Hello to anyone who reads the AN! This will be my first ever story i will take seriously cause my other ones just plain sucked. This means 5000+ words for every chapter and i actually have a plot. Please leave a review at the end and tell me what you think.
Rise of the Lord
Gnarl was an old minion, a very old minion. One of the first minions to be created in fact. When he was young he was like all browns. Obeying the Overlord, destroying, wreaking havoc and generally being a force of evil, it was all standard. This brings on the question of "How the hell is he this old?", a very valid question. The lifespan of a general brown was a week at most, a month maybe if they scavenged good equipment. However, the unique thing about Gnarl was that he had survived so many battles and so many beatings by the Overlord he was actually praised by his creator. A very, very rare thing indeed. With this praise came a little gift, something that differed Gnarl from all other minions. The blood of the first Overlord.
You see, the Overlord was dying. He had gotten too arrogant and thus, tended to underestimate enemies. A lucky band of heroes capitalized on this and, with a spell cast by a mage's last breath before he was slain, the Overlord had received the curse of the dead. A spell that even the mighty Lord of Darkness could not counter. It slowly ate away at his body, every day was agony for him, his flesh would rot and become putrid, infest with maggots and then fall off. The blues tried all they could but the mage had done his work well, the minions could do nothing but watch as their lord and leader slowly rotted away.
In his final year, the Overlord entrusted his most loyal and best minion to continue the line of the Overlords. Gnarl was tasked with this job, so the Overlord gave the newly dubbed "Minion Master" some of his life force by transferring some of his blood into Gnarl. During that year he had taught Gnarl, who's brain capacity and lifespan had expanded drastically, the true ways of evil. Unfortunately he had died before he could pass on all his knowledge. No matter though, in the absence of the Overlord the minions had someone to turn to, they had a leader.
All throughout time, Gnarl had done what his first master had tasked him to do, to continue the line of Overlords and ensure evil kept on flowing. Like the sun, the Overlords (sometimes Overladies) had risen and fallen. Some lived for centuries, some died within the week. All left their own mark of evil. This pattern would never stop, always continuing and flowing like an endless river. Nothing could fully stop evil, not the grandest mages, not the mightiest warriors, not the most cunning of thieves or assassins, not emperors, not kings or queens, not warlords, no one and nothing could ever stop evil. It will and would always find a way...
The graveyard was dark and chilling, an endless mist covered it like a blanket. Fear is what one would feel if they walked through here late at night. Fear and dread.
"Ahhhh, truly magnificent" the old voice of the Minion Master croaked. In his hands he held the Overlord gauntlet containing the shard that channeled his will into the minions, though that wasn't the only thing it could do. One of it's many purposes was to find a concentration of evil, like say perhaps a new Overlord. Gnarl swept the gauntlet over the graves, the five other browns behind him following dutifully as he went grave by grave. None of the bodies so far were any good, they all seemed to die peacefully or their souls passed on.
Another sweep on a grave however, the shard glowed a bright amber and emitted a low hum. They had found their new master.
"Get digging!" Gnarl barked.
The minions set to work with shovels, digging the coffin out. Gnarl took his time to read the inscription on the grave marker;
"Here lies Dairn Maar, son of Derling Maar and Eathin Harrow, brother to Velita Maar.
Killed by a bandit raid
May his soul find find peace with the rest of his family"
Not a very unique marker for a future Overlord, Gnarl thought. Something more evil would be fitting but an overlord is an overlord.
Soon enough the coffin was dug out and the entourage of minions and minion master made their way to the netherworld gate.
Even though the Netherworld tower was deep in the center of the world and surrounded by magma, the temperature was quite warm. Gnarl had the minions set the coffin down on the ground in the throne room.
He pointed to the minions "Gook, Pummel, go grab two evil shards quickly!", pointing to another minion "Grobel, get a hammer and chisel!"
