TOS- Vol III, Chapter 8

The Overlord Saga

Vol III. The Armageddon Prophecy

Chapter 8: Mobilize

The Captain had recovered at a remarkable rate over the course of the past few days.  As he swung his fist at the Overlord, she ducked, a firm tap of her pointer and middle finger to the Captain’s wrist knocking his hand away, calling, “If it had been a dagger, you’d have been screwed!” a little bit of a mocking laugh in her voice.  The Captain roared in anger, pulling out a small handgun and firing at the Overlord, who moved out of the way, taunting him with a grin.  “Come on.  You’re so slow!”

“Shut up!  Stupid little-” the Captain began, firing again, “I don’t care if this is just practice!  You’re freaking-”

“Calm the eff down, would you?” the Overlord smirked, holding out her hand.  In a puff of flame and smoke, Kagi appeared blade glinting in the light of the training arena lamps.  “This is a spar.  You shouldn’t have even brought your gun.  Dumbass.”

“Then why do you have that?” the Captain pointed at the katana, eyebrow quirked.

“Just in case,” the Overlord smirked, “I actually have control on myself... Unlike certain tall people in the immediate area.”

“Trying to tick me off enough to where I go into it?” the Captain asked, jabbing a finger at the much shorter Overlord.   “This... Whatever Latin word you call it...”

“Saevio?” the Overlord raised an eyebrow, a finger to her lips as she watched the Captain, “Eh.  Maybe I’m trying to piss you off.  Maybe not.  I dunno.  If I was going to piss you off, wouldn’t I have made you drive constantly behind old people?”

“I hate old people!” the Captain yelled, firing at the Overlord, who back-flipped and summoned a platform out of the way.  “Always driving so SLOW!” His pupils began to shrink and contract, his breathing pace quickening suddenly.

“Finally...” the Overlord muttered, dropping down from the platform, “Bite back the anger!” She yelled, “Hey!  Focus!  Focus...” She tried, waving her hands in the air.  However, as the Captain charged forward, the Overlord realized that he was unable to even try fighting against the insane berserker rage.  He can’t contain himself... You’re going to have to make sure he doesn’t hurt someone! the Theurgist warned her, tendrils of his fear seeping into her chest.  The Overlord moved off to the side, her eyes wide as the Captain rushed at her, missing her by inches.

“Captain!” the Overlord screamed, her lungs drawing in quick, deep breaths and blood pulsing rapidly through her veins, “Get a hold of yourself!” He turned with such intense speed that she almost didn’t see it.  He was a blur, his eyes wide and pupilless, his irises expanded and his speech incoherent grunts and snarls. “Damn it!” She cursed under her breath, then leapt into the air, over the Captain as he ran forth again.

“Reproba!” the Overlord yelled, a series of bars surrounding the Captain, imprisoning him.  As the Overlord landed on the far side, she grabbed her left arm, shuddering as she pulled back the sleeve in time to see a cut form down the side of her arm, zig-zagging in an odd pattern. She dropped to a knee, clutching her bleeding arm, then looking back at the contained Captain as he raged against the bars.  Covering up her arm, she stumbled towards the doors leading out of the arena, “Brainsucker!  T-Cue!  Do something about him.  Make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone...”

“Are you bleeding?” T-Cue’s eyes widened as blood dripped onto the floor. “Overlord!  Are you-”

“It doesn’t matter!” the Overlord snarled suddenly, “Make sure he stays there.” As she limped away, she took in a few deep breaths, the overwhelming disapproval of the Theurgist weighing down upon her heavily.  “I know...” She tried to tell him, “I know...” With her right shoulder pressed against the wall, she stood there, steadying herself.  As she closed her eyes, she saw the brief flickering image of the Nemesis standing in front of her, sword raised over his head. But when she opened her eyes, she saw that the Evocator was there instead, a concerned expression on her face. 

