AN: "Cookies" → Speech / spoken air quotes
"Cookies" → Thoughts
"Cookies" → Spells / Martial Arts
"Cookies" → Message spell speech
I don't own Overlord
Have fun, enjoy and please review
Chapter 22
→ Colognium Barbos HQ / Barbo ←
Barbo and his two advisers for this campaign were in the new warchambers. While they had won the storm on the city, it had taken much of their army. There were nearly no trained archers left, all were either killed or crippled by the defenders.
The cavalry didn't look much better. It started as a small force to begin with but patrols, skirmishes and scouting had taken a great toll on that force. The horses from the coaches were also dying en masse, thanks to nearly no supply of food for them. That also made the smaller cavalry more precious since barely 250 plus 250 for his personal guard were left. That would barely be enough for a final charge at the enemy. Thus he either acted blind or would lose his most versatile tool in the arsenal further.
His normal levies were the biggest liability. from roughly 350 000 in the beginning there were only 200 000 left at the current time. He had lost a bit less than a half of his foot soldiers. They also were not happy that they could serve the crown in this war. They should be happy that they were offered that chance at all. Then came the behavior of those soldiers. Colognium was still standing, if you would only look for buildings. The inhabitants were dead inside the streets or in mass graves just outside the walls. A big chunk of the city was burned and the rampage was even now ongoing, two days after the battle.
Barbo sighed. He knew that his reputation was on the line and all of this was crushing on him. All in all the loss of soldiers and the behavior of the survivors was not only bad but Barbo, for the first time in his life, feared for his position.
"The situation is bad, my prince. Our scouts had a skirmish with scouts from Baharut. They bore shields with the honey badger," Count Lytton said.
"So the second legion is close by. Do we know if they can attack us?" Barbo asked.
"Likely. I would expect rumors of our victory reaching them. I would also expect that they are gathering reinforcements." Baron Rokerlen answered
"We can either defend this city or we can retreat to reorganize?" Barbo summarized.
"I would advise retreat. We don't have the supplies to be besieged and win. If we retreat we can attack again" Rokerlen said.
"Do you want the enemy to think we are cowards?" Lytton asked.
"No. But I would ask that we choose battles that we can actually win." Rokerle answered.
"So we can't win here?" Barbo asked. Both nobles looked at each other.
"I think that Baron Rokerlen is right in this regard. We need to retreat. But how can we sell that to our criminals in the disguise of soldiers?" Lytton asked.
"I would give the orders now and then make a forced march." Rokerlen answered.
"That sounds feasible. We also could potentially retake the loot after we crush the second legion." Barbo said, liking the plan.
"Shall I give the orders then?" Lytton asked.
"Yes. But we will use every horse we have to secure our retreat." Barbo replied and Lytton left the room, Rokerlen sharp on his heel.
"We screwed this over." Barbo thought, wishing he had not been so arrogant and asked for this assignment.
→ Between Re-Estize border and Colognium Survivors camp ←
It took some time but finally the survivors of the destroyed village were gathered at one place. It was a big clearing in a dense forest. Tents were erected and a broad field was cleared to discuss the options. Most survivors were hunters and lumberjacks who were working while the attacks took place. Some women were in between, if they were lucky enough. Sadly there were very few children in this camp. They were the main reason for the hate in the eyes of the survivors.
Two stood out in this crowd. The first of them was a man in his 50s. His hair was graying in a dark shade. His chin was strong and a large scar was on his forehead. His eyes were piercing. He wore green trousers, a brown tunic and a black hood. A bow was strapped on his back with arrows in a quiver, which was on his hips. He had led the survivors of five villages here and was now observing. His name is Occulis Ledois Aquilis. A hunter, who was quite known for his amazing shots. He was said to have killed a bear and used it as a dowry.
The second was in his mid 20s and was already scared. He had brown hair, brown eyes. His face still had some of its youth, though the events from the recent past did shake much of it out of his face. He wore brown trousers and a brown gambeson. A big belt also was tied around him and his gambeson had many hooks. Those hooks were carrying traps and three bunnies. He was Peditis Damnis, known for his skills with traps.
