TOS- Vol 2, Pt 1, Ch 14

The Overlord Saga

Vol II. Versus

Part 2- The Crusades

"I'll see you
Where Fire and Ice meet
Destroying all that we knew
Until their task is complete
Tearing down Heaven's foundation
They'll march to war
And set fate into motion
The world lost evermore."

Chapter 14: Rescue Missions

The Rebel Commander stood at the bow of the pirate ship, the Saucy Whore (pirated by Captain Jamie Prindle), with a bazooka in hand. Feeling the wind through his short dark hair, he inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh flowers that lined the shores. They had anchored the Saucy Whore to the shoreline of the river that Jamie’s crew had been found, apparently, trying to avoid detection from the Dark Ice Brotherhood. Clearly, they had failed. Glancing at where General Eric had disappeared with the prisoners, the Rebel Commander sighed in exasperation. He was so frustrated with these incompetent brotherhood members already- especially the small blonde knight- Blondie or whatever he was called. ‘Guy’s a wuss,’ the Rebel Commander thought, haughtily resting his bazooka on his shoulder, and turning away from the bow.

“What’s going on?” Blondie asked, casually strolling up to where the Rebel Commander was standing. He swayed and rocked with some form of confident swag- confidence that was sorely misplaced. The Rebel Commander refrained from backhanding the idiot, and couldn’t even muster a fake smile.

“Watching for the Overlord,” the Rebel Commander remarked, “Eric’s got this brilliant idea that capturing her childhood friend will lure her out into the open.”

“Jester’s already tracking them. We should just attack their camp. This is ridiculous,” Blondie scowled.

“The Nemesis doesn’t want us near the pool,” the Rebel Commander remarked, adjusting his glasses on his nose. “He wants us to keep an eye on it, but to not approach it. I say he’s scared of something in there.”

“So Jester’s sitting on his butt for nothing?” Blondie asked.

“Better than the Insurgent Leader being unable to leave,” the Rebel Commander retorted. He looked out at where the sun was beginning to slip beneath the horizon, casting a crimson glaze onto the waters.

“Hello ladies,” a voice broke the silence.

The Rebel Commander and Blondie both turned in time to catch sight of a large black dog looming above them, a little girl resting on his back. Though the dog’s tail wagged, the Rebel Commander drew a step back, moving his bazooka into battle position. The Animal Tamer hopped off of the large dog, drawing her sword. Blondie cackled, “Well, that was sooner than expected! Underlings.” He drew his claymore and began to take a step forward when something dropped from the sky and landed behind him. Swinging his sword around, he clashed blades with the Ninja-Lord, his eyes wide in shock.

“Oh, this is gonna be good,” the Apprentice remarked, glancing at the Animal Tamer. The dog began chasing a group of Insurgents, snapping at them with his massive jaws. She lifted her staff, then said, “You know, guys, I think I’m feeling a groove comin’ on.”

“Oh, that’s the cheesiest line I’ve heard in ages,” the Rebel Commander remarked.

“Time for some music,” the Apprentice’s staff glowed and she called, “Mortal Kombat!” Radiating from seemingly the trees and river itself, the song began playing, the heavy beat setting the tempo for the fight. The Apprentice tapped her foot, and nodded, “Yep, here we go. All right, guys, battle stations!”

“We’re under attack!” the Rebel Commander yelled, looking at where a group of Insurgents were standing and watching Kunoichi, Shinobi, and Llama fall from the sky, completely dumbstruck. “Don’t stand there, you idiots! ATTACK!”

“Protect the stairs! Don’t let one of those morons through!” McCoy shouted, tossing his ferret up into the air. Mooka reached up, pulling himself onto the Saucy Whore’s mast. McCoy pulled out his machine gun and began to fire as the Advisor pulled herself on board.

“Machine gun war!” the Advisor called, pulling out her own machine gun and firing at Steve McCoy.

“Hey you!” the Lieutenant pointed at the Rebel Commander, “You look like you could be a worthy ally!”

