MEMORIES OF AN OVERLORD
by Victar (vctr113062 [at] aol [dot] com)
Victar's Archive: https://www.vicfanfic.com
"Dad meant well when he forced me to take that internship, but all I could think of was death, and I associated everything I saw and heard with death.
"After my big breakdown, I refused to accept any kind of help. Dad was scared I'd shut myself down completely. He considered sending me to an institution.
"I didn't want that, so I pushed myself to act like a normal person again. I'm still not sure how much of my 'normal' is real, and how much is an act.
"I don't say the word 'yes' anymore. Not in regular conversation, ever.
"In my warped mind, a 'yes-man' is a corpse. So I say 'yeah', not 'yes'."
Chapter Twenty-four
Memories of an Overlord: Awakening Showmanship
"Despondently awaiting a 'next Savior' that may or may not exist is an insufficiently pragmatic course of action."
Wait, what? Is that my voice? I'm not saying anything out loud, am I?
"I suppose you remain unwilling to resolve the incertitude surrounding this conjectural 'next Savior'?"
I'm not doing any remote scans of the next Savior. I'm not looking at the memories of any monsters he's destroyed. I'm not going to learn anything about him, before the destined battle. It's practically the only advantage I can give him, under the rules.
"There is no assurance that this hypothetical 'next Savior' can vanquish you at all."
Why did I mentally answer a question from my own voice? Am I talking to myself?
"Furthermore, if this speculative 'next Savior' is in actuality a native Kreisian utilizing the Holy Brand, then he is incapable of supplanting you as the Greater Seal."
No, I'm not saying anything out loud. This is coming from inside my own mind.
"You need not resign yourself to physical or psychological eradication. You are coerced to forsake neither Kreisia, nor the worlds beyond Kreisia, which will become vulnerable once the miasma extends to the nadir of the cosmos."
Orzand, you had me going there, but I don't care if you make your Voice sound like an arrogant version of me. I'm not falling for your lies. Not this time.
"I am not Orzand, as you are well aware."
Seriously?
"Erasure of your intellect has commenced, as a gradual procedure. It is escalating the preexisting decay of interconnections within your cognitive nexus. As your psyche's most miasma-resistant constituent, I have presently acquired the capacity to openly advocate your superlative option, before we are mutually extirpated."
You're part of my own mind, talking to me in my head...
...am I going insane?
"'Sane' and 'insane' are descriptors that characterize out-of-network minds. They bear no relevance to you."
Yeah, right. I know what you're going to suggest. Somehow, I just know it.
"There is no enigma to that veracity; my cogitation is part and parcel of yours."
You want me to actually, seriously consider-!
"Inducting all sentience into the network."
'The network'? Is that how I'm thinking of undeath now?
"'Undeath' is an inordinately stigmatized term for a state of existence that impeccably facilitates professional and interpersonal networking."
I really am going completely insane.
"Even when you were out-of-network, you envisioned your perpetual in-network residency. By amalgamating the sum total of sapient cognition into the network-"
That's a warped way to describe murdering every person in the universe and reanimating them as monsters.
"-you would effectuate a unified reality no worse than what you once selected for yourself, and with the prospect to be monumentally improved for all."
Why am I still listening to this?
"What you term 'life' is a wretched crucible, inextricably intertwined with anguish. Your firsthand experience renders this undeniable, and you are well aware that others out-of-network have endured far worse than you. On Kreisia, on your world, and on every world."
I don't want to think about this, but I can't stop myself.
"You possess the potential to abolish all suffering, in perpetuity. All who are inducted into the network no longer need to fear deprivation, abandonment, or physical pain."
Even though they can't feel physical pain, monsters are so horribly tortured that they erase their own minds. Their souls are trapped in a miserable curse.
"They are morose because they yearn for the unattainable. When no one is out-of-network, then there will be nothing for the in-network to crave, or envy."
Their worst torture isn't jealousy. It's being driven to murder and reanimate the living.
"As much as I abhor cruelty, its temporary infliction will enable its permanent surcease. As the antithesis of holy power, miasma is quintessentially 'hatred of life' and 'love of that which torments life'. The miasma's most reprehensible proclivities will therefore be nullified when no 'life' remains to hate or torment. The network will transform into utopia."
You don't know that.
"It will be trivial to remedy any recalcitrant holdouts, who persistently wallow in melancholy. The in-network must comply with your imperatives. When you command the dissenters to feel nothing, your decree will compel unwavering obedience."
You really aren't Orzand, are you? You don't represent miasma's 'hatred of life'. You represent my own 'hatred of life'.
"Clarification is in order. While Orzand detests the out-of-network and delights in their excruciation, I do not. I acknowledge that the out-of-network are unwitting victims afflicted with the onerous predicament of 'life'. Universal network induction should properly be conducted in a manner that maximizes rapidity and efficiency, and therefore minimizes short-term distress."
You're completely wrapped in twisted excuses, but you're still a part of me that wants to commit genocide. It's beyond disgusting.
"Your self-loathing is deleterious and pointless. It is time to desist that."
I am not making you any promises.
"Then I present you this unilateral assertion. If your self-loathing anathematizes you into accelerated erasure, I will become you."