Both leading the discussion over the next action this group of lucky survivors should take.
"We have only two options. We can either fight or flee to the east. I say we should flee to Baharut." Pedites Damnis said.
"How would you know?" One of the younger lumberjacks asked.
"Because the other options would lead to us waiting for nothing. The Slane Theocracy seems not to care. The Re-Estize kingdom led to the situation. Thus we can either flee to Baharut or we can fight against Re-Estize." Occulis deducted and the lumberjack looked at him.
"I want revenge for my dead village, and I will take it. They killed our friends, relatives and families. Why shouldn't we take our revenge?" Pedites ranted.
"I didn't say we couldn't. I am saying that we need to think about the rest of us. What about the few women and children that escaped the onslaught? We need to care for their safety. This safety is only achievable if we move eastwards, towards the Baharut empire." Occulis argued.
"Why not both?" Pedites asked in a resigned tone.
"A fighting retreat would also be a possibility. It would help to resupply our people and make revenge, even to a small degree, a possibility." Occulis replied and the others looked at them.
"If we want to take revenge too, we should move south of Colognium. I feel that would be the safest way." Pedites sighed and the rest slowly but surely agreed. Mostly because the alternatives didn't look much better.
"Then we should also prepare to move in the night." Occulis replied and thus their next action was decided.
→ Colognium Mayor-plaza / Barbo ←
After one day the soldiers were gathered at the main plaza of Colognium. They stood in their ranks and awaited their orders. Sadly the horses would be needed to secure the path in front, so that ambushes couldn't happen. Thus the soldiers could only keep what they could carry. Most weren't happy about this and had voiced their opinion quite loudly. Sadly Barbo was forced to have the ones complaining flogged, which surprisingly for Barbo led to more unrest within his forces.
Thus the plans had changed. Barbo was riding one horse and was accompanied by Lytton. The rest of the horses were used for the riders to protect them.
"We are in a dire situation, but since I am such a benevolent Prince I have decided to listen to your pleas. We will defend the city! To increase the chances the leader of this army must observe the hills and forest to make a functional battleplan. I will return at sunset." Barbo shouted and the soldiers cheered. The Prince, together with his entourage left through the gatehouse and rode out.
Once they reached the hills the Prince looked at Lytton, who nodded. They rode farther from the city and the riders followed them, leaving the worthless peasants to their fate. A cloud of dust stretching over the horizon in their back.
→Legio II close to Colognium / Marcus Cassius Scaeva ←
The second legion was closing in on colognium, fully prepared to face down the wretched dogs that were the levies of Re-Estize. Their general had already asked for reinforcements from the first, since they expected to face the majority of the enemy forces.
The marching column was making good progress and the first legionnaires could already see the walls of the once prestigious city, which was still smoking. Anger was becoming denser and denser within the legionnaires stomach. Then they saw a cloud of dust behind the enemy city and rumors spread that this was the rest of Re-Estizes cavalry and laughter spread through the ranks.
"Do they want to make it easier for us?"
"Such cowards. Bet these were precious 'nobles'."
"Let's get them what they deserve!"
"First Cologne then Re-Estize."
Were heard through the column and the motivation was at an all-time high. Even the general was now smiling and cracking jokes with his advisors.
The last hill was crossed and allowed the legionnaires a great view on the still burning city. The walls were intact, though many buildings had collapsed. The forest to the north-west was not really accessible, as the only bridge to it was destroyed. The harbor was also inaccessible, as the ships in it were re-used to build a makeshift wall in its entrance. This was a small hit to their morale, as they would have to besiege this once great city.
So they began with their main camp and started to dig trenches and building walls. This would take time and the first would arrive in a few days time.
→ Near Colognium / Alator ←
Alator was sitting in a separate room within the shed. It was locked with many locks on the inside, making sure that Clementine couldn't get 'funny' ideas when he slept. While she knew nothing about his talent and thought that he wouldn't know, he observed her making plans to 'discard' him to impress his master. Such foolish ideas.
He also locked Clementine in a reinforced and caged room, only allowing her out for assignments. Cant have a rabid dog running amok when you try to stand under cover, right?
