Against All Odds

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The tease at where she ought to belong in his domain made the paladin scrunch up her nose, adding a cute element to her face that not many thought possible with how mature and proper she aimed to be. Feeling a tad sheepish, her cheeks showed a light shade of red as she tilted her chin upwards, attempting a pompous pose to hide her vulnerability.

Upon hearing the other voice, her posture relaxed and she went to looking over the elderly looking Minion who'd come to greet her. Politely she nodded to him, watching carefully as he went to interacting with his Overlord in a way that appeared personal and friendly. Privately she smirked at the sight, and then it was gone when attention was back onto her.

The way she was introduced prompted the the paladin to fix her posture so she appeared more professional. Her lips twisted into a smile that was roguish, playfully implying she was proud to have caused this Overlord so much trouble. They had a rivalry she would be sad to see end, even if it was her duty to end him. "A pleasure it is to meet you, Gnarl," she said in earnest, still having to adjust to these names that would be considered unusual where she was from.

"Aye, that would be great," Winnifred answered to Gnarl with appreciation. Assuming she was fine to be dismissed, she made a respectful bow to that of the Overlord with her head. "I'll see you soon, I'm sure." She assumed he would go to her personally or summon her when he was ready, whatever suited him best. The paladin was accommodating. When all was said and finished for the time being, she would silently follow to the room she looked forward to settling in.
 
"Very well. This way then." Gnarl said, as he started up the stairs. "We are both sure then. I have things that needs to be sorted between battles, after all..." He said, as he turned to a short line of Minions, waving the first of them forwards, to take care of some kind or another in his empire.

"I'll have to say that I'm surprised to see you here, my lady. It's rare to see Paladins who accept to work along along My Liege. Most tend to prefer death over what they call heresy." He mused, as he lead them up to the private chambers. It was a surprisingly beautiful place, with fountains and pools spread around the large room, with a few finely dressed Minions walking about to act as servants there. They all looked over at the newcomers, and considered coming over, but decided not to, not knowing if this lady was a new Mistress or not yet.

Gnarl led the Paladin to the left, away from what was obviously the Overlord's own chambers and some other seemingly important rooms. "I'm assuming you'll be trying to defeat our lord again once the demon threat is taken care off?" He asked, all too well knowing how the forces of "good" tended to act.
 
Seeing that Gnarl was interested in some conversation on the way to her room, she kept her ears on him while her eyes did some curious sight seeing. Not often was someone of her stature given the opportunity to walk through a society that was totally different from what she was used to. Winni was intrigued by the way the Overlord ran things. All looked to be more orderly than anything else she'd ever seen, honestly.

"These are very dark times, Gnarl. Allying with the Overlord is what's best for life overall. I'm willing to stand by that view as I reconsider the strict guidelines I've been raised to follow," Winnifed said with poise, finding it strangely easy to talk with this distinguished Minion. "Naturally, he and I would go back to our rivalry when the demon reign is over. At the same time, it seems possible that something else entirely could happen. I know better than to make assumptions about the future." The paladin showed how open minded she was, for the most part. It's part of why she preferred to be independent rather than travel with other paladins. Their perspectives were narrow and they would clash with hers all the time. If she weren't so capable of holding her own, they might have tried to intimidate her out of the Order years ago.

"He was kind enough to spare my life. I owe him something for that," was the last of what she said. That very deed he'd done for Winni was what had her rethinking a few things. Almost it felt as if she were slowly coming out of the state of being brainwashed.
 
"Good to hear, good to hear... Any potential long-term ally is a good thing. Even if it is but a single person." Gnarl mused as they headed down a wide hallway. "And as you might learn, the Dark One is a bit less serious while at the tower. He focuses quite a lot on the task at hand when he is in the field." He continued, as they arrived at several little alcoves, with double doors in their centers. It was but one, the one at the end of the hall, that seemed to be decorated at all though, even if it was with furs and hunting trophies.

"These are usually the chambers of the Mistresses of the Overlord... Though currently he has but his First Mistress. I'm sure you will meet her sooner or later. And you might want to say that you are not trying to take her place. She guards that spot quite fiercely. Almost as much so as the bests she so enjoys hunting." He explained, as he lead her into one of the rooms. It was rather plain, with little decorations, though still with fine furniture.

