The Overlord Saga
Vol II. Versus
Chapter 11: Mortal World
The Soul-Keeper recently had discovered just how difficult it was to manage the Overlord’s troops. He sat on a park bench, watching the Apprentice as she ran about, chasing little kids while waving her staff.
“Sir, we’re back from a scouting mission?” Fish stammered, looking at the Soul-Keeper uncertainly. Was he supposed to call him ‘sir’? Was he the next Overlord? What about the Grasshopper? Fish sighed, figuring that they’d skip formalities during times of crisis. “There appears to be a mall up ahead.”
“A mall?” the Soul-Keeper asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“A large gathering of shops,” Fish explained, unsure if the Soul-Keeper had ever been to a mall.
“Soul-Keeper! The flashing blue and red lights are back again!” Belarus called, pointing overhead with her firestick. As five police cars pulled up to the curb, Belarus scowled, “I hate that stupid noise those things make.”
“We got the po-po on our tails?” Fabio remarked in his usual dry, bland tone, “Oh whoopie. Knowing our luck, they’ll be working with the Nemesis, too. Why does everything bad always happen to us?”
“Sh... It’ll be okay!” the Animal Tamer scratched Fabio behind one of his puppy ears (although, everyone was still uncertain as to why a human had dog ears in the first place, but, as everything else in the Overlord’s Army, people just went with it). “We can fight them off, right?”
“Quick! To this... GATHERING OF SHOPS!” the Soul-Keeper declared, raising his staff into the air. As he began running, he grabbed the Apprentice by the wrist, “Leave the kids alone! We have bigger problems to worry about!”
“Sabotage Team!” the Ninja-Lord sprung up into a tree, “Knock a few trees down. Hamper this uh... ‘po-po charge’! Kunoichi, Shinobi, Llama, with me! We’ll provide the Sabotage Team with combat support!” She drew her katana and pointed it at the police officers as they came pouring out of their cars, attack dogs and guns at the ready.
“THEY HAVE TAZERS, TOO!?” the Master of Tazers stopped to look.
“OH SHUT UP AND KEEP MOVING!” the Scribe pulled the Master of Tazers along by her arm, despite a few cleverly aimed hits to the back of his head.
Belarus caught a few bushes on fire with her firestick, giggling gleefully as the bushes set off a chain reaction of flames up a nearby tree. The Ninja-Lord moved a few trees away from the Sabotage Team, resting on a branch next to Shinobi. Pointing at a particularly fat police officer, she sat, “Take him down, but not out. We can’t afford to be wanted for murder.”
“Understood,” Shinobi nodded, and hopped into another tree as slyly as he could. Glancing down at the cop, he sprung downward, leaving his katana sheathed. Merely kicking the cop in the head, he landed in a crouch behind the rest of the attack force, grinning from behind his ninja mask. “Cop wanna donut?” he removed the unconscious officer’s gun and dismantled it cunningly.
As China took a chainsaw to a tree, Kunoichi plunged from the sky, hitting another cop in the head. She drew her blade and swiftly deflected a bullet. She ducked and kicked an officer in the shin, barely rolling out of the way to avoid a falling tree. Prussia and Russia had laid out oil, Russia cautiously extending her hand and tossing out a match to catch the oil spill on fire.
Llama pulled Shinobi and Kunoichi back into the trees. Ninja-Lord beckoned them silently with a hand and began taking off through the trees after the retreating Underlings. As the fire between the cops and the Sabotage Team raged heavily, Belarus called out, “Okay team! That’s enough mayhem for today... Let’s go!” She waved her firestick, accidentally catching yet another tree on fire, then began taking off down the road towards the mall.
---
“Hello, I am the Soul-Keeper and this is my friend Advisor. We are from another dimension and we would like clothing that would fit us into this dimension,” the Soul-Keeper tried to reason with the clerk at Aeropostale. The clerk stared at his mask and long, flowing robe, unconvinced and smacking her gum.
“Listen up, we’ll steal your soul if you don’t let us have your clothes!” the Grasshopper challenged, drawing her katana.
“I’m gonna have to call security...” the clerk continued smacking her gum and reading her magazine. “... if you don’t get out of here in five seconds.”
“Fine...” the Soul-Keeper hung his head, sulking out of the shop. Glancing at Fish, he narrowed his eyes, “I thought you said this place was full of shops?”
