ULTRAMagic Interlude

Chapter 3

"I have to say, Blood, You've stirred up quite the commotion over in Shadowland" Barna said before taking a drink from his mug.

"We have? Already?" Blood-Wraith asked. "Were we gone for that long?"

Aureolus swallowed his food and nodded. "Yeah. I'd say you were gone for about a week."

"It took Radovan that long to get to you," Barna continued. "He can only go so fast. Now I got a contact over in Shadowland. He's a doctor who goes by the name Claudius Alfieri. He's probably an outsider given the odd name. Either way, he's been keeping Dunja and Milosh on their toes by spreading disease amongst their ranks..."

Blood-Wraith was shocked. "Goodness!"

"All's fair in love and war, Blood," Corentin added.

"Ha, I'd argue that's fairly civil compared to what Sten's doing" Barna replied. "He's been going to town with his greatsword. I crafted the bloody thing and had no idea he planned to use it for battle. I thought it was just going to be a badge of honor or some kind of ornament, but no. He's definitely been putting it through its paces."

"Can you tell us more about his majesty, Barna?" Vexation inquired.

Barna cleared some food from his throat. "Well first things first: He gives me and Claudius the chills. King Sten Haugen is a 9 foot tall giant, built like a mountain, and looks like he just emerged from a crypt. He and my brother are friends, but I can tell that Sten can easily spot his flaws."

Blood-Wraith was trying to wrap his mind around someone being taller than his dad and Englehart. Both were already 7-8 feet tall. "So what kind of king is he?"

"From what Claudius tells me, he's incredibly stern, yet fair. You have to work to earn your keep in Shadowland, but Sten will make sure that you can serve the kingdom in some way. Also people who start yellin' at him tend stop and lose their nerve. Sten has this deadpan stare when he gets annoyed. My brother has stated numerous times that he admires that level of fortitude... but it's debatable whether or not that's fortitude if you ask me."

"Hmm, that makes me wonder if he isn't related to The General of Old..." Vexation wondered. "...he also had a very stoic approach to adversity."

"Well whatever the case, King Sten sounds like a fine enough king" Aureolus stated.

"Aside from the sternness..." Blood-Wraith interjected. "So, Barna, while we're here: can I ask about Corentin? Specifically, why does he look the way he does? No offense, Corentin. It's just that I always wondered why he doesn't look like the others."

Before Barna could answer, Corentin spoke up. "You know? I've always wondered about that myself. My torso is some kind of rubber, my bones are metal, and the rest of my body makes use of heavy duty stitching. Ha, did something happen to mom during my birth? Father?"

"Son... oh boy. Son, You don't have a mother..." Barna looked a little uncomfortable, but remained firm.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ahem, you don't have one because I created you."

Corentin took a second to process this. Once it hit him, he was beside himself in disbelief. "You created me... just... why then?"

"Well, it all started back when that rat Milosh caused your grandfather to go off on his own so he could come back and humiliate him. Gunnar went missing, brother took the throne, and I inherited my dad's mission. I thought about it for a while until I had an idea: Since I hadn't found the woman for me yet, why not create a son? It was perfect..."

Corentin cut him off. "Hold up. Why didn't you get married afterwards?"

"Like I said, I haven't found the woman for me yet." Blood-Wraith made a note of this for some reason. Barna resumed. "Making a second Philosopher's Stone for a Corentin was a pain and there were a few SNAFUs while making his body, but hearing my boy cry for the first time brought a tear of joy to my eye..." Aureolus and Blood-Wraith were enthralled at this point. "... and the pathetic look on Milosh's face when he saw my boy blowing him the raspberry was a nice bonus."