Desires and Fears of the Overlord

On the 7th day after the new year, our hero, brave Rick who was known to people of his town as Overlord was out on his regular patrol around the city walls. It was early morning and the snow was beginning to fall when he noticed a carriage approaching the northern gates. ‘Odd’ he thought to himself and made it his destination. As he approached the gates he could see 2 guards examining the carriage. It was an enclosed carriage with two drivers. One of the guards was reading the documents.

Rick approached the guard reading the documents and looked over them, grunting as he glared at the carriage – “huh? Traveling… fate explorer?” the guard shrugged and 1 of the drivers awkwardly smiled – “aye chief! We’re the band of fate explorers! with us the finest of all fortune tellers Madame Eli Silvereye herself! Famous across all the lands! Rick shrugged – “never heard…” the guard examining the carriage returned – “all seems to be in order Master Overlord!” he bowed in respect.

Rick nodded – “aye… well no reason to deny entry! Just don’t cause a rucky you hear?” the driver nodded respectfully – “aye chief!” but Rick just grunted again as the gates opened up behind him. For the rest of the day our brave hero could not shake the thought of ‘fate explorers? what do they do exactly?’. His curiosity got the best of him, and in the evening, our hero ventured to his favorite pub thinking that he’ll seek out that band of fortune tellers after a few refreshing drinks.

One mug…two mugs… as he was chugging the 3rd mug of ale the drivers of that carriage walked into the pug, accompanied by a woman wearing a cloak and covering her face with a hood. – “HA! Just my luck!” he exclaimed as he waved at them and gestured at the empty chairs at his table!” The drivers respectfully approached the table and took their seats, as did the cloaked woman, but she did not remove her hood…

After the overlord treated them to a couple of drinks and they got talking on more friendly terms, he nodded at the woman who remained silent the entire time- “so? She’s the famous Eli Silvereye? why so quiet miss?” 1 of the drivers shook his head- “she usually remains silent unless she’s in a session with a client.” Rick groaned again – “ugh! alright then! sign me up!” The woman raised her head. Her neck covered with scales, a light smile could be seen on her face as she nodded – “very well”

As they finished their drinks and ventured to the inn room where the band of fortune tellers stayed. Rick was escorted to her room and sat at a table with a circle drawn on it, candles lining the inner edge of a circle, mysterious symbols filled the entirety of it that he could not read. The drivers prepared some incense and the woman sat at the opposing side of the table. Rick chuckled slightly – “hah… Probably fake aren’t you?” but the woman remained silent, as did the drivers.

Hesitantly he spoke again – “so… how much for this… whatever you will be doing?” the woman only placed her hand on the table in an inviting gesture – “for you, brave hero overlord who is feared by all the bandits in the entirety of the kingdom, the session shall be free! I will help you explore your possible futures by taking you on a journey through your dreams!” He shrugged – “mhmm” and placed his hand on the table, lady silvereye took his large hand in between her own and began to chant.

As she chanted, 1 of the drivers whispered – “close your eyes and empty your mind” . The other driver lit up the incense and placed them on the table. Before Rick could close his eyes he noticed the symbols on the table lighting up all at once and then a row of them dimmed slowly, as if a clock’s handle. Lady Silvereye spoke once more – “your journey will take you but a minute… but to you it’ll seem like a week. Face your fears and your desires!”

As if by command the moment she finished her sentence. Before he could speak a single word he passed out. For a brief moment he could only see darkness. He realized he was breathing, he could feel his body. He blinked a few times and realized he was lying down, looking up at a starry night sky. He could see a planet and 2 moons in the sky. He got up and dusted off – “ughh… those damned scammers robbed me!” before looking up again and realizing this is not his home world. -“orr…not” he grunted.

