Overlord: The Wandering Sorcerer Chapter 16 — The Katze Plains
The Katze Plains were exactly as Evileye had described them.
Dead.
There were no birds.
No insects.
Almost no vegetation.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to cross the endless gray landscape.
Momonga stood at the edge of the plains and looked into the distance.
“This place is unpleasant.”
Evileye folded her arms.
“You noticed.”
Nabe looked toward the horizon.
“How far?”
“Several hours,” Evileye answered.
“If we follow the old road.”
Momonga looked at the road.
There was barely anything left of it.
Broken stones disappeared beneath the gray soil.
“We’ll follow it.”
They started walking.
For the first hour, nothing happened.
That worried Momonga more than an attack would have.
The silence was unnatural.
He could sense no animals.
No monsters.
No people.
Yet the feeling of being watched had become stronger.
He glanced at Nabe.
She noticed immediately.
“Someone is following us.”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know.”
Momonga stopped.
Evileye looked around.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“Neither do I.”
Nabe looked toward the ground.
“Then they’re hiding.”
Momonga nodded.
“Probably.”
He continued walking.
After another hour, they found the first skeleton.
It was lying beside the road.
Old.
Almost completely buried.
Evileye stopped.
“Don’t touch it.”
Momonga looked down.
“Why?”
“Because this entire region is saturated with negative energy.”
Momonga crouched.
The skeleton wasn’t moving.
Yet something about it felt wrong.
He extended his senses.
Then he understood.
“This isn’t ordinary negative energy.”
Evileye stared at him.
“What is it?”
“Something is collecting it.”
She frowned.
“Collecting?”
Momonga stood.
“Like a reservoir.”
Nabe looked toward the horizon.
“Then the source may be nearby.”
Momonga smiled faintly.
“Exactly.”
They continued.
The deeper they went into the plains, the stronger the sensation became.
Eventually, they reached a ruined watchtower.
Only half of it remained standing.
Momonga looked at the structure.
“Someone was stationed here.”
“Long ago,” Evileye said.
She approached the ruins.
“There are traces of battle.”
Momonga examined the stones.
“Very old.”
Nabe crouched beside a broken piece of armor.
“This wasn’t made by humans.”
Momonga looked at it.
The armor was strange.
Black metal.
Extremely thin.
And covered in unfamiliar symbols.
Evileye picked it up.
“I’ve never seen this.”
Momonga studied the symbols.
His thoughts accelerated.
There was something familiar about them.
Not the language.
The design.
The precision.
The almost mechanical arrangement.
“YGGDRASIL.”
Evileye looked at him.
“You recognize it?”
“Not the armor itself.”
Momonga turned it over.
“But the craftsmanship.”
Nabe looked at him.
“Could it belong to another player?”
“Possibly.”
Evileye became silent.
Then she noticed something.
“Momonga.”
He looked up.
She pointed toward the broken tower.
There was a mark carved into the stone.
The same symbol.
The black circle.
Eight smaller marks around it.
Momonga walked toward it.
The mark on his cloak began to glow.
Nabe immediately stepped closer.
The stone reacted.
A low rumble passed through the ground.
Then the ruins shifted.
Evileye stared.
“That wasn’t there before.”
Momonga smiled.
“I think it was.”
He stepped toward the stairs.
Nabe followed.
Evileye sighed.
“Of course.”
They descended.
The staircase went deeper than expected.
The air became colder.
The negative energy grew stronger.
Momonga stopped after several minutes.
“There.”
A faint light was visible below.
Not magical light.
Torchlight.
Someone was down here.
Nabe drew her sword.
Evileye prepared a spell.
Momonga raised his hand.
“Wait.”
They listened.
Voices.
Human voices.
One of them sounded frightened.
Another sounded angry.
Then something screamed.
Momonga’s expression changed.
“That’s not human.”
They moved faster.
The staircase opened into a cavern.
A group of adventurers was fighting something in the darkness.
Momonga recognized the creature immediately.
Undead.
Not powerful.
But numerous.
Dozens of skeletons were attacking the adventurers.
The leader shouted:
“Hold the line!”
Momonga raised one hand.
“Stop.”
The skeletons froze.
Every undead creature in the cavern turned toward him.
The adventurers stared.
One of them dropped his sword.
“What…?”
Momonga walked forward.
The skeletons bowed.
Evileye stared.
Nabe smiled faintly.
The adventurers looked terrified.
Momonga spoke calmly.
“They’re not going to hurt you.”
