A/N: Thanks to my one reviewer. =( Well, here's chapter 2
Chapter II: Voluntary Obligation
Hanson awoke in a comfortable bed in an airy room with an open window. The summer breeze blew through the window and birds chirped on the trees outside his window. Suddenly, the chirping stopped and the smell of roasting bird wafted through the window. Hanson got out of bed and looked outside. Outside his window, around fifty feet down, red minions were throwing fireballs at singing birds, sometimes even roasting them in mid-flight.
"Ah, you're awake," Gnarl said from his position by the door. Hanson began to move, but his head began to swim and he sank to his knees.
"I advise against rapid movement for now," Gnarl said. "The spell has to wear off fully first. Usually those hit with this spell sleep for at least another twelve hours. You show an unusual tolerance for magic for a simple man. Where do you come from?"
"I come from the Northlands," Hanson replied. "At least, that's where I lived my entire life so far. I worked as a woodcutter until I set out to seek my fortune down south. I traveled by boat until I arrived in Heaven's Peak and continued towards Spree on foot. The rest of the story, you already know."
Gnarl nodded and considered the man's words. Hanson was definitely dressed for a colder climate than the eternal summer of Mellow Hills and his choice of weaponry at the Spree confrontation a day ago definitely supported his claims of being a woodcutter.
"Who are you, might I ask," Hanson inquired. "After all, you did kidnap me, so I believe an explanation is in order."
"I am Gnarl, Minion Master and Loyal Servant of Darkness," Gnarl said with a bow. "And I brought you here to be a contestant in the tournament to choose a new Overlord."
Northlands
King William swung with his sword of the Light, cleaving the zombie in half. Around him, other paladins struck out with their weapons of choice against the undead that were blocking them from the cave entrance. That foul sorcerer will pay for this, William thought. He felt pity for the villagers that had been killed and raised as a shambling horde of zombies to serve the evil sorcerer's bidding. By the time the villagers had gotten an audience with him, fifty people had been transformed into the horde that William was slashing at right now. Even though William had brought a score of paladins and threescore swordsmen, they were outnumbered by the zombie horde that had reached sixty by the time William had arrived. Despite the numerical disadvantage, William's forces had battled bravely, cutting the zombies down to twenty. Now, William and his men prepared for what they hoped would be the final assault. The wind cut to the bone and the snow crunched beneath the men's armored boots as they charged. The last few zombies were cut to pieces and the men cheered. The cave mouth yawned before the fifty-one men and the wind whistled shrilly through the black looming hole in Nordberg Mountain.
"Forward!" William yelled, pointing his sword at the cave mouth. The men cheered as they ran forward towards the cave. Then, a fireball soared out, enveloping ten of William's swordsmen. As a second fireball hurtled towards William, he summoned the forces of the light to form a shield around himself. The sorcerer, who had stepped out of the cave mouth, attempted to penetrate William's shield with more fireballs, but they dissolved into nothingness as they hit.
The sorcerer then gathered Dark Energy around himself and formed a field of Darkness around his staff. The sky darkened from the power of the spell and William felt something invisible crushing his shield. The paladin king closed his eyes and focused all his power into his shield. William's years of devotion to the Light paid off: the energy around him shone so brightly that it shattered the sorcerer's evil spell and sent some of the energy flying back at him. The sorcerer collapsed on the ground, shuddering and losing blood.
William walked up to where the sorcerer lay. Blood flowed from the sorcerer's lips and froze when it dropped to the ground. His lips moved, he was trying to say something! William bent down and heard the rasping voice.
"You will travel all over this world and vanquish many evils through the power of the Light," the dying man said. "But remember : every light has its shadow, and even the brightest candle can be put out. Above all else however, remember that Evil will always find a way…"
The sorcerer went limp and his last breath left him. William closed the man's eyes and stood up, walking towards his horse. On the way back to the village, William pondered the sorcerer's ominous message: Evil will always find a way… William shook his head to clear it. If that was a prophecy, he thought. I'd best be on my guard…
Dark Tower
"A new Overlord?" Hanson asked. "What happened to the old one?"
"Nothing, but he is getting old," Gnarl said with a sigh. "Have you not noticed the lack of fear in Spree? Five years back, pants turned brown at the very mention of him."
Hanson had heard legends about the Overlord, a powerful warrior backed by a Demonic Army that had swept through the lands, conquering all before them until he was met by King William, a mighty paladin, who was blessed by the light. The two armies met in battle, but neither could win and the two leaders made a treaty that would let the Overlord keep what he had conquered but forbid him from conquering any more. The border between the Overlord's Dark Domain and the rest of the world was a massive canyon called Deathwind Pass that was created when William and the Overlord's most powerful spells met in midair, splitting the land and making it devoid of any life.
"Unfortunately, the treaty prevented the Overlord from expanding his Dark Domain or we would have found you sooner," Gnarl said. "Now you must make your choice, Hanson Strongarm."
"What choice?" Hanson asked
"Will you participate in the competition or will you repay the Overlord through menial labor in the dungeons?" Gnarl inquired.
"Glory or slow death?" Hanson asked himself. "It seems I don't really have a choice," Hanson said, turning to look at Gnarl. "Do I?"
"Indeed you don't," the Minion Master said. "It's a voluntary obligation…"
A/N: Review plz!