MEMORIES OF AN OVERLORD
by Victar (vctr113062 [at] aol [dot] com)
Victar's Archive: https://www.vicfanfic.com
"I know I'm not the worst person in the world. I'm a long way from the worst, because too many other people do horrible, evil things.
"What if the world weren't like that, though?
"Just imagine it - a whole world where no one is a more disgusting monster than me. Wouldn't that be amazing?"
Chapter Twenty
Memories of a Musician: Battle Hymn
Thick, white clouds above Ascendance Island partially filtered the afternoon sun when Cedric, wielding the Holy Brand Aldea, engaged in what was becoming a daily ritual.
The Holy Brand flared, enveloping the golden-haired Lunarl in radiance, and transforming him into an avatar with eyes of white-gold fire. Aldea's avatar slowly lowered the tip of the sword to a single, fletched crossbow bolt that Cynthia held in her outstretched hands.
The crossbow bolt shined brighter and brighter, becoming a brilliant streak of white.
Aldea's avatar lifted the Holy Brand. The glow of the crossbow bolt dimmed to a light shimmer. Cynthia could feel its thrumming, concentrated potential dancing on her fingers.
Radiance faded from the golden-haired Lunarl. His eyes returned to their natural blue. His head drooped. He slowly sank to his knees. The Holy Brand became a ray of light that slipped through his fingers, and reformed as a hovering sword.
Laminah crouched next to him, and touched his shoulder. "My king-!"
"I do wish you would call me Cedric," he breathed. Then he raised his head, and showed a wavering smile. "There is no need for concern. I am becoming accustomed to this."
*My avatar's body and mind are not endangered,* the Holy Brand evaluated. *We can safely purify the obelisk near the bard's city of origin.*
A grim frown appeared on Laminah's face.
Anemos warned, "A monster is approaching us."
Laminah rose and drew her halberd. Cynthia summoned her magical crossbow. Cedric remained on his knees. The Holy Brand rotated its position in midair, turning its point toward the undead creature that the bard had spotted.
"Hey, everyone. Don't set this monster free just yet."
Anemos had been prepared to unleash a barrage of sound and magic to entangle the staggering monster. He remained poised, even though he recognized the unremarkable tenor voice that seemed to emanate from its mouth.
"Have I told you that I know Aldea has a wielder now? I'm the Overlord, I automatically pick up on things like that. I wonder, is your new friend the next Savior or a native Kreisian? I'm not doing any scans to find out; I don't want to ruin the surprise."
Anemos found this undead messenger of the Overlord particularly disturbing.
Her misshapen form and the tattered "garments" of her dark magic shell indicated that she had once been a Lunarl priestess of exceptionally high rank. She moved jerkily, every step a stumble, and there was a vacant glaze to her solid yellow eyes with vertically slit pupils. Her neck was bent at a permanent angle.
Her most troubling aspect was the lizard-like scales that pockmarked her skin. This was indicative of a specific type of monster.
Bitter memories stirred within the bard.
The War of the Lesser Overlord began when Kreisia's sole airship carried a surprise attack to Ascendance Island. Anemos personally invoked the counter-chants that made navigation to the hidden settlement of Ascendance City possible. Then he spent most of his travel time crafting an extra layer of defense to temporarily increase Cynthia's and Laminah's resistance to Altean chants, as well as his own resistance.
Near the end of the high-speed journey, Kreisia's most unlikely Savior attempted to make a rousing, last-minute speech to the forces gathered on the airship. He occasionally stammered, while wind currents that slipped past the airship's magical protections whipped his raggedly-cut, dreadful brown hair into a scandalous travesty.
Anemos played his battle hymn and resolutely declared his allegiance to the Savior. Laminah's iron will and Cynthia's compassionate rapport further lifted the spirits of all present. Together, the Savior's loyal companions galvanized another round of enthusiastic cheering from Kreisia's assembled defenders.
A Royal Mage used divinations to locate Begiad Laatsch, in an immense structure within the center of Ascendance City. A group of three Royal Mages deployed a sorcerous barricade, carefully woven during the airship's voyage, that would prevent any living person from teleporting out of Begiad's bastion.
A Royal Chanter magnified the short-range communication spell cast by two Royal Mages. The spell's announcements resonated in the minds of every Altean in Ascendance City.
