Against All Odds

Status
Not open for further replies.
The environment took a moment for her to adjust to. Having not stepped beyond the mortal realm she lived in, this change did well to make her eyes widen with a combination of awe and disgust. Such hideous creatures inside and out, living in a world that represented a living nightmare. This was certainly not something she wanted to see invade her home!

Tightly she gripped her twin blades, sending a glance to Gnasher with a smirk on her lips. "Aye, Gnasher. We smash!" Fiercely she growled while thrusting a sword in the direction of their enemies, daring them to come over and test her. These sickening flesh demons in bone armor would be no match for her and the minions.

Winnifred moved methodically through the horde, aiming for that orb they were supposed to destroy. Metal was swung at every body that threw itself at her, getting the paladin ever closer to the prize. Either she would die or she would end this. Either option was favored over the alternative, honestly.
 
"We smash!" Gnasher shouted to the cheers of his fellow Minons, leading his squad of Minions into the fray of the demons, forming a wedge, with the Paladin at it's point, slashing, smashing and massacring the things which were at their own size. The small, armored demons stood no chance, not made for combat. Yet strangely armored...

One of the robed figures turned towards the invaders, five points glowing at bright as the lava around them in it's hood, before turning back to the orb, gibbering something in a demonic language. The chanting of the robed figures's chant changed pitch, and the orb glowed more brightly. Arcs of power shot out from it, striking randomly among the bone-clad demons. As they were hit, they started to grow, turning into the grotesque creatures they met outside the gate, and starting to put up a proper fight! More and more power arced out of the orb, and more and more demons grew bigger...
 
Winnifred did not know what to think about the creatures in robes. They reminded her of a few encounters she'd had in the past, such as wizards and spellbook wielding demons. Those were foes that always had her spending a lot of time in a recovery room. So, needless to say, she hoped this wouldn't be a continuing pattern.

Momentarily she stopped, witnessing the transformations going on in the army. The inexperienced weaklings evolved into brutes that put up a much worthier fight. That was going to dramatically slow their progress! Curse words barked out from her as she challenged demons in combat, managing to keep a slow pace towards their goal.

Mustering up some strength, she voiced a prayer in her mind that brought on a brilliant golden light in the gems on her swords, as well as the amulet around her neck. She figured she ought to give this everything she had. Might as well blind and hurt them with holy light while she was at it.
 
"Orb make uglies big! Robies make power! Kill robies!" Gnasher shouted while he was trying to get his large, jagged sword free of one large demon's neck. And with a foot planted firmly against it's face, he managed to rip it free, and jumped onto the next large one, leading his squad onward.

The smaller demons covered at the golden light being emitted from the gems on the Paladin. The larger ones did not cover, but tried their best to keep the light away from their eyes with their smaller arms, which seemed to smoke faintly. And the brutes all started focusing far more on the now glowing Paladin than the smaller, less shiny Minions! Which in turn, let the Minions get onto the larger demons' backs more easily, most starting to fall before realizing their mistakes!
 
Gnasher's information was duly noted. The paladin had a feeling that offing the "robies" would do the trick but didn't know whether or not she was correct. With that suspicion confirmed, she continued her attack as it was since it seemed to be attracting the attention of many. Winnifred wasn't new to being the beacon that had aggressive forces flocking over to her. Her holy light was always making crowds want to pile on her so they could shut it off.

"I'll keep distracting them, Gnasher!" Winni insisted aloud with her sword raised, promptly bringing it down to slash into a demon that flung itself at her. The minions were doing an excellent job of taking down their foes while their backs were turned. It inspired a devious grin to creep onto her face, the fighting commencing for as long as she was able. She was going to be dead tired once this was over but that was a worry to tuck away for later. Eventually they would be able to cut a path to that orb which she or Gnasher could make a run for. As it stood, it seemed unlikely that she'd be escaping the demonic swarms.

The light in her blades weakened, giving strength to the pendant around her neck. Energy was built up in her armored form, eyes knitting shut and jaw tightening while she hummed intensely. An echoing war cry unleashed as she threw her arms out, light expanding out to knock over the enemies who stood within a certain radius. That of course wouldn't stop them for long. More would be coming on over to fill the gaps.
 
As the light exploded out from the Paladin, both the demons and the Minions were thrown off their feet. Luckily, the big demons were obviously not used to their weight, and struggled to get back up, while it seemed like some of the smaller one had snapped limbs. The Minions, however, were used to be tossed about, and jumped back up almost as soon as they were down, starting to slash and stab at the downed demons, quickly diminishing their numbers!

