(A/N): This chapter is mostly here to develop Assira's character. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own the characters I create, not the Overlord series.
Chapter XII: Love at first faceplant
With a flash of light the Overlord re-appeared next to the Tower Portal in time to see the Tower Heart descend into the pool of water that was the Tower Portal. The water began to shimmer with a cool blue light and a feeling of power flowed thought Hanson. He felt all his aches disappear, and the Overlord felt better than he ever had before.
"Now that the Tower is reactivated, a crane would be extremely handy," Gnarl suggested as he reappeared. "Then, the minions could restore the Tower to its former glory." "Agreed," Hanson said. "The villagers should have a crane that they would be glad to part with in payment for their continued safety."
"Excellent plan sire, but we should also recover the looters' hoard. Who knows how much wealth is in there, possibly even more Tower objects."
The Overlord stepped into the Tower Portal and drew on the nearly infinite energies of the Tower Heart to propel himself to the Spree tower gate. Once there, he called fifteen browns to him and sent them to the looters' camp to recover all the treasure the looters had amassed.
Hanson entered Spree to cheers of joy and admiration. "Here comes our savior!" someone shouted. The Overlord did what Gnarl had trained him to do; he got onto a table, took off his helmet, and waved to the adoring crowd.
"My name is sir Ryrin," he began. "I was sent here by the paladin king William to root out the Evil in this land." The crowd cheered some more, but Hanson held up a hand. "I find myself in need of a crane to repair the Tower in which I have decided to reside. Does anyone know where I can find one?" "We have a crane near the north gate!" A villager called out. "You're welcome to it m'lord!"
The Overlord nodded and got off the table, replacing his helmet as he went towards the north gate. By the time he got there, the browns had finished ferrying the looters' treasures, and had returned. With a casual flick of his left arm, Hanson ordered the browns to pick up the crane.
Assira woke up in a cold, damp, and dark stone cell with a splitting headache. The only light in the dungeon seeped through the cracks in the walls, providing barely enough light to see by. She could remember threatening the knight that had come to her rescue, but after that, nothing. Assira rubbed the back of her head and became aware of a strange creature that was watching her from the other side of the cell bars. The creature was dressed in a raggedy robe and had a lantern attached to its back with a stick.
"It is good to see you awake," the creature said. "I am Gnarl, minion master and devoted servant of Darkness. And you are…?" "Assira," she answered. "Do you plan on letting me out of here anytime soon?" "That," Gnarl answered, "is for the Overlord to decide."
The minion master reached through the cell bars and placed a wooden bowl of soup, a spoon, and a clay cup filled with a brownish liquid of unidentifiable origin.
"We didn't have time to relight the torches, so eat fast unless you plan on fighting off rats." With that, Gnarl produced Assira's dagger and tossed it to her and left, shuffling up the stairs.
Assira quickly began to eat, shoveling the soup in her mouth and guzzling whatever was in the cup. Curiously, she began to feel better: her headache was gone and she felt completely rejuvenated, ready to take on the world.
Assira felt for the secret pockets she had scattered across her leather armor, smiling as she realized that she had not been searched. No doubt that knight had been too ashamed to actually touch her. Once again, her figure had saved her. Assira reached into the pockets and pulled out several lockpicks, quickly picking the rusty lock. She stealthily made her way out of the cell, closing the door behind her. Assira crept up the stairs until she reached a half-rotten wooden door. With a gentle push, the door opened and she was free. She dashed forward, her fiery hair billowing behind her, until her progress stopped when she ran into something solid, unyielding, and metallic.
Hanson emerged from the Tower Portal satisfied. He had acquired a crane for the reconstruction, and now, all he had to do was recover the other three minion tribes: red, green, and blue. The Overlord's thoughts were interrupted when someone ran right into him, uttering a low gasp as they made contact. He looked down and was unsurprised to see the woman he had "rescued" yesterday.
Assira looked up dazedly, and saw the knight that had had rescued her, whom she had consequently threatened. Assira tried to pull away, but upon looking down realized that she had her arms wrapped around the stranger's waist. She flushed slightly, and let go, sinking to the floor.
"I see that you've met Assira sire," Gnarl said from the nearest set of stairs leading up. "Indeed I have," Hanson said. He reached down and lifted the young woman with ease, carrying her bridal style to the nearest intact column. The Overlord set Assira down and turned to Gnarl, taking his helmet off and observing the beginnings of the reconstruction critically. "It's a little threadbare sire, but progress is being made." Hanson looked at the wooden scaffolding that was holding up the columns and decided to take Gnarl at his word.
"We've successfully re-opened the private quarters sire, and with it, the library. The texts that survived five years in open weather should be on the bookshelves or scattered on the floor."
Hanson lifted the barely conscious Assira and carried her upstairs. Gnarl suppressed the urge to follow and busied himself with directing the repairs.
Hanson placed Assira onto his bed and wandered over to the library, looking at the countless books, thinking about his next move. A few minutes later, Gnarl burst in, moving faster than the Overlord had ever seen. "Sire!" he said breathlessly. "I've found the red minions!"
(A/N): Well, I hope you enjoyed the bits of fluff artistically placed throughout the chapter.
Tune in tomorrow for a chapter that has absolutely nothing to do with the recovery of the red minion tribe (sarcasm).
Please review, even anonymously. It motivates me greatly and constructive criticism helps me improve my writing style.
~RussianOverlord~