“Overlord...” the Evocator began, her hands tingling with the hint of a white spell. “Conjure!  Peace spirit!  Eirene!  Blanca!” Light danced around the Overlord, taking the form of a girl and a fawn, though it all seemed like blurs to her.  “How did this-”

“T-the Captain...” the Overlord lied swiftly, “He went into another one of his... spells.” She felt even further pressing disapproval from the Theurgist. “It’ll be fine... Right?  Just a scratch...”

“You’re bleeding profusely.  This isn’t just a scratch...” the Evocator muttered, “I need to get you to see the Sorceress.  She’s a better medic than I am.”  Taking the Overlord by her good arm, she began dragging her down the well-lit corridors, the portraits of great conquerers, warriors, and lords whizzing by.  She saw Lelouch vi Britannia, standing triumphantly in his Zero attire.  She saw Light Yagami- who she never really liked, but always admitted that he deserved credit for being as close to a god as a mortal would ever become.  She saw Kakashi Hatake reading Make Out Paradise.  She saw Albus Dumbledore and Gandalf the White.  She saw L Lawliet.  She saw Mufasa.  She saw the Uberlord, unmasked with a set of dagger blue eyes that bore into hers, his facial features so similar to her own, only masculine, and toned with unspeakable wrath.

Feeling light-headed, the Overlord was forced into a chair, a barrage of people surrounding her.  The Sorceress tried to keep them all at bay, but that task was ultimately given to the Swordmaster, who sent all but the Advisor, the Soul-Keeper, and the Evocator away.  The Corporal stood in the corner of the Sorceress’ room, leaning against the wall, his shoulder-length hair tied back.

“You... Look like Anders,” the Overlord said, pointing at the Corporal.  The Swordmaster snorted at this, not bothering to conceal his amusement at his friend’s expense. 

“Mateo Olito, will you hand me the salve on the shelf?” the Sorceress looked over her shoulder.

“Sure, I... What did you just call me?” the Swordmaster demanded, whirling around to face the Sorceress.  The Corporal’s distinctive, hearty laughter could be heard as the Swordmaster crossed his arms and glared the Sorceress over, “Repeat that!”

“Mateo Olito!” the Sorceress smiled sweetly, “It’s a cute name for you, I think.  Better than that self-righteous title you gave yourself.”  She holds out her hand and the salve flies to her open palm, “Who said you were a master of swords?  Who said you were a master of anything except making pizza?”

“Can we SKIP TO THE REPORT?” the Advisor asked impatiently, “I have some news for the Overlord’s ears!  And technically, hers only, but in this case, I’ll make an exception.”

“Oh, how very generous of you,” the Swordmaster rolled his eyes.

“The Sage has settled in nicely.  Maverick arrived shortly after she did. The Insurgents are here as well. However, we haven’t heard back from several of the others that Right 69 applies to.  For instance, Jester and Pharisee both have not been reported to have responded to their calls and it’s unlikely that they will honor the agreement made by all denizens of the Between.  The Order of Magic has promised us aid when we need it, wherever we need it and the Wises are on the move. No word from the Twin yet, but Fort Effort has been deserted,” the Advisor reported, looking over a neat list on her note pad, clicking her pen obsessively.  

“The Wises don’t like to typically do much.  Well, other than Elwell, Sensei, and Obstruckshun,” the Overlord shrugged, “I wouldn’t put money on them being very... useful.”

“Obviously most of the Elite reside with us or with the Twin.  Venice Vedette has written back from her travels to the City of Lost Souls and is rallying a force there,” the Advisor sighed, “Jamie’s not responded either.  We have, however, received a Level 5 distress signal from the Witch.”

“Ooh.  Level 5.  Out of what?  10?” the Corporal asked with a chuckle.

“No.  Out of 5,” the Advisor said shortly.

“Well then, did we deploy someone to help her?” the Overlord asked, raising an eyebrow at the Advisor, who fell silent, looking at the Soul-Keeper for help.  He responded with the shake of his head, and the Overlord couldn’t help but facepalm at the two of them.  “Then send aid!” the Overlord rose from the chair she’d been shoved into, the bandage around her arm already flecked with crimson.  “I’ll go myself if I have to!”

