ULTRAMagic Eon 2 - Chapter 34
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The Crimson God was sitting around in Karnage’s Tower, relaxing as he read through The Scathing Codex, waiting for a certain group of individuals to return. He blew his wild, purple hair out of his face as his striking, orange eyes continued to scan the eldritch knowledge of the codex. He knew how everything had gone with The Tyrant war, as it was all according to his plan. With a chuckle at the strange ritual he read about to trick the Lost Gods themselves into doing whatever the caster wanted, he glanced up to see Sanguine standing next to his chair. “Yes, son?” The Crimson God asked as he closed the book.
“Volf, Gudrun, and Anne are about to return, father,” he said in a plain tone.
The Crimson God checked an imaginary watch and stretched his arms with a yawn. “Ha, about time they dragged their butts back here…”
“Father, I’m certain you’re aware of the elephant in the room here…”
He glanced over to the effigy of The Sepulcher God high above them and shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”
Sanguine quietly groaned and turned towards the entrance of the great hall. “Here they come…”
“DAMN IT ALL!” Volf yelled as he kicked the doors open, a disgruntled Gudrun and defeated-looking Anne following behind him. “WE WERE SO CLOSE!!! WE WERE SO CLOSE THAT WE TRIPPED AT THE FINISH LINE. KARNAGE JUST HAD TO GO AND SCREW EVERYTHING UP!!”
“Not so loud, Volf, I have a roaring headache…” Gudrun said as she wandered off to reformulate the rest of her plans. She knew with Teunis breaking free of his prison in five years that she needed to get moving lest she fall victim to his vengeance.
Anne got out the shadow orb and gazed into it as Volf threw Karnage’s junk around. For once she was actually questioning her resolve. “Do… Do I give it to him? My true love?”
Volf then summoned a refrigerator of all things, got out a bottle of beer, and was about to open it… only for his anger to flare up again. He slammed the refrigerator shut with enough force to break it and chucked the bottle at the effigy’s face so hard that it shattered all over it despite how high it had to be thrown. “AND YOU! WHY DO YOU KEEP LETTING THE RABBLE IN AMONGST OUR RANKS!?!” he shouted as the alcohol dripped down the stone face. Volf knew The Sepulcher God was listening. He then snapped his fingers, causing the bottle to reverse in time back to his hand as there was no way he was going to waste good booze like that.
“Temper, temper…” The Crimson God childishly scolded.
Pulling the cork out with his teeth, Volf spit it on the floor and took a swig, choosing to ignore that comment. He quickly realized something, however… something that shook him to his core when it finally hit him. “Wait a second, where were you this entire time? What have you even been doing while we were out on the front lines…?”
“Well firstly I was reading…” he started to respond before something interrupted them. “And here comes failure number two…”
Emerging from a portal of chaotic, sulfuric energy was Sebastian, and he looked like he had just been through a warzone to say the least. His skin was like white marble for some reason, and it seemed like his limbs had been blown off and reattached multiple times. “WHERE!? WHERE WAS MY REINFORCEMENTS!?!"
“Get in line, buddy,” Volf shot back, followed by another swig. “And what in the unholy Lost Era happened to you?”
“SILENCE, WHERE IS KARNAGE!?” he roared in the god’s face, despite being in no position to threaten any of them.
“You are an insufferable prick, you know that, right?” Volf chastised. “Karnage is dead, and that imbecilic Audoin is off on his brain dead Audoan wars. You know, you’re really lucky Karnage is six feet under right now…”
“HE’S DEAD!?! HOW!?!”
The entire tower shook with Volf’s irritation. “DON’T INTERRUPT ME, WHELP! It’s bad enough you were a failure as The Despot God, and you drag your sorry ass back here after having failed for the umpteenth time?! What was it this time? And it better be good…”
“A minor setback! In which General Lunderberg and General Dryden got the best of me, but I vow it will not happen again! The next time I see them I will rip their souls asunder and damn them to the abyss where they belong!” Sebastian declared as he accidentally destroyed a statue of Karnage with his fist that Volf had missed.
“And what in the blue blazes is all this nonsense?” Volf asked as he pinched off a piece of the marble skin, grinding it between his fingers.
The power of Conquest! The return of my plan to claim the power of the four horsemen for myself, ushering in my new world order!!”
The Crimson God laughed. “Oh yeah, that foolish plan…”
“BAH, enough of your bilge!” Sebastian rudely dismissed as he went over to Anne. “Anne, meine liebe, we are not defeated just yet. I know our next target, a foolish Liger Brigade Private by the name of William Ford. He has the potential for ULTRAMagic, and we can steal it from him…”
She took a breath and looked at the shadow orb one more time. “Sebastian, we have lost the battle, but not the war. Will you accept this shadow orb as a promise of my love? So that we may continue this fight?”
