The Overlord Saga
Vol II. Versus
Chapter 9: Awakenings
The Overlord wasn’t sure what woke her up- the pain in her side or the smell of home cooking drifting from the next room. She sat back in her bed, staring at the ceiling in bewilderment. ‘How’d I end up here?’ she wondered in silence, fighting for her last memories before slipping unconscious. The Overlord saw brief flashes of the cracked plains in her memories- the glint of two swords in the setting sun, and she suddenly remembered that Sexist... er... Eric had become a turncoat. Her blood boiled in rage as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. ‘Traitor... No one betrays me without severe consequence!’ She thought moodily, resting against the bed’s headboard.
“You’re awake,” the Advisor gasped as she approached the opened doorway into the room, “Overlord! I was so worried... You’ve been asleep for almost a day!”
“Advisor?” the Overlord asked, “Where’ve you taken me?” She demanded, not recognizing the house that they were located in. In seemed very... Homey in comparison to the Fortress, which was decorated with extravagant statues, paintings, and banners. The room was covered in pictures- portraits of family members that the Overlord didn’t know, and lightly decorated.
“We escaped from the Between,” the Advisor pulled up a chair and sat down next to the Overlord, “We had to. The Nemesis was sending more forces to look for us. It’s a good thing that the Animal Tamer and the Apprentice realized that you had gotten false intel from the Insurgents.”
“Tinkerbell...” the Overlord muttered darkly, “How long did he and Sexist have this planned out?”
“For awhile, it would seem. They gave elaborate blueprints to the Insurgent Leader of how to enter the Fortress undetected. We met Insurgents halfway through the escape route. The Soul-Keeper had to ward them away. I won’t go into the details...” the Advisor bit her lip, looking down awkwardly.
“OVERLORD!” the Animal Tamer ran in, throwing her arms around the Overlord. Gasping in pain, the Overlord hunched over, grabbing her side with a hand. The Animal Tamer frowned and backed off, “Oops. Sorry... I forgot you got hurt.”
“Everyone’s accounted for except the Theurgist... Overlord, what happened in your office?” the Advisor frowned.
‘Theurgist...’ the Overlord’s insides churned uncertainly and she glanced at the window. She remembered it all now. ‘If Sexist and Tinkerbell hadn’t given the information to the Insurgent Leader... He’d still be here. I’d still be home. And none of this would have happened!’ But she didn’t say anything concerning the matter. Her regrets only would seem more real if she said them aloud. “You never said where we were,” the Overlord changed the subject abruptly, pushing herself to her feet. She kept a hand on the wall, the Advisor nervously at the edge of her seat to catch the Overlord if she fell. “I’ve been here before,” the Overlord muttered, “This house...”
“Em, what the HELL are you doing?” a girl around the Overlord’s age stood in the doorway, horrified as the Overlord almost fell over. She grabbed the Overlord by the shoulders and sat her down on the bed abruptly, giving her a scolding glare.
“I haven’t seen you in years. And this is how you greet me?” the Overlord asked, quirking an eyebrow. “The Cold-Hearted.... Witch,” She smirked at her friend, then offered a one-armed hug, careful not to stretch her arm too far. “How’ve you been?”
“Don’t chastise me about greetings! Colby dragged you in here and you were HALF-DEAD!” the Witch replied, giving a toss of her long brown hair. She ran her hands through it and then tied it into a bun. For being a witch, she didn’t seem to abide by the generic rule of ‘all witches must be ugly’. The Witch was a slim girl, with long, wavy, luscious hair and a nice tan. She wore a low-cut, button up shirt, and a pair of shorts- nothing out of the ordinary.
“I do apologize about that, by the way,” the Overlord offered a weak smile.
“Come here you!” the Witch hugged the Overlord, though was careful not to squeeze her too tightly.
“Why did the Soul-Keeper bring us here?” the Overlord asked.
“I had a feeling something was wrong. My crystal ball started doing all sorts of crap. And so... I figured I’d call. He said he was going to bring you by here and see if I couldn’t fix you up. Now, I couldn’t completely get rid of a few of the wounds, but you’re not dead,” the Witch shrugged, then conjured up a glass of water. She handed it to the Overlord, then began digging through her bag for painkillers.
The Overlord took the glass of water gratefully, then asked, “Where is the rest of the troops? All of the Underlings CAN’T be in your house...?”
“The Ninja-Lord and the Soul-Keeper were working on that,” the Witch waved a hand, then gave the Overlord two Tylenol pills. The Overlord downed them quickly, then glanced at the Advisor.
“We need to call a meeting. All of the council members... I need them in here. Right now,” the Overlord glanced at the Witch, “You were filled in on the situation, I presume...?”