The minions hurried off to find their assigned items. The shards were concentrated evil energy that had taken a crystallized form. They appeared every now and then, a tower that was the center of evil had plenty of evil energy to concentrate. Gook and Pummel came back carrying the glowing dark shards along with Grobel with a hammer and chisel, Gnarl took the shards off the minions hands. The lid of the coffin had been opened and showed a rotting corpse, the face past the point of being recognizable. He placed one shard just above where the heart would be and the other next to it. With the hammer and chisel he chipped away at the shard until he broke though the core, doing the same to the other one he took a few steps back as the evil energy within the shards leaked into the corpse.
The corpse shined with a black light and slowly the body regenerated. Bone, muscle and everything else remade itself. However, the process seemed to stop even when the two shards were absorbed completely. Gnarl made a 'hmmm' before sending two more minions to find evil shards. The capacity of evil energy is quite high on this one, he shows promise.... The minions came back and Gnarl repeated the process of chipping away at the shards until they leaked their evil energy. The regeneration continued, most of the body now looked like it would of when it was alive, the mending stopped when the last bit of the shards leaked their energy into the body.
It was clearly a teenage boy, about sixteen years of age. His skin was lightly tanned, short black hair on his head and quite a good looking face, not ugly but definateley not handsome. The clothes he was buried in had rotten away showing a body that was taught and lithe, tight muscles on his arms, legs and abdomen suggested he had done some sort of physical labor continuously throughout his life. Slowly, ever so slowly the eyelids opened to show a pair of....Red and black eyes?
"Huh?" Gnarl and the minions wondered, they were bewildered. Never had they encountered such an odd pair of mismatched eyes, though Gnarl had his theory. "I may have put a tiny bit too much evil energy...". The boy had sat up and was looking at them, a curious stare like that of a small child. Gnarl approached him.
"Welcome back to the living my lord" He greeted
The odd eyes turned to the minion master, the boy opened his mouth to speak but the voice was weak like a whisper "Who...are...you"
Gnarl smiled, showing his fangs. "I am Gnarl the minion master sire, a devout servant of the Overlord"
"Over...what?"
"Overlord sire, meaning you"
Black and red eyes still showed confusion "This place....where?"
Gnarl spread his arms out "This is the Netherworld sire, we are in your evil tower"
"Mine?"
"Yes sire, as the new Overlord this cradle of evil is now your home . The things behind me are minions, your loyal servants. Everything you see around here is yours"
Dairn looked around, the tower would have looked magnificent. If not for the fact that it was crumbling. He tried getting up but his limbs were new and weak, though that didnt stop him from trying. Steadily and slowly he got up and placed his feet on the stone floor, which was oddly warm. As a matter of fact, even wearing nothing he was not cold. He turned and faced a throne that looked to be made of stone with some parts broken off, a long sheet of red silk draped over it.
"That is your throne sire, it's not in the best of conditions but now with you awake we can renovate it. Along with the rest of this tower" Gnarl spoke walking up to the side of the throne. "It will take you some time to get used to all this, so follow me". Darin looked at the back of the old minion master before following, wanting to find answers for questions he didnt even know.
A week had passed for Dairn. A very long week. Unlike most of the previous overlords who preferred the axe as a starting weapon, Dairn had Giblet the forge master make a single edged broadsword using steel from stolen weapons and a forge they raided, it was Dairn's first experience of killing. The black hilt was curved to give better grip, the pommel was rounded and studded and it had a circular guard. The blade itself was straight then widened at the end adding weight to cuts, though it was still quite light. It also had a simple black sheathe (1).
Gnarl had told him he was to be a new Overlord, commanding the forces of evil and bending it to his will. Dairn was getting accustomed to the tower, only going out once or twice. He learned how to control his minions, tough never having any combat experience at all he was lacking in style. Gnarl also told him about the current state of the world. The "Glorious Empire" held vast swathes of land, their armies were near invincible and their power absolute. The eradication of magical creatures seemed to be their main goal.
There were other peoples in the world as well, peoples like the Gauls, Germania and Viking tripes who lived in the frozen northlands, between them and the Empire lands were the shrouded mountains rumored to be the home of the Dwarves. There were also the many eastern tribes who were commonly referred to as the "Men of the east", they lived in the harsh desert of Numidia under the baking sun and the great river Hassan was the border between them and the Empire. The scattered kingdoms of Darndania in the west were guarded by the Marshlands, a chain of swamps and marshes that held countless dangers. Though it could still be accessed by sea in the west and south. All these peoples had one thing in common, hatred for the Empire. For years they have waged war after war with land swinging back and forth, now though all sides seemed to have hit a stalemate.