"If there is anything you desire in your room, simply tell one of the serving Minions. You aren't a Mistress, at least not yet... But I'll make sure that they'll make an exception."
 
The paladin nodded appreciatively at his positive feedback. Clearly he was a wise old soul who knew who what he was talking about. She was especially grateful for the tidbit regarding the Overlord's mood shifts. Winni did happen to notice that he was much more strict and serious on the battlefield, but significantly more humorous and laid back in his domain. It was comforting to know that she wouldn't be allying with someone who was stern twenty-four seven.

While he gave a description of the chambers, she had to question what in the world 'mistresses' were. The word came with several meanings, considering how differently a lot of societies treated it. If she had to base her guess on what Gnarl was telling her, she was courted with the Overlord in some way and was very protective of that status. To that, she made a shrug, clearly not worried. Sooner or later the beast hunting female might come around to try intimidating her, but Winnifred wouldn't be looking for a fight. She wouldn't be bowing her head to some mistress either, though. Hopefully no issues would come between them and the Overlord himself...

Attention went back to the subject of her room. "Thank you, Gnarl. I'll keep that in mind," she said, wondering what the hell he meant by saying she wasn't a mistress yet. Now Winnifred wondered what mess she might be getting into later on.

Once she was left alone, she got the room closed up and looked around. Plain, but just what she needed. All she cared about was having a private sleep to keep her things, sleep, and spend time thinking. Sighing out with relief, she set her helmet down on the nearby desk. Slowly she was shedding herself of her armor, grunting as bruises started making themselves known now that she no longer had to ignore them in order to support all the metal. The swords were propped up against the wall, where the gauntlets, armored boots, and the rest joined on the floor.

Now in tan leggings and a cream colored tunic with a brown belt around it, she rubbed at the soreness in her arms on the way to the bed. She looked smaller without all the armor but was still fairly tall and well built for a woman. There was an odd appeal to the balance of masculine and feminine qualities she had. Not dainty, but not manly either. A unique label of her own laid somewhere in between.

Sitting down, she moved her fingers up to come them through the mess of whitish blond hair so it could look more proper. Meanwhile her head had thoughts buzzing around inside it like crazy. It would be a miracle if she managed to get any sleep.
 
Gnarl nodded to the Paladin, before leaving her to do whatever it was she was planning to do, as he headed down towards the throne room again, to assist in matters of managing the empire. While the Overlord was the highest authority, he wasn't a fool. He knew that the old Minion was useful in more ways than he could count.


Not too long after Gnarl left, the doors at the end of the end of the hall could be heard opening, followed by footsteps heading for the main hall.
 
With her hair properly smoothed out, Winnifred wasn't left with much else to do. She wasn't going to be using any healing spells on herself. When it came to her own injuries, she preferred to suffer through them rather than take the easy way out. Unless a dire situation demanded that she heal quickly, in which case she certainly would.

Besides, what she had wasn't too bad to begin with. Just some bruises and scratches, but she felt worse than she looked. Enough that she felt the need to lay across the bed and rest her eyes for a while.

As she sighed out calmly, faint footsteps could be heard going past her door. If she had to guess, it was probably that mistress that was mentioned before. Someone important, that was for sure. Whoever they were, she'd be sure to stay out of their way for the time being. Winnifred hoped to get along with the Overlord's people but that was wishful thinking, knowing how strong-willed she was.
 
The Overlord dismissed yet another Minion coming from a Governor or another with a message, for them to return with the answer. Yet he didn't wave another forwards quite yet. Instead, he sat on his throne and growled slightly. "I should let you take care of most of this... Most of it is routine stuff. You know what I'd want for most of this." He glared down at Gnarl, who stood at his spot next to the throne. "I suppose, My Liege. But since you are here, and not at the town, setting up the new governor and such, I hadn't had time to take care of it yet. Things does not always go as planned, as you know, Dark one." He simply growled in reply, and waved the next one forwards.



Kelda slipped herself into the hot waters, and started scrubbing herself. She had heard that the Witchboy had returned, and she knew that he enjoyed her company once he was done with the more pressing matters. And she did prefer to not be stinking from hunting when that happened. So she came to the pools outside his chambers, so she could simply enjoy the waters until he came along, to pick her up, carry her to his room, and prove that he was worthy of his titles... She shivered slightly just at the thought.
 