“You need to sit your butt back in that chair,” the Sorceress replied flatly, pointing at the chair sternly.

“The Witch saved my life when the Nemesis sent his minions after me.  It’s about time I returned the favor,” the Overlord said firmly, “This scratch won’t hamper me at all.” 

“Who will you take with you?” the Soul-Keeper asked, “Pick me!  Oh, oh, pick me!”

“Hm... I pick... you,” the Overlord pointed to the Soul-Keeper, a smirk on her face, “Evocator, rally a group of Allied Force soldiers.  We’ll leave some behind just in case we receive word from another faction regarding Right 69.”  As the Evocator bounded away, the Overlord looked at the Advisor, then said, “Ready the rest of the army to mobilize.  On the off-chance that we run into trouble and need the full army, I want you to be on stand by.”

“What about us?” the Corporal asked, shouldering his rifle lazily. “It’s been sort of dull around here...”

“Then come with us.  All three of you,” the Overlord nodded, “The Witch wouldn’t have called for help unless she was seriously outnumbered.”

“So what, you’re expecting something bad?  Did she run into one of the monsters, do you think?” the Swordmaster asked.

“I don’t know,” the Overlord admitted.

---

“So an old black wolf, a one-eyed cat, and a drunken coyox walk into a bar...” McCoy began, glancing over at Foreigner, who merely stared at him blankly.  “And they all wake up five hours later with concussions!” He laughed loudly, along with Fish, but Foreigner did not seem to share his merriment.  She merely glanced at the Insurgent Leader, muttering something into his ear.  The Insurgent Leader offered a pitiful shrug, then continued marching alongside the Overlord, stepping over a log.

“Alaska.  What was the Witch doing in Alaska?” the Insurgent Leader inquired to his older sister, Muramasa slung in its sheath on his back. 

“I don’t know.  Hadn’t talked to her much since the Nemesis was defeated,” the Overlord replied, glancing back at the group that the Evocator had pulled together.  Among them was the Lieutenant, the Sergeant Karrot, the Animal Tamer, the Soul-Keeper, Sexist, the Apprentice, Ginger, Owl, Fish, McCoy, Foreigner, the Insurgent Leader, an Insurgent that she had met earlier called Kobaj, the Swordmaster, the Corporal, the Evocator, the Sorceress, Skinny, Tinkerbell, and Canada.  She sighed, cracking her knuckles and wincing at her throbbing arm.

She doesn’t believe that you got that from the Captain, the Theurgist informed the Overlord, and she swung her head in the direction of the Evocator, who was watching her with a dark, glum set of eyes.  The Overlord offered an awkward chuckle-smile, waved slightly, gave a thumbs up, then kept walking.

“I feel like I’m at home... But... Not...” Canada remarked to himself, looking at the cold skies ahead, layered with clouds and threatening to spill a soft snow on the troop.  The Lieutenant was not worried about blending in and kept his bazooka out at all times.  Karrot was so much smaller than him, carrying an assault rifle in both hands and looking around the Alaskan forest as if waiting for an enemy to pop out and try to attack the group.  The Soul-Keeper was humming selections from Hairspray with the Apprentice trying to beatbox to make it sound a little more like dubstep. Owl and Ginger were giggling about something and the Animal Tamer was walking and sketching something at the same time.

“You couldn’t have picked a weirder group,” the Corporal remarked with a laugh.

“Well, Mateo is here...” the Sorceress said with a giggle, receiving the Swordmaster’s icy glare with a smile.

Sexist extended a hand, catching a snowflake.  As he looked up and met the Overlord’s eyes, she turned around abruptly, jaw clenched. Stupid son of a- she thought angrily. You’re mad because he looked at you, the Theurgist pointed out. That’s not healthy.  There’s certain types of hatred- healthy and unhealthy.  This one is unhealthy.  The Overlord snorted, her nostrils sending out little jets of steam into the frigid air. The Nemesis was no different than him.  They’re cut of the same cloth.