When Dairn had learned most of what Gnarl could teach him about the position of the Overlord, he had set about practicing his skill with his blade. Gnarl assisted him, having seen many Overlords in combat he was very helpful. Though it would still be quite some time for Dairn to practically use the sword in combat. Right now fists would be fine, the menacing gauntlets adding a whole lot of extra damage. Dairn wore the standard minion armour, though he had a new odd addition. Most Overlords Gnarl had served under never used shields, Dairn did. It was a deeply dished wooden shield with a angled rim, a band for the arm at the center, and a hand grip near the edge. The entire front was covered with a thin sheet of bronze.(2) The shield gave added protection, perfect for an Overlord who didnt know how to use a blade yet.
Currently Dairn was out of the tower, exploring the open field the netherworld gate deposited him into. With him were ten minions, four of them the original ones that dug him up, one was from the life force of the blacksmith they killed and the rest were unlucky deer the minions caught while Dairn was out. The sky was a nice hue of blue, flowers were in abundance and there were a few trees dotted about. It looked peaceful and serene, something Gnarl complained about. He was out here to collect more life force, a measly army of ten brown minions simply wont do. A good thing though was that the minions had swords or hammers from the raid of the forge, the rest that were not used were taken back into the tower. They had a good supply of at least twenty swords and lots of hammers.
Shield strapped to his left arm and sword in his sheath, Dairn strode through the field trying to find some sort of life. It was most likely spring time since the flowers were starting to open up. Walking up a hill to get a better vantage point, he spied a village not far from where he was. It was circular and had a wooden palisade. There was also a small river running nearby powering a windmill, it was probably the source of water for the fields that were all around and, more interestingly to him, livestock of sheep and cattle.
"Ahhh" Gnarls voice sounded through his helmet "Sheep and cattle, doing nothing but eat grass all day long waiting for someone to kill them! Master, they make the perfect farm for life force! Well, them and humans..."
Choosing to ignore the ramblings of the minion master, Dairn continued surveying the village. Farmers milled about doing their daily routine of raking and sowing the fields, joined along by young boys and teenagers. Oddly though, there were men on the palisade with what looked like bows and a single outpost tower that was manned by the road leading to the village.
Coming down the hill he made his way to the dirt road with his minions, almost as soon as he was spotted the men on the outpost pounded their weapons and shouted. The men and boys working the fields immediately ran inside the village, followed shortly after the watch-post crew. Dairn continued until he reached the village gates, looking up he saw farmers holding crude bows with shaking hands and arrows notched. "Farmers wielding weapons arent much of a threat..." he thought.
"Stranger, what would your business be on this quite little village of Basing!?" A man shouted from atop the wall. Darin looked up to get a look at him, the man wore simple cloth shirt and pants. In his hand was a sword of decent quality and he seemed to be shaking, though he was doing a good job of hiding it.
"Why is there so much hostility to one man and his pets?" Dairn shouted back. He had gained strength in his voice, mainly by shouting at the minions and Gnarl.
The man seemed to relax a bit but he was still tense "Bandits raid us every year, they take our food and women, we must protect ourselves!"
"I am no bandit, and please tell your men to lower their bows, shaking hands and notched arrows are not a good combination"
The man hesitated but ordered the men to lower their bows "You still have not told me what your purpose here is!"
Dairn thought for a moment, then a plan came to mind "I am...a wandering swordsman, if i might ask, what would you give for me to eliminate these bandits?"
The man hesitated for a moment "We will give anything that we could provide!". A murmur swept through the men on the walls, maybe, just maybe they could finally be rid of the bandits that had plagued them for so long.
"Even your loyalty as my subjects?". Silence followed Dairns words.
The man gulped, he was sweating and shaking "I...Must discuss this with the rest of the village". With that the man ran down the wall accompanied by all who were with him. "They leave a potential enemy unguarded and unseen...Weak" Dairn thought.
