TOS- Vol 2, Pt 1, Ch 1

The Overlord Saga

Vol II. Versus

Part I - The Scythe

"Eyes as cold as ice
Chilling to the bone
A servant to sin and vice
Whose sly tactics he longs to hone
Each word a lie on his breath
Promises are empty in his mind
Just an inch away from untimely death
He certainly is one of a kind

Eyes as hot as fire
Smoldering, thriving rage
Burning, everlasting desire
But she is a bird in a cage
Longing to be set free
Revenge is just so captivating
Every fire, ember, and ash longs to be
Something more, but always failing."

Chapter 1: Rent

3 Days Previously-


The Overlord was on top of the world. One could say that the victory over the Uberlord had gotten to her head, but that was only one of many things that contributed to the Overlord's amazing mood. For one, the money obtained from what was now referred to as the Second Epic Battle was enough to fund several new things in the Fortress, the first of these things being a legit meeting room. Granted, the Overlord's office was still being used, but the meeting room had the fancy new, somewhat futuristic gleam to it, which contrasted greatly to the rest of the Fortress. Its glass doors were bulletproof, and the long table in its center was enough to fit every member of the Overlord's council, which had grown as of late. More Underlings had been harvested from the sickening world of Life and the Overlord realized that after the last census from the Advisor, her troops had doubled since the fall of the Uberlord. More housing had been provided, though, that didn't stop the complaints from a few of the more unruly Underlings (namely Sexist and Tinkerbell). More weapons had been acquired, particularly explosives (much to the Captain and the Lieutenant's pleasure), though the Overlord had been certain to buy a few more katanas for the ninjas.

The Ninja-Lord had been given two captains to help her fulfill her duties. They were second-in-commands of the ninjas, the younger boy one called Shinobi, and a wiser, more calm girl one called Kunoichi. The Overlord had selected them and had specifically had them trained at Tamashii to improve their skills. She found that the ninjas were quite useful, especially since the fall of the Uberlord. While all had been well, it had not been perfect, and a few of the Uberlord's menacing minions still lurked about the Fortress. Every now and then, horrified screams of an Underling finding an ambush of Ninja Mosquitoes would send everyone in a panic. The Ninja-Lord was charged with uncovering the rest of the pests, and was predicted to have them all hunted down in the next two weeks.

The Soul-Keeper had been given Christine Daaé's soul for the Dungeon, and the Overlord admittingly hadn't seen him for extended periods of time. The Apprentice was often kicked out of the Dungeon, much to her displeasure, and the Overlord heard the occasional operatic note (at least, that's what she thought it was) originating from the Dungeon while the Soul-Keeper and Christine were alone. She didn't have the nerve or the guts to find out what it actually was.

Jamie had gone back to pirating, and the Overlord received a postcard every once in awhile. The Twin had forged her own faction somewhere beyond where even the Room of Wises was, though had written a letter to the Overlord explaining alliances with the Underling Army. The Overlord had written back the previous day, hoping to seal the contract with the Twin in four days. The Grasshopper had been staying with the Overlord for the past three weeks, still getting accustomed to the life of an Overlord-in-training. Still, the Overlord had to admit, her apprentice was getting better at fighting. The magic was still a little iffy, but the Overlord knew that the Grasshopper could beat almost any foe with a katana. She felt a surge of pride, pleased with her trainee.

The Overlord and the Insurgent Leader had postponed their fight after the Insurgent Leader's sword had broken. Being understanding of nature (psh, yeah right), the Overlord had allowed the Insurgent Leader time to reforge Muramasa into a stronger sword. Strangely enough, she hadn't heard a peep from the Insurgent Leader since then, and the Overlord knew that he'd have fixed his 'stupid sword' by now. To top off the weirdness factor, Sexist and Tinkerbell had begun being considerably nice, almost to the point of promotion, though the Overlord was still thinking of a title that would fit Sexist better than his current one. She concluded that was impossible.

The Sabotage Team had been formed shortly after the Uberlord's downfall. Belarus had been placed in charge of the team, her reputation of being completely destructive earning her the spot of Lead Saboteur. China, Prussia, and Russia all were her subordinates, though, the Overlord was still having a hard time calling them by their new titles of Saboteur rather than Underling.

A slam as the door swung open caused the Overlord to jump, staring wide-eyed as the Soul-Keeper almost knocked over a very expensive looking urn. As he caught the urn, he gave the Overlord an apologetic glance. She dipped her head in silent forgiveness, then rose, stretching and offering a very informal yawn, "What's crack-a-lacking, home dog?"

