Author's Note: By the Nine, the Gods, or whatever deity you recognize, it's been too long since I updated this. School has ended and I'm finally free… to procrastinate and not update. I promise to be more prompt next time. Enjoy the Overlord's decision.
Spitting Faerie: I'm glad you enjoyed my attempt at humor. I will develop Elizabeth's character more now, since she (spoiler alert) lives in the Tower now. As for visuals, I'll try to be as good as I was before. Please alert me if I go astray.
Overkhryak: I shall spare the mistresses the pain of romancing a refrigerator. If Elizabeth wasn't playing her own game, this wouldn't be any fun, would it?
Manakete King: I'll keep writing, thanks for the vote of confidence.
Lord of the Tsurani: Unless my eyes deceive me, I haven't seen you here before. In that case, welcome, and thanks for the complement. :D
General Herbison: While I like your plan immensely, I believe mine is simpler.
Disclaimer: Overlord blah blah Codemasters, OCs blah blah me.
Chapter XXXIII: The Sacking of Evernight
The Overlord hesitated, unsure of which woman to pick as his mistress. As his head swiveled back and forth, Gnarl decided to intervene.
"Sire, it has occurred to me that although there are two potential mistresses, there are also two towers! The paladins' residence could be restored and rebuilt as your center of power in the human lands instead of that monochromatic and abhorrently white palace."
Hanson glanced at the minion master, inwardly grateful for the chance to appease both parties in the conflict.
"Very well then, I shall do as Gnarl suggests. Both of you shall remain here until my war for dominance is over."
The two mistresses bowed to the Overlord and retreated from the throne. "How goes Chojash's campaign against the elves?" Hanson asked, turning to the minion master.
"I believe that he is about to enter their capital." "Excellent. It is time to dominate the elves and rid myself of another loose end."
The Overlord rose from the throne and slipped his helmet over his head. "My ladies, I'm afraid that duty calls for me to attend to the destruction of the elves." With a grim smile that went unnoticed because of the deep shadows shrouding his face, Hanson vanished into the Tower Portal.
On the outskirts of the elven capital, Chojash was preparing for his final assault. To call it a city would not have done it justice. The buildings were a part of the living forest, nestled among the green boughs. Magical lights provided all the illumination the sun could not, lighting up the forest floor in an unnatural blue light. The only true "building" by human standards was the massive temple of the Mother Goddess, the elves' deity.
The beauty of the forest stronghold was lost on the bandit leader as he scratched his belly and idly nibbled on the grapes one of his slaves had offered him.
"Come on, get up and lead your army!" Chojash's mother said as she prodded her son. The bandit lord grumbled as he stood up off of the throne his slaves carried him around on and stretched, his expensive tunic lifting up to expose the generous gut Chojash had cultivated. Sufficiently limbered, the bandit ambled over to a platform that had been erected at the center of the camp.
"My warriors," he began, stifling a burp. "You have fought admirably, and our battles are almost over. I ask you to take this city and then you shall all be rewarded with plunder and all the women you could ever want!"
The assembled warriors cheered, thrusting their weapons skyward. "Gather the torches for one last bonfire! We shall burn the elves out of their hiding places and assume dominance over this realm!" With a great roar, the bandits streamed towards the elven city, torches raised in preparation for slaughter.
Commander Vesc stood on one of the many platforms that blended seamlessly in with the trees. All around him, and on other platforms, the remains of the ranger corps stood ready, faces grim, arrows already on the strings of their bows.
"Make no mistake, today we fight for our very survival as a species. Make every arrow count. Repay each fallen brother with the deaths of twenty humans!" Vesc roared as he saw what he perceived to be William's army gather for a charge.
The Overlord appeared on the stone platform that was the gate in Evernight. "It seems that the battle is about to begin sire and the zeal is thick in the air. May I suggest waiting until the two armies bloody each other sufficiently for you to step in and claim power?" Gnarl said through the psychic link.
Hanson sat down on the platform and relaxed, legs dangling as he watched the two warring races prepare for their final battle.
Assira watched the Overlord walk towards the Tower Portal in disbelief. She was so sure that Hanson would simply send the princess packing. Instead, she now had to share her Overlord. In the mind of the thief, that was simply unacceptable. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice that Elizabeth had walked over to her and was now smiling sweetly.
"I don't believe that we have properly met. I hope you forgive me for what I said back there," the princess said as she nervously tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I was frightened that Ry." She paused and corrected herself. "…Hanson would send me back home to my overbearing father and stuffy ministers. Now, for the first time in my life, I am truly free."
Assira nodded cautiously, not sure how to proceed. The change Elizabeth had exhibited was more than enough for the thief to be on her toes at all times around the other woman. "I hope that we shall be good friends," the princess continued. "I wish only the best for the Overlord and all those close to him, which now includes you."
Elizabeth seemed sincere, so Assira smiled and held out her hand to her fellow mistress. "Come, I'll give you a tour of the place."
In Evernight, the grass was splattered in the blood of men and elves alike as bandits and elven rangers fought to the death in the enchanted wood. Fires that had been begun by torches had become uncontrollable blazes, lighting up the forest and sending columns of smoke towards the heavens. Night had fallen, and the only light was provided by the raging fires and the magic lights that still hovered in the air, refusing to let darkness claim the scenes of carnage.