A few moments worth of rest was what it took for the paladin to finally sit up. Now that she had time to relax a bit, her body was now more intensely sore than before. As well, she took into consideration that she must not have been that clean looking, or smelling. She had splatters of blood all over her, and smears of dirt everywhere else. Winnifred was loathe to go bathing beyond the privacy of her room. Truth be told, she was self conscious and her social skills weren't as impressive as her professional ones.

She did what she had to do though. When the clothes came off, she wrapped a towel around her bare form after finding it in one of the drawers of her dresser. Blushing slightly, Winni picked out some clean clothes from her bag so they could be carried along with her. After double checking the security of her towel, she was on her way out to spend some time in these bath chambers.

Much to the paladin's dismay, the mistress was over there taking a bath as well. With reluctance she kept going, choosing an available section that kept the two of the far apart. Whether or not Kelda acknowledged her, she made a polite nod so as to not seem rude, then quickly looked away. Moving bashfully, she got herself into the water and sat down to her chin, resisting the urge to hiss out in pain as the heat soothed at her aches. Embarrassingly enough, she didn't communicate well with women. She was found to be too brutish for a lot of their tastes, but that didn't mean it was impossible either for her to be friends with them. Not that she was looking to make friends in the first place. Winni wasn't part of their world.
 
Kelda didn't notice the Paladin entering the room at first, enjoying the warm water, and the calming sounds of it being sprayed out from the fountains formed as blue Minions. These ever warm baths were honestly one of the things she enjoyed most with the spire over her old home in Nordberg.

Then she opened her eyes, and noticed the new arrival coming walking into the room, in only a towel. She smiled at her, yet she seemed to just pass her by. A new mistress? By her muscled form, she seemed to be a fighter... Which probably meant that she was going to fight to become the First Mistress... It could be an interesting fight. Especially compared to the bimbo who'd been the last mistress that had been brought in. She was too stupid to last long though. Both in the fight against Kelda, and in keeping the interest of the big man.

Kelda stood up in the middle of the pool and waddled over to the newcomer, sitting down beside her, leaning on the edge, unashamed, even as her generous bosom was over the water. Not that the clear water hid much... "So... Witchboy has brought in a new mistress, has he?" She asked with a slight smirk.
 
Winnifred was content to just keep to herself, honestly not wishing to interact with a woman who was a potential problem for her. Keeping her back outward for the most part, she scrubbed at filth, all while taking notice that the other woman was coming closer to her. Well, this event was going to have an interesting ending to it.

There was that word again; mistress. Associated with her, Winnifred Cartwright. Making a glance over her shoulder, she could see the smugness on that buxom female's face. What she noticed most of all was the attempt to intimidate, to show that she was unafraid and willing to get territorial. The paladin didn't know how the games around here were played, but she would learn quickly, this huntress would be certain of that.

As much as she didn't want to, she came from out of hiding to sit up tall, even if it would be rising her chest out of the water. What it lacked in size, it made up for in an intriguing firmness maintained through her intense workout regimen. "You are mistaken. I'm here as his ally in arms. Nothing more or less," Winnifred corrected, moving her wet fingers through her hair to as she sat there, slowly moving her gaze to the water as a show of disinterest in Kelda.
 
"Good. Then you are of no threat to me." Kelda said with a smile, letting her shoulders slump slightly, as she started washing her arms again. "I didn't think Witchboy was the kind of lad to take people like you as an ally though. So... Oddly pure." She smirked. "Let me guess... Not a lot of experience with the menfolk then?" She asked, as she lifted one muscular, yet well shaped leg out of the water, slowly washing it. In that case, I'd suggest that you shouldn't be looking when he comes upstairs..." She teased, before changing feet.

It had been some time since she had had another lady in the tower. And snarky, yet friendly chatter had been the norm with the others. And this one probably wouldn't stay long, if she was just an ally in arms, which meant that she would have to take jabs now, before she went away again. She giggled slightly.
 
