A/N: I do not own Overlord series, I only own my original characters and designs.
Chapter 03
Thomas spent a little while in the tavern, watching the locals and listening in. There wasn't that much interesting tales to be heard though, and the only one that seemed to be talking of things that he might care about was the elven bard. Yet the fellow's arrogant boasts had began to make Thomas reconsider the idea of going out hunting the wolves as a team. Although he could use the company, it seemed to Thomas that the elf would be a glory-hog and possibly rather whiny about the gold too.
The idea of strangling the elf after a particularily irritating boast actually made Thomas gulp down what was left of his drink and storm out. He had considered getting a room to rest in for the remainder of the day, but he wasn't eager to stay where the elf was. So, he instead made his way to the smithy, looking around at the tools laid out in the open and the large, tall man that had to be the smith himself.
"I've got best weapons and armor in the area, you looking to buy something?" The man spoke proudly, looking at Thomas a bit curiously. He wasn't dressed in the same was as the locals, so maybe it wasn't that hard to tell he was a wanderer. Thomas nod his head calmly, stepping forth to look around, the man gesturing him to follow along to a door to what seemed to be a store-room,with several weapons at ready.
"The locals mostly need some tools but you don't really look like the settling type. Well, if you need something to protect yourself on the roads I got it. Blades, Axes, even a couple of more exotic things. Couple of good maces in here, and some pieces of armor." This was good news, Thomas thought to himself, though he also considered the fact an Overlord should have a suit of armor made by the minions not some local smith, but without his minions he had to make a deal for the time being at least.
"I was looking for a good blade that won't break if handled roughly, I may have to fight a lot in the future and I think buying a quality weapon from the start rather than continuing to buy replacements for cheaper ones that would keep breaking apart would be a good idea." His calm tone and words earned an appreciative nod from the smith, who walked past the gaudy display swords that would've looked good in a hero's hands but would be rubbish for a real warrior. Instead, he was lead before a display of several fine steel and iron swords, organised by their length and model.
"Here you go, I got a few show-pieces here that I could sell, or if you like one of these models but wanted something a little different I can make a new one in a short while." The smith's calm manner earned a smile from Thomas. The man would be a good fellow to keep around in the future then, perhaps. Looking around the displays, he finally made a decision reaching forth to lift a blade from the shelf.
"Ahh, the bastard sword. You can swing it with one hand if you choose to, but using it with both hands would let you put a lot of force to your swings. Its a bit difficult to master but definitely a sword I would recommend for a warrior." The smith's words were serious, and Thomas nod at them once again before checking a small note attached to the blade's handle by a string.
Fifty gold. That was pricy, but the sword was well made and even if it wasn't enchanted he could tell it would prove useful for the time being. Making up his mind quickly enough, Thomas set the blade down and brought his hand before the gauntlet. The pouch with fifty gold coins appeared in an instant, allowing him to pay the smith and lift up the sword once more to leave.
"Wait a second, it does come with a sheath." The smith laughed calmly, bringing up a slender, steel and black leather sheath that was sized perfectly for the sword, earning a smile and an appreciative nod from Thomas who slid the sword to rest within that sheath, then strapping it to his left side.
"I don't have too much gold with me but do you think there might be something I could use for a little while, some armor that would help me out before I can buy a better one?" He inquired seriously, before making another quick decision and continuing. "I can only pay sixty gold anymore though, I need to keep a little in my pocket in case of surprise expenses after all."
Smiling politely the smith nod and moved among the shelves looking around for a bit, before soon returning with a shirt made of small interlocking rings of steel. It looked a bit large for him but quite well made, and while it didn't have long sleeves it had enough to cover the shoulder and the armpit at least, and would reach down to about the height of his belt. "How much is it then?"
"I'm willing to sell it for fifty. I heard you brought in some brigands, so I'm willing to drop that much off the price." The tag on it said '70' so Thomas was feeling grateful for the smith's show of appreciation there. Nodding his head and calling up a second pouch of gold coins, he paid for the shirt before trying it on. As he had estimated, it was a bit too big, but it didn't hinder his movement and it offered some quick protection at least.
