TOS- Vol 2, Pt 1, Ch 2

The Overlord Saga

Vol II. Versus

Chapter 2: The Value of a Soul

The meeting room, lined with high ranking members in the Overlord's council, seemed more congested than ever as the Overlord squeezed between the Captain and the Master of Tazers. She staggered over to her chair, pulling it back and sitting down. The Soul-Keeper sat to her right, giddily rocking back and forth in his chair humming collections from RENT the musical, which were, but not limited to "Tango: Maureen", "Seasons of Love", "La Vie Boheme", and "Out Tonight". To her left, the Grasshopper sat in awkward silence, watching the madness of the council meeting ensue. She folded her hands, not saying a word even to the Ninja-Lord who was next to her. Beyond the Ninja-Lord was the Master of Tazers, who was distractedly staring at where the Scribe was editing various pictures of the other council members, generally making them look ridiculously fat or altering their facial features to more or less resemble that of a chimpanzee. The Captain and the Lieutenant were talking guns and zombie head explosions, attracting the attention of the very easily distracted Animal Tamer. Next to her chair, the Animal Tamer's pet sat, holding a glass of water and drinking it awkwardly.

The Advisor was next to the Animal Tamer, refraining from facepalming at her younger sister's antics. The Evocator and the Theurgist were sitting next to each other, the latter looking a little disturbed. He gazed at the Overlord, brooding and meaningfully, but the Overlord couldn't find anything in his anxious gaze. She reflected on how odd it was that the Theurgist and the Evocator were officially together. It had been foreseen for awhile now- the two were nearly inseparable, but now it was official. 'I wonder if I'll find someone one of these days...' the Overlord thought, blinking a few times and glancing out at where the Soul-Keeper's Apprentice was hurrying to her seat- late as usual.

"Sorry, sorry, you know all those stairs from the Dungeon!" the Apprentice huffed and puffed loudly. The Overlord waved her hand in dismissal, then cast her gaze across the table. Perhaps it was time to officially start the meeting... She allowed a gander at where the Lead Saboteur Belarus was sitting at the far end, lip curling in a smirk. Her first meeting- the Overlord could only imagine how that felt... It must've been like playing strip poker with the big boys. ... Reviewing that mental statement, the Overlord then analyzed how disastrous playing strip poker with her council would be. No doubt the Soul-Keeper would gladly lose, and she would imagine that the one left sitting there fully clothed would be the Animal Tamer's Pet, and most likely the Advisor as well. She was iffy on the Animal Tamer... She was more corrupted than her older sister. But the Overlord could see the Advisor snapping... It was inevitable.......

"So, who's the creepy guy in the armor?" the Captain asked, leaning over the table and glancing at the Overlord.

"He is a guest," the Overlord answered, "A guest sent from God. And thus, we will treat him with respect..." She glared across the table and narrowed her eyes at the Apprentice and the Animal Tamer, "Right?" As the two nodded slowly, the Overlord smiled and said, "Good. His name is N. He is here as a representative for Gabriel."

"Isn't Gabriel in the Dungeon?" the Evocator asked, "Why don't we just set him free?"

"Poor guy... His wings are probably cramped," the Theurgist muttered darkly. The Overlord caught his gaze and brushed it off, trying to ignore the troubling look in his eyes.

"Gabriel's in the Dungeon?" the Advisor looked horrified.

"Geez, where've you been?" the Lieutenant remarked.

"Quiet!" the Ninja-Lord called, "Let the Overlord talk!"

"Gabriel demanded 200 souls and those 200 souls will not be deliver. We were never a people to give in to such greedy demands," the Overlord declared, rising from her chair, "N is a lone man. Weak and feeble in my eyes. He can try to take us down, but I won't let him defeat me. He can't be that bad to fight, yeah?"

"After what you did to the Uberlord, I'd be surprised if he could show you up. That guy's nothing but skin and bone," the Captain remarked.

"And he's alone," the Ninja-Lord nodded, "He can't do much without help. And the Dungeon is well guarded... Do you suspect a prison break while we're not looking?"

"I was afraid of that. Ninja-Lord, send Llama, Shinobi, and Kunoichi to the Dungeons and make sure that it's well guarded. Sabotage Team, set up surveillance and a few booby traps on the cell door. I don't want that angel out of my Dungeon," the Overlord ordered.

"But my home!" the Apprentice wailed.

"But... Christine!" the Soul-Keeper stammered.

"Don't worry. There's plenty of room for all of you..." the Overlord waved her hand carelessly. She glanced at the Grasshopper, then announced, "I will be taking my apprentice out to train further. If there's nothing more to discuss, then I guess this meeting is over."

"You know... We never found out if rats could get AIDS," the Animal Tamer pointed out.

"Eh. Go ask one," the Overlord shrugged.

