Overlord Brawl: Book 1 of the Neon Octopus Ally Series

by L. A. Johnson

  "None taken, but you have thirty seconds to let us through that gate or I'm turning this car around."

  Daryl pressed the button to open the gate. "You want me to give them a heads up that you're coming?"

  Kirian smiled at him as Ryker sped the car forward. "Oh, trust me, Daryl. They'll see me coming."

  Ryker pulled into the studio lot and accelerated. "All My Wormholes? You didn't mention that the guy you were following was involved with that, it's my favorite show."

  "Yeah, he's a producer or something. You shouldn't watch it though, he's using it to brainwash people."

  "Cool!" Ryker said.

  Kirian looked at her watch. It was five thirty. "I couldn't have done it without you, Ryker. Thanks for your help. I owe you one."

  "This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. Probably. Depending on how the next five to ten minutes go down. I think I'll stick around in case you need a getaway car. If that happens, you'll owe me two."

  "Sounds like a plan," Kirian said. She got out of the taxi and stretched. Then she pulled out her weapons one by one and made sure everything was in order. Stingr Light Swords— check. Curved metal short swords- check. Two laser pistols, one mid-length rifle, and of course, her sleep ray gun.

  Kirian was starting to attract a crowd of gawkers, but they were only gathering because they assumed she was shooting an action movie. It was a good assumption considering her leather outfit, dramatic dark hair with bioluminescent tips, and the plethora of weapons. Ryker blinked as she pulled the last weapon out.

  "What's that one? Never seen one of those before."

  "Oh, yeah," Kirian answered. "The sleep ray gun. It's experimental, very effective, and fun at parties."

  33

  Kirian marched right into Killer Blip Studios, which turned out to be a labyrinth set of identical buildings that weren't very well marked. After glancing at her watch several times and starting to panic as the seconds ticked off, she had finally stopped to ask somebody which building All My Wormholes filmed in. She thanked the person sweetly, and then she marched right into Floyd's domain. And he was probably using the show for nefarious purposes, because he was really Mantix. They probably had no idea who he really was, but they were about to find out.

  Kirian strode toward the entrance of studio 43B, which was manned by a guard. The guard looked her up and down.

  "Hi," she said to him. He was listening but hadn't yet made any attempt to block the door since she slowed down to face him. "I'm Kirian, Destroyer of Planets. I'm filming a guest spot today."

  He blinked at her. "I don't have any guest spots down for today." He looked at his notepad and then back up at her while she waited to see which way this was going to go.

  "Last minute thing," she said and winked at him. "Top secret." She held her breath.

  "I can't believe they didn't tell me Kirian, Destroyer of Planets was coming! I'm so mad, I'd have brought my tee shirt for you to sign."

  "Hey, I'll be here for a little while," she said. "You go find something interesting, and I'll sign it for you, deal?"

  "Deal," he said. He stepped aside to let her pass.

  As she walked into the set, she heard him summoning a replacement on the radio so he could get out of there. He mentioned her name, too. Word was going to spread like wildfire in this type of setting and that was great for her.

  Kirian looked around. The giant movie studio was everything that she had come to expect after years of watching extra clips, deleted scenes, and making of documentaries.

  It was a large, dark cave with high ceilings. Inside people were running around between various equipment and sets. Specialized lights were set up in designated areas, leaving pools of lit and unlit sections of the room.

  Kirian was impressed. In fact, she might have been caught up in the excitement of it all had she not been there to kill the executive producer. She guessed that today was probably her first and last visit to a television set, whether the entrance guard liked her or not.

  Now to find Floyd. She passed from the dark areas of the room to the main lit area where most of the people were scurrying around preparing things. In a far corner, several people were arguing and one of them was Floyd. At last. She put some extra swagger in her walk and started pulling out weapons as she walked. That caused lots of murmuring, and then people recognizing her, and by the time she got to Floyd, the crew members were applauding her. They probably assumed that she had been invited.

  "Hello, Floyd." She held a curved metal blade at him. "Remember me?"