"Thank you for your business, I can help resize that for you if you want for a couple of more coins but it'll take me two days, I have a few orders I have to fill first." The smith's words were met with a smile but Thomas shook his head. "I just need a little protection for a while, I might stop by to buy something else, something permanent, later." He grinned and after one more nod of appreciation he headed out, and towards the town's gates.
Riverwood wasn't that bad place really, it had a comfortable tavern, a skilled smith, and from what he had seen a sawmill at the riverside. He made a mental note of trying to conquer the place carefully in the future, if he was to be an Overlord he would have to take the place eventually, but perhaps he might make the locals respect him enough that they wouldn't try rising against him.
As he passed the gates he saw the guards on duty keeping a close eye on the road. He had spent a fair while walking earlier, and his legs were still protesting somewhat, but the rest at the tavern had helped. Being better prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead also helped him out a fair bit. Thomas had not heard the voice in the gauntlet for a little while, but he wasn't particularily bothered by that for now, there was a fight ahead after all and he appreciated the chance to think about things.
It took him a fair while to walk along the road to reach the farms and the area where the wolves were supposedly wandering. The hills had turned to plains after a while, but the terrain was still far from even, and the road had been curving at several places. Still, he could tell he was close by the sight of bloody grass and the remains of several dead sheep at one of the old fields, the fence surrounding the field having holes big enough for a person to ride through with a horse.
Moving over to the field and looking at the dead sheep seriously Thomas tried to figure out if they were recently killed or if they had been dead for a while. Moving closer he didn't see any flies buzzing around, and there was no strong odor of rot either. Large chunks of meat were gone though, whatever had killed the sheep had torn a good amount of meat from them at least.
He moved his gauntlet over the sheep corpses briefly, seeing no life-force floating around though. It seemed that the sheep either didn't have any in this world, or perhaps they had been dead long enough that the opportunity had been missed to harvest from them. He would have to find out later, but right now he needed to track down those wolves.
"Hello there, stranger!" Friendly voice broke him from his thoughts making him to turn and look at a dirty man in a simple overalls, carrying a pitchfork but smiling widely while looking at him. "Are you here about the wolves? Damn beasts keep killing our livestock. They have a lair just over the hills there, but there's maybe six of them so we haven't dared to go ourselves." The man's expression showed a bit of an apologetic smile, but he then grinned widely again.
"But I am sure a strong lad like yourself will have no trouble, eh? Just come on by my farm with the wolf-heads and we'll see to it that you're rewarded sire." The man's eagerness amused Thomas, and he simply nod his head before heading towards the location he had been given. Six wolves wasn't as bad as he had feared, though the number sounded more like a guess than a known fact. Still, it at least calmed him down somewhat.
"Master, while your body is changing little by little to be the imposing figure an Overlord should have, you are not yet quite there my lord. I would strongly urge you to fight dirty and use whatever tricks you can when you go into this fight. Once you have your minions by your side things will be a lot easier to accomplish."
The voice didn't exactly tell him anything new, but grasping the sword tightly as he pulled it free from its sheath Thomas marched ahead wondering just what to expect. He had his spell ready in his left hand, and the sword in his right, ready to act as soon as he would face his first foe. This time he wouldn't be able to talk himself out of trouble, he would need to fight and kill.
Walking over the hill and gazing along the plains, he saw a ridge in the distance with trees growing before it, and a pack of wolves gathered near a small cavern entrance. Grimacing as he looked at them he counted four adult wolves, meaning there might be more somewhere further, possibly inside the cavern. Moving closer, he kept a close eye on them though also listening to his surroundings.
He didn't have to wait long, the wolves got up and growled at noticing him, before the apparent leader, a large gray-furred beast that looked big enough to kill a horse without its pack behind it, let out a howl and began a charge. The other three were quick to move in after it, making Thomas grimace. Past the hills there were few places he could use to form a chokepoint to fight them one or two at a time, so that idea was gone.
