ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 21
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Andelin’s explanation of Milosh was a long and complicated one. She detailed the original conflict between the Vozenilek’s and the Haugen’s, which was reignited behind the scenes when the Proch’s entered the fray. The problem stemmed from the Vozenilek’s and Proch’s being outsiders, ideologically driven to conquer. Milosh was just another ne’er-do-well that felt entitled to things that were never his. Andelin attributed this mentality to the man’s mother, who instilled repugnant values in him. The Fear grew increasingly appalled as Milosh’s true intent was explained to him.
“That… that… oh, that piece of excrement! He’s dumb dumb dumb! I’ve been bamboozled!” The Fear declared as he paced in circles. “That villain! He’s one of those people that don’t care about anything but themselves!”
“Exactly,” Andelin agreed. “People like him never break free of their ignorance, preferring to fight tooth and nail to protect their ego. It happens an inordinate amount of times in the Cosmos proper.”
The Fear went over to his drawings, poised to tear them up. He grabbed the drawing of Milosh and got ready. “How badly I want to… No, no. Brother wouldn’t approve…”
“I take it that Hunger is an artist too?” Odo inquired.
“Yeah…” The Fear sighed. “I better not. You can continue, Andelin.”
“Now with all that in mind, I trust that you can fill in the blanks. There is no Scary God, Milosh wanted to overthrow Englehart and Sten, Dunja was manipulated to be a pawn, that spell you cast was an attempt at subversion, The Beast was not actually helping Milosh save The Iron city, and The Eternal Church is a bog standard cult.”
After taking a second to process everything, The Fear began making a series of incoherent, angry noises. It would have been endearing had the subject matter not been so dire. “Forget all of those shadowy demon things outside my vision, we’re going to Shadowland right now!” He then got out a backpack and began putting his stuff in it. “Is his majesty, King Sten, free at the moment? I need to apologize now.”
Andelin chuckled. “He should be. It’s only been twenty-four hours, so we should still have three days before the big demolition.”
Maximus yawned and stretched. “Jeez, has it? That time flew…”
“Oh, Maximus?” The Fear said as he finished packing. “I’m sorry for all those illusions I put you through”
He laughed. “It’s alright. I was the one who started chasing you after all.”
Leading the group outside, Andelin snapped her fingers once she was out in the open. The portal that had been used appeared before them. It would now remain active in Gummi’s house as they no longer had to worry about the cult. Aside from some leftover stuff from The Fear of Old, there was nothing of value in that reality error. Back at Gummi’s place, Gratiana was in her rocking chair, reading another book. Dunja and Torunn had returned to their business while Gummi was out doing something. Gratiana was surprised to see The Fear of Old with the group.
“Goodness, all of you were away so long that everyone went off to go do their own thing. I take it that things went well?”
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Andelin replied. “We took breaks while I explained the whole shebang and whatnot… leaving so soon, Maximus?”
He was already at the door. “Yeah. I hate to up and dash so soon, but I need to get out of this small form. Want me to give Sten the heads up?”
“Actually, dear, Torunn has requested your assistance,” Gratiana answered. “There’s been quite a ruckus at Warehouse Zeta.”
Maximus put two and two together, followed by a soft cackle. “Ah, I see. Stay safe, everyone.” Once outside, he returned to his normal size and ran off.
The Beast also went to the door. “Speaking of which, I better go check on Rumbler. I know my boy is itching to get into trouble. Take care, guys.” Unlike Maximus, he stayed small for obvious reasons.
Odo was a bit lost. “Wait, what’s going on exactly? Did something happen while we were in the error?”
“Most definitely” Gratiana clarified. “Early this morning a… well, I don’t want to say a riot, but there’s been much chaos at multiple cult hotspots.”
“Blast it all, I hope no one’s getting too hurt,” The Fear lamented.
“Well sadly it’s the nature of things. People are going to hurt no matter what, but don’t fret. Torunn is making sure nothing bad happens.”
The Fear sighed, going to Gratiana for a hug. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yes, yes I am. And it’s good to see you again under such better circumstances.”
He then went to the door, with Andelin and Odo following. “Alright, let’s go see Sten then.”
“Do you want to come with us, Gratiana?” Odo asked.
