Sitting in a chair in one of his rooms, Overlord Kuran looked at the female being in front of him. "So that is a Meratrix." he mused to himself as he looked at her.
The Meratrix was mostly in light and dark green colour, with black tentacles forming the "hair". Four three-fingered arms are produced from her sides and she has a long tail coming from her back, with two small tentacles coming out as well. Around her neck was a silver-coloured collar with his crest on the front. And her chest sported two well-sized breasts.
Also, Kuran got reminded of something he heard about that artificially created race… they have no concept about clothing, except for the collars, which keeps their mind check, as they would be otherwise ravaging sex maniacs, despite the fact the entire race is infertile. With a collar, they are a docile and obedient servant race.
"Can I do something for you?" asked the Meratrix with a sweet voice. Looking at him with her pink, heart-shaped iris.
Kuran nodded to her, "Tell me about yourself."
"I was created to serve you. To protect and care for your well being and of those of your offspring. For that I was even outfitted with an additional body function." And to prove her point, she pressed her breast together and the nipples began to leak a white liquid. If Kuran had to guess, it was Milk or a substitute that meant for babies and little children. "I don't have a name yet, as the one who ordered my creation, wanted you to choose it. I only awakened in your throne room with all the knowledge I need to perform my duties."
"But you're not properly trained in all of it?" asks Kuran with a tilted head.
"That's correct, master." And she walks over to him and sits on his lap, and leans against him.
Normally, Kuran had qualms about a woman he just met doing that to him. Heck if any of the others were here now, especially Sunkren, he would have stopped her. But given they are alone now, and that she was his, created to be his, he figured that he could let her do that show of affection and that it wouldn't interrupt with his law against slavery.
As she snuggled her naked body against him, he put a hand on her back and stroked her slowly, "Welcome… Alina." Naming her with this welcome.
The newly named green Meratrix smiles and gazes at him, "Thank you, Master." And Alina moves her head and gives her master a kiss on the lips, holding it with two of her hands, while the other two are on his chest.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
A couple of hours later, Kuran walked down the halls, with a scroll in his hands, reading a report he has gotten recently about border-related things… nothing out of the ordinary yet, except that a lot of mercenaries are currently coming in from the south, travelling north. That is a matter he has to investigate soon. However, he has to talk with somebody first.
Alina was for now at an old friend of his, to train her for some of her future duties and he knows he won't be disappointed once she is back. The only hope Kuran had was that he wouldn't break her mind for that goal… that would be rather unfortunate.
Then he found the one he searched for: Gnarl. The Minion Master and self-proclaimed adviser. Not that Kuran has any plans to replace him anytime soon. Just his bickering that the Overlord is quite lacking true evil deeds is sometimes difficult to listen to.
"Gnarl," said the blond-haired man and the old Minion turned around.
"Ah! Master!" he replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I want you to prepare everything for a trip to the Skeith forest. Half-day trips with setting up Nether Gates at each stop, so we can get there within a reasonable time while I also still can attend to the matters here. And I want you to find out why so many mercenaries are travelling north at the moment."
"Of course master." bowed the Minion. "Anything else that should be addressed?"
Kuran thought for a moment but shook his head, "Not at the moment. But inform me if something out of the ordinary happens."
"Of course My lord." replied the old Minion and bowed down. Before the two went for separate ways. Looking back his Lord Gnarl nodded, "Good. He didn't learn about it yet… that means I have still time to settle it in a way fitting for his title of Overlord." and chuckles lightly before he heads to fulfil his orders.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
Queen Arlene was comfortably leaning in her throne after she has seen everyone who needed her judgement… despite having several judges around that are responsible for palace decisions between fighting parties, many are still very fresh, so a big load was still her responsibility, not to mention some of those fights reaches levels that either she or Overlord Kiran had to decide on.
And then here is the mess caused by that succubus party planning. She was warned to be not close but in hindsight, she figured by that warning from somebody like Sunkren, she should be more worried. Not only is the clean up going slow, but a lot of today's disagreement she had to work was also about which wife or husband betrayed whom, and where the responsibilities lie. And given how he was after the party, he didn't think of that yet if her guess was right.
At least the majority of the city seems to be like "Our fault for joining a succubus organized party" or doesn't really recall anything that happened.
Riding up from her seat, she was about to retreat to her quarters as the door of the throne room opened. Catching her attention, she turned around and saw that it was the ranking captain of the scouts… as far the queen recalled he got that position after an involvement with a Chicant nest.
"Your majesty. Excuse me for interrupting you," he said but Arlene didn't mind… if Lord Halbert isn't in the castle, the human troops are under her care during times of peace. To keep the organization of the individual races simpler as they are by those times led by somebody of their race, and this person, in turn, answers to the overlord.
"What can I do for you?" asks Arlene to the scout captain who hands her two scrolls. "The reports of two of our scout teams. In fact, they are the only ones that have something outside the usual to report."
Arlene nodded and looked into the first Scroll… and learns that another of Halberts former captains died under unknown circumstances. Originally she thought it was Silence again, but she recalls he is on the other end of the kingdom with the chaos dealing with a demonic beast. Even though the pattern fits… that captain was trying to organize a rebellion against the Overlord. The queen sighs loudly, as those in Steadfasts territory are notoriously those who keep struggling against Kuran's rule. She is again busy to even find a replacement for the lord to fill the post at those lands but it's getting harder to find one willing to do so after each time one got murdered.