“Yeah! Are you interested in slaying zombies? Living a life of adventure? EXPLODING THINGS? Causing shenanigans?” the Captain asked, following the Lieutenant on board of the boat.

“Can’t say I am,” the Rebel Commander fired a missile at the Captain, who rolled out of the way. The Captain pulled out an assault rifle and began firing at the Rebel Commander as he ducked behind the mast.

The Soul-Keeper appeared on board next, his robe blowing in the wind. As he turned and helped the Evocator onto the Saucy Whore (oh Lord, that was a very awkward sentence), Pharisee came barging out of the Captain’s quarters. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE?” He yelled, staff in hand. Upon watching the Grasshopper leap on board, he extended his hand, flecks of light swirling around his arm. Bursting forth from his grasp, a large, darkness infested boar landed on deck, eyes alight with fire.

“Oh no you don’t!” the Evocator replied, palms extended. She closed her eyes, a series of symbols surrounding her. Breathing in, she called, “Conjure! Vengeance spirit! Invidia!” As the symbols swirled around her and the wind began to pick up, the Evocator clapped her hands together, then brought them apart, a large golden leopard pouncing onto the ground before her, eyes a pupilless, and unnatural white. As the leopard rushed forward to meet the boar, the Evocator called, “This is for the Theurgist!”

The boar and the leopard collided together, the vengeance spirit sending out a blurring wave that knocked even Pharisee off of his feet. The Evocator grinned wildly as a simple paw swipe sent the boar overboard the Saucy Whore. She directed the leopard to attack Pharisee, not flinching even as Pharisee whacked the vengeance spirit in the head with his staff.

The Rebel Commander struck the Lieutenant in the side with the back of his gun, kicking him back and turning to punch the Captain in the face. As he did, Insurgent Canada snuck up behind the Captain and dealt him a blow to the kneecap. The Captain reached out and picked Canada up by the throat, holding him suspended in the air. Tossing him into the mast, the Captain turned to sock the Rebel Commander in the face. The Rebel Commander took a blow to the chin, stumbled back, then pulled out a pistol. Aiming it at the Captain, he fired once, satisfied as the Captain fell backwards against the railing of the pirate ship. The Lieutenant grabbed the Rebel Commander by the shoulders, having knocked the pistol away. He slammed him into the mast, the two interlocking in some primitive hand-to-hand beat down contest.

"Look down, back up!" the Animal Tamer shouted at Insurgent Batman, sword in hand, "Where are you? You're on a BOAT!" She declared, turning and blocking a strike from Insurgent Batman. She turned, threw a well-aimed punch into his jaw, but tripped over his leg. She rolled and stood back up again, glaring at where Insurgent Canada was standing by the mast in confusion. As he lifted a gun to fire, the Evocator’s vengeance spirit tackled him to the ground.

"I'm on a boat?" the Evocator asked mischievously

"With the man your man can smell like!" the Animal Tamer added seriously.

"I didn't know!" the Evocator remarked sarcastically.

"You didn't know? This boat is REAL!" the Soul-Keeper declared as he clashed weapons with an Insurgent, then began singing, "I'm on a boat, Insurgents, take a look at me! Straight flowing on a boat on the deep blue sea! Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat! You can't stop me, DIB soldiers, 'cause I'm on a boat!"

The Ninja-Lord was balanced at the end of the bow, Blondie standing a few feet away with his sword in hand. She held her katana out at the ready, glancing as more Underlings boarded the pirate ship. Belarus had hit Insurgent Norris in the head with her firestick, cackling insanely. Russia had a lead pipe and was swinging it around wildly, striking a random DIB mage in the head and knocking him unconscious. China was picking up various items and throwing them at Insurgents- one of the Insurgents taking a mop to the face and falling overboard. The Ninja-Lord grinned in satisfaction, but didn’t have time to gloat as Blondie charged forward. Jumping off the bow, grabbing around it with an arm and swinging herself up, she kicked Blondie in the side, causing him to fall. He grabbed onto the bow, feet dangling on the ground. It was then when the anchor was raised from the depths of the river, the Saucy Whore creaking and surging forward. However, it didn’t get very far before the rope holding it to a tree stopped it, causing an abrupt halt. The Ninja-Lord almost lost her balance, but stayed steady on the bow.

