Fear Itself
Rihaku
The Internet
Fear Itself
Aobaru arrived, carrying Letrizia, as they made final deliberations for the attack. Hunger's glimpse had afforded only a brief examination of the Lord Protector's defenses, and they were at this moment hoping only that Gisena's ultimate would suffice to negate the majority of them, or for the raw power of Hunger's unleashed Pressure to carry the day.
"What happened?" Hunger asked, taking in the bedraggled appearance of his squire. Letrizia grumbled and shifted out of Aobaru's arms, gingerly leaning on one leg as she stood barely supported by his shoulder.
"We got attacked," she said. "The hospital staff told us you were busy summoning something, and the Lord Protector took the window to capture another one of us. It was pretty intense for a moment there."
"But," she conceded with a sigh. "Aobaru saved the day. What a freakishly powerful Element... even my Sharpbright apparently can't compete."
"I made a breakthrough," Aobaru conceded, "But it definitely wasn't my effort alone! Your Pressure did a lot of the work, Hunger, Letrizia, even if Hunger wasn't actively using it. With what I've learned, I should be able to augment you more extensively now. Anyway, how did the summoning go? Are we ready to stage an attack on the LP?"
"There's no need to downplay your achievements," Hunger clapped Aobaru on the free shoulder. "It sounds like you had it rough. I should have anticipated that Augustine would try something like this, especially given her actions against Verschlengorge."
"Augustine?" Aobaru asked.
"The Lord Protector is Adorie's half-sister," Gisena explained. "Concealed beneath a sorcerous shroud! Apparently she was the daughter of the previous King as well as a Foremost remnant. She wields a fragment of Foremost sorcery itself. I'm interested to see how my Nullity will fare against it..."
"I wouldn't bet against Miss Gisena," Aobaru said sheepishly. "That's pretty wild. What does Adorie think about all this?"
"We're still trying to decide on the best way to tell her," Gisena said. "Rank is so vulnerable to one's spirit and emotions, and if her resolve were to falter at this crucial juncture..."
"Nah," Aobaru shook his head. "That girl's strong. She wouldn't give up at a revelation like this."
"So certain!" Gisena raised an eyebrow. "What brought on such absolute conviction, Sir Vigorflame? Or are you perhaps simply speaking from the heart?"
"Um," Aobaru replied, a shade too calmly, "I just have a good eye for this sort of thing. End of the day, the LP's still a tyrant, isn't she? I think the Princess is an idealist at heart, and pretty level-headed. She'll be able to separate her feelings for her sister from the reality of the Lord Protector's policies. This war's already claimed so many lives, there's no other path but forward."
Gisena hummed contemplatively, a sly smile adorning her features, but deigned not to tug any further on that thread.
Hunger coughed.
"Loath as I am to leave you kids exposed again," he said, "We're still going to need you to hold the flanks while Gisena, Adorie and I strike at Augustine's redoubt. You should still be in range of my Pressure which will mitigate most of the risk, so fight aggressively unless you encounter an enemy of my level or greater. In that case, flee immediately."
"You got it, Lord Hunger!" Aobaru saluted. "We'll hold down the fort, unless we have to bravely run away."
"See that you do a better job than last time," Hunger deadpanned. "The hospital was a great feat. What preceded it, not quite. I hope to return once without our allied Legions in disarray."
Aobaru coughed. "I wouldn't count on that, Hunger. Keep the LP occupied and we'll see what we can do, otherwise these guys are pretty much screwed against her."
"Please bring Versch back," Letrizia asked, wincing as she stood forward, putting pressure on her injured leg. "He's... my family has given so much to defend our partnership with him. Every Artriez has returned him in good stead to the keeping of the House. If I fail now, I..."
"We'll save Versch." Hunger nodded. "That's priority number one."
---
Trudging through the despoiled waste of the Lord Protector's defenses was a thoroughly unpleasant affair, thundering waves and sickening pulses of spellfire raining down upon them. His Pressure sufficed to mitigate the damage, but not entirely, as both he and Gisena were conserving their energy in lead-up to her ultimate. What modest damage they took was quickly repaired thanks to his Ring, its supernal force sufficient to overwhelm the host of exotic conditions that accompanied Augustine's spells.
Adorie lent her Rank to his own, buttressing their aegis of spiritual will, but the spatially-warped mire was still a tedious slog, and terminally dangerous were it not for his overwhelming might.
