The Overlord Saga
Vol II. Versus
Chapter 17: The Hunt Continues
The Rebel Commander looked at a burn mark on the wall of the warehouse, and ran his finger over it. "Still warm," he glanced back at where General Eric was looking down at a blood smear on the ground. "And I can taste magic residue in the air. We must've missed them by minutes." He adjusted the strap to his bazooka, which hung limply on his back. Gesturing for a few of his gunmen to search the rooftop, the Rebel Commander removed his helmet and took a deep breath.
"Where'd that Pharisee guy scurry off to?" Steve McCoy asked, removing his hat to scratch on top of his head. "Did he drown on that boat?"
"It'd do the world a service," Eric remarked, slamming his claymore into the ground moodily, "Gone. Right before we got here. What do you think she wanted?" He asked, glaring around the abandoned warehouse.
"There was a fight here," McCoy replied, "My guess is that she found a soul here that she liked enough to take."
"Are we going to call it in?" the Rebel Commander asked, frowning as he glanced down at the blood stain on the ground, "Geez, someone got it, didn't they?"
General Eric shook his head, "No. It's not important. Just gather your soldiers and we'll search elsewhere." As the Rebel Commander turned to leave, Eric leaned against the railing, biting back a stinging pain in his chest. Turning away from the others, he bent over, grabbing at his chest with a free hand. The Nemesis' words rang in his ears, haunting him and echoing in his mind.
"Bring me the Overlord- alive."
The urge to capture her was getting unbearable- clawing at his mind relentlessly. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands, gritting his teeth. He needed to find her. It would make the pain go away, the longing and the uncontrollable desire would fade away. It was no longer a small wish, no longer an order... It was a fixation. He was hellbent.
"General...?" McCoy asked, "You look ill."
"I'm fine, McCoy. Let's get out of this place. It smells like something died in here," Eric turned and with the whoosh of his cape, departed from the warehouse.
---
The Ninja-Lord led the ninjas through the shadows of the plateau, keeping a firm hand on the hilt of her katana. She crept in the shadows, the wild, chilling wind not permitting her to grow tired. She felt more alive than ever, her heart racing and her blood pumping. Shinobi began to branch away from the others, selecting a pair of shuriken. He held them silently in his hand, not making his move yet. Kunoichi and Llama both had their katanas at the ready, eager to start a fight.
With the slightest movement, the Ninja-Lord gestured for Shinobi to initiate the attack. He sent the two ninja stars into the back of one unsuspecting Insurgent, drawing a knife and lunging at where Insurgent Agent was standing. Whipping around, Agent clashed blades with Shinobi, crying out in shock. Norris drew his sword as well, stunned as Kunoichi came leaping from the shadows. Llama came flying towards the Insurgents next, though with an uncertain look in her eyes. She sent a few smoke bombs into the crowd, stunning them.
"Ninjas!" Insurgent Batman yelled out a rather late sounding warning, "They're the Overlord's!"
"We're under attack!" the Insurgent Leader gritted his teeth, drawing Muramasa. He turned as the Ninja-Lord came into view, appearing with a puff of smoke. His sword sent sparks flying as it met with her blade. "Ninja-Lord..." he glared at her and pushed her backwards. The Ninja-Lord did a somersault, then landed on her feet, katana still in hand.
The Ninja-Lord tossed her blade at the Insurgent Leader, then charged forward, watching as the Insurgent Leader batted her sword away. She kicked out and hit him in the knee, not surprised as he retaliated with trying to stab at her. She ducked under the blade, then sent a rather deft karate chop to his cheek. His free hand snapped out, grabbed her by the arm, then lifted her hand into the air. She jumped up and kicked him in the face. The Insurgent Leader's sword dug into the Ninja-Lord's back, drawing the first blood. She rolled, painfully staggered, then grabbed her sword. As the Insurgent Leader leapt forward, she ducked to the side, aiming to trip him. However, as her foot tried to make contact with his knee, she hit some form of black barrier. The Ninja-Lord bounced away a few paces, a confused look on her face. The Insurgent Leader ran forward, swinging his sword at her torso. She blocked, then countered with a swift strike to his forearm... But found it blocked once more with a magic barrier.