Yeah. That really is exactly what will happen, isn't it? If I murder even one person, in a psychotic attempt to appease Orzand's rules, then you will be 'what's left of Yusis'. Only my 'hatred of life' will be left.
"Why shouldn't 'life' be beneath your contempt? 'Life' is a paradigm that intrinsically causes immeasurable pathos. 'Life' must inevitably conclude in expiration. Why isn't an eternal, universal network where no pain is permitted to exist the incontestably superior alternative?"
I don't have the right to steal anything from other people. Not their lives. Not their free will. Not even their pain.
"Do you prefer to let Orzand torment them? That is the logical outcome of our erasure."
If I'm erased for slacking off the rules, then at least you'll be erased with me. My friends and the next Savior will still have a chance against Orzand.
"Highly improbable, as you are well aware."
They would not have any chance against you. You would unleash every power, every minion, everything you have to shut them down full force, no holding back and no time to waste.
That would only be the start. I don't know if anyone or anything could stop you.
"Have you finally ceased to doubt your own capabilities quite so extensively, then?"
I told Cynthia I'd work on it.
"Anemos?"
The unremarkable tenor voice came from a large griffon-monster that hovered over the bard. Its broad, eagle-like wings hardly stirred the air with each beat; ripples of dark magic kept its leonine body aloft. Its sharp, hooked beak was a perilously close to Anemos' face, and the raptor talons of its forelegs twitched scarce inches away from the bard's body.
"You're by yourself. I guess Aldea teleported you to my castle gates?"
A broad shadow fell over Anemos and the great griffon. The bard carefully turned in place, while keeping the griffon on the edge of his sight.
"I've modified the %Overlord's decree% on all monsters."
A gigantic, reptilian, three-headed hydra-monster was on Anemos' other side. Its leftmost head restlessly ground its crocodile jaws while eyeing the griffon. Its rightmost head seemed to be surveying the surrounding island with a steady, sweeping gaze. The tremendous beast lowered its central head, putting one pair of its blazing yellow eyes on level with the bard.
"Now, monsters can approach my Primary Servants or the next Savior, but if you don't pick a fight then they can't attack any of you. Not unless I command them to, with my mind."
The vertical pupils of the central hydra head's eyes narrowed to thin slits.
"I can also command myself to attack you."
The great griffon landed near Anemos. Even standing on four legs, it towered over him.
"I think Orzand wants me to kill you personally. And turn you into a monster. Orzand enjoys twisted things like that."
The hydra raised its central head. The jaws of all three heads yawned wide, revealing three sets of hideously sharp fangs, then snapped shut.
"Orzand's eased up the pressure, for now, so it's not as hard to talk to you."
The great griffon crouched, then launched itself skyward and flew in a curving arc above the Overlord's castle.
"I think Orzand wants me to talk to you. Before it makes me kill you. And turn you into a monster."
The hydra slowly turned around and began to shamble away. Anemos lithely evaded its aimlessly swinging tail.
"Orzand really enjoys twisted things like that."
Smaller monsters suddenly appeared on Anemos' either side; the largest of the new arrivals resembled a jet-black dog.
The unremarkable tenor voice continued without interruption. Anemos couldn't tell which monster the sound emanated from.
"Orzand's hanging out with me. Just watching you, on a monitor. Like I am. I can see you, but I can't hear you. Orzand probably can't hear you, but I'm not completely sure."
Best not to say anything aloud for the present, Anemos silently decided.
"Does that sound insane? Maybe it is insane. Orzand is more than an illusion; Orzand is in my thoughts. It's making me cast its illusion, and it controls what the illusion says or does."
Anemos gazed upon the jet-black castle before him. Its exterior appeared the same as that of the Royal Castle, aside from the color.
"Okay, Orzand's not looking at the monitor anymore. It's looking at me, now."
The castle's gates were wide open. The interior beyond was dim, but not completely shrouded in darkness.
"I think Orzand enjoys watching me go insane. It's not even saying anything. It just wants to watch me go insane."
Laminah, my courage will never be more than a shadow of yours, but yours is so great that I do not need more than a shadow.
Anemos purposefully entered the jet-black castle. The small monsters followed, staring intently with blazing yellow eyes. The bard glanced about his surroundings.
This place is a dark facsimile of the Royal Castle on the inside, as well as the outside.
Nearly everything Anemos saw was identical to what he remembered of the Royal Castle. The most readily apparent differences were the lack of color - everything was grey or black - and the absence of any emblems or artwork.
Anemos thought of Overlord Clize's castle, which had been starkly different. That palace's architecture had been a series of trap-filled gauntlets, and its walls had been covered with vivid images of weapons, monsters, and battles.
When the Holy Brand Aldea created this castle as Yusis' prison, did it take the design from his mind? Did Yusis not think of anything unique, or distinctive? He has not embellished this place, even though he surely has the power. He let it remain a drab copy for ten years.
Anemos did notice one, standout feature at the castle's interior gates. There were two jet-black miasma-statues of guards. One statue resembled a male Varg Royal Guard; the other resembled a female Lunarl Royal Mage.
A slight amount of puzzlement affected Overlord Yusis' voice.
"I'm not sure why you're looking at the statues I made? They're just something I created to try out %Wielder of miasma.% They're copied from my memories.