THE SAVIOR DECLARES WAR SOLELY UPON LESSER OVERLORD BEGIAD LAATSCH, FOR COMMITTING ATROCITIES IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF THE OVERLORD ORZAND!
Another two Royal Mages ceased their concentration on the illusionary concealment spells that had obscured the approaching airship. The airship landed in front of the fortress holding the Savior's avowed nemesis.
THE SAVIOR DECLARES THAT ALL ASCENDANCE DISCIPLES ARE TO BE RESCUED AND AIDED AS VICTIMS OF THE LESSER OVERLORD'S REIGN OF TERROR!
Cynthia whispered a reminder to Savior Yusis. He nodded and gave her all of the float gossamers in his possession, including the ones that had been pinned to his clothing. She shaped a flashing sword out of fire magic, and handed it to him.
THE SAVIOR DECLARES THAT THE LESSER OVERLORD'S REIGN OF TERROR ENDS TODAY! THE SAVIOR CALLS UPON EVERY ASCENDANCE DISCIPLE TO SUPPORT THE LIBERATION OF ASCENDANCE CITY!
Anemos used his battle hymn to invoke bardic magic, bolstering the celerity and fortitude of Savior Yusis' strike force. The Savior led the charge into Begiad's stronghold; the brilliance of his fire-magic sword lighted the way. Laminah, Cynthia, and Anemos followed, flanked by backup teams of Royal Guards, Royal Mages, and Royal Chanters. Melinda Verid headed the Royal Chanter support unit.
The Royal Chanters invoked counter-chants to protect the entire strike force against hostile Altean chants. Almost every Altean within the complex surrendered immediately; the scarce few who did not were quickly immobilized by the Royal Guards' stun bolts.
Cynthia and the Royal Mages cast barrier magic to shield the Savior and the strike force from the main brunt of resistance - Begiad's chant-dominated monsters. The Savior, Laminah, and the Royal Guards clashed with hideous creatures that looked like Lunarls, Vargs, and Alteans, with lizard-like scales on their skin and long, hooked claws jutting from their fingers.
The majority of Begiad's monsters had once been Alteans.
This is what happened to those of us who defied Begiad's will and disappeared, Anemos thought, in shock and horror. It would have happened to me, if the Savior had not commanded the Holy Brand to disrupt my teleport.
How could I have been so deluded? No person reprehensible enough to do this could ever bring true peace to Kreisia. We would only trade one Overlord for another.
How am I to live with myself, knowing my role in this atrocity...?
No, I must not distract my thoughts! I must aid the Savior!
Anemos redoubled his concentration on casting bardic magic. He surrendered his awareness to the battle hymn as the Savior's coordinated forces put throngs of attacking monsters to rest. There would be time enough later for nightmares.
Melinda cried, "Brother-!"
Anemos did not turn and look at the fallen, dissolving monster she had spoken to. The threat looming ahead was far too great.
The Savior and his allies confronted Lesser Overlord Begiad Laatsch.
The deformed monster that had once been a Lunarl priestess teetered in place, as upbeat words in an unremarkable tenor voice spilled from its mouth.
"I can tell you're all on Ascendance Island. Hope your homecoming goes okay, Anemos? I miss home, too. I really miss home. Kreisia is a beautiful, innocent world, when the Overlord isn't murdering everyone in it, but there's no place like home, you know?
"Hey, that reminds me of something else I should have put in my book! Do you know why you want to visit your home at midnight? Why every Lesser Seal does?
"The Holy Brand Aldea, that's why!
"Yeah, that's right! Every turn of the cycle, Aldea's pommel stones put that drive to return in the Lesser Seals. It's so the Lesser Seals' friends and loved ones will destroy them, and protect Kreisia. Aldea's pommel stones even force the Lesser Seals to return at midnight, no other time of day allowed, to make anticipating their arrival easier!
"The whole 'kill everyone you ever knew' part of being a Lesser Seal isn't from Aldea, of course. That comes from being an undead, miasma-filled monster. Like me. The Overlord driven to murder everyone in a beautiful, innocent world.
"I'm not killing anyone today, though! I'm too busy preparing for the next Savior. I wonder what he'll be like? Or maybe she? Or maybe neither of those? I'll just say 'he', it's easier. I can hardly wait to meet him! And then battle him to the death. Really looking forward to it!