As he examined his body he realized that he, overlord, was wearing armor he had never seen before, but he felt strange… He felt power surging through his body – “hmm” he walked to a nearest tree and placed his hand against it, pressing against it, after a brief moment he could hear the tree squeaking as it began to bend under the pressure. He instantly let go of it and then hit it with his other hand with all his might! and as he did, his punch, filled with the might of a 100 men…

His punch shattered the tree’s trunk, tearing through the fibers of the wood as if it was paper! The tree fell and there stood overlord, looking at the moon proudly. He had a might that most could only dream of!

Behind him he heard a voice, a shaky old man’s voice – “wh…who goes there?” the voice is raspy and nervous. As Overlord turns and looks in the direction he sees an old frail man standing by a tree with a lantern in his hand – “m…my gods! Boy! Are you alright? that tree just fell!” But Rick just straightened out and placed his hands on his hips, posing – “Old man! Go home! Night is no place for a stroll through the woods” but the old man shook his head -“but…this is my home…this forest!”

Rick felt a sense of guilt wash over him as he lowered his arms and shook his head -“ah… well i’m alright old man! I’ll get going” but the old man spoke as the overlord turned away from him -“boy… I can tell you’ve nowhere to go…. come with this old man… I’ll feed you at least, keep this old frail man company for the night, why don’t you?” Rick grunted slightly as he scratched the back of his head while turning around – “uhh… i … guess… lead the way, old geezer!”

As they walked not even 10 meters through the bushes, Overlord found himself standing in an open field, a small tent made of stitched together canvas hung between a could of trees, a torn hammock beside it, a tree trunk and a campfire in the middle  “old man…you really do live here don’t you?” the man smirked – “what? Did you think I lied? Silly youngling! Sit down the stew should be ready soon!” He gestured at the pot hanging above the campfire – “finest mushrooms in all of dreamland!”

Overlord sat down and took his fearsome helmet off, watching the fire and the pot that was now beginning to boil. He felt like he had to offer something to the old man for his kindness – “hey old man… I’ll catch you a deer in the morning!” but in response he only heard a cackle – “khehe… a deer? you a hunter boy? sure! I’ll keep you to it!” He brought back 2 wooden bowls, very badly carved out and scooped up some stew into both of them, handing 1 to Rick. It smelled good, had a few mushrooms.

Overlord, still weary, waited for the old man to begin eating first. Soon after that the old man went to lie down – “this old body needs rest. You, boy…try not to cause a ruckus, yes?” Rick smirked – “yeah yeah!” Not feeling one bit sleepy, Overlord decided to venture around and examine the forest. In this world it was summer. But aside from the 2 moons and a planet in the night sky he didn’t notice anything abnormal… as of yet.. But hours passed and the sun was not rising. Few more passed.

Rick returned to the campsite and in a couple more hours the old man woke – “ahhh! fine rest! Good night to ya boy” Rick stared at him confused – “hey old man…when is the dawn?” the old man looked at him – “the dawn? on the other side of the planet of course! We’re on the star side of the dreamland… The sunside is on the other side! Obviously… Younglings these days… So, where’s the promised deer?” Rick blinked a few times in disbelief, thinking ‘this really is some kind of dream…’

Rick pulled his war hammer out and smirked – “aye… deer shall be caught” But as he ventured out he realized that hunting at night is a lot more difficult! Overlord was a hero, a warrior not a hunter, he knew not how to track a deer down but tried his best. Fortunately he did find tracks and soon after a deer.  He successfully knocked the creature out, threw it over his shoulder and ventured back. Per his estimate 2 hours passed at best but it was hard to keep track of time in an endless night

As he approached the camp he heard a scream… a scream he heard many times before, one filled with horror and despair. He dropped the deer and sprinted to the campsite where he found an old man, hanging off a tree with a spear through his gut. Beside the old man stood a large, nasty looking naga! She flicked her snake tongue at Rick and then slithered away into the bushes before he could respond. Angrily he tossed his warhammer after her but the effort was in vain…

He approached the old man who had already died. Clenching his teeth he hit the tree and shouted-  “GOD DAMN IT ALL!” He took the spear out and layed old man in the tent – “I’ll bury you later! For now…” he put his helmet on and his voice changed to deeper, grimmer tone – “I MUST KILL THAT WENCH!” He took chase! Dashing through the forest tirelessly he followed the trail and before long he found himself facing a naga village at the edge of the forest. Wooden palisade wall surrounded it

