Overlord Ascendants Arc 1 Second Coming, Chapter 1

Writer: Henet

Editor: Asirisis, Frostfire10

Overlord Ascendants Arc 1 Second Coming

Chapter 1 The Fleeing Girl

She cannot remember how long she had been running through the forest. As she ran, she heard the labored breathing of her companions. Their escape from the capital had been smooth sailing thus far. But luck ran out when they had stopped for a rest after five straight days of travel. They were ambushed on the road on the 6^th day. Although, they managed to shake off the first group of pursuers. A second group appeared on the 8^th day and they lost some of their friends during the encounter. Did the hunters catch up? No, most likely those who wanted her sent an early warning to their catspaw to watch out for her presence and to wait in ambush. She did not even get the chance to grieve for the departed.

The girl prayed silently that the diversion group could safely escape their pursuers. She was reluctant when the Leader, suggested such a plan. Two of those in the group acting as a diversion were some of her closest friends. She could not stomach the thought of what will happen to them if they were caught. She cannot bear to lose anymore close friends.

The girl resolved to pray harder for the others to escape safely. Her momentary lapse of concentration cost her her footing. Her right foot was caught by a tree trunk and she fell, face first into a puddle. She took in a face full of mud. The others stopped to help her up.

She could vaguely hear the sound of hurried footsteps before a pair of strong but gentle arms, helped her to sit up. Someone was trying to wipe off the mud from her eyes with a handkerchief. She opened her eyes slowly and looked into the face of the group leader. His name is Captain Arinthus Stauffer. The head captain of the Royal Guard. Most people call him ‘Leader’. His spiky dark hair was soaked with sweat. She then took noticed of the cuts and bruises on the leader’s face. Those were the testament to the desperate fights they had against their pursuers.

“Can you still run, Hanna?”

 He asked gently. She nodded.

“Then, it is best we get moving.”

He told the others. Hanna scanned through the group that formed a defensive perimeter around the two of them. There were two young man and one girl in addition to her and the Leader. The ones that were left. All of them bore signs of minor injury with signs of dents on their armor. The female seemed to be nursing a cracked rib.

“Based on the map, there should be a stream up front. We can lose our scent if we cross it.” Said one of the young men.

“Lead us there, Marcus. You are the best navigator among us.”

 Leader ordered.  Marcus is a ranger and the one with the best sense of direction.

            As they prepared to resume their run, Leader froze while standing. After a moment, they heard the sound of barking in the distance. The barks get louder as time passed. Without wasting a moment, Marcus took the lead and the others kept pace behind him. They ran as fast as they could but the sound of barking did not stop and it is getting closer and closer.

“Damn it.”

Leader cursed. He was hoping that the rain last night would have washed off their scent. But it is a fool’s hope. He should have known that there will be Master Trackers guiding the hunting hounds. The days of running have sap much of their energy.

Soon, the chorus of barking were joined by the sound of galloping. Then, Leader felt the whoosh of an arrow, follow by a thud as the arrow hit a tree.

“Lyra.” Leader Shouted.

“On it, Leader.”The reply came. 

Hanna saw Lyra took an arrow out from her quill as she ran. Lyra stopped then make a fluid turn before loosing an arrow into the darkness. This was followed by a yelp which confirm the arrow found its mark. The shot was not out of pure luck. For Lyra is a daughter of the proud elven race. The elves were renowned for their sharp eyes that can see into the darkest night.

The forest was then shaken by the sound of a hunting horn. Lyra knocked another arrow and send it flying into the dark. The sound of the horn blowing stopped midway. The others kept on running as they are confident that Lyra will not miss her mark.

Their victory however, was short-lived as another horn was blown somewhere further behind them, followed by the barking of more dogs.

“The stream is just down here.” Marcus told the others.

They looked down from the top of a steep bank. The stream is not there anymore. But what appeared instead is a river. The current looks strong.

“It must have rained heavily somewhere upstream.” Marcus told the others. He picked up a stone and throw it into the river.

“We should be able to cross it as it is not too deep.” He told the others.

“More like we have to cross here… right now.” Lyra spoke as her long ears twitched.

Leader nodded and slid down the bank first while the rest followed. The water level reached his waist. It should reach the chest level for the others, he thought.

Hanna started to shiver from the cold water and the blow from the chilling night wind. But she did not complain as she knew the others will have a tougher time as they were wearing chainmail. Likely, the cold steel will bite their exposed skin.

They were halfway across the river when they heard the sound of horses just from the top of the embankment they came from. A shout soon followed.

