“Will he be alright in there?” Alice questioned with furrowed brows as she stared at Kazius’ shadow. The idea of someone trapped in there had to be a bit disturbing.
“We need him alive, don’t we?” Alice added.
This relieved Kazius. For a second, Kazius was worried she regretted her suggestion to move things forward. It was too late now, though.
“I think he will be... Alive.” Kazius admitted, not sounding so sure with his own words. That was of course because he wasn’t so convinced.
“Maybe we should have tested that out first?” Alice asked, clearly concerned. They needed a spectacle to calm any unrest from the Frost Giants… After all, Egil’s death was intended to be used as a show of good faith.
“On who?” Kazius questioned. After all, his actions were questionable, but they were all a means to an end. In the end, he had good intentions; he was no homicidal maniac.
Or so he told himself, anyway.
“True. I guess this is as good of a chance you will get to try that as any. I’m sure he will be fine… We travel using your shadows anyway.” Alice agreed, realizing that with a power like Kazius’… There was only one way to find out what some things would do… And that was by just trying things out.
Kazius was unsure whether to remind Alice that the only reason they were safe doing that was because he was there with them. They had permission and his protection. Egil was in the shadows alone…
Then again, he supposed The Shadows would not do anything that would cause a problem for him. Egil would live… He hoped. Though Kazius was not so sure about the mental state he would come out in. Darkness brought a strange comfort to Kazius… But the part of him that was not a Shadow Fiend understood the horrors it would bring anyone else.
Kazius felt like he would normally feel worse for Egil over such a fate, but while he did feel a bit bad… He could not bring himself to care about it too much.
‘Oh well, I am sure it is fine. My friends are safe… They will all be okay. That is what matters. Nothing else is important.’
“Now that all of that is over, I think we should address Vargstam properly. I am sure that the people are restless. They will have questions. I could talk to them if you don’t want to.” Alice admitted in concern.
“It is okay, I will talk to them… Then after that, I will have to go with Isolf for a while. I would love to have you with me when I go, but you are the only one that I can count on to keep things together here. If I leave Azanor and Eve with you, you won’t be alone. You all should be safe together. I will take Damon with me… Maybe Caleb too.” Kazius stated as he looked at Alice in concern, trying to think about things.
Alice looked surprised at the selection Kazius had made, she seemed to think a bit. She looked a bit disappointed as well. She likely had wanted to go with him. Kazius wanted her to as well… He… He didn’t really like the idea of not being close to her, even if he did not want to admit it to himself. Still, there was no one more competent that could be left in charge. Caleb needed experience and he was still far too timid. It was actually the reason why he was taking him along.
If Kazius was to become Monster King… There would come a day when they may have to leave Vargstam for a while. It would be when things were more stable of course… But with Egil gone… Kazius needed someone else who was competent and could stay behind but was also loyal.
Egil had some good experience now with teaching the kids of Vargstam so he could get used to talking to large groups… And the events during The Frost Giant attack helped too, but they had been babying Caleb a bit still. He was a powerful Wizard… And Kazius knew he could be so much more in the future.
Kazius did not believe that just as a friend, but also just as an objective observer. It would be wasteful to allow a descendant of Zelphar to lock himself in his room and do nothing but read books. It proved to be insufficient experience… Luna proved how important practical knowledge was.
Of course, Eve was the better Wizard in their group… But considering her scrambled mind, they had to find a way to fix her mind first… Then again, perhaps Azanor could be a good enough teacher to help her relearn what she had lost.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Alice looked a little dejected, but nodded, thinking over his decision. It was clear she knew that his plan was the best course of action.
“Alright… Please be safe though.” Alice begged, giving up on any sort of argument.
“I will, come on.” Kazius assured with a small smile.
With that, the two headed back to Vargstam. Caleb had done his job and gathered everyone. Azanor and Eve were nowhere near in sight. It was clear Azanor had decided it was best to be alone with Eve for a while so he could calm down.
Memory or not, Eve clearly cared about him a lot. Where he went, she followed. That had to count for something.
As for Damon, he likely was still with Isolf so he was also not around. If all the whispering said anything though, it was clear that many had seen Damon and Isolf come by with Reimdir’s body.
“The Chief is here!” exclaimed one of the people, clearly relieved to see Kazius. After all, with Vind gone… Kazius and his friends were their main source of protection.
“Yes, everything will be alright. I can promise you that. I am sure you all have a lot of questions about what is happening. As you are already aware… We had a meeting with The King of The Frost Giants. The goal of this meeting was peace… It was going well, but Egil took it upon himself to kill The King of The Frost Giants. While I know that many of you still have your resentment towards the Frost Giants… I believe it is in our people’s best interest to create peace. There are too many enemies out there worse than them, we can’t afford to shed any more blood…” Kazius stated, his voice loud and authoritative.
“With the death of their King… After they came here in good faith to negotiate with us… Egil has been sentenced to death… I am sure many of you will not be happy with this decision… But without Vind’s protection, remember… Now is not a time to weaken ourselves with unnecessary bloodshed. Without our negotiations, Egil’s betrayal could have led to even more death for Vargstam. That is why I talked it out with the Prince… And it has been decided we will unite into one Kingdom… The Frost Giants will become our brethren…” Kazius continued. He purposefully paused here.
“We can’t surrender our town to them!” Exclaimed one person.
“Egil must have had his reasons!” Exclaimed another.
“You misunderstood me. We are not submitting ourselves to them… I would never allow such a thing. I care about Vargstam too much. I am your Chief… I care about you too much to do such a thing.” Kazius assured. He then smiled at them.
“They are submitting to us. Starting today… I am no longer your Chief… I am your King. And I can promise you one thing. While Vind may flee and abandon you, I never will… While Egil may betray us… I will not… I intend to combine the resources of both our people and The Frost Giants to make Vargstam the most impressive capital the world has ever seen… Anything other than never-ending prosperity is failure. I will not stop here either… Vargstam is my home… It is all of our homes… We will become a shining example where all sorts of people will get together. We will be the envy of the continent. So I ask you now… Just like you put your faith in me… And agreed to make me Chief… Will you have me as your King?” Kazius questioned, extending out his hand in gesture.
Considering everything that happened until now… There was no reason for his people to not trust him. Education, security, structures, and even plentiful food. They had seen prosperity with Kazius as Chief. Of course, a lot of it was thanks to Alice, Damon, Azanor, Caleb, and even Eve’s actions… So, while Egil was one of them, the one they looked at for guidance was Kazius, not Egil. The one that protected them during the attack had already been an outstanding Chief… And now he was promising to grow Vargstam into something they had never imagined before… A kingdom.
Their concerns melted away, it seemed they no longer assumed the worst… Instead... It turned quickly into joyful cheers.
Kazius smiled, satisfied. For all his questionable decisions, he loved Vargstam. Even if his actions were mixed with lies, he meant one thing. He intended to make Vargstam into something that would put Ratier to shame… Even Veleno… This was a small step, but he was just getting started.