Gravetower

by Kell Inkston

  Glory sniffs one of the truffles before nipping at it. It’s ridiculously tasty. “I’d imagine that’d get most people… So what do you do every day?”

  The overlord squints an eye. “Attempting to figure out my daily patterns, eh?”

  “Fat chance. You know I’d never try to kill you,” Glory says, causing Love to look away with a bit of sass on her features.

  Chaos grins as he looks aside again. “Now that I think on it. I do not remember a Bengal time-”

  “Single time, my lord,” Love corrects.

  Chaos hums a moment. “Ahh, yes, you must forgive me, Knight Glory. I sometimes get words confused.”

  “Don’t we all,” Glory says, reaching up and taking off his helmet entirely.

  The Lord of Ascended Baking and Pastry-Making clears his throat. “Now then, I meant to say I could not think of a single time you tried for my life. I think the only other knight of your grade I’ve never crossed swords with would be my Friendion, here.”

  Glory smirks wryly as he chews through some more truffles. “Friendion?” He asks as he looks to Love, an awkward smile painted on her face.

  “It’s like… a nickname.”

  “Wow.”

  “Sh-… you’re such a bother sometimes, Clarn!” She snaps playfully as Chaos nods his head.

  “So tell me, Clarn. What else do you want to know?” The Grim Swordsman questions.

  “Eh….” Glory thinks on it. “Like I said, what do you do all day? You’re always so… elusive. Do you… sleep, or read? What do you do?”

  Chaos grins. “Like any life form, I do what I think will be the most beneficial.”

  “And just what is most beneficial?”

  “Making the world a better place, purging evil from its every corners, and instating a right form of living upon all creatures willing to follow me!… Also I love gardening, tea especially.”

  Somehow that response sounds like what one of the knights might say when asked about their motivations, though with different wording. “…And to you, that’s all you see it as?”

  Chaos nods. “Of course. My motivations cannot be wrong when I am such a vastly superior life form, after all. Intelligence does not directly beget compassion, but in my case I have much of both.”

  The knight must admit, what would sound like an arrogant boast if said by anyone else, sounds more like a statement of fact when said by Chaos.

  Glory gulps down another truffle. “So you’re here to slay Oa, and then just leave?”

  “You are correct.”

  “… Yeah, I mean what else could you be doing here but looking for him?… I still just… I’m afraid I’m still having trouble with believing it, though.”

  “Believing what?” Chaos asks with a thoughtful smile.

  Clarn shakes his head with relief on his features. “I don’t… We don’t have to fight.”

  “No, at least not today. I assume you also wish Oa to be gone,” Chaos says, his words sweeping over both Clarn and Meeo with easing peace.

  Glory nods. “Of course! Everyone does.”

  “Then,” Meeo says, “that’s a good enough reason to just tell the others and turn them around, right?”

  Glory’s face becomes cold, confused. “That’s… Meeo, you know Daniel. The way he sees it is that if we come back from the Chaos hunt, we do so either with his head, or us on shields.”

  Not looking up from her game, Scout Minion turns into Chaos’ lap, and he rests his hand on her head to calm her. “Perhaps…” Chaos pauses in thought. “Perhaps it is worth a try.”

  The two knights look him over with surprise. “My lord,” Meeo starts. “Just what are you thinking about?”

  “… You say that Redemption’s the one keeping you from returning home?”

  Glory looks deep into Chaos’ glowing, moon-lit eyes. “He’d sooner have me dead. He is a compassionate man, but his ideas of society and what’s right comes above all else.”

  Chaos squints thinly in deep thought. “… And Order… my dear little nemesis?”

  Love takes a deep breath; she needs to be very, very careful with how she words this, as she’s getting the feeling Chaos is asking for more than simple pleasantries. “Well,” Love takes a breath. “Order is probably after me more than anyone, but she would understand if you told her, Clarn.”

  Glory nods. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Order would get it, and she could talk down Redemption.”

  Love smiles. “He’s very in love with her.”

  Glory smirks as Chaos flinches at her words. “Yeah, as if it weren’t totally obvious,” Clarn says with a smirk.

