Okay so full disclosure, this one was pushed out in like 3 days. I got a new job so that took a lot of time. It didn't help me that this chapter didn't seem to want to be written. So, it's short and mostly setup for what comes next I might rewrite this chapter later, so it's better, but for now, I wanted to have a chapter on time. Speaking of, I will be using the next month to get used to work and stuff. Besides work, I will be writing. (the one good thing of having to spend a long commute in public transport is that you can write during it.) but I don't know when I can get back to bigger chapters or when. I will also move from my first day uploads to the first week, so I have more time to prove read on that point I hope this is at all readable as I did not have time to ask for help this time.
I own nothing but my creativity.
Enjoy
Penny closed her eyes and raised her hands, feeling the stones forming the gateway rather than seeing them. It wasn't as strange as you would think for her. as an android, she was familiar with her body being modified, and often had some say in the new shape her body would take. The most significant difference was that her body now included a tower rather than just a humanoid machine. She felt something dripping down her brow, was she sweating?
"Hmm it seems that this takes a lot out of you." Gnarl remarked as he came to her side inspecting both herself and her handiwork.
"Master isn't in the possession of that much magic, so the pool I can pull from without risking a cataclysm is limited."
She shuddered. While it would be incorrect to call the tower hearth a person, it had a very basic form of sentience and as such had memories. While penny had yet to search through them all, she had seen flashes of the past. An elf trying to drain her magic, causing her to explode. Being put back together and, Wait, what. She Glanced at Gnarl.
"Did you tell master's father to catapult me into a wall?"
The minion master raised his clawed hands, an almost apologetic grin on his wisent face.
"I would like to say no, but you would know I'm lying. So let me put it like this, I have not done anything to you, nor intend to do anything to you that i won't do to a minion."
To most this would be a reason to panic, but Penny's recent acquired knowledge she understood minions better than most. A minion would happily die for its master. Gnarl as minion master would happily sacrifice hundreds of his brethren for the sake of his master's will. But not without reason. She took comfort in that knowledge in the eyes of what was essentially her college. They were expendable at their master's hand, but a price only to be paid if need be.
A loud tump singled the end of her labor. The gate now stood, a tall archway of dark gray stone. a horned skull looking down on the opening as it lead to the door of the throne room.
"Hmm why did you build it in a hallway instead of in the throne room?"
"We are not fighting bows and swords any more gnarl. there are weapons out there that could cut through a horde of minions in seconds, having them storm in through the gate right into the throne room. I don't like the thought of that, we will at least have a buffer that will give sire a window of time to prepare a counter-attack."
She took a step and shook on her feet, falling to her knees.
"You seem rather tired after the gate and this room."
Penny nodded "The tower is too damaged for me to fix with magic alone, Gnarl. I would be able to do more if I had tools or if we had more minions to lighten the load."
"I fail to see how"
"GIBLIT ITS TIME!"
Said minion promptly ran into the room balancing a pile of wood and nails carrying a squrming sack.
"Giblit ready to build ghosty!"
Penny smiled.
"Sensational let's get to it"
She raised her hand and the forge master glowed blue as he threw the materials up in the air grabbed his hammer and jumped what happens next was blocked from view by a cartoonish dust cloud, but gnarl could hear Giblet sawing and hammering away then he could hear the clucking of a chicken and the death-cry of multiple baby seals.
"Wait how did you get those?"
"Apparently quaver had a secret stach of baby seals to eat, and a coup of chickens to use in some kind of sad comedy, act."
When the dust settled, Giblet presented a simple bed.
"Ah, I see it's easier to manipulate minions or tools to do the labor rather than use your powers to actually do it. Good thing that master has found a group of goats out there, the spawning pit is filling, and the young lads are crawling about. ah, it makes my little black hearth happy to see a new evil dawn."
"Speaking of master, will we be able to get him back?"
"Oh yes, a digging minion is on its way right now."
"Good."
The voice of the overlord spoke through their mental communication.
"We have plenty of goats for the kitchen we be home soon."
Within moments the gate sprang to life and Lance and Ruby walked through, both covered in the blood of goats Ruby noticeably more bothered by it then lance.
"I definitely underestimated how much animal blood splashes in comparison to grim tar" Ruby moaned as she wiped a streak of crimson of her face.
"Mistress allow me"
Penny raised her hand and Ruby glowed as her clothes fixed themselves and the blood flowed into penny's hand as she looked at it in curiosity.
"I wonder" she sent the blob of blood flying towards the pool where the tower heart usually stayed and looked at her master, " Sire would you mind me using the bones and blood of these animals for a little project?"