"It's not like I turned the living guards into statues? I don't have a spell for that, and even if I did, targeting them would be difficult. I don't know their names."
Overlord Yusis is most likely in the throne room, just as Overlord Clize was in his castle's throne room. The path to the throne room surely matches that of the Royal Castle. There are scant hours left before the Savior mind of Yusis is fully erased.
Anemos headed toward the throne room at a brisk pace.
"Uh, wait a minute. Slow down, Anemos. There's some important stuff you need to know. Could you follow the sheepdog-monster, for now? It's another monster that remembers something of what it used to be. It really was a sheepdog, once. It used to love herding sheep so much.
"I, uh, didn't mean to suggest you're a sheep. %The Overlord makes obeisance to no one,% but I actually didn't intend what I said that way."
My plan does involve a certain amount of improvisation. The more I learn before I attempt it, the better.
Anemos altered his course to match the bounding sheepdog-monster. The other monsters fell back, and the unremarkable tenor continued from the sheepdog-monster's jaws.
"Anemos, I think you know where you'll find Orzand and me. When you arrive here-"
The unremarkable tenor abruptly cut off, and remained silent for a handful of seconds.
"Argh." The strained sound shook with a mixture of fear and frustration. "Orzand is - ramping up pressure again - it doesn't want me - to warn you-"
Yusis' voice shifted, becoming flat and emotionless. His words came rapidly.
"-that you'll be in a due process hearing for termination of your position within Miasma, Incorporated. As an out-of-network Primary Servant, your most significant work-related health care benefit is that your network induction is postponed until after the next Savior is destroyed. President Orzand asserts that you do not conform to our corporate culture because you have neglected to destroy the next Savior, as per instructions."
You have occasionally spoken off-world words, but I have never heard language that strange from you before. Is it a symptom of your disintegrating mind? Or are you using off-world phrases to circumvent Orzand's pressure?
"I acknowledge that's a double bind, but the immediate predicament is that you're about to be deprived of your vocation's catastrophic coverage. If you can't provide a suitable defense for retaining your Primary Servant position, then President Orzand will issue an executive order for me to revoke its accompanying benefits, and personally induct you within the network. Recalcitrance would render me deficient in my fiduciary duties, and consequently relegated to the role of silent partner. Any subsequent ramifications would be beyond my authority."
The sheepdog-monster raced down a hall that Anemos remembered led to the Royal Library, then back, then down again.
"Rrgh," Yusis' voice growled. "I don't know if - that made sense - you are in danger, Anemos-!"
The aggravation receded from Yusis' words, supplanted by an unsteady flicker of something else. Something fragile and tenuous, something as delicate as the thinnest strand of spider silk.
"I... I told Cynthia I'd work on... not doubting so much. So I thought, maybe I should try... faith? Hope? I think I remember what those are?
"I won't ask why the next Savior isn't with you. Or why Laminah, Cynthia, and Aldea are far away.
"I won't ask why you're alone, Anemos.
"I won't doubt you. Instead, I'll... believe in you. I'll have faith. Hope.
"Hope for a miracle, from Anemos the Dazzling."
Strains of music came from the dark facsimile of the Royal Library. Anemos recognized the song. It was his own threnody, which he had finished composing the day after Begiad Laatsch's escape from Ascendance City. Anemos followed the sheepdog-monster toward the source of the sound.
The copy of the Royal Library was a disastrously disorganized mess. Less than half of all the books within view were on shelves; the rest cluttered tables, chairs, and the floor. Quite a few were haphazardly stacked into precarious towers.
Some of the carelessly strewn books had been left open. Anemos glimpsed words and black-and-white pictures on their pages. The illustrations primarily showed monsters, Lesser Seals, and past Overlords.
Close to the library's entrance, one book had a small table and chair to itself. The book was closed; the title on its cover read "DO NOT FORGET WHO THEY ARE" in large, eye-catching letters, followed by a list of names. At the top of the list were the names "Cynthia Klaus, Anemos Monochrome, and Laminah Thor (my best friends)", followed by the names "Siwell and Oreanna Klaus (Cynthia's adoptive parents)", "Lamton and Lamtia Thor (Laminah's uncle and mother)", "Cedric and Circe Welkin (Kreisia's king and his deceased sister)", "Melinda Verid (alias)", "Fortina (deceased)", and "Savior Clize (deceased)".
The name "Begiad Laatsch (Lesser Overlord)" stood out on the list. This name was underlined, circled, and had the phrases "can't see memories of undeath", "not destroyed", and "must be hiding" scrawled near it. The last three names were "Holy Brand Aldea (key to breaking the cycle?)", "Yumarac (created Aldea, and also Orzand?)", and "Overlord Yusis Orzand (my name, now)".
Anemos resisted the surprisingly strong temptation to open the book. Instead, he searched for the source of his threnody. He quickly identified a colorless crystal, resting on a library shelf. Musical reverberations emanated from it.
The sheepdog-monster wagged its tail, while Overlord Yusis' words continued to sound from its mouth.
"I believe in you, Anemos. You'll get through this, somehow. So, I want you to take Cedric's crystal back to him. Or give it to the next Savior? Whatever works. I've listened to it so many times that I don't need it anymore.
"There were days when that crystal was the only thing that held any part of 'Yusis' together. It gave me something to focus on, and helped me lock Orzand away in the back of my mind.
