Jazzerman here, I do not own any of these characters, they are owned by their respected companies, as many as there are. You've heard this crap before. I only own my OCs.

New generation.

Part 2

Gnarl lead the tower's new master to the armory in the lower section of the tower. The armory was were the Overlord's armor and weapons were custom made by Giblet the forge master Minion. Giblet was a typical Brown that had helped the second Overlord in retrieving the Tower Heart and in the fight against the Halfling Hero Melvin Underbelly but after the retrieval of the smelter Giblet had been promoted to forge master. Actually when Gnarl was selecting a forge master Giblet was the only one that didn't step back on account of him seeing a tasty beetle on the floor.

"This is your armory Sire." Gnarl said, leading the young man to the rack of armor and weaponry on a rotating shelf that housed the selection of armor of different styles and materials. Steel, Durium, and Arcanium being the strongest and most ornate among them and all infused with the life-force that had once been used to spawn minions.

Keyon lifted and placed the gauntlet from the Arcanium armor and frowned. Although he was seventeen, where he would be considered an adult in the land of Spree, the gauntlet fit loosely on his arm. Not only that, Keyon could barely lift the heavy metal object once it was on. Disheartened that he could not wear the old armor of his father he turned to the Durium armor. It too was too heavy for him. The steel armor was far more light that either and was actually allowed Keyon to move about with relative ease. The only problem is that it was it was forged for a man that was far stronger and larger that he was.

"Don't worry sire. Giblet wake up!" Gnarl said, shaking the brown minion who had fallen asleep while Keyon had been trying on the armors. "There's forging to be done! Measure the master for a new set of steel armor and be quick about it!"

Keyon snorted in disgust as Giblet began to climb all over him with a measuring rope, making mindless loops and gibbering something that couldn't be understood through the Brown's welder's mask. Finally Giblet hopped off, taking the rope with him and began to forge the armor without any infusion of Minion life-force since there were so few left in the tower.

"Have the minions start cleaning and making repairs. I'm going to Spree as soon to harvest life-force and collect information." Keyon said, picking up the steel sword and a plain leather sheath off the weapon rack.

"But master, your armor will not be ready for another hour!" Gnarl was more worried about his own future if Keyon died. It could be decade until someone with an evil heart came near the tower again that could claim the Tower's power as his own. "I highly advise against such action."

Keyon's smirk told the old Minion that he had no intention of going there to die. "I intend to ask the people of Spree themselves. No one there has ever seen me before since mother kept in this Tower most of my younger life. This leather training armor should be enough to tell the peasants that I am but a poor adventurer and offer me information. They'll never know I am the true lord and master of Spree until I come in full armor with a horde of Minion to rain horrible fiery vengeance upon those who wronged me."

Gnarl felt a swell of pride seeing such a young man committed to evil. Truly all of the tutor lessons he gave the boy when he was younger had been taken to heart.

---

Keyon was glad that the Tower Heart had not been stolen, otherwise he would have had to walk all the way to Mellow Hills, land of humans and Halflings and home of the town of Spree. As he appeared at the collection of pillars near the teleportation gate Keyon looked on around at the pristine hillside. Trees, green grass, and flowers grew everywhere. Butterflies flew every which way, sheep grazed in large flocks out in the open, and to make things worse there was a pleasant smell in the air. Keyon couldn't help but feel a little warm and fuzzy inside at the sight of this place... if only for a second.

From his place on the hill Keyon could see no one near this area. He suddenly remembered that his father had told him that years ago when The Overlord had killed the corrupt hero Melvin Underbelly he had given back the food Melvin and his Halfling forced had stolen from Spree, provided that the people swore unwavering loyalty to him. Since that time the sheep population had exploded and ever since the people allowed him to kill as many as he wanted, the townspeople thought it better than their master kill their extra sheep than themselves.

With a murderous grin Keyon unsheathed his steel sword, a light and rather plain weapon in appearance. The weapon had no real enhancements since Keyon's father had little use of Steel weaponry since he used Arcanium weapons as a rule. The sheep did not flee at his approach, they were used to seeing humans walking up to them to pet them or feed them by hand. Keyon cured them of their fearlessness with two swings of his sword. The rest of the flock fled from the young man as he stood over the decapitated bodies of a sheep and a young lamb. Keyon had not done this for food and although it was a little fun to end the life of such worthless creatures he had another reason. Keyon cleaned his sword in a patch of grass and reached down to the newly made corpses to drew out the life force that was ebbing out of the sheep. Keyon had watched this trick a thousand times and was pleased at how easy it had come to him.

The two small orbs of warm light he now held in each hand gave off a yellow-tan color, Keyon didn't bother with going after the rest of the flock, instead he returned to the gate and dropped the life-force onto the gate. Keyon knew Gnarl would have someone put the life-force into the Brown Minion Hive, the birthing place of all Brown Minions to create two new Browns.

Smiling at this little achievement Keyon left the bloody sheep to rot as he walked towards the walled town of Spree. The rough cut logs that comprised the wall were pointed on the top and on each side of the town were drawbridges over the river and gates. The town had been repaired years ago when Kahn and his thieves and overseers attacked and half demolished both Spree and Heaven's Peak. The peasants on the archer platforms eyed the stranger with minor curiosity, but allowed him to enter without argument.

Spree was not much different since the time of Keyon's father's conquest of the land. The people were fed and generally healthy for being filthy farming peasants. Keyon drew minimal attention, something that did not sit well with Keyon, a man walking with armor and a sword at his belt was something that should have drawn half of the town to him. Keyon noticed that the Brown spawning pool near the main entrance was still functional, but Keyon left it inactive. He did not want to let on that he could summon Minions just yet. Only then did the undercover Overlord notice that sickeningly sweet tune in the air. The sound of a skilled hand playing a harp.