Alator had one hand on his mirror and observed Colognium via his talent. The city was in disarray, as his master intended for the ritual. The armies of Baharut were closing in and then beginning preparations for a siege, as intended.
Poor Proditor, his fate was also determined. While useful he proved a wild card and thus he needed to be gone. But he can't reach inside the city and thus he, for now, hoped the siege would take his life one way or another. If that didn't work he still had a pet in a cage.
He observed and got bored when the legionnaires erected their camp.
*Bang*
"What does the bitch want now?" He shouted through the door of Clementine's cage and she looked at him with lust in her eyes.
"I want out of here. I feel the moon closing in and I want to kill." Clementine shouted back and looked angrily at him.
"Such a shame that you will remain in your cage like the rabid dog you are. Master ordered us to lay low for now. You are a risk to that. The only reason that you are alive right now is because you might prove useful. Nothing else." Alator grinned and looked her up. She squirmed and retreated into her cell.
"I will get out of here. And then I will show you why they fear me." She sang and he grinned back.
"You should be careful about the battles you choose to fight." He replied and went back to his room laughing. On his bed sat a large crow.
"So the master has new orders." Alator smiled and took a letter, which was bound at the crows feet. It croaked and then flew out of the window.
Alator read the message and smiled.
"Looks like she will get a chance for some fun in a few days. Need her squirming a bit more." Alator smiled.
He fell into his bed and began snoring, unknowingly keeping Clementine awake, who shouted for him to be quiet.
→ Colognium / Proditor ←
Proditor and a few other soldiers were plundering the Prince's former quarters and found quite a big amount of gold and silk. None really bought into the excuse of 'scouting the possible battlefield' the prince gave the soldiers. Everyone knew that he was trying to get away with his tail tucked between his legs. At least the experienced soldiers did and would act accordingly while the others would wait for the prince's return.
The inexperienced soldiers simply prepared as well as possible for the incoming siege. The new 'leader' was Rokerlen, who had no power over the troops. Sadly, for the noble, this meant that he had a new quarter inside the stables. Fitting in the opinion of many levies. The plundering of the mayor's palace took half a day, though the next question was how to get their plunder back home. Sadly the prince took all his horses with him.
The now encircling forces of Baharut didn't help in that manner. They were already building their fortified camps and placing sentries. Soon the legionnaires would build walls around the city. This didn't sit well with Proditor, as this would cut him off from his contacts from Zuranon.
The siege in itself was strange for Proditor. Under normal circumstances you would look for negotiations. Though in this siege neither side tried it. He understood why his side wasn't trying to negotiate. The normal soldiers didn't know this and the noble had no reason to engage, as he could hope for better treatment by the legionnaires. At least they would treat the noble better than the normal soldiers. That the legion didn't open negotiations wasn't a good sign. It meant the legion was here to do its bloody business.
Proditor was looking over the walls and observed legionnaires at work. They were digging a trench around their encampment. He observed them and thought about possible actions he could take. He was above average in skill, but he would not be able to take down multiple legionnaires. They were professionals, he was only a carpenter. He decided against this action.
The first possibility was to stay within the city and hope that the roughly 200 000 soldiers could fend off the 10 000 outside. As long as only those were there it was possible. But if the numbers increased the chance of victory would diminish. Every legionnaire was either experienced or well trained. Neither was a characteristic he would place on most of the levies, or some soldiers. It didn't help that the prince took the most experienced and loyal soldiers with him.
The second possibility would be to sneak out and save his own skin. He could swim through the river into the forest and then trek back to E-Rantel. It was quite a good possibility, if he would pull this off tonight. The legion was only building their camps for now. Later it would not be possible as they could view every exit.
Both choices were terrible. The worst was that he couldn't keep his plunder. He would need to be fast and light. Sadly his bag of gold would not be handy for this.
From the north-west came a crow and landed in front of Proditor. It had a letter and he took it, which let the crow fly away. He read through the letter and smiled.
"Hopefully they don't try to negotiate." he thought, an evil grin spread across his cheeks.