“They are here. I fo……..” The man did not manage to finish his sentence as an arrow pierced his throat. He dropped like a sack of wheat from the horse and splashed into the river. His body was carried away by the current of the river.

“Come on, move faster…” Leader shouted. He knew the situation was dire now as horses can cross the river easier than them.

The group managed to reach the opposite bank when they spied another rider appearing behind them. Hanna heard more shouting as more horsemen appeared.

Her group were cold and tired but they did not stop moving as they slipped silently away into the darkness. They did not move more than ten step ahead before the darkness which hid them were pierced by a sudden surge of light.

It was an illumination spell. The spell that will create a ball of light that will lit up an area for up to 30 seconds.

“Shit, they are well prepared to the point that they have a magic caster with them.” Marcus cursed softly.

“There, I see them!” One of the horsemen shouted.

“They have first class rogues with them too.” Marcus smiled bitterly.

“Then let me give them a congratulatory price.” Lyra grinned and fired an arrow towards the opposite bank. They heard the sound of something heavy dropping into the river. Another horsemen just joined his dead colleague in the river.

The other riders started to move down the opposite bank.

“I’ll have to use this.” Marcus said as he took out two fist size metal balls. He then lit up the fuse attached to the metal ball.

“Run! We only got 10 seconds.” He told the others. The others did not wait for an explanation as they try to put some distance between them and the two metal balls.

The girl counted down silently as she ran. 10……9…….8……..7…….6………5…… 4……3

She heard the first horseman reaching their side of the riverbank.

2…….1

There was a loud explosion. The girl picked up a hint of strong peppery smell in the air and coughed a little. She looked towards Marcus.

“Concentrated Naga Pepper bombs. I hope they cough their lungs out.” He grinned at her.

“They won’t be chasing us for a while.” Leader added and he smiled too, relieved by the reprieve. The Naga Pepper bomb will prevent their pursuers from following them, unless they want to burn their eyes and lungs. Even the hounds won’t be able to track them through that overpowering scent.

Hanna felt relieved for a moment. Then, she noticed an unnaturally strong gust of wind that came from her right, the wind direction was perpendicular to the direction she was running towards. Feeling unease, she looked back.

She noticed the Naga bomb gas cloud were blown away by the strong cross-wind. The sudden windy presence in a windless night was definitely magical in nature.

“I really hate magic casters. Bloody cheaters!!” Marcus swore and made a rude gesture in their pursuer’s direction.

“Less swearing, more running.” Leader reprimanded Marcus and the group quicken their pace. Just when they thought their luck could not get any worse. The forest ended with an open knoll in front of them. Some more, the night sky was cloudless with a full moon.

They stopped just at the edge of the forest.

“Damn, no cover at all.” Lyra cursed.

“New plan. I, Marcus and Wolfe will be the decoys. Lyra, aim for the riders. We need the horses for you and Hanna. Once both of you got on the horses. We’ll buy time for the both of you to make a run for it.” Leader ordered.

Everyone nodded, they knew what was at stake here. Hanna’s heart felt heavy as more people will be throwing away their lives for her. How many more will need to die for my sake?

Her heart wept. Everyone who joined her knew about the importance of her mission. They cannot afford to fail.

Then they run through the knoll as fast as they can. They were almost halfway up the knoll when a group of riders broke through the forest.

“Just keep running, we’ll act when we reach the top of the hill.” Leader reminded.

This time, Hanna was running with Lyra in front of her. When she neared the top of the hill, Lyra’s suddenly bounced back as if she hit an invisible wall. Hanna tried stopping but her momentum carried her slightly pass Lyra. She then felt a strange sensation enveloping her body, it was as if she ran through a thin sheet of ice. The three companions behind her stopped beside Lyra.

“Damn it. What happened?” Wolfe shouted.

“She is out cold.” Leader replied.

“Is this another type of magic? The whole plan is off now. We’ll have a tougher time taking down the riders.” interjected Marcus.

“Too late to make a new plan. We make a stand here.” Leader spoke as he drew his war hammer at the approaching horsemen. Wolfe also drew his sword and Marcus readied his daggers. Hanna attended to the unconscious Lyra.

“Stand your ground.” He told Markus and Wolfe.

There are twenty horsemen against the five of them. Even if they fight, the situation looks hopeless to them due to the enemies overwhelming numbers. 

The horsemen did not charged at them directly, instead they trotted in circles, surrounding their small band. Then, the horsemen stopped and pointed their spears at them.