“Animal Tamer, send a scout ahead,” the Overlord glanced over her shoulder, and she frowned, “You didn’t bring Fluffy?”

“No, Overlord, I didn’t bring the T-Rex to Alaska,” the Animal Tamer remarked flatly, “But I did bring this!” She held up a ptarmigan, much to the Overlord’s amazement.

“Where did you get that?” the Overlord asked incredulously.

“I just picked it up about five minutes ago,” the Animal Tamer admitted.

“Oh well, it’ll have to do,” the Overlord sighed, rubbing her forehead as the Animal Tamer released the ptarmigan into the air.  The bird flew away, eager to be free from its captor. “It’ll be back... Right?” the Overlord asked, casting a glance back at the Animal Tamer.

“Yeah...... I think,” the Animal Tamer frowned.

“Well, on the off-chance that it doesn’t...” the Swordmaster spoke up, “Maybe we should take a break and-”

“No.  Keep marching.  No telling where the Witch is.  Or what’s going on,” the Overlord shook her head. “It’s strange.  If there was a battle, I’d hear it.  The Witch isn’t discreet in keeping magic and non-magical people away from each other.  She’s very... Blunt.  One time, a guy called her a skank.  And she filled the entire town with twitchy crickets.”

“Crickets?” McCoy asked, flabbergasted.

“Twitchy ones?” Fish echoed, blinking.

“Yes,” the Overlord said in a very confident, firm voice, “It was awful.  I’ve never really liked crickets since then.  ‘Cause, well, someone had to get rid of the mess she made.  Guess who had to do that?  Me.”

“So how did you get rid of the mess?” Ginger spoke up, hands on her hips.

“I burned them,” the Overlord answered with a nod.

“Burned them!?” Owl exclaimed.

“And the thing is... Crickets tend to jump.  Even if they’re... burning... Yeah.  That was a bad day for that town,” the Overlord bit her lip, “Okay, new story... Do you wanna hear about the time that the Sorceress replaced the Swordmaster’s katana with a nerf sword?”

There was an unanimous “YES!” resounding from the troops, and as the Overlord told the story to the traveling troop, she noticed a set of eyes watching from above. Maverick, the Theurgist informed her, and she inclined her head in acknowledgment to her comrade.  At the end of the tale, Maverick descended, landing a few feet in front of the Overlord.

“HOLY CRAP, WHERE DID SHE COME FROM!?” Ginger yelled.

“She’s been following us awhile,” Sexist remarked, and just hearing his voice, the Overlord bristled.  She kept walking, moving right past the Maverick and throwing over her shoulder:

“You’re welcome to come along if you want.”

“Firebrand, far is not the friend.  Ahead and over hills, like worn down mountains... Mountains... Maverick does love mountains... With lots of pine and lots of rock,” Maverick purred, “And Maverick does love riddles, yes? Firebrand does not share this love, Maverick thinks.”

“Maverick is correct,” the Overlord said flatly.

“You know, she’s a very strange one...” Kobaj remarked to McCoy, though kept his voice low. “I haven’t even been in this story for very long and I can already tell she’s one of those characters that’s really significant, but you kind of just want to strangle her for being so freaking vague all the time.”

“More or less,” McCoy agreed with a nod.

“Maverick is going to tell us a riddle whether we like it or not, am I right?” the Overlord added with a sly smirk, the hooded figure shadowing her.  The dark eyes from beneath the hood gleamed, and she laughed. The Overlord sighed, “Oh, what is it this time?  Am I going to die?”

“Not until the eleventh,” the Corporal spoke up.

“The eleventh?” the Overlord stopped, casting him a bizarre look.

“I’m the Grim Reaper,” the Corporal shrugged, “I just sort of know these things.”

