The Overlord Saga
Vol III. The Armageddon Prophecy
Prologue: Catalyst For Chaos
Maverick wasn't particularly known for her social graces. So you could simply imagine how incredibly awkward it was for the two of them to be standing there, barely visible from the dim light. The torches flickered back and forth in a rhythmic dance. Maverick's hood concealed the twisted smile gleaming on her always-hidden face. She wrapped the edge of her cloak around her more, her short stature making her look as though she were a small child. A small, ageless child.
"Maverick sees all, even into the eyes of the fearful."
"I'm not fearful," her companion retorted, who was, instead, focused more so on brightening up the dark and almost damp hall rather than the conversation. "I just think your prophecies are a load of crap." She skirted her fingers along her belt, seizing a hold of a pouch. A pinch of the dust inside, and she'd flung a puff of unknown substances onto the torch, causing it to flare up dangerously close to the woman's face. Her long brown hair, semi-wavy, fell past her shoulders, bangs cut to where they angled to the side, grazing over one of her eyes. Her glasses she adjusted out of habit even though they fit perfectly. And, not very strangely enough as she spent most of her days in the tower, she was pale, with eyes the same color as the ocean. A harmless, humble picture was the Sage, decorated in lavender and black robes that fit nicely, with extra long sleeves she liked to toy with (but almost were caught on fire too frequently). "And I see no reason to leave. The Fortress is well off by itself."
There was a maniacal grin on the roguish witch's face at this response. She leaned heavily on the gnarled cane she carried, decorated now, curiously, with the fangs of a dragon. Her hood, tinged with gold and crimson, stayed lowered over her forehead even as she threw her head back for a melodramatic laugh. "Maverick wonders how long the Hiding One has been hiding," Maverick's voice was like nails on a chalkboard with the screech of laughter that played in each tone.
"The Hiding One? Really?" the Sage gave an ill-humored huff of a scoff, then folded her arms, glaring at the Maverick in annoyance. "You could at least be a bit more eloquent!" The Sage busily moved past Maverick, knowing fully well that the crazed woman would follow her. As she approached the library, the Sage began throwing about her excuses, "Besides, I haven't talked to the Overlord in years." She replaced one book with another and began flipping through the pages. "And that's on the far side of the Between." She shelved the book and grabbed another, parting it from the novel adjacent before frowning, looking at the dust. "And if something had happened, I'd have heard by now." She vaporized a nearby spider with the flick of her wrist. "There's not a whole terrible lot of things that could go wrong here anyways! We're not in Life, not in Death, what could happen?"
"Not in Life, not in Death, says the Hiding One!" Maverick cawed with a flail of her arms, "Nothing can go wrong, but do you remember the Uberlord?" The Sage stopped messing with the books, frozen with the breath still caught somewhere in the depths of her mouth. Maverick's toothy grin now glittered in the torchlight, putting the Cheshire Cat to shame. "Ahhh, Maverick does believe she is correct in this. Hiding One fled here, did she not, when Uberlord's rise came to Between? Did Hiding One not try to defeat the disciple of darkness?"
"Tried... And-" The Sage said through clenched teeth.
"-Failed, yes, yes, Maverick hears sob story, Maverick dabs eye with cloth, Maverick cares... For five seconds, then moves on to more important things," Maverick responded in an absolute sarcastic voice, "Hiding One helped Firebrand learn ka-powie-boom-boom, did she not?"
"Speak English. Please."
"Hiding One taught her enchantment!"
"Oh dear Lord, please don't call it that!"
"Understand my point, do you?" Maverick hissed in annoyance, "From thy sleeves, thy cooketh spells beyond even thy brain knoweth!" The Sage was more displeased as Maverick tapped her forehead with a rounded finger. Maverick continued, "There is call, hears Maverick in the wind. Hears Maverick in the water. Hears Maverick in the earth..."
"I feel like you stole that from Lord of the Rings," the Sage said sourly.
"A call for heroes. For villains. For anti-heroes. For the redeemed, for the failed," Maverick continued dramatically, lifting her hands as if to express how serious this was, "A call to set record straight. To erase mark blacks from slate!" The Maverick was lost in her rambling. The Sage facepalmed.
"Mark blacks...?"
"Someone will die."
"What?"
"Someone will die." Maverick's dark eyes glimmered and a fell wind burst through the nearest window. Her voice, rough yet melodic, took the breeze into a small chant, moving to an invisible beat.
"Catalyst for chaos,
In the Grand Scheme, it be called-
Unfathomable loss,
For the One to be falled!"
"What?" The Sage grabbed Maverick by the shoulders, "What did you say? Hey!" Her frantic blue eyes staring deep into Maverick's face, the Sage felt her hands slipping through nothingness. Maverick grinned and laughed, her form becoming slowly transparent. The Sage's hands clasped themselves before long, the image of the crazed robed magician gone in the blink of an eye. Breathing rapidly, the Sage turned and looked around the now deserted library. She was alone. Alone in the tower. Alone in the middle of no where. "Who's going to die? Dang it..." Was this Maverick's way of luring her into the quarrels of the far side of the Between? Well, whatever this is... I might as well... She uncertainly gazed out the window, then nodded. Right. It's about time I did something anyways. Moving quickly towards her chambers, the Sage seized a wooden staff hanging on a rack, along with a small sword to strap to her belt. A final look over at the bed and she nodded to the two massive wolves laying on her sheets- one dark in color, the other light in color. "I'll be back," She promised, and they continued lounging without so much even a look in her direction. And as the Sage climbed down the stairs to the first floor, she drew her hood, staring out at the door. A push open revealed the midst of a woods, untouched by mankind save for the stone spire sheltered by cliffs around her. And with a first step, there was a single thought flashing through the Sage's mind.
This better not be a stupid excuse for a third volume!
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