"Our master went into tunnels deep, to test his mighty powers. Along the way he decided to play, with our furry neighbors. They howled, they growled, but in the end, all they could do was cower."
Quaver's Poems, Dog Wrangler.
Damion moved down the new round of cavern halls that the strange dog men he had killed, and whose vests three of his minions now wore on their bodies and their collars on their heads; the jewels bobbing up and down as they moved and flipped. The halls had long given way from the natural formation of a cave and seemed to slowly gave way to carved hall way, the wall stone smoothed and shaped; torches offering light in intervals.
"Hmm, it seems those dog men seem to know their way about shaping stone. These caverns remind me of the Underworld tower back in our old world." Gnarl mused.
"I agree. In fact, I think we might have a use for these dog men." Damion answered, rubbing his chin, "Gnarl how good are minions in construction?"
"Mmmm...so-so, sire." Gnarl said, "Brown's tend to be better at breaking things then fixing them. I can usually direct them on the right way, though it does take a bit of whippings and a few being hung up by their ears before they get the idea."
Damion smirked, "Then perhaps I have my builders right here."
Damion stepped out into a wide corridor, where a dozen dog men in armor and spears stood, growling low and threateningly.
"You intruder! Who you!?" One, the leader, barked.
Damion smirked, "I am Overlord Damion. These caves are property of mine now. If you agree to this, I guarantee you a prosperous agreement in my domain. Resist and I will just give the offer to your next of kin."
The lead dog snarled and led the charge of dogs to attack. Damion smirked, feeling a rushing sensation in his blood as he ordered his minions to charge. He threw out his hand, emptying a vast swath of fire onto the dogs, sending several to scatter as their bodies were eaten by the fires. The rest of the charge, halted slightly as the sight of ones friends being burnt alive could be rather disheartening. Especially to dogs, as some followed a primal instinct, and ran from the bright red flames.
Damion smacked the helmed head of the lead dog with the flat of his axe. Severed another dog with a side swing at the hip, felt the thrust of a spear shatter against the armor at his hip; before smashing the pick head at the back of the axe into the gut of the assaulting enemy. His minions, leapt and moved about, bashing at heads or cutting at leg tendons on the tall enemies; forcing the dogs to fall in yelps of pain before being stabbed and clubbed to death when they were at eye length with the minions.
The few remaining dogs were soon running, howling down the tunnels; no doubt sending distress calls to other dogs. Damion let them run, he was not cold hearted enough to hunt down a fleeing enemy and if they were smart the survivors would demoralize the next batch of guards with no doubt fear exaggerated tales of his ability.
Damion decided to take a look into the rooms of the doors that dotted along the wide chamber he was now in. He saw several doors close suddenly, and he sent minions to stand near those doors. He didn't have them break the doors down, yet. Though the minions did pound on the doors; he thought he heard whimpers of distress from one as he passed. Other rooms were empty, save for well crafted furniture that glittered in the light. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw what they were made of.
"Holy shit these dogs make their furniture out of gems!?" Damion swore, jaw dropping.
"Gems? An evil domain does need a heavy treasury sire...and what good are gems under the furry bottoms of slobbering mutts." Gnarl mused, as he himself saw the gemstone furniture.
"Ugh...I don't really want butt gems in my pocket. Lets find more....clean ones." Damion said, suddenly having an image of dog butts on the jewels.
"Oh very well sire. I suppose even evil must have standards." Gnarl sighed.
Damion kept up his search in the rooms, his minions bashing pots and over turning furniture. Some found vests to wear and others picks, spears that they cut in half to make them better suited to their size. A few even took pieces of the dog guards armor and helmets and fashioned helms and shields for themselves. What Damion did like was the small bits of jewels that the minions brought to him.
"You and you. Gather up the lose gems and take them back to the main chambers. I want them organized by size and color when I return and counted." Damion ordered two minions, who saluted and began gathering up the gems. Damion then turned to the rest of his minions.
"Clean them out." He said simply, and the minions standing at the doors with occupants inside, bashed the doors opened and began assaulting and dragging said occupants out by the tails as others tore apart the insides carrying out loot. One minion went to slit the throat of a dog, but Damion held up a hand.