“Yes,” the Witch nodded, “Listen, Em... I’m sorry to hear about all of the stuff that happened... But what are you going to do about it?” The Overlord was silent, staring out the window in contemplation, her eyes altering from their normal vividness. She ran her hand along the windowsill, gathering dust onto her finger, then blowing it away softly. The Witch stood there, quiet and watching the Overlord with a fretful expression.
“You’re alive!” the Soul-Keeper’s voice broke the silence. The Overlord allowed the Soul-Keeper to hug her, but didn’t turn to embrace him. She merely rocked a bit on her heels, the glass of water in her hands swirling. The Overlord didn’t even smile at the Soul-Keeper; her eyes avoiding all contact together as more of the council poured into the room. She couldn’t bring herself to look at them- did they even know that the Nemesis had sapped her of magic entirely? They didn’t even know that the Theurgist was dead. She felt a horrible vibe in the back of her mind- things would not go over well.
“You worried us all half to death!” the Scribe called, on his laptop, typing away frantically.
“Did I...?” the Overlord muttered.
“I thought you were a goner!” the Grasshopper chimed in, “I can’t believe Sexist did that! How... how... RUDE!”
“Rude...” the Overlord nodded her head, clearly not paying attention.
“Overlord...” the Ninja-Lord said quietly, her eyes relentlessly gazing at the Overlord.
“We’re all here. Well, except the Theurgist,” the Lieutenant piped up. The Overlord looked up at the council members and the Witch, all packed into the room. Her eyes rested on the Evocator, her heart beating loudly in her ears. Slowly, the Overlord approached the Evocator, her hands trembling. She stopped a little less than a foot from her friend, staring into her dark eyes.
The Evocator looked at the Overlord, who seemed to be fighting to keep her eyes level. In reticence, the Overlord finally tore her gaze away, drawing in a deep breath. For that moment, she was speechless, not even a semi-logical sentence coming to mind. She cast a look at the council members, who each were as quiet as she was. With some bitter smile, the Overlord stared at the ground, where her feet touched the white carpet and she wriggled one of her toes. ‘How can you tell someone this? Why do I have to be the one....?’
“I’m sorry.”
Was that all she could say? She was sorry? It was the truth- she was sorry for everything she had done. Yes, Sexist... er... Eric.... er... Sexist... er... Whatever his name was and Tinkerbell had played a contributing role in the Theurgist’s death, but would any of this had happened if she had paid the rent? It seemed weird to think that four days ago, she and the Soul-Keeper were leading a musical in the Fortress, swinging on chandeliers and sliding down rails.
“He was right, you know,” the Overlord glanced at the Evocator, seeing the tears in her eyes. A lump formed in the Overlord’s throat and she looked back down, “He was right about everything. I didn’t see it. I was... Stupid. Selfish. I haven’t been acting like an Overlord.” Her gaze returned to the Evocator, then moved past her and to the council. “And I’ve always believed that a leader should lead so long as he or she is capable of the task. I have been inadequate as of late...”
“Overlord, what are you saying?” the Soul-Keeper asked quietly.
“You’re not...?” the Captain stammered, but was silenced by the Ninja-Lord’s glare.
“The Theurgist is dead,” the Overlord’s voice was hollow, but she lifted it so that everyone could hear her, “And it’s my fault.” Her green eyes pierced into the eyes of the other council members. She glared at the Advisor, daring her to say something. The Animal Tamer shrank back against the wall, a scared mien replacing her usual cheerfulness. The Lieutenant and the Captain merely exchanged glances and avoided the Overlord’s stare entirely. She looked back at the Evocator, resting a hand on her shoulder. The Evocator looked down, as if trying to hide the tears that were freely falling to the floor.
“It couldn’t have been your fault,” the Soul-Keeper whispered, trembling where he stood, “He knew it was coming! It’s not your fault, Overlord!”
“I should’ve paid the rent. I should’ve been a better fighter. He’s dead because of me. It’s my fault,” the Overlord snapped, turning to glare at the Soul-Keeper, “Don’t deny what’s true. This is the truth. I’ve let you all down. I’m a failure. And the Nemesis’ take over only proves it.”
“Overlord...” the Grasshopper began, but fell silent, standing alongside the Ninja-Lord. She shook her head, looking down and remaining quiet, but the Overlord could tell that she was on the verge of tears. The Ninja-Lord was noiseless, her stare resting on the Overlord- full of disappointment and even traces of her own sorrow. Somehow, the Overlord found it impossible to match her fellow ninja’s gaze.
