Overlord - The Beast of the Apocalypse

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Chapter 2

Overlord POV

I walked down the hallway of the castle with swift sure steps. I did not even have to look behind me to know that Sebastian was following along with his battle maid division.

Don't ask me where he got the idea for a division of battle maids, but since he was such an effective servant I granted his wish. When I asked him why he desired them he replied that it was an insult to me that I had to make do with only one butler, so a division of people to clean and protect the castle was a must.

He also said something about battle maids being moe.....Whatever that means. Whatever, I have some work to do. If this information is correct, then that means I am finally getting closer to releasing my friends.

Now to see if this Sharil person is telling the truth. If she is I will reward her, but if she is lying I will annihilate her and anyone she cares about. I do not permit betrayal.

I did not fear betrayal from within my personal forces, because they were not capable of betraying me. I had personally created every guard and being who lived in the castle with me, although not all of them were Pillars. The Pillars were first generation creations, who were in charge of all things on the island. I had taken a long time to create each of them, and had personally designed their every feature, making them specialists and extremely powerful, some of them even rivaled me in pure power.

Each Pillar was in charge of a certain job or ring, and they were given control over the beings who made up that job or ring. Sebastion was a prime example of this. He was in charge of the care of Solomon's upkeep and cleanliness as well as my personal protection. Solomon is the spirit of the castle, in other words the entire castle is one living being.

This is what the Solomon (The Castle) looks like: http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=516513

All of my creations and their descendants worshipped me as their maker, but just in case something happened, I had altered their souls so that they were mentally unable to betray me, although that only applied to the first generation creations. Even the thought of considering the possibility of betraying me would make them violently ill and if they actually betrayed me, they would die. Of course I didn't tell them that.

I had learned my lesson from the first betrayal, I had a backup plan for everything. I would never be betrayed or outsmarted again.

I turned and walked into the throne room, followed by Sebastian and his squad of battle maids. I walked behind the throne and placed my hand on the wall behind it, opening the portal into my inner sanctum.

My inner sanctum was located far underground and was only accessible through the portal behind the throne, it was my living quarters and treasure room.

The Inner Sanctum looks like this: http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=336003

Besides myself, only Pillars and the Battle Maid Squadron were allowed to enter, and then only with my permission. This was my private area and needless to say it was guarded extremely well, although the guards were not allowed to leave.

There were numerous traps and dangerous beings to protect me and my treasure. What can I say, I may not have the form of a dragon anymore, but I definitely still had the love of treasure that came with being one.

I had taken special care with the creatures that guarded this area. The most dangerous of them was the Swarm. It was composed of billions of tiny monsters that shared a hive mind. You could fit a hundred of them on a single grain of sand, they were a dangerous trap because since they were so small they could infiltrate your body and tear you apart from the inside.

I quickly led them to the inner throne room, where I had them set up the Mirror of communication, which allowed me to see anywhere in the world, and send a projection of myself to anyone I wished. It was extremely usefull for showing your power, and convincing people to serve you on different continents.

I watched as the image in the mirror blurred before becoming clear and focusing on the person I wished to contact.

Hmm. Lets see now. So this is what our young Shadewalker looks like. Now to find out if she was telling the truth.

Sharil looks like this: http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=139697

Sharil POV

This is wrong. I am a trained assassin, who is several thousand years old. So why am I feeling nervous? Assassins don't do nervous...It just doesn't happen.

I had contacted the Overlord's Spymaster and relayed the information that I found, only to be informed that the Overlord himself would contact me.

I had started serving the Overlord over a thousand years ago, when one of his operatives had killed my employer. He had offered me a position as a spy and assassin, with very good pay. I had accepted and had served the Overlord ever since, but I had never once seen him, all my orders were relayed through a communication crystal by Septimus, the Overlord's Spymaster. So that was why the fact that I would be reporting directly to him was so suprising. This information must truly be important.

I truly had no idea why he wanted this information, but I believed that this terror that was sealed away, was one of his creations which he planned to put to use. Perhaps it was a creation of the Beast of the Apocalypse? There have been rumours that the Overlord serves him, and rules in his stead until the Great Beast's seal is broken.

Hmm. In the end I can only guess why this is so important.