Sebastian took the orb and an evil grin stretched across his face. “Of course, and even if our master is dead, we can still continue his ambitions, as is there not an unending amount of things for us to corrupt? Our conquest is still ahead of us and ripe for the taking…”
Volf took a massive swig of his beer and The Crimson God rolled his eyes as the two waxed on poetically about love and being evil. “OH GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!” he chided as he snapped his fingers, a red force kicking the two through a portal back to Earth. “Maybe don’t screw up next time!”
“Ha, good one,” Volf said with a chuckle as he cleared his throat once the portal closed.
“He’s going to use Valentin and Bethany to go after Will… it’s not going to work.”
“Pardon?”
“Remember Waramunt…?” The Crimson God started to say.
Volf shook his head. “No, not him, I mean the other thing I’m sensing.”
“Oh, that… Yes, I tried to bring Will to our side through my other son, Bran Lommel. It did not work, and obviously we know Valentin will just eventually turn on Sebastian. The fool thinks Valentin is wicked like him, or at least that he can guilt him into doing his will… And well, I think you guys saw why that’s not going to happen…”
“Yeah, speaking of that…” Volf growled before sensing someone else arrive. “Oh now what?!”
Sanguine did not look thrilled at all. “Mr. Dirrt is returning…”
“Oh boy, here we go…” The Crimson God moaned as he shook his head.
“POWER!” Rick called out with impotent fury as he ran in, looking like a complete mess. “I NEED MORE POWER! Where’s Karnage!?!”
“He’s dead, dumbass,” Volf answered in the most violently disappointed tone imaginable. “The Tyrant War is over, we lost.”
Rick tilted his head in denial, and it was so oblivious that it was disrespectful. “Excuse me? What was that?”
Volf snapped his fingers, sending Rick flying into a wall, taking out a grand painting of Karnage. “Here, let me say it slower since you’re clearly mentally deficient: KARNAGE. IS. DEAD. NOW-WE. LOST. THE. TYRANT. WAR-YOU. ARE. AN. IDIOT. COWARD…”
“PISS OFF!” Rick snapped back. “Just give me more power and I’ll go kill them all!!”
“FOR THE LOVE OF… This is what I’m talking about, Sepulcher! We’re letting in fools and court jesters!”
As if the situation could not get any more hectic, Valdemaras came running into the hall, looking like he had something important to say. “Master Volf, Master Volf!”
“Oh now what do you want?!”
Valdemaras paused, a bit taken aback by the anger from that response. “Master, the resurrection of The Decay God is going according to plan, but we are in need of something important for the ritual…”
Volf nodded with a smile growing on his face, as he knew exactly what the rat needed and he had it. “See, now this is what I’m talking about! Valdemaras has been getting stuff done! He knows what to do and how to get it accomplished-unlike this idiot ‘streamer’ over here!”
“YOU’RE CALLING ME A RAT!?!” Rick roared, his pathetic anger unable to even shake the room they were in.
“No, because that would be an insult to Valdemaras here!” Volf then produced three strange, glowing orbs from his coat pocket and handed them to him. “Take these, Valdemaras, as they should bring Decay back to what he once was.”
“Thank you, master,” he said as he graciously bowed. “I shall not let you down.”
“You’re fighting the good fight, Valdemaras. In fact if things keep working out, we may be able to give you your father’s old power!”
“Master, I am not worthy!” Valdemaras cried, feeling like a dog who was being showered in praise from his owner.
“You’re worthy in spades, Valdemaras!” Volf then levitated Rick over to the portal he had opened up for Valdemaras. “Go help Valdemaras bring Decay back to his former glory. Don’t screw this up, you miserable ingrate, or I’ll make you regret it!” Rick swallowed hard, nodded, and followed Vlademaras into Universe-0X. Volf then exhaled and looked around the hall. “ARE THERE GOING TO BE ANY OTHER INTERUPTIONS?”
“No, Volf,” Sanguine answered with certainty.
“Good…” Volf magically summoned his automatons, who all stood still ready to receive their orders. “Clean this place up, all of you, and don’t come back to me until it’s spotless…” As his servants got to work, Volf finally turned to address The Crimson God. “You could have won us that battle, but you were nowhere to be found. Spill it…”
“Spill what?” he playfully asked.
“Oh don’t play coy with me, you know exactly what I’m talking about…”
“What? I wanted to do some reading, as that codex is very interesting…”
“Yeah, that codex is interesting, and you’ve been different recently. Pursuing knowledge instead of pleasure? Being reasonable and diplomatic with your followers? Sitting around doing nothing while we’re out busting our backs? I know you’re hedonistic, but this is a little ridiculous and…” Volf looked away for a second to put it all together, then turned back to The Crimson God with a clever smile on his face. “You’re… no, it can’t be… Are you trying to betray us?”
Sanguine glanced over to his father and thought he would be backing up, but surprisingly he was not. “Now what would give you that impression?” The Crimson God questioned back.
“OH GIVE IT A REST!” Volf shot back, having had enough of The Crimson God’s games. “You really think you can just leave us and go join The ULTRAMagic Guild?!” he said with a finger in The Crimson God’s face.