"One of the ways I've been preparing is by taking a complete inventory of all the monsters in Kreisia; minor magic divinations don't cost any power, so they're something I can actually do. They're not the only thing I can do while my power's drained, but the list is pretty short.
"When I checked out Ascendance Island - well, something's weird. There's this one part of the island, a short distance away from Ascendance City, that I can't scan. There should be at least a couple monsters there and I get nothing but static. What gives?
"Then I networked with Zea, here.
"She's one of very few monsters who remembers something of who she used to be. Ten years ago, she was an extra-super-strong high priestess. It was her job to ward monsters away from the city of Vatoren, and she was really good at it! Way better than even a huge group of Royal Mages would be. Everyone thought Vatoren was one of the safest places in the world! Maybe even safer than the Royal Capital!
"Then Zea got kidnapped and turned into what you see now. When Overlord Clize noticed that the city's wards were down, he sent a Lesser Seal and a horde of monsters to attack.
"Would anyone in Vatoren have survived, if their high priestess had been there to protect them? Now there's something sad to think about. Zea's been thinking about it for ten years. Zea is very unhappy. Go ahead and cry for her, if you want. It's not like I can. Undead monsters can't do that, especially not the Overlord.
"I want to make her feel better, but that's not a miasma thing, you know? 'Feeling better' is really, really not a miasma thing.
"Speaking of miasma, do you remember a certain monster who poisoned victims with miasma long before he became a disgusting undead thing? I sure do! That's one monster I definitely did not forget about. I know he hasn't been destroyed because I can't see any memories of his undeath, but I can't find him for my monster inventory. I haven't been able to contact him at all, not once in ten years. He's totally AWOL. Absent Without the Overlord's Leave! I'm not saying his name because hearing it upsets Zea.
"Anyway, Zea doesn't want to be set free, not yet. She wants-"
%Revenge.% The malevolent word came in a high, screeching voice.
"Zea, you should let me tell them."
%Hate!%
"I think I'm better at explaining things than you, Zea."
%Destroy - him!%
"Zea, it's hard to communicate through %Monster PA% when you do that. I could flat-out override you."
%REVENGE!%
"I'll just work around her. Zea can lead you to-"
%Hate - so - much!%
"-the source of the static. That's all she can do, though; I've ordered her not to get involved in anything that might happen."
%HAAAATE!%
"Zea has to obey my orders, you know. Same as every other monster."
%DESTROOOOY!%
"I can't travel there myself, by the way. I still can't move much or cast major spells-"
%REVEEEENGE!%
"-and I'm busy preparing, can't stop. I'll know when the static clears up, though. I'll get instantly alerted. Major spells are off the table right now, but minor magic sure is convenient!"
%Help - me - get - VENGEANCE!%
"Yeah, seriously, can you get rid of that static? That would be really, super useful. You're my Primary Servants, you know. Shouldn't you serve your Overlord a little bit?"
%Help - me!%
"I can't help you directly, Zea. My Primary Servants will, I'm sure? They know how important it is to help others, when asked for help."
%Please...%
"I've heard that word before. I'm certain I know what it means. Is it something I need to remember? No, wait - the most important thing to remember is that I have to prepare. Shutting down %Monster PA% for now."
Zea started to move again, tottering in a zigzag line.
Anemos firmly told her, "You must wait with us. We cannot follow you until after midnight. Before we aid you, I must ask the Holy Brand to convey an emergency request to Ascendance City, on behalf of their very own Lesser Seal."
%Waited - ten - years!%
"A little more time will be tolerable, my dear? Because if this is what I think it is, then we will also need help. As much help as we can muster."
Begiad Laatsch was a towering, husky Altean past the years of middle age, with a finely trimmed, light green beard. His black robes concealed all but his hands and head.
Kreisia's most unlikely Savior and his companions knew that Begiad had a supremely powerful talent for Altean chants; far stronger than that of Anemos, who was himself an outlier. The Savior and his allies had tried to prepare, yet despite the combined counter-chants of Anemos, Melinda, and the Royal Chanter support team, Begiad completely incapacitated the Royal Guard and Royal Mage teams. The Royal Chanters had to devote all of their efforts to preventing Begiad from taking full control of the Royal Guards and Royal Mages.