Leader was hoping for this as he readied his Warhammer to deliver an area wide attack [Ground Smash].  

[Divine Chain!]

Before he can cast his attack, thick bright chains enveloped his body, restricting his movements. He noticed everyone else were also tied down.

Two of the riders stepped back. From the gap, a person stepped forward with a female magic caster behind him. His armored is different from the rest of the knights. He is wearing  a matching set of golden commander's helm and plated armour decorated with ornate griffins. The person took off his helm. Leader recognized that face, Percivius Lockmyer, one of the masterminds for their current predicament. Many would have known him as Percy.

“A jolly good hunt, Captain Arinthus. Your efforts in evading us are commendable. Braavvvoo.” Percy mocked while clapping his hands.

Leader spat at him.

“Defiant till the end eh. You would have succeeded in evading me if not for the efforts of my lovely companion here, Hilda." Percy gestured towards the person beside him to come forward.

Arinthus looked at one called Hilda, who stood beside Percy. She was wearing a purple magician’s robe while her right hand was clutching a magnificent gold covered grimoire. Hilda took off the hood covering her head. Arinthus noticed that her hair is short but it did not reduce her overall feminine allure.

“This is my dear Hilda. She is quite the charming find. An expert magic caster that can use spells up to fifth tier. I might add she contributed magnificently to the rebellion. Our little chase tonight would have fail if not for her magical skills.” Percy smiled as his left hands caressed the buttocks of Hilda while leaning in steal a kiss from her.

Hilda made no effort to stop him. Her mouth met Percy's and they proceed to kiss passionately in front of Hanna and company. Surprisingly, her malicious gaze was still directed at the five captives as if she is mocking their uselessness.

Hanna and her party could only make faces of disgust at what Percy was doing in front of them.

After a short while, Percy’s mouth parted from Hilda. Hilda seemed reluctant to stop their public display of affection.

“Ah, business before pleasure, I must settle this matter here before I move on to happier endeavours.” He snapped his fingers.

Two more riders parted and within that gap and two familiar figures moved forward. Hanna recognized them immediately.

“Sonya, Rebecca!” She shouted.

The two were Hanna's friends that volunteered to be the diversion from their initial escape. Their clothes were torn and their bodies bored the unmistakable signs of torture.

“Such beautiful high-born ladies with strong loyalty to the crown. It is rare for commoners to be able to sample such fine dishes. Probably I should reward my loyal soldiers with a taste of fine women. I would enjoy the look on their face as they pleasure my men. That would be a wonderful opening act for tonight.” Percy licked his lips lecherously.

“You monster! Let them go.” Hanna cursed him.

“Percy, you bastard.” Arinthus spat.

“Hahahaha, why should I? Then again, I am a fair person. You have two things that I need. You know what and whom I need. I will set them free if you cooperate with me.” Percy offered.

“Hanna, don’t trust him. Our bodies are nothing compared to the future of the kingdom and the people. We shall endure everything that would come” Rebecca spoke calmly as she readied herself to her cruel fate.

“Hmm, probably you need a bit of convincing.’ Percy spoke.

He moved behind Rebecca. He pulled her head back with his left hand while his right hand proceed to rip off Rebecca’s robes, exposing her undergarments The soldiers started cheering for their lord.

“You’ll be my appetizer tonight, my dear. You lot can join in after I had my fun with her” He shouted to his men before proceed to nip on Rebecca’s ear. The soldiers cheered louder. Some were leering at Rebecca’s body like a mad goblin on heat.

Arinthus, Wolfe and Marcus can only grit their teeth and curse silently while being restrained by the spell.

Hanna looked at Rebecca. Her hands clenched into a fist and tighten. Then, she felt a sharp pain from her fist. The pain came from when she was clutching hard on her mother's memento. She opened her palms and looked at it. The item was a golden ring. The ring was holding a stone with an unfamiliar crest carved on it.  She then remembered the words of her mother when she gave her the ring.

When all hope seems lost, pray to the ring.

She grasped her hands on the ring that she is holding and prayed.

Please help us……somebody, anybody…..

Moments later, she noticed a strange phenomenon occurring. A sudden burst of bright snowy particles appeared and enveloped the area surrounding her. The flakes were warm to the touch as she caught one in her hand.

She noticed that everyone else including Percy were silent. They were all mesmerized by the strange yet beautiful phenomenon unfolding in front of their eyes.

Then, slowly Hanna notice a different set of voice. It was coming from the direction of the knoll behind her.