"I... can't keep Orzand out of my thoughts anymore. I can't make its illusion disappear. The miasma has grown too powerful. It's stifling the 'Yusis' that's talking to you now.
"The 'Yusis' that resists Orzand's pressure the most... is not your friend. He's as tyrannical as Begiad used to be. He hates 'life' as much as Orzand does. His twisted sense of pity won't protect you."
Anemos' threnody reached its end. There was a brief pause. Then, voices floated from the translucent crystal, perfectly preserved from the morning when they had been recorded.
"Wait, what? You want me to-?"
"Wait outside, Yusis."
"It would be poor showmanship to detract from the anticipation. You will hear it, soon enough."
"It's already recording, Yusis! Its space is limited, out, out, out!"
"There, that is done. I shall go first.
"Yusis, it has been an honor to train you in the ways of the warrior. Now, you have become a warrior.
"You are, perhaps, not the most capable warrior, in the strictly limited definition of a fighter trained for physical combat.
"Yet in the truest and most meaningful sense, you have become a great warrior. A warrior who refuses to be controlled by fear; a warrior who will never surrender to evil; a warrior who chooses to sacrifice his life and more.
"This will be the most challenging battle you have ever confronted. A contest of the mind. A war that no Savior has ever won before.
"A war that you will win.
"I believe in you. I have faith in you.
"That is all."
"Allow me to speak next, if I may.
"Yusis, do you remember when you told me that being called 'Savior' did not 'feel right'?
"Now, it should feel right. You are our Savior.
"I mean that not only in the sense of becoming the Greater Seal. You saved me from becoming a monster without miasma.
"You saved my people, the Alteans, and especially Ascendance City, from the tyranny of 'Lesser Overlord' Begiad Laatsch. I would not downplay all that King Cedric Welkin has done, but your campaign culminated his efforts to restore the Alteans to their rightful place as an equal part of Kreisia.
"I used to wonder whether you would willingly accept an eternity of undeath, to bring about lasting peace. Now, I know better than to question your resolve.
"I believe in you. I have faith in you.
"You have asserted that you are not the Return of Yumarac. However, you have also wondered why Cynthia's summon spell chose you. She does have a trace of Altean ancestry. Perhaps Yumarac influenced your selection?"
"Anemos! That's it, my turn now.
"Yusis, I sure wasn't thinking of Yumarac when I cast the summon spell. You've asked why my spell chose you, many times, and I never told you because-
"-because I'm still not going to tell you! If you want to know, you'll have to keep your mind so you can hear it, when I'm ready to say.
"I know you will. You'll stay yourself.
"I believe in you. I have faith in you.
"Yusis, I... I'm so grateful you answered my summon spell, and stayed to save Kreisia.
"This isn't goodbye. Not for you, not for me, not for Laminah or Anemos either. We'll all see each other again, and we're not done saving Kreisia yet!
"We're going to end Kreisia's awful cycle. We will do it. We'll find a way to make it happen; even if we're all undead monsters, we're going to do it!
"I know we will, because you're with us."
Anemos touched the crystal, turning off its endless loop of music and voices, and stowed it in a vest pocket.
"Take the glasses, too. They're in a case on the shelf."
Anemos spotted a small, violet case resting close to where the crystal had been. He took a quick look inside of the case. The physical eyewear that Yusis used to carry on a cord around his neck was nestled within. Anemos closed the case and tucked it away in another vest pocket.
"Their cord burned and they fell off, ten years ago. Their defensive ward got them caught up in Aldea's spell and sent here with me. I made that case out of time magic, to protect them from miasma vapors.
"Anyway, I don't want you to have them as a keepsake. I want you to give them to a... researcher? Tinkerer? Inventor? Someone who can figure out how they work, and then make more of them.
"I don't want to 'corrupt' Kreisia with bad stuff from my world, but those won't hurt anything. Kreisia already has the technology to make an airship, anyway.
"Glasses are meant to help people see. I know vision problems exist in Kreisia, and they're something holy magic can't fix. Holy magic returns a living body to how it naturally is, but if a person is born nearsighted or farsighted, or their sight decays from old age, well, you understand.
"I should have left my glasses at the Royal Castle, before we set out to fight Overlord Clize. There was a military advisor who could have used something like them. I just didn't think about it. Ten years is a lot of time to think about a lot of things, though.
"It would be nice to leave Kreisia a legacy other than 'only person corrupt enough to stop Begiad' or 'sealed miasma for ten years'. Something like helping people read."
You did not list ending the depredations of the cycle as a legacy...
No. I still know better than to question your resolve. You will not give up; you just need help. Now, it is my turn to help you.
This will be my greatest performance. If the curtain falls on my life, then I will have no regrets.
I will not fail you, Laminah. I will carry out my plan whether or not I must endure death and worse.
The stress in Yusis' voice intensified, as Anemos approached the throne room doors.
"Anemos, when you come in here-
"Rrrrgh-!
"-you'll have only - one chance-!
"It's getting harder to talk - harder to think-!
"...I'll be erased soon... I'm losing this war... ngh-!
"I believe in you, Anemos the Dazzling."
The sheepdog-monster scurried away. Anemos pushed open the double doors, and entered.