Rising his hand as he saw the wolves closing in, he focused his magic to his palm, and glared at the leading wolf. Primal growl arose from his own throat as he thrust the hand forth in a fast shove, a bolt of lightning unleashing with force to slam into the wolf's head, causing a loud yelp and twitching as the wolf collapsed on the ground shocked by the spell. Not enough to kill it though, Thomas noted with annoyance.
The three other wolves didn't lack courage to attack him even without their leader among them, two trying to rush around him no doubt wanting to flank him or attack his back, the last one charging right at him. With a glare at the approaching beast he grasped his sword's hilt, and though he should have been afraid of dying he felt only an urge to teach these creatures their place, the gauntlet's gem glowing slightly.
"Brave but foolish!" He swinged his sword in a sharp, quick slash while then swiftly side-stepping, the slash tearing into the fur and flesh causing a pained howl as the wolf passed him. His body moved with ease, his movement seemed used to fighting as he felt his heartbeat rising, an energy coursing through his form.
The two wolves at his sides charged at him as he raised his left arm to blast one of them with a new bolt of lightning, the sword in his other hand swinged down at the charging wolf's skull, hitting the beast with a force a human should not possess. The cracking of the skull as the blade struck down on it was enough to tell this wolf was out of the fight, even before it slumped to the ground, and the one he gave a facefull of lightning didn't fare any better. Two golden orbs of light shone in the air now, but they would have to wait, the big bad wolf was getting back on its feet and the third of the smaller wolves was coming at him again, this time seeming intent to get its jaws on him.
Thomas thrust his left hand ahead to release a small zap on the wolf's snout when it was closing in, not enough to kill but enough to make it yelp and halt for a second, just enough for him to finish off the wolf with a swift strike down upon its neck. He wasn't about to hesitate with foes that would not hesitate to kill him in turn.
Returning his gaze to the remaining wolf, Thomas had to raise his arm up in defense of his neck, shoving the metal gauntlet between the wolf's fangs as it tried to bite down on him, no doubt intent to rip his throat open. In grasping on the gauntlet and tearing at his left arm however its neck was left exposed to the sword in his right hand, and through the pain Thomas pushed himself forth and stabbed the sword through the beast's neck, ripping the blade down with another inhumane display of force.
The wolf's bite weakened and Thomas yanked his arm free, feeling the small rush of life-force rushing at him now that his foes were fallen. The gauntlet's gem glowed, absorbing a ball of light from each of the three smaller wolves, and stealing five of them at once from the larger grey wolf. The bite on his arm ached but he tried to disregard it, instead going through the grim task of chopping off each wolf's head to prepare to return to the farmers soon, but before that he eyed the cavern the wolves had protected.
Nearing it, he found himself facing two more wolves, growling angrily at him from the shadow of the cavern. The place looked ready for the pack to start having pups. Thankfully he didn't see any at least yet. While he was aware the wolves were a risk to the farmers now that they'd gotten used to attacking cattle, he wasn't entirely sure if he'd be ready to just kill a pup like he might kill a wolf. Thankfully he didn't need to learn that, at least yet.
Rising his hand and unleashing a stream of lightning he watched the two wolves yelping and trembling as the close space left them both vulnerable. He pushed his power on them until a moment later both wolves collapsed, the smoke and the smell of burnt flesh nauseating but at the same time the golden orbs floating towards his gauntlet gave him some comfort. Raising the gauntlet up he waited till they too were captured in the gemstone, feeling content.
Chopping off the remaining wolf heads, he briefly wondered how to carry them along, they didn't exactly fit into his gauntlet's gemstone like the gold or the life-force. Finally looking around and heading back a little way, he spotted an old cart which he dragged along back to the wolves lair from the fields, then dragging the cart back with him. That took a bit of time and effort, but at least it let him carry all the wolf heads along without having to bloody his outfit entirely. By then, his bleeding had stopped, his arm looking bruised where the wolf had bit but no wounds, no scars, just bruises like something had pummeled his arm hard rather than bit down into it.