She glanced at the shore, watching as the Overlord finally appeared, staff in hand. Extending an arm, she fired a spell at the rope holding the Saucy Whore in place, and jumped up at the boat. The Soul-Keeper reached down and caught her by the arm, hoisting her up.

“False One!” McCoy, who had been locked with the Advisor in an epic battle, turned his attention to her. The Overlord held the staff behind her in one hand, her other hand extended in front of her. As McCoy pointing his machine gun at her, she waited for the barrage of bullets, a smile playing about her lips.

“We need to find the prisoners!” the Soul-Keeper urged her, holding his own staff with one hand, “And quickly!”

“Overlord, I have him!” the Advisor fired at McCoy. He turned and jumped back, one hand on his gun and the other on his hat as it threatened to fly away. “I’ve got him, I’ve got him!” She missed him entirely, and winced. However, a large chain burst through the deck, snaring McCoy’s leg. McCoy fell to the ground, grabbing the chain and trying to pull it off of him. Fish stood behind the Advisor, blinking a few times before commanding the chain to move upward, spiraling around McCoy.

“Nice, Fish!” the Overlord applauded, then began down the stairs, the Soul-Keeper following her. McCoy whistled, a now very giant Mooka falling from the sky onto where the Lieutenant and the Rebel Commander were fighting. The Captain, clutching his bleeding chest, was in the midst of shooting Canada in the head when Mooka’s tail knocked him off his feet. The ferret reared up, fangs enlarged and claws reaching out to grab Belarus.

“Oh, that’s not something you see every day,” the Ninja-Lord left Blondie to hang helplessly on the bow and began running toward the mast. “Shinobi! Kunoichi! Llama! Grasshopper! Follow me!” The ninjas and the Grasshopper began climbing the mast, quickly moving over the giant ferret’s head. Mooka snapped at Shinobi, narrowly missing his foot.

“Whoa!” Shinobi exclaimed, glancing down in horror at the large ferret.

Fish allowed the chains to constrict McCoy, his eyes narrowed, “Make the ferret go away,” he said coolly, arms folded, “Or I’ll choke you.”

“That’s harsh,” McCoy remarked.

“You’re an Insurgent,” Fish replied, “I have to be harsh.”

“Too bad. I have to be harsh, too,” the newly promoted Brigadier Zachary pointed a gun at the back of Fish’s head. Wordlessly, a second chain shot up, this time wrapping around the Brigadier’s neck. Falling to the ground, the former Underling gasped for air, writhing on the deck.

“Should’ve stayed on our side, Tinkerbell,” Fish said carelessly, but allowed the chains to loosen ever so tightly- he wasn’t a killer. He glanced up at where the Ninja-Lord had jumped up into the air, followed by her ninjas and the Overlord’s apprentice. The Ninja-Lord landed on Mooka’s nose, swiping at him with her katana. He snapped and snarled, swiping at Shinobi as he landed atop his head. The Grasshopper threw her katana at Mooka, hitting him once before the katana ricocheted back. She caught it, landed in front of him, then dodged out of the way quickly. Kunoichi sent a pair of shuriken at Mooka’s arms, distracting him.

“Move over, boys,” the Witch waved her hand at the Captain and the Lieutenant, who had focused themselves upon beating the Rebel Commander, “You obviously can’t take him down.”

“And who’re you supposed to be?” the Rebel Commander asked the witch.

“The Witch you keep hearing about, no doubt,” the Witch replied.

"I'm on a horse," the Animal Tamer said calmly, standing on the deck atop a large white horse.

“I thought it was a bitch?” the Rebel Commander stammered.