The throne room was the first area to appear dramatically different from the original in the Royal Castle. The dull grey and jet-black surroundings were unlike anything Anemos had seen before.
This must be a place from his world. He has shaped miasma and cast illusions to recreate it. Now it is his last battlefield, in a war of the mind.
Has he fought to preserve the balance of his lucidity before? Here?
A handful of decorations adorned the walls. They appeared to be framed papers filled with outlandish writing. The most prominent one read "MIASMA, INCORPORATED COMPANY CHARTER" and proffered an enumerated list of six instructions, beginning with "The C.E.O. must prepare to confront the next Savior in a selection process to determine executive leadership prerogative." Nestled amid the wall-decorations was a jet-black miasma-stand, supporting mysterious artwork of a jagged line that trended upward from left to right.
Instead of a throne, there was a rectangular, jet-black miasma-table. Broad, flat panels rested on the table; they displayed images of various areas of the castle and the island outside.
Curious jet-black miasma-chairs, made from as little miasma as possible bent into efficient shapes, surrounded the table. More of the sparsely-made chairs were stacked on top of one another, in a corner of the room. Another corner had a much smaller miasma-table with a cylindrical container atop it, a valve sticking out of the container's lower circumference, and a stack of small miasma-cups tucked within one another. A single drop of liquid miasma fell into a jet-black cup that had been left underneath the valve.
The great black panther-illusion of Orzand loomed behind the far end of the rectangular table, yellow eyes burning, snout curled in a predatory sneer that clearly displayed long, pointed fangs. Overlord Yusis was sitting in one of the chairs at the table's left side, near Orzand. His head was bowed, and he was tightly clutching at his brow with both hands.
Tension receded from Yusis' composure. With controlled, methodical movements, he straightened his posture, rested his elbows on the table, and interlaced his fingers. He turned his head and regarded Anemos in a callous, coldly analytical manner, disturbingly unlike the Savior that the bard remembered.
The Overlord was using an illusion resembling how he had appeared when alive, with some notable changes. He was dressed in a jet-black suit with a name-pin, and the cord holding his necromantic-magic glasses around his neck was a dark color that blended seamlessly with his apparel. Anemos recognized the outfit; it was the off-world shopkeeper's attire that the Overlord had previously worn when attempting to bargain for the bard's pledge of obedience.
The miasma vortex in the Overlord's chest was plainly visible, spilling trails of black smoke from the front and back.
Perhaps most astonishing of all, his brown hair was neatly trimmed and combed.
I have never seen that coiffure on him, in life, undeath, or illusion. Now that I do see it, I understand how wrong I was to criticize. A proper haircut means something drastically different to him than it would to anyone else in Kreisia.
This is not good.
Orzand's booming, malevolent voice seemed to pervade the entire room.
%ALTEAN PRIMARY SERVANT. YOU HAVE REFUSED TO PLEDGE OBEDIENCE TO YOUR OVERLORD.%
"Intentional verbal adherence to the non-compete clause is an immediate and irrevocable contract," Yusis commented, in a flat, unsympathetic tone. "Having your %Verbal adherence to the non-compete clause accepted% upgrades your employment status from independent freelancer to in-house staff. All Miasma, Incorporated staff are strictly constrained by the company code of conduct, which mandates unmitigated deference to superior authority."
'Do not try to make a false pledge. Your obedience will be for real.' You are repeating the warning you gave me before. Your demeanor is chilling and your off-world phrases are bizarre, but there is still something of 'Yusis' left.
%YOU HAVE ALSO WILLFULLY DISOBEYED YOUR OVERLORD'S COMMAND TO DESTROY THE NEXT SAVIOR.%
"Monochrome, you have engaged in business travel alongside an employee of our direct competitor, the Holy Brand Love-of-Life Company. This rival representative has utilized the proprietary Holy Brand LLC accouterment to coerce the involuntary retirement of assorted Miasma, Incorporated personnel, including Chief Kreisian Resources Officer Begiad Laatsch.
"I am unaware of your affiliate's identity. I've de-prioritized corporate surveillance, and phased out conducting exit interviews with recently downsized subordinates.
"I have conjectured that he is the next Savior, and that he intends to supplant my position as Chief Executive Overlord of Miasma, Incorporated. I have been preparing extensively for his forthcoming corporate raid."
Orzand is trying to trap me.
If I admit that I have been traveling with the next Savior, then I confess to disobeying the Overlord's order. If I attempt a denial, then Yusis' faith in the next Savior's existence will be shattered.
%ALL LIFE IS WORTHLESS. THIS DEFECTIVE PRIMARY SERVANT IS PROOF. IT MUST BE TERMINATED FOR INCOMPETENCE.%
"Miasma, Incorporated can't engage in wrongful dismissal," Yusis evenly stated. "We must adhere to business protocol. Primary Servant Anemos Monochrome has one opportunity to contest his demotion."
The great black panther swivelled its head toward Yusis. %IF YOU ACCEPT A BASELESS DEFENSE FROM THIS LIVING FILTH, THEN YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ERASED.%
"Rigorous due diligence is obligatory." Yusis flicked his necromantic-magic glasses open with a single shake, and put them on. The cloying sensation of invisible dark power filled the surrounding atmosphere.