  “…Really?” Chaos asks outwardly.

  Meeo looks to Chaos and studies his expression: wide, in-awe, fascinated — she’s seen that face before, and it did not end well for the person he was thinking about, as if they had some secret knowledge that he was jealous for. “Love… as in, likes her a lot, as a friend.”

  Glory looks back between Meeo and Chaos with confusion.

  The Overlord shakes his head, his smile persistent, but his eyes narrowing sadly. “Of course, who but I could understand her?”

  There’s a disbelieving moment between Love and Glory as they share a shocked glance. “Yes, of course knights aren’t into that whole romantic thing, my overlord.”

  “Yeah,” Scout Minion chimes in after a long silence. “Ninety percent of them live in basements, ya’ know.”

  Glory scoffs at that rude, though technically true statement; most Knight Corps barracks are built underground to also serve as bunkers from high-level magic.

  Chaos nods, patting Scout Minion on her little noggin. “True enough, my little one. The both of them are pathetic and sad creatures that may never understand what we try to do.” He looks over to Clarn with his award-winning smile, “but with your help, Knight Glory, perhaps some sense can be talked into them.”

  Glory draws back, as if he were just given a mission by the late King Rayda himself. “I… I will, Overlord. You will have my greatest effort.”

  Chaos grins. “Wonderful. Are you fed?”

  “Eh, yeah.”

  “Then go now and prevent this oncoming conflict. Make peace and turn them back to their homes… and take the truffles with you.”

  “P-Poppi!?” Scout Minion spouts in shock.

  “Surely you wouldn’t let him go away without an offering, would you?”

  “An… an offering to those dingleass sons of-”

  Chaos turns to Glory as he covers his minion’s mouth briefly. “You will excuse her, Knight. Your kind are the butt of most of our jokes back at the towers, so you must understand that she’s a bit off-put toward you all.”

  Glory gulps his tea nervously at the mention of Chaos’ towers. “N-no, it’s totally fine.”

  “Say you’re sorry, Scout Minion,” Chaos says as he lifts his hand from her angular jaws.

  “S-…” She looks back to her game, “Stupids.”

  Chaos sighs. “Well I’m afraid she’s also quite the stubborn one.” His expression gains an air of immense pleasure. “Which is precisely the sort of attitude that Minion Wagoners have-”

  “SORRY SORRY SORRY!” She stumbles up from Chaos’ lap, her game sliding aside carelessly as she gets on her hands and knees to bow to Glory. “SORRY, SIR, SUPER SORRY!”

  Glory, put back by the abruptly forward display, smiles awkwardly as he tries to pat the small, weird creature on her head. “There there… It’s all… it’s all okay.”

  “So you’re not angry?” She asks, eyes wide not with the desire of recompense, but of the evasion of punishment — only a fool would risk the Minion Wagon.

  Clarn chuckles in embarrassment. “Eh, no no; I’m fine.”

  Scout Minion’s false sincerity is made clear as, just as Glory finishes his words, she looks over to her overlord. The excitement on his features dies down, suggesting an easing of attitude as he nods in approval. At that, she bows once more to Glory, and returns to Chaos’ lap.


  Chaos nods in appreciation to what he cluelessly perceives is Scout Minion’s honest attempt at an apology. “And there you have it, Clarn. I would love to sit about and chat, but we both know you have something important to do.”

  This has all been very weird for Glory, but he didn’t hate it. He almost presents his hand to shake with Chaos, but instead takes to his feet with the truffles.

  “I do. So long, Overlord, Minion—”

  “See ya, dude,” Scout Minion says, back to her game.

  He looks over to Meeo, with eyes brighter and more beautiful than he’s ever seen them before as they shine in the fae lights. “…Knight,” he finishes.

  She takes his hand again, “Save our lives, Clarn. Make them turn back….”

  Glory gently pulls away. “I will.” He turns to leave as Meeo clears her throat.

  “One last thing, Clarn,” she says with bated, scared breath.

  He looks back to her. “Yes?”

  “You have an O.E.L. operator in your group, don’t you?”