“For now, no. It’s probably best that I don’t get spotted at the moment.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Everyone might be a little too heated at the moment, hehe,” Andelin pointed out.
Not wanting to get caught in an unfortunate situation, Andelin got out two of her cards and placed Odo and The Fear inside of them. They would be safe in her deck, allowing her to move through the city with ease. Naturally she wanted to get a peak at the chaos, but she could hear the fighting off in the distance. While passing through Strike Street to the castle, Andelin noticed that the church in the distance was being occupied by Sten’s knights. Things were getting interesting now that The Fear’s spell was gone. Thankfully she did not have any problems as she entered Castle Haugen.
“Sten, have I got good news for you!” Andelin proudly announced as she strode into the throne room.
The king was speaking to several of his captains, dismissing them as Andelin approached. “You do? Well it best be important. Things are incredibly hectic right now…”
“Perhaps you’d like to speak to Odo and the anomaly?” She tossed out her cards, causing the two to appear before them. Both were a little dazed, however.
“Oh my, that was dizzying…” Odo remarked as he got up, collecting his bearings. “Your royal highness? With help, I found The Fear of Old!”
Sten clapped. “Haha, excellent! Well done to you and everyone involved. Now I assume this boy here is the primordial in question?”
The Fear looked up, utterly terrified by the king. “Um, y-yes, your majesty… That would be me. I would like to start out by saying…” There was a pause, followed by him getting on his hands and knees. “I’M SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING!”
Sten was taken aback by The Fear’s prostration. “My boy, it’s alright. I forgive you…”
“NO, YOU CAN’T JUST FORGIVE ME THAT EASILY.”
The king quietly laughed in sympathy. “Yes, I can. It wasn’t your fault that you were deceived by that scoundrel. Plus it’s obvious you dispelled the magic you cast at his behest.”
“Your royal highness, please arrest me…”
“Why, if I may inquire?”
Andelin looked at The Fear, then back to Sten. “Perhaps we should humor him…”
“Right… Um, guards, place The Fear into custody and stand by.” Two of them walked over, put handcuffs around his wrists, and stood next to him. They felt a bit silly doing this and could not help feeling endeared towards the boy.
“Thank you, your majesty…” The Fear said as he looked at his bound wrists.
Sten sighed. “Fear, the fact that you are accepting responsibility like this means you were never a bad person to begin with. I’ve spent decades dealing with Milosh, so I’d dare say I have a good judge of character.” He then looked at Odo. “Well done, Sir Odo. You may return to The Market District as you see fit. Although I humbly ask that you stay here until The Eternal Church is demolished.”
“Ah, I see. Well I don’t see too big of a problem with that. I don’t think the cult’s going to cause any more problems…”
“And you’re sure you don’t want any reward? That was quite the deed after all.”
Odo thought about it. “It’s alright, Sten. I took this job out of concern for everyone… although, you could bail out The Fear here, hehe…” The request was spoken in a humorous tone.
Sten chuckled. “Of course. Guards, release The Fear of Old. He has served his time.”
“What? Hey!” The Fear complained as his cuffs were removed. The guards returned to their posts, trying not to laugh.
“Now Fear, what do you wish to do now that you are no longer under Milosh’s thumb?” Sten inquired.
“I’m not sure, your majesty. I need to find a new place to stay while my brother is off doing his job. Then I guess I’ll go back to drawing… And maybe I could also study Alchemy while I’m at it.”
Before Sten could give his thoughts on this, Dunja and Aureolus entered the throne room. “Aunt Dunja, why’d you never go to Fyodor for help with void magic?”
“Ha, Sweetie, I spent at least ten years being his adversary…” she answered.
“Oh yeah, my bad.”
“Aureolus, I trust your training went well?” Sten inquired.
“Yes it did, your majesty. Yes it did.”
Dunja giggled. “I even learned some new things…” She then noticed the very familiar boy across from her. “Fear? Fear!” She rushed over and picked him up, holding him like she was his mother.
“Dunja! I did bad things, Dunja…”
She chuckled. “Yeah, so did I, sweetie. Don’t worry, things are going to be a lot better now. I take it he’s up to speed, Andelin?”