The second scroll she opened and read however surprised her more. Looking at the captain she asks, "Is this legit?"
"I have the word from two squads, my queen." he answered.
"Take your best men and investigate it yourself. If this is true, we got a guest very close to the heart of our kingdom. And I prefer to know if we truly have them WHO they are and what their intentions are. At least to have something solid to hand it to the Overlord. I prefer not to bother him just because of a false alarm."
"Understood! I am right on my way." nodded the captain and ran off.
Arlene looked at the scroll again and wondered, "Who in the right mind tries to settle in the abandoned castles in the mountains without any support lines from the outside?" while looking at the report.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
High on the mountain somewhere close to the great Skeith Forest, a pair of skeith hunters sneak around to find suitable prey for their traditional feast to serve it to their community chief and his wings.
As they moved, one of them spoke, "Asur. I don't like it. Sure we always hunted for the feast on the mountain… but I don't think it is wise to be here. Not after that star fell from the sky and crashed somewhere on the mountain. I heard the avalanche caused the near destruction of a nearby community."
"More reason to check it out. We need to be sure that the star didn't cause more damage to the mountain." Asur reminded the fellow hunter.
The other sighs loudly, "I wonder what the others are doing. We haven't heard any of their signals yet."
"Indeed. This started to make me uneasy now..." Asur crosses his arms, hoping that there is nothing wrong with his fellow hunters.
Though as they wandered, they found what seems to be a camp… a very empty camp and from the leftovers it seems it was one of their fellow hunter pairs.
"Odd. I thought we would be the only one of this part of the mountain." said the Skeith and knelt down and held his hand close to the fire pit. "It's still warm. It wasn't too long since this was left."
Just then they heard one of the signals of their comrades not far from their location. Asur and the other flew toward that whistle as it was the signal to gather at their spot, and on top of it, as fast as possible.
Which either means the group was in danger. Or they found a high profile prey they need to hunt as a team. The Skeith was hoping it was the latter case.
Luckily they saw that the rest of the hunters were okay, but what shocked Asur the most is the corpse of a large monster. The group quickly landed next to their fellow hunters as the leader asked. "Who is responsible for killing this beast?"
"No idea, we just found the body not too long ago." One of the hunters said. "But the way it died is what we called you here." The hunter points at the head of the body, where there is a small molten hole on the forehead. "We also found weird traps that we have never seen before. Some of them even shot thunderbolts on contact."
"Are you serious?" Asur asked, inspecting the body, finding a lot of small moulding holes on the stomach.
"What kind of weapon or magic could cause such damage?" asks another Skeith upon seeing the wound. "It looks like somebody hit it with an iron arrow so hot it would be glowing."
"We have no idea." Said one of the hunters. "But before we got here, we did hear strange sounds. It kinda sounded like a small explosion and then the fast repeat of a sound I have no description for."
"We better report this to the chief," Asur said. "And considering how the monster was killed, we better asked the help of the other community if necessary."
"That's not your place to decide if we ask other Communities. That's the chief's decision." warned one of the other hunters.
"I know, but I can't help but feel that this might be bigger than we thought it would be." Asur eyed at the body before pointing to a few others and told them, "You return to the village and make a report. The rest of us continue but we stick as a group, in case we encounter whatever killed that monster."
The others nodded and flew back to the village, while Asur and the rest headed to the west. Without knowing that someone was watching them in the snow. Once they were gone, the watcher rose from the snow and moved away.
Overlord: Kingdoms Rise
Sitting on his desk, Silver was looking at maps and books and double-checked something he just read. As he did that, he didn't notice that Wyslith were coming in.
In fact, she was trying to not make a single noise as she moved to him and raised her arms with a single intent: To put her hands on his eyes. However… there was something that she couldn't expect.
Out of nowhere, he shoots his arms into the air and shouts, "Eureka!" and Wyslith squeaks in surprise as he does that, and falls backwards, landing on the ground and groaned in pain.
Silver turned around and saw his wife on the ground, "Are you alright?" he asks, getting up from his chair and knelt down next to her. Also placing a hand on her round stomach, "And our child is also alright?"
"Don't worry." grunts the succubus. "I fell on my butt… our child should be fine." and sighs as her husband helps her up. "Thank you."
"Your welcome… and sorry for what just happened." exclaimed Silver and helped her to sit down on the couch, and took the small bell he had on the table and rings it to call for a servant. As he waits he looks at her. "Are you sure that you're alright?"
"I am! But why were you calling Eureka earlier? Did you find the shipping route you were looking for?"
"Not really." he admits, "But I found something that helps us with a different problem we are facing. Hopefully, it doesn't need to be solved that soon but at least I want to explore that solution as well, even if it only brings us to a different environment in hopes we get fresh inspiration to our actual goal of reaching that place in the far east you told me about."
"Do I have to worry about this… change of environment?" asks Wyslith as the servant came. Looking at him she told him, "Water, watermelon and fried fish." and the servant bows and began to leave to get the lady the meal she asked for.
"Well… depends. Do you like hot places?" Silver asked with a nervous chuckle. To which Wyslith rose an eyebrow in wonder. What did her husband dig up this time?