"Ah the destruction!" Gnarl commented. "I haven't seen such blazes since the third Overlord. He was quite the pyromaniac as I recall. Unfortunately, it did get the best of him when he tried setting a phoenix on fire. He did burn remarkably well."
The Overlord might as well have been a statue as he gazed down onto the scenes of violence below. Hanson slowly rose as he saw the fight was beginning to die down. With a wave of his left arm, a horde of minions emerged from the gates and formed into a skirmish line.
The onyx armored titan descended the steps from the portal to the blood-stained grass, the minions fanning out in anticipation of the battle to come. The Overlord raised his arm once more, and the minions charged towards his selected target: a group of bandits who had stopped to loot the temple and were now dragging priestesses outside.
"Look at this one," a bandit shouted as he emerged from the hut, his hand clutching at the arm of an elven woman. Her face, surrounded by dark hair, was stained with tears and she was weakly fighting against the much larger man. "You better not let the chief see that beauty, or he'll take 'er for sure," another said, half turning.
The two failed to notice the minions bearing down on them until a brown thrust his spear through the chest of the one who had turned to assess his comrade's spoils. The bandit fell to the ground, blood bubbling up from his mouth, further tainting the ground.
The one gripping the woman did not last much longer, as a red had flung a fireball at him, igniting the man instantly. The bandit began a macabre waltz with Death, but the minions had already passed him, inflicting death upon all that stood in their way.
The Overlord approached the elf woman, who had fallen when the bandit had released her. She looked up at her perceived savior with gratitude and hope brimming in her eyes.
"Do you want revenge on those who have done this to you?" Hanson whispered seductively as he bent over the elf. She nodded silently, her eyes dark and full of hate, the deep shadows emphasizing her fine features.
The Overlord looked to his right, where the minions had surrounded the only survivor of the attack. Surprisingly, he showed no fear when the black-armored man approached.
"Is everything ready?" Hanson asked. "Yes," the bandit replied with a bow. The servants are armed and ready to end Chojash and his mother once and for all."
"Excellent," the Overlord said, nodding in satisfaction. "You may begin, but take her with you," he said, pointing to the priestess. The bandit bowed once more and offered his arm and a dagger to the elf woman. "Milady, your revenge awaits."
Vesc stood on the grass, surrounded by the slain of friend and foe alike. The commander was long since out of arrows and had drawn his twin swords instead. The dead humans that lay around him gave mute testament to his skill, but the elf was near his limit. Vesc's breath came in gasps and he bled from a number of wounds. The elf had collapsed to his knees, blades dug into the ground in an attempt to stand up.
"Your struggle is lost," a harsh voice said. Vesc looked up to see the towering form of the Overlord standing over him. "Watch as your pathetic race is enslaved." The ranger roared in anger and attempted to stand. Hanson just laughed darkly and drove his armored boot into the elf's side.
"At least give me…an honorable death," the ranger panted. "I have no need to bloody my blade. You are inconsequential. Your wounds shall be your end."
The bandit lord's pavilion on the outskirts of the battle was larger than some huts. It was lit by lanterns and serviced by enslaved women, both elven and human. In the center, Chojash sat upon a wooden chair, his feet resting on cushions.
The bandit lord leaned on the armrest of his makeshift throne and huffed impatiently. "How much longer? I'm getting tired of waiting for these miserable elves to collapse!" "Patience my son," his mother admonished. "Victory comes to those who wait."
The pavilion flap opened to admit one of Chojash's soldiers and a striking elf maiden. The bandit lord sat up in interest, his eyes capturing the woman's fine features. "My lord, I bring you a girlie fit for a king! She, was a priestess in that large temple your lordship spotted earlier." the bandit said with a bow. "Indeed," Chojash replied, beckoning the priestess closer with a fat finger. "Let's see you in proper light."
At an almost imperceptible nod from the bandit soldier, the rest of the slaves began to inch closer to their lord, knives beginning to appear out of their sleeves and bodices. "The Mother Goddess strikes you down invader!" the priestess cried as she produced a dagger of her own and plunged it into Chojash's chest.
The rest of the slaves descended on the bandit lord and his mother, hacking them apart with their weapons.
The Overlord advanced towards his target: the Mother Goddess temple. Somewhere inside, he could feel Oberon and the elvish council huddling, waiting for the fighting to end.
"Sire, I wouldn't put it past those crafty elves to set up ambushes and traps along the way. May I suggest an alternate entrance?" Hanson paused in midstride, his minions halting behind him. "I'm open to suggestions."
"If I recall correctly, there is an old passageway hidden in the roots of that tree," Elizabeth's voice floated through the link. The two mistresses had returned to the Throne Room and were observing the action. "When I was young…er, my father brought me to Evernight to visit his ally Oberon. I accidentally fell in the passage, but after following it, I emerged into a tall chamber that housed the statue of the Mother Goddess."
"I recommend securing that statue sire," Gnarl interrupted. "Once the elves see that their precious deity is in your evil clutches, they will doubtlessly surrender."
The Overlord then began to move towards the tree indicated, his head roving back and forth as he looked for the entrance to the passage. After randomly poking at knots in the trunk, the roots shifted, opening the entrance of a yawning cave. Hanson strode inside without a second thought, the darkness shrouding his in its embrace.
Author's Note: Please review, and remember to point out errors and make suggestions!