“Oh really?” the Overlord raised an eyebrow. “I’ve met the Grim Reaper.  He has a Southern Georgia accent.” She turned on her heel and kept moving, listening to the occasional impression that the Corporal could make of a Southern Georgia accent. And yet, as they walked, the Overlord could hear... Singing.  A glance to the Apprentice and she realized that she was not playing music and the Soul-Keeper had stopped his humming.  Moments later, she realized that it was Maverick who sang, the words soft, but audible, like a breeze tickling her ears.

“Once ago, two wolves there were

Who ate the sun and moon.

And blood most red stained their fur

From dawn to eve to dusk to noon.

Elder as snow

Youth as shade

Blood will flow

And life shall fade.

Two wolves, two gods

For they were among men

Two wolves, two gods

Covered in wrath, drenched in sin.

Fang to claw

Fire and blood

Tooth to paw

Shadows, they flood.

Avenging, o disciples of warfare!

Wolves- they never give in.

Monsters, they reign in every nightmare

And burrow within your skin...”

“Enough,” the Overlord cut the Maverick off.  A ways ahead, a silhouette had appeared and the Insurgent Leader motioned for the company to halt.  It was a man, old and hobbling with his cane, clearly disturbed by the gleam in his eyes.  Maverick hissed under her breath, but said nothing, her robes wrapped tightly around her hunched over form. 

“Don’t go that way!” the man waved his free arm, “Don’t go... There’s a witch in those woods and turn you into a toad, she will!”

“Well, we’re in the right place,” the Evocator remarked, arms folded, “She must be just up ahead like Maverick said!”

“Outta my way, old man,” the Overlord snorted, pushing past him, “Else I’ll do something unspeakable to you.  Like... Make you listen to young people’s music.  Like rap.”

“You mustn’t go that way!” the old man tried pitifully, but the Lieutenant merely shoved him out of the way.  The Overlord said nothing to the man, but kept a grip on her wounded arm, which was beginning to burn.  She glanced at the Evocator from the corner of her eye and did note that the Evocator was not looking. Sneaking a peek at the strange gash on her forearm, the Overlord frowned, wondering why the salve wasn’t working.  The Sorceress had done all she could, but perhaps this was a job for some nice painkillers... Like Advil.  The Overlord smiled- Advil, man’s ACTUAL best friend.

The troop walked a few more minutes in silence, though the only thing that disturbed the quiet was the sound of Owl sneezing occasionally, then complaining about a cold.  Distant gunshots and the smell of fire flooded the Overlord’s nose, and she turned to look at the Soul-Keeper. “There’s something going on here... Insurgent Leader!” The blonde was already a step ahead.  He began forward, drawing Muramasa and scanning the trees with his keen eyes.

“There appears to be a woman getting chased...” the Insurgent Leader narrowed his eyes.

“Lieutenant.  Corporal.  Sergeant.  Take aim,” the Overlord said suddenly, “And don’t fire until I tell you.  Hit the woman and you die.  Target the men behind her.”

“There’s only three enemy units,” the Insurgent Leader added over his shoulder, “Why did we need such a large force for three grunts?”

“There might be more to the story,” the Overlord cast a worried look at the Insurgent Leader.

The Witch was hurtling towards them at quite the speed despite her high heels and flowing crimson dress.  Her hair had been crudely and swiftly tied into a bun, most likely during her flight from the bad guy, and she seemed relatively unharmed, but a few cuts and bruises decorated her darkened skin.  Her bright blue eyes were screaming almost as loud as her lungs. “DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” She yelled at the troop, flailing her arms about.

“This is sort of funny...” Ginger snorted.

“You have no soul.  You think everything’s funny,” Tinkerbell pointed out.

“Your mom’s got no soul,” Ginger folded her arms.

“That’s what she said,” Tinkerbell retorted.

“Really?” Ginger started.

“Yes...” Tinkerbell frowned.