Keyon needed no other incentive than to follow the filthy slack jawed morons to the source of the music. A small crowd of the worthless peons had gathered around a man in his early thirties by Keyon's guess. He was wearing leather armor like Keyon, however his was far more ornate with silver trim and intricate stitching designs that showed off a splendor that was seldom seen in this dirt farming community. He wore a short sword was at his hip, a sharp looking hat with a long feather on his head, and soft leather boots that looked they had seen a hundred miles. A sack of traveling equipment (a bedroll, traveling cloak, and some other things that Keyon could not identify) sat next him while a small metal pan sat in front of him with a few copper coins laying in it. The man himself was ruggedly handsome, he had short cut blonde hair, a short yet well trimmed beard and mustache and sparkling blue eyes that made many of the ladies of the village swoon. Much to their husband's ire.

Before Keyon could take any action a loud ringing sound resounded in the young Overlord's ears, however he seemed to be the only one that heard it. Only once the blasted noise stopped that Keyon heard the echoing voice of his tutor Gnarl. "Testing! Testing! Can you hear me Sire?"

Keyon's gaze looked to his left then right, but found no sight of the old Minion.

"No need to speak Sire, I can hear your more powerful thoughts." Gnarl said. "It's a gift one gains when you serve the forces of evil for so long..."

'I hear you Gnarl' Keyon grumbled in his mind. 'Now what do you want Gnarl?'

"Beware him Sire! The man with the harp!" Gnarl pleaded, a little too forcefully to Keyon's liking. "That's Paul Stringmaze, the Bard of the band that attacked the tower! It would be unwise to attack him now without any Minions or armor. Bards are tricky little blighters.. never know what they'll do."

"Hail and will met fellow adventurer." Paul said suddenly, stopping his playing to look up at Keyon. "I suppose you came to hear of I and my companion's exploits."

Only now that Paul had stopped playing his instrument did Keyon get a good look at it. It was wooden and unpainted yet it was expertly carved to resemble oak leaves on the top and the clawed feet of a dragon at the bottom. Keyon would enjoy hanging it in his room next to the bard's severed head.

Despite the bubbling bloodlust in Keyon's heart at the sight of the man he kept his wits and showed nothing but mild interest. A trick his mother had taught him. "I heard from some that the mighty Overlord was defeated. I hoped to meet these mighty heroes."

Paul smiled, enjoying this lukewarm praise greatly. "Aye, we did kill the evil one, and destroyed much of his tower. We even rescued all the maidens that he kept as slaves, making them live in fetid squalor..."

Slaves? Those girls were servants of the tower. Keyon remembered his father asked them to do very little but keep the tower tidy for him in exchange for food and lodging... that and keeping themselves alive, after all that's what keeps good servants alert.

The villagers spat at the mention of the Overlord, utterly swayed by the charismatic man and his fine playing of his harp. Keyon mentally cursed the villagers, he'd be back with a whirling flailing horde to raze this town for it's lack of loyalty.

"I always said these villagers had the loyalty of potatoes Sire. This just proves it." Gnarl said indignantly.

"Now, now good sirs and madams," the bard said, plucking a few strings on his harp. "One good thing came out of the Overlord's presence in this humble town, I got to come to Spree and meet all of you fine folk."

The villagers ate up his flattery and the women swooned again, only this time their husbands did not care for they were totally taken with this good natured hero. Keyon however was not bewitched by this man's words, he saw only the man he would ripping apart later.

"Tell me my friend, is there something you sought here in Spree other than allowing me the honor of knowing you good sir?" Paul smiled, plucking a few more strings.

"Only to know more than the names of the ones who defeated the Overlord." Keyon said, straining the expression that he knew nothing of these heroes, indeed he didn't. "Are they still on the road together?"

"No I'm afraid, they have all returned to their lives." Paul said, his focus more shifted to tuning a string on his harp than Keyon. "The closest that lives here is Evan Tangle who dwells in Evernight among the trees and elves, Fern Dawnborn is the new high priest of Heaven's Peak's church, and Clara Ironfist's monastery is in the shifting sands of the Ruborian Desert."

"And yourself?" Keyon said, indulging the bard with a well practiced intrigued smirk. "Is Spree your refuge or is it true bards have no true home but the road?"

Paul shook his head and smiled. "No my friend, but Spree will do for a few days. I have to sing for my supplies while I plan my next journey."

"I see. Well good bard I take your leave. I will seek you out if I should see any other evils in this land to vanquish!" Keyon bowed, and turned, walking out of the town's main gate.

"Ha!" Gnarl suddenly laughed from the safety of the Tower, nearly making Keyon jump in surprise. "I should have known, bards aren't as smart or as shifty as thieves. That Paul just gave us the location of all his friends. It shouldn't be too hard to hunt them down one by one."

"The idea is... pleasing." Keyon said calmly as he walked up the path towards the large untended herds of sheep in the hills, sword unsheathed. "Do hold on for my arrival Gnarl... I have something to do."

To be continued.

Willam - Thanks dude, and congrats on being first person to review FF's first Overlord fic!

Random person- Thanks a heap person. XD

Anon - Always willing to help. People often don't write the interesting fics, they often just spit out the same thing everyone else does, just a little different. I prefer to write things as an example of what I want to see.

Tabansi232 - Thanks, keep an eye on this fic!