Vision] told him otherwise.

"Melina?" Ainz called out, hoping for the girl to appear once more.

And to his luck, the girl came as called, blue mist appearing before her form was made clear.

"You summoned me?" She said as she stood before the Overlord.

'Will it always be like this? I guess I don't mind it.' Ainz pondered. It certainly let him question himself if he was traveling alone or with Melina together. Perhaps she simply went invisible or into an ethereal plane. He decided not to pry further for the moment.

"You said something about how this land's magic cannot do what I did with mine. That must mean there is a sort of magic here, does it?" Ainz speculated.

"That is correct. There are sorceries and incantations. Astrologers and mages use sorceries, while incantations are used by priests and confessors. One requires intelligence, and the other faith." Melina explained, her words aligning with Ainz's interpretation of this world's system.

'Sorceries must be arcane spells while incantations are divine spells. I wonder if I could learn any of these spells. Now that I can level up, maybe I can even learn divine magic.' Ainz contemplated before posing another question to Melina.

"How do you cast these sorceries? And can you learn them?" Ainz asked, curious about the mechanic behind these spells.

"You ask much, yet I suppose one not from these lands would have such questions. To cast a sorcery, one needs a wand. To learn one, you need to acquire a sorcery scroll. I believe the mages of Liurnia sell them at most places in exchange for runes." Melina explained.

"Interesting, if the opportunity would arise, I would like to see this magic for myself." Ainz remarked, envisioning the potential expansion of his already huge repertoire of spells.

'My spells would increase even beyond the ridiculous number I possess. If it isn't possible, there are always other ways.' Ainz mused, eyeing his ring, the Shooting Star ring in particular. Only one star seemed to lay on its surface, the other two gone, used up seemingly.

"Yes, but you would need a staff first. A catalysator to cast sorcery is essential for mages." Melina added, prompting mild amusement from Ainz.

"Are you sure? Then why can I do this." Ainz extended his hand, where a ball of fire emerged, growing slowly. Seeing this, Melina seemed surprised initially. But glancing at his nature made her remember what kind of creature he was.

"Your ability to utilize magic with no wand would make you rival most, Ainz. Many would envy such a power. But I suppose you are no mortal." Melina stated, a hint of admiration hidden within her words.

"Where I come from, this was the norm." Ainz put his hand into his robe, producing a staff of crimson color, burning in an eternal flame. "But, I can always use staff as well. We will see if they are compatible with this worl- this land's sorcery." Ainz almost slipped the wrong word out, quickly correcting himself before Melina would notice it. Yet as he looked to where Melina was standing, she was nowhere to be seen.

'She did it again.' He surmised as he noticed a person appearing in the distance. 'Gatekeeper Gostoc, was it?'

"I have what you seek here." The man stated, presenting a scroll to Ainz. "This should be the entirety of the Lands Between. Safe journey." The man said, offering his goodbyes as he returned to the keep, leaving Ainz alone once more.

Upon opening the map, Ainz questioned whether such a weirdly formed land could exist.

'Here, Peninsulas seem to have Peninsulas of their own. An absurd place, really. There seems to be some sort of wasteland in the east, while in the north, there's a great lake. This must be Liurnia. Then further north is some other stuff, and even beyond that, there's a snow biome. Really interesting places.' Ainz thought.

Then, almost surprising the skeleton, a hand appeared before him, pointing to the map where the tree appeared to be.

"That is our goal. But, the obvious path is not always the one we should take. And since you are not of Grace, it will be difficult for us to reach the Erdtree." Melina explained.

"Mmh, first, I want to know how to use this Greater Rune I obtained. Do you have an idea? I don't seem to be able to do anything with it." Ainz hoped Melina knew an answer to this. Her knowledge of things has proved vast so far.

"Seek the Divine Tower, of which there are six, and you will find the Two Fingers. There you may reactivate the Great Rune." Melina answered, which raised another question.

"Two Fingers?" Ainz inquired.

"Yes, beings able to communicate with the Greater Will and speak words of faith." Melina clarified.

'This Greater Will again. Some sort of god, perhaps. From her descriptions, it seems so. Much like in Yggdrasil, gods seem to be roaming this world. I must be careful then.' Ainz ruminated. Gods were nothing new to him, as Yggdrasil had plenty to kill and loot for valuables. But these gods may prove too much for him.

