The Prophet poured water down the unconscious elf's throat. He had been out last night raiding a supply caravan to one of the paladins outpost and returned to find the girl with her huts almost spilling out. She was totally out, and showed no sign of waking. She'd been like this, only stirring every few hours. He regretted leaving her, but he had to get new supplies every couple of days, fortunately they hadn't posted more men on guarding the caravans, so it was still easy to steal food and water. He had tried not kill any of the paladins guarding them, that and he had no weapons to fight them at first, it hadn't worked. He hadn't killed them, just left them lying down and taken a few swords and some extra arrows for the girl.
He gave the wolf a quick scratch behind the ear before examining the remains of the creature that had attacked the girl. From the defrosted pieces in the corner, he had gathered that it was humanoid. So, the infamous abominations of the wasteland, described as creatures out of nightmares, had been killed by a noble woman within a few minuets. The kingdom seemed to exaggerate the threat of abominations.
He needed to get some bandages for a girl, the cloth strips he had used to bandage the wound would need changing soon enough, and the only cloth he had was dirty. The paladins would be a good source but he'd rather find some other prisoners to help.
Khalenhad was annoyed. The prince had requested that he join the group on the attempt to rescue the elf girl. There was him, the prince, the heir to the mellow hills, and Mirah. He found the elf woman almost insufferable. She was silent for most of the time, only speaking when asked a question, usually giving the answer that they didn't need to know. Why was she here? What interest did Oberon have in Lo? And why was he the only one questioning why the king fell I'll before he could question the elves? It seemed as everyone else could see one add one but he was the only one willing to work it out.
They has been traveling for a day with two left and an awkward silence had developed between the group. In the end he decided to be the one to break it.
"So, what's our plan when we get into the wasteland?"
John didn't even look back. "Find Lo, get her to come with us, then leave."
"Do you really think it will be that simple?"
"No, but when you make plans some complication always comes in, keep them simple and they can't get to complicated."
"Your plan is flawed." The elven woman said. "The wasteland is a large area, it would take months to check all of it, we should make her come to us, use a beacon."
Khalenhad shook his head. "Fire attracts the abominations, we'd be letting them know exactly where we were, along with all the prisoners."
John finally had a better idea. "Can't you paladins sense magic users?"
"It might have worked if the whole area wasn't infused with it."
"Dogs" Tristen commented, "if we got some dogs they could track the scent."
"You humans are more intelligent than I give you credit for."
"Why do you look down on us, despite the fact you joined the kingdom?"
"If it was up to me, we wouldn't have. My people can solve their own problems, but Oberon believes we require you aid."
"And what problem is that?"
"It is none of your concern."
"Considering that I am going to be king some day, I think it is."
"Oberon disagrees."
"Wasn't Oberon one of the eight heroes."
"It is a name, more than one person can have it."
"Is he your king?"
Mirah sighed. "No, he's what you would call a regent till we find an heir, who may not exist."
"Shouldn't he have been crowned then?"
"He refuses to rule, he will look after our kind till a suitable replacement is found.".
Khalenhad shook his head, Mirah was not as smart as she thought she was. "So that's why your after the girl."
"What makes you come to that conclusion?"
"Your willing to walk into hell for a stranger, sounds like royalty, an it's based on a picture, I'm guessing there's a family resemblance."
"Your evidence is thin."
"But still correct."
Mirah's face contorted into half snarl before returning to it's original impassive look. "You should make sure you know all evidence before making assumptions."
"That's still not a no."
The two men were dragging Lo by her legs when she woke up. She was to weak to fight back and could see the bandages wrapped around her stomach.
"Look's like the ladies finally awake."
"Hope she's less trouble than her friend, took down five of us before he ran."
She was pulled off the ground and felt something dig into her wrists as her hands were tied behind her back. "Where are you taking me?"
"Shut up." She felt a knee go into her back and one of yanked her hair, forcing her to look upwards.
"Hmm, never seen an elf before, seems what they say 'bout them being fair ain't wrong, always liked red heads, if your a good girl I'll talk to the boss 'bout letting you 'elp around camp and not have you tied up."
Lo's face twisted into a half snarl before she heard the sound of a slap.
"Boss 'el want first go with 'er, he'd kill you if you took first crack at 'er."
"I'm going to kill you both," She whispered under her breath, "and your 'boss' and anyone else who tries to touch me."