Our hero clenched his teeth in anger! The Overlord could not stand injustice but his mind flooded with the memories of what the fortune teller told him -‘face your fears and your desires’. At the moment Overlord could only desire… revenge…. As he began to walk towards the village, he noticed  a few Naga kids, inside the village, playing cheerfully as the guards slithered their way towards him. His anger slowly began to fade as his muscles loosened up. The guards stopped a few meters from him…

The guards pointed their spears at Overlord as he took his helmet off and grunted – “ughh! I failed yet again!” He glared angrily at the guards who looked obviously terrified by his physique. They spoke in his language but with hiss to their pronunciation – “Vissssitor mussst be essscorted to the massster” To which he could only reply with a – “One of yours just killed an innocent man!” The guards looked at each other – “Folow ussss if you wish or leaveeee” He nodded – “alright… lead me in”

As he followed the guards they took him just inside and into a small building by the palisade where he was asked to wait. 3 more guards entered the room and watched him. Shortly after, a human woman walked in. She was quite beautiful and Rick couldn’t help but admire her beauty for a while before looking away embarrassed. She approached him and smiled – “I am Eliza, the chief of the village, and you?”

Rick jumped off from his seat and saluted in confusion – “Overrick! no wait.. Rick lord! errhhh… Rick! Just Rick!” he looked at her again and then swiftly turned his head to look at 1 of the guards instead. Her beauty had him flustered as she smirked and bowed slightly – “well it’s a pleasure to meet you lord rick” Embarrassed he shook his head and spoke quietly, mumbling to himself – “just…Rick…” she chuckled slightly at his awkwardness – “so Rick, what brings you here?”

Rick looked her up and down, she was a lovely looking viera! He raised his eyebrow as his voice broke and turned high pitched for a moment – “your eeears!” he then coughed and shook his head – “i mean.. one of the nagas just killed an old man in the forest! I chased it… but lost track of it around this village” Eliza pondered for a moment and then shook her head- “impossible…couldn’t be anyone from this village! There’s merely 30 here and I know them all personally! I’ll ask the guards!”

She looked at the guards – “make this man comfortable!” as she looked at Rick again, clearly impressed by his size – “I’ll check back on you later, please get comfortable, I assure you there is no danger in this place, but I understand if you do not trust us, do not trust me” her face turned slightly sad as Rick panicked – “no no! I do trust you! i errr…well not entirely! I … yes I could use some rest, thank you!”

And so Rick was led to a guest house where he was provided a room with all the comfort he could wish for… except…… the bed was a tad too small for his massive body so he chose to sleep on the floor. He rested well for a few hours and was woken up by a knock on the door. As he opened it he found Eliza standing outside with a tray of finest fruits and a cup with some sweet smelling liquid. She smiled – “The guards are scouting the area for traces of the naga that escaped from you. May I?”

Rick awkwardly stepped aside and let her in. Lantern at her belt illuminated the room as she sat the tray down on the table and smiled – “so… how’d you end up here?” Rick told her the story of how he ended up in the dreamland, an honest story which she was hard pressed to believe- “so… this is nothing but a dream to you?” Rick shrugged – “i… don’t think so? you’re real.. far as I can tell!” They chatted awhile longer and Rick found her company quite pleasant and enjoyable.

Time passed and then 2 guards came knocking, they reported that the guards found no trace of any naga in the area, scouted the forest but no camp and no old man’s body had been discovered. Eliza, concerned by this, left the room and asked Rick to wait for her. Rick insisted he guide the guards to the campsite which Eliza allowed but requested to accompany them too. And to his surprise… no camp was to be found. Not a trace of it left. No deer, no spear, not a single footprint was left.