“Shut up and pay attention!” the Swordmaster yelled, “WE ARE ABOUT TO ENGAGE IN A SERIOUS CONFLICT HERE!  WE MUST BE ATTENTIVE.  WE MUST BE CONSTANTLY VIGILANT!” 

“They’re almost in range........ Fire!” the Overlord yelled and a series of bullets whizzed by the Witch’s face, the resonating sound of gunshots flooding the air.  All three gunmen were taken out in an instant, blood splatter staining the pure, innocent ground.  The Witch collapsed in the Overlord’s arms, a sobbing mess, much to the Overlord’s surprise. 

“Oh dear...” the Sorceress frowned, moving to the Overlord’s side, “Is she hurt?”

“Not terribly badly from the looks of it,” the Evocator answered for her superior, then shrugged. “I don’t know, though.  She looks more mentally shaken up than anything.”

“You... YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED!  WHERE WERE YOU?  WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHEN WE NEEDED YOU!? WHY DID YOU LET THEM FIRE AT ME!?” the Witch screeched in the Overlord’s ears, glaring up at her with a pair of unforgiving cerulean eyes.  The Overlord took an uncertain step back, trying to tear away from the Witch’s grasp, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?”

“Well, let’s put it this way... You didn’t get hit and they’re dead.  Problem solved!” the Overlord tried, forcing a smile. The Witch squeezed her in a tight hug, sniffling and crying still. “So, I’d hate to be a total douche but... Why did you call for us?” the Overlord asked, looking into the Witch’s tearful blue eyes, “What’s going on?”

“I was with the Twin and Jamie...” the Witch dried her eyes, “We were on Jamie’s boat... It hit an iceberg.  But it’s fine now... I saved it but we landed because we needed supplies... And then, they struck.  They’d been following us for some time.  He said he’d been watching... He’d been waiting... Him and his pet, that lowly little...” She began in a long string of curse words, her hands making clutching fists and then strangling gestures.

“Okay.  I’m going to say this once... English words.  Please.  That make sense,” the Overlord said calmly, putting a hand on the Witch’s shoulder.

“There’s a man.  He’s... A cowboy?  He has an entire freaking gun collection on him.  He has troops.  Bandits.  We thought they wanted the boat, but we were wrong.  They wanted something else instead...” the Witch stammered, “They wanted Jamie.”

“Jamie?  Did she steal something priceless again?  Did she finally bite off more than what she can chew?” the Overlord scoffed, though smiled in thought.

“No... No one from the government.  Just... Some creep... You gotta help her!  She and the Twin and the Horselord... They’re all still back there fighting!”  the Witch sank to the ground, “I’m exhausted... Just from saving the boat... I can’t...”

“I get it.  We brought a troop for a reason, Witch,” the Overlord shrugged, “Stay here if you want.  Insurgent Leader, take your people and Ginger, Owl, and Fish and take the left side.  The rest will come with me and we’ll take the right.  We’ll move in a pincer formation and hit from both sides.  Offer any aid to the pirates or Fort Effort soldiers if you can.”

“What if they’ve taken Jamie hostage?  What then?” the Lieutenant spoke up, looking more than a tad concerned.

“Animal Tamer... Have you gotten that bushbaby yet?” the Overlord glanced at the Animal Tamer expectantly.

“Y-yes...?” the Animal Tamer said uncertainly, holding up a bushbaby that she had adorned in a jacket to protect it from the cold.  The Overlord nodded, taking the bushbaby and putting it in her pocket. 

“We should be set to go,” the Overlord looked to the Insurgent Leader, nodded once, then began to move down a path to the right, drawing her scythe from its sheath and extending it to its full height.  The Insurgent Leader began down the opposite side, Muramasa glowing faintly in his hand, lusting for blood. 

“This is the weirdest story I’ve ever been in,” Kobaj remarked, drawing some strange looking gun, “Does it get any better?”

“I hope so,” McCoy shrugged. “I’m just here for the ride.”

“I think we all are,” Fish concluded.