Under the moonshine, she saw the outline of six people. Two of them were standing, and they were wearing what unmistakably to be butler and maid uniforms. She noticed that their uniforms reflected the moonlight. The remaining four figures sat around a small ornate garden table. Three of them were wearing what appears to be robes. Two of the robes were white while the third one was wearing a deep crimson robe. The fourth person sitting at the table was wearing a set of maid uniform. Their faces were obscured by masks.

Although, there was some distance between their groups, Hanna got the feeling that the other group were studying them. Before that, she was certain that the top of the knoll was deserted when she ran towards it. So when did they appear or had they been there all this while?

There was a brief moment of deliberation between the six strangers. Then, they walked towards them, leading them was one of the figures in white robes.

Percy got out of his revelry and ordered his knights to change formation. The knights stood in a row facing the six mysterious figures with Percy and Hanna stood at the back.

Once they drew closer, their details got clearer. Within the group, the tallest were the maid and the butler pair whom were standing earlier. The shortest was a little girl in crimson cloak. Hanna deduced the person was a girl, from the unmistakable Victorian skirt that she was wearing. The little girl in red was being led by the other figure in white robes, by the hand. That person is a girl too, Hanna noticed that she was wearing long black stockings supported by garter belts with a matching pair of black leather stilettos that reached her knees.

The maid and the butler followed behind the group like watchful guardians. She estimated them to be in their early twenties or to be more specific, they looked like humans in their early twenties. The details of the butler and maid uniform appears to be more distinct and gave out a metallic feel to it as if it was cloth made armour. Hanna got the distinct impression that the maid and butler uniforms were designed for combat.

Hanna noticed that they were led by a boy in matching set of white robes with the girl earlier. In contrast, he wore a pair riding pants, paired with a set of matching metallic greaves.  Slightly behind on his left was a young maid that is slightly shorter than him as well. Her maid uniform also gave out the feel that it was designed for combat. The groups common feature were the identical set of white masks that resembled tanukis. All their apparels radiated an impressive and powerful aura that suggested magical properties were added to it. Some of the veteran soldier developed the sense to know that the six people facing them are dangerous and not to be trifled with.

The new comers stopped at a distance of four metres away from them. 

“Good evening. May I enquire as to the nature of your business on such a beautiful night?” The boy with the white cloak asked with a cheerful dulcet tone.

The appearance of the mysterious six seems to shock everyone present, even Percy. Their way of casual conversions under a tense situation belies their mysterious nature.

To regain his temporary loss of composure. Percy answered haughtily.

“My business here does not concern little children. But then again, you are a suspicious group operating under a peculiar environment. Perhaps my men should apprehend you under the suspicion of being traitors.”

He was trying to intimidate the six of them. But Hanna distinctly heard a slight tremble in his tone. 

As if he got a sudden inspiration, Percy turned towards Hanna.

“Perhaps, little boy, you can help me in my endeavor to make my friend here talk. Milady, have you seen children begging for their lives before? Those scenes never failed to thrill me especially fathers and mothers screaming all their secrets out under terrified screams of their own children.”

“They have nothing to do with us!” Hanna shouted at Percy.

But the boy look at her askance. He then turned towards the butler and whispered something.

“Tutu, it is too late to run away. Hilda, if you please.”

[Divine Chain]

The glowing heavy chains snaked out from the ground as trying to envelop the six people. But before the chain could even touch their bodies. The magic dissipated. Everyone including Hilda were shocked by the sudden turn of events.

“They can resist my Tier-5 restraining magic?”

“Auntie, what are you trying to do here?”

The boy in the white cloak asked cheerfully.

“Auntie……..you…dare to call me that.” Hilda repeated those words. An angry vein popped out from her head.

“Are you people trying to create trouble within my domain?” The boy asked cheerfully as if the events here were like a comedy sketch.

“What do you mean by your domain? This is the territory of the Empire” Percy shouted.  

“Eh really?! The lands around here has been claimed under the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. I do not recall that the Empire has a claim on it. Anael, let’s capture them.” The boy looked at the girl in white robes.

Before Percy can even protest, the one called Anael cast a spell.

[Song of the Siren]-Level 1

A melodious sound that mimic the songs of the sirens spread around the area. Hanna felt a sense of drowsiness overtaking her. Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to resist the urge to sleep but days of running had sapped most of her strength. She could vaguely hear the sounds of people and horses dropping around her. The fatigue from constantly running eases her into sleep and she closed her eyes as her body falls towards the ground. She vaguely senses someone supporting her before her mind blackens.