Cynthia's movements slowed; she shifted her footing to a guard stance. Begiad's chant had less influence on her, due to the protection of her feathered chant ward and the extra layer of defense Anemos had created.
"Savior, attack the Priestess of Salvation!" Begiad roared.
Yusis' eyes grew wide in terror as his own body moved in a jerky motion to swipe his flashing, magical sword at Cynthia. She showed no fear. In response to her will, the Savior's weapon dissolved into harmless sparks, and his hand whipped well short of where she stood.
Anemos dared to take the smallest amount of satisfaction in the frustrated look on Begiad's face.
The Savior anticipated you would try that, 'master'.
"Chains of holy!" Cynthia cried, and shining white links wrapped around Yusis, pulling him to his knees before Begiad's domination chant could force him to punch her. She focused on mentally maintaining the radiant chains.
Yusis' eyes darted back and forth, then down at the glowing links restraining him. "I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. This is totally not weird at all. Except for how it is."
Laminah chopped at Begiad with her halberd. Her motion was laggard, drastically affected by Begiad's overwhelming power, yet with aid from Anemos' counter-chant and the Royal Treasury's chant ward she retained enough momentum to cut through Begiad's robes and carve a bloody gash in his body.
Begiad drew a thick, heavy sword of his own, and blocked Laminah's next attack in a sweeping motion that almost toppled her, handicapped as she was by his chant. Extreme hatred burned in Begiad's eyes, but not for his opponent, not for the Savior, not for any of those gathered to oppose him save one.
"You TRAITOR!" Begiad raged, glaring at Anemos. "Why did you betray our plan?"
You do not deserve an answer, but Laminah is hampered by your chant and I need to distract you.
Straining to uphold his counter-chant, Anemos softly replied, "The atrocities you have committed are reason enough. My greatest regret is that I did not betray you sooner."
"Everything I did was to transform our dream into reality! A dream you wholly supported! You believed in using domination chants to enslave the FUTURE OVERLORD!"
Begiad pointed his outstretched index finger at the Savior.
Yusis stared at Begiad and gasped, "What? Future Overlord?"
As Laminah recovered her footing, Begiad withdrew a crystalline vial of black, brackish substance and drank it.
"Poisoning yourself with miasma?" the warrior spat, stepping forward to attack again. "You are completely mad!"
"Kreisia was %never worth protecting,%" seethed the towering Altean. His hand moved under his robes, and Anemos sensed reverberations of teleportation magic. "Not %forty years ago,% and not today."
Yusis repeated, "Future Overlord - what?"
Begiad's skin became more pale, as he withdrew from Laminah's chant-stalled advance. Irregular scales appeared on his skin; his teeth reshaped into fangs, and hooked claws grew from his fingers. "No Savior will %control my destiny,% not then and not now! Then, I refused to become a %wretched Lesser Seal,% bound to an Overlord. Now, I will become a %monster of my own making!%"
Yusis nearly shrieked, "Forty years ago - you were the Altean who 'refused to protect Kreisia' - the Lesser Seals are WHAT!?"
%Do you fail to comprehend, 'Savior'? You will become the next Overlord Orzand to blight Kreisia's lands, and slaughter its people without mercy! Your companions will die and arise as Lesser Seals, driven to destroy all they ever knew or loved! Everyone you trusted has lied to you, since the day you were summoned to be the cycle's next sacrifice! Do you now understand why Kreisia is not worth saving?%
Laminah pressed her assault; Begiad blocked her strikes with his sword, retreating all the while. His eyes flashed, changing to blazing yellow with vertical-slit pupils. Then he vanished, a moment before the blade of Laminah's halberd could dig into his neck.
You turned yourself into a monster so that you could teleport out, Anemos realized, dumbfounded. Wards that counter teleportation beads can only barricade the living.
At the hour of midnight, on the outskirts of Ascendance City, Cedric maintained a holy barrier even as he purified the Overlord's miasma-obelisk into beautiful white sparks. The barrier did not protect him or the Lesser Seals, but rather the monster Zea. Cedric had been concerned that the gathered Alteans from Ascendance City, or the Royal Guards and Royal Mages accompanying them, might mistake her for a threat.
