A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to The Dark One Rises, I apologize that this took a little bit to come out but I will try to upload a new chapter at least once a week when able. Anyway I hope you enjoy this new chapter. SM.
Again I don't own Overlord.
When the light receded I found Gnarl and myself looking over a rather pleasant hill with the Tower Gate at the center with the minion gates surrounding it. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the sheep were bleating in the distance. I already hate it, it was all just to bright, cheery and peaceful. "Hideous isn't Lord try not to breath it in." Gnarl mentioned as he started to move away from the Tower Gate. "Believe me Gnarl I have no intention of doing that."
As we start to descend from the hill I wave at the minion gate and call for the three browns back at the Tower. They jumped out of the gate and ran up to me waiting for orders. "Did you three finish setting the jester up in his new... position?" I asked wondering if I will need to deal with that shithead once I returned. "Yes Master, he broke and put up tight." The middle replies, before all three start to laugh at what happened to the unruly minion.
I shake my head mildly amused at the minions simplicity. Then we walked forward down the hill until we heard what sounded like the baying of sheep then the minions started to shout "Sheepies". Gnarl then spoke up, "Ah yes sheep, rather stupid creatures but they have their uses." "Agreed. Minions kill the sheep and bring me their lifeforce." I ordered. The minions shouted in glee as they started to slaughter the sheep. "As a side note Sire, the animals in these parts tend to be a bit frisky so once you return here they will have repopulated to some degree." I nodded in understanding as I watched the minions work. Once they had finished they brought me back about seventeen orbs, when I took each they glowed brown before disappearing into my gauntlet.
"Quite a good haul Master, now we have even more browns." Gnarl said to me from behind, "For a start." he said with a smirk. "Well Gnarl what did you except from a herd of sheep, regardless stay here for a moment." I walked back to the Tower Gate and the brown minion gate and called for all of the new minions to come forth. " Follow" I ordered as I walked back to the clearing to find the first three browns eating on a sheep.
I shook my head as I waved for the three bloody browns to join the group, "Alright lets go find the Tower Heart now I am already getting tired of this land." "Right this way Master if you would send some minions to clear this pillar." I waved my hand at it with the mental command and five of the minions started to move it aside. We continued on until we ran into a pumpkin farm where the farmer was raving on about how evil pumpkins were and how Halflings had taken over his farm. I held up my hand before he could continue and said "If I get rid of the Halflings will you shut up!" I finished with a glare. "Yes, thank you Lord I would be greatly inde..." "I said to shut up! Minions kill the Halflings and destroy this farm while you are at it." Ten of them went into the barn to kill the Halflings and break it, while the other half started to tear up the pumpkins. I saw three of them put destroyed pumpkins on their heads, at least I got to hear the death shouts of a few Halflings while the minions were being stupid.
"Ah I see you noticed some of the minions, taste in headgear Sire." Gnarl said while walking beside me. We had just left the farm and the "thankful" farmer behind. "Yes, do they always use such useless things Gnarl?" I asked hoping that they had some sort of brain in their skulls and not just empty space; even though Gnarl was the proof that they had something up there.
"Not always Sire although minions do tend to pick up anything they find. Regardless if it is useful or not but they do at least know what is stronger than what they currently posses and will usually trade up for something stronger." Gnarl explained with a understanding tone. "I was just like them once, oh the things I put on my head and the beings I killed. Ah those were simpler times." With a sigh I replied as I sent the minions to check some crates on a hill that was connected by a fallen tree, "That is somewhat reassuring, but what if they find something they can't use period I don't want them trying to carry something useless and die before I get the fullest use out of them" "Don't worry about that Sire," Gnarl began as the minions returned some wearing actual armor and had real weapons," anything they can't use they will bring to you, potions, gold, heads, anything really, although it partially derives from them not having any pockets to hold such items."
Before we could continue we came upon a group of sleeping Halflings. Myself not being able to resist such an opportunity and needing something to do, I signaled the minions to wait. I walked up to them and swung my axe in a downward arc at the first sleeping one, the blade bit into its skull causing blood and brain to spray out. The noise of the skull breaking must have woken up the other two because they tried to get on their feet and fight back, a pointless gesture really. I kicked the second of the fat midgets towards the minions and they began tearing into it with glee. As the third one got within its reach to try and stab me I heard the pitiful screams of the second Halfling, it sounded a bit like a sweet tune one would sing on a pleasant day. Feeling a little charitable I let the last idiot take a couple of swings at me, it failed miserably at even getting close but it had a chance. Growing bored now, I picked it up by its fat neck and started to squeeze, it struggled until I heard a satisfying crack and felt an orb of lifeforce enter my gauntlet.