  Glory, his helmet under one arm and his truffles in the other, nods as if impressed. “Yeah, that’s right.”

  Her gaze intensifies in a most Love-like way. Glory knows that only the rim of her persona is the sweet, caring helper; at her essence is a person that would go to any length to protect those she holds dear. “If he pulls out a big radio from his pouch, you need to kill him, alright?”

  There’s a pause, but not necessarily a surprised one. Glory almost expected it. “Why?”

  She grips along her sternum in nervous horror as she glances aside meekly. “He… If somehow us knights, and Chaos somehow die or become incapacitated, he might try to send a call back to the Librarium for… invasion support.”

  Glory looks deep into Love’s eyes, as they both come to terms with the immensity of the situation. He nods.

  “Alright, Meeo. If he goes for the radio I’ll take care of him… Also, I thought I should mention. Some necromancers are planning on attacking you tonight. Sorry I didn’t mention it sooner, I just… I wasn’t sure if I wanted you to know.”

  Chaos grins as Meeo coos sweetly. “It’s alright. We’ve already taken care of them.”

  He shrugs, playing down his nervousness upon hearing how very on-top of everything Chaos and his team is. “Ah-alright, glad to hear it… goodbye.”

  “Bye, Clarn… Hope the family is okay.”

  He smiles sadly. “They’re fine, my youngest son looks older than me, though… Aimera’s in a home, you understand. Too old for us to really do anything together.”

  “Slowing down?” Love asks with sad smile.

  “Yeah. Different things are important to me nowadays.”

  She nods. “That’s… that’s good, Clarn.”

  And he nods back once more. “Alright, hopefully next time we meet it’ll be at home, right?”

  She’s smiling still, but her eyes speak to a lifetime lost— something the two of them may have missed out on completely. “Yeah… Maybe you’ll consider… quitting the knights as well?”

  Glory sighs. “If only it were so easy.”

  “B-”

  “Goodbye, Meeo.” At that, he turns away back into the gloomy blackness of the woods.

  Chaos, entirely ignorant to the context cues the two of them were exchanging, grins and strokes his chin thoughtfully as Glory exits ear-shot. “A fine young man, Friendion. If you choose not to accept my powers, perhaps I could permit you to take him as a lover for all your disgusting human habits.” He says this just as his antennae point straight up alertly.

  Meeo smirks. “Of course not, my lor- What is it?” She asks, watching him tilt a bit to the right for better reception.

  The overlord gains a mixed expression as he waves his antennae about in different directions. “Communications Minion has an important message for me…”

  All at once, just when everything was seeming to go so well, Meeo realizes what has happened— Chaos’ gaze becomes excited once more. She forgot something important. “I would expect nothing less from a flock of such putrid, loathsome less-than-animals. Humanity is truly a blight on our world,” he says, his compassionate, considerate coo of a tone replaced by strong intonation, a grim voice, and dramatically-emphasized words.

  Love gulps as Scout Minion looks over. “What’s wrong, Poppi?”

  “The Knights, the Kanvanian Mages, and warriors of the other three kingdoms are flooding through our towers… my towers!”

  Scout Minion practically flips her game off her chest as she starts to her feet. “They’re what?”

  As if nothing else but this could wake her, Aoline flinches from the stimulation. “What’s… going on?” She rubs her eyes to see a grinning overlord Chaos— and just as Knight Love has her hums, Chaos certainly has his expressions.

  “What a fool I’ve been, all this time,” Chaos says, eyes wide and smile curling up violently.

  “My…” Meeo gulps, “My lord, we had nothing to do-”

  “I know that very well, Friendion. I was a fool to trust those disgusting westerners to stay back when my absence was made so clear.” Chaos flicks his antennae, and in only seconds both Ranger Minion and Dark Arts Minion are back.

  “Necromancers tucked in?” Chaos asks.

  “Yes, my master.”

  “Naturally, sir.”

  Chaos nods. “We no longer have the luxury of time. The Knights have laid siege to the tower network.”

  “…All my mystic instruments will be ruined,” Dark Arts Minion says with a sad tone.

