Overlord Rising

Days slowly passed. They felt much longer than they should have. Uriel's company, as well as the exiles she had recruited, traveled with sore feet and exhausted bodies. Despite the fatigue, they managed to keep their wits up, and their sights sharp. They needed to.

Revenants still roamed the steppe, ready to appear any moment. Over a hundred warriors moved together, like a herd of bison. They stood out too much. Mycelia's magic would not have been enough to hide all of them from the ghastly spirits. Fortunately, they managed to avoid such encounters and soon reached the forest.

Under the shadows of the trees, the company followed Krin and Daku, until they arrived at the Chamael village, where found themselves greeted by a rather less than warm welcome.

Their camouflage slowly peeled off, revealing their location. Many Chamael warriors appeared on the old walls and on the trees. Their spears ready to fly any second. They probably would have ambushed this large group, if they had not noticed their two brethren, as well as the four that had killed the metal guardian for them.

Despite their rather hostile gestures, Sonpra approached with arms spread wide. At the very least, one of the Chamael knew how to greet them properly.

"Welcome back, Lady Overlord," Sonpra hailed. "I believe you had a productive journey?"

"Rather obvious, don't you think?" Uriel smirked, as she turned and looked at the many exiles that had pledged to follow her.

The chieftain glanced at this large force that had been amassed. "Quite impressive," he snorted, as he shook like a dog. "You've gathered quite a following. More than I expected, to be honest."

"Your warriors Krin and Daku played quite a pivotal role in doing so," Uriel replied. "If not for their actions, we would have been faced with frustrating complications."

The Chamael chieftain smirked and then nodded at his two warriors, gesturing his approval to them. "I am pleased that they were of good service to you," he snorted. "Now, may I assume you have stopped here to find respite?"

"We were planning to head straight to the Ovoo village, but decided to stop here, since it was nearest," Uriel explained. "We've traveled a great distance, and could use some proper food, as well as a safe place to rest our heads, for the night."

Sonpra first grunted. He then lightly tapped the b.u.t.t of his staff on the ground, signaling for a few of his aides to come forward. "Our village shall provide for their needs.

Uriel then turned to the exiles. She pointed her head at the Chamael. "Follow them," she directed.

Sidra and the exiles passed a beady and rather mean look at the aides. This caused a few of the villagers to shrink back, while the surrounding warriors only further readied themselves. It looked almost as if trouble were to arise.

Fortunately, nothing happened. Despite their rather hostile faces, the exiles did not turn away from the offer. Picking up their equipment, they followed the Chamael into the village. They trudged off, like a horde of captives being led to their prison cells. With the manner they walked, and the Chamael warriors keeping an eye, it looked almost as if the exiles had just lost a battle.

"These exiles do not inspire much confidence," Sonpra remarked, taking note of the sluggish way they carried themselves, and rather dull appearance.

"Sad, but true," Uriel admitted. "Their time in the Shunen Grounds had left them quite weary and somewhat broken. We will need some time, before we can send them into battle."

"Worrying about it now won't do you good, Lady Overlord," Sonpra replied. "For now, I suggest you rest yourself."

"I will take that advice," Uriel gladly accepted with a nod. She then turned to her three main companions, who stood closely behind her. "All of you get some rest as well. We've had a long journey."

With that, the company dispersed to tend to their own personal matters. Mycelia retired into one of the fortress's rooms, with the tome in hand, no doubt to continue her studies. Ragosh quickly joined the exiles and the Chamael for a hot meal. Jotun climbed on top of the walls and watched the forest like a sentinel on duty.

As for Uriel, she returned to the room that she occupied the last time they were at the fortress. Stepping into the room, Uriel found it almost exactly the way she had left it. Blankets remained undone, bits of dust still scattered around the room, and that one cabinet still lay on its side. Nothing really changed. Despite the unkempt state of the room, Uriel still found it relieving to actually be back in a bedroom.

Kicking off her boots, Uriel jumped into the bed, only to meet a cloud of dust around her. After swatting the dust off her face and coughing a few times, Uriel finally lay down and rested her head on the pillow. It may not have had the comforts of the royal castle, but it still felt like a luxury.

With a tired yawn, Uriel closed her eyes. Before long, she had fallen asleep. The long travel back and forth had really taken quite a bit out of her. While she did not have to fight many battles, simply walking about still sapped her strength. There was much to do, but for now, she allowed her body and mind to relax and regain some energy.

Time quickly passed. When she later awoke, Uriel found her room quite dim. She turned her head and looked out at the sky, finding that the moon and stars had replaced the sun.

Sitting up, Uriel gazed outside her window and found a few torches and bonfire lit around the village, as the smell of boiling meat filled the air, accompanied by the scents of some herbs and what she could only distinguish as mushrooms. It may not have been the most enticing of scents, but it did cause her stomach to growl.