"Lady Light! Go! Smashy orb! Smashy Robies!" Gnasher shouted as he jammed his halberd into the face of a demon. "Minions smashy uglies!" Whoever of the demons who weren't killed brutally were mostly suppressed, leaving only the "Robies", who were visibly shaking, being unarmed as they were.
 
A demon attempting to overwhelm Winnifred was outdone, forcing it to fall backwards with a shimming blade slicing through its chest. The paladin panted so heavily that her voice could be heard in every exhale, a grunt coming out as she pulled her sword from the demon carcass. Gnasher's voice cut through the blur that sought to knock her over, prompting the armored woman to look from the ground, to the minion, to the orb. Right then she spied the opportunity that shouldn't be passed up.

The defenseless creatures in robes saw no mercy from the paladin and her weapons. They were easier to cut through than the demons, even if they were a pain in the ass to get to. Almost she seemed as though she were in a frenzied state that had her going berserk on the enemies, giving them hardly a chance to stand up to her.

Mustering up the strength to sprint forward, she headed right for the orb, wearing an expression of brutal determination. Working past the feelings of exhaustion, the warm glow of gold shone once more from her swords before she made a swing for her target. An explosion of intense light went expanding outwards with the energy of the orb once it was stricken, the force powerful enough to make Winnifred have to catch herself from falling backwards. Then her eyes went searching for the way they came in because dammit, she wanted to get out of here!
 
The orb exploded, throwing demons and minions alike off their feet. Yet the corpses of the robed creatures seemed to melt, and slither around, to gather a few fragments of the orb, before massing together. The Minions charged at the blob of flesh, yet before they had a chance to attack it, it sprouted wings, and flapped awkwardly until it got off the ground. Then it quickly flapped towards the portal, disappearing through the glow.

None of the other demons rose, lying dead on the ground. The Minions cheered at their victory. Then the ground started to tremble. Most of the Minions started heading for the portal, which seemed to be shaking dangerously much.