The Holy Brand Aldea became like liquid fire that slipped through Cedric's fingers, then reformed as a hovering sword that illuminated the darkness with a steady glow. Laminah and Cynthia stayed behind Cedric.
Anemos cautiously approached Ascendance City's defenders. He had been uncertain who would dare to meet him, after the Holy Brand communicated his request. Fourteen Altean men and women had come. One wore the armor of a Royal Guard, and one wore the uniform of a Royal Mage.
None wore the attire of a Royal Chanter. Anemos had inquired whether any Royal Chanters were stationed within Ascendance City; the Holy Brand had relayed a negative response.
Anemos recognized a few faces among the gathered Alteans. One was a former neighbor from his childhood; another had once taught him the basics of bardic magic. Foremost among them was-
"Melinda?" the bard mused. "This is unexpected. The Holy Brand informed us that there are no Royal Chanters stationed in the city."
"I am no longer a Royal Chanter, and I am here under no mandate other than my own," she replied. "Did you truly believe I wouldn't defend Ascendance City against you?"
Did I truly believe that? I am not certain, Anemos reflected.
Melinda added, "The people here endured a reign of terror for decades without respite, instead of only during turns of the cycle. I didn't understand that their pain was the same as mine, on the day I met you. Your court testimony, the Savior's speech, and the War of the Lesser Overlord showed me the truth."
Have I acquired the appalling habit of unjustified doubt? I must guard my thoughts more closely, to prevent any additional regrets.
Anemos humbly cleared his throat. "My sincere apologies, Melinda. You are most gracious, and you have my utmost gratitude."
"I wasn't expecting you to return as you are now."
"I am sorry that I lost your gift."
"That isn't what I meant, and you know it."
"I have considered altering my outfit to better complement the new hair color," the bard remarked, running one hand through the jet-black streak amid his light green bangs. "Would you have any suggestions?"
"Perhaps later, if there is a later. Do you have the payment?"
Anemos reached inside his vest, and withdrew a plain sack. "Should any of you be wondering, this is the majority of former-king Cedric Welkin's life savings."
Cedric showed a charming smile to Ascendance City's defenders.
Anemos continued, "Since the amount of currency falls short of your collective price, a quantity of magic beads is also within. The total value should be more than acceptable."
Anemos gave the sack to Melinda. She glanced inside it, and nodded.
The beads I have retained should be sufficient resources to help us end the depredations of the cycle, assuming that we can hold our own against Overlord Yusis. That may be an unwise assumption. It is also one more motivation to test ourselves against a 'lesser' threat.
If we successfully bring lasting peace, then I should have my remaining valuables distributed to the families of the Ascendance Disciples' victims. Cedric and Melinda would surely be willing to assist with the logistics.
Melinda handed the sack to one of the Royal Guards with the directive, "Take this to the city treasury and hold it in trust. We will disburse it tomorrow among the volunteers who return, and the families of any who do not return."
"I truly hope that all of you will survive, but I cannot guarantee it," Anemos sighed. "No Vargs or Lunarls may come with us. They are far more susceptible to being controlled than we are. I trust that each of you has personally crafted an additional layer of defense against harmful chants?"
"Yes, we have," Melinda confirmed.
"It was a terribly obvious thing to ask, yet I dare not risk any oversight where our enemy is concerned."
"There is one other matter."
"I think I know what you are going to say."
"As part of the Holy Brand's brokered contract to enlist us against the monster that was once Begiad Laatsch-"
%HAAAAAATE!% Zea screamed, from behind the holy barrier.
"-we request that you and your fellow Lesser Seals vow to leave Ascendance City and never return. Do you accept this bargain, Anemos Monochrome, bard formerly in service to Savior Yusis, and Lesser Seal?"
Anemos glanced to Laminah and Cynthia, who both nodded.
"We accept," the bard firmly replied. "Upon our honor, this is our final visit to Ascendance City."
Melinda showed an inscrutable smile. "If I do not die tonight, then I may seek another place to call home as well."
Anemos, Melinda, and the Royal Chanters combined their talent to remove Begiad's chants from all of Kreisia's assembled defenders.
"The domination chant is now completely dispelled," Anemos quietly said to Cynthia, with a slight gesture toward Kreisia's most unlikely Savior.