“That works, too,” the Witch grinned, pulling out her wand from her sleeve and pointing it into the air. The clouds turned as black as charcoal, and a strong gale propelled the Saucy Whore forward even faster. A series of large, smoldering red chunks of rock began falling from the heavens, spewing forth from the clouds with trails of smoke following them. The Rebel Commander, realizing that the boat was made of wood (and wood and fiery balls of doom didn’t seem to work well together), began firing at the small meteorites as they came showering down. However, as try as the Rebel Commander could to hit each meteorite, his final missile shot out, past the burning rock and smashing into the deck. Mooka reared back in horror as flames erupted, drawing him back. The Animal Tamer's large dog, Otto, grabbed Mooka by the scruff of the neck and the two tumbled over the side of the boat, a wave of water crashing over their heads.

"The Overlord!" the Advisor yelled, looking at where the stairs had been blocked by flames. "She's still below deck!"

The Grasshopper's heart raced as she felt all eyes turn to her, her hands still clasping her katana. In horror and fear, she yelled, "Well don't just stand there! Put the flames out!"

----

The Soul-Keeper and the Overlord had been searching beneath the ship for where the prisoners were being kept. She stomped down the stairs, staff in hand and glaring around at the walls- some of them stained with blood and others flecked with ice. Reaching out, she chipped at a block of ice on the corner of a step with her nail, frowning and rubbing the tip of her now cold finger. Without a word to the Soul-Keeper, she turned and looked at a door they had not yet opened. Since it didn't reek of vodka and rum, she assumed it was a likely candidate for a prison keep on a pirate ship. A swift kick and the door was down- her thoughts correct as she eyed the cages that lined the walls.

But it wasn't the cages that shocked her. It was the person waiting on the far end. The Overlord rested her staff over her shoulders, eyes locked onto Eric as he held a knife to the Twin's throat. A step forward and the tip of the knife pressed closer to the Twin's throat.

"You've been a bad, bad boy, Sexist!" the Soul-Keeper called, staff in both hands, "I should lock you away in the Dungeon for this!"

"Em!" Jamie yelled.

"You're here!" Centurion Ifill exclaimed.

"Overlord!" the Twin gasped, her dark eyes wide in shock. The Overlord cast a glance to the left and the right, spying Jamie in one cell with Centurion Ifill. She blinked a few times, then looked back at Eric and the Twin.

"Sexist, release the prisoner. She's not involved in this," the Overlord remarked, "Your score to settle is with me!"

"She would aid you," Eric remarked, "I'm not an idiot."

"Could've fooled me," the Soul-Keeper remarked with a sinister giggle.

As Eric tossed the Twin to the ground, he looked up, straight into the Overlord's eyes. For some reason, the Overlord faltered, her pupils shrinking as she stared into Eric's icy blue eyes. A tingling of fear crept up her spine and she felt her knees lock, her joints freeze. 'Those eyes...' she thought, swaying on her feet as she felt the eyes cut into hers, seeing past her stunned physical form and into somewhere deeper. The Overlord's knuckles were white as they gripped her staff, her heart thundering against her chest. As she tried to tear her gaze away, she found herself unable to- transfixed and horrified all at the same time. It was then when it hit her- the maliciousness, the animosity, the rancor were all so familiar. She felt a chill sweep through her, her mind's eye showing a brief image of the Nemesis standing in her doorway.

There he was again, the Theurgist laying at his feet, dead.

And then, he was choking her, strangling her with an arm, and he pinned her to the wall.

She could almost feel the scythe impale her once more.

And she could feel his fingers wrap around her soul...

"Overlord!" the Soul-Keeper screamed. The Overlord moved out of the water as a blast of water shot forth, hitting the wall behind her. She felt the boat rock a bit and then the ceiling caved in with a fiery fury. Smashing into the floor, a plethora of rubble blocked Eric from where she was standing, a jet of flame shooting up into the sky. Eric extinguished the flames with a hand, but pulled himself out of the prison keep, up onto the deck. The Overlord knew he was fleeing... but a burning jet of adrenaline still coursed in her veins. She grabbed her chest, heart still racing furiously. The Soul-Keeper grabbed her shoulder, looking at her horror-struck features.

"Overlord...? Are you okay?"