Hi,
Sorry I've been gone for a couple of days, I've been busy doing mysterious whatnot and writing the new Nocturna League. Enjoy some chapters from Kingdom Slayer.
CHAPTER THREE: THE FRIENDS OF MY FRIENDS ARE NOT MY FRIENDS
Chaos travels through time and space to the spot of one of his captured towers. Thankfully after he was betrayed and his tower stolen, no one figured out that all of his bases are actually connected by dimensional pathways that only a master wizard could access. He personally chalks Overlord Hate for that blunder, considering the knights gave him the tower to lord over like a child on a playground. In the distance in the wide canyon area, Chaos spots his old tower, rebuilt and widely thought to be one of his only refuges- how wrong they were. With a single, mana-blessed word, Chaos blasts off with an explosion propelling him up through the clouds and perfectly onto the high balcony of the tower’s one hundredth floor. In the last second, he casts another single-word spell that divides his weight to that of a common human, saving the tower from being razed by his neigh impenetrable weight and mass- Towers usually do not last when hit by objects weighing more than two tons, after all.
From his great throne, Hate spots Chaos float down onto the balcony with the grace of a butterfly ballerina made of paper and leaves.
“Chaos! Bout damn time you came!” Hate, a hulking, fully-armored fire elemental, says as he lifts up from his throne, shoos away his servants, secretly signals to ready the elite guard just in case, and then approaches to embrace his good “friend.”
Chaos smiles as usual. “Oh? Was twenty seconds really that long for you?” He says, approaching Hate in turn. Hate gives Chaos the most awkward, most fabricated “bro hug” witnessed by mankind, one Chaos would not dare exchange in turn.
“Y-yeah, buddy! Maaan it is great to see you after all these years! How long’s it been?”
Chaos squints a glowing eye; a display of his pleasure at something. “About five years on the dot. I remember that day well when you stab-”
“Well yeah! You, me! Fighting those stupid knights! I really did fight my best you know!” Hate says with a horrified grin, cutting Chaos off.
Chaos grins, certain of Hate’s horror. “Oh yes, I’m certain you fought quite hard. You must recall my memory isn’t quite what it’s been as of late. For some reason I was under the impression that you stabbed me in the back right before I killed Order. But seeing how we’re both here, you with one of my old towers, I’m certain it couldn’t be that way.”
Hate’s expression is wide, friendly, but completely frozen. “Eh… Yeah, buddy. That memory loss has really been throwing you a loop, huh?”
Chaos strokes his blacker-than pitch chin as he looks to Hate’s wall of impressive trophies, the vast majority of which Chaos had collected himself. An unusually sober expression washes over Chaos’ grin. “I… I do think so. I am concerned that all this waiting has been meddling with my thoughts.”
Hate pats Chaos on the back, guiding him to the balcony. “Well worry no more, bud. There’s a whole party waiting for us! It’s been five years since you… you know, went into hiding. You gotta catch up with everyone! Come on, a bunch of cool overlords’ll be there too, I’m sure!”
Chaos nods. “You do not need to persuade me to go to a party I am to bring you to, dear Hate. Let us depart,” Chaos says as he tears a rift through space and time, and gestures for Hate to go in first. Hate smiles, peeks through the portal to ensure Chaos isn’t leading him to some Hell Dimension, and steps through cautiously. Chaos smiles, looks back to the throne that used to be his, and steps inside behind his traitorous friend. Behind the two, a group of three follow through the portal before it closes.
CHAPTER FOUR: WAGING STICKS TO DESTROY A LIVING CASTLE
An extra-dimensional portal opens in a calm forest. From it steps the realm’s current High Overlord, Hate, and a minor overlord that everyone fears, Chaos.
Hate looks around with a furrowed, volcanic brow. “Eh, Chaos, buddy? We’re going to Frau, right? That’s where Order’s home is?”
Chaos smiles as three figures hurtle from the portal behind him. “Sorry, I forgot where it was, but I do remember the way using this road- should only take us a few hours. We won’t miss the party. It is tomorrow, after all.” Chaos looks behind him as Hate takes a deep, nervous breath.
“Oh! I had no idea! I guess we might as well hit the road, then.”
Chaos nods, and looks to the three figures behind him- A large, broadsword toting man, a masked female equipped with an expensive book of magic, and one of his very own ex-minions, identified by his blacker-than-pitch body, glowing eyes and mouth, absolute lack of clothes, and a pair of unique antennae- much like himself, just smaller and way weaker. While everyone of them are nervous, the minion is practically trembling in horror. The three salute. “Sir! Reporting for duty!” The three say in unified, nervous tones, much like Hate’s.
Hate grins, sighs with relief, and gestures toward the three figures. “So, Chaos, I thought I’d bring along some company.”
“For protection?” Chaos asks, squinting an eye.
“Y-yeah! You can never be too safe!”
“What do you need guarding from, Hate? You have your best friend here, remember?” Chaos says, grinning fiendishly.