"No." He said, knowing he did not need to shout. The minion would hear and obey even if he whispered.
Damion approached the dogs, as he ordered them gathered up near the dead guards. He absorbed what life force remained in the corpses before turning to the dogs. Most if not all were small, clearly puppies or children he supposed he could call them. Two or three were teenagers and the rest were adults. All of the adults were female.
How did Damion know this? Well all the dogs seemed to wear vests of the same style. On the males it was okay, but the females....well....it did not do much to hide the apparent trait of all female dogs.
"I haven't seen that many teats in one room since that rather raunchy time in the private quarters our last master had with his mistresses." Gnarl chuckled, "Get it? Teats?"
"Wh-Who are you?" One female whimpered, holding three small new born puppies to her chest.
"I am Overlord Damion," Damion said, "These caves are now under my domain. Who...and what...are you?"
"We Diamond Dogs. This packs tunnels. Not smelly overlord and imps. Go away!" One young teenaged dog snarled.
"Be quiet!" A female barked, holding the defient teen to her.
Damion looked at the teen, and a flash of fear and a gulp soon replaced that defiance for a few moments.
"And who is the leader of your pack?" Damion asked, slowly and gently placing his hand on the teens head and began to scratch ideally behind the ear.
The dog teen, despite the slight movement in his tail at the scratching, snapped at his gauntleted hand. Damion ignored the yelp of pain as teeth met metal and he continued to scratch.
"Our Alpha will kill you. Bruno strong alpha." A female barked, glaring.
"Good," Damion chuckled, "I kinda would like a challenge before I take control of all of you. These easy kills are getting boring."
All the gathered dogs looked at him in shock and then at each other before back at Damion. Damion ignored them, and ordered them all bound. A minion brought some rope found in a number of rooms to him and Damion chuckled.
He was not heartless however. Females with new born pups were allowed to have their arms unbound to carry their young, but were tied about the neck. The teenagers and older children had their hands and necks bound and females without new borns were bound the same. Six minions guarded the captives, as the remaining minions followed Damion ahead of the captives deeper into the caves.
As he expected more guards showed up, and Damion found a certain thrill in the carnage. The snapping of bones, and cutting of flesh. The smell of burnt meat and screams of pain. He fought any who got in his way, those he killed he drained of life force and those who managed to survive were beaten into unconsciousness. All the way, Damion pillaged more rooms, adding to his hoard of gems and even had a few more captives. By the time he finally reached the main hall, he was down to just two minions. But he did not care, as he stood before his intended target.
In the main chamber, seated before a stone throne, sat a large and scar covered diamond dog. All around from the floor to the catwalks above were dozens of other dogs, most were citizens like his prisoners but others were soldiers.
"Grrrr. You trespasser. Bruno kill! Mount head on wall like trophy!" The lead dog growled, as his soldiers howled.
"That's yet to be seen. So will you send your troops to do that for you? Or are you too chicken to fight me yourself?" Damion asked, smirking.
Bruno snarled and snapped his teeth, sending spittle about, "Bruno strongest alpha! Why you here!?"
"Your caverns are within my domain. As Overlord that makes them and all of you mine. Surrender and be spared. Fight and die. Either way...I get more soldiers." Damion said, chuckling.
Bruno growled and stood up, "You claim to own brunos pack! You no alpha! You intruder!"
"Then prove it." Damion said, seeing his chance. He knew well that if this leader and his soldiers all attacked at once, he might not survive. But if he could turn this into a challenge, he might gain the work force he needed without having to get his blood everywhere.
"You challane Bruno!?" The lead dog said in shock, before laughing, "Why should Bruno accept?"
"If you are so strong and powerful, then you should be able to easily kill me. I've killed your guards, prove to them you are the strongest. Or are you too chicken?" Damion taunted, as his two minions began making clucking sounds and doing a chicken walk.
