Look, a book! [OPEN]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Who: Zetta, minions, Prinnies, and hapless others
What: Zetta around the train.
Where: The garden car and the game car.
When: Domino 19.
Warnings: Zetta?



The Garden Car

Visitors to the garden car, no matter when, always endure the same ritual: a greeting by a curious woman, armed with a sword and apparently of the opinion that wide belts were perfect substitutes for shirts. With a rather vapid smile, she simply said, "Welcome to the domain of the Overlord."

Inside the garden car, as always, milled a half-dozen people with the same vapid cheer as the girl outside. Some of them were even walking in place, living up to their role as NPCs. A couple of others had the engine of a beat-up old truck half out, while from beneath said engine a pair of legs kicked futilely. Slight technical problems, don't mind that. And in the center of it all, atop a small mound of stones, floated a book -- who was yelling at three patchwork, peg-legged penguin things.

"I told you to steal a proper throne, damn it!"

Fun and Games

"Hyaaaha ha ha ha ha!"

Possibly the weirdest sight to date: a floating book with a VR headset rather haphazardly strapped on, cackling maniacally as a minion listened to his orders and relayed inputs on a controller.

"Yes! Ram the hero into the tree again! Five hit points down every time! Stupid hero, how dare you try to save the day?! This is what you deserve!"

Yes, Zetta was taking great joy in stupidly suiciding the young adventurer out to save the day. After all, humiliating heroes was part of his duty as an Overlord!

Comments

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita just crooked an eyebrow at him.

"Have you been able to sneak outside the Train while it's running? You don't know if all voids are the same."

Which was a point that bothered her, too, for what it was worth.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Just because I'd rather not ditch the train doesn't mean it's all different. Besides, how many voids do you think actually exist between worlds? Because if the number is more than one, I've gotta wonder."

Her voice sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before?

[unfavorableinstigation]

"I've met more than one kind, myself."

A regular universe-crosser, this one.

"Wouldn't be surprised if we're all wrapped up in a third one."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"You're probably confusing it with the spaces between universes," Zetta said dismissively. "Trust the experienced demon with this sort of thing."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"So you don't know of a void called The Between, then?"

At least Nautilus' weirdness can be useful for one thing?

But for the most part Nita was going to try and focus back on her plant box as this... whatever-it-was, went on.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"I don't really pay attention to infinite universes' names for different things." Who knew what that one meant? "Believe it or not, they aren't always the same for each one."

[unfavorableinstigation]

She should have expected that answer, frankly.

"Ever heard of Kalliste, then? Place where people first Woke to and became bitty Overlords or whatever? Learned how to make worlds?"

Kalliste had been first, after all; though what this guy would think of a nine-million-years difference, she wasn't sure.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta heaved a sigh.

"Look. I'm literally the most important being in existence. Have you ever heard of me?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Nnnope."

Nita shrugged.

"I'm just one wizard from an Earth with millions, though, so it does make sense you wouldn't have heard of me."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Right. So let's not play the 'who knows what' game."

A moment's pause, and then, "Except I can see your status screen, so there's that."

[unfavorableinstigation]

Oho, now?

"Mind sharing what it says? For those of us who don't have internal heads-up displays all the time."

The voice of wizardry in the back of her head coughed, but did not otherwise speak up.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Your name's Nita, your class is Wizard, and there's some other stuff you probably don't want me to get into," Zetta said, amused.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita went back to giving him a cock-eyed look.

"I'm not someone who'll complain about being told their age, you know."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Okay, Juanita Louise Callahan," the book said with a smirk.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Amusement: gone.

"Hey!" Nita shouted, standing back up and spinning around in less than half a second.

"Only my dad gets to use that name!"

And only when I'm in trouble, she almost added - but that's more trouble than she's willing to get into right now, even though she's angry. She wasn't ENTIRELY far-gone!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Hyaaaha ha ha ha ha! I told you. But you had to get all defiant! Witness what happens when you doubt the Overlord!" He was quite pleased to get a reaction out of her.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita groaned.

"Geeze, that's the worst you can do? The One forbid we get creative here, then."

Another check on the garden kit, and Nita concluded it was probably safe here. Except...

"Gimme a second here, okay?" she said, an idea coming to mind. A 'just in case', as it were.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"No -- what? Of course it's not the worst. And leave The One out of this." Was she threatening him with The One? Because Zetta didn't believe for a second she knew the first damn thing about The One. "I could do tons more, are you about to give me a reason?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Right, right."

Nita's going to note that insistence about the One for later, though.

"And no, just... this."

This time when Nita stepped away from the box, a small blue shield popped into existence around it.

It'd allow air and light in, but not physical contact unless Nita deactivated it - or anyone else Nita gave the deactivating word to.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Uh, okay. Is there a point to that?"

Zetta was not entirely certain he should be impressed, by which he meant, he really wasn't. It's... a shield? Yay?

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Just in case you try to make a point about it not being 'badass' enough or something," Nita remarked, brushing her hands off.

She wasn't in a hurry to explain how it worked, of course - that would defeat the point!

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"...look. I'm feeling pretty worn out at the moment, so I'm going to spell this out for you. If you put up a direct challenge to me, I'm gonna have to take it, and I'm gonna win it because I'm Zetta."

The book visibly slumped in midair. Humans were so exhausting.

"Or maybe you can try freaking ASKING. I'm an Overlord, not a -- a jerkolord, I don't say no just because I can!" He might say no just because it entertained him, admittedly, but that was a reason!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita looked - almost - genuinely surprised by the offer.

"Might've given us all the wrong impression, commandeering a whole car of the train like this, but alright."

Nita stood up again, hands on her hips.

"If I give you the deactivation word for this shield, can you promise to play with that instead of the plant? Please?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Sure, whatever." That was close enough, and Zetta was already bristling because of her first comment. "You know, you and the so-called leadership here are two of a kind. Where's YOUR bright idea for where I should put a dozen minions and a truck? Quiet car?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

Her original purpose here settled, Nita set off back for the front exit.

"Do you really need the truck, though? How does it actually help you?"