The Overlord ran a hand through her hair out of stress, the walls of the room seeming to close in around her, “The Nemesis is stronger than I am. He was able to withstand summons, magic attacks, and easily overpowered me. How can I dare call myself royalty when someone could simply waltz into my Fortress and defeat me? It’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating.” Lifting her chin, the Overlord concluded, “The Theurgist gave up his own life so that I may escape. And I won’t dishonor him by returning to my grave. I’m forfeiting the Fortress entirely to the Nemesis. My title and rank shall go with it. My powers have been stolen from me... My soul is the only thing I have left.”
“You’re giving up?” the Ninja-Lord demanded suddenly, her voice rising, “No. No, I don’t allow that.”
“It’s not about what you allow and what you don’t allow. It’s about how the world works,” the Overlord replied emotionlessly, “From now on... Those who wish to stay can go with the Soul-Keeper. He’s in charge. I am no longer the Overlord, so you don’t have to call me as such. My name is Emily. Just call me that.”
“You can’t do this!” the Ninja-Lord protested.
“You’re THE Overlord... Wait... Can I be the new Overlord?” the Apprentice asked.
The room erupted into chaos. Emily heard nothing but garbled screams and shouts of protests. The Soul-Keeper stood in stunned silence, staff clasped loosely in one hand. He gazed at the floor, as if still taking in what he had just heard. The Grasshopper didn’t say a word but simply allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks, staring at Emily in disbelief. The Captain and the Lieutenant were both trying to calm the Evocator down, who had burst out into tears. Emily backed away from the group, getting a glimpse of the Witch’s disapproving look.
“He died for you...” the Evocator breathed, breaking through the racket. Emily glanced down, some invisible force clawing at her heart. Glaring up at Emily, the Evocator demanded, “And that’s how you repay him? By running away and hiding from your problems? Is that it?”
“Better hide then run headfirst into death. Do you think he wanted that for us all?” Emily asked, voice very vague and distant, “Do you think he wanted to die so that I could just join him a few minutes later? He knew what he was doing. He knew...” Her voice cracked, but she continued, “I won’t let him die in vain. So I’m going to live.”
“Without even trying to bring the person that killed him to justice?” the Evocator snapped. When Emily remained silent, the Evocator stood up slowly, “If you won’t... then I will. I don’t care if I’m alone. He would’ve done the same for any of us!”
“She’s right...” the Ninja-Lord muttered, “He would’ve.”
“Amen,” the Lieutenant nodded, “We can’t sit by and let this happen. The Fortress wasn’t just our stronghold. It was our home. I won’t sit here and let it become a meat freezer.”
“Aye!” the Captain shouted, lifting a fist into the air.
“Whoa, whoa now... She put ME in charge!” the Soul-Keeper declared, “Christine is in my Dungeon and I won’t have Thomas hogging her from me! WE WILL RETURN, NEMESIS! FOR MY BELOVED CHRISTINE AND OUR FORTRESS, TOO!” He raised his staff into the air, a burning resolve in his eyes, “We’ll do this... Even if we die! Even if it’s the last thing we do! WE WILL PERSEVERE! For our future! For the future of our kids! For the future of my kids!”
“Your kids?” the Animal Tamer asked, staring at the Soul-Keeper.
The Soul-Keeper bit his lip, then shrugged, “Well.... See... Before Sexist betrayed us.......” Emily quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing, watching as her ex-council members filed out of the room quickly, each giving her odd looks. She turned away, unable to bear their judgmental glances. As the Evocator departed, Emily felt the heat of her glare on the back of her neck. ‘I’m doing the right thing...’ She thought, staring off into the distance with tearful eyes.
“You impregnated Sexist,” the Animal Tamer stated as she began out the door, gaping at the Soul-Keeper.
“He doesn’t know yet,” the Soul-Keeper put a finger to his lips, “Shhh.”
The Witch remained in the room, sighing and leaning against the door, “So that’s it then?” When Emily didn’t reply, the Witch frowned and walked over to her, “Listen, hon, I know this is hard for you. This... Theurgist or whatever, I guess he was a great guy. Can’t say I knew him, but... You have a whole army of people that look up to you and only you. The Grasshopper? The Animal Tamer? The Apprentice?” Emily didn’t meet the Witch’s eye contact. “So you’re just gonna stand there and not say anything?”
Exhaling softly, Emily folded her arms and glanced back at the Witch. Though her eyes continued to focus on the floor, she replied, “My decision has been made. I’ll leave here in a day or two. My wounds are still deep. I hope you don’t mind...”
Exasperated, the Witch held up her hands, “Whatever, Em... Whatever...”
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