"Becareful master. While you would no doubt come out on top in a fight, we would not want to risk your health. It would be a shame for us to lose you so soon after your arrival. Not that I doubt your victory but...caution is a rather good trait in an overlord as well as random violence."
"Relax Gnarl. I'll be fine." Damion said, smiling.
"Grrr Who intruder talking to?" Bruno shouted, before finally marching out toward him, "Bruno accept. Will kill slowly so can enjoy screams." The big dog then took hold of two large swords, made of gems, at his back and stood in a ready position.
Damion smirked, ordered his minions to stay back, and moved to meet the leader in one on one combat.
"Sire, are you sure this is wise?" Gnarl asked, "Browns are not greens, but they can be deadly when they can flank an enemy just as well as any green."
"Silence!" Damion snapped, "I might be evil, but I have an honor code. This is a battle between rulers Gnarl. I am not going to do dirty tricks"
"Ugh....very well. PPffft. Honor codes." Gnarl said, slightly disgusted.
Damion ignored the old minion. Gnarl did not have to like his ways, but this was his choice. Damion had given up so much since he came here, more then he realized he would probably ever understand, but if he was Overlord he was going to do it his way. This was one of those ways.
Damion and Bruno, slowly began to circle each other. Around dogs and minions cheered and booed, as Damion brought up his axe to defend a twin over head slice before going in for a kick at Bruno's gut. The lead diamond dog though was faster then his size let on and he managed to side step the strike and counter. Damion felt the twin blades smash against his armor, and he staggered back before going for a strike. But he learned that while he was stronger, combat experience was something he did not have in as much as Bruno had. All this time he had been winging it, letting his new powers do the work for him. But in a combat like this, Bruno clearly had the advantage.
Damion kept up his swings, doing his best to parry but Bruno always managed to get a hit in. And as he blocked an attack, one of the blades slipped past his guard and went up into his helm! The helmet flew off as Damion stood in shock, the blade having torn across the side of his cheek and cut deep. He rolled away and place a hand over the deep wound.
"Sire! Sire! What is happening!?" Gnarls voice came from the lost helm as Damion stood shocked. He looked at his blood covered gauntlet in awe.
Bruno chucked as he began slowly circling again. "Was fun, but you die now!"
Damion looked at his blood and while he felt a stirring of fear from his near death experience, he could not help but...smile.
Finally. A real fight. Life and Death. The thought was....appealing.
"You are good Bruno...I'll give you that." Damion said approvingly, "But there can only be one top dog here!"
Bruno said nothing as he charged, even as Damion brought up his hand.
"And that one is me!" Damion shouted, and unleashed a torrent of fire on the charging dog.
Bruno saw the fire, but his speed had brought him too close to dodge and his face was hit directly with the flames. He screamed and dropped his swords as his claws tore at his face to put out the fire. Damion side stepped and stuck a leg out to trip the burning alpha. Bruno continued to scream in pain, even more so when Damion slammed his iron plated foot onto the chest of the dog. He could almost hear the cracking of bone underfoot.
"As the first one to ever wound me, I will ensure you are given a proper burial and a foot note in history. But in these tunnels I am alpha and you...." Damion lifted up the hand of evil and began draining the life force from Bruno's still living body.
Damion almost threw up, as he found that the process of draining life force from a still living body was far different from a corpse. Bruno screamed, in a way that seemed almost more pained then the fire that ate at his face. His body spasmed and twisted in ways that Damion could hear bone snapping, and his whole frame seemed to sink in on itself till the flesh seemed to hang on the skeleton. The amount of life force drained, was greater in quantity however and on an instinct Damion knew he had gained enough from this one body alone to birth forth twenty five browns.
Finally the screams died as did the fires. Bruno, lay was nothing more then a burnt fur and flesh skin rag over a skeleton. Damion removed his foot and looked to all the gathered dogs, as his minions cheered.
"Does anyone else wish to challenge me?" He shouted, holding his arms out.
The dogs cowered and whimpered, and Damion smirked.
"I thought not. From this day forth you are all mine! And anyone who says otherwise....will meet the same fate as this one." He shouted, lifting up the rag doll that had once been Bruno. Damion then moved to place his helmet back on his head.