"Ye, and what can you do to hurt us, little girl?"
"I, am not, a, little girl. Untie my hands and I'll show exactly what I can do."
She felt a knee go into her back again. "Shut up, or do we have to hurt your doggy?" Lo was turned around so she could see their faces, and Fengir. He was muzzled and had his paws tied to a log that was being carried by four other men, his fur matted with blood and teeth coated as well. Small gashes and cuts lined his ribs and back.
"You should be afraid, incredibly afraid."
"And why's that, little girl?"
"Because you, have made me very, very angry. As soon as we're at your camp I'm going to burn it down, and then I'm going to make your death, very, very painful."
"You 'ear that boys?" One of them yelled before turning her around. "She thinks she can take on the boss and his minions, let me tell you he is miss. 'E's the lord of darkness, his predecessors brought ruin to the world, 'e's the overlord."
Lo felt angrier. Someone was saying her legacy was theirs, sure she denied and rejected it, but it was still her's. She kept silent for the rest of the walk until they came to a small circular ruin, obviously it used to be the base of something, a tower from the looks of it. When they went through a large gate she saw a large, muscular man wearing a silver crown and bits of armour tied together with half rotten rope.
She glanced around at them, thirteen of them in total including the imposter. She couldn't' hold back a laugh, this would be to easy.
"You dare laugh before the overlord, my ancestors ravaged the world."
Lo just couldn't stop. "When they said you were the overlord, I was expecting, well more."
"You should be trembling in fear, behold my terrible minion."
She watched as he pointed to a cage and carried on laughing. "That's a monkey, they're incredibly common in Everlight."
The 'overlord' started looking around nervously. "You seek to turn the overlords soldiers against him with lies, he shall not let it go unpunished."
There was a sudden flash of light as a pair of pale blades cut the leather strips holding Lot's hand and then embedded themselves into the heads of the men that guarded her.
"I have three things to tell you, number one," Lo clapped her hands and the four men holding up Fengir burst into flames, "stop referring to yourself in third person." The blades that were in her previous guard's head moved and cut the rope that held the wolf to the log. "Number two, you are giving my name a bad reputation. And finally number three, I have killed six of your thirteen with only damage caused by my own actions, you stand very little chance of living."
"But, your friend killed five and there were only seventeen of us."
"I'm sorry girl," Lo glanced to see where the voice was coming from as one of her captors drew back his hood" but I was planning on rescuing you." The paladins said.
Before Lo could reply an arrow dug into her shoulder, she let put a cry and then blue lightning flew from her hand, hitting the arched as the other pulled it out in a quick movement.
The Prophet moved next, slicing through the person next to him and then moving on the archer.
The man claiming to be the overlord started trying to run towards the gate but Lo hit him with blast of lighting, the metal letting it pass straight into him and causing him to collapse. Her ally finished slicing the archer before Lo felt another hit her, this time in her thigh causing her to collapse. The Prophet started to run on the edge of the wall, ducking and leaning away from blows before slicing each of his attackers or pushing them off and letting Fengir or Lo finish them off. By the end of it, there wasn't a scratch on him.
Lo looked at her arms, the anger had removed the pain that was quickly seeping back into them. Cuts and slight burns marked them, and blood poured from her shoulder and leg as The Prophet helped her to her feet before ripping the some cloth from the stolen clothes and putting her arm in a sling and putting her other arm over his shoulder.
"Sorry, for leaving you asleep, I thought it would be better to save you later than die trying to protect you."
"I understand, thank you."
"You didn't say you could do that."
"I didn't know I could, I don't think I should us more in here though, normally you only get backlash with really complicated spells when too much energy's been put into them."
"It's the ground, the whole area is full of magic from the explosion."
"Maybe in small quantities it could boost spells and not overcharge them, if we could stop the backlash but keep the rest then I could probably bust open the gate."
"Not an option, we are not going to release the creatures of this place on the rest of the world. The world does not need more monsters, the overlord is enough."
"But he's dead."
"No, you're still walking, and I plan on keeping you that way."
"I can't be the overlord, I'm a woman."
"You said he was giving your name a bad reputation, and less likely things have happened."
"Such as?"
"A man taking part in a magic ritual with nine others and having their consciousnesses absorbed into his." The man rolled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a skull, with a serpent sliding into the eye socket.