For anything that happened within the Tournament, please read Chapter 1 and 2 of Overlord Sidequest
The tournament was a big success. Of all fighters involved, Cross the Succubus Warrior and an old friend of Overlord Kuran before his time as Overlord won it spectacularly. The only thing that was too late to learn and do anything about was that the victory party was… organized by Sunkren. And as such had, of course, its obvious conclusions…
Cross was tired as she was on her way to her meeting with Ahya. That victory party was beyond anything she ever wants to experience again. And if half of her memories remain true, as she had some doubts due to a large amount of alcohol running, then the capital city might view a baby boom in the coming year… inclusive of many unmarried women that quickly are going to find spouses just to ensure they are supported.
At least Kuran realized how foolish it was to allow a Succubus of all beings to plan a party. Not that it helped her problems caused by too much alcohol. Too little sleep and only half-assed recallings what she did this week.
Shaking her head and rubbing it again, she reaches the room where the naga is waiting for her and knocks on it. After coming in, she gets in and finds Ayha in a bath, with Isadel resting between her breasts in a nap.
"Welcome Crossss." hissed Ahya with an amused smile, "How wasss the party?"
"You do know that happened, right?" deadpans the bird girl, and the snake only laughed slightly to confirm that. Cross wondered if the snake knew at the time she invited Cross to that meeting that it would take the red-feathered female a week to reach her.
"Indeed I did. But it wasss not my posssition to warn anybody but my own people about it. Two or three sssstil took the challenge to partisssipate." then gestured to the warm water, "Pleassse. Go in. It'ssss warm and good for whatever you go through thissss week. I alsssso have a drink prepared for headachessss you might ssssuffer from your exsssperience."
Cross undressed and sank herself in the hot water and sighs relaxed.
"Like it?" smirks the naga to her.
"Yes, it's good…"
"Good… then let'sss talk about the reassson I wanted to sssspeak with you." she said and shifts a little in the water to sit more straight without disturbing the dark elf. "What do you know about the magic sssstavessss of our people?"
"For what I know, you use part of magical creatures to empower your staves. Without them, your magic would be very basic in comparison."
"That'ssss true. What iss unknown to mossst, is we take only sssamplesss of living ssspeciesss asss that makess the staffsss more powerful asss long the individual isss staying alive. Like a phoenix feather. Or in the town I came from, we take partsss of demonsss."
"Ah, I believed that you took the life of these creatures for your staffs." She replied. "And you're telling me this because…"
"We would like to have sssome sssamplesss of you for a few new ssstavesss. Nothing much. Some featherss, a bit of ssspit for a children verssssion and roughly a small bottle of blood. We're willing to negotiate the priccce."
She raised an eyebrow looking at her.
"You are a powerful ssssucubusss." she explains with a grin, "Assss ssssuch any ssstaff made with partssss of you will be powerful. Though you aren't one of thossse who would sssurvive to have the heart removed."
Cross sighed loudly. "At times I hate they confuse me with one." She commented, getting a confused look from the naga. "I'm not exactly a succubus, it's just I got special training to be able to use their basic tactics in battle."
She laughed, "You sssstill radiate the sssignature of one. Thatssss enough for our ssstavesss. In fact thatssss even better. The… sssside effectsss sssshouldn't be so pronounced that time."
She rubbed her head for a moment and then looked at her. "You will not stop asking until you get what you want, right?"
"That'sss correct." she smirks, "I am willing to pay great lenghtssss for acquiring the sssamplesss. And sssince we are not asssking for removal of organssss or limbsss, what do you lossse in the end?"
"Maybe, but who knows if somebody with bad ideas gets his hands on such a staff?" She asked, having Gnarl on her mind.
"Once one use one of our ssstavesss, it'ssss locked to hisss or her aura, ussselesss until owner isss dead." she explains. "Alssso we keep tabssss on all produced stavessss."
"And you know too that there are forms of bypassing these locks."
"We got three sstavesss with blood drops of two of the Abyssss lordsss, and they didn't bother with thisss quesssstion." whispered the snake to herself and sighs. "Why do you asssssk? While they would be sssstrong, they won't be the ssstrongessst. Alssssso I ssssaid we keep tabssss and on top of it, we will take deep consssideration who would be fit to wield one of them."
"Sorry for the question, but the idea of somebody else using my power… I don't like the taste of it."
To that, the Naga laughed heartily, "Usssing your power? For that, we have to place your sssoul in a ssstaff. No. We jussst ussse the resssidue magic of the material asss a focusss to concentrate and guide our magic. With luck, we get even an amplifier out but usssing your power? By the godssss, I haven't laughed sssso much ssssince my firsssst husssband ssssugesssted to take holidayssss and carry out my firssst batch of eggssss."