  Floyd looked up at her and did a double take. The look on his face was priceless. "Kirian? Not again. What in wormhole's name are you doing here?"

  The studio executive standing next to Floyd crossed over to her and kissed her hand. "Enchanted," he said. "Floyd, don't be rude. Maybe if you're nice to her, she'll do a cameo. With our flagging ratings, she could be just the thing we need to get a little bit of extra buzz."

  Floyd turned white and then several shades of purple. "Oh, you don't want her on the show," he said, "this woman is dangerous, and besides, she was just leaving." He put a hand on Kirian’s shoulder and started to shove. "Let’s go, Kirian, I'll show you out."

  He shouldn't have touched her. She pivoted behind his hand and kicked him from behind. Not enough to injure him. In fact, it was just barely enough to awkwardly knock him over. The crowd gasped.

  “In case you haven’t guessed, I’m done with you ordering me around." Kirian said.

  Floyd got up and dusted himself off. His face was a mask of barely controlled rage. "I told you people. She can't be here. She's dangerous. Security!"

  "Security happens to love me." Kirian smiled. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that everybody here loves me except for you. Isn't that right?"

  Kirian looked around the room and received applause, especially from the studio executives.

  "Fine,” Floyd said. He appeared to count to five and exhale. Then he shook his head. “I have to admit that it was gutsy for you to walk right in here onto the set and stage your own audition. And our ratings could use a little boost. Who’s to say? Maybe you're just the breath of fresh air and swagger we need. We could write your character in right now. The sky's the limit. Are we good? We can work out our other issues later."

  Kirian shook her head. "You don't understand. None of you understand. He's using this show to brainwash people."

  The director looked horrified and then glanced at the other producers. "Look, I don't care how addicting research shows television is, we’re not forcing people to watch it."

  Kirian pointed her sword dramatically at Floyd. "That's not what I'm talking about. He’s evil. He's using codewords in your dialogue to manipulate people. He brainwashed me, and he's doing it to your viewers. He's using you people."

  They turned toward him. "Floyd, is that true?"

  "Don't listen to her." Floyd took a menacing step toward Kirian. "She's lying. Nobody has invested more time, money, and effort into this show than me. Everybody knows it. Just kick her off the set already, so we can go back to filming. We’re on a schedule here, either help or get out of the way."

  Kirian realized she wasn't getting anywhere with these people so she decided to change tactics. "Yes, filming." Kirian snapped a finger at the cameraman and winked at the director.

  "Alright, you got me," she whispered loudly to the studio execs, "This is an impromptu audition. She pointed at a nearby cameraman. “Please tell me you're getting all of this?" She waited for the cameraman to nod. "Here we go, Floyd. Or should I say Mantix." Kirian heard gasps from bystanders, and now the cameras were rolling.

  Floyd had frozen, like he was overloaded and processing. If Kirian had to guess, she figured that he was trying not to transform. She stepped forward and gave him a push with the tip of her curved sword, just enough to draw blood if he stood his ground. He did, and he bled.

  She saw the worried looks she was getting and brushed them off. "Special effects, people. Do not b
e alarmed. But trust me, that's nothing and I mean nothing compared to what's coming."

  She poked him again. He backed up. He lifted his hands. "Don't do this, Kirian. Not here. Trust me, I'll deal with you later. You can fight me all you want later."

  "I've waited long enough," Kirian said. "They've waited long enough. Why don't you just show them who you really are?"

  "What do you want, Kirian? What do you hope to get out of this? Revenge?"

  "It's very simple. I want to see you die. I don't think a sneaky liar like you should be Overlord."

  "But you’re just fine with that bloated jerk of an octopus?" he asked, backing up.

  "I never said that," Kirian answered.

  Floyd turned and ran. He was headed out of the building. If he made it, then even if he changed, nobody would see him. Unacceptable. She ran to catch him. Luckily, in his current form, she was faster and stronger than him. In fact, she bounded ahead of him so quickly that all he could do was grovel and sneer. She had to find a way to goad him into changing, because right now she was looking like a horrible bully. She had to bring out the beast within Floyd.