Deciding to just be grateful for his success, he returned to the farms. Though the grateful shouts from the few workers at the farmstead should have made a hero smile, he mostly just felt tired after the long day, thinking back at how far away from the castle he was at the time. He barely noticed the man from earlier approaching him to offer him a pouch with the gold coins he had been promised, as they moved to set the severed wolf heads at the end of sharpened spikes near their fence.
Briefly wondering if he should ask for a bed to stay the night, Thomas grit his teeth together and shook his head annoyedly, turning instead to walk away. He had cleaned the blade earlier to the dead wolves fur, but he felt his hands were still bloodstained. He saw no blood on them but the feeling was there, he had killed a living being now, he had fought without ever really learning, just knowing how to do so. It had to be part of the changes to becoming an Overlord brought with it.
He still vastly preferred the use of magic, but he had to admit that up close the sword was an useful tool in discouraging any beasts from making a lunch out of him. The armor in the meanwhile was less useful, he would need to get himself a proper minion-made suit of armor soon, and set forth once more when he was first equipped to face the threats that would lay ahead.
"So, I gathered ten life-force from those beasts, how much do I need to start shaping a hive?" Thomas was fairly sure this wasn't enough yet, but he wanted to check for now, walking along the away from the farmlands, silently deciding to pause back at the town to rest and perhaps eat. "Sire, the process of creating a minion hive requires a great bit of magic, stamina and a power of the Overlord's gauntlet behind it. The life-force itself is used to creating the minions, not to pay for the hive's creation. No amount of life-force would do that in itself, but the life-force used during the creation will affect the sort of minions that the hive will create. Of course, a lot depends on the master's wishes, his willpower, and the image he shapes with his mind."
The long answer was a touch confusing to him in his tired state, but Thomas decided to just accept it as it was. He could create a hive and he had the life-force to create his first minions, but he wouldn't create a minion hive before he was back at the castle. Once he would be back there, he would begin and the minions would get their first orders. There was a lot that would have to be done about the place if he intended it to be the heart of his Domain.
Returning to the town of Riverwood Thomas found the guards had been changed, but seeming to be aware of who he was they allowed him passage to the town, saying something that he couldn't quite catch. He doubted it was important right now. Making his way to the inn Thomas cast a brief look to the still drinking, still boasting elf at the bar, before moving to wave over the bartender.
"I'd like a room for the night, a hearty meal to be brought up, and breakfast at dawn." He waited for a moment as the bartender snatched a key from the wall and held it out, another hand besides it palm open. "That'll be four gold then." Silently brushing his fingers over the gemstone of his gauntlet he retrieved the necessary gold to pay for the room and his meals, snatching up the key and heading towards the stairs.
"You'll see, tomorrow morning I'll march out and kill all the damn wolves! None can match my skill with a bow!" The elf boasted, earning a tired sigh from the Overlord Thomas. He was tempted to tell the elf his boasting and drinking had already cost him the opportunity to do that, but silently decided to hold his tongue. It wasn't worth it to call the attention to himself when he was tired, and perhaps the elf would learn something from the experience this way, making his way all the way to the farms to learn the problem had already been solved.
So as he opened the door to his room and stepped inside to take a look at the simple, rough bed as well as the table before a window view a view of the town from the second floor, Thomas finally rested back into the chair and allowed himself to think about how strange the day had been. Exhaustion from spellcasting, fighting wolves with a sword in his hand, twisting the minds of a few pathetic bandits, and dealing with the boasting of a drunken elf. That last one had to be the most damn tiresome thing about the day, he concluded quietly, while waiting for his meal.
OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO
Alright, there's the third chapter and this took a little bit to get together, I had a few versions of the events in mind and was juggling them about trying to decide the way to go ahead. Hopefully the read is entertaining, and I'll return to this tale soon.
With a handful of life-force our Overlord shall soon be calling his first minions to his service, the work on restoring the castle shall begin, and we'll see just where Thomas' path will lead.