Gnasher and two other browns ran up to the Paladin, cheering with joy. "Shiny lady win! Gnasher get lady to portal!" He cheered, not explaining if he meant with encouraging words, pulling her along, or grabbing her and running.

~~~~~

On the other end of the portal, the Overlord and his troops were awaiting more invading demons, yet none seemed to come. They had almost thought it was over when the huge, winged demon came flying through the portal at high speed, too fast for any of them to react. A few of the reds attempted to throw fireballs after it, and those controlling the ballistas tried to aim them at the thing... Yet none managed to hit it before it flew off into the distance...
 
Ever so briefly did the paladin grin at Gnasher's short celebration of their victory. She had to admit, they were a good team. Winnifred honestly didn't anticipate she'd be thinking such a thing for these creatures. She was raised to have views that painted these minions and their leader in a very dark, ugly picture. Taking her views into reconsideration would have to wait, though. First they needed to get out of here before the dwindling environment killed them.

Winnifred was fully accepting of Gnasher's help. She leaned on for support on the way out, eventually mustering up enough strength to make the exit on her own. Thrilled to see the realm she knew and loved, she slowly walked through the grass and eventually took a seat on the ground. A sword was set down at each side and then she leaned back against a broken wall that was once part of a shop.

Looking around, the town was in ruins and there were very few survivors. Even though they won the fight, so few of the humans came out alive. Winnifred had to swallow an emotional lump in her throat, her head tilting back while she closed her eyes and worked on catching her breath. "If you want to kill me, now's your chance," she spoke up flatly, aware that the Overlord was somewhere around here. Winnifred might put up her swords in defense, but she was being perfectly honest, she was drained so badly that she knew she'd lose the fight.

It wasn't lost on the paladin though that their team effort made a huge difference today. She wasn't sure what hell had just been unleashed on their world, but it was something she was capable of helping fight of. So was this armored fiend who sought to destroy her. Her holy brethren would want her to eliminate him, but somewhere in her mind she reasoned that he was better an ally more than anything else. Whether or not he agreed was beyond her.
 
Most of the Minions of the squad ran off, to share loot, to share tales, or to get healed as they entered their own realm again. But Gnasher stayed with Winnie, making sure that nobody smashed her, just like he was tasked!

The Overlord slowly stepped over to the exhausted Paladin with heavy steps, standing over her, the left arm of his armor badly damaged, yet otherwise he seemed mostly fine. "It is tempting, I'll admit..." He said with a dark chuckle. "But alas, slaying you now would neither be fun, nor smart. No challenge, and losing a potential ally." He went on, the glowing eyes in his helmet seeming rather amused.

He hefted his mace, resting it against his shoulder. "In other words... You can chose to join me as my ally, to fight these... Creatures, or you could try to fight me again. And only one of those will earn you any help from me to get out of here." He chuckled, as quite a few Minions started crowding around him.
 
The towering Overlord cast a fairly comforting shadow over the paladin. To see him standing with barely anything inconveniencing him would spark envy if she didn't know any better. He commanded minions that did a lot of the work for him, plus there was no doubt in her mind that he could best her in a competition for who could stay on their feet the longest. Of course, that would never keep her from trying. She'd conquered a variety of toughies in her time.

Wryly she chuckled at the mention that it would be no fun to just kill her right here. They did establish a rivalry that wasn't one-hundred percent serious, she was glad to know she wasn't the only one to acknowledge this. Much to her relief, he was more intelligent than he led on and saw the benefit of her living to see another day.

Sapphire eyes scanned the surroundings as minions started crowding around, the silence lingering only while she was giving half a minute of thought to their situation. Now looking down, she picked up her swords so they could be returned to their sheaths, seeing that they wouldn't be needed again anytime soon. Rolling her gaze to the sky, she couldn't help but wonder what went flying from the portal before it closed. "I won't cause you any trouble," she promised with a formal nod, strands of golden hair falling from the ponytail that was now loose from all the activities she previously engaged in. Then she revealed a small, mischievous smirk. "Well. Not too much, anyway."
 
The Overlord chuckled darkly at the Paladin below him. Oh, such a witty creature, even in a time when she could die oh-so easily. At the same time a little annoying... And enough to make him like his rival just a little more. He offered her his right hand, the orb in it's gauntlet still slightly glowing with idle, dark energy. "Good, good. That makes this all just a little easier." He said, helping her up.

"First things first... This town is hardly worth trying to rebuild. The land surrounding it might not be worthless, yet the village itself is in ruins, and now with the remains of some dark portal, which might have dark energies emanating from it. So I suggest that you get all the people who lived here gathered, so we can move them to another town in my domain. Thus the people will be safe. Then I would suggest getting your armor and arms repaired at my tower, where we'll also plan our next move." He ordered more than suggested, before turning and starting to walk towards the hill he'd come from, where the gate he'd arrived through still was, not awaiting her response. He was the Overlord, after all. His word was law, and his will would be done.
 
Winnifred wasn't expecting to be helped up from the ground. Not that she was ungrateful. She in fact didn't hesitate to place her armored hand into his own, clenching her jaw on the way up due to the tremendous amount of pain and tiredness that settled into her bones. Yet the only complaint she made was a soft grunt while she rose to her feet, sighing out with relief knowing that for a while from now she could avoid getting beaten up any further.