  "Are you going to take this, Floyd? In front of all of these people? Now the pawn has become the master." She poked him again.

  "Queen!" he hissed. "The saying is the pawn has become the queen, you idiot." He looked around and she could see that he was processing, feeling all the eyes on him. He was used to working in the shadows, pulling the levers, not being in the spotlight.

  "Who's the idiot and who's in charge?" Kirian asked, stepping forward into the spotlight where he was groveling. She had crossed an ocean of shadow and was now back into the light of a different stage. She was prepared to poke him with her sword again, but his eyes got larger. Then his eyes continued to grow and became fixed.

  Here we go, thought Kirian.

  "You were right about one thing, Kirian" Floyd said as his body began to flicker. His voice changed from frustrated and mousy to deep and authoritative. "They were eventually going to meet the real me anyway. They may as well behold me for the first time while I kill you."

  Kirian swung the sword in a circle over her shoulder and took a few steps back. "Now we're talking. Let's do this."

  "It didn't work out as well as you thought last time," Floyd said, circling Kirian with a murderous look in his giant insect eyes. His lips weren't moving anymore, and the sound of his voice came from six feet higher than his current body. He flickered again and then reappeared as Mantix.

  There was no gasping this time. After a period of silence, there was screaming and running for the exits. Kirian risked a glance over at the cameras. As she suspected, those guys stayed. Camera guys were hard core.

  Mantix swung his bug-eyed head in her direction. "You should have let all of this go and went on with your life, Kirian. Because now I have to kill you. And for what? Soda? Are you kidding me?" He took a step toward Kirian, his front appendages twitched in anticipation.

  Kirian rushed right at him, a move that caught him off guard. He prepared to grab her when she got close enough, but at the last minute she dove to the left and swung her metal sword at one of his back legs, slicing it. A green gel oozed out of the new wound. Kirian darted again, this time into the shadow.

  Mantix roared and rushed in the direction that she had darted. Kirian learned that over short distances, and even with an injured leg, he could move very fast. He caught up to her and grasped her torso in his powerful front arms.

  Kirian screamed in pain. Not only were the arms powerful, they had small spikes attached to hold her in place. The more she squirmed, the more pain she was in. Her curved metal sword dropped to the ground, making a loud clattering sound in the dark. Even though her hands were free, they were just flailing against air.

  "It’s a shame, Kirian. You could have lived a long and happy life doing my bidding."

  "No thanks," Kirian said through gritted teeth.

  "You'd rather be eaten?" He flashed terrifyingly sharp teeth at her. "Fine with me."

  Kirian remembered the Stingr Light Sword in her pocket. Everybody always overlooked that weapon because it collapsed to the size of a lipstick container. She dug it out with her free hand. The sword sprang to life, vibrating and lighting up the dark room.

  She swung the sword at Mantix's head, but he extended his arms so that she missed. He guessed her next move was to swing the sword downward, at the arms that held her in place. He decided to throw her. He watched to see if she'd drop the sword when she fell, but she didn't, so he stood his ground but didn't advance.

  "I gotta say, you're tougher than I thought." The insect voice said.

  Kirian picked herself up and pointed the Stingr Sword at him. "You know this isn't my first rodeo," she answered.

  "Well, it'll be your last. I can't believe you came in here to my own television show in my own studio and outed me in front of all my coworkers. Very uncool."

  "Why be sneaky about who you are?" Kirian asked. She was getting a little woozy from being squeezed and decided for now it was best to keep him talking. "You're up for Overlord. Why not approach the whole thing from a position of strength? I mean, they were all going to find out at some point anyway, right? Oh," she said laughing. "I get it. The whole brainwashing thing. Television show. Ok, that's brilliant actually."

  "Flattery will get you nowhere, Kirian. And I know you're stalling." Floyd rushed her again with astonishing speed.

