(A/N): Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! I cordially invite you to read this newest chapter of Son of the Overlord. Formalities aside, I deeply apologize for the lack of updates (MW3 is partly to blame), and plan to upload more this week. I have the next few chapters ready to upload, so please read and review!
This chapter attempts to begin to strike the sparks between our young hero and his potential mistress, owing to the lack of lovey-dovey drama (isn't it disgusting?).
TL;DR: I'm back, will upload more this week, guaranteed.
Disclaimer: I lay claim to the souls of the characters I create. The rest belong to Triumph, etc.
Chapter XVII: Greens and levitating thieves
Hanson moved forward confidently, carelessly stepping on the plants that grew near the side of the path he was walking on. His minions followed in a blob, looking cautiously to each side. The Overlord's newly enhanced senses allowed him to sweep the surrounding area for hidden dangers. The dark center of the forest looked as bright as the sun on a summer day, which suggested substantial dangers.
"If I may make a suggestion sire, I would recommend extreme caution and stealth before venturing into the first Overlord's tomb. I suggest acquiring the greens before progressing further."
"Agreed," Hanson said and nodded. The Overlord sat down and reached out with his newfound power, feeling the land around himself. Hanson reeled back as he felt a particularly pungent smell hit his mind.
Without a word, the Overlord stretched to the maximum of his imposing height, Durium armor clanking. Hanson summoned his minions to his side and began to progress towards the green minions.
The forest of Evernight had a reputation of being monotonous to the untrained eye, which often led to the deaths of travelers who did not have the favor of the elves that dwelt there. The Overlord, despite not having the elves favor, was able to charge the front of his armor with corrosive energy that burned away the undergrowth in front of him as he moved colder and closer to the green minions.
Assira was being kept in the dark, literally. Gnarl had sent her to the chamber she inhabited and ordered her to stay inside. Her meals were brought to her by minions, and no less than five browns stood guard outside her door. She had tried distracting them, but whatever Gnarl threatened them with was working to keep them on task.
Assira still had access to the books that filled the shelves, and judging from the titles, this chamber had been the dwelling of a mistress of the Overlord some time long since forgotten by all except Gnarl.
The fiery woman refused to be cooped up inside her room, so she had spent the better part of three days trying to find another way out. She had heard many stories of maidens that had been locked in towers, but she had enough sense to know that no knight was coming for her. Her background contained nothing of particular interest or noble ties.
Looks like it's all up to me…again, she thought as she absently leafed through yet another book, this one on the practical applications of magical fields that could be warped to suit almost any purpose. Assira brushed her red-orange hair out of the way as she found a likely-looking paragraph.
Through application of a specific variation of magical fields to the hands and feet, it is possible to achieve either attraction or repulsion to a surface. Thus, while true flight is not possible, it is possible to hover above a surface or to hold on to something with the strength of the mightiest dragon.
While the incantation is simple enough, true masters of the arcane utilize magic without incantations, using simple raw energy and an iron will to bind it into the desired form.
The simplest way to achieve a feat like this is to experience strong emotions that harness the raw magic energy of the mage in question.
Assira grinned to herself as she read the ancient text. It would be simple enough to use the incantation to escape out the window. However, as she read on, the incantation was written a language she could not decipher despite many attempts. In the end, she ended up with nothing more than a headache.
Assira huffed and flipped back to the original paragraph. The message was clear enough: nothing was going to come easy. "Strong emotions…" she muttered. "Well, no use sitting around, might as well try."
The past thief sat down on a rug in the center of the room and gathered every scrap of hate she could muster. If the text wanted strong emotions of repulsion, it would get them.
Hanson could feel the presence of the green minions drawing nearer with every step he took, as well as a presence that wavered in and out of his awareness. "I suggest extreme caution sire," Gnarl said, clearly able to sense as much as Hanson "There's no telling what that being could be. I will check the historic records for information, but even the might not contain the answers to this puzzle."
Hanson loosened the Durium sword in its sheath and kept his right hand on the hilt, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble. "You shouldn't have come here…" A strange voice reverberated through the trees that surrounded the Overlord and his minions. "Only death awaits those who seek it."
"And you know what I seek?" Hanson asked the voice. "Of course…you are not the first, and not the last. Many wish to wed our beautiful queen, but she bows to no man, no matter the race or upbringing."