Winnifred let her serious gaze linger for just a moment, as if to silent argue the comment about her not being a threat. She proved to be quite disciplined until her pride got threatened. Fortunately, there were no dilemmas to be had, so she kept to cleaning herself up. For reasons unknown, the lass wanted to keep talking. And... Teasing her? Thank the goddess that she had her hair down so the pink in her cheeks couldn't be seen.

"I'm too busy for...men...folk," she said with slight discomfort. It's not that she'd never touched a man before, she truthfully just never had the time. Usually Winni was too tired to think about more than sleep at the end of the day, plus she wasn't ladylike enough for some of the men. Other than that, it was all her own fault that she'd experienced so little of those pleasures. It used to be that she was committed to her stance as a prude, but at this point it was just stubbornness.

Then she was back to cleaning herself up, very near to the point of getting her towel back on so she could dry of someplace out of view and put clothes on. Suddenly she was feeling self conscious again. Winni was a confident woman for the most part but she could get to feeling melancholic when comparing herself to shapely women like Kelda. And then her thoughts strayed to the idea that she could do better than her in a bedroom if given the chance. If it would please his highness, they could wrestle quite aggressively prior to such things.

But why would she think that way in the first place? Winni was quick to push those thoughts away, all while silently shaming mind for going in that direction! She should expect better from herself.
 
Kelda sighed slightly, and leaned back against the edge of the pool, feeling clean enough now, simply awaiting the Overlord to come carry her away. She couldn't help but to giggle a bit more at the newcomer's excuse though. "Those too busy for such things simply don't take the time. If you truly want to have a good time with a man, you find the time to pull him into a corner and have a quick romp with him." She said, looking at Winni. Again, surprisingly strong... Not ugly by any means, just different.

"Of course, if you've never been with one, that would be a bit harder... Still, those who want to find time, finds time." Kelda said, knowing that from her own experience.

Heavy steps together with the sound of armor moving about came from the stairs, announcing that the Overlord himself would be coming up there in mere moments, able to see all of the big room.
 
The lady's explanation made sense, and didn't, all at once. Winnifred understood what she was getting at, she just had a hard time imagining that type of activity ever fitting into her life. Little did she know, that's simply what she was raised to believe. Having sex was frowned upon, but not against the rules she was expected to follow. She was discouraged from engaging with men in such ways so she could be completely focused on her work, though. Basically Winnifred was a living war machine meant to last until she either died or got too old. Certainly she wasn't allowed to enjoy the better parts of human life, such as romance, pleasure, family, even traveling just to travel...

These thoughts lingered until her ears caught the familiar sound of the Overlord stomping towards them. By then, Winnifred had managed to get herself dressed without drawing much attention. A clean tunic that was navy in color with a brown belt around her waist was put on properly, along with leggings that were light brown. Although her feet were bare, she didn't seem to mind much.

Knowing it might be rude to just up and leave, she stood by to give the Dark Lord a proper greeting before he went to do... Whatever he intended to do.
 
The Overlord came up the stairs, looking rather annoyed, yet cheered up at once as he saw Kelda propping herself up on the edge of the pool. Winni on the other hand, was mostly ignored, but for a small greeting. "Evening. We'll deal with getting you armored and such tomorrow." He said simply, before stepping over to the edge of the pool. Kelda stood up, knowing what was next, stood up. The Overlord leaned down, grabbed her by her hips, lifted her out of the water, and tossed her onto his shoulder. "See you then." He said, before heading towards his room. "Stay around and listen if you want to know what you have to look forward to..." Kelda teased from the shoulder, smiling at Winni.

The doors to the bedchambers slammed shut behind the two, quickly followed by the clanging of armor falling to the floor. Almost right after the sounds of armor were silenced, moans and grunts started coming from behind the doors, quickly growing in in volume and intensity.
 
Winnifred's response was as simple as the greeting he gave her. Slowly he was given a polite nod that turned into her guiding her eyes to another direction as she tilted her head back up. The Overlord and the woman had interests that belonged elsewhere. None of which she needed to be sticking around for.