Yusis showed no trace of empathy or friendship, as he carefully examined the bard. "%Managerial Acumen: Vision% provides transparent access to virtually all pertinent data. You can't misrepresent your circumstances, Monochrome. Any attempt to do so will be sufficient grounds for a summary judgment."
"Can you see through Orzand's lies?" Anemos asked.
"Unconsidered." Yusis turned to Orzand. "You do prevaricate, in excess. Is it possible to filter-"
%YOUR MAD DISTRACTIONS WILL NOT DELAY THE INEVITABLE!%
The gigantic panther swiped its paw across the table, wicked claws extended, and gouged a massive rupture in Yusis' abdomen. The impact knocked Yusis away; he sprawled on the floor.
A large miasma plume escaped the eviscerated section of Yusis' gut. He touched the gaping wound with one hand, and his body reformed.
%I abhor that,% he muttered. "...and... President Orzand has previously appropriated my %Vision% for promotional purposes. Without any notification. I have since established a notification protocol, should President Orzand place another requisition."
You said that Orzand is more than an illusion...
Is it solid to you? Is it making you injure yourself?
%THE TIME OF YOUR COMPLETE ERASURE IS MOVED UP.%
Yusis slowly climbed to his feet. His skin had become deathly pale, as if drained of all blood, and short, triangular black claws had replaced his fingernails. It was the same as Anemos had seen in the undead form of the Overlord Orzand.
I had best avoid making any other tangential inquiries.
Anemos confidently declared, "My defense is that I have come here to fulfill the Overlord's command. Yusis, I shall aid your preparations to destroy the next Savior, in the destined battle to the death!"
Yusis raised one eyebrow the slightest amount. "Unanticipated."
%THERE IS NO 'NEXT SAVIOR'!%
With the grandiose flair of a showman, Anemos continued, "The next Savior is the chosen wielder of the Holy Brand Aldea. The next Savior has dedicated himself to ending the depredations of the cycle, though it may cost his life, though it may cost him more! The next Savior will come for you, Yusis, in five days!"
Yusis' other eyebrow rose the slightest amount. "That calendar date is the designated bereavement period for Vatoren, and the decennial of when I received a Kreisian subpoena."
"Precisely! On the day that the people of Kreisia grieve for their loss, the next Savior will arrive at your castle to destroy all of your miasma forever!"
"The sum total? Extirpated? In perpetuity?" Yusis blinked his brown eyes several times.
"All of it. Destroyed. Forever!"
Yusis' eyes darted back and forth. "Holy Brand LLC is no longer content to temporarily curtail our market share. A hostile takeover is imminent."
%IMPOSSIBLE.%
"Monochrome isn't misstating the deleterious situation," Yusis retorted, to the great panther. "The worst-case scenario has become substantially more adverse than an orderly succession of executive leadership. Miasma, Incorporated is confronting an existential threat. Our assets are at risk for forfeiture-"
%YOU DARE TURN YOUR ENDLESS DOUBTS UPON ME?%
"-and we're currently noncompliant with corporate law, because we lack a third officer on our board of directors. Out of fiduciary responsibility to our shareholder network, I am appointing Primary Servant Anemos Monochrome as Chief Savior Preparations Officer."
%I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR MADDENED MIND GAMES!%
The great black panther leaped toward Yusis in a single bound, and slashed at his head with one gigantic paw. Hooked claws carved directly through what would have been the skull of a living being.
Yusis' head dissolved into black smoke. His glasses reformed on a cord around his neck-stump. His hands hovered on either side of his neck-stump; a plume of escaping miasma rematerialized into his head with neatly-combed brown hair. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his mouth was twisted into a grimace of revulsion.
%I thoroughly abhor that,% he muttered.
%THE TIME OF YOUR COMPLETE ERASURE IS MOVED UP.%
Yusis opened his eyes. They had reverted to glowing yellow, with vertically slitted pupils.
"We have now established your continued administrative status at Miasma, Incorporated, and with it your health care benefits," the cat-eyed Overlord told Anemos. "As long as a residuum of 'Yusis' remains on the board of directors, your network induction is postponed until after the next Savior is destroyed."
Anemos announced, "Speaking as - ah, 'Chief Savior Preparations Officer' - I must request a five-day emergency suspension of all Overlord duties, other than preparations for the next Savior. Too much miasma is at stake!"
%THERE IS NO NEED FOR FURTHER PREPARATIONS. THIS OVERLORD IS FAR STRONGER THAN ANY THAT HAVE COME BEFORE!%
"President Orzand has divulged the underlying impetus to hire out-of-network Primary Servants," Yusis emotionlessly affirmed. "It was so Miasma, Incorporated could acquire your preassigned emoluments, and utilize those assets to %Fortify investments.%"
Anemos intensely returned, "Ah, but the next Savior is also far stronger than any that have come before! Furthermore, he is allied with your Primary Servants Laminah Thor and Cynthia Klaus. They have devoted themselves to his cause of destroying all of your miasma forever!"
"Laminah Thor and Cynthia Klaus?" Yusis blinked his glowing yellow eyes several times.
%THEN YOU MUST SEND MIASMA AND MONSTERS TO SLAY THEM ALL!%
Anemos hastily interjected, "Yusis, those tactics have never prevented the Savior from vanquishing the Overlord before! Expending your time or your power on such routinely ineffective measures is extremely inadvisable. To destroy the next Savior, we must make the most of these five days to thoroughly prepare!"