She nodded. “One hundred percent caught up.”
“Don’t worry, Sten, I fully plan to take this boy home with me and keep him safe and sound… Dealing with his brother is going to be something else though.”
“It’ll be alright, Dunja,” the Fear said as he was set down. “Just let me know when he shows up.”
“Also my apologies for how sudden that was, Sten,” said Dunja. “I trust you’re okay with my plans?”
“I have no objections. If something happens in The Iron City, send him our way as soon as possible. We will take care of him as if he were one of our own.”
“Thank you, cousin.” Dunja paused to get a glass of water, as her throat was parched. “Fear, you are going to like Englehart. He’s nothing like what that worm told you, I can guarantee that.”
“Yeah, grandpa is really cool,” Aureolus said as he held out his hand. “I’m Aureolus Schindewolf, by the way. Nice to meet you”
The Fear was hesitant at first. “Oh my, a being of darkness. That’s kind of scary… but hi, I’m The Fear of Old” he replied as he accepted the handshake.
“Want to hang out?”
“Um, sure.”
"Your majesty, may I take The Fear with me to Claudius’ house?” Aureolus inquired.
Sten thought about it and nodded. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but bring him back here immediately if there is any sign of trouble, no matter how small.”
“Will do, your majesty. Come on, Fear. Want to see my magic notes?”
Once the two boys were gone, Dunja chuckled. “I can’t wait for him to meet Blood…”
Sten cleared his throat. “Dunja, could you summon Torunn and Gratiana?”
She was caught off guard by this. “I beg your pardon?”
“Torunn has informed me of the obvious.”
Andelin shuffled her deck and set it down. “Okay, I suppose. We have plans for her though…”
“Of which I am also aware,” Sten replied. “I hereby veto your duel. Please summon her.”
Dunja was flabbergasted. “Sten! This duel clearly means a lot to her!”
“You all have my sympathy, but this is of utmost importance. The fervor currently grasping my people has made me realize that the cult still has fangs. We need all the strength we can muster. If it means that much to her, I will organize an entire tournament when this is all said and done. Now please, summon her with all due haste.”
Next: Chapter 22
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Andelin’s explanation of Milosh was a long and complicated one. She detailed the original conflict between the Vozenilek’s and the Haugen’s, which was reignited behind the scenes when the Proch’s entered the fray. The problem stemmed from the Vozenilek’s and Proch’s being outsiders, ideologically driven to conquer. Milosh was just another ne’er-do-well that felt entitled to things that were never his. Andelin attributed this mentality to the man’s mother, who instilled repugnant values in him. The Fear grew increasingly appalled as Milosh’s true intent was explained to him.
“That… that… oh, that piece of excrement! He’s dumb dumb dumb! I’ve been bamboozled!” The Fear declared as he paced in circles. “That villain! He’s one of those people that don’t care about anything but themselves!”
“Exactly,” Andelin agreed. “People like him never break free of their ignorance, preferring to fight tooth and nail to protect their ego. It happens an inordinate amount of times in the Cosmos proper.”
The Fear went over to his drawings, poised to tear them up. He grabbed the drawing of Milosh and got ready. “How badly I want to… No, no. Brother wouldn’t approve…”
“I take it that Hunger is an artist too?” Odo inquired.
“Yeah…” The Fear sighed. “I better not. You can continue, Andelin.”
“Now with all that in mind, I trust that you can fill in the blanks. There is no Scary God, Milosh wanted to overthrow Englehart and Sten, Dunja was manipulated to be a pawn, that spell you cast was an attempt at subversion, The Beast was not actually helping Milosh save The Iron city, and The Eternal Church is a bog standard cult.”
After taking a second to process everything, The Fear began making a series of incoherent, angry noises. It would have been endearing had the subject matter not been so dire. “Forget all of those shadowy demon things outside my vision, we’re going to Shadowland right now!” He then got out a backpack and began putting his stuff in it. “Is his majesty, King Sten, free at the moment? I need to apologize now.”
Andelin chuckled. “He should be. It’s only been twenty-four hours, so we should still have three days before the big demolition.”
Maximus yawned and stretched. “Jeez, has it? That time flew…”
“Oh, Maximus?” The Fear said as he finished packing. “I’m sorry for all those illusions I put you through”
He laughed. “It’s alright. I was the one who started chasing you after all.”