Lance eyed her up and down there was something in pennys eyes a envious longing if he haddent known her to be absolutely loyal due to the nature of the towerhearth he would be suspicious but the pools of gleaming green just showed him the same kind of curousety that he had spied in Rubys eyes from time to time a liberated curousety now unbound by morality or law safe for his own it was satisfying in a way he felt like he was beating his father at his own game of conquest hell he felt like he was beating the second overlord by corrupting heroes before they could slay him rather than after the fact.
"If they dont interrupt my plans then by all means use what can be spared."
The tow were interrupted by a loud squeal
" AN ACTUAL BED GIBLIT YOU BEAUTIFUL SON OF SOMETHING UNMENTIONABLE!"
Lance glanced at penny after he saw Ruby jump onto the bed and basically pass out immediately, the former android just smiled.
"Don't worry master we have more than enough wood and just about enough materials for bedding to give you a bed of overlord standards, as well as a krain to get the tower up and running. I believe we have enough minions to kick-start a workforce."
"Good, I would prefer to get of the floor as soon as I can."
Evening had fallen and Lance gladly slept on the bed that the minions had provided him with, so did Ruby she had said that the bed was big enough for her to be comfortable with sleeping together. What he hadn't expected was Penny to join them, she and Ruby were cuddled up next to each other. Suddenly, a sharp glow came from the door, waking up the other occupants of the room.
"What in the underworld!"
A small door in the corner of the room opened up and the overlord's advisor hurried in
"Argh, the person who did this has no knowledge of educate. don't they know that you should at least wait a month before storming a dark lord's keep it has barely been a weekend."
Penny wandered closer to the doorway that was spewing fire and shadow.
"Strange I don't sense hostile intend."
Ruby raised a eyebrow.
"Not to be mean penny, but I can see the hostile intent. our bedroom door just burst into flames how much more do you need?"
Penny held out a hand and a flame flew to her hand.
It's familiar this magic…Master?!
The door opened into a circular room of a dark orange crystal. A throne that seemed to be made out of more bones and skulls then was in a common cemetery overlooked the room ruby leaned towards lance."Look that is a evile throne room."
Gnarl let out a loud chuckle.
"Ha yes I knew you would survive you are only the most resource full overlord out there! but to actually rule the infernal abyss as the dark god you are now I'm so proud of you old friend!"
The figure on the throne stood up and lance walked forward giving a standing bow.
"Grandfather it is an unexpected honor to meet you."
"Lance I welcome you and your court to my halls there is something to discuss."
Lance nodded him to continue.
"The gods did not lie your rule will be able to bring balance to Remnant but your chances are not high as overlord you should know our biggest weapon."
"The minions." lance answered at once.
"Yes an nigh unlimited force of soldiers with next to no hesitation to follow their masters command. Yet now they are not an advantage but merely an equalizer."
"The grim." Ruby said "Salem's forces don't mind death if it means they are bringing there queen victory to make it worse they can act on their own a cord on a global scale no less every negative emotion can call them in and every lost village city and Huntsman is another crack in the bulwark Ozma build against Salem."
Gnarl looked up.
"Are they truly that horrific?"
Ruby looked down, "yes they are they took remnant's capability to feel anything negative without the danger of attracting them, they are beyond evil in my eyes."
"Anything negative?" gnarl mumbled "sire this is dire indeed evil brings negativity even if you decide to be a lenient overlord whose realm will prosper then your rule will still be washed with blood, battles will be fought, egos of former leaders will be bruised. even if we can hold of the grim this Salem will know your location."
The former overlord nodded, "Hence I share with you this knowledge your future lies in the past."
Images flickered alive across the room. "This" the overlord held out his hand as he called the image of an ordinate golden arrow towards himself "Is the great hand a part of the great mighty clock beings elder to even the gods threw it down into the abyss it can turn back time for all but what the user choses."
Ruby gasped "Before everything, but we would retain our memories our skills everything."
The overlord nodded, "There are consequences for such actions but none you are concerned with any more after all everything it threatens would only get in your way. But don't think that it will be the only thing you need. The other images showed Ruby's friends and family, as well as multiple other people and artifacts. "Now then miss rose You know most of these people better than anyone tell us" the former overlord sat down as his fury eyes sparked in amusement."How does my grandson gather the pieces he needs on his side of the board?"
Ruby looked at the images of the people she knew so well smiling strong proud faces ready to give there all for the good of remnant they wouldent take gold or land the only power they wanted was to slay salem and even that had proven to little to shake there morals but there was one enemy they feared that had wounded each and everyone of them like a great venomous spider watching them twist and struggle in its web as its venom slowly crpt in there veins destroying them from the inside unmoving but ever present until it struck as sudden as a summer storm.
"Loss."