  “What do you suggest we do, sir?” Ranger Minion asks, rifle at the ready.

  Chaos looks down to the ground. “We will make-ride immediately. We shall destroy Oa, and then I’ll portal us home.”

  “C-” Aoline clears her throat. “Couldn’t we just go back now?”

  Chaos shakes his head as Scout Minion mutters ‘dummy’ to herself. “It’s not quite so simple, dear knightess. The O.E.L. have an inhibitor over this entire dimension. One can go out, but to return they would have to go through the O.E.L. again, and we will be met with a prepared resistance there unlike last time.” He looks in the direction of the mountain. “What’s even more despicable is that if we leave, it might grant Oa enough time to escape, and we may never find it again.”

  Aoline sighs. “And all the minions at the towers?”

  “They will have to defend themselves the best they can. They are a strong lot, but I doubt they could hold out forever… too many pacifist minions,” Chaos says with a scoff, “Too gentle to hurt anything, not even living garbage like humans.” Finally, Chaos takes his stand along with the others. “No time to recompose camp. Onward we go, into the night!”

  Chapter Eight: Rush for the Keep

  Aoline never expected their previous pace to be considered “slow” by the minions. Held in the overlord’s arms, she feels the chilling breeze of velocity as they duck across the land at wondrous, dream-like speeds.

  “-so you must also know what happens to us, then?” Chaos asks to Love, the two swerving closely enough to speak at an even volume.

  “Mhmm. That’s why I’ve been trying to move us along.”

  Chaos squints an eye in thought. “And what exactly happens to each of us?”

  Love hums again as she looks away; she considers herself quite honest — most of the time, at least. “Aoline gets killed, along with myself; the book isn’t quite clear on your minions… and you, you just disappear—grasped by hands and pulled into nothing.”

  The overlord’s expression is steady and intense as they vault through the silent woods of the dead realm. He shakes his head with a smile. “This ending will be better. I’m certai-, watch your head, dear,” Chaos says over to his cargo.

  “Wh- hey!” Aoline exclaims, noting the close calls and thin openings the group moves through between the trees and groves of night.

  Chaos laughs, not in the good-natured, fatherly way she’s gotten used to, but much more like the depi
ctions from all the stories; it is a gut-wrenching, victorious, fatal sound, suggesting both great joy for its owner, and an incoming death to the hearer. “Worry not, dear knightess. Only my memories lack balance,” he suggests with a grin as the group reaches the end of the large wood and faces down a kingdom-sized ravine.

  “Hrm,” Dark Arts Minion mutters as she peers across the ravine to a lit keep, and then further to a large, large storm of black light brimming with dark energies. “Looks like the ravine is filled with necromancers. Their primary laboratory must be down there.”

  The group peers down into the mile-deep chasm and sure enough, the purple-red lights of demonic machination and necromancy-in-action are shining clear to all.

  Chaos puts down Aoline and steps away from the immense chasm. “It’s almost as though they expect that to keep me out.”

  “Well, my lord,” Love starts with an addressing nod, “if we could somehow toss Scout Minion across the ravine and have her create a receiving circle for summoning, we-… my lord?”

  No sooner does she turn to look at him than he sprints past her, leaps up over the trench, and launches off mid-air using a self-induced explosion. The deadly magic fires Chaos through the air and over the remainder of the ravine as he lands neatly on the other side, roughly a kilometer away.

  “Or… or you could just jump across,” Love says as Chaos opens a portal from across the trench, and reaches his arm inside. The others watch what he’s doing, curious as to his plan— but just before Aoline asks, she can hear a few straight, strong words from Chaos.

  At once, everyone begins lifting up slowly, and hovering across the chasm in a group.

  “Wh-we’re flying!” Aoline shouts excitedly.

  Scout Minion sighs alongside a less-than-impressed Dark Arts Minion. “Man, Poppi, this is so lame. We could have all jumped across like you. We don’t need your help!” Scout Minion argues, the weightlessness causing her to spin about upside down.

  “Nonsense,” The Overlord rebuts. “I have to keep you in tip-top shape for… whatever it was I brought you in for! Tea serving?”