Zephyr spent a lot of time preparing for his march into the Ruborian Desert. Arming and armoring his personal horde in Arcainium, bringing a satchel of potions, aside from bringing the whole army, he was as prepared as he could possibly be. At least he thought he was until he was hit with the full blast of the desert heat, and on top of all that, Gnarl's commentary was as soothing as usual.
"Watch the sand... It gets in all your crevices! Jewel must have her hideout around here." Doing his best to ignore Gnarl, Zephyr began to look around. Finding what looked like bone barricades, he discovered that even fully upgraded Arcainium was useless when he tried to smash through them.
"I wish my old bones were as tough as these, sire. You'll need something with a little more kick to break through them!"
"If my luck holds out, we should find some form of high yield explosive just laying around." Zephyr then spotted a raider standing guard on a ridge. As he charged up the ridge after him, the coward ran.
"Be wary, master, no doubt that guard will alert his friends."
"More lams for the slaughter!" Zephyr screamed as he charged the guardpost. Willing his minions to bring the pain, Zephyr let out a wicked laugh as only one of the guards managed to make a run for it. He felt his blood pumping as he chased down the survivor, only for his prey to be stolen from him when the raider ran across open sand. The ground shook before a massive sandworm erupted from the ground, devouring the man before Zephyr's eyes.
"These beasts are extremely tough, dark one. Avoidance is the best tactic. Prolonged movement on the sand seems to agitate them."
"Don't worry, Gnarl. I'm not going to pick a fight with the giant invulnerable sand monster just yet." Zephyr timed it perfectly. He rushed his minions to the other side of the sand as fast as he could. Soon running into giant beetles unlike any he had faced before.
"Blaster bugs! Carful, sire, they're powerful. The clue is in the name!" All it took was one swing with his ax before the bug started fizzling and steeming up. Zephyr got out of the way just in time before it exploded, to the cheer of his minions.
"Bug fall down, go boom! HA!"
"Minions clearly don't know the difference between secluded and safe! Apologies, sire, their brains are quite tiny."
"So I've noticed..." Zephyr looked over the damage caused by the explosion, then had a wicked plane. He moved into what looked like the bugs breeding grounds, willed a minion to grab a larva, and lured one over to where a bone barrier was. Then his reds lit the bug on fire, blowing it up and destroying the barrier.
"Now, to test if it also works on my other problem." Zephyr willed his minion to grab up another larva, this time willing the poor bugger out onto the sand. The worm ate both the minion and the bug, and the explosion hurt the beast.
"Splendid, sire! That's evil thinking! Another mouthful like that, and they'll be nothing but pretty sand patterns!"
"Thank you, Gnarl." Zephyr then began to use the bugs to clear his path, and he soon found his quarry while backtracking. Jewel was around the tower gate, commanding her forces to lay an ambush.
"You and you, over there! You two stay here! Why fight when you can pay others to do it for you? Everyone has a price!" She said to herself, feeling rather brilliant it looked like. Zephyr remembered hating that arrogance, but nothing else about her, really.
"She's bearly left the crib! That young lady needs a smacked bottom!"
"Oh, I think that bottom is going to get a lot more than smacked by the end of the day, Rose." Zephyr Then quickly willed his minions to clear out his would-be ambushers. After he used a blaster bug to clear his path, he continued his pursuit of Jewel. It was then that Gnarl made his opinion known, but this time he had something of use to say.
"I have a suggestion, sire. When you find Jewel, don't kill her!"
"What?" Rose gasped, clearly as shocked about Gnarl wanting not to have an enemy killed as Zephyr was.
"That little flibberty gibbet knows much of these lands. Capture her, and I think I can persuade her to be a little more... talkative!"
"I think we would be better suited to that task, master." Infernia interjected. A little giggle came from her as well, most likely thinking about the best ways to do it. Zephyr used blaster bugs to clear a path through the sands, finding what he considered an odd sight. A raider group guarding black sheep.
"AW! New sheepies!" One of his minions screamed as Zephyr charged the raiders, slaughtering them as well as the sheep.
"It's so nice to see new places... Meet new people... And kill them!" After that distraction, Zephyr chased Jewel until she jumped over a large trench he could not cross. He used conveniently placed blaster bugs to clear the worms out of the sands around the village she was hiding in, finding a way into what looked like a side fort. Clearing out the raiders guarding the place was only a little more difficult than average, seeing as some of the raiders had bombs. He then used more blaster bugs; he made a mental note to exterminate them when he was in charge, to clear away into the trench. Finding first hand that it was a fire mote filled with red beetles and red bomb-throwing raiders, he somehow made it through to the village. Killing every raider he came across, he soon caught up to Jewel, admiring the mother goddess statue.
"What better object to steal than the one everyone wants? Can't imagine why, it's an ugly-looking thing!" Noticing that she had been caught, Jewel made a run for it. It was then that Gnarl decided to annoy Zephyr with his voice.