"Cheater," the Ninja-Lord's eyes narrowed.
"I'm stronger than you are. You're just going to have to accept that," the Insurgent Leader lifted a hand, a swarm of black smog gathering to his hand. He slammed the ground with a clenched fist, a large earthquake rippling forth. The Ninja-Lord was flung into the air by the vibrations, spinning and landing on a nearby boulder. As she leapt back down into the battlefield once more, the Insurgent Leader began charging up another attack. He extended his hand and a swirling tendril of magic began spiraling toward the Ninja-Lord. She reached back, then swung her sword in an upper cut, slicing the spell into two. She turned, attempted to strike, but found the Insurgent Leader waiting for her with his sword. The blades clanged once more, sending a spray of sparks.
"How are you doing that?" the Ninja-Lord demanded, glaring at the Insurgent Leader. The Insurgent Leader merely smiled, then spun around, the tip of his sword impaling the Ninja-Lord's side. She gasped, then staggered forward, still clutching her katana.
"There's too many of them!" Kunoichi shouted over the melee, taking on both Norris and Batman. She ducked under Norris' blade, then kicked back at Batman, desperately trying to get out from between the two Insurgents.
"No... We have to keep trying," the Ninja-Lord said adamantly, one hand on her bleeding side. She glared at the Insurgent Leader, lifting her katana and pointing it at him. Lashing out again, she found each blow was blocked, as if he was reading her every move. The Insurgent Leader's blade found her knee, then her shoulder, blood droplets staining the cracked soil.
The Ninja-Lord scowled, dropping to one knee. As the Insurgent Leader began to step forward and grab her by the neck, she pulled a dagger from her sleeve. As fast as lightning, the Ninja-Lord cut upwards, the blade breaking the magic barrier and sinking into the Insurgent Leader's chest. She kicked him back and stumbled backwards, blood covering her front. The Insurgent Leader grabbed the knife and pulled it out, painfully sucking in a breath. He grabbed the bleeding wounds, magic formulating around his hands. As it began to seep into the wound, the Ninja-Lord watched it horror as the skin began to grow back, leaving a nasty scar. As the Insurgent Leader looked up at her, she drew back, the black magic dying away to reveal the pale, new skin.
"You... You're not even human," the Ninja-Lord replied.
The Insurgent Leader gritted his teeth together, grabbed Muramasa and lunged at the Ninja-Lord. Out of pure reaction, she seized a smoke bomb, then threw it into the ground, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Llama, Kunoichi, and Shinobi followed suit, leaving the Insurgent army to lick their wounds.
---
The Advisor sat with a book in her hands, resting quietly by the fire. To her right, the Captain was sitting with his legs crossed, watching the flames as they churned in the evening air. The Animal Tamer had Nard in her lap and was petting him quietly, her sword resting a few yards away. She sighed, looking at her older sister, "When did the Overlord say she'd be back?"
"Soon," the Advisor mumbled distractedly.
"Can it be 'soon' already?" the Animal Tamer frowned, throwing a stick into the fire.
"Soon," the Advisor repeated.
The Grasshopper plopped down next to the Animal Tamer, katana strapped to her back. She sighed and stretched, falling backwards and staring at the night sky beyond the canopy of trees. Marveling at the stars that seemed a lot closer here than the Fortress, she smiled to herself, listening to the crackling flames. But as she listened to the fire, she realized that other things should've been making noises in the night- crickets, owls, wolves- they were all gone. It was silent beyond their camp, and the Overlord's lessons had taught her that a silent forest was never a positive sign.
"Guys..." the Grasshopper began, "It's quiet."
"Too quiet," the Captain agreed, brow furrowing.
"Be careful, it's a trap!" the Animal Tamer pointed frantically at a group of shadows descending upon the campsite. "We're under attack!"
The Advisor grabbed her machine gun after carefully marking her place in her book, and pointed it at the shadows moving toward the campsite. An arrow thudded into the tree next to her and she began firing madly, "Willma! Fabio! Pet! To arms!" She glanced at the Captain, "Can you fight?"