→ Arwintar Imperial-palace / Jircniv ←
Jircniv, while having a great day, was still occupied in many thoughts. There were his legions and the new logistical system. Then the feelings that developed for a certain woman. It didn't help that Jircniv also had a new problem sitting in front of him. It was a young man. He wore a gray tunic with brown trousers. Brown hair enveloped his brown eyes, both supported by the beard of this young man. He wore a stereotypical korsikan hat. It had a wide brim which was folded upwards at the front.
Though a message from the city of Korsika could either be great or terrible. In the past the empire only kept trading relations, which were far more than enough. Hopefully it will remain like that.
"Good evening, your majesty. I am a messenger from the elder-council. I am here to bring a message from said council." The messenger bowed and Nimble walked towards him. The korsikan gave a tube to Nimble, who brought it to Jircniv.
He read the text and was not only surprised, but he had to keep his face straight.
"Korsika wants to be part of my empire?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"The council would like to negotiate that aspect. They would like to keep the arrangements like they did with the Slane Theocracy." The messenger answered and pulled out a second tube. He opened it and gave it to Nimble.
"The second text is a copy of the treaty that regulated the relations between Korsika and Slane Theocracy." the messenger explained and Jircniv read through it.
"I will read it. Though for the night I wish to have you as a guest." Jircniv said and the messenger was led out by his guard. Only Nimble remains behind.
Jircniv relaxed and leaned forth to take a goblet of water. Then he leaned back and sighed.
"If we manage this perfectly we have a powerful tool in our hands." Jircniv smiled.
"How so? I know they have an independent economy and navy. But they couldn't be that strong." Nimble thought loud.
"While our armies are fighting on land, our navy is lackluster at best. With Korsika integrated we would have the resources to train our navy and we would get a new resource to our empire. The only downside, as far as I saw, would be the protection. It would be stressful to get people there in time. But aside from that I would agree." Jircniv said.
"Finally It is running smoothly. Usually I have to claw everything together just the right way to work. Now I have such a resource jumping in my lap. Like Arachama. I like it that way. I should also revisit her sometime." Jircniv thought and red crept on his cheeks.
"Thinking about a certain lady?" Nimble asked with a knowing smile on his face.
"No. I am only thinking about my luck at the moment. The war is going as expected, if not better. We don't have to fight crime in such drastic proportions like before and I think I have a good time ahead." Jircniv replied hastily, hiding his face behind a goblet.
"Ara ara, if you say so?" Nimble teased and JIrcniv glared.
"Not funny." Jircniv said and NImble snickered.
"As you wish, though, it could bring peace to the nobles and the remaining four imperial knights." Nimble sighed.
"I should look for a replacement for the fourth place. If my luck is kept like today, the choice will come to me." Jircniv laughed and Nimble fell in.
The evening would prove entertaining, at least for the emperor.
→ Re-Estize Royal-Palace / Zanac ←
Zanac was sitting in his office. It was smaller than the one his brother had, though his brother never used his. In it was a desk and shelves full of reports and documents. That was how Zanac helped his kingdom. Not by sword or by shield. He simply kept the jaws of bureaucracy occupied.
With Zanac sat Marquis Raeven, one of his few trusted, dare he call him, friend. Both looked shocked at the reports, which were before Zanac. It was done by adventurers, who helped in the logistics and saw Raeven as a good noble. The reports were about the atrocities, which were committed by the Re-Estize forces.
"My brother is making my job far easier than I thought." Zanac sighed and Raeven smirked.
"Indeed. If he survives he will have a problem with the populus, which you could exploit. Though that would require an alliance with the monster." Raeven replied and Zanac felt a stinging pain in his back.
"I'd rather avoid that. God knows what she would do." Zanac said, frightened of the idea.
"I know. But she has that support of the commoners. The nobles largely support Barbo, though he will lose a bit of this support. The rich commoners are not likely to support him. Eight fingers will likely support him." Raeven summarized and Zanac flinched.
"We can't expose Renner, as that would not be believed by the commoners. She is untouchable in that regard. We could throw the actions of the troops in the face of my dear brother. But I think I have a better idea. Baharut has declared war on us and I am sure that my brother will ask for another army's command. He doesn't want me to take command and then outshine him. As unlikely as that may sound to him, in his mind it's a possibility. Why not give him the rope he needs?" Zanac thought out loud and Raevens smirk grew to an evil grin.