“Why yes, yes I do…” he answered with unbelievable confidence that almost seemed like naivete.
Volf burst out laughing in a condescending manner that screamed unfaltering pity. “REALLY?! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE!?! The Scarlet God, The Rampage Wars, The Watcher Rebellion cascade, and all the screwing around you did during the Epoch!? You think it’s that simple, that you’re going to go from evil to good just like that?!” Volf was beginning to laugh so hard that he could not breathe (despite being a god). “Hey, Sepulcher, are you hearing this?! I know you’re listening!”
The effigy finally began to move, groaning quite loudly in frustration. “Yes, Volf, I have been aware of this for some time…” his gravelly voice complained, echoing throughout the hall.
“And you’re okay with this?! We literally just lost The Tyrant War because of him!”
“Given Karnage’s arrogance and the forces backing Sir Blood-Wraith, I doubt my father could have turned things around…” Sanguine pointed out to Volf’s chagrin.
The Sepulcher God averted his gaze and sighed. “I foresaw this coming, just like with Karnage’s defeat. Unlike The Behemoth God, I am not one for vengeance. When one of our soldiers fails, we leave them behind and keep moving forward. We have no room for mediocrity in our ranks. Furthermore, punishing The Crimson God would be a waste of time and effort. If this is the path he chooses to walk, we shall alter our strategy and move forward with our plans regardless.”
The Crimson God faltered for a second, showing a hint of weakness with his left leg twitching for the briefest of seconds. “Well, um, how about that, haha…”
“Did you not think this through, Crimson?” Volf questioned with an incredulous look on his face. “What if me and Sepulcher tried to kill you for that treachery? What would you have done then?”
“Well, um… I um… I would have fled with The Gryphon God and gone about executing my plans…”
Volf glanced outside and saw the god in question looking nervous. “Jeez, him too?” After one last drink, Volf handed the empty bottle to one of his servants and slowly slid his hand down face as he sighed. “So, Crimson, you really want to go back to the light?”
“Yes, yes I do,” he answered with a straightening of his feet.
“Why? There’s no walking away from what we’ve done…”
“Well I’ve had time to study The Scathing Codex and I’ve realized that there are things I should actually be doing with my honors. And there is also a person I need to get close to…”
Volf nodded, thinking about who Sebastian was talking about. “That one guy was supposed to be your actual void caller and not that Edwin person, wasn’t he? Ain’t that the strangest thing… You know what? We are still gods at the end of the day. We’re not supposed to be here in the sphere of man in the first place-we’re archetypes of greatness that man should aspire to, but you might as well get out of here while you still can.” Volf stepped over to The Crimson God and put his hand on his shoulder. “No sense staying if you’ve set your mind to this whole do-gooder nonsense. I can respect that level of determination, as it shows you actually have some grit in there-what it takes to be a big shot. Knock’em dead, Crimson. Make’em laugh, make’em cry, and don’t ever look back.”
The Crimson God was not sure what to think as he stepped away and fidgeted around for a few seconds. He had not imagined he would make it that far, at least not without a fight… “Just like that?” he asked The Sepulcher God.
“I will take our friendship into consideration and give this to you as a favor, Crimson God,” The Sepulcher God said as the effigy went still and silent.
Volf then yawned, feeling incredibly tired. “Well I’m going to go take a nap. Just don’t leave a bomb under my pillow, Crimson…” he stated as he left the grand hall.
“I suppose I can’t convince you to come with me, Sanguine?” The Crimson God innocently asked as he turned to his son.
“I can’t say, father. For now this is the path I walk and I intend to be there for The Sepulcher God through thick and thin. As tempting as it is to join The Tyrant God, I feel Sepulcher could do great things for the Cosmos with the right means and guidance.”
The Crimson God shook his head with a smile on his face. “Could you keep this on the down-low for now?”
“I suppose I’ll also have to play along with that incompetent Sebastian?”
“For now… serve him, drum up the drama a little bit, and make him and the others think nothing of my ambitions.”
“What about Morrigan? She no doubt sensed your eventual betrayal, which is why she was more friendly with you…”
He thought about it for a second, as that was indeed a loose end. “She’ll see us all as villains, which works out for me… for now, at least… I think? Argh, you know what? I’ll handle it when it comes up…” The Crimson God then began to leave the grand hall, still trying to figure out that part of the plan.
“Where are you going, father?” Sanguine wondered.
“Well I can’t stay here, as I’m one of the enemies now. I’m going to get started on my to-do list, as I need to go talk to Beorhtric about something very important to all of us. Oh, and son? Congratulations on your new tower!”