Not quite as appreciative of Kelda's teasing as the next newcomer might be, she wasn't given so much as a look or a wave of farewell. The paladin didn't make friends easy on account of her all work no play lifestyle, but also she didn't see it to be fit that this mistress interact with her as if they were good buddies. To Winnifred it just wasn't that easy, plus the depressing reality was that she really didn't desire any relationships that weren't born from business. She felt so unable to make a connection of the emotional kind, except with her horse. How pathetic was that?

Winni just turned around and began her walk back to the room, assuming it was time to sleep. Just in time too so she could avoid the disturbing noises coming from the other side of the Overlord's chamber door. Embarrassingly enough, she really hadn't been around those sort of things often enough. Just bringing it up in conversation was bound to make her react like a bashful young girl who might as well be a virgin. Another reason she didn't like bringing it up was because women couldn't resist poking fun at her being a woman nearing her mid-30s with so little sexual experience. It just wasn't easy to understand how she, a fairly attractive woman, devote her entire life to fighting darkness and battles, worshiping her goddess, spreading faith, and healing others. Never once slowing down with the consideration she may want romance or a child--'No, wait, bloody--!'

Well, those thoughts were quickly buried for another day, because honestly there was no time to think about such scary, weird things about the future. Damn that Kelda for making her think...

Glad to be walking back into the frigid embrace of solitude, her door was shut tightly behind her. The handful of dirty clothes she was wearing earlier were dropped on the floor for now so she could drop her worn, but now clean, body onto the bed. There was grace in the way she fell onto it, yet her landing was in a recognizably clumsy way that might make someone think they just saw a man pass out drunk.
 
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While the sun didn't shine in the Overlord's realm, the Neather, people still had an internal clock. And in the morning, as always, The Overlord strode out from his bedchambers, fully armored except for his helmet and mace. He headed straight for his throne room as every morning, but motioned for one of the serving Minions come over as he walked through the pool area. "Tell the Paladin that I am expecting to meet me in the throne room, so we can plan forwards, and to see what my scouts have found so far. Mention that the flying thing from the portal has been spotted." And then, he headed down the stairs.

Kelda came walking out as well, a bit after the Overlord, positively glowing, and dressed herself as she walked.


The Minion scampered over to Winnie's room, and knocked on the door. "Lighty lady! The Overlord want see you in throne room! Flying thingy seen! Overlord want smashy!" He yelled through the door, then stopping, to hear if she would reply, or come with any requests.
 
Habitually, Winnifred would wake up before the sun came out. While it was preferable to do so with the actual sun outside her window, the routine was still programmed into her well enough that she did it all the time anyway regardless of where she was. Already she got her whitish blond hair pulled back into a ponytail so she'd look more proper. No armor would be necessary at the moment, and she assumed the minions would tend to it soon, so all that was left was to pull her heavy brown boots over her fairly large feet. The swords would be left here as well. In case of emergency, a small dagger was tucked into her right boot. Otherwise Winni was confident enough to rely on her own brute strength, and her magic. Speaking of which-- "Can't forget you," the paladin laughed to herself softly, finding the chain that her religious symbol hung from. The pendant was tucked under her shirt once the necklace was put on.

As she got up from the bed, there was a knock at her door. They would be getting to work right away, it seemed. Winnifred liked that. She was afraid she might have to deal with more awkwardness like last night. Doubtlessly there would still be some uncomfortable moments, but at least she could be effectively distracted by the demon issue they were investigating.

"I'll be right out in a moment, thank you!" Winnifred called out with nothing more to say. Half a minute was spent making sure she was ready. The belt that went with her outfit was properly adjusted before she left the room to meet the Dark Lord where he was expecting her. Never would he have to worry about waiting on her. The paladin prided herself on being punctual, amongst other things.
 
The Minion simply stood by, awaiting her by the door, not really having anything better to do.



"Tell Giblet to have the forge kept hot. Our guest might be wanting some gear that is better than her current things. If she'll accept it, of course." But she probably won't, the Overlord thought, knowing her to be such a pious lady. And thus, she'd probably not accept weapons forged by evil hands for evil purposes, despite being used by her. Most of the forces of good tended to be so... Unpragmatic. He himself would happily use the tools of the good against themselves. But, of course, they rarely made anything he found usefu, which made it a rather moot point.

"Indeed. But with some luck and a clever tongue, we can talk her into it, I'm sure." Gnarl assured him.
 
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