"I see. Will you follow me then, or will you disappear once more?" Ainz questioned the spirit.

"I will be with you, seen or unseen. I will follow your steps." She assured.

"Fine by me." Ainz said, seeing that the girl liked to answer in riddles of sorts.

'Now to find the tower. She said there are six, so it has to be one of those.' Ainz thought as he gazed upon the map, seeing a road built toward said tower.

"I will head there then." Ainz said, silently casting a fly spell as he hovered into the air. Melina could only look with a surprised expression. "You mean you have never seen anybody fly before?" Ainz asked, and Melina shook her head.

"Some have wings, yet I am not sure there is magic that allows one to fly at a whim." Melina said.

"Well, my magic can do that. And I suppose you don't seem to be able to fly for a spirit." Ainz stated, casting a flight spell on Melina as well. Usually, spirits and other ethereal beings could take flight with no problem. At least, that was so in Yggdrasil. But here, they seemed to lose those traits.

Slowly, she felt the ground leave her feet as she ascended.

"Focus your mind on where you want to go." Ainz said, trying to guide Melina to make use of the spell. She listened to his words and did as he said.

Gradually, she got the hang of it, yet her flying skills were still next to nothing to Ainz. For her sake, he paced down to her speed.

"What a view…" Ainz murmured, overlooking the whole of Limgrave as he gazed upon its entirety.

"Indeed. Limgrave is one of the more attractive regions in the Lands Between." Melina said, but Ainz was too focused on the view to notice her words.

'Just like the New World, this one holds beauty like no other.' Ainz thought as he glanced over the landscape. 'I suppose I will follow this path for now. In the hope that it will lead me back to Nazarick. I can always use a [Wish Upon A Star], but I am not sure if it would work.'

"The Divine Tower is right there." Melina pointed out. As Ainz looked upon it, the tower couldn't be more obvious.

"Let us proceed." Ainz said, hastening as he went for the tower, Melina following behind him.

'Is that a golem?' Ainz wondered, seeing not only one but three golems below him on the bridge. Just in time, Ainz could see a giant arrow shot toward him as he dodged in time. 'Would such a big arrow count as piercing or bludgeoning damage? I would rather not want to find out.'

Raising his palm toward the heavens, far above the Overlord, a flaming object appeared, grand in size. It was the spell [Meteor Fall], a spell of the highest tier possible.

Swiftly, Ainz made a throwing motion, the rock following his movements as it descended upon the ground. Blinding any onlookers temporarily, the meteor came with an unimaginable speed, crashing into the bridge and destroying the golems.

A huge explosion followed, and then shortly after, the whole plateau seemed to collapse, notwithstanding that much power.

'Perhaps that was a little excessive…' Ainz remarked as he observed the destruction. He might have overestimated the bridges and the golem's durability. 'Note to self, don't use overly destructive AOE spells.'

Watching the scene with widened eyes, Melina could only imagine what kind of magic Ainz had at his disposal. It resembled gravity sorceries, yet she only knew of one who could have power over such a star, Starscourge Radahn. He who holds the stars in place.

She said no words, gazing at the destruction caused by the spell. Ainz himself did not even seem dazzled to her eyes, probably because he was used to the sight of his own magic.

"With that done, let us continue." Ainz proclaimed, resuming the journey toward the Divine Tower.

It took a while, yet they passed there safely, no further golems seemingly attacking them from the ground.

"Say, Ainz. In what magic do you specialize? I cannot truly make a picture out of what I have seen." Melina questioned. And her inquiries were to be expected after she was witness to so many of Ainz's abilities.

"My appearance may hint at something, would it not?" Ainz answered with a question, looking at her for a short amount of time.

"It does. Yet the spell you used before seems familiar to gravity sorceries and a powerful one at that." Melina replied.

'She's not an enemy, but I should be careful what I am about to reveal. Perhaps this will allow me to inquire further about her past and abilities as well.' Ainz mused as he prepared an answer.

"If you truly want to know, my abilities are versatile, yet my most skillful are the ones that rule over death, such as raising the dead, bringing death, and curses." Ainz explained, thinking nothing he said now would reveal too much from his side.