"Errr... Christine's well," the Soul-Keeper stammered, replacing the urn and blushing ever so slightly in his face. "Oh! Uhhhh... uhhhh... I needed to talk to you about something!"

"Shoot," the Overlord suggested.

"Shoot?" the Soul-Keeper quirked an eyebrow.

"What's up?" the Overlord explained, shaking her head.

"There's a big scary guy at the door," the Soul-Keeper explained, "He says he's looking for Gabriel. Now... I know you said not to say anything about the fact that he's still... y'know... in the Dungeon..."

The Overlord wasn't listening. 'Oh God. It's the Tooth Fairy. They sent her after al,.' She thought, casting a glance at her scythe hanging above the fireplace. Taking it from where it sat limp on the mantle, she ran her fingers over the enchanted blade on its end. 'If that's what God can come up with to take me down... He'll have to use force...' As the Soul-Keeper continued rattling on, the Overlord nodded her head occasionally, but was still, truthfully, lost in thought. When she realized the Soul-Keeper had stopped and was staring at her, the Overlord turned quickly to face him.

"The Tooth Fairy?" the Overlord asked seriously.

"What!?" the Soul-Keeper asked, "He's not the Tooth Fairy!"

"He?" the Overlord asked in confusion.

"Yes. The guy at the door," the Soul-Keeper explained in annoyance, "He wants to talk to you."

"You're coming with me. Just in case."

"In case what?"

"I get raped."

"That's nonsense. No one can rape the Overlord."

"God can."

"GOD CAN?"

"Don't question it," the Overlord explained firmly, extending her hand. As the Soul-Keeper took her hand, the two warped, appearing behind a lone figure standing at the gates to the outer wall. The Overlord noted how incredibly tall the armored man was, bearing a long swirling cape that almost seemed ominous. His armor was black and gold in color, glistening maliciously in the sunlight. She noted the large machete at his side, the blade sheathed against his hip. The Overlord cleared her throat to announce her presence.

The figure turned, his helmet concealing his eyes and most of his face. His voice, airy and very passive, did not match the intimidating, armored soldier that stood before the Overlord, "Are you the keeper of this Fortress?" There was some chilling factor about his tone that made the Overlord uneasy, but she figured it was her imagination. The air seemed to grow colder and more tense, a definite sign that something was amiss. But she thought nothing of it.

"You're not the Tooth Fairy," the Overlord observed, walking a circle around the armored man. The Soul-Keeper stood at attention, watching the stranger from beyond his mask.

"The Tooth Fairy? No... I am not the Tooth Fairy," the armored man chuckled lightly.

"Why are you here? Who are you?" the Overlord demanded, eyes narrowing as she cast a gander at his weapon.

He held up his hands innocently. "You may call me... N. I am a representative from Heaven. I am looking for Archangel Gabriel. Is he here?"

"No," the Overlord said shortly.

"Then I was asked to carry out his task for him," N said politely, folding his arms and gazing down upon the Overlord. She could barely see the glisten of his eyes, icy colored and very wintery. The Overlord tore her gaze away, some fear sinking into her chest. His eyes seemed so devoid of emotion- empty and callous. N continued with a cackle on his breath, "You were told that you had two weeks to give a rent to God. That rent has been due for over a month. Do you have the 200 souls, Overlord?"

'So they sent a substitute for Gabriel? What's this guy gonna do, force me out of my home?' the Overlord scoffed. God was going to have to try something better than this to sway her. He wasn't going to be very pleased with what was going to happen, but the Overlord was no pushover either. "God isn't getting his rent," the Overlord said flatly, "He can forget it."

"You have three days. I will remain here if you change your mind. Upon the sunset of the third day, I will unleash His wrath upon this place. And you will regret your decision," N said calmly.

"You'll stay? Are you sure about that?" the Soul-Keeper challenged.

"No, no, let him. After all... He's a guest of honor. A guest from God," the Overlord threw back her head and laughed. 'He'll stay... And within a night, he will see our numbers and know that he has no chance against us,' the Overlord thought smugly, casting a sly glance at the Soul-Keeper. Returning her gaze at N, she said, "I'll have the gates opened for you shortly. Then Underling Tinkerbell will show you to your room."

"Thank you," N's lip curled into a smile as the Overlord and the Soul-Keeper warped back to the Overlord's office.

The Overlord put her scythe up onto the mantle and laughed to herself, "Oh this is gonna be fun." Looking down at where Nard was sitting in the Overlord's chair, she grinned and picked him up. Planting a large kiss onto Nard's head, she hugged him close, then plopped him down on the chair once more. "That guy is a sucker, Soul-Keeper. He's all alone. He can't hope to take us all on."

