The Overlords

Chapter 2

            Kade stared at Jhos's lifeless body. He couldn't take his eyes off of him, and his face twisted into a mixed look of fear and anger. Jhos was his second father, and the worst part was that he'd have to tell Anna. How would he do it? "Hey Anna, I'm sorry, but my recklessness killed your dad." While these thoughts flowed through Kade's head, the people of Yeen had already taken action. The children had run off to hide and all of the adults and teens had drawn their swords. Kade shook out of his stupor and took in everything that was happening. Despite the fact that his recklessness had gotten one of the most respected men in the town killed, the remaining residents defended him. There was only one problem. The population of Yeen was 253, not including Anna, Kade, Jhos, and the children. An Overlord's travelling army consisted of 2,000 men. The odds were completely against the people of Yeen, especially since nobody in Yeen knows how to swing a sword, besides Kade. Kade would practice everyday in his shop when he had spare time. He was supposed to teach the people of Yeen after the sword deal had finished. And now he was useless, lying in the dirt with a few of his ribs shattered to pieces.

            Sir Alexander pushed Jhos's body onto his back and pulled the sword from his chest. "A pity, I was considering letting him live after I killed you. General Mairn, call in the army, we'll need their assistance." Kade looked up at Sir Alexander and his thoughts were filled with risky ideas. Adrenaline fueled by anger began to flow through Kade, and his pain was washed away. He began to get up off of the ground and Sir Alexander gave him a look filled with curiosity and excitement. "You're getting up? I must admit, I expected much less of you. Killing you will be more exciting than killing Mr. Jhos. He seemed to be a little dramatic about it, don't you think? Oh and by the way, who is this Anna girl?" Sir Alexander smiled, for he knew Anna had to be someone close to Kade, thus getting a rise out of him. By now, Kade had gotten up to his feet and was ready for what Sir Alexander had in store for him. Kade was weaponless, but that didn't bother him for he was too angry to remember that he had no defenses. Sir Alexander swung the sword upwards into the air and then down towards where Kade stood. The sword collided with something that was not Kade's head or shoulders.

            Before the sword had come down, Kade swung his right arm upwards above his head. The steel of his arm could not be broken by the iron sword, and the sword shattered into many pieces. The vibration caused by the collision made the gem pop out of the hand guard and onto the ground. The villagers all watched as the event unfolded. A loud sound distracted Kade and the rest of the townspeople, General Mairn was blowing into the war horn. This called Sir Alexander's travelling army to action, and surrounded the Sir Alexander, Kade, and the townspeople. Sir Alexander took the moment of distraction to deliver a powerful kick to Kade's chest, sending him to the all too familiar ground. Kade's rush of adrenaline had subsided, and the pain from his ribs had returned from Sir Alexander's kick.

            Kade... find the gem... destroy it. Kade was not sure where he was hearing this from, but it seemed to be a man's voice that only he could hear. Kade spotted the gem, and it wasn't too far from his right arm. "Ready men! Attack!" General Mairn pointed his sword into the air and swung it downwards. The army began to converge onto the townspeople, and they didn't stand a chance. The once brown-dirt road was now a slippery, red mess. "Find the children! Go now!" The soldiers started to raid all of the houses, searching each house and tearing it to shreds. Kade could hear the wails of the children as they were slaughtered like their kin. Kade could see two of the soldiers running towards his shop, and one word came to his mind: Anna.