"Oh thank the darkness. Sire, what has happened?" Gnarl asked, worry clear in his voice.
"I won Gnarl, and I have myself my own little pack of dogs. Gather the minions and proceed to my location. We have our new home now." Damion said, "Oh and....do you know anything on stiches?"
A few hours had passed, and Gnarl had finally moved all the browns and the Brown hive to the diamond dog tunnels. The elderly minion had to admit, this was much better then the caves they had. Why build new tunnels when they could move into premade ones. Though they could do with some....improvements.
'Hmmm, perhaps a few gibbets and maybe some open flames.' Gnarl mused, thinking on how he could really evil the place up.
When he arrived to the throne room, he assumed it was the throne room now, he found the Overlord seated on a throne. All about he had a line of dogs before him.
"Next." The overlord called as one dog moved off, and another prostrated itself and began to swear an oath. An oath of loyalty no doubt.
Gnarl ignored this, and stared at the deep bloody cut across the Overlords now unhelmed face.
"Sire! What happened?" Gnarl asked as he hobbled over as fast as his old legs could carry him.
"I got hurt. I hope you are good with medicine. I don't trust these guys near my face." The overlord said, pointing to some browns who held up various medical tools and one with leeches.
"Well I am no blue, but I know my way. But how could you have become so wounded sire?" Gnarl asked, before being yanked up by his throat.
"Because Gnarl, "Damion said, his voice low and threatening as he gripped Gnarl's throat tighter, "I might be stronger...and faster then I use to be, but I don't know anything about actual combat. The minions seem to do most of the fighting, I just swing my axe about. You didn't bother to tell me that!"
Gnarl choked, "Well sire, most overlords don't stick to foolish notions of honor and single combat." He squirmed, his legs kicking as Overlord Damion stood, still holding him by the neck.
"And I told you, this is my way. It is my way or the high way!" Damion snapped, before letting gnarl go and sitting back down, "I'm leaving you with the run of the place. Get these tunnels up to par with what you think we need. As for myself, see to it that every diamond dog guard that's alive and able, reports to the training grounds for sparing. Before I go out any further, I want to know how to properly fight. Is that clear?"
Gnarl rubbed his throat and bowed, "Yes sire. I will see to it all."
Gnarl still did not agree with all this. Still he was a loyal minion, and in his many years he had served many masters of varying degrees of evil. And besides, seeing that they now had an army of stone workers to build their new tower, Gnarl had to begrudgingly admit that the Overlord's methods had yielded spectacular results. He just hoped that as he matured, he abandoned some of these notions.
In any case, they now had a tower and Evil was now once more on its feet. Soon all the land of this world would be theirs.
It was just a matter of time.
As the line of dogs continued to swear allegiance to Damion, Gnarl took his customary position as advisor at his masters side. Despite it all it did feel good to have someone to serve again. A pat on his back took him by surprise and Gnarl saw Quaver stand beside him, glass eye shining in the torch light.
"Ahh Gnarl my friend, tis a glories day is it not. Our master has entered glorious battle and emerged supreme and now sits on his throne as is his right." The jester declared, before bowing to Damion.
"Sire, in honor of your recent deeds, I have constructed a song in your honor. Though I do be without a band at the present, I hope my singing voice be enough for your ears." Quaver said, before going off on his song.
"Oh there he goes again. I suggest getting use to this sire, "Gnarl sighed, "Our last overlord was able to acquire quiet a number of titles and poems before his reign ended. Still, Quaver is a far more loyal jester then the last one, locking our oldest master in hell like that?"
"Say what?" Damion asked, looking at Gnarl.
"Oh nothing," Gnarl quickly said, "Uh shall we see to your wound now sire. It might scar, but I hear that is what the evil mistresses are all delighted by. You do plan on getting a mistress or three right?"
"With what?" Damion asked, looking perplexed.
Far off, beyond the soon to be growing realm of Overlord Damion, Twilight Sparkle sneezed as she closed a book.
"Ugh...dust." She sniffled, rubbing her nose and putting the book away with a sigh.