A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story

Chapter 36: Forgotten Realms

Nfirea fell to his knees, vomiting not just his breakfast, but likely what he'd eaten over the course of the last week. The smell of smoke was still present, and after he finished purging his stomach, he had a coughing fit.

When he calmed down, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, only to have a piece of cloth shoved into his arms.

"Use this instead, son. Clean yourself up before you start making more of a mess. Once you're ready, start asking your questions. I did make you a promise after all," Wish III said, somewhat patiently.

After taking the time to properly clean himself up, he sat up and struggled into a chair from the table. He was shaking more harshly than if he'd gotten caught in the rain.

He heard a chuckle from the djinn. "There's smoke coming out of your ears. I knew that my power can be a bit much for the average mortal, but even this seems excessive. Perhaps you're just particularly weak?"

Sure enough, when Nfirea made a wafting motion with his hand near his head, plumes of black smoke clung to him. He was hyperventilating now, his chest about ready to collapse in on itself.

"I-I'm sorry? Did you just say there's smoke coming out of my ears? Is my brain melting right now? Am I dying? Oh my, what am I going to do?! I need to find Master Hermetis and tell him-"

"Relax, son, the effects are only temporary. You humans have no restraint on your emotions, even when somebody else is there to warn you about them." Wish III exclaimed with exasperation.

The djinn sighed. "Evidently, you're not in a state to be waiting, so how about you just go ahead and figure out what's bothering you the most. Given what I've shown you, I'm certain you can find something."

Through Nfirea's panic induced state, he managed to blurt out his first question. "I saw you die! You just disintegrated into nothing, so how are you here!?"

Something like a smirk traced its way across the wish granter's features. "Death where I come from is not so strict with its rules. Yes, indeed, I died, but then I lived! I got over it, and jumped right back into the fight when I was ready."

When he brought up "death", the image of the skeletal mage in the vision Nfirea saw came to mind. An all-powerful, foreboding figure, with arcane abilities he could scarcely imagine.

Then he remembered what the djinn had said when he first appeared before the alchemist: 'How would you like to strike a bargain with a god, oh alchemist mine?' If Wish III called himself a god, and the one with the trident, Zeus Enalios, was able to kill him...

Did I just see a battle of gods? The knight, that goat-man with the arms, the winged woman, was every single one of them a god of some kind?

Nfirea didn't consider himself to be overly religious, especially not after recent events, but given the mystical nature of the world he lived in, with all its wonders and horrors, who could say that something like a god couldn't exist?

The ones in the vision certainly seemed godly. They struck with blows that shattered the earth and sky, wielded weapons and armor that no mere mortal could ever achieve in a thousand lifetimes, and possessed a haughty arrogance typical of those possessing both.

Just speaking with Wish III showed that, though his manner of acting with his fellow gods seemed much more friendly and amiable. Still, there was some sort of distaste Nfirea sensed towards the knight in particular, but he couldn't even begin to guess at the history between them.

There were many other factors he didn't understand either. What was a "noob"? What kind of guild was "Bikini Babe Warriors"? Why was there even a war in the first place?