The Overlord cocked his head slightly and Gnarl's snorts of laughter could be heard along with the shuffling of pages. "It appears we are dealing with a sect of Druids so in tune with nature, that they are hard to distinguish from their surroundings through senses magical and mundane," said gnarl with another snort. "I thought they were wiped out long ago, seeing as their home was burned to the ground. Legend does speak of their queen being of extreme beauty and power. Might be worth it to take a peek."
Hanson gave no sign of his communication with Gnarl and said "I wish to gain an audience with Her Majesty."
"Very well…" the voice said with a theatrical sigh and leaves swirled around the Overlord until an elf dressed in a cloak of leaves stood before him. "This way, my unfortunate friend."
"It seems the green minions are in the same direction as this queen of theirs…I wonder if they could be there," said Gnarl.
Hanson followed the druid in silence, preferring to gaze around as the threes seemed to straighten and grow taller as the unlikely band progressed. At last, the trees parted and a meadow opened up, lit by the sun, the light reflecting off of the golden grasses. At the center of the meadow stood the largest tree Hanson had ever seen.
The Overlord was about to ask Gnarl about it when the minion master answered the unasked question. "If legends are to be believed, and seem to be more and more so as time goes on, this is the Father Tree, the root of all tree-hugging elves on this world. It is quite possible that the greens would be drawn to its power."
A house woven of the living branches of the Father Tree rested at the top of its mighty bows, and a stairway led up to the entrance. "That is the dwelling of our queen," the druid said. "You are free to go anywhere in the camp but Her Majesty's palace. Her guards will cut you down without mercy," The druid warned.
Hanson nodded his understanding and sat down in the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the camp. "A gate has opened for you sire," Gnarl informed. "Perhaps it would be wise to send your minions back to the Tower, as we do not want this queen to know anything about you."
The Overlord waved his hand and the minions scurried to the gate and gleefully leaped onto it.
Assira's brows were knitted in concentration as she focused all her hate on the floor beneath her. Even tough she didn't feel it, she rose a foot above the floor. Her green eyes burst open as she began to tip over, but she managed to steady herself. Elation raced through her as she realized that she was successful.
Assira drifted towards the window, opened it, and began to slowly drift downwards towards the surface.
Hanson yawned under his helmet as Gnarl read all the information that had been collected on the druid queen over the centuries. "She also is capable of bewitch-" Gnarl paused in mid-sentence. "My apologies sire, it seems as your charge has successfully passed the first test I set her. I shall return swiftly."
Assira was halfway down the side of the Tower when her power faltered and she began to plummet to her doom. She closed her eyes and wondered why she'd been so stupid.
Gnarl tapped into the vast maelstrom of magical energy within him and reached out to catch Assira in mid-flight. He set her down on the balcony of the Throne Room and smiled slightly to himself.
Assira cautiously opened her eyes, and realized she was no longer falling to her death. "You have passed the first test," Gnarl began casually. "You are well on you way to becoming a potential mistress for our young Overlord." "What makes you think I want to be his slave?" Assira asked, offended. "Being the right hand of the Overlord is a dangerous and difficult task," Gnarl continued as if he hadn't heard her. "If unlimited power and freedom aren't your preference, you may become a Tower servant, of course."
"I never said I was opposed," Assira began. "Just, why me? Do you do this to every woman you pick up on the roads?" "You show great promise, Assira," Gnarl said, more serious than the young woman had ever seen him before. "Few show as much potential as you. You are already well-versed in the arts of Evil. Deceit. Betrayal for personal gain. All these are central to maintaining a Dark Domain."
"How can you assure my freedom? You can't just ask me to spend the rest of my life with a man I hardly know. That's what royalty do." "You will come to know Him in time. Then you can decide for yourself, but there is an undeniable attraction between the two of you."
"It's nothing more than physical," Assira said, biting her lip. "Perhaps for now," the minion master replied," his claws clasped behind his back. "As I've said before, you will come to know the man behind the armor in time."
"So how old is he really? Is he some demon in human form?" Assira asked again. Not satisfied with Gnarl's assurances. "He is twenty-five, and all too human," Gnarl said, reverting to his slightly humorous tone. "Are you satisfied?"
"For now." "Good. The Tower is now open to you, feel free to explore. I have business to attend to."
(A/N): DUN DUN DUUUN! The plot thickens further…mysterious elvish druids and levitating thieves. I am once again sorry for the huge delay. Review and provide constructive criticism as necessary. ~RussianOverlord~