The Gryphon God was uneasy as The Crimson God walked over to mount his back. In truth he had also had second thoughts about his role in The Eternal Order, but to just leave like they were doing? Surely someone was setting a trap for them… The Crimson God reassured his loyal companion and the two took off into the fathomless void. They would never see Sanguine’s Tower again unless they were confronting The Eternal Order itself. It was a strange feeling for the both of them, but it felt right, like they were finally on the correct path. All of the ramifications of their past actions would haunt them for eternity, but it was something they were just going to have to live with. After flying past countless universes and strange realms alike, the two eventually arrived in The Realm of Chaos, albeit in the past. In fact they had arrived at the great stone castle of Beorhtric MacAdams right before Karnage stabbed Wulfric in the back all those years ago.
Beorhtric was gloomy as he stood still in a great chamber deep within the castle, silently watching a giant, amber crystal in the center of the room. Encased inside was a beautiful woman who looked as if she had been ravaged by a disease from before time itself had even existed. He put his hand on the cold, glass-like surface and sighed, trying to hold back a tear. “Someday, Aerona, my love… someday I’ll free you from this plague and we’ll frolic through the fields of the wild flowers you once adored…” There was no point in staying all day, as Aerona could not hear him and he was needed at the Arbiter Sanctuary. He began to slowly trudge out of the chamber as he always did when something made him freeze in his tracks.
“Well perhaps I can be of assistance, Sir Beorhtric MacAdams…”
“THE CRIMSON GOD!?” Beorhtric summoned his bardiche and pointed it straight at the face of his foe, the castle starting to rumble. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! STAY AWAY FROM AERONA, OR SUFFER MY WRATH!”
The Crimson God felt his blood run the coldest it had ever been, more so than during the talk with Volf and The Sepulcher God in Sanguine’s Tower. “Um, parley, Beorhtric? I don’t want to fight you, I just want to help…” The rumbling had stopped, but Beorhtric kept his weapon pointed firm and unmoving. “I have the cure you seek. I promise it will save Aerona, like she was never infected with The Lost Hunger in the first place…”
Beorhtric could not believe what he was hearing and knew there had to be a catch. “You wouldn’t just come here out of the goodness of your black heart…”
“Well first off it’s not black-it’s crimson. Secondly, yes I would…”
“What’s the catch?!” he shot back. “I’m not stupid, you want something in return. We’ve fought for too long for you to just have a change of heart like that.”
The Crimson God groaned as diplomacy with his former enemy was proving more difficult than he thought it would be. “No, I really have had a change of heart… but I’ll admit that I do need something in return…” He then summoned a glowing crystal in his hand that shined with a soft, aqua green light.
Beorhtric went as pale as a ghost as he dropped his weapon, with it hitting the floor with a loud clang. “That’s… that’s a crystalized fragment of the Unanswered Question… How did you even get a hold of something as rare as that?”
The Crimson God chuckled. “One of Karnage’s recruits is trying to harness the power of The Lost Hunger God…”
“By the gods…” Beorhtric interrupted as they walked up to Aerona’s crystal containment. To say he was gravely concerned was an understatement. “You don’t mean…”
“Audoin Dethbrand? Yeah. He’s turned into a real nuisance and Karnage has plans for him. The avatar of the Lost Hunger, Zarthar-Garthar the Iron Singularity, has even come to me for help.” He then handed The Scathing Codex to Beorhtric so he could read about it as he inserted the crystal into a socket in the arcane console, causing the lower region of the giant crystal to glow. “Given the opportunity, I had Zarthar owe me one and now I’m finally cashing in. Aerona will need a second treatment, which I also have. All I need you to do is talk to Schwarzes Biest for me…”
“About what?” Beorhtric asked as he closed the book and handed it back.
“Have him send ULTRAMagic Shadow, Lance, and Richter from ten or so years into the future back in time to help the ULTRAMagic Guild with Valerie Ter Avest when she finally issues her challenge to them.”
Beorhtric looked at him in sheer confusion, unable to rationalize what was being asked of him. “What are you playing at? Do you not realize how much trouble we will all be in if such a plan goes belly up?”
The Crimson God cleared his throat. “Beorhtric, I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to fix and this move will set so many things into motion it’s not funny, benefiting all of us and potentially leading to the defeat of The Eternal Order itself. And not to mention I’ll administer the rest of the cure for Aerona. Honestly you have nothing to lose and all to gain from this, Beorhtric…”
The arbiter was unsure what to think as he stepped away to ponder The Crimson God’s offer. Was it worth it? What would Ealdhelm and the others think if he went behind their backs with such a dangerous deal? At the same time, the first half of the cure was already being administered to Aerona… “This is risky, Crimson God, but if it’ll cure Aerona, I’m in.”
The Crimson God smiled, feeling truly warm for once in a long time. “Thank you, Beorhtric,” he said as he inserted the second crystal into the other socket. “It’ll take time to fully heal her though. And let’s keep this a secret between us for now, okay?”