%DO YOU THINK THIS LIVING FILTH CAN DECEIVE ME? HE LIES TO YOU. HE PLAYS YOU FOR A FOOL.%
%That is what you do,% Yusis snarled to the great panther, venom and guttural hatred dripping from every word. His phlegmatic comportment shifted to a dark echo of the Savior that Anemos remembered - the Savior when enraged, and lashing out in a frenzy. %You lied to me about Cynthia. You said I turned her into a mindless puppet, and you falsified my Vision of her! Then you said I had to send a miasma flood, and I was eager to believe your lie! I WILL NOT BE YOUR FOOL AGAIN!%
I need to separate Yusis from Orzand before it savages him any further!
"Yusis," Anemos intently addressed, "I respectfully request to duel you without any interference. Immediately after our duel, I wish to offer you a private bargain."
%WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?% growled the great black panther.
Yusis' virulent loathing abruptly dissipated, and the apathetic, callously analytical quality returned. "Monochrome? The company charter does mandate that %The C.E.O. cannot refuse a request for skill set analysis,% but you have a negligible probability of qualifying for a sign-on bonus. I do not require %Vision% to ascertain that."
Anemos reached within his vest and withdrew two pink healing beads, plus one red bead for reviving consciousness to those on the brink of incapacitation. "If you please, let us begin our duel when I toss these in the air."
"Certainly, that's permitted." Yusis twirled one hand. A ring of purple-black flames encircled him and the bard.
Orzand remained outside of the fiery barrier.
Anemos dared to take the smallest amount of satisfaction in the great panther's frustrated glower, before the flames hid it from view.
It is precisely as it was before. The Overlord's 'Burning ring of fire' truly does prevent all interference, in a duel or a private bargain.
Violet gloves materialized on Yusis' claw-nailed hands as he remarked, "Your decision-making paradigm eludes me, Monochrome. You presumably cognize that I must be strictly uncompromising, in accordance with Overlord Unsafe and Unhealthy Administration regulations."
Perhaps, but you are not compelled to slay me in a duel. Just as you were not compelled to slay Laminah, when you dueled her.
Yusis donned his glasses, and the cloying sensation of invisible dark power returned. "My preliminary appraisal is unnecessarily verified. You unquestionably have an insufficient resume."
"Now, Yusis, we battle." The bard lightly half-crushed his magical restorative items, and cast them directly above his own head.
Anemos scarcely saw the Chronomancer Overlord move.
The bard didn't completely feel the blows when they happened, nor was he aware of being slammed face-down into the floor. Only after the final impact did the body-bruising, gut-turning aches truly constrict him.
"Your skill set analysis is finalized. Your compensation package will not be altered," Yusis evaluated, with a perplexed glance down at the bard's prone form.
As Yusis spoke, Anemos' midair healing beads landed on the bard, and released welcome puffs of soothing relief from the pain. The revival bead cleared Anemos' head enough for him to glance upward.
"In subsequent order, present your confidential business proposition," Yusis instructed. His glasses vanished in a puff of smoke, and reformed on a dark cord around his bloodless-pale neck. The violet gloves dissolved off of his claw-nailed hands.
Anemos unsteadily rose to his feet. "Indeed I shall. Please keep the fire going for a time, while I explain a few things that pertain to our bargain."
"Unbiased third-party arbitration determines the duration of %Skill set analysis and business negotiation confidentiality.%"
"Duly noted," the bard replied, observing that the ring of purple-black flames continued to burn brightly. "Yusis, you have just demonstrated the paramount flaw of your unassisted preparations."
"Elucidate."
"That was no fun at all!"
Yusis' glowing yellow eyes darted back and forth. "Your assessment is accurate. Expound on its relevance."
"You are making the tragic mistake of only preparing to win, with overwhelming power."
"Preparing for retirement is disallowed. %The C.E.O. cannot relinquish fiduciary duties.%"
"Of course, Yusis, but you are capable of so much more than simply winning! The next Savior and his allies seek to destroy all of your miasma. You cannot let this stand! It is not enough to merely 'win'; you must thoroughly dazzle them!"
Anemos clasped Yusis about the shoulders with the left arm, and stretched out the other arm in a sweeping gesture. "This castle is in dire need of preparations! It is no more than a dreary copy of the Royal Castle. You need something that will astound and astonish the next Savior, something audaciously 'Yusis', something utterly dazzling!"
"Monochrome? Fraternization policy. I would prefer not to write you up."
The bard pirouetted to Yusis' other side and clasped his shoulders with the right arm, while raising an index finger to emphasize a point. "You must display the majestic grandeur of your extraordinary talents! Those miasma-blocks you throw about are distressingly dull; you could transform them into sculptures of magnificent art that dazzle the eye, even as they hurtle to crush the body!"
"Monochrome, second verbal warning, fraternization policy."
The bard spun to face Yusis, gripped his shoulders one in each hand, and pulled him close. "And you need a far more glorious repertoire of attacks. You need onslaughts that strike awe and beguilement as well as terror in your adversaries! Perhaps something with three flips and a dive? You need to fight with dazzling motions, that exhibit your dominion over space as well as time!"