Cynthia ceased concentrating on her binding spell. The pearly links of holy magic chaining Yusis faded away.
Yusis slowly stood up. A shimmering light appeared in front of him. It transformed into a shining, hovering sword, the Holy Brand Aldea. A belt with a tetrahedron sheath matching Aldea's shape materialized around Yusis' waist.
*You are now both worthy and able to wield me as a weapon, Savior. I hereby invest you with the duty to save Kreisia. Let all present bear witness.* The Holy Brand's soundless declaration reverberated strongly in the minds of the entire gathering.
Yusis seized the Holy Brand's gem-studded hilt, and held the blade lengthways in front of his eyes. "Tell me that what Begiad said isn't true."
*I will not lie to you, Savior. When the Overlord Orzand is destroyed, you must die and become the Greater Seal upon Kreisia's miasma, to prevent a torrential miasma flood from drowning the world. You will be imprisoned within a sorcerous castle for ten years, and then you will arise to imperil Kreisia as the next Overlord Orzand.*
"Tell me that my friends don't have to die."
*I will not lie to you, Savior. Your companions must die and become Lesser Seals, to stopper three miasma fonts and ensure that you remain imprisoned for ten years. When the 'Lesser Overlord' was derelict in his duty to become a Lesser Seal, there were only six years of peace instead of ten, and half of Kreisia's people perished before I recovered enough strength for the summoned Savior to wield me.*
"Tell me that Cynthia doesn't have to die."
*I will not lie to you, Savior. The Priestess of Salvation must die, or else there will be no peace at all. As long as she lives, no one can take her place as a Lesser Seal. You could not be imprisoned for ten days if she were neither Sealed nor slain, let alone ten years, because the summon spell connects her to you.*
"Because of me?"
Yusis lowered the Holy Brand. He turned toward Cynthia and looked into her reddish-brown eyes.
"You weren't lying to me, when you said a 'golden light' would take me back to my world," he quietly evaluated. "You didn't mean to give me false hope. Your mind is just that warped."
"My... mind?" Cynthia's hands trembled, as she gradually raised them to her head.
"Yeah. You really did a number on yourself."
"Yusis, I..." Her trembling spread to her arms, and her body.
"You didn't spin any fairy tales about what happens to you, though. When I asked about staying on Kreisia with you, you wouldn't give any answer at all."
"Yusis, I-!" Tears formed in her eyes.
"You never said anything about what you planned to do, after beating the Overlord. Just like how Anemos and Laminah refused to say anything."
"What- what have I-?" She started to blink rapidly, and moved her quivering hands from her head to her face.
"You knew what casting the summon spell meant. For you. You didn't twist your mind over that."
Tightness constricted the muscles of the off-worlder's thin body. He clenched his free hand, gritted his teeth, and his eyes all but closed. Seething, jaundiced animosity threaded through his composure, and saturated his words.
"You summoned me to make your own death happen."
There is evidence of chanting here. I can feel it.
"Stop, all of you," Anemos directed.
The teetering, tottering monster Zea made an unnatural pivot. %So - close-!%
"Yes, and that is why we are stopping," Anemos affirmed.
*It is as the bard inferred,* observed the Holy Brand. *An exceptionally strong concealment chant protects a large wilderness region here. The chant is beyond my ability to dispel, and I cannot combine my power with that of the Alteans. My magic is incompatible with their counter-chants.*
Anemos turned to the entourage of Altean mercenaries and instructed, "Above all else, we must concentrate upon breaking this concealment chant. Once it is broken, we cannot allow it to be re-established."
Anemos looked to Cedric, Laminah, and Cynthia.
Harmful chants do not affect the Holy Brand Aldea, and it can transfer a portion of its resistance to its wielder. Laminah is wearing her heirloom ward. Cynthia's ward is weaker, but I have spent hours giving the three of us an extra layer of defense.
Will it be enough?
"You must protect us," the bard stressed to his comrades. "As soon we begin, I expect we will attract attention."
"I'm ready," Cynthia piped up.
"As am I," Laminah stated.
Cedric remarked, "I believe it is now time to apply enhancements."
Anemos nodded and invoked a handful of powerful magic items to temporarily heighten the combat prowess of Cedric and Laminah.