Beorhtric heartily laughed in triumph, something he had also not done in a long time. “The feeling’s mutual, my boy, as I’m not even sure how I would explain this to Ealdhelm in the first place. Also you look like you’ve been through a lot today. Come and have a cup of tea with me…”
To be continued…
Next: (Before) Prelude
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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The Crimson God was sitting around in Karnage’s Tower, relaxing as he read through The Scathing Codex, waiting for a certain group of individuals to return. He blew his wild, purple hair out of his face as his striking, orange eyes continued to scan the eldritch knowledge of the codex. He knew how everything had gone with The Tyrant war, as it was all according to his plan. With a chuckle at the strange ritual he read about to trick the Lost Gods themselves into doing whatever the caster wanted, he glanced up to see Sanguine standing next to his chair. “Yes, son?” The Crimson God asked as he closed the book.
“Volf, Gudrun, and Anne are about to return, father,” he said in a plain tone.
The Crimson God checked an imaginary watch and stretched his arms with a yawn. “Ha, about time they dragged their butts back here…”
“Father, I’m certain you’re aware of the elephant in the room here…”
He glanced over to the effigy of The Sepulcher God high above them and shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”
Sanguine quietly groaned and turned towards the entrance of the great hall. “Here they come…”
“DAMN IT ALL!” Volf yelled as he kicked the doors open, a disgruntled Gudrun and defeated-looking Anne following behind him. “WE WERE SO CLOSE!!! WE WERE SO CLOSE THAT WE TRIPPED AT THE FINISH LINE. KARNAGE JUST HAD TO GO AND SCREW EVERYTHING UP!!”
“Not so loud, Volf, I have a roaring headache…” Gudrun said as she wandered off to reformulate the rest of her plans. She knew with Teunis breaking free of his prison in five years that she needed to get moving lest she fall victim to his vengeance.
Anne got out the shadow orb and gazed into it as Volf threw Karnage’s junk around. For once she was actually questioning her resolve. “Do… Do I give it to him? My true love?”
Volf then summoned a refrigerator of all things, got out a bottle of beer, and was about to open it… only for his anger to flare up again. He slammed the refrigerator shut with enough force to break it and chucked the bottle at the effigy’s face so hard that it shattered all over it despite how high it had to be thrown. “AND YOU! WHY DO YOU KEEP LETTING THE RABBLE IN AMONGST OUR RANKS!?!” he shouted as the alcohol dripped down the stone face. Volf knew The Sepulcher God was listening. He then snapped his fingers, causing the bottle to reverse in time back to his hand as there was no way he was going to waste good booze like that.
“Temper, temper…” The Crimson God childishly scolded.
Pulling the cork out with his teeth, Volf spit it on the floor and took a swig, choosing to ignore that comment. He quickly realized something, however… something that shook him to his core when it finally hit him. “Wait a second, where were you this entire time? What have you even been doing while we were out on the front lines…?”
“Well firstly I was reading…” he started to respond before something interrupted them. “And here comes failure number two…”
Emerging from a portal of chaotic, sulfuric energy was Sebastian, and he looked like he had just been through a warzone to say the least. His skin was like white marble for some reason, and it seemed like his limbs had been blown off and reattached multiple times. “WHERE!? WHERE WAS MY REINFORCEMENTS!?!"
“Get in line, buddy,” Volf shot back, followed by another swig. “And what in the unholy Lost Era happened to you?”
“SILENCE, WHERE IS KARNAGE!?” he roared in the god’s face, despite being in no position to threaten any of them.
“You are an insufferable prick, you know that, right?” Volf chastised. “Karnage is dead, and that imbecilic Audoin is off on his brain dead Audoan wars. You know, you’re really lucky Karnage is six feet under right now…”
“HE’S DEAD!?! HOW!?!”
The entire tower shook with Volf’s irritation. “DON’T INTERRUPT ME, WHELP! It’s bad enough you were a failure as The Despot God, and you drag your sorry ass back here after having failed for the umpteenth time?! What was it this time? And it better be good…”
“A minor setback! In which General Lunderberg and General Dryden got the best of me, but I vow it will not happen again! The next time I see them I will rip their souls asunder and damn them to the abyss where they belong!” Sebastian declared as he accidentally destroyed a statue of Karnage with his fist that Volf had missed.
“And what in the blue blazes is all this nonsense?” Volf asked as he pinched off a piece of the marble skin, grinding it between his fingers.
The power of Conquest! The return of my plan to claim the power of the four horsemen for myself, ushering in my new world order!!”
The Crimson God laughed. “Oh yeah, that foolish plan…”
“BAH, enough of your bilge!” Sebastian rudely dismissed as he went over to Anne. “Anne, meine liebe, we are not defeated just yet. I know our next target, a foolish Liger Brigade Private by the name of William Ford. He has the potential for ULTRAMagic, and we can steal it from him…”
She took a breath and looked at the shadow orb one more time. “Sebastian, we have lost the battle, but not the war. Will you accept this shadow orb as a promise of my love? So that we may continue this fight?”
