Chapter 5:
The pool frothed and churned at the base of the mountain, the noise reverberated up to the tower heart now whole and radiateing the mana not seen since the last overlord.
The churning stopped as the luminous blue faded to black.
A body crawled out. It took the shape of a man, but only just. Mana coursed through its veins, infernal light came from its eyes and the air around it crackled like lightning.
"So how was your week," smiled gnarl from above the new arrivals head.
"Hell!" cursed the overlord, "did…did you say a week?"
"Thereabouts," gnarl said casually pointing at tally marks on the cavern wall.
"Where –,"
"Your mistress, mother and amazon have moved to a cave in the mountain excavated by the spider minions, who also - ,"
"The spider minions? What in -,"
"Well there not really spiders they only have a prehensile tail and an extra set of arms which brings the number up to 7 if I counted correctly….," Gnarl chatted on excitedly as the overlords mind and mana came into focus.
His body felt different. His body had changed. He was bigger, stronger and his mana felt 1000 time greater. He still had much left to change.
He needed armour to control the mana. He needed a weapon to befit his stature but most of all he needed an army to lead.
back in the real world gnarl continued unaware of the overlords regain of focus, "… fantasic builders to think they're the bastard offspring of the green's and browns, which explains –,"
"GNARL!," the latest Overlord commanded, "I need, armour, a weapon and an army."
"Glad you mention it sire. I believe your assorted family may have some ideas on that," Gnarl replied walking out of the cavern at a brisk pace.
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"Darling!" cried the young mistress seeing her lover emerge from the cavern draped in a cloak.
She ran over with her arms outstretched but stopped just short when the full detail of her lover came to sight. He was taller to say the least. His once good, if not great, frame was now one legends were made of. Her father pretends he was this godly, and has statues and a cult to prove it. But still she could not believe this was the same man.
"My Gnarl you look relatively better," commented Velvet breaking the tension.
"Yes miss. I feel like a new minion," Gnarl commented smugly.
"It's all right Victoria," said the overlord to his clearly shocked mistress, "With time, you won't be scared."
He moved in. she made move to step back but caught herself first. They kissed gently both unsure of the power that was at work.
"His ancestors would be proud of what he has become," commented Gnarl.
"His ancestors would be jealous," quipped Velvet admiring her son's new physique, while gnarl admired hers.
"If I could interrupt master," Gnarl said to the enthusiastic couple, "there is some matters to attend to."
"Of course," said the overlord pulling himself from his mistress.
"All commanders of evil need a weapon, Master," Gnarl said clicking his finger to the mountain.
From the rocks of the mountain crawled 6 creatures carrying a sword. The creatures themselves had 7 limbs, all in use for carrying the sword and four eyes, of which two were in use.
"So those are the spider minions," commented the overlord at his latest minion.
"Yes. Soon they shall turn the mountain to your tower, according to your will of course. There is still more to come," said Gnarl as more minions came from the mountains.
The overlord looked down at the sword. He would need his own, forged in his own tower.
He held it aloft in his right arm as the minions fled back to the mountain. It was still sharp after years of being unused. It felt right.
He looked down again to see 2 minions straining under the weight of the minion gauntlet.
"Put this on master it will allow you to control your mana and shall be the symbol of your rule."
"It feels good. It feels right," the overlord said, "Its time to begin."
he turned to his loyal amazon and gestured here near.
"Tamara. Summon your puppets and take me to your tribal chief."
"My lord, I'm afraid they are all dead," Tamara said gathering her gear.
"What happened?" questioned the overlord.
"A few days ago they started screaming and then died."
"Curious, maybe my powers have now become too powerful to control puppets," he contemplated, "but we can't stay we have to build an army Lead me to your chieftess."
And so they rode off leaving the others and the spider minions crawling across the mountain creating a tower.
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"Well they were here," said tamarra staring across the charred remains of her village, "Though, I shouldn't be surprised our chief has always been very gregarious."
"Indeed," replied the overlord as he noticed the tracks on the ground, "Seems like a big migration. Where would they have gone?"
"I have a theory but for now let us follow the tracks," she said turning her horse to follow the tracks.
The overlord followed.
Raising his eyebrow at the amazon he said, "They laid an ambush for us on this path haven't they?"
"Maybe but unlikely. If we lay tracks like this we want to be followed; besides the chieftess would like to kill you personally. There are other prophecies, master."
"And she wants them to be about her. She may be useful. What of my prophecy?"
"If it is true you are to unite the warring tribes, take our greatest chieftesses for brides and lead us beyond the mountains into great battles. A nice thought isn't it. It is a shame my unenlightened sisters don't share my view."
"They will. Who are the chieftesses?"
"Well there are many, probably more than even I know. However my chieftess claims to be divine ruler of them all, and I dare say she has done a lot to prove it. I think your death may just seal it. As we speak she may well have killed of her rivals. We have arrived master."
Indeed they have as they left the forest they looked up on a series of hills now teeming with the activities of the amazons. Wooden stakes sat above a dug trench surrounding the site. Between all the hills sat a giant structure like an egg in a nest.
"Well then. Let us see which prophecy will come true," said the overlord riding to his enemy.
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A hastily constructed gate blocked their passage. Whispers could be heard from the other side.
"Ladies," called the overlord, "I believe I'm expected."
The whispers stopped. The gate creaked open.
"Thank you," replied the overlord as he stared at the young amazons in awe of what they see.
"OVRELORD," heard a booming voice from on high.
He turned to see a large woman riding a bear – certainly impressive which was probably the intent.
"THE LION QUEEN WISHES TO SEE YOU," continued the impressive amazon turning without even looking if he was following. He did.