"That is a good idea. I could even ensure that he would get the command." Raeven said and Zanac looked at his partner.
"How so?" asked Zanac.
"I have many people who owe me favors. If I ask them, discreetly of course, they could be convinced to support certain endeavors." Raeven answered and Zanac snickered.
"Sounds like you. Though the only thing we can do now is wait." Zanac sighed and Raeven nodded.
"That is unfortunate, but sadly it's true. Where is the monster? Usually we would have heard her argue in the session." Raeven threw in.
"She is gone for a bit. She heard something through her network and is looking into it. Father doesn't like to talk about it." Zanac replied and Raeven looked at Zanac.
"I understand. I will be going now. It is not long till the next session and I want to see my son." Raeven sighed.
"Then we meet each other shortly before the next session. Till then, my dear friend. Have a good trip home." Zanac wished for Raeven and Raeven left.
Zanac worked through his paper when a spider fell on the current document.
"Since the trouble began more and more spiders are living inside the palace. Or is it just the paranoia, which I am developing?" Zanac asked himself and then decided to leave work for the day.
→ Nazarick Ainz-office / Albedo ←
Albedo had been working on her newest nemesis, paperwork. It was, in her humble opinion, the most disgusting, time consuming and treacherous enemy she had ever faced. Sadly she was created to work those. She normally wouldn't have a problem fighting her newly discovered foe, as she was used to it. But now she wanted as much time with her love as possible and mountains of paperwork were in the way to her righteous time with her lord Ainz. Luckily she was on her last paper when lord Ainz walked in, in his incubus-form.
That is where a second problem came. While lord Ainz would never confess to it, Albedo felt that lord Ainz was lonely sometimes. Not because he lacked company. But it was the sort of company that had to be lacking. This made Albedo sad and she tried vehemently to diminish those feelings for her love.
"Good evening, my love." Albedo said and saw her love behind her, hugging her from behind.
"Good evening, Albedo," Ainz replied and kissed her forehead.
"How have you been? Did the adventure go as planned?" Albedo asked and finished the last paper, placing it in a basket. She then turned and faced Ainz.
"The adventure was easy, though the trip back was entertaining…" Ainz said and Albedo smiled.
"That sounds great. Maybe my great knight in shining armor needs a bit… support. Maybe he also needs a nice touch…" Albedo began and Ainz snickered. Though Albedo heard a bit of sadness in this snicker.
"Now or never" she thought and looked Ainz in the golden eyes.
"My love. What is it you need? I can feel your loneliness. How can we remedy that situation?" Albedo asked. She had felt that he was lonely for a while now.
"What do you mean?" Ainz replied.
"I am a succubus. I can feel emotions from the beings around us, not only humans. I know that you feel lonely for a while now. To be more precise, since Arachama departed to work her plans in Baharut." Albedo said, a stern stare leveled in lord Ainz.
"I don't know what you mean. I feel great." Ainz tried, but Albedo's stare got harder.
"Please try to understand me. I feel your loneliness. That is terrible and I want to help you. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Albedo began and Ainz hugged her tighter.
"It is nothing big. I just miss the members of 'Ainz Ooal Gown' from time to time. Please be at ease." Ainz reassured, it was in vain.
"Then how can we overcome this problem?" Albedo asked, her stare softening a bit.
"The only one left from my comrades is Arachama. I miss the rest. Touch-Me, Genjiro, Tabula, Ulbert and the rest." Ainz said and she saw tears dwell in Ainz' yellow eyes.
"Shhh. How about we make an appointment with lady Arachama? Maybe it will help? She probably misses them too." Albedo tried to help her love, successfully as he smiled weakly.
"You're right. Maybe a weekly tea or something like that." Ainz said and went into his bedroom.
"If I ever get a hand on the other supreme beings. May they have mercy for each other, since I will have none. What have they done to the last two?" Albedo thought, hate visible on her face.
"Do you come to me, dear?" Ainz asked and Albedo turned around. Life and happiness instantly returned to her, as if her hate was never there, and she immediately followed Ainz.