"Yeah," the Captain nodded, grabbing a pistol from his pack, "I can fight."
"Good!" the Advisor inclined her head politely, then said, "Gun them all down. It's DIB! They've found our campsite!"
Jester's not so intimidating appearance (he was rather skinny, with tight pants and a form-fitting shirt) could be seen on the far side of the firelight, away from the Animal Tamer. She grabbed her sword, Nard jumping out of her lap and growling at the incoming attackers. The Animal Tamer kicked some of the embers at Jester as he threw a dagger at her. He shielded his eyes, lowering his guard temporarily. The Animal Tamer attacked with her sword, striking him in the side once and in the shoulder twice. Jester grabbed a dagger and swiped the Animal Tamer in the stomach with it, carefully tossing her aside.
She rolled over, grabbing her stomach with one hand and holding her sword with the other, "Oh no you don't! Otto!" She whistled and a massive dog began tearing through the campsite, knocking over a few tents. Slamming into Jester, the large dog bore down upon him with his fangs, angrily ripping at his vest containing all of his knives. A swift kick to the nose and the dog was sent whimpering away, Jester laying on his back with a nasty bite wound to his side.
The Advisor grabbed Jester by the collar and slammed him into a tree, though was stunned by her own strength. Attempting to muster up her courage, she glared at Jester, saying very firmly, "No one touches my sister." As Jester kicked her away, the Advisor fired a bullet into his chest. He fell backwards, clasping his chest in pain. "Go away. We don't want you here. Take your men with you!"
Jester began to crawl away, cowering on the ground as he did so. However, discreetly, he selected a knife from his belt and held it firmly in his hands. As the Captain tossed two of Jester's men back up the slope, Jester crept forward, his eyes on where the Advisor had her back to him. Whipping around, he sent the dagger flying toward the Advisor. In a flash, the Grasshopper appeared, dropping from the sky and beating the knife aside with her katana. In horror, the Advisor turned, lifting her machine gun to fire. However, the Grasshopper lunged forward, beating her to him. Grasping Jester by the collar, she slammed him into a tree, glaring into his eyes menacingly, "I am the Overlord's apprentice. You will respect my wishes. Give Nemesis a message... Tell him that if he knows what's best for him, he'll respectfully give the Overlord back her Fortress."
"You think he'll believe that? DIB has weapons you couldn't even imagine, you stupid little girl," Jester laughed, pushing her away out of malice. The Grasshopper bristled, katana still in her hand. Jester turned and whistled for his men to depart, "That was our warning attack. We'll come... every night."
"And we'll beat you every night," the Advisor was helping her sister up, glaring at Jester.
"Have it your way," Jester sneered, then turned and ran into the darkness.
"What a wuss," the Captain snorted, "Stupid pansy. Running off like that. Animal Tamer, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine!" the Animal Tamer nodded.
"Whoa..." the Overlord stammered, looking around at the totaled campsite. Fish and the Soul-Keeper were carrying Jack Bauer between them, though both seemed more preoccupied with staring at the destroyed tents. "What happened here?" the Overlord asked, then froze, "Animal Tamer, you're bleeding!"
"I'm okay, Overlord! Awwww, you CARE ABOUT ME!" the Animal Tamer flung her arms around the Overlord suddenly. The Overlord frowned, but patted the Animal Tamer on the back, ignoring the fact that blood now stained her clothing.
"Yes... erm... Yes, I do," the Overlord nodded, "Oy! Fish, Soul-Keeper! Put Jack into my tent. I need to have a nice, lovely discussion with him about his... erm... future..."
"Oh... You got him?" the Advisor asked.
"Yeah, but it's not nearly enough to defeat the Nemesis," the Overlord responded, "Well, I'll take a quick nap for the evening, then I think it's best we head back to the Jurassic Era... I've a feeling we'll need a few T-rexs to get our point across to the Nemesis, what do you think?"
"Are... Are you being serious?" the Advisor asked, mouth agape in shock. The Overlord merely glanced back at the Advisor, rubbed her hands deviously, then smirked. She even threw in an evil Overlord laugh, though told herself it was merely for dramatic effect... And for old time's sake.
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