Sebastian took the orb and an evil grin stretched across his face. “Of course, and even if our master is dead, we can still continue his ambitions, as is there not an unending amount of things for us to corrupt? Our conquest is still ahead of us and ripe for the taking…”
Volf took a massive swig of his beer and The Crimson God rolled his eyes as the two waxed on poetically about love and being evil. “OH GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!” he chided as he snapped his fingers, a red force kicking the two through a portal back to Earth. “Maybe don’t screw up next time!”
“Ha, good one,” Volf said with a chuckle as he cleared his throat once the portal closed.
“He’s going to use Valentin and Bethany to go after Will… it’s not going to work.”
“Pardon?”
“Remember Waramunt…?” The Crimson God started to say.
Volf shook his head. “No, not him, I mean the other thing I’m sensing.”
“Oh, that… Yes, I tried to bring Will to our side through my other son, Bran Lommel. It did not work, and obviously we know Valentin will just eventually turn on Sebastian. The fool thinks Valentin is wicked like him, or at least that he can guilt him into doing his will… And well, I think you guys saw why that’s not going to happen…”
“Yeah, speaking of that…” Volf growled before sensing someone else arrive. “Oh now what?!”
Sanguine did not look thrilled at all. “Mr. Dirrt is returning…”
“Oh boy, here we go…” The Crimson God moaned as he shook his head.
“POWER!” Rick called out with impotent fury as he ran in, looking like a complete mess. “I NEED MORE POWER! Where’s Karnage!?!”
“He’s dead, dumbass,” Volf answered in the most violently disappointed tone imaginable. “The Tyrant War is over, we lost.”
Rick tilted his head in denial, and it was so oblivious that it was disrespectful. “Excuse me? What was that?”
Volf snapped his fingers, sending Rick flying into a wall, taking out a grand painting of Karnage. “Here, let me say it slower since you’re clearly mentally deficient: KARNAGE. IS. DEAD. NOW-WE. LOST. THE. TYRANT. WAR-YOU. ARE. AN. IDIOT. COWARD…”
“PISS OFF!” Rick snapped back. “Just give me more power and I’ll go kill them all!!”
“FOR THE LOVE OF… This is what I’m talking about, Sepulcher! We’re letting in fools and court jesters!”
As if the situation could not get any more hectic, Valdemaras came running into the hall, looking like he had something important to say. “Master Volf, Master Volf!”
“Oh now what do you want?!”
Valdemaras paused, a bit taken aback by the anger from that response. “Master, the resurrection of The Decay God is going according to plan, but we are in need of something important for the ritual…”
Volf nodded with a smile growing on his face, as he knew exactly what the rat needed and he had it. “See, now this is what I’m talking about! Valdemaras has been getting stuff done! He knows what to do and how to get it accomplished-unlike this idiot ‘streamer’ over here!”
“YOU’RE CALLING ME A RAT!?!” Rick roared, his pathetic anger unable to even shake the room they were in.
“No, because that would be an insult to Valdemaras here!” Volf then produced three strange, glowing orbs from his coat pocket and handed them to him. “Take these, Valdemaras, as they should bring Decay back to what he once was.”
“Thank you, master,” he said as he graciously bowed. “I shall not let you down.”
“You’re fighting the good fight, Valdemaras. In fact if things keep working out, we may be able to give you your father’s old power!”
“Master, I am not worthy!” Valdemaras cried, feeling like a dog who was being showered in praise from his owner.
“You’re worthy in spades, Valdemaras!” Volf then levitated Rick over to the portal he had opened up for Valdemaras. “Go help Valdemaras bring Decay back to his former glory. Don’t screw this up, you miserable ingrate, or I’ll make you regret it!” Rick swallowed hard, nodded, and followed Vlademaras into Universe-0X. Volf then exhaled and looked around the hall. “ARE THERE GOING TO BE ANY OTHER INTERUPTIONS?”
“No, Volf,” Sanguine answered with certainty.
“Good…” Volf magically summoned his automatons, who all stood still ready to receive their orders. “Clean this place up, all of you, and don’t come back to me until it’s spotless…” As his servants got to work, Volf finally turned to address The Crimson God. “You could have won us that battle, but you were nowhere to be found. Spill it…”
“Spill what?” he playfully asked.
“Oh don’t play coy with me, you know exactly what I’m talking about…”
“What? I wanted to do some reading, as that codex is very interesting…”
“Yeah, that codex is interesting, and you’ve been different recently. Pursuing knowledge instead of pleasure? Being reasonable and diplomatic with your followers? Sitting around doing nothing while we’re out busting our backs? I know you’re hedonistic, but this is a little ridiculous and…” Volf looked away for a second to put it all together, then turned back to The Crimson God with a clever smile on his face. “You’re… no, it can’t be… Are you trying to betray us?”
Sanguine glanced over to his father and thought he would be backing up, but surprisingly he was not. “Now what would give you that impression?” The Crimson God questioned back.
“OH GIVE IT A REST!” Volf shot back, having had enough of The Crimson God’s games. “You really think you can just leave us and go join The ULTRAMagic Guild?!” he said with a finger in The Crimson God’s face.