Leading the group outside, Andelin snapped her fingers once she was out in the open. The portal that had been used appeared before them. It would now remain active in Gummi’s house as they no longer had to worry about the cult. Aside from some leftover stuff from The Fear of Old, there was nothing of value in that reality error. Back at Gummi’s place, Gratiana was in her rocking chair, reading another book. Dunja and Torunn had returned to their business while Gummi was out doing something. Gratiana was surprised to see The Fear of Old with the group.
“Goodness, all of you were away so long that everyone went off to go do their own thing. I take it that things went well?”
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Andelin replied. “We took breaks while I explained the whole shebang and whatnot… leaving so soon, Maximus?”
He was already at the door. “Yeah. I hate to up and dash so soon, but I need to get out of this small form. Want me to give Sten the heads up?”
“Actually, dear, Torunn has requested your assistance,” Gratiana answered. “There’s been quite a ruckus at Warehouse Zeta.”
Maximus put two and two together, followed by a soft cackle. “Ah, I see. Stay safe, everyone.” Once outside, he returned to his normal size and ran off.
The Beast also went to the door. “Speaking of which, I better go check on Rumbler. I know my boy is itching to get into trouble. Take care, guys.” Unlike Maximus, he stayed small for obvious reasons.
Odo was a bit lost. “Wait, what’s going on exactly? Did something happen while we were in the error?”
“Most definitely” Gratiana clarified. “Early this morning a… well, I don’t want to say a riot, but there’s been much chaos at multiple cult hotspots.”
“Blast it all, I hope no one’s getting too hurt,” The Fear lamented.
“Well sadly it’s the nature of things. People are going to hurt no matter what, but don’t fret. Torunn is making sure nothing bad happens.”
The Fear sighed, going to Gratiana for a hug. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yes, yes I am. And it’s good to see you again under such better circumstances.”
He then went to the door, with Andelin and Odo following. “Alright, let’s go see Sten then.”
“Do you want to come with us, Gratiana?” Odo asked.
“For now, no. It’s probably best that I don’t get spotted at the moment.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Everyone might be a little too heated at the moment, hehe,” Andelin pointed out.
Not wanting to get caught in an unfortunate situation, Andelin got out two of her cards and placed Odo and The Fear inside of them. They would be safe in her deck, allowing her to move through the city with ease. Naturally she wanted to get a peak at the chaos, but she could hear the fighting off in the distance. While passing through Strike Street to the castle, Andelin noticed that the church in the distance was being occupied by Sten’s knights. Things were getting interesting now that The Fear’s spell was gone. Thankfully she did not have any problems as she entered Castle Haugen.
“Sten, have I got good news for you!” Andelin proudly announced as she strode into the throne room.
The king was speaking to several of his captains, dismissing them as Andelin approached. “You do? Well it best be important. Things are incredibly hectic right now…”
“Perhaps you’d like to speak to Odo and the anomaly?” She tossed out her cards, causing the two to appear before them. Both were a little dazed, however.
“Oh my, that was dizzying…” Odo remarked as he got up, collecting his bearings. “Your royal highness? With help, I found The Fear of Old!”
Sten clapped. “Haha, excellent! Well done to you and everyone involved. Now I assume this boy here is the primordial in question?”
The Fear looked up, utterly terrified by the king. “Um, y-yes, your majesty… That would be me. I would like to start out by saying…” There was a pause, followed by him getting on his hands and knees. “I’M SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING!”
Sten was taken aback by The Fear’s prostration. “My boy, it’s alright. I forgive you…”
“NO, YOU CAN’T JUST FORGIVE ME THAT EASILY.”
The king quietly laughed in sympathy. “Yes, I can. It wasn’t your fault that you were deceived by that scoundrel. Plus it’s obvious you dispelled the magic you cast at his behest.”
“Your royal highness, please arrest me…”
“Why, if I may inquire?”
Andelin looked at The Fear, then back to Sten. “Perhaps we should humor him…”
“Right… Um, guards, place The Fear into custody and stand by.” Two of them walked over, put handcuffs around his wrists, and stood next to him. They felt a bit silly doing this and could not help feeling endeared towards the boy.