Uriel left her room and traveled towards the source of the smell. As she wandered about, Uriel found the exiles resting peacefully around the village. They occupied various empty spots and slept without much of a care. While they still appeared rather grim and bleak, they had a much more calm and relaxed presence about them. This must have been the first time, in a long time, they had the chance to sleep with some sense of safety.

Uriel had only slept in the steppe for a few days, but those few days already felt unsettling. She couldn't quite imagine how these exiles managed to remain sane for what could have been years. Perhaps they found comfort in the legends of that monolith. Regardless of what they believed, that small plot of land in the Shunen Grounds was their cage, while the surrounding lands acted as their cell.

Traveling through the halls, Uriel soon found herself greeted by one of the exiles. "Ah, Overlord, you're awake," Sidra called out, as he leaned against a wall, smoking a pipe.

"And so are you," Uriel replied. "You sound much… mellower."

Sidra laughed, as he took a deep breath of the wooden pipe and let out a large puff of smoke from both his mouth and nostrils. "It has been a VERY long time since I've had one of these," he sighed, as his eyes rolled to the top of his head, and his tongue hung out of his mouth. "I borrowed it from one of the Chamael."

"How considerate of them," Uriel remarked. "So I take it that the Chamael have been treating you and the others well?"

"Much fairer than I had expected, to be honest," Sidra responded, as he patted his stomach. "A decent meal, a place to rest our heads without alert, and a good pipe to smoke. It's been too long since we had such comforts."

"Well, I am pleased you're enjoying yourself," Uriel grunted with approval. "However, I suggest you not to get too comfortable. We'll be leaving the next day, to meet with the Ovoo."

Sidra nodded and smirked. "To tell you the truth, I am quite surprised you became the War Master of the Ovoo," he remarked. "My old clan may have not been that close with the Ovoo, but I know that fighting and leading battles is not something they are known for."

"It wasn't," Uriel replied, as she crossed her arms. "That all changed when I arrived and took that Ypnis. The ancestors favored me, and now I am readying the Ovoo to fight the Allosaur."

"Imagine that," Sidra chuckled, while coughing out a wisp of smoke. "I honestly never expected the ancestors to side with an outsider such as yourself. Either you've got something real special to you, or the ancestors finally found a sense of humor."

"A little bit of both, I suppose," Uriel replied with a shrug. She recalled what the ancient spirit told her; giving her control of the Ovoo out of plain curiosity. The reason still didn't settle well with her. In fact, she actually hated that the ancestor's reason.

However, it did not change the fact that she had been accepted. Despite her feelings on the matter, Uriel had no intention to turn down an opportunity given to her.

"Whatever the reason, I am quite glad that you've been given the chance," Sidra snorted, as he flicked his slender tongue like a snake's. "You seem like a better one to follow than the ancestors."

This comment quite surprised Uriel a little bit. "You're not too fond of the ancestors?" she then asked.

Sidra whipped his tail on the ground, and shook his head. "I respect the ancestors and their wisdom" he answered. "But I'm not too fond of ghosts choosing the direction of the living. It's just not right. We ought to only consider and think about the wisdom they give us, not completely follow them."

"You are not wrong about that," Uriel agreed. "I will admit that your ancestors were not very forthcoming to my plan, at first. Fortunately, one of them actually wanted to see some change."

"Tell me the name of the ancestor, so I could pray to him every morning," Sidra laughed.

"I'll ask, if I ever meet him again," Uriel huffed a chuckle. "For now, I'm going to find some food. I'm quite famished."

"Well, you may check down there," Sidra said, pointing to the courtyard. "That Ovoo companion of yours cooked up a rather tasty meal."

"You mean Ragosh," Uriel said. "I don't suppose you're interested for another meal?"

"No, I've had my fill," Sidra replied, as he pat his stomach again and burped. "As much as I enjoy eating something good, I know when to actually stop."

"Well, get some rest soon Sidra," Uriel said. "We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"You too, Overlord," Sidra replied, as he took another sip of his pipe.

Uriel walked down the path, and arrived at the courtyard, where a few Chamael huts and tents stood. Three fireplaces lay around, providing quite a bit of illumination in the area. It made walking around much easier, than it did through the fortress's empty hallways. Uriel found it strange that the Chamael did not really occupy the fortress, but chose to instead live around it.

Soon, Uriel found Ragosh near one of the fireplaces. He sat quietly by himself, cooking some broth in a large pot of clay.

"Cooking yourself some dinner, Ragosh?" Uriel asked, as she approached.