Doryn was nervous, after his father died because of old age the title of Mayor went to him. The burden of responsibility had been passed to him, for five years he had led this village. Making sure every mouth was fed and that there was enough grain and livestock to last till the next year were all his tasks. The bandits however, could not be stopped. Many men had died trying to send a message to the city nearby to call for help, the bandits having taken down signposts and covered the tracks to the village making sure no one would come here. Basing was isolated and forgotten.
Now though, this so called swordsman was at their gates proposing to eliminate the bandits. The problem was though, could he? "The man will get killed and the bandits will attack us early!" he though, "Or he could destroy them and we would be free" another part of his mind spoke. "What happens even if he does? We could be giving our loyalty to a tyrant!". He was stood on a raised platform, facing the rest of the village. "Look at them Doryn! Their looking to you to solve their problems! Come on, think! Decide already!"
With a shaky voice he spoke to the crowd "People of Basing! Today a stranger has come offering to rid us of the bandits" A ray of hope seemed to shine upon the crowd, their torment could soon end! "But, he asks for our loyalty" Like before, there was silence. The people looked shaken, though there was still a glimmer of hope.
"Does he even have any skill!?" One man shouted
"Yeah, he could get killed and the bandits will attack us early for revenge!"
"Or he could be our savior!" This time a woman shouted "Maybe he can kill the bandits!"
There was now a full on shouting war between the villagers. The women were mostly for letting the stranger be their lord, they had suffered many beatings and raping and had enough. Most of the men were doubtful, they tried to fight back once but they were beaten and many were killed or captured. What could one man do?
"ENOUGH!" Doryn shouted. The crowd silenced and turned their attention back at him. He took one calming breath before speaking "I...have made my final decision" The crowd waited in anticipation. "I have decided that...We will trust him! But only on one condition!"
Dairn sat cross legged on the floor, waiting for the incompetent man to come back.
"You have a very odd method to gain life force sire" Gnarl said, "Instead of slaughtering them all, which is the fun way mind you, you wish to gain a steady supply by their offerings if they decide to make you their lord. A smart but very boring method, wouldn't it be better to hear them scream as you plunge a sword through their gut?"
Dairn smirked, "Gnarl, as much as i enjoy listening to your ramblings, my decision is final. Besides, if their smart and agree, slaughtering bandits will be the same thing. Just that little bit more challenging"
*sigh* "Remember though sire, i mean no offense but your skill with the sword is rather....lacking shall we say"
"Then this will be a chance to get some experience eh, Gnarl?"
"I suppose, but still, do be careful sire. Oh, the useless sack of flesh is back"
Dairn sat up and looked at Doryn, he seemed reasonably calm. There was still the occasional twitch though. "Stranger, I have decided that ithe best thing to do would be to accept your offer. On one condition though"
Dairn raised an eyebrow, "What would that be?"
Doryn took a deep breath "We will serve you and call you our lord only if you bring back the head of the bandit leader Thag!"
Dairn gave a nod "Very well"
It was night time, the moon had risen near to it's peak. It had been a couple of hours since Dairn had agreed to take on the bandits, Doryn had two men lead him as close as possible to the bandit camp. The camp was in the nearby woodland, there weren't very many trees but enough for good cover. The two guides had bolted off when they came within sight of the first tree. There was a loud racket coming from within the trees and glows of a large campfire and several smaller ones were visible.
"These bandits are careless, though they really dont have to fear anything from simple farmers" Dairn mumbled. The other minions were behind him, exited and eager to kill. The bandits didnt even have sentries out, which made sneaking in easy. Dairn and company went to the fringes of the clearing the bandits had made, giving them almost full view of the camp. What Dairn saw disgusted him. The bandits were dancing around a large fire, women from the village were on their knees naked and being violated. Tears were flowing and marks on their body suggested they were beaten or cut. Those that did not have their mouths occupied pleaded and begged in vain as they were raped again and again. What was more sickening though was the cage off to the side, inside were children from six to twelve. Mostly girls but there were some boys, they too were crying and shaking in fear.