The three guards exchange awkward, on-edge glances as Hate answers with the best smile he can put on. “Like I said, you never can be too safe! I don’t mean to say you’re weak, but you know, after five years of you being cooped up or whatever,”
Chaos’s squint deepens as he furrows his brow. “I am… Not quite sure what I have been doing- but I am certain I did get out at least once… I must have.”
Hate scoffs. “Yeah, well I should introduce you,” Hate says, gesturing the large man forward.
He’s clad in a blue and white tunic, overlaying a thick, obviously enchanted mail- almost as bright as a torch. “This fine gentleman here is from Whihelmish, so you know he’s good- a real fighting people, that lot. He’s a hero that actually slew a greater drake singlehandedly, and he’s only thirty five! I introduce Balkade The Brave!” Hate exclaims with an animated presentation. There is an awkward pause, everyone realizing the futility of bragging about these guard’s accomplishments in front of Chaos, who has achieved goals of such power and depravity that his feats will only stop being repeated on the day that it is impossible to repeat things. Chaos does not consider himself humble, but he certainly considers himself humble in sight of his millions of accolades. It’s humorous to him that this thirty five year old upstart considers slaying a minuscule insect like a greater drake. The Old Dark King Chaos scoffs himself, remembering the magnitude of his battle with “Algan the Country Eater”, a royal divine dragon the size of a mountain range.
“Nice to meet you, Chaos,” Balkade says skewing his wave to look like a salute - he’s not sure whos side he should act like he’s on: his employer’s, or the monstrosity that can kill all of them in a blink.
Chaos waves back. “A pleasure to meet you, Balkade the Brave,” he says with a courteous smile.
The next one comes up, the masked woman with the great tome at her waist. Chaos, looking inside the mask, sees the spark of youthful intelligence and a sharpness of wit; a commitment to perfection. “This, my dear friend,” Hate begins, “Is none other than the famed Alinace Ergos, the S class prodigy apprentice straight out of Keruz in Kanvane.”
The young lady bows. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chaos.”
Chaos bows in turn. “And to you, Miss Ergos. I’ve heard placing into S class is reserved for only the top point one percent of students. Is that true?”
She nods. “It is quite selective. Life has been naught but stud-”
“As I was saying,” Hate interrupts. “She’s top of her class, was promoted to Senior at her freshman year and was offered a position to work for me as my court magician! She can cast from dozens of schools, and could kill any mere beast in a flash.”
Chaos squints an eye again. While casting at her young age is indeed impressive, she likely is but a speck of comprehension in comparison to his neigh limitless learnings. He’ll test her progress. “I’m glad to hear you’ve made such a name for yourself, Miss Ergos. I must ask though, what exactly is mana?”
She smirks snidely under her mask, something Chaos notices with his great, all-seeing eyes, and she scoffs lightly, as if it were a trick question. As per her learning, she straightens her body to recite what she was taught. “Well, obviously, sir, it was Arch-Mage Gantesse himself in Studies on the Unknown Natures who said ‘what is within us is an expression of our will to become greater than the world around us.’ Mana is a manifestation of the singular human will to supersede his surroundings and ascend to divinity.”
With an answer like that, it’s clear to Chaos that she failed the test- she’s but a fledgling among pretenders. Chaos smiles, and strokes his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose that you are certain this is what it must be?”
She looks about amusedly and nods. “Well, of course. Otherwise would suggest that Ganesse was wrong.”
“I see. I expected such an answer from your learnings,” Chaos says matter of factly like a professor to a student, masking his insult to her lack of introspection as a compliment.
“Th-thank you sir,” she responds.
Hate sighs. “You two done?”
Chaos nods. “I believe we are.” He rears back to a professional posture.
Hate smiles and presents the third and final of his minions. Ironically enough, it was one of the deserters of Chaos’ own overlordship. “And this one is… Oh, that’s right, you two have met before! Introduce yourself, minion.”
The ex-minion of Chaos, though easily the strongest of the three guards, is also the most hesitant to produce himself forward. “I-… I’m…”
Chaos leans forward with a large grin on his face- suddenly the atmosphere rockets up in terror. “Well? Just who are you?” Chaos is only centimeters from the minion’s face, and Balkade wearily grasps the hilt of his broadsword.
“I… I’m sorr-”
“He’s just another one of your minions that abandoned you after you were bested by the knights, remember?” Hate says with a smile, trying to get a rise.
The Black Knight Chaos nods with eyes focused on the minion’s solid, powerful body- paper in comparison to his strength. “I remember,” he says. “I also think I remember someone else having helped them. Somehow… I think it was someone I trusted quit-”
Hate laughs to drown out Chaos’ musings. “Right! On the way now that introductions are done! Let’s go!” Hate says, cutting the conversation and forming the line of travel as he sets down the road toward Frau. Balkade marches right behind him, Alinace in the middle, and the ex-minion at the back. Chaos decides to take up the rear, looming right behind the traitorous minion. It’s an unpleasant walk for all but Chaos, who is busy thinking about the past. He took them all out far enough from Frau so that he can get his revenge at any moment- he has time to muse and enjoy the thought of killing Hate with overwhelming cruelty.
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