"I've managed to increase the energy of that tower gate. But not for long... If you can drive her across the gate, I will transport her to your tower. No place to run there!" Zephyr chased after Jewel, killing her raiders while keeping one foot ahead of him. She was even feeling confident enough to start gloating.
"Having things is not nearly as much fun as stealing them!"
"I would be lying if I said you were going to face justice for your crimes, but you are going to pay for pissing me off!" As all the raiders were killed, Zephyr willed his minions to block off any possible escape route, forcing her into their trap. The look on her face when she stepped onto the tower gate and got teleported away was just too much for Zephyr not to start laughing.
"Good! Our guards are currently incarcerating her. Return when you wish to begin ahhhh... Speaking to our prisoner."
"In a minute, Gnarl, I have to go retrieve that statue." It was then that Zephyr noticed the eyes looking at him from every window and doorway. The villagers did not know what to make of him, he did not blame them. But what shocked him the most was when a child hiding in an ally ran over and hugged his leg. She had all the trappings of a street urchin but somehow still looked as cute as a button.
"Thank you for killing all the bad men and making the mean lady go away."
"Your quite welcome, and what is your name?" Zephyr said as he got down on one knee to be on her level.
"Vitani."
"That's a pretty name you got. You have a family?"
"No, sir. The mean lady killed my mama and papa when they tried to stop her from taking our things."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Vitani. Tell you what, you find the most important person in town and tell them to come over here and talk to me. And I'll reward you with this, deal?" Zephyr then held up a gold bag he got off of one of the raiders. And from the twinkle in her eyes, it seemed that it was the most amount of gold she had ever seen in her life.
"DEAL!" She said as she ran off. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit; she was a cute kid. She soon came over with an older woman in colorful robes. From the staff she carried, it seemed like she was in charge.
"This is matron Malaka. She's the most important person in the whole village!"
"Well, a deals a deal. Here you go, squirt, don't spend it all in one place." He then tossed her the bag of gold. She hugged him again and ran off.
"At least you seem like a better class of thug than Jewel was. But that remains to be seen, evil one." Malaka said as she glared at his shoulder spikes.
"So you know the nature of such things, what are you a wise woman?"
"Wise enough to know trouble when I see it."
"Rest assured that I bare your people no ill will. Simply bow down and accept me as your overlord, and I promise that your people will prosper."
"And if we resist your rain of tyranny?"
"You're a wise woman, you tell me." Zephyr and Malaka locked eyes for what felt like an eternity, both seeing the other for they truly are. Him seeing a person who is more dangerous than she looked, while she sees a man who rains hell on his enemies but shields his people from it.
"The village of Worms Rest will bow to you overlord Zephyr." She said before getting down on her knees before him.
"No, none of that. You are citizens, not subjects." He then mentally signaled Gnarl to send a garrison of minions to the village. The people came out of their homes to see but were still a bit skittish.
"The blue ones are healers, if you have any sick or wounded, they will help you. The rest will be making repairs to infrastructure when needed and or build new buildings when required. Now I will be taking that statue. Good day." Zephyr then moved on, willing the minions under his command to grab the mother goddess statue. But was stopped by two dead elves of all things before he made it to the tower gate.
"I beg you, bring the statue hither so it may be returned to Evernight." It was then that Gnarl made his stupid opinion known.
"It would make a rather lovely tower ornament, sire. I'm sure mistress Rose is desperate to give it a good dust!" Zephyr then ignored Gnarl, as usual, and willed his minions to drop the statue.
"You have done the elves a great service. We will not forget this."
"See that you don't. I would hate for my benevolence to be taken advantage of." Zephyr made sure that the elves could feel the malice in his voice before they left. He then used the tower gate to return home, seeing that Jewel had been put in a go-go cage.
"The young lady has been restrained, sire." Gnarl said in a delighted tone as Zephyr walked over. His minions and the succubi circled the cage menacingly.
"Let me go! Do you know who I am!? Do you know who I work for!?"
"A spirited creature, a few days in my iron maiden should sort that out!"
"Why, Gnarl! You've been holding out on us." Demona said, crossing her arms. Jewel suddenly became far less brave.
"Look... Wait, I don't do pain. The wizard.. He wanted me to pinch the statue. No idea why, he even paid me! Ha, I would have done it for free! There's nothing like the rush of the steal!" Suddenly the ground started to shake, and Jewel gained back her bravado.
"That's Kahn! He's coming for me! I wouldn't want to be you right now!"
"Minions! Lock this tramp up in the kennel while I deal with this!" The minions picked the cage up and ran off with Jewel while Zephyr walked to the tower portal.
"That warrior isn't happy that you've snatched his lady friend, lord. He's attacked Spree! You must stop him before he kills all your worshipers!"
"Gnarl! Have the succubi come with me! Send word to Evernight to have their forces aid me! And get me in contact with The black dragon chapter in the area!" Zephyr said as he rushed off to save his first conquest from being conquered.