Nobody moved.
One adventurer finally whispered:
“You’re undead.”
“Yes.”
“Then what are you?”
Momonga considered the question.
“An adventurer.”
Evileye covered her face.
Nabe looked amused.
The adventurer stared at him.
“An undead adventurer?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
Momonga sighed.
“I’ve heard that before.”
The skeletons returned to the darkness.
The adventurers slowly lowered their weapons.
One of them looked at Evileye.
Then at Nabe.
Then back at Momonga.
“Who are you people?”
Evileye answered:
“Travelers.”
Momonga nodded.
“Investigating the ruins.”
The adventurer swallowed.
“Then you should leave.”
Momonga looked past him.
“Why?”
The man pointed deeper into the cavern.
“Because there’s something down there.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know it’s dangerous?”
The adventurer’s face went pale.
“Because it spoke.”
Momonga became silent.
“What did it say?”
The adventurer looked at him.
“It called us intruders.”
Momonga’s eyes glowed faintly.
“Did it say anything else?”
The man hesitated.
Then:
“It asked whether the player had returned.”
Silence.
Evileye looked at Momonga.
Nabe’s hand tightened around her sword.
Momonga stepped forward.
“Where?”
The adventurer pointed into the darkness.
“Down there.”
Momonga smiled.
“Thank you.”
The man looked confused.
“You’re going down?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Momonga looked toward the darkness.
“Because it asked for me.”
They continued deeper.
The cavern gradually transformed.
Natural stone became polished walls.
The floor became perfectly level.
The architecture was unmistakable.
Someone had built this place.
And whoever had built it had understood YGGDRASIL architecture.
Momonga touched one wall. This story is hosted at g.com.
“This is impossible.”
Evileye looked at him.
“You’ve said that before.”
“This is different.”
“What is it?”
“This wasn’t built by humans.”
Nabe looked ahead.
“Then by whom?”
Momonga didn’t answer.
At the end of the corridor stood a massive door.
It had no handle.
No lock.
Only the same symbol.
Momonga approached.
The mark on his cloak burned.
The door opened.
Beyond it was a throne room.
And someone was sitting on the throne.
Momonga stopped.
The figure was small.
Humanoid.
Wearing a dark robe.
Its face was hidden beneath a hood.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then the figure spoke.
“You’re late.”
Momonga’s red eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?”
The figure laughed softly.
“I wondered when you would ask.”
Evileye raised her hand.
Nabe drew her sword.
The figure ignored them.
“You came without your tomb.”
Momonga froze.
“What did you say?”
The figure slowly stood.
“You are supposed to have a tomb.”
Momonga stared.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t.”
The figure stepped forward.
“You were brought here alone.”
Momonga’s mind went blank.
The figure continued.
“And yet you were not supposed to be alone.”
Nabe stepped forward.
“Explain yourself.”
The figure turned toward her.
For the first time, its expression became visible.
A smile.
“You.”
Nabe froze.
The figure whispered:
“You are the reason the system recognized him.”
Momonga stepped between them.
“Who are you?”
The figure lowered its hood.
A young woman stood beneath it.
Silver hair.
Golden eyes.
And a face Momonga had never seen before.
But the aura around her…
felt familiar.
Not human.
Not undead.
Something else.
She smiled.
“My name is—”
The chamber shook.
The walls began to crack.
The woman looked upward.
“Ah.”
Momonga frowned.
“What?”
She looked at him.
“They found you.”
“Who?”
Her expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“The ones who were waiting for your arrival.”
A tremendous roar echoed through the underground complex.
Something enormous was approaching.
The woman turned toward the corridor.
“We have to leave.”
Momonga stared at her.
“You just told us you’ve been waiting for me.”
“Yes.”
“Now you want to run?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked at him.
“Because you are not the only one who came back.”
The roar came again.
Closer.
The stone beneath their feet shook.
Nabe stepped beside Momonga.
“Master.”
Momonga nodded.
“I know.”
Evileye looked toward the corridor.
“What is that?”
Momonga’s red eyes burned brighter.
“I don’t know.”
The woman smiled bitterly.
“Then welcome to the New World.”
The corridor exploded.
A massive hand broke through the stone.
Momonga raised his staff.
Nabe drew her sword.
Evileye prepared her magic.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Momonga felt something he had almost forgotten.
Excitement.
He smiled.
“Finally.”
The creature roared.
Momonga raised his hand.
“Let’s see what this world has been hiding.”