Dropping the now dead Halfling I noticed the body dissolve into a black and sickly yellow cloud. "Ah Master that there is Evil energy, it forms in all of us evil beings, the larger the cloud the more evil the being." Gnarl stated with mild interest. I looked at the disappearing cloud and wondered how large mine or Gnarl's was.
We continued on for only a moment until we came upon a giant orb, that was a clear/blue color, surround by pumpkins. ""Gah these idiots were using the Tower Heart to grow pumpkins, they didn't even realize the power that it has." Gnarl began with disgust in his tone at how the Tower Heart was being used. "At least we have it now, although," while speaking I sent a command to the minions to clear the pumpkins and pick up the Tower Heart, "It is not what I was expecting it to be like. It almost looks like a source of good magic and not a source of evil." "Ah Master," Gnarl said as we began heading back to the Tower Gate now that the browns had grabbed the Heart and apparently one of the smarter minions made a short cut by breaking down an old wall near the site, "Looks can be deceiving as you will find out once we retrieve the green minions."
I raised an eyebrow at that but let it pass for now as the minions placed the Heart on the Gate's portal. With a flash the Heart disappeared I turned back to Gnarl and asked "With the Heat back at the Tower the Gate has power now correct?" "Yes Master, I take it there is a reason you asked." Gnarl asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, minions go back to the hill and gather the sheep. Bring them back to the Gate to send to the Tower." I finished as they went to do their task, I turned to Gnarl to explain, "I want actual food to eat at the Tower and not whatever you and those first three minions ate till you found me, hence why I am making them bring the sheep." I explained. Gnarl nodded in understanding, "Well Lord looks like that problem will solve its self especially once we fully restore the Dark Tower." He said pointing towards the minions coming with the carcasses of the sheep, once the last sheep was transported back I went through and arrived back in the throne room.
It still looked like a shithole at the moment but it had power now and that was already a huge improvement. "Look sire it appears the Tower Heart was able to retain a few useful artifacts." Gnarl said with an energetic tone, "Looks like it still has the fire spell, I should have known he would have managed to stick around, I help you understand how to use him when you return to the outside lands. Oh it even has one of the minion pillars that should be useful." "While the fire spell sounds self-explanatory, what is this minion pillar Gnarl?" I asked looking at the carved dragon head that was now mounted up on the balcony above the throne. "Pillars Master, are artifacts that augment your abilities and your minions. The minion pillar gives a slight increase of durability and strength to the minions nothing drastic but definitely helpful. It will make them harder to kill in the long run especially if they have good armor. Also, there are health pillars that will increase your own durability and strength, similar to the minion pillars, while mana pillars increase the amount of magic you will be able to use." Gnarl explained while standing near the viewing pool.
I look over at Gnarl, having heard and understood what he explained but with something a bit more pressing on my mind. "Gnarl, we have the Tower Heart now so tell me who are these "heroes" that left me in that hell I was in until earlier today." I said to him waiting for him to start. "Master perhaps we should wait before delving in to that, there is still much we have to do before you can go after them." I look over at him and with an extremely qualm and quite voice I said to him as I walked towards him slowly, "Gnarl you said that you would tell me after we retrieved the Tower Heart," I started to glare at him and noticed that Gnarl was actually starting to look concerned, " Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't force you to tell me and put you in a position where you think what is happening to the jester is sweet relief." I finished as I was standing directly over him glaring into his eyes.
Gnarl sighed before answering, "Well Lord the reason I am still hesitant to inform you is because you have just awakened after a long slumber, and while you are certainly strong enough to deal with one of those idiots by themselves if they were to gather in any way they could overpower you. They did kill your predecessor as I stated earlier and if you knew you would charge after them without a care. Leaving us without a Overlord and you being dead."
I could see his points and in fact he was right as much as it pains me to agree with the little bastard right now, I sighed heavily then answered, "Fine I will wait a little longer but you will tell me once the Tower is repaired do I make myself clear." "Of course Lord now if you will I believe that there is more you can do in the land before the day is through." Gnarl said with a grin. "Ok, and what will you be doing while I am out in the lands?" "I will remain here I am not able to withstand the bright light and peaceful feeling that flows out of that land in fact I might visit the jester and pummel him a bit." Gnarl finished with a cackle. I joined him with a laugh "Just don't kill him, if he pisses me off enough one day I would rather be the one to end the bastard than you." I walked into the viewing pool after I finished and vanished with another flash of light.