“Yes... Well... They might find us a little... Uhhhh... Bizarre...” Fish stammered, “Considering the fact that some of us have swords...” He turned a pointed look at the Grasshopper. As the Overlord’s apprentice glared back at him, he averted his gaze and sighed, “Maybe I can get us all clothes... But I’ll need money....”
“Oh! Here you go!” the Advisor handed him a satchel full of gold. Fish quirked an eyebrow, glanced down at the bag, then nodded, “I... I’ll see if this works...” He shuffled into another store, clutching the bag of gold close to him.
The Soul-Keeper sat down on a bench, gazing at the people staring at them all as they passed by. He offered an awkward smile, waved, then looked at where the Advisor had plopped down beside him. “Why did the Overlord have to give up?” He mumbled miserably, “Being a leader is a lot more work than I thought...” He adjusted his mask on his face, then glanced at where the Captain and the Lieutenant had picked up the rather short Animal Tamer and were holding her in the air- much to her displeasure.
“She gave up too easily,” the Advisor replied in a low voice, “She must’ve seen something awful when she was fighting the Nemesis. Do you think the Theurgist’s death affected her?”
“Not so much as it did the Evocator,” the Soul-Keeper cast a glance at where the Evocator was standing by the railing, looking down at the lower level with a blank gleam in her eyes. He sighed and stood up, “I’ll try talking to her...” The Advisor frowned, but nodded her head in agreement.
The Soul-Keeper approached the Evocator carefully, unsure of what he could say. He leaned against the rail next to her, sighing and glancing out at the people walking below them, “It’s different,” he remarked, glancing at the potted plants and little kids running around the walkways.
“Hm,” the Evocator replied absent-mindedly.
“A bit of a change,” the Soul-Keeper prompted, glancing sideways at the Evocator. When she didn’t respond, the Soul-Keeper looked off and to the side, fighting to find words. He took note of where the Sabotage Team and the ninjas had returned, bringing with them the smell of fire. He wanted to tell them to go stand in that one store with an overpowering smell and loud music (Adder... crumbly... or whatever it was called), but he didn’t feel the need to. He looked back at where a little girl was staring at him. As his eyes made eye contact with her eyes, she screamed and ran, crying, to her mother.
“Am I really that scary?” the Soul-Keeper wondered aloud.
“Well... You are the Soul-Keeper,” the Evocator mustered a laugh.
“Listen... Life seems pretty bad right now, and well... Okay... it is...” the Soul-Keeper’s voice trailed off, frowning and grimacing. ‘Where was I going with that sentence? I don’t even know...’ He sighed and shook his head, “Do you just wanna hug?”
The Evocator looked up at the Soul-Keeper, tears in her eyes. She silently nodded, and flung her arms around the Soul-Keeper, nearly knocking him off of his feet. The Soul-Keeper stifled a cry of shock, but wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his already dirty robe. He figured he wouldn’t need it much anymore anyways... Especially if they were trying to hide on Earth and Fish was buying them new clothes.
“I just miss him so much...” the Evocator whispered.
“You’ll see him again,” the Soul-Keeper tried.
“Colby... Shut up,” the Advisor shoved the Soul-Keeper away and promptly hugged the Evocator, “You can cry all you want. We’re all here for you. We don’t have much else... We just got each other.”
“Each other...” the Ninja-Lord echoed, glancing at the Grasshopper. She looked down and then gently hugged the Evocator. “This was the only family I had... We have to be strong. Until we have the Fortress back.” She put both hands on the Evocator’s shoulders, “And we WILL have it back, I promise.”
“So... You all are really going to fight the Nemesis, too?” the Evocator asked with a small gasp, “You’ll go with me? Back to avenge...”
“We’ll go with you. The Fortress was our home, and the Theurgist was our friend, too,” the Ninja-Lord said firmly, “The ninjas believe in honor. I believe in honor. And I know the Overlord does, too... Whether she realizes it or not, she will return. I am sure of it.”
The Evocator’s eyes met the floor, still tearful, “I hope you’re right...” She whispered, engulfed by another hug from the Advisor.
----
Emily made her way into the kitchen, ignoring the looming shadows from the trees outside. She glanced at where the clock hung on the wall, having not even realized that it was midnight already. That day, she had spent the entire time sleeping, feeling wide awake at the moment and possibly even a little bit hungry. Figuring the Witch was asleep, she prowled into the kitchen, opening the fridge and peering inside. As she rummaged a bit, she seized a jar of salsa. Spying a bag of chips in the pantry, she pried the bag open and began to dip a corn chip into the salsa.