"Ah, Lady Overlord," Ragosh croaked, as he continued stirring the broth with a wooden spoon. "It isn't for me. I noticed you haven't eaten yet, so I prepared something, just in case."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Uriel said. "It's a shame you aren't human. You would have made a good squire."

"A what?" Ragosh asked.

"A student for a specific kind of warrior," Uriel answered. She then sat down on a log and inspected the pot. It had chunks of meat and very few wild vegetables. It had a scent, but it didn't seem ready yet. "So, Ragosh… how do you find our new company of warriors?"

Ragosh paused and then looked around. "They are less vindictive than I expected," he admitted, as his tail wagged. "But I still have a few misgivings. They were banished for a reason. I worry that those reasons may pop once again, in time."

Uriel nodded. "I understand your concern," she replied. "I will have to train them long and hard, so that they may develop discipline and structure."

"Would you really be able to bring them all together to fight as one?" Ragosh asked.

"I will have to, if I actually want them to last long in the battlefield," Uriel replied. "If they simply charge off and fight in their own manner, the enemy may easily pick them off one at a time."

"Everything you've done seems to be in your favor, so far," Ragosh said enthusiastically, as he wagged his tail. "Hopefully, this obstacle is simply another one for you to overcome."

"Well, I do not plan on failing your clan," Uriel smirked, as she checked the pot again. "So I'll do everything I can, to make sure that your clan is victorious against the Allosaur."

The last few words struck the chieftain's son. "Victorious against the Allosaur…," Ragosh repeated like an echo. He stared at the ground and went silent for a moment. Then with a huff, he spoke again. "Lady Overlord, may I ask you a question?"

Uriel shrugged. "I don't see a problem," she replied. "What is on your mind?"

"After you have defeated the Allosaur, what will you do next?" Ragosh wondered. "You mentioned that after you've defeated them, your time with us would be over."

"What's the matter, will you miss me?" Uriel teased.

Ragosh's tail swished left and right nervously. "Lady Overlord, please answer the question," he pleaded.

Uriel covered her mouth and gave a wide smile. Ragosh looked quite adorable, in the same manner a sad puppy or kitten looked adorable. Uriel restrained the urge to pat his head, as if he were some sort of pet.

Uriel then coughed to clear her throat. "You are correct," she said. "After I help your clan defeat the Allosaur, I will take the exiles with me and help them make a new home under my care."

"Then you plan to build your own clan?" Ragosh assumed.

"That is one way of putting it," Uriel replied. "However, I d.e.s.i.r.e something a little more. There is so much that this realm has to offer. So many secrets waiting to be found, and many lost sights to be discovered. I plan to lift the shadow of this land and see what hides beneath the veil."

"That is quite the aspiration, Lady Overlord," Ragosh mused. "I would actually like to travel with you and also see things the other clans have never come across."

"I would ask you to come along, but a journey through these Dark Lands is not a simple stroll," Uriel sighed, as she looked at the stars. "This realm can break your spirit and fiercely punish weakness. I have often discouraged others, especially the young, from journeying in here."

"Then I hope the coming battles against the Allosaur would further strengthen my resolve and sharpen my claws," Ragosh chortled. "Maybe when the fight has finally ended, I may appear to you as a warrior worth inviting on this so-called dangerous journey of yours."

Uriel coughed out a grin. "You would have charmed the sternest of knights in Grandstark with that attitude, Ragosh," she approved.

"Thank you?" Ragosh replied. He had no idea what a knight was, but he chose not to ask, and instead simply accept the compliment

Ragosh stirred the broth a bit and tasted it. "The food should be ready very soon," he said, as he prepared a bowl. "You are lucky that the others are asleep, as they may just gather around for another bite."

"You lizard folk eat quite a lot," Uriel commented, as she then stood up. "I will first find Mycelia and Jotun. Perhaps they would like a meal as well."

Uriel left the courtyard and returned to the fortress, hoping to find her Dark-Elf aide. She knew which room Mycelia occupied, so she decided to reach her first.

Walking down the dark halls, Uriel soon noticed a strange and rather unfamiliar light. Judging from the purple shine, it did not belong to a torch or brazier. Mycelia must have been practicing her magic. Despite this assumption, Uriel felt a rather uneasy feeling as she approached the light. Her heart sank, as her instincts told her to practice caution.

As she drew closer, Uriel felt a strange chill down her spine, as a creeping noise reached her ears. She walked slowly, but not intentionally. She felt as if her body had been submerged under water. Uriel soon found her hand wrapped around her sword's grip, ready to draw, if necessary. Her footsteps seemed to echo, as continued towards the room.

Soon, she reached Mycelia's room. Its door appeared partly open. Uriel decided to take a small peek inside. However, as soon as her eyes caught a glimpse into the room, a sense of horror and shock ran down her skin, prompting her to burst inside.