"Just think about that, what would you feel if you discovered that one of these staves with your magic is used by another one for doing what it wasn't supposed to do, as for example…" She thought for a moment. "...Exterminate your people?"
"Would be the fourth time thissss would happen." she shrugs. "Or rather, the fourth time ssssomebody tried. Thought the ssssecond time wasss clossse. For that we ussssed the heart of a killed god. Wassssn't sssso ssssmart to usse essspecially one from a god of dessstruction."
"And how could you feel if it really happened, and that staff had part of your own magic?"
"That would be if we ussse ORGANSSS but what I assk, issss not capable to be powerful enough to create anything beyond a combat ssstaff for one verssssusss one fightsss. And I am rather interesssted to ussse them for a project." she said growing frustrated on how hard it was to get the point done that there won't be any harm.
She sighed loudly. "How about this? I will accept your proposal, but if I find that the staff is used in a form I dislike, I will claim it and break it. Deal?"
"That'sss fine with me." she replied to it.
"Okay then." She said, relaxing on the tub.
"In the afternoon we can be ready to extract all. Jusssst plan for ten minutesss."
"Okay, but just watch out, okay?"
"We will enssssure." she replied and leaned back.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
Laying on his bed, Kuran grunts while having a bag of ice on his head… he made a heavy mental note to himself to NEVER let Sunkren plan a celebration of that magnitude again. Also worries what she will do regarding birthday parties.
Speaking of her…
Coming in with just her revealing clothing - to which he has to wonder why she even bothers to wear them due to the amount still revealed - the succubus sat down next to her Overlord and flirts while running a hand over his chest, "Did you enjoy the party?"
"You know the answer very well." he counters with a grunt, not really wanting to deal with her flirts right now. "But can you please ask me about these things later? I am not feeling well…"
"Understandable. Given how you were quite busy with the town… I wonder how many of them got lucky with you~" to which he only groaned. Silently he prays to any deity he could think off to never find out how bad he was. That one king that was incompetent and a whoremonger was a bad enough memory to have. However, being compared to him regarding offspring? Please do not.
"Anyway~" sings the Succubus with a smirk, "I am not here to tease you about this or trying to have my way. Even as Succubus I am more than enough aware that you're not even close to being able to start any activity. I just wanted to tell you that during your week a present for you was dropped off."
"A present?" he asks.
Nodding to that she answered, "Yes… odd individual. Didn't tell us the name and covered himself in robes. All he said is that he is an old associate of yours and that he is leaving you something useful for your future endeavours. At least regarding your family matters."
Sighing he sits up, despite his protesting brain, that feels like it was smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Did he have a Gargle Blaster at some point? Nevermind.
"What kind of gift are we talking about?" he asks while still holding the ice to his head, hoping that Laurent is soon here with his "antidote" to cure his massive hangover.
"It's a 'her' to be precise…. a so-called Meratrix." was the answer. But then the succubus puts a finger on her chin, "I wonder why I never heard of those… I got around the world a few times in my few thousand years of age."
"Meratrix?" he asks and pinches his nose in thought, "I only heard of them… but I never saw one in my life. Wonder who got me one. And what taste was used."
"Taste?" asked Sunkren in wonder.
"When you order one, you can choose the taste, the number of limbs and to a degree the colour of them." he explains, "Their primary colour is determined by the taste, but rest is a bit more flexible."
"That explains her appearance." she mused and smirks, "Shall I get her?"
"After Laurent comes back, or else I might not be able to think properly, or at all." he warned, "I don't want to damage my gift in the first hour."
"Then I quickly go and check on Laurent to see what he is doing," assured Sunkren and gave her beloved a kiss on the cheek before moving out.
"Then at least wear something that has a resemblance of modesty and not a see through costume." he called after her before laying back down. "Who am I kidding… I can properly be happy she wears that in the tower." and has a deep sigh.
"How did I get to be the lord of an insane asylum?" he muttered to himself after a few minutes.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
"Oh, Raven. Nice to see you… I take it you have some news for me?" asks Lehid while sitting on a comfortable couch, and was enjoying a cup of tea. In the near were two Skeith females, both trained Midwives, as the becoming mother would start laying the egg that is currently lying in her womb any time now.
The male Skeith nodded as he sat down and held up a letter. "We got news of Kingsbird. They are willing to listen to your case regarding having the kingdom registered as a new Skeith Community with the two of us as the Sky- and Groundwings, while Overlord Kuran will be listed as the chief."
A smile came over her beak, "Well that is the good news." but then narrows the eyes a little. "However, knowing you, you properly somehow got bad news."
Laughing in slight amusement, the old Skeith nodded, "You got quite sharp in the time we worked together." and then frowns, "Yes you're right… I also got bad news about that. A friend of mine working there as guard has let me know that they were under the order to arrest you the very moment you are spotted in the Territory."