“Midnight snack?” the Witch asked from where she was sitting at the table, alone and in the dark. Laying before her, was an orb approximately the size of a bowling ball. Emily sidled into a chair across from the Witch, sheepishly offering her some chips and salsa. The Witch took a chip gratefully and dipped it into the salsa, gazing at the swirling mists inside of the orb.
“Crystal ball? That’s so cliche,” Emily scoffed.
“Almost as cliche as the title of ‘Overlord’,” the Witch countered, raising an eyebrow and looking at Emily slyly. She munched on a chip, then shrugged, “You’re moving around fine.”
“You healed up the wound in my stomach pretty good. Might scar over, but it’ll make a hell of a story,” Emily muttered, gazing at the crystal ball, “I don’t see why you stare at this thing for hours. It’s not healthy.”
“Is it any different than what you’ve been seeing?” the Witch replied, “I heard you moaning in your sleep. Bad dreams?”
Emily shifted uncomfortably in the chair, “I haven’t had nightmares since I was little.” She took a thoughtful bite from a salsa-drenched chip and shrugged, “What can you expect after the time I’ve had here lately? I guess even nightmares can come to people used to seeing horrible things...”
“What hurts more, Em... Being overthrown or being betrayed?” the Witch asked, still absent-mindedly staring into the crystal ball. Emily figured the Witch was merely captivated by the ‘ooh shiny’ in the ball. But then, Emily remembered she was the one with the ‘ooh shiny’ syndrome, not the Witch... The Witch smirked, then glanced up at Emily, “I couldn’t tell who you were referring to. The one that killed your friend or the one that let it all happen.”
“The Nemesis is a formidable opponent,” Emily said evasively, “Being de-throned by one of your own footsoldiers, though, is a burn to one’s pride.”
“I see... This... footsoldier... What does he look like?” the Witch glanced down at the crystal ball.
“Blonde. Big. Stupid. Do I really have to go into detail?” Emily asked sourly.
“No... I was just wondering if you knew the man lurking outside my house. Sounds like it’s a perfect match,” the Witch stood up, tucking the crystal ball into a shelf and looking out the window, “And he’s brought with him guests.”
“What!?” Emily stammered, rising from her chair, “We’ve been sitting here eating freaking chips and salsa with SEXIST on our doorstep? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” She demanded, placing the chips and salsa on the table angrily, “You didn’t even bother to tell me we were about to be attacked?”
The Witch shrugged, “Didn’t seem important at the time. Oh well... Don’t worry, you just sit tight and I’ll fix this.” She pulled out a wand and grinned devilishly, “Let’s see these... ‘Insurgents’... Try to beat us.”
“Okay, don’t know if you’ve figured this out, but I have no powers,” Emily scoffed, nearly jumping out of her skin as a katana materialized in her hand. She recognized the flames on the blade as her old weapon, Kagi the Flame Katana. Quirking an eyebrow, she got a glimpse of the Witch’s cunning smile. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? This is your way of getting me back on my feet.”
“Now, I’m not admitting to anything, but... Yeah, okay, totally was all my idea,” the Witch nodded, “You were great without your powers, you know. But, not gonna lie, you’re totally gonna have to get them back.”
“So, what? Trip to Tamashii, is that what you’re saying?’ Emily asked.
“Yes, but first...” the Witch began, but was cut off as the door flew off its hinges. Ducking to the ground, Emily twirled the katana with one hand, glaring at the looming figure in the doorway. As Eric stepped into the house, Emily bristled, her grip around the handle of the katana tightening.
“Hello... False One,” Eric said calmly, drawing his claymore and pointing it at the crouched Emily. “I found you.”
Kagi in hand, Emily felt her sides rocking with something. Laughter? Maybe a tremble of fear? She couldn’t tell. But she snickered, her eyes locked onto the traitor. At that moment, she realized that she was powerless- but not without a weapon. She realized that the game was not to win but to survive. Casting a gander at the Witch, Emily inclined her head ever so slightly before glancing back at General Eric, “Right. I suppose I’ll have to go with you now, back to your little master.”
Eric smiled smugly, “Yes, I suppose you will.”
“Tell me, do you think that’s going to happen?” Emily asked, catching sight of McCoy as he followed Pharisee into the house. Her eyes flicked back to Eric, suppressing a smile.
With a knowing laugh, Eric answered, “Not a chance.”
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