"I see. But raising the dead? Such magic is not common. Used only by 'Those Who Live In Death', yet they can only summon their own kind, not ones that the Deathroot hasn't corrupted." Melina commented, still curious about what Ainz had in store. He was an enigma, an anomaly that seemed so out of place she just had to question every detail about him.

"Well, I am not sure. I will have to see these 'Those Who Live In Death' for myself. But if you want a demonstration, you will see what I mean." Ainz stated, hovering slightly above the tower now.

"Is this it?" He asked, pointing at the weird deceased creature in the middle.

"Indeed. Those are the Two Fingers. Approach them and hold out your rune." Melina stated, and Ainz did so. Approaching the surface of the tower, he landed on the floor.

Walking toward the Two Fingers, he felt no life essence from them, yet they did not seem entirely dead.

Ainz stretched out his hand, the great rune appearing in his hands as it somehow connected to the Two Fingers, in which moment the rune started to glow, emitting a golden light that was sucked into Ainz.

'Interesting.' Ainz mused, somehow knowing what happened. 'The rune is now usable, it seems.' Concentrating his thoughts on what he wanted to do, he equipped the Great Rune, yet nothing seemed to change.

"I succeeded, yet the rune still doesn't work." Ainz remarked, at which Melina approached the Overlord.

"You will need a rune arc. A shattered piece of the Elden Ring. I might have forgotten to tell you this." Melina explained, at which Ainz hummed.

"Perhaps we should search for such an item. But I don't see it as a goal for me at the moment. What I want to do is search for a place were I can learn more about this world's magic, maybe even find a way to travel back to my home." Ainz stated as he looked at Melina with his red orbs for eyes.

"Then I shall lead you to knowledge if you collect Great Runes for me. Would that be acceptable?" Melina proposed, and Ainz seemed to consider the offer.

"As long as I am not further involved in the plots of this world, I guess I can lend a hand. If they provide great power, the better." Ainz said, thinking of the possibilities of how to utilize said runes. Yet he did not even know their powers yet.

"So, tell me where I can find these Great Runes, and you tell me where I can learn as much about this world's arcane arts." Ainz said, conjuring forth the map he received earlier, it floating right before the Overlord. Melina approached, her eyes scanning the map for locations known to her to harbor Demi-Gods.

"In Caelid, on the open plains that once were a battlefield, Starscourge Radahn feeds on the corpses of his foes and friends alike. A Demi-God in his own right, he harbors one of the Great Runes. He is the strongest of them all. Then, in the Volcano Manor of House Vulkan, Rykard, The Lord of Blasphemy, can be found, transformed into a serpent as his mind is long gone. Morgott, the Omen King, resides in the Leyndell, the Royal Capital. Malenia, Blade of Miquella, resides at the Haligtree. And at last, not a Demi-God, but a powerful sorceress, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, resides at the Raya Lucaria Academy in Liurnia. All of them harbor Great Runes. Lucaria is also a place to learn magic and for wizards to share their knowledge. There you might find what you seek." Melina explained in a long monologue, yet Ainz remembered her every word.

"So all of them have a Great Rune?" Ainz asked, but Melina shook her head.

"No, there are more, yet I have no knowledge of who has them. But two will be enough to enter the Capital, yet the more you possess, the more power you hold." Melina answered.

'I will try to minimize the need for runes. If two are enough, two will be the only ones I will gather. I already have one. Yet I could always search for more if I need the full power of the Elden Ring to travel back to my world.' Ainz contemplated, gazing at the map as he wondered where to go next.

"Good. Then Liurnia it is. I propose we should travel by foot now. There is no need to call in for any more attention." Ainz stated, and with a wave of his hand, both found themselves back where Ainz defeated Godrick.

Putting on his mask and gloves, Ainz walked forth, opening the grand gates as he entered what seemed a throne room with a wooden throne in the middle.

'A bit too classic for my taste.' Ainz commented as he left for the next turn and walked through the complex way until he reached sunlight once more.

As he exited the castle, he was met with beautiful scenery. Beautiful green plains and cliffs of artistic beauty with castles, towers, and many other intricate buildings in the distance. A mist enveloped the surface below, hiding the grand lake of Liurnia from plain sight.

"So it begins."


discord . gg / h6cpJ5d3xh

Here's my discord invitation code. Join if you're interested in becoming a proofreader of my next chapters, or you just want to hang around. Both work.

Hope you like it! The next update will be on the 22nd of February.