Eyes blue as the ocean rolled to that of the Overlord, though shortly after they wandered to look around the town ruins when it was mentioned. It didn't show but she was feeling absolutely awful for the damage that had been done here. The people were expecting more from her. Winni wouldn't be brooding too much on the loss, though. No one could have predicted what happened here today, and on the plus side there was a fair number of survivors here. Clearly, the dark being who challenged them didn't want to see them needlessly slaughtered. Without a doubt, he was a complex individual she'd only begun to try to understand.

Fortunately for the Overlord, she was more the following orders type than she was a leader even though Winni herself was a high rank. Though trained to command troops when necessary, she for the most part was independent unless there was a situation that called for the rally of her entire holy order. "Very well. Thank you," was the simple response she gave whether he heard it or not, completely professional in its delivery and absent of any indication that she'd be wholly submissive to him. She'd follow his instructions for the most part but she otherwise wasn't the type to meekly bow her head in obedience.

The clicking of hooves softened her serious features as she turned to see her majestic war horse galloping over. He too survived the battle, feet bloodied from stomping skulls while red was splattered all over his snowy colored body. Separation from Winni didn't stop him from trampling their enemies. "Thorne!" the paladin cooed to the loyal animal, who didn't hesitate to lower his mouth to the top of her head so he could preen at her mess of hair. Briefly did she hug around the creature's neck, uncaring for who may be witnessing the reunion. Her bond with the horse was precious to her because he was the only soul on this planet she could call a friend.

Seeing that the dark figure turned ally was walking away with duties to fill, she grabbed the strap of Thorne's reigns so she could guide him along with her. Winni's free hand gestured to the men who were patiently on standby, silently commanding them to follow her to the safe location they were promised.
 
Last edited:
The Minions started heading back to the gates and tunnels they had come from, herding the humans to them as well. The Overlord waved his hand, the orb on his gauntlet glowing slightly for a moment, and the gate activated, blue energy flowing freely. It did seem a lot like the gate they had just fought to close... Except that this one was more crafted, while the demons' gate was seemingly just haphazardly grown to it's task.

latest


Despite their obvious reluctance to even touch it, the humans were herded, pushed or threatened into it. With but a moment where they see nothing but blue fires which makes their whole bodies tingle, they arrive at their destination... A large town, far to the west, with many a human walking about, doing their daily business. A few Minions were also marching about, obviously guards. Yet it all seemed... Peaceful.


The Overlord turned to Winnie, glowing yellow eyes focusing on her blues. "Do you trust that I will not throw them all into a meat-grinder to feed to my Minions, or do you wish to follow them through it, to make sure?" He asked, a almost smug smirk sounding on his voice, despite his face being hidden by his helmet. "Or are you ready to go to my Spire?"

(Darn images, never accepting to be made smaller!)
 
Winnifred observed the teleporter sorcery with an awe-filled expression on her face. Usually someone of his stature would sooner try to squash her like a bug before they let her witness their varied abilities. As she looked away from the brilliant blue cylinder of light, the paladin watched as her men willingly, if not hesitantly, entered the well crafted portal. A few were reassured by meeting her eyes and receiving a confident nod. They would be perfectly fine and she firmly believed in that.

Enough that when the smug Overlord asked if she needed to have a look for herself, she shook her head at him. A corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smirk; she'd been effectively tickled by his sense of humor. Winni was a holy figure who aspired to be a good role model, but who she was deep down was quite different. "I'm certain they'll all be fine," she told him with poise, then turned to the war horse who was eying the Overlord with stern caution. The intelligent creature was clearly protective of Winni, but wouldn't be aggressively making that stance. In fact, he looked to be more docile as he faced the lady paladin who was petting along his snout. Lightly he snorted, making a playful nibble at her whitish blond hair. It earned the horse a small giggle while she reached up to smooth out the spot he'd messed up. "Behave yourself, okay? We'll meet again soon."

The reigns were handed to one of the few remaining humans who had yet to enter the new town. "Take Thorne to the stables, if you could please?" With that, her companion was taken with the rest of them so he could be properly tended to. Again she faced the armored terror who stood before her. "Let us go to your Spire," Winni insisted with a formal nod, doing well in hiding her eagerness to let her tired bones rest in any old place. And then something started nagging in the back of her mind so badly that it just had to be vocalized: "What should I call you, by the way?" She was looking for a name, but would understand the desire to be called by a title instead. It was obvious to Winnifred that he was the strong, authoritative type.
 
The horse was sent through the portal, together with the last of the humans, and the Paladin seemed to trust him enough to send both them and her horse through the portal. So he raised his hand again, making the portal glow brighter for a few moments, before returning to it's pale blue, indicating that it was ready to send them to a new destination. Meanwhile, the Minions started hopping down into their tunnels beside the portal. All except Gnasher, who still stood beside the Paladin.

"You may call me The Overlord, My Overlord, My Dark Lord, My liege, or any other title with equal amount of respect tied to them." He said, smirking slightly beneath his helmet. "And no matter what you hear, you may not call me what my mistress calls me." He added no explanation to that, both because it didn't have anything to do with her, and because he thought it'd annoy her. "Now, do follow." He ordered, as he walked into the portal, and was enveloped by the blue flames, quickly disappearing.