This vile scene spurred something within Dairn's mind. A memory of his previous life. Something that should have stayed buried.
He was in pain, his body was bleeding from numerous cuts and his arms were held down. He was crying, with no strength left to even struggle. Next to him was the dead corpse of his father, eyes wide and mouth open with a silent scream, blood was seeping from the holes through his chest and stomach. His eyes were held witness to the morbid scene in front of him though. His mother and sister, clothes ripped, were being raped. The men held looks of sickening joy whilst they thrust into the women again and again.
Dairn tried to struggle again but to no avail, he had lost too much blood. Pain racked through him, relentless and burning. Like a endless fire was consuming him. It was all so painful...
Dairn was on his knees vomiting and shaking uncontrollably. His breath came in gasps and tears flowed from his eyes. The memory was too much for him, far too much.
"Master ok?" One minion asked worriedly.
Dairn suddenly stopped moving, as if frozen. Then, he calmly got up and faced his minions. The creatures gaped at the sight before them. Dairn's mismatched eyes, they were glowing with an unholy light. Red and black menacing orbs held an unimaginable hatred and...evil. "Tonight.." His voice was different from the nonchalant tone he normally used, it was cold like a grave "...these wretched souls will know the meaning of fear and pain". For a brief moment his eyes glow intensified before receding. Gnarl almost felt sorry for the bandits...almost
The moon was now at its zenith, a white crescent against a black sky. The camp held at least fifty armed bandits and thirty women and children prisoners. The tents were not in any order, just a large one in the middle and the rest scattered around it. The bandits seemed to have just gone to sleep, those that were not already passed out anyway. The women were herded back into the cage with the children and given some blankets, not nearly enough to cover all of them.
The fire had been left to burn until morning, rocks around it making sure no stray embers set fire to anything or anyone. Dairn silently walked into the camp since most of the bandits were passed out on the floor. He did not see Thag amongst them. Dairn had ordered the minions to keep quite and kill silently and bring back the life-force, not a very easy order for browns to obey but their overlord commanded and they would obey. As they passed through Dairn hand chopped the heads of sleeping men, their blood spurting on his arm and legs. Again and again the blade went down and heads rolled as Dairns life-force count went up. The minions were not idle either, multiple minions would stab the head of one man and move on to the next, some would use hammers to smash into the head and splatter blood and brain matter.
Dairn also gave another order, at least twenty were to be restrained and brought to the center near the fire. Unfortunately the browns were not careful enough and had managed to drop a man they were carrying. He woke up screaming since his face hit the fire. His screams alerted the whole camp and the bandits that were not killed or bound reached for their weapons and ran around, frantically trying to find something through the haze of a hangover.
A bandit had managed to find Dairn and ran at him waving his weapon wildly, Dairn blocked the swing and replied with a slash across the mans stomach. With no armour to protect him the broadsword cut into the mans exposed flesh. Dairn followed up with a smack in the exposed stomach with his shield sending the man tumbling back, before Dairn could finish him another bandit made itself know by thrusting a dagger behind the overlord. The armour blunted the attack and Dairn spun anti-clockwise and slammed his shield into the mans face knocking him back, Dairn followed with a kick to the mans calf making the bandit drop, taking his chance Dairn slammed the rim of his shield into the mans head forcing him on the ground and finished with a downward swipe to the back of the skull. Blood splashed across him in a spray of crimson as the life-force of the dead man drifted to the gauntlet.
The minions around him were doing what they do best, stabbing and hacking and smashing anything that came at them or their lord. Wild yells and screams reverberated through the air as death loomed over those unfortunate enough to witness the cold, hard rage of the Overlord and his steel.
Dairn blocked a blow from a man wielding two swords, the weight of the blades forced him back and he stumbled on his back. He rolled to the side avoiding the strike that would have cut him in three. On a crouch, forgetting his sword, he dived for the mans legs and tackled him to the floor. He crawled over the man and pounded his right fist into the bandits face, the metal gauntlet smashing bones every hit. Unstrapping his shield he held it with two hands above the moaning body and slammed it down into the bandits eyes again and again, blood gushing out from every hit.