→ Between Re-Estize border and Colognium / Pedites Damnis ←
The survivors of the destroyed villages had moved together. Some would scout ahead and report if they saw danger. This would enable the column to travel somewhat safe through the woods. They also avoided paved roads, as there could be soldiers. Thus with low speed the column went slowly but safely towards east. The Hope was that they could live more safely in the territory that was occupied by the Baharut Empire.
Suddenly Pedites felt a tingling in his heart. It usually came with his talent. Talents were rare, roughly one in 200. But most talents were not necessarily useful. Luckily for Pedites, he had quite the useful talent. He had something akin to a sixth sense and could tell if he could lay an ambush or trap. He could also determine the success rate of the trap or ambush. Traps and ambushes also were easily discovered by him, as he had successfully avoided animals and brigands during his travels. The only reason he wasnt conscripted was that the Slane Theocracy ignored villages.
He felt the sting of his talent and halted. Roughly 100 meters ( ca. 330 feet) to his right was a paved road and he looked towards it. It shimmered gold and Pedites smirked.
"Hey, Oculus. I have an idea." He shouted and the disgruntled hunter came towards him.
"What is it?" he grumbled.
"I feel that we should prepare an ambush right there. I feel that we will catch something soon." Pedites snickered and Oculus eyed him up.
"Why should I trust your instinct? What guarantee do you have?" Oculus asked. One of Pedites friends came over.
"It is his sixth sense. It safed me and others a few times from brigands. Let's trust him on this one." He said and Oculus looked around. Lumberjacks and Hunters agreed. The few women and children then moved further into the forest.
While the column moved a bit further north, the volunteers prepared an ambush. They laid traps and used makeshift barricades to block possible escape routes. Archers prepared ladders to climb the trees to fire from above while the rest prepared their axes and other instruments for battle. They felt the sweet taste of revenge and they would take a bite from the ones that had hurt them so much.
Pedites looked over the prepared ambush and liked his teeth.
"May the gods have mercy on whoever gets stuck here, since we will have none for them." Pedites hissed and a close friend of his patted him on the back.
"Oh yes. I can't wait for those bastards." he said and both laughed menacingly.
→ Arwintar Nazarick-mansion / Arachama ←
Arachama was sitting in the western part and was teaching Arche, the twins and Ninya new summons. They took to it like fish to water and it was a great time for Arachama. She also kept an eye on Zesshi, who was occupied with her booklet and solved sudoku.
Suddenly the door opened and revealed a slightly angered furball. In the doorframe stood Leinas. Her normally blond hair was now ginger and two fox ears protrude from her head. She wore a short skirt and a sleeveless shirt. Both were quite tight and did little to hide Leinas figure. Behind Leinas were 9 fox tails, which were animated and Leinas face was in the same shade as the one of her hair.
"Kuuuuude, Urrre. If I get my hands on you.." Leinas grumbled and Ure and Kuude were on the floor, laughing.
"It worked. Dear sister."
"Of course it did. Sister dear."
"Maybe we should have chosen blue and white."
"Nah. We should have chosen Pink and white"
"That would be telling. Dear sister."
"That is true, though it would be a nice touch. Sister dear"
"Maybe you should reverse it and apologize to Leinas, my little ones." Arachama asked and hugged them tightly, a small humm came from her and Arachama felt her body recuperate from that shock.
"Maybe you're right. Mother dear." Kuude began and both stood up. Leinas eyes flinched and Arachama had a bad feeling about this.
"But this is too much fun. Dear mother." Ure finished and both ran from Leinas, snickering all the way.
Arachama couldn't contain herself and smiled. She felt at ease and her daughters made her feel complete. She hadn't felt this well in some time and enjoyed it to great extent. She hadn't felt this complete since her former daughter and husband had died. It was bliss for Arachama and it seemed that everyone around her felt her happiness radiate around her. It seemed as if the world stopped only for her to enjoy this feeling.
"Lady Arachama, I need your help…" echoed Albedo's voice in Arachamas mind via "Message".
"Why now?" Arachama asked herself as her happiness was now dampened.
AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and till next time.