latest


He arrived at a balcony of his spire, overlooking his realm in the middle of a huge cavern, it's walls dotted by lights, the homes of the many Minions at his command. He simply stood by the edge for a few moments, both to allow the Paladin to follow, and to enjoy the look of his realm. In truth, it had been the only place he would ever call home. Yet he still held Nordberg as the capital for the Humans, the only place anyone could seek an audience with him. It had been his home too, once, despite the local's treatment of him.
 
There was a deadpan look on her face as he listed off the different names he liked to be called. She supposed he did plenty to earn those titles. "Charming," was her somewhat teasing comment, but it did follow up with a respectful nod that silently promised to fulfill that wish. Keeping her arms folded over her plated chest, she watched him get their method of travel set up so they could be on their way. Winni wasn't looking very forward to yet another visit through a portal.

Unsurprisingly, this one had an ominous atmosphere like the last one did, but it at least wasn't at a level that would twist your mind up in knots. Rather, it was well put together, and peaceful in its own unique way. Honestly, she felt like there was no room to complain. The fact she was here, alive, and in one piece, was a blessing in itself.

Alongside Gnasher, she followed the esteemed Overlord to the aforementioned Spire. Glances were given to the sides so she could familiarize better with the surroundings. An impressive display, even if it wasn't anything she was used to. Home was what you could make of it and he certainly did just that.
 
The Overlord heard Winnie and Gnasher appearing behind him, and tore himself from the view of his domain, and turned towards the large opening, leading to his throne-room. He walked in without a word to the Paladin, to the greeting of the royal guards, the music of a small group of Minions starting to play drums and a harp, and to the glorious sight of his throne, with magma slowly flowing around it, and down into a small canal along the hall.

latest


He strode up the few steps to his throne, and sat heavily down on it, setting down his mace by it's side. He lifted his arms, and spread them, as if to show off his grand hall. "Welcome to my domain, Paladin. Here, my will truly is law." He chuckled, before his hands took his helmet into his hands, and slowly lifted it off. He set it on the arm of his throne, revealing the face under it. It was... Mostly human. Dark hair, kept short, barely there. Glowing yellow eyes, even without the helmet, and seemingly dark blue skin going from the sides of his eyes, widening to cover most of his neck, nearly filled with dark runes tattooed into the blue skin that seemed to flit with magic power.

"I do hope it does impress you as much as, if not more so than the temples to your gods." He smirked, no longer hidden by his helmet.
 
Curiously she looked to the merriment being had by the Minions. There were a lot of cozy elements to the Overlord's realm. She was conditioned to follow a strict code, but her mind aimed to not have such a narrow viewpoint so full of harsh judgement. They came from different worlds and fought for different sides. That didn't mean every aspect of his life had to be seen in such a negative viewpoint like her kin suggest.

Her sapphire eyes were wide to take in the sights as much as they could. They soon landed on the magnificent throne not far from her, where the Overlord went to take his seat. He was thoughtful enough to give her a welcome as he dramatically gestured to the environment he was clearly proud of. Being militaristic as ever, Winnifred crossed an arm across her chest while she made a polite bow in his presence, showing her gratitude for him allowing her to step foot into his domain.

Straightening back up, the paladin watched him remove his helmet. Finally, there would be an actual face she could communicate with. She honestly didn't know how to picture he'd look, so now the mystery would finally be solved. Calmly she analyzed his features, finding herself strangely drawn to the patterns on his skin as they added allure to his glowing eyes. To not be caught staring, she let her gaze wander to other parts of their surroundings.

Not without catching a glimpse of the devilish smirk he punctuated his bold statement with. "It's impressive indeed, my Dark Lord," she earnestly complimented with a formal nod, her wandering eyes eventually resting back on him. Really, by now, she'd end up looking like an easily distracted oddball who couldn't maintain eye contact. Wearing a stolid expression, she took down her folded arms to hang them at her sides. "I will say though, I do feel terribly out of place," Winnifred commented with some good humor and a smirk of her own, an armored hand going behind her tangled hair to sheepishly rub the side of her neck. She almost literally looked like a ray of light sticking out in the shadows.
 
"Would it be better if we took you to the Minions' homes then? Among the other followers, rather than here with those giving orders?" He asked with a teasing grin, knowing that wasn't what she had meant. "I think she'd feel a bit tall there, my Liege..." A chuckling voice said, slowly coming from the stairs around the throne, showing a surprisingly old-looking minions, clad in a thick, ragged coat. "And that would make the room I am having prepared for her rather a waste, wouldn't you say?" The little creature said, as he came up to the side of the throne.

"Indeed it would..." The Overlord said, smirking a bit more. "Gnarl, this is Winnifred Cartwright, in the flesh. The Paladin that has brought me the most trouble thus far. Well, I suppose the leader of her order has caused me more trouble... But she is the one having done most personally." He said, turning from his adviser to the Paladin. "Paladin, this is Gnarl. My adviser, and the oldest Minion known. Mostly due to keeping safe here in the tower, while his brethren does the heavy lifting and dying." They both chuckled darkly at that.

"Should we take you to your chambers now, My Lady?" Gnarl offered.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back