“Thank you, your majesty…” The Fear said as he looked at his bound wrists.
Sten sighed. “Fear, the fact that you are accepting responsibility like this means you were never a bad person to begin with. I’ve spent decades dealing with Milosh, so I’d dare say I have a good judge of character.” He then looked at Odo. “Well done, Sir Odo. You may return to The Market District as you see fit. Although I humbly ask that you stay here until The Eternal Church is demolished.”
“Ah, I see. Well I don’t see too big of a problem with that. I don’t think the cult’s going to cause any more problems…”
“And you’re sure you don’t want any reward? That was quite the deed after all.”
Odo thought about it. “It’s alright, Sten. I took this job out of concern for everyone… although, you could bail out The Fear here, hehe…” The request was spoken in a humorous tone.
Sten chuckled. “Of course. Guards, release The Fear of Old. He has served his time.”
“What? Hey!” The Fear complained as his cuffs were removed. The guards returned to their posts, trying not to laugh.
“Now Fear, what do you wish to do now that you are no longer under Milosh’s thumb?” Sten inquired.
“I’m not sure, your majesty. I need to find a new place to stay while my brother is off doing his job. Then I guess I’ll go back to drawing… And maybe I could also study Alchemy while I’m at it.”
Before Sten could give his thoughts on this, Dunja and Aureolus entered the throne room. “Aunt Dunja, why’d you never go to Fyodor for help with void magic?”
“Ha, Sweetie, I spent at least ten years being his adversary…” she answered.
“Oh yeah, my bad.”
“Aureolus, I trust your training went well?” Sten inquired.
“Yes it did, your majesty. Yes it did.”
Dunja giggled. “I even learned some new things…” She then noticed the very familiar boy across from her. “Fear? Fear!” She rushed over and picked him up, holding him like she was his mother.
“Dunja! I did bad things, Dunja…”
She chuckled. “Yeah, so did I, sweetie. Don’t worry, things are going to be a lot better now. I take it he’s up to speed, Andelin?”
She nodded. “One hundred percent caught up.”
“Don’t worry, Sten, I fully plan to take this boy home with me and keep him safe and sound… Dealing with his brother is going to be something else though.”
“It’ll be alright, Dunja,” the Fear said as he was set down. “Just let me know when he shows up.”
“Also my apologies for how sudden that was, Sten,” said Dunja. “I trust you’re okay with my plans?”
“I have no objections. If something happens in The Iron City, send him our way as soon as possible. We will take care of him as if he were one of our own.”
“Thank you, cousin.” Dunja paused to get a glass of water, as her throat was parched. “Fear, you are going to like Englehart. He’s nothing like what that worm told you, I can guarantee that.”
“Yeah, grandpa is really cool,” Aureolus said as he held out his hand. “I’m Aureolus Schindewolf, by the way. Nice to meet you”
The Fear was hesitant at first. “Oh my, a being of darkness. That’s kind of scary… but hi, I’m The Fear of Old” he replied as he accepted the handshake.
“Want to hang out?”
“Um, sure.”
"Your majesty, may I take The Fear with me to Claudius’ house?” Aureolus inquired.
Sten thought about it and nodded. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt, but bring him back here immediately if there is any sign of trouble, no matter how small.”
“Will do, your majesty. Come on, Fear. Want to see my magic notes?”
Once the two boys were gone, Dunja chuckled. “I can’t wait for him to meet Blood…”
Sten cleared his throat. “Dunja, could you summon Torunn and Gratiana?”
She was caught off guard by this. “I beg your pardon?”
“Torunn has informed me of the obvious.”
Andelin shuffled her deck and set it down. “Okay, I suppose. We have plans for her though…”
“Of which I am also aware,” Sten replied. “I hereby veto your duel. Please summon her.”
Dunja was flabbergasted. “Sten! This duel clearly means a lot to her!”
“You all have my sympathy, but this is of utmost importance. The fervor currently grasping my people has made me realize that the cult still has fangs. We need all the strength we can muster. If it means that much to her, I will organize an entire tournament when this is all said and done. Now please, summon her with all due haste.”
Next: Chapter 22
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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