            Kade's shop exploded before the soldiers could enter it, and they were sent flying into the air towards Kade. The soldiers landed behind Kade, and he took notice that Sir Alexander's body had begun to tense up. He looked as though he had just eaten a food that didn't taste right. Sir Alexander and General Mairn looked towards the place where Kade's shop once stood, flames taking its place. Kade saw this as the perfect moment to make his move for the gem, and he slammed his right arm down on top of it. He had hoped the combination of the weight of his arm and the force he pushed into it would get the job done. The gem shattered as soon as Kade's hand touched it, and it turned into a pile of black powder. The powder began climb up the whole of Kade's arm and stuck to it. Kade suddenly felt a feeling of excruciating pain as the steel arm began to become an arm made of unbreakable black crystal. He screamed, letting out a howl of pain. "Kade!" He heard a familiar voice scream his name, and he realized it was Anna; she had come out of her hiding spot and used her magical abilities to light the shop ablaze. Sir Alexander fell to his knees, for the sudden arrival of Anna's magical presence caught him off guard. Kade found that he oddly sensed her presence too. Kade's pain had stopped, and he sat up to examine his even newer arm. Before he could get the chance to fully examine his arm, General Mairn suddenly went flying backwards as a burning piece of wood flew into his chest. He looked towards the direction in which General Mairn was just standing. Anna had her hands in the air as she walked toward Kade and Sir Alexander, with 2 burning pieces of wood floating above her. Anna flung her arms downward and the pieces of wood flew towards Sir Alexander. Kade was sure that he would die from the blow. Right before the burning planks made impact Sir Alexander, a black blur dashed from the spot and Sir Alexander was suddenly in front of Anna. The burning planks had been destroyed from their impact with the ground, and Kade stood up.

            "Never, in my time of being an Overlord, have I encountered a magical presence as strong as yours. This is good news for me, since it would seem that I no longer have to hold back." Sir Alexander reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden amulet that was around his neck. He pulled at it and the chain snapped, sending a shockwave across the town. Every building was made out of wood, and they crumbled under the force of the shock wave. The fire where Kade's shop had once stood was blown out, and the town was completely leveled. The shockwave had sent Kade and Anna flying backwards, and Kade could surprisingly sense a magical presence that was stronger than Anna's. Sir Alexander was still standing, and he placed the amulet on the ground and stomped on it. He noticed Anna was unconscious, and he began to advance in her direction. Kade had to take his time standing up, for the blast had caused the pain from his previous injuries to once again return. He saw Sir Alexander walking towards Anna, and he realized that he could not let him hurt her; it was his duty to the now perished Jhos. As Kade began to walk towards Sir Alexander, he felt something surging inside him. He felt his own rage, but he also felt something stronger accompanying it. It took him a moment, but he realized that what he was feeling was magic. Could it have been the gem? He wasn't sure, but he felt stronger and faster. Kade broke into a run that turned into a sprint as he charged towards Sir Alexander. He was moving fast, faster than an average human could move.

            Kade found himself on top of Sir Alexander, pushing his face into the dirt. "Anna!" He called, "Anna, wake up and run!" Anna began to stir, but this served as a distraction for Kade. Sir Alexander pushed himself up off of the ground, sending Kade onto his back. Sir Alexander lifted Kade up into the air by his shirt with his left hand and stuck his right arm outwards. General Mairn's sword flew into Sir Alexander's right hand and he shoved the sword through Kade's stomach. He withdrew the sword after twisting it in the wound and let Kade drop the the ground.

            Blood began to pour from the wound as Anna screamed, "Kade! No!" She dashed to his side and produced a bottle from the pocket of her pants. It contained a black liquid, and she began to explain to Kade what she was about to do. "Kade, this is a life elixir. I made it to save you, and that's what I plan on doing right now. You may hate me for it's effect, but in the end it will be worth it." Anna moved to open the bottle, but a sword that was aimed at her chest stopped her. In her haste to help Kade, she had forgotten that Sir Alexander was still standing over them.

            "You plan on saving him? Well I can't let that happen, on top of his crime of harboring magic, he's a user of it now! Whatever Mr. Kade here has done to his arm magically enhanced his physical abilities. He appears to have gained an increase in strength and speed. Just a little fun fact for you before I kill you both." Sir Alexander finished his self-proclaimed fun fact with a smile as he shoved the sword through Anna's chest. She fell onto the ground next Kade while the bottle was still being held tightly in her hand.