Anemos looked to Cynthia and said, "When you begin, so will we."
Cynthia spread her arms. A large, flashing holy barrier surrounded the Altean mercenaries, Anemos, and herself.
Anemos invoked the power of the Altean race. Melinda was the first to join him; the other Alteans rapidly followed suit.
The bard's prediction proved correct.
Monsters materialized about the entire gathering. One moment there was naught save wilderness; then a throng of scaled, clawed horrors suddenly attacked.
It is just like when Overlord Yusis snapped his fingers and summoned a dragon.
The Holy Brand Aldea blazed in Cedric's grip, enveloping him in radiance and transforming his eyes into white-gold pools of fire. His weapon became an arcing curve of brilliance, lashing out against shambling menaces. As Aldea's empowered avatar, he forced the undead swarm away from one side of the dome, while Laminah swiped her halberd at monsters on the other side.
One, hideously deformed monster prompted an internal shudder from Anemos.
You are-!
I put you out of my mind well before I turned on our 'master'. I did not so much as wonder what became of you, after his downfall.
This... this is what became of you...
No, I must not distract my thoughts! I must aid the others!
Laminah beheaded the disturbingly familiar monster; Anemos wrenched his gaze away from its dissolving body. The bard used a healing bead to soothe Cynthia's pain from wielding holy magic.
"Focus on what you have to do, Anemos," she whispered. "Don't worry. I can take this."
The bard deferred to her wisdom, and redoubled his efforts to wear away at the concealment chant.
Laminah and Aldea's avatar destroyed a second wave of attacking monsters, and a third.
*Warrior! The true threat comes!* Aldea warned, through Cedric's voice.
The towering, lizard-scaled monster that was once Begiad Laatsch loomed before them.
Zea screamed, %HAAAAAATE!%
Begiad invoked a reverberating chant. His blazing yellow eyes flashed at Zea, as he pointed to Laminah.
Zea screeched, %No! Not - involved! Overlord's - orders!%
Begiad's chant froze Laminah in place, with her halberd suspended in mid-swing. Aldea's avatar still moved, but more slowly.
Begiad swept one arm toward Laminah, generating a wave of dark magic. The Holy Brand in Cedric's hands split into two fiery blazes; the separated piece became a wide shield in front of the paralyzed warrior. Begiad's sizzling gout of miasma splashed against the shield and dripped to the ground, killing each blade of grass it touched. The fiery shield reunited with the blaze in Cedric's hand, and reformed as a shining tetrahedron.
Begiad's face twisted into a prideful sneer as he regarded Aldea's sluggishly advancing avatar. %Do you know what the best part of being a monster is?%
I do not know which astonishes me more - that Begiad can overwhelm Laminah's heirloom ward, or that Aldea's avatar has even greater resistance!
%My power GROWS as the miasma GROWS!%
Fueled by miasma, 'Lesser Overlord' Begiad Laatsch is far more dangerous than he was when alive! Breaking his concealment is our only chance; I am certain of it!
A gigantic sword of solid miasma appeared in Begiad's grasp. He slammed it in an overhead strike upon Aldea's avatar, who blocked the weapon with an upraised, two-handed swing.
%I had to hide for ten years, but now Orzand tells me the CYCLE IS BROKEN!%
Begiad's sheer strength forced Aldea's avatar to one knee. Anemos closed his eyes to block the rising temptation - the near-panicked wish - to interrupt his task and help.
%Holy Brand, you have NO SHRINE, NO SAVIOR, AND NO HOPE!%
Light flared so brilliantly that Anemos sensed it through his closed eyes.
*I - WILL - NOT - GIVE - IN!*
The concealment chant broke.
"Hey, the static cleared up! Good job, everyone. Way to serve your Overlord!" An upbeat, unremarkable tenor voice seemed to come from the mouth of the monster that was once Begiad Laatsch.
The chants affecting Laminah and Aldea's avatar disappeared. Anemos and Melinda led the Altean mercenaries in a combined counter-chant to prevent Begiad from recreating his concealment.
%What is this?% Begiad staggered backward, lowering his miasma-sword. He raised a clawed hand to his own throat.
"'What is this', you ask? THIS IS YOUR OVERLORD SPEAKING! So, DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND LISTEN TO ME!"