Confident the man was dead since the life force went out of him, Dairn got off him and picked up his sword. Looking around him the fighting seemed to halt, in front were what was left of the bandits with some sporting wounds. Behind were his ten minions with wounds as well, though the browns were built for fighting so the cuts and gashes probably didnt affect them as much as normal humans.
"Who be killin' me men!" A rough voice shouted, the line of bandits parted to let a imposing man through. He was large, taller than Dairn's 5'10. What made it more imposing though was the HUGE deer antlers on his head, being supported by rope that tied around his waist. Wearing nothing but cotton pants and leather boots, he made a frightening sight....
...To anyone else apart from the Overlord however. Dairn stood there looking at Thag with glowing mismatched eyes, blood coating his armour and blade, dripping off him in rivulets of crimson. A dark and cold aura could be seen and felt around him. Some bandits stood with shaking hands, whilst some were all out pissing themselves.
"Well!" Thag demanded.
Dairn spoke coldly, his eyes glow intensifying "I see no men....Only filth"
Thag's breath caught when he saw those eyes. "So dark..." But he had no time to regain his composure as Dairn charged head on into him shield and sword forgotten, shoulder barging the larger man and doubling him over. A left hook followed by an uppercut forced Thag back. Following up with his momentum Dairn kicked out with his left leg and connected with Thags right, however Thag took the brunt without shaking and replied with his own left hook. The fist connected with Dairns helmet sending him flying back.
"Master! You must use your sword!" Gnarl urged.
Back-pedalling away from Thag, Dairn extended his hand and called his minions to retrieve his sword and shield. The bandits formed a ring around them with their weapons held out, either out of fear or they were too interested in the fight, they did not interfere. Dairn's shield covered all of his body from neck to knees, it also gave an added advantage of being able to hide his sword if it was put lengthways.
Thag had been given his weapon, a large one sided axe that looked like it could cleave a man in half. The two combatants faced each other with blade and axe at the ready. For a moment nothing happened. Then, as if by a mental signal, the two charged.
Dairn rolled to the side as Thag swung his axe over the overlords head. Launching from a crouch Dairn slammed into Thag with his shield sending the bigger man back but Thag regained balance and surged forward. With his larger size the bandit leader had the advantage and Dairn was hurled to the side. Thag swung his axe downwards eager to crush his enemy. Dairn quickly raised his shield to protect himself. The axe head impacted with so much force it punched through the bronze and wood but fortunately stopped short from Dairns face.
Thag smirked, the fool was dead! He was so confident in his victory that he threw his axe with the shield still attached to the side. Then he felt a stab of pain as cold steel was run through him. Looking down he saw Dairn with his arm out and half of a broadsword inside of him. Dairn pushed up and pulled his sword out of the dying bandit. Looking down he saw a slit where his sword was, blood was pouring out of the wound and Thag's mouth...which was smirking.
Dairn raised an eyebrow "Are you happy about your death?"
Thag's smirk widened "Heh..Heh...Good job...But...We're not the only bandits out here...Hah hah"
Dairn levelled his sword at Thag's neck "Explain"
"...Once...boss...hears...b'out this.....You...your gunn'a die!" Thag coughed up some blood, he sneered showing his bloody teeth. "Your....gunn'a...DIE!" Thag went into a coughing fit before being silenced by a swift cut through the neck. His head rolled leaving behind a trail of blood, the life force drifted from his body and Darin snatched it up.
Becoming aware of the eyes of the bandits, he pointed his sword at them. "Minions, kill them!" The bandits bolted in fear as Dairn and his minions chased after them, Dairn dropped his shield and ran as fast as he could cutting down any man in front of him. The minions who were faster cut the ankles of the fleeing men and left them to crawl, they would come back for them later.
(1) Google Broadsword, its the Practical broadsword
(2) A Hoplon is the Greek shield their Hopolites used and what gave the unit their name.
Well, thats the end of that chapter. Again, review and tell me what you think.
Was Dairn too strong or too weak for a new Overlord?
Do i write good fight scenes?
Do i write well in general?
Are you interested?
Any and all suggestions are welcome!