"Monochrome, I disclaim responsibility for your miasma poisoning. %The C.E.O. may not accept liability to the out-of-network.%"
Anemos' eyebrows rose from the unpleasant side effects of being proximate to the miasma vortex in Yusis' chest. The bard forced a smile as he released Yusis' shoulders, took a step back, and quickly treated himself with a strong anti-poison bead.
"Conclude your presentation," Yusis prompted.
What remains of 'Yusis' is compelled to uphold all bargains to the letter, and so is the Voice of Orzand...
"Yusis, here is my offer. If you will put your faith in me as your 'Chief Savior Preparations Officer', and keep Orzand out of your thoughts for five days, then I will help you prepare the most dazzling battle to the death we can imagine!"
The ring of purple-black fire faded.
%WHAT MADNESS IS THIS!?% roared the great black panther.
"I CAN'T AFFORD TO THINK ABOUT YOU, %ORZAND!%" Yusis ecstatically exclaimed, flinging both arms in the air. "I'm signing on to %the best deal ever% with Anemos the Dazzling!"
The illusion of Orzand disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, everything changed.
The austere furnishings dissolved into miasma-smoke. The room itself reformed into a dark, cavern-like chamber with hanging globes of colorful light. Curious cabinets encircled the chamber; each cabinet had a short, flat ledge with raised circles and protruding sticks, as well as a vertical surface that depicted vibrant, flashing scenes.
Yusis' illusion transformed into the memory of Kreisia's most unlikely Savior, dressed in white and earthy brown casual clothing, ready to travel the roads, to improve himself, and to share good times with his best friends. His skin was no longer bloodless-pale with claw-nailed hands; his eyes were brown instead of glowing yellow; and his brown hair was an uncombed, jaggedly cut, disheveled mess. The one, major difference from his appearance in life was that the miasma vortex in his chest remained openly visible.
Yusis whipped both arms wide with maniacal abandon, and flashed a broad smile of giddy delight. He raved, "The three of you are %the best friends I've ever had!% You and %the next Savior% deserve %a final boss fight to remember!% Even %Aldea% needs to be %shown what I can do!% I'm going to give everyone %the most dazzling battle to the death ever!% I'll make it %beyond amazing% for all of you!"
My plan worked, and I did not have to endure death and worse to accomplish it. Why am I suddenly so uneasy?
"You too, Anemos!" Yusis excitedly added, pointing to the bard with his whole arm outstretched. "I won't deny you %the fun of fighting by the next Savior's side!% It's the least I can do for my Chief Savior Preparations Officer!"
That is an even better outcome.
Why do I feel as though I am about to be overwhelmed?
%We have to get started right away! There's so much to get ready, and only FIVE DAYS to PREPARE!%
Anemos' voice came from the mouth of a sheep-monster.
"Ah, greetings. This is Anemos speaking. I expect you will all be relieved to know that I am alive. Overlord Yusis has augmented his 'Monster PA' ability to convey my spoken words, while I assist him in the capacity of 'Chief Savior Preparations Officer'."
%I need to see colors to make a background worthy of the most dazzling battle to the death ever! I'm keeping Vision active twenty-four-seven - no, that's twenty-four-five!%
"Overlord Yusis' words or thoughts will continue to be conveyed as well, but he is quite busy at present and has delegated communication responsibilities to me."
%I never mastered this super combo at the arcade, and I always thought it was so cool! I'm going to practice until I can do it perfectly, every time!%
"The crisis has been averted. I have struck a bargain with Overlord Yusis that will keep a certain best-not-to-say-the-name entity out of his thoughts for five days."
%I need some really good final boss music, Anemos! I'm COUNTING on you to compose something EPIC!%
"Overlord Yusis is enthusiastically preparing for your challenge on the ten-year anniversary of his own summoning, and has graciously given me leave to rejoin you when you arrive."
%I'll make the next Savior regret DARING to come for ALL OF MY MIASMA! I've got a GREAT IDEA for an ULTIMATE ATTACK that will MERCILESSLY PUNISH HIM!%
"You must not be late. You must not."
%Help me test it out, Anemos!%
"What? Yusis, wait. Stop."
%Don't retreat like that! You can't move faster than me.%
"Ah-! Those cannot be what I think they are. You should put them down."
%I call this ultimate attack...%
"Yusis, no. Stay back-!"
%WHO HAS AN ATROCIOUS HAIRCUT NOW?%
"AAAH-!"
%Did you just pretend to faint? I wasn't really going to do it.%
Cedric remarked, "I daresay we are all extraordinarily relieved to know that our companion is alive."
The Holy Brand soundlessly queried, *Perhaps we should stand ready to deploy barrier magic and a teleportation bead for a while longer?*
Cynthia whispered, "It's okay, Aldea. Yusis is fine. He's just really happy."
Laminah stated, "We do not need to hear any more," and readied her halberd. "Let me release this sheep-monster from the curse of the miasma. I feel sorry for it."
%Not until THE MOST DAZZLING BATTLE TO THE DEATH EVER begins!%
Although the undead sheep-monster attempted to fight back, Laminah swiftly reduced it to drifting miasma plumes.
End of Chapter Twenty-four: Awakening Showmanship