Begiad dropped his miasma-sword; it vanished into smoke.
"Wow, you really are my monster now, aren't you?" laughed the unremarkable tenor voice. "Sweet! You're extra-super-strong, too!"
Laminah and Aldea's avatar attacked.
%I will DESTROY YOU ALL!%
Begiad tried to chant again, but the unremarkable tenor voice interrupted his attempt.
"You're almost perfect to use against the next Savior! I just need to make a few improvements with %Strengthen monster.% Let's get to work right away!"
Begiad's body bent and flailed.
"How should I do this? Should I add wings? I like wings. Wings are cool. I've thought about adding wings to the Greater Seal, but is that really the right look for me? I don't know."
Laminah severed Begiad's head. Begiad's arm seized his head, and a flare of miasma made it reattach. Aldea's avatar plunged the Holy Brand into Begiad's chest, skewering him.
"Or maybe I'll power up your arms and legs, and make you extra-super-physically-strong too! Preparing for the next Savior is so much fun!"
Begiad's entire form twisted and jerked, leaving him near-helpless. Aldea's avatar held him as if on a stake. Laminah hacked off Begiad's limbs one by one. Even though his extremities reattached, plumes of miasma continued to escape from his increasingly broken body.
"Oh, I should add a tail! Not a Lunarl tail, that would be weird and creepy. How about a scaly lizard tail? There isn't anything weird about that in Kreisia, is there?"
The Holy Brand became like liquid fire, then reformed into a razor-sharp blade that Aldea's avatar raised overhead. Aldea's avatar chopped downward, cleaving Begiad lengthwise from skull to stern. An enormous plume of miasma burst from the gash.
Begiad's dark magic body dissolved and vanished.
Cynthia gasped, let her holy barrier fizzle out, and sank to her knees.
Melinda produced healing beads from her pocket and used them on the priestess, saying, "Thank you. I feared that some of us might not see the next dawn, but you protected all of us."
Golden radiance receded from Cedric. Aldea fell out of his hand. He toppled forward; Laminah caught him before he could hit the ground. The holy sword hovered in midair nearby.
*Bard, you must keep my avatar conscious with a chant!*
Anemos immediately did as the Holy Brand requested. Cedric groaned and folded his arms over his midsection.
"Hey, what happened to my Begiad monster?" The upbeat, unremarkable tenor voice now came from the mouth of the teetering Zea. "Aldea! Did you wreck my extra-super-strong Begiad monster? How rude is that?
"I still hate you, Aldea. It's a miasma thing.
"I really do hate you, Aldea - so much-!
%I hate you so much I drowned your shrine, remember that? I can't forget it. My Primary Servants were inside at the time, and I almost turned them into disgusting things like me! I've got lots and lots of hatred over that, but not for you, Aldea. I'll let you guess who I hate the most!%
Zea swayed, back and forth. Her misshapen face rearranged into something resembling a smile, and her tilted head closed its glowing yellow eyes. Even as the Overlord's venomous communication escalated into a crazed frenzy, her high, screeching voice crested above his.
%Thank - you.%
Poisonous darkness drained from the Overlord's words. "You know what? I think Zea might be feeling a little better. Maybe even good enough that she's ready to be set free!"
Zea's smile grew broader. Her eyes remained firmly shut.
"That's something the Overlord just can't do, you know. Make anyone feel better. I could force monsters to stop feeling anything at all, but that's not really the same thing, is it? I shouldn't do that to myself either, or else I might forget important stuff again.
"All of you are coming to my castle sometime soon, right?
"Wait, I said I'd work on not doubting so much. Of course you're coming to my castle! You'll be here with the next Savior, and I guess a new Priestess of Salvation will be with him? Will another two friends of theirs show up, too? Party at the Overlord's place, everyone's invited! Come for the miasma and monsters, stay for the destined battle to the death! Bring your own anti-poison! You know, I might feel a little better imagining it?
"I've got to think of more preparations for the next Savior, now. %Monster PA% over and out."
A golden bolt sprang from the hovering Holy Brand Aldea. Brilliant radiance enveloped the willfully sightless Zea, former high priestess of Vatoren. When the light faded, nothing remained of her but drifting miasma plumes.
End of Chapter Twenty: Battle Hymn