  Again, she was barely able to dive out of the way in time and then she sprinted out of his reach. And right into what appeared to be a horror set that happened to be filming. A scream off to Kirian’s left got her attention. The screaming woman was reacting to a lumbering monster that was perfectly backlit.

  “Hey, get off the set!” A voice offstage called.

  Floyd followed Kirian into the spotlight. This time, the actress’s scream was real.

  "Is the Destroyer of Planets really running away? I thought that wasn't your style." Mantix taunted.

  Well, Kirian thought, desperate times and all. She had to admit, Mantix was as formidable an opponent as she had faced in a while. This was her chance to kill him. And now she knew that he felt the exact same way. She ran from the horror set to an emergency exit and then burst out into the sunlight.

  Once out into the light, she looked around. On her way in, she had seen a giant statue in the center of a little park. The statue looked like a Krillian Warrior in a space suit. In any case, if she could make it to that statue, she could keep Mantix from charging her head on and maybe even out the odds a little by doing what she did best. Showboating and attracting a crowd.

  She could tell by the proximity of the sound of the giant Mantix's footfalls that he was making up ground fast now that he was out in the open. She counted to two and then changed directions, heading for the statue. As she guessed, the horizontal distance between them grew. And furthermore, he had to come to a complete stop as he nearly ran head first into a building. Suspicion confirmed, thought Kirian, he was terrifying, fast, and powerful. But not as maneuverable as she was. She would be fine if he didn't get a hold of her again.

  She made it to the statue out of breath. She hid behind it for a moment before taunting him. "Come and get it, insect!"

  A crowd began to form around the statue, as the pedestrians around saw Kirian. But then they saw Mantix and the screaming commenced.

  "Oh," Mantix roared. "Don't worry. I see that you're the type that likes a public death. Have it your way."

  Much to Kirian's surprise, he charged right at the statue. Kirian dove to her right. She initially planned to slash him on her way, but he was too fast and too close to the statue. She continued to roll after the dive to get a little more distance. What happened next surprised her, though. Mantix had sprinted right to, and then through the statue. There was a giant cracking noise and then a thud as the statue hit the ground.

  "What are you going to hide behind now, Kirian?" Mantix asked. He turned to face her with terrifyin
g quickness.

  Duly noted, Kirian thought. This thing is strong enough to knock over huge statues. And if he stands still, he can pivot three hundred and sixty degrees as quick a lightning. She took a deep breath and swallowed. This was going to be harder than she thought. Drawing him out publicly into his Mantix form might not have been the best idea.

  "I can smell your fear, Kirian," Mantix said. "It's something I've smelled a thousand times. Spoiler alert, that smell is always followed by death."

  "You wish," Kirian said, drawing her Stingr sword. She was still afraid, and she might die, but she wasn't going down without a fight. "Let's do this."

  Mantix, already facing her, charged. Kirian stood her ground and yelled a battle cry. Mantix hit her going full speed, a move that had toppled the statue only seconds before. She swung her Stingr light sword just before impact, hoping to at least do some damage. The two of them went over in a tangle of antenna and dark hair and a flash of light.

  Kirian's life flashed before her eyes. She had been in battle and faced death countless times before, but as time slowed down and her attention focused, she realized a few things. One, that she was free. This was the first battle she could remember where she wasn't on the clock. And what had she done? Gotten herself killed.

  She thought of happy times with Fleek on his spaceship. Listening to music, hanging out with Ari, going on adventures. There were some good times sprinkled in there, and they had all been very recent. Maybe Mantix deserved to die, but in the strictest sense, this wasn't her fight. For the first time in forever, she had a life to live and she had mucked the whole thing up.

  With a lightning fast move that Kirian was surprised he was anatomically capable of, Mantix recovered and jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. His terrifying teeth and pincers were hovering over her face. A bit of spittle landed on her chest. "Any snarky last words, Kirian Destroyer of Planets?"

  "Oh yeah," she answered. "I have a great many words for you, you hideous, lazy, brainwashing insect."