As he rode through the settlement he looked at the army that would soon be his. Though all fit and young there was little discipline, fights had clearly broken out, whatever counts for blacksmiths leasurely sat by their equipment letting a que form and worst of all many of those on guard we asleep. This was unacceptable.
They reached the structure that sat in the centre of the hills. On close inspection it was a giant arena lined with amazons from all the clans. The differing fur and war paint colours blended into a tapestry of culture. Above it all sat two figures, one a few steps above the other. The highest would be the queen as befitting someone with diving right to rule in their ego.
"Impressive," commented the overlord dismounting his horse – a deceased amazon's if he remembered correctly.
"The lion queen likes to impress. Once you get down you'll see what I mean," commented the bear riding amazon.
"I'll keep that in mind Sonya," the overlord said enjoying the momentary surprise on the amazons face.
"He's amazing isn't he," said Tamara as her master walked into the lions lair.
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A pregnant silence fell over the arena as the overlord walked donw tp the centre of the floor. The floor was stained with blood and out the corner of his eyes her could see bodies being dragged out.
He looked around to see that the crowd was separated into groups or more precisely tribes. Their different apparels and war paint differentiating them from each other. But what stood out the most was there queen.
The amazons didn't take to jewellery or elaborate dresses preferring practicality over all else. But their queen was garbed in rings, necklaces and – dear gods – a tiara on her blonde hair. Under them was a golden silk ball gown. A lion skin cloak with the mane around the neck completed the image. And what an image it was.
On the smaller throne a few steps down stat what appeared to be her daughter in a more modest ensemble, with shorter hair and less jewellery. At the bottom of the throne was a young women barley older than a child with a collar round her neck a chain connecting it to the throne and shabby animal fur to cover her shame.
The queen stared at the new arrival both unsure of what to make of the other.
"I thought you'd be taller," scoffed the queen.
"I thought you'd be stronger," replied the overlord, "you have an army of ill-disciplined tribes with shoddy equipment all lead by a strumpet who thinks herself a ruler."
The laughs from the crowd led to death stares from the queen.
"I have united the tribes for the first time is the beginning of our time. I command them from now till eternity and will lead them beyond the mountains and - ," the queen angrily replied.
"You will lead them to their deaths," the overlord interrupted, "you haven't united them they barely coexist in the same camp."
He let that settle across the arena. The whispers became louder and glares were sent at the queen and were returned in kind.
"How did she unite you?" he addressed the crowd, "did she tell you I would rape you all? Did she tell you you would all die? Unite under me and you will become more than tribes. You will become an army unmatched since the dawn of time."
The roar of the crowd became louder as the queen looked worse and worse. She let an outsider walk in, claim an audience and insult her without any resistance. But there was always the traditional way of the amazon.
The queen stood up from her throne, the magic induced air making her jewellery, cape and hair rise. The veins in her face flowed with mana and for the first time since his arrival the overlord took her seriously. She pointed a ring covered hand at her opponent and shot lightning at him.
The minion gauntlet took the blow. The overlord didn't even notice that he moved it. But there it was. The jewel in the centre of the gauntlet glowed like a fire and when the queen's mana finally dropped the overlord stood tall.
"MY TURN." The overlord growled and out of his gauntlet shot chains of infernal fire. They gripped the throne and its occupiers, dragging it towards the overlord shattering it in a mess of wood and smoke.
The floor of the arena became shrouded in a cloud. None on the outside could see in and none on the inside could see out.
Within the cloud the overlord stood like the eye of the storm. His eyes were powerful but not yet perfected. He could hear coffing from around him but could not tell the source.
His eyes caught something shiny.
A chain. The slave's chain. He followed it to its occupant and kissed her. with this she became his for a short time – he would have to take her fully later but for now she could be usefull.
"MISTRESS!," the slave called into the smoke.
"Shut up you putrid little welp," came a voice from the cloud.
This was all he needed. He reached through the smoke with his chains and caught her in a vice like grip. He lifted her into the air above the cloud so all the crowd could see the plight of their once "great" queen now powerless against her true master. After being in the air for long enough the now former queen was dragged down into the cloud and with a mighty thud she landed. The force from the thud dispersed the cloud, leaving the overlord standing on the remains of the throne holding the former queen by the neck.
The silence was even worse this time. The entire leadership of the amazon race saw for their first time their new master – NO – their new god had arrived.
"Master," said a voice from behind the overlord.
He turned expecting the slave but saw the queen's daughter. Covered in dust as befits her circumstances but still walked up to the overlord like she belonged.
"If you'll allow me?," she asked pointing at her now powerless mother.
The overlord nodded and released her, unsure of what to expect.
The woman placed one hand on each side of her mother's head and with a pulse of blue light he saw the mana being drained from her mother. The victim screamed and howled as it happened but her daughter was unrelenting.
The overlord saw something familiar in her and something he liked.
Once she was done the victim fell to her knees coughing.
"What do you think?" smiled the princess, "because I think we could be a great team."
"Impressive," said the overlord, "but I'm not done yet."
He grabbed the slave's collar, tearing it from her neck. He snapped it on the coughing woman kneeling on the ground.
If she could protest she didn't just stared at her new master and mistress. The full magnitude of the change had not hit her yet, but it will.
"A good start but she deserves worse," said the daughter smiling sadistically, "Slave. Take of your clothes and make the former queen wear them. After that you will be her new handler, in her clothes."
"I think I'm in love," the overlord said out loud.
"Give it time darling," the new mistress said leaning closer to the overlord, "And my name is Andrea."
And they kissed while the amazon race awaited their future.
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