"Overlord... Is this a cheesy sequel?" the Soul-Keeper asked, "I mean... All of this. Are we in a cheesy sequel that will strive to be as good as the first story but fail at succeeding and end up being a major budget flop?"

"Soul-Keeper, if this was a cheesy sequel, I'd have entered the story in the midst of a random pop concert, dancing sluttily, singing about what I can do for people, and in a skanky outfit with total hooker boots," the Overlord laughed, patting the Soul-Keeper's head gently.

"... Is that a no?" the Soul-Keeper frowned and immediately flinched as the Overlord's hand reached back to smack him upside the head, "I mean... OF COURSE IT'S A NO! GOT IT... RIGHT..." He then confided quietly to his master, "I won't tell them about the outfit in your closet... And the boots. I promise."

The Overlord's eyes narrowed and she smacked the Soul-Keeper upside the head. She beckoned for the Grasshopper to follow her toward the door but found it blocked by the Theurgist. As she glanced up at the Theurgist, her lip bent into a frown, brow furrowed as he opened the door and stepped outside, gazing at her meaningfully. "I'll be there in a second," she said to the Grasshopper, and stepped out into the hall with the Theurgist. Arms folded she glared at him, wondering what he was going to rattle on about today. 'If it's about his love life, I might stab myself with a spoon,' the Overlord thought dryly, eyes still forming little angered slits.

"I had a dream."

"Oh boy, here we go."

"No, Overlord, I'm being serious."

Something about his voice was frightening, but the Overlord wasn't one to be easily scared. She was an unstoppable force- what did a little nightmare have to do with her? She didn't respond, glaring down and to the left as she always did when exasperated. The Theurgist frowned and began, "It was cold. I was in your office and you were talking to me about... I don't even remember. But you were handing me a glass of wine and the door opened... Overlord, it was this man, this... 'N' person that just showed up on our doorstep today." The Overlord was clearly unimpressed, so the Theurgist continued, "His steps brought ice, his breath was like the winter. He lifted his hand and the room froze over. You took your scythe to fight him..."

"Are you trying to tell me that this guy is no pushover?" the Overlord demanded with a laugh.

"No, it's just... I have a bad feeling about this guy. My dream ended when you cast a fire spell at him..." the Theurgist stammered, "He seemed to glow, though, with some power. Do you remember the spirits you allow the Evocator and me to summon? All of them? Well, the glow was reminiscent of the Seraph..."

"Theurgist, if he was powerful enough to beat me, I'd have sensed it by now. And I sense nothing," the Overlord said reassuringly, "He's feeble. Weak. A worm under my heel. We'll be fine, okay? Stop freaking out... You'll scare the Evocator."

"Don't tell her about my dream," the Theurgist said quietly, "Just... think about it!"

"I'll think about it, if it makes you feel better," the Overlord rolled her eyes, "Let me go train the Grasshopper, okay? She needs her practice. Today, she's stealing her first soul, and it'll be a momentous day."

"I... I see," the Theurgist replied, "If I can't change your mind, then... I'll make sure that whatever this guy is trying to do doesn't happen. Even if I have to take matters into my own hands."

"Never forget where your powers come from," the Overlord's voice lost its wit and charm. She glanced back at the Theurgist, a meaningful gleam in her green eyes before she strode toward the Grasshopper. 'I can build lives, make people into great things. But I can take it all away... What makes me so different than God?' the Overlord thought, a sinister smile crawling onto her features. 'I suppose... the fact that I don't demand too much from people sets me apart from the average deity. I simply require an individual's soul- their willpower and strength- to be lent to me and only me. It's not such a large demand...'

The Overlord clasped the Grasshopper on the shoulder and the two vanished from the Fortress, leaving behind a silent, brooding Theurgist. Boots lightly hitting the tile floor of a large high school, the Overlord found herself staring down a large hall. The Grasshopper was baffled at the odd location of choice, her green eyes staring at a collection of art displays behind glass. The Overlord cleared her throat, snapping the Grasshopper from her trance. Beckoning her apprentice with a hand, the Overlord crept down the hall, cape waving behind her. The Grasshopper followed her mentor, katana in hand and her small cape whipping about as the two passed under an air vent. She glanced ahead at where a teenager was walking down the next hall, laptop folded under one arm.

"He reminds me of the Scribe," the Grasshopper whispered, glancing at the Overlord, "Is he the one you were talking about?"

"He's a genius. We need him on our side," the Overlord replied under her breath, scythe strapped to her back, "This is your trial, Grasshopper. Go forth and capture his soul. I will guide you as you fight him."

"Understood, Overlord," the Grasshopper nodded and stepped forward, her boots, matching the Overlord's clicking lightly against the tile. She pointed her katana at the teenager, the light reflecting the blade. As he turned to face her, he stood dumbstruck, unsure of what to do. "Will he fight back?" the Grasshopper asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"He is no match for you. But remember... Caution. Don't kill the poor boy," the Overlord chuckled, "He has no powers... But in time, they'll blossom. I can already tell."