Confused by the events, Rick refused to believe the camp was gone. He searched the forest tirelessly for hours but found nothing, not a single trace, not even his war hammer. The guards and Eliza persuaded him to return to the village and rest. He followed hesitantly and rested long that night… Just to awake at night once again. He found that his memories seemed to begin to fade…. Slowly he was losing memories of his arrival in this land. “how did i meet the old man…was it an old man??”

He began to doubt himself, his own memories and so he locked himself in his room for an entire day which only concerned Eliza who kept checking in on him every few hours. The next day he came out, completely void of all memories of the old man and his arrival, his worries gone, far as he could tell he arrived in this naga village from the start. Eliza gave him a tour of the village. He enjoyed the peaceful life in it, her company, the welcoming naga of the village.

Shortly after he found himself forgetting his desire for strength, forgetting his might and his meaning in life. He found himself thinking only about Eliza who was spending a lot of her time with him. He found himself in a bioluminescent underground garden with Eliza who continuously teased him for hitting his head on the overhanging branches. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, his only wish was to remain with her, to enjoy the rest of his days in this peaceful village by her side.

But on the 6th day she took him out to the forest to gather mushrooms for dinner. As he followed her through the dark forest he stumbled and lost balance, hitting his head on the tree which was a rather thin tree, breaking the tree and falling over with it he heard a familiar voice “No you foolish baboon! Don’t give in to your desires” A voice which he knew but couldn’t remember, but! Suddenly! he could remember the words of lady silvereye once more ‘face your fears! Face your desires!’ 

Eliza rushed to his side- “Oh my god! Are you alright?” as Rick bled slightly from his forehead he gave her a reassuring thumbs up, turned around and headbutted the larger tree next to him! Breaking the tree he stumbled backwards and heard the voice again “Remember who you are Overlord! Take back control and slay the wench!” As he blinked he found himself wearing the helmet once more! Eliza, placed her hand on his chest and spoke in a sweet voice – “dear? what…what’s happening? Are you alright?” His head was ringing! The voice fading in and out “re…sist” The sweet voice of Eliza drowning it house entirely as he suddenly angrily pushed her away – “ENOUGH!” 

And as he did, he found himself standing in the camp by the campfire once more. In the bushes something moved, and the old man was quietly snoring. “WHAT??? WHO’S THERE??” He leaped into the bushes and found himself landing onto Eliza, pushing her to the ground, she groaned and screamed which woke the old man.

Just as he gasped, Eliza’s face twisted and transformed into a naga’s face, the same face he saw kill the old man as she hissed at him. Swiftly placing his hands on her neck he choked the naga – “AH YOU WENCH! IT WAS YOUR DOING!”  But she placed her hand on his chest and smiled, and as she did he couldn’t help but let go of her neck. He stumbled back as she rose and faced him, her eyes shimmering in the darkness, beautiful, silver eyes! She smiled – “You’ve done well! You’ve resisted your fears and desires.”

And as she finished her sentence and snapped her fingers, the world around the overlord twisted and turned upside down, faded and then he found himself standing in emptiness. Surrounding him on all sides was a starry night sky. Beautiful, mesmerizing, but 1 star shone brighter than all others. He couldn’t help but feel desire to walk in it’s direction

And so he did! He walked on and on! For what felt like hours, days, maybe even months he kept on walking. His thoughts were empty. He was neither afraid or confused. He felt nothing, no emotions or exhaustion. It felt like a dream and a dream it was. He woke when the star flashed brightly, blinding him. He sat at a table where he was, his hand held by lady Silvereye who smiled – “welcome back Overlord!” she spoke softly “How was your journey?” Startled and confused, yet absolutely fascinated and excited, he stood up and smiled widely while stretching.

He spoke calmly yet with a hint of excitement – “it was… a journey I’ll never forget! A journey befitting the mightiest man. Beautiful it was, but frightening at the same time. Thank you… Silvereye… you guided me through my fears and desires, for this I shall ever be in your debt”  She smiled as she took her hood off….  Before him sat a beautiful, dark haired Au’ra with silver eyes, she nodded – “i shall count on that favor in the future then”