“Why yes, yes I do…” he answered with unbelievable confidence that almost seemed like naivete.
Volf burst out laughing in a condescending manner that screamed unfaltering pity. “REALLY?! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE!?! The Scarlet God, The Rampage Wars, The Watcher Rebellion cascade, and all the screwing around you did during the Epoch!? You think it’s that simple, that you’re going to go from evil to good just like that?!” Volf was beginning to laugh so hard that he could not breathe (despite being a god). “Hey, Sepulcher, are you hearing this?! I know you’re listening!”
The effigy finally began to move, groaning quite loudly in frustration. “Yes, Volf, I have been aware of this for some time…” his gravelly voice complained, echoing throughout the hall.
“And you’re okay with this?! We literally just lost The Tyrant War because of him!”
“Given Karnage’s arrogance and the forces backing Sir Blood-Wraith, I doubt my father could have turned things around…” Sanguine pointed out to Volf’s chagrin.
The Sepulcher God averted his gaze and sighed. “I foresaw this coming, just like with Karnage’s defeat. Unlike The Behemoth God, I am not one for vengeance. When one of our soldiers fails, we leave them behind and keep moving forward. We have no room for mediocrity in our ranks. Furthermore, punishing The Crimson God would be a waste of time and effort. If this is the path he chooses to walk, we shall alter our strategy and move forward with our plans regardless.”
The Crimson God faltered for a second, showing a hint of weakness with his left leg twitching for the briefest of seconds. “Well, um, how about that, haha…”
“Did you not think this through, Crimson?” Volf questioned with an incredulous look on his face. “What if me and Sepulcher tried to kill you for that treachery? What would you have done then?”
“Well, um… I um… I would have fled with The Gryphon God and gone about executing my plans…”
Volf glanced outside and saw the god in question looking nervous. “Jeez, him too?” After one last drink, Volf handed the empty bottle to one of his servants and slowly slid his hand down face as he sighed. “So, Crimson, you really want to go back to the light?”
“Yes, yes I do,” he answered with a straightening of his feet.
“Why? There’s no walking away from what we’ve done…”
“Well I’ve had time to study The Scathing Codex and I’ve realized that there are things I should actually be doing with my honors. And there is also a person I need to get close to…”
Volf nodded, thinking about who Sebastian was talking about. “That one guy was supposed to be your actual void caller and not that Edwin person, wasn’t he? Ain’t that the strangest thing… You know what? We are still gods at the end of the day. We’re not supposed to be here in the sphere of man in the first place-we’re archetypes of greatness that man should aspire to, but you might as well get out of here while you still can.” Volf stepped over to The Crimson God and put his hand on his shoulder. “No sense staying if you’ve set your mind to this whole do-gooder nonsense. I can respect that level of determination, as it shows you actually have some grit in there-what it takes to be a big shot. Knock’em dead, Crimson. Make’em laugh, make’em cry, and don’t ever look back.”
The Crimson God was not sure what to think as he stepped away and fidgeted around for a few seconds. He had not imagined he would make it that far, at least not without a fight… “Just like that?” he asked The Sepulcher God.
“I will take our friendship into consideration and give this to you as a favor, Crimson God,” The Sepulcher God said as the effigy went still and silent.
Volf then yawned, feeling incredibly tired. “Well I’m going to go take a nap. Just don’t leave a bomb under my pillow, Crimson…” he stated as he left the grand hall.
“I suppose I can’t convince you to come with me, Sanguine?” The Crimson God innocently asked as he turned to his son.
“I can’t say, father. For now this is the path I walk and I intend to be there for The Sepulcher God through thick and thin. As tempting as it is to join The Tyrant God, I feel Sepulcher could do great things for the Cosmos with the right means and guidance.”
The Crimson God shook his head with a smile on his face. “Could you keep this on the down-low for now?”
“I suppose I’ll also have to play along with that incompetent Sebastian?”
“For now… serve him, drum up the drama a little bit, and make him and the others think nothing of my ambitions.”
“What about Morrigan? She no doubt sensed your eventual betrayal, which is why she was more friendly with you…”
He thought about it for a second, as that was indeed a loose end. “She’ll see us all as villains, which works out for me… for now, at least… I think? Argh, you know what? I’ll handle it when it comes up…” The Crimson God then began to leave the grand hall, still trying to figure out that part of the plan.
“Where are you going, father?” Sanguine wondered.
“Well I can’t stay here, as I’m one of the enemies now. I’m going to get started on my to-do list, as I need to go talk to Beorhtric about something very important to all of us. Oh, and son? Congratulations on your new tower!”