"Properly for my illegal use of the Skywing name." she reasoned and as he nodded she closed her eyes. "We knew that would happen… at least we won't be unprepared. Especially once I have talked with Kuran about it. But that might take a bit, given the… last week's events."
Nodding in agreement Raven folds his hands "Yeah. I knew, that's why I ensured only the necessary people were around once the party started. While I am convinced that this succubus means well… I never trust demons with parties."
"A wise choice" she agreed to him and sipped some more of the tea. "Does anybody else know about this yet?"
"Only the four of us in this room." he assured, "And those two Midwives are trustworthy. Never sold anybody of their clients out, no matter if the information they had was in any way related to work or not."
"I thought so already as you recommended them to me. After all, why would a guy of all people ensure I even got some? That is as far as I know normally something the becoming mother had to take care of."
"It's that way with the human most of the time. But in a proper Skeith community, it is the duty of the mate." he explains, "And Kuran had asked me to get some for you. Especially as he was told about the risks in the last few weeks or days before laying the egg."
"So that's why he spends an entire day with me to build our nest for the egg." she mused, "Good to know."
"Indeed." as he stood up, "I will start preparing for everything… they want to see us in three months after all."
"That's a surprisingly lot of time. We only need a month and a half to get there. And that's because Kuran and his followers cannot fly." she stated, "Or… do you have something in the store?"
"Everything in due time, my queen. Everything in due time." he only smirked and began to leave, causing Lehid to be irritated about his adepts to be mysterious again.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
Bloodthorn wasn't a dwarf in a good mood. Bloodthorn wasn't even an unhappy dwarf. She was a furious dwarf.
Scratch that.
She had to order her guards to form a defensive line between her and the one kneeling in a distance from her. Or she would have broken that dwarfs bones one at a time. Before getting REALLY creative.
"Let me recount." started the leader of her clan and began to count with her fingers. "First you butchered the job by going AGAINST my wishes with ridiculous demands. Second, you tried to FORCE your way back to the Overlord, which results in you being beaten to a bloody pulp. THEN after you recovered three months later, you called for REPARATIONS and THREATENS them with my clan declaring war for your sake which earned you being banished from the kingdom AND you took three months, to which you still haven't given me a recount why you took three times longer than necessary to get back AND NOW YOU DEMAND FROM ME THAT I MAKE GOOD OF YOUR PROMISE AND START A SECOND WAR WHILE WE ARE STILL UP TO OUR NECKS IN A CIVIL WAR WITH THE OTHER DWARF CLANS?"
The dwarf in question, the diplomat Fiendfist nodded and gulped well aware by now that the guards were the only thing keeping him alive at this moment. "Y-Yes Milady… I may have overstepped my boundaries a little but I did it in your interest."
"A little?" she asks "A LITTLE?" and threw her jug of beer against him, spilling the liquid. "If you were truly acting in my interest, you wouldn't have even made a single move outside my instructions. I don't care if you, like most other idiots of our race, believe to hold out that pointless adept to wipe out the elves. All of them. Not only forest elves."
"Well… we almost-"
"YES WE ALMOST GOT THE FOREST ELVES! BUT AT WHAT COST?" shouts the dwarf woman, "A LOT OF WASTED MANPOWER AND AN OVERLORD WHO HAD EASIER TIME KILLING OUR LAST KING BECAUSE THE ELVES COULDN'T STOP HIM COMING FROM THE FOREST WHILE ALL SOLDIERS WERE DRUNK FROM THEIR VICTORY PARTY! MORE DRUNK THAN USUAL!"
And she grabs her personal war axe and slams it on the throne behind her, cutting it in half. "GUARDS! TAKE THAT WORM TO THE DUNGEONS! FROM HERE ON, KILAN FRIENDFIST IS STRIPPED FROM ALL HIS TITLES, HIS RICHES CONFISCATED!"
The guards grabbed Friendfist who protested and tried to free himself, claiming further that he is only acting on the behalf of the clan, begging to have one more chance.
But Bloodthorn doesn't pay any more attention and storms into her personal quarters, her brain ratting about how she could salvage that entire mess. While cursing with her entire being the idiocy that is falling on her lab.
"That beer for brains had to ruin my plan for his own pride and greed!" raged the clan leader and destroyed one table and chair in the process, reducing them in splinters before calming slowly and sitting down on a different chair. "Calm down… calm down… I am sure there are ways to fix that mess… I just… have to pull out something that might help to smooth the relationship." and starts thinking what she knows of the Overlord and stories of the hero he once was.
Slowly but very slowly a smile was forming on her face. "That… could work. But I need to see if I am right." and stood up. She just got busier with that idea of hers.