Brann took a few days to harvest enough lifeforce to get the population of the greens up around the same as the rest of the minions. When he was done, he received a telepathic message from Gnarl.

"There's someone here to see you, sire. I think it's a female someone, someone I think I've seen before somewhere?"

"On my way." Brann walked back up from the minion burrowes. When he arrived in the throne room, he saw the same mysterious figure that was among the greens when he first discovered them.

"I know you, stranger. How did you find your way into the heart of my domain?"

"That does not matter. All that does is that I am here to warn you about the path your treading. I've seen it all before, the minions, the dark tower... women! It is a pattern that will lead to your destruction."

"Nonsense! The Overlord is the only one who'll be doing any destroying around here!" Gnarl interjected, seeming to be somewhat put off by the stranger, and so was Brann.

"You seem to know much, stranger. Far more than you should, explain!"

"I have watched you for many years... From the shadows. You need to see what future awaits you. Seek answers in the old lands. The way is now open. The rest is up to you."

"The potty wench is right, sire! Grubby just informed me that he has found an active gate in the Wastelands. The area once held significant power but has suffered very turbulent times in the past. It is certain to be in a chaotic and unpredictable state. I would advise extreme caution."

"If you want me to go there, then it's probably a trap. Do you think I wouldn't recognize empire robes when I see them? Guards, grab the bitch and get her ready for interrogation!" Just as the guards moved in to grab the stranger, she vanished in a flash of blue, just like Marius did at Nordberg.

"Though you are wise not to just jump headfirst into the Wastelands at the behest of a complete stranger. The old lands might still be of some use to us in the future."

"Noted, anything else on the agenda?"

"Just a Nordbergian mind-slave that said he needed to speak with you."

"Ok, send him in." At his command, the minions escorted in a rather shaken-looking man.

"My Lord! There is an elf commune in Nordberg! They have been trying to lure away your loyal followers with promises of free love and drugs. I have been there personally and can attest to the potency of their weed!"

"That is... Interesting. I would have thought that the elves would but focus more on saving their lands from the empire than trying to liberate a few slaves. I wonder if Luna has something to do with this?"

"I wouldn't put it past the wench, sire. She is in the end still an elf, and not on our side!" Gnarl pointed out before spitting on the floor in disgust.

"You might be right... Or you might just be racist. Fay and her Everlight goons might be doing this without Luna's knowledge. Either way, I'm going to go and make those hippy fucks my cock socks! You are a valuable servant, and you will be rewarded with a private dwelling and better food." Brann nodded along with the slave as he thanked him in an ever so fanatical way before he stepped through the tower gate.

...

Brann arrived with a full horde of minions, finding that his knights were waiting for him on the other side, a familiar face among them.

"What's the situation, Will?"

"From what we can tell scouting the perimeter, there is a priestess of the mother goddess trying to break your control over the mind-slaves. She has been using a combination of mind-altering magic, and just as mind-altering drugs. While we were scouting, we found some hunters keeping some wolves prisoner. So much for loving nature, am I right?"

"Where are the beats? My browns could use the mounts."

"Just down the road there, we are going to need them to lower the bridge anyhow. No one but a wolf or an elf could jump far enough to reach that wheel." Will said as he pointed out both directions with his unique weapon. Being a warlock, Will's weapon was half magic staff and half halberd. This allowed him to be just as powerful a spell caster as any wizard but still deadly in melee combat. As Brann mounted up his minions, he noticed that Will had reanimated the hunters to use as zombie soldiers, which suited him just fine. The moment the bridge was down, Brann signaled the charge, and the elves signaled the retreat.

"He's inside! He's inside!"

"Kill only those who fight back! the rest are fodder for the slave pits!" Brann and his minions engaged the Everlight soldiers directly, while the knights secured the elven non-cons. On the other hand, Will decided to test himself by fighting the priestess in a magic duel. It was a very one-sided affair. As a warlock, Will was a much better combatant, while the priestess was little more than a glorified witch doctor. After the battle was over, Brann had all of the elves lined up on their knees before him.

"Ok, you elvish fuck sticks, listen up! You lot have infiltrated my domain and tried to steal my slaves. How do you suppose I'm going to deal with you?"

"Like, don't kill us, man!"

"Ya, this was like, an errand of mercy!"

"Welp, enslavement it is!" Brann then used his evil presence spell to subjugate the minds of the elves. Soon, all of them were just as loyal to him as the slaves they tried to free from his grasp.

"Fine work, kights, feel free to use these new slaves however you wish before sending them back to Nordberg!" The warriors at Brann's command cheered before grabbing an elf to please them. Brann did not stick around to watch and got back to the tower.

...

Marius was passing back and forth in the imperial palace. His master has yet to report in, and it has already been over a month past schedule! Hope began to flutter in his heart when his wife stepped in with two of her sentinels flanking her.

"Ah, good to see you, darling. Have you been able to find any trace of our nobel emperor?"

"I'm afraid I have, emperor Soularius is dead. He was killed when the Sanctuary in outskirts of Nordberg collapsed." All the blood rushed from Marius's face as he stumbled back into a chair.

"So the rumors aren't just gossip-mongering... Our beloved Soularius is-"

"Oh, pull yourself together, man! Just because that flamboyant elf got himself killed doing something stupid does not mean we can just let the empire crumble to ash around us!"

"Y-Your right... We have to keep this quiet for as long as we can. The moment it becomes public knowledge, it won't matter that I am next in line. Every ambitious general and backstabbing governor will be up in arms rebelling to gain personal power!"

"Looks like I married you for a reason after all. It should be easy enough for me to use an elusion spell to make a fack emperor to strut about the place. Now we can run the empire however we want, Marius. Now we have the power to make this nation great!"

"Yes, indeed we can! No, indeed we will!" Marius said as he got up from the chair. He thought for a moment about involving his loving wife with the plane. Without Soularius to absorb all that magical power and become a god, he would be the one to ascend. No, he decided not to include her in that. She would want to use that magic for something he considered beneath their notice. Like helping people, improving imperial infrastructure, enchanting the weapons and armor of their legions. Soon he would ascend to godhood, then maybe if she groveled to his satisfaction, she might be raised to demi-god status.

"Soon, we will bring order to the entire world, just you and me, Rose." His wife then pulled the hood off of her head, revealing her now graying red hair and dazzling green eyes. Even in her aging form, he still found her very attractive.

"Yes, Marius, just you and me, and when the time is right, our daughter Meranda."