The Gryphon God was uneasy as The Crimson God walked over to mount his back. In truth he had also had second thoughts about his role in The Eternal Order, but to just leave like they were doing? Surely someone was setting a trap for them… The Crimson God reassured his loyal companion and the two took off into the fathomless void. They would never see Sanguine’s Tower again unless they were confronting The Eternal Order itself. It was a strange feeling for the both of them, but it felt right, like they were finally on the correct path. All of the ramifications of their past actions would haunt them for eternity, but it was something they were just going to have to live with. After flying past countless universes and strange realms alike, the two eventually arrived in The Realm of Chaos, albeit in the past. In fact they had arrived at the great stone castle of Beorhtric MacAdams right before Karnage stabbed Wulfric in the back all those years ago.
Beorhtric was gloomy as he stood still in a great chamber deep within the castle, silently watching a giant, amber crystal in the center of the room. Encased inside was a beautiful woman who looked as if she had been ravaged by a disease from before time itself had even existed. He put his hand on the cold, glass-like surface and sighed, trying to hold back a tear. “Someday, Aerona, my love… someday I’ll free you from this plague and we’ll frolic through the fields of the wild flowers you once adored…” There was no point in staying all day, as Aerona could not hear him and he was needed at the Arbiter Sanctuary. He began to slowly trudge out of the chamber as he always did when something made him freeze in his tracks.
“Well perhaps I can be of assistance, Sir Beorhtric MacAdams…”
“THE CRIMSON GOD!?” Beorhtric summoned his bardiche and pointed it straight at the face of his foe, the castle starting to rumble. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! STAY AWAY FROM AERONA, OR SUFFER MY WRATH!”
The Crimson God felt his blood run the coldest it had ever been, more so than during the talk with Volf and The Sepulcher God in Sanguine’s Tower. “Um, parley, Beorhtric? I don’t want to fight you, I just want to help…” The rumbling had stopped, but Beorhtric kept his weapon pointed firm and unmoving. “I have the cure you seek. I promise it will save Aerona, like she was never infected with The Lost Hunger in the first place…”
Beorhtric could not believe what he was hearing and knew there had to be a catch. “You wouldn’t just come here out of the goodness of your black heart…”
“Well first off it’s not black-it’s crimson. Secondly, yes I would…”
“What’s the catch?!” he shot back. “I’m not stupid, you want something in return. We’ve fought for too long for you to just have a change of heart like that.”
The Crimson God groaned as diplomacy with his former enemy was proving more difficult than he thought it would be. “No, I really have had a change of heart… but I’ll admit that I do need something in return…” He then summoned a glowing crystal in his hand that shined with a soft, aqua green light.
Beorhtric went as pale as a ghost as he dropped his weapon, with it hitting the floor with a loud clang. “That’s… that’s a crystalized fragment of the Unanswered Question… How did you even get a hold of something as rare as that?”
The Crimson God chuckled. “One of Karnage’s recruits is trying to harness the power of The Lost Hunger God…”
“By the gods…” Beorhtric interrupted as they walked up to Aerona’s crystal containment. To say he was gravely concerned was an understatement. “You don’t mean…”
“Audoin Dethbrand? Yeah. He’s turned into a real nuisance and Karnage has plans for him. The avatar of the Lost Hunger, Zarthar-Garthar the Iron Singularity, has even come to me for help.” He then handed The Scathing Codex to Beorhtric so he could read about it as he inserted the crystal into a socket in the arcane console, causing the lower region of the giant crystal to glow. “Given the opportunity, I had Zarthar owe me one and now I’m finally cashing in. Aerona will need a second treatment, which I also have. All I need you to do is talk to Schwarzes Biest for me…”
“About what?” Beorhtric asked as he closed the book and handed it back.
“Have him send ULTRAMagic Shadow, Lance, and Richter from ten or so years into the future back in time to help the ULTRAMagic Guild with Valerie Ter Avest when she finally issues her challenge to them.”
Beorhtric looked at him in sheer confusion, unable to rationalize what was being asked of him. “What are you playing at? Do you not realize how much trouble we will all be in if such a plan goes belly up?”
The Crimson God cleared his throat. “Beorhtric, I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to fix and this move will set so many things into motion it’s not funny, benefiting all of us and potentially leading to the defeat of The Eternal Order itself. And not to mention I’ll administer the rest of the cure for Aerona. Honestly you have nothing to lose and all to gain from this, Beorhtric…”
The arbiter was unsure what to think as he stepped away to ponder The Crimson God’s offer. Was it worth it? What would Ealdhelm and the others think if he went behind their backs with such a dangerous deal? At the same time, the first half of the cure was already being administered to Aerona… “This is risky, Crimson God, but if it’ll cure Aerona, I’m in.”
The Crimson God smiled, feeling truly warm for once in a long time. “Thank you, Beorhtric,” he said as he inserted the second crystal into the other socket. “It’ll take time to fully heal her though. And let’s keep this a secret between us for now, okay?”
Beorhtric heartily laughed in triumph, something he had also not done in a long time. “The feeling’s mutual, my boy, as I’m not even sure how I would explain this to Ealdhelm in the first place. Also you look like you’ve been through a lot today. Come and have a cup of tea with me…”
To be continued…
Next: (Before) Prelude
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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