"Are you done thinking about me and the information you claim to have?"

A deep voice boomed throughout the room. It seemed to resonate with power.

I spun looking for the voice and its owner, only to see a 9-foot figure in full armor, with a full helmet that only showed his eyes. Terror. That was the only thing I could think of to describe his presence.

I had always thought of the Overlord as a mysterious figure who was my boss. He was a faceless entity who merely paid my wages. But just now I realized how dangerous and powerfull he really is.

His presence demanded instant obediance and respect. I got the feeling that he would be able to kill me from his throne thousands of miles away without even breaking a sweat. He was a truly fearsome person.

I dropped to one knee and bent my head. "Yes My Lord. I have the information that you desire."

"Really. And How do I know that this information is correct? How do I know that you are not merely attempting to decieve me?"

"........I do not know. However; I am willing to do whatever you wish to prove myself. You have provided for me for a thousand years, and have never once betrayed me. I am quite willing to return the favor and prove that I do not betray others to you."

"Oh? Interesting. Now what exactly does the information say, and where did you find it?"

"I came across the information in an ancient text that told the story of the sealing of The Beast of the Apocalypse. It spoke of the sealing of a great terror, right before the Beast was sealed. According to the document the terror was sealed in the area that is currently under the Moravian Empire, specifically under their capital city."

".....So Harak was sealed in the middle of the Moravian plains. That sounds about right. For the Lord of Terror to be sealed there is a blow against his ego. The terrifying Harak is sealed in the middle of some unimportant place. It is like they are taunting him, saying that he doesn't deserve a special seal, even an ordinary plain will suffice"

"May I ask who Harak is? My Lord. You just said he was the Lord of Terror. Is that a reference to the Terror that was sealed?"

"No. You may not. I will inform you of any information relevent to your duties. I will personally contact you soon. The information seems to be both true and relevent to the current situation. If it proves to be true, you may ask for any reward within my power, as long as it does not adversely affect my Empire."

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And just as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone. Not a trace of anything was left to prove that he had ever visited.

Sebastian POV

I watched the Overlord, my master as he sat back in his throne, letting the image in the mirror fade away.

My posture was perfect, as I stood still and waited for my orders. I had served the Overlord since the moment he had created me and never once had I been unsatisfied. The Overlord was my maker, my God, and no matter what he asked of me, I would do it. My only loyalty was to him. If he ordered me to kill my pride and joy, the Battle Maids, then I would instantly do so. His word was law, and anything he said would immediately be done. I would destroy the world and myself with it, just to hear him say "Well done.".

All of the Pillars feel the exact same way that I do. If the Overlord were to leave or die, then our existences would be meaningless. We could posess the world but it would all be in vain, because we would have failed our purpose in life, which is to serve and protect the Overlord....our God. Nothing else matters.

Hmm. What is....I tensed as the ground began to tremble. What was that? An Enemy! Impossible! Nothing should be able to penetrate this deeply into the Demon Continent or Solomon. Let alone the Overlord's Inner Sanctum.

I immediately went into battle mode, bare milliseconds before the Battle Maids, as I looked around searching for the enemy. Now where were these tremors coming from....What! From the throne?

I spun looking for the attacker, right before a loud booming noise echoed throughout the hall, shaking the walls and nearly deafening us. What?! This is coming from the Overlord. Is he. . . . . . Laughing?

Yes. He is. I have never seen the Overlord laugh before. . . . .I did not know that he was even capable of laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Finally! My work has begun to pay off. After nearly a million years of planning it is finally time. The Gods will fall and I will release my friends from their captivity.HAHAHAHAHA! You have all done Well! Sebastian gather the Pillars. I will speak to you all in Solomon's throne room. Take the Battle Maids with you when you leave. I wish to be alone for a while."

"Of course My Lord."

My heart swelled as I heard those words echo in my mind again and again. "You have done Well." This was the first time I had felt the true gratitude of the Overlord. I knew that he cared for us, since he went to the trouble of creating us, but this was on an entirely different level.

I felt that I was actively fulfilling my purpose, and overwhelming joy burst through my body at the thought that I had been of use to my master. This was truly a great day. Absolutely nothing would go wrong. And if it did, I would make sure to give whoever was responsible for it, a long and painful death.