"So... You're really not going to pay rent?" the Soul-Keeper asked, raising an eyebrow, "Are you sure this is a good-"

"After that fight with the Uberlord? Man, nothing can bring me down now!" the Overlord laughed, "Especially not a stiff like him." She picked up a remote to her large surround-sound stereo and pushed the play button. Immediately, a song began playing, starting off with a rushed drum beat and breaking out with an electric guitar. The Soul-Keeper's eyes lit up and he began singing.

"How do you document real life when real life's getting more like fiction each day?
Headline, breadlines blow my mind and now this deadline-
Eviction or paaaaaaayyyyy rent!"

The Overlord laughed and chimed in.

"How do you write a song when the chords sound wrong,
Though they once sounded right and rare?
When the notes are sour, where is the power
You once had to ignite the air?"

"And we're hungry and frozen!"

"Some life that we've chosen!"

And at the same time:

"How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? LAST YEAR'S REEEEEENNNNNNT!"

The Soul-Keeper flung open the door and shouted down the stairs at the working Underlings, "WE LIGHT CANDLES!" The Overlord laughed and led the Soul-Keeper down the stairs, blaring the stereo even louder. She slid down the railing and began:

"How do you start a fire when there's nothing to burn and it
Feels like something's stuck in your flue?"

"How can you generate heat when you can't feel your feet and they're turning blue?
You light up a mean blaze!"

"With posters!"

"And screenplays!"

The Underlings not in on the joke were, by now, thoroughly confused. The Animal Tamer and the Advisor could be seen talking by the throne, though both had stopped and were staring at the Soul-Keeper and the Overlord as they dramatically waltzed into the middle of the room. Sexist promptly facepalmed.

"HOW WE GONNA PAY?
HOW WE GONNA PAY?
HOW WE GONNA PAY
LAST YEAR'S RENT?"

"Overlord... What's going on?" the Ninja-Lord asked quietly, staring at the two as they sang rather loudly. She drew back as the Soul-Keeper beckoned her with a hand. The Overlord shoved the Soul-Keeper roughly away, laughing at him, then declaring:

"SING WITH US!"

"What?" Sexist asked, raising an eyebrow. Without explanation, the Soul-Keeper and the Overlord turned to face each other and began singing.

"HOW WE GONNA PAY?
HOW WE GONNA PAY?
HOW WE GONNA PAY
LAST YEAR'S RENT?"

The Soul-Keeper dashed up to the top of the stairs once more as the Underlings began pouring out of the rooms to watch. He lifted his staff up and declared as an orb of fire magic encircled him, "The music ignites the night with PASSIONATE fire."

"Colby, that's WEIRD!" the Advisor yelled.

"The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit!" the Overlord called back.

"You both are really weird!" the Advisor declared.

The Soul-Keeper pointed his staff outward and the fire shot out, hitting nothing but emitting a large heat wave, "Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground-"

"And feel the heat of the future's glow!" The Overlord joined him at the top of the stairs. Glancing down at the excited Underlings, she caught Sexist's irritated gaze and flashed him a rather satisfied smile. He didn't return the gesture. As she lifted her hand, she began singing, the willing Underlings joining her in song, "How do you leave the past behind when it keeps finding ways to get to your heart? It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out, 'til you're torn apart- RENT! How can you connect in an age where strangers, landlords, lovers, you're own blood cells betrayed! What binds the fabric together when the raging, shifting winds of change keep ripping away!"

"Draw a line in the sand, and then make a stand!" the Theurgist called to the Overlord and the Soul-Keeper.

"Use your magic to spar!" the Overlord called to the Soul-Keeper.

"Use your... guitar?" the Soul-Keeper replied awkwardly.

And the rest of the company continued, "When they act tough, you call their bluff! We're not gonna pay... We're not gonna pay... We're not gonna pay... LAST YEAR'S RENT! THIS YEAR'S RENT! NEXT YEAR'S RENT! RENT, RENT, RENT, RENT, RENT! WE'RE NOT GONNA PAY RENT!" The Soul-Keeper and the Overlord jumped onto the bottom of the stairs, finishing the grand song, " 'Cause everything is... RENNNNNNNNT!" As the Overlord glanced up, she saw N standing in the doorway, leaning over and clapping. She grinned at him, then straightened up. As she clapped the Soul-Keeper on the back, the Overlord began back toward her office, enjoying the brief musical number.

"Uhhh... So... Anyone know what that was about?" the Evocator asked awkwardly.