The Grasshopper nodded and bounced a few steps forward. In horror, the teenager drew backwards, looking around the hall and trying to understand what was happening. He set his computer down slowly, briefly wondering if these two were government agents. 'They found the music I stole!' he thought in horror, beginning to hold up his hands. However, the Grasshopper came at the teen anyways, slashing at him with her nimble blade. Staggering backwards, he examined the cut on his arm and confusedly looked up at the Grasshopper.

"Weaken him. That exposes the soul," the Overlord guided calmly from where she watched, proudly folding her arms. A smile played about her lips as the Grasshopper struck again and again- swift as a viper and just as deadly. The Grasshopper kicked the teen to the ground and pinned him against the tile floor.

"This is boring! Why won't he fight?" the Grasshopper complained.

"What do you people want with me?" the teenager exclaimed in horror.

"He's a teenager. With no powers. He can't fight. Not well at least," the Overlord snorted with laughter, "Little weakling. Oh well. We'll find a use for you eventually. Grasshopper, his soul!"

The Grasshopper glanced down, her green eyes narrowed as golden wisps of a soul could be seen hovering just beyond the teenager's chest. As she reached out and grabbed it, the teen's eyes snapped wide open and he let out a gasp of pain. Wrenching her arm backwards with the soul safely clutched between her fingers, the Grasshopper heard a rip as the soul came apart from the body entirely, resting in her hand. The teen sat there for a moment, dazed and staring up at the ceiling. His vision was blurry and he seemed rather delirious- the Overlord didn't blame him, after all, his soul was just taken. She allowed the Grasshopper to place it in a jar and then walked over to the poor high schooler, nudging him with a boot. He had blacked out by this point- completely unconscious.

"The soul isn't the spirit, right?" the Grasshopper asked, "He's still able to be conscious, right?"

"The soul is more or less... A fancy connection to the body. Own his soul and you can MAKE him do what you want. It's linked to his mind. It's linked to his existence. It's his willpower," the Overlord responded, then bent down to grab the teen by the arm, "This guy will be fun to have around... What should we name him?"

"Uhhhh Fish?" the Grasshopper prompted.

"Decent enough. All right. Underling Fish," the Overlord smirked and offered her hand to the Grasshopper when the glint of a gun caught her attention. Grabbing her scythe, the Overlord spun it once as an array of bullets was fired at the Grasshopper. Deflecting each bullet, the Overlord watched as they bounced away, harmless and clattering against the ground. She looked up as a man emerged into view, carrying a machine gun in both hands. His large hat covered part of his facial features, the rest of his large trenchcoat concealing what looked like an Insurgent uniform.

"Oh boy," the Grasshopper drew back toward the Overlord and the unconscious Underling Fish. "What's this guy doing here?"

"An Insurgent," the Overlord remarked, "You must be the new general I keep hearing about. You're a pretty nice shot..." She cast a glance at the bullets covering the ground, "Too bad that I'm better."

"General Steve McCoy," the Insurgent replied, holding up his machine gun, "The Insurgent Leader said I might find you here, False One." On his shoulder, a little ferret rested, gazing at the Overlord with apathetic dark eyes.

"There's another one!" the Grasshopper warned, glancing at the other side of the hall, where an Insurgent with short hair appeared, "Overlord...?"

"Insurgent Batman," the Overlord glanced at the newest Insurgent, grimacing as she noticed that he had troops with him. 'In a high school? Really?' she thought, then realized that she had just allowed her apprentice to steal a student's soul. 'Maybe this isn't the best place for a battle,' she thought.

"Give up," Insurgent Batman held up an assault rifle at the Grasshopper, "Give the poor kid his soul back."

The Overlord laughed and remarked, "You two... You're quite a riot. But, I'm afraid you'll have to tell your leader that you were unable to capture me. Because... I am the Overlord. And you two are weaklings. Therefore, I automatically win."

"Yes, well, I have a machine gun," McCoy remarked.

"Dude. My MINIONS have machine guns," the Overlord responded.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" McCoy quirked an eyebrow.

"Your face is an insult," the Overlord retorted and grabbed Fish and the Grasshopper. As Batman began to fire his rifle, the three vanished on the spot. McCoy held up a radio, stroking the top of his ferret's head. Glancing at Batman, he offered his ally a knowing smile and began talking into the radio.

"Insurgent Leader, it's McCoy. The Overlord and the Grasshopper have been sighted and are now back in their Fortress. Tell the Mole that things will be working out well after all..." McCoy laughed, throwing his head back and putting the machine gun away. 'We'll see who's so cocky after all of this, Overlord. We'll see...'