Overlord POV

Well, that was embarrasing. I wonder why I broke out in laughter like that. I haven't laughe since. . . . . . .Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever laughed before.

Interesting. This is a new feeling for me. It is. . . .rather uncomfortable. I am not supposed to feel anything, at all. Everything I have done has been calculated. I should not feel simply because it is unnecessary. Any feelings will do nothing but slow down or destroy my plans.

Feeling corrupts you. It makes you think that such things are necessary and that you must have empathy towards other people, because they are living beings.

What a load of crap. There is absolutely no need to feel anything. If you do not feel then you are not restrained by those pesky morals all the other Gods were always talking about. Crap like 'We must save the world' or 'Protect the humans' or 'Stop the evil destroyer of the wold'. Pathetic. I was created to destroy the world, and until that time comes, I am free to do whatever the hell I want. Feeling only disrupts, there is no real need to feel. Feeling is an addiction, once you start you always crave more.

Hmm. It seems I have lapsed in this area. I felt joy in finally getting a location for my friend's location. It also seems that I have aquired some form of attachment to my subordinates, specifically the Pillars. I suppose that it is only natural to develop an attachment to what you have created. It is like an artist developing a liking for his masterpiece.

Hmm. I suppose this attachment to the Pillars and their subordinates is bearable. I have looked at this from every angle and I cannot find a way in which it would inhibit my plans. Yes, it seems that if anything, it increases my success rate due to thier desire to serve me.

Now, the only way to find out if Harak is really there is to travel there myself and see if I can recognize his aura from the magic leakage. Hmm. That will require control of the Moravian Empire, and the destruction of their capital, if Harak really is sealed there.

If I am correct the Moravian Empire is located between the Forest of the Dark Elves, and the Zarian Kingdom. Hmm. The Dark Elves serve me, so that will not be a problem but I will need to consult with Septimus about our position in the Zarian Kingdom.

Of course all of this is only relevant if Harak is really sealed in the Moravian Empire. I will need to verify this personally. . . . .So perhaps a small group of people led by this Sharil. Hmm. I will have to choose carefully, since this operation must be carried out in secret.

Sebastian is a must, and he will probably insist on bringing some of his Battle Maids. I will have to insist on a decent disguise. Perhaps we could be a traveling Merchant and his hired mercenary bodyguards. . . .Yes. That could work. Now, who else should come. . .Well I will decide when I talk to them in the throne room.

Hmm. I feel like I am forgetting something. . . .Oh, right. I did a quick search with magic to make sure no one else was in my Inner Sanctum before calling Swarm.

"Swarm. Come here for a second."

I watched as a cloud of black dust slowly formed in the center of the room. None of the Pillars had ever seen Swarm, since I kept him isolated and his real appearence a secret.

Most of the Pillars only knew that Swarm was the name of a secret guardian, that I entrusted the safety of my Inner Sanctum to. They had no idea what he looked like or what his powers were, they only knew that he was possibly the most dangerous out of all my creations.

Swarm was extremely dangerous because there were billions of him, and he could self-replicate himself to make up for any destroyed parts. Swarm could completely devour a Minor Wyrm in seconds, leaving nothing behind. It was like a gigantic swarm of locusts that could eat metal and rock, as well as flesh and plant life. I had actually had him clear out the area around my Inner Sanctum. And I have to say it was rather scary even for me. The only way to defeat him would be to use an enormous magic attack that destroyed all of his bodies at once. And the only being who could do that was a powerful God of Magic, who was willing to destroy the entire 21 ring.

As an extra precaution, I had ordered Swarm to place some extra bodies in secret pockets far underground, so that if that ever occurred he could escape to his other bodies, and begin replicating himself again. He was truly a frightening creation.

"Do you have orders for us, my master?"

Swarm's voice seemed to echo from every corner of the room at once. It was a single voice made up of millions of tiny voices all talking in perfect union. It had a rather strange sound but so what. Effectiveness and functionality over appearence, although I did try to make my creations appealing. Whatever, who cares about that.

"Yes, Swarm. I have a set of very specific orders for you."

"Good. We will always please the master. Whatever you desire us to do, will be done."

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