Chapter 1   The Sorceress' Plan   authors: Veyanne - yellow , Overlord - red

 In the cool mountain air a sad heart sighs.

She drunk deep in the sorrow of another, a story of love and loss. She closed her eyes and felt the pain. She shed a single tear. She was deeply moved.

The storyteller stood before her relieved of his burden. She gave him comfort and kindness. He deserved all of it. She bid him farewell and they parted.

In her dark fortress the sorceress reposed. Spell casting always drained her. She needed time to regain her strength. She heard the chill wind howling outside. It reminded her of her isolation. At times it was good to be alone, far from the madness of the coming millenium.

The souls in her dungeon waited. They were filled with a mixture of anticipation and dread. They prayed for salvation. It would not come. This is where she tortured those who believed in God. Some she tortured spiritually. Some she tortured sexually. Some would torture themselves whenever she came near. She would ask them simple questions. They would run out of answers. Then came the pain.

The sorceress awoke. Her sadness was lifting. Her strength had returned.

She walked over to the reflecting pool. She gazed at her image, a thin pale woman dressed all in black save for the red lining of her flowing robe. With a wave of her hand the image disappeared. It was replaced by the image of a room. In the room there was a long table with many people seated around it. An imposing figure at the end of the table stood up and shouted...

"Well, well.....if it isn't Chainey."
 
The Overlord stares at the woman with utter contempt. Then the room explodes in moving bodies as most duck for cover, a few fling themselves at the woman to pull her away, while the rest hurtles towards the Overlord to stop him. Three men are dangling from his arm, while he tries to aim his Zorax 23-T gun. A single shot is fired into the ceiling. Rubble and a rain of dust falls down as the armor piercing bullet explodes through the heavy concrete.

"Oh dear", whispered the sorceress.

"Restrain yourself, my Lord!" cries somebody. The Overlord growls in anger when the gun slips from his fingers. He throws some bodies to the side, shakes the rest off as if it were children climbing all over him, and then jumps up on the table. Before anyone can stop him, he grabs the woman by her uniform and lifts her high in the air. With his face close to hers, he looks into her startled eyes. Then he growls and the room freezes in terror. His voice thunders as he speaks: "You think for one moment I would hesitate to kill you, rape your body while it is still warm and dismember it afterwards to have it barbecued and eaten with a hot sauce, just because you are an atheist? Think again, woman!"

The overlord was enraged again. Things were not well with him. The sorceress knew the EAC needed his anger to win their war. It was the source of the overlord's motivation. Yet she feared it was sometimes too much for him to control. Yes, it could lead them to victory, but it could also have dire consequences.

He raises her trembling body even higher and continues: "I have killed better people than you and I don't care that you're a high EAC-official. I work with you and sometimes for you, because it serves my purpose: the eradication of all theists everywhere! In return I ask only one thing from you: respect! Fail to give me that, and you shall meet with the most horrible scenario I can think of. Got that, woman?"

She remembered their last meeting. He had summoned her by mistake. They conversed. She felt his anger. She sensed the fear behind it. She tried to find out what it was, but the overlord quickly defended himself. He was formidable. She knew she could go no deeper as long as he did not trust her. Her magic was only so strong.

The sorceress knew that it was not good for the head of the EAC to be driven by fear. It could be used against him if it was discovered. She desired for him to be driven instead by passion. She wanted to take away his fear.

Chani nods and cries out as he drops her to the floor. The Overlord laughs his bowling laugh and steps down from the table, returning to his seat. The sergeant quickly puts the chair upright and there's a rustle when everybody else returns to their places as well. The Overlord smiles and looks most amiable. Then he sits down and addresses the pale-faced woman another time: "Let's forget what happened here and start all over. We know you are useful, bold and daring, we only wish you would prove it to us in a different way. You will come with us in this campaign, Chani, and I will expect something most impressive from you."

As she watched the drama unfold, the sorceress gained insight. An evil plan hatched in her mind.

"I shall offer him a gift of good will, one I know he will appreciate."

She knew the overlord's desires. She knew what it would take to satisfy him. It was time for her to return to the land of the eternally repressed.

She would bring forth many poor souls for the overlord's pleasure.

And perhaps the one which he craves to devour.