It galled him that he had no recourse but simple strength against this opponent, whose finesse and treachery so comprehensively exceeded his own; but if brute force were the most efficient path to victory, he could hardly turn his back. It was almost enjoyable to be the stronger party for a change, conflict so much smoother than the desperate contests against Vanreir, Seralize or the wizened magus of the Outer Temple. All foes mightier than him, laid low by scheming and tactics. Hunger just had to take care not to assume their mantle against the underdog treachery of his opponent.
Cutting through the territory of their enemy's strength did lend one advantage, however: there was plenty of time for Adorie to come to terms with her half-sister's existence. Luckily the enemy Legions were no more than a strong distraction in the face of his strength, the Ring of Blood alone sufficing to bring them to their knees. Hearts palpitated uncontrollably as blood fluxed and congealed, reeling from the scorn of the Ring its ruler. At close range it was a mostly non-lethal means of dispatching the Legions, which allowed Hunger to fulfill Adorie's request for mercy without overmuch slowing their pace.
"My sister..." Adorie clutched her dress with almost archetypical concern, petite brow furrowed as she took in the news. It was at times still disconcerting to witness the storybook mannerisms of Nilfellian royalty, so graceful and proper that one questioned - whether the Realm of Myth was not the true reality, and the outside world merely its fallen reflection.
"I suppose it would be too much to ask that you spare her as well, Hunger? I cannot begin to understand the tortures she must have gone through to become what she now is. But, I understand if you consider her too dangerous to be left alive."
"I'll defer to our anti-magic specialist on that matter," Hunger said, "But the default stance is that she will be slain, yes."
Adorie's lip quivered, but she nodded slowly in resolution. "...All right. She is the last of my blood but me, but it was by her own hand that such came about. I wish there was more we could do for her..."
"The only way would be to exploit her vendetta against her mother," Gisena commented. "If she's sincere, then she should be willing to turn over power to us in exchange. We'd need some way to enforce the agreement. But, there's no reason to provoke an even stronger magus than Augustine, especially one that hasn't directly influenced the Realm at large. For all we know her mother is still sleeping even now."
"Augustine's thoughts mentioned strongly the resemblance between yourself and her mother," Hunger mused. "Perhaps the Foremost were connected somehow with the Maiden? If so, it bodes well for our chances. It's unlikely that your Nullity would be powerless against her magics in that event."
"But also possible that she's devised a countermeasure," Gisena pointed out. "Such interactions work both ways!"
"That would be disastrous," Hunger said. "If your Sea of Nullity strips me of the Cloak and much of my Rank, but leaves her unaffected, we might actually fall here."
Gisena summoned a ribbon of Nullity, tracing it gauzily with one finger about in the air. "Don't worry about that, silly. I'll just have to develop a countermeasure to her countermeasure! "
At last they reached the border of Augustine's inner dominion, the simple command tent now elevated atop a foreboding pillar, column of earth upthrust from the swamp around and fissured with seams of azure and gold. The Cloak of Sky writhed and snapped, bristling before the form of its nemesis: stone to its air, depth to its void.
The senses swam before that impossible tower, its fell radiance swarming mind and spirit. Augustine's forces dwelt in the corners of the real, their might sufficient to rend soul and sanity; yet he was the envoy of a greater power still, before which even such terrors as this were less than motes in the breeze. He flared the Ring of Crimson, bright burning Blood which brought mere Passion to heel, and even fear itself could naught but yield before its fury.
---
The winner was [X] War with [X] A Burning Spirit.
The time has come. Determine one strategy to face the Lord Protector. All tactical determinations are Hunger's own estimate; the actual capabilities of the Lord Protector may affect the viability of any given plan.
[ ] Cut Through - Penetrate as far as you can before Gisena detonates the Sea of Nullity; the closer to the epicenter the Lord Protector is, the more her effects will be caught by the Nullity. Risky, but has the best chances of an uncomplicated kill once it goes off. It's important to neutralize any spatial displacement effects that could allow Augustine to evade the reach of Hunger's blade or banish Versch to some unknown plane. The Refinement of Quickness would be an imperfect counter to such techniques.
[ ] Slow and Methodical - There's no need to risk things with a hasty assault. The Lord Protector has had subjective hours, possibly even days, to assemble her defenses; if she had decided to liquidate Versch the deed would already be done. Cut down the Tower of Earth with the Artful Thorn and work with Gisena to disassemble as many of the Lord Protector's effects as is practical before charging in. It should only be the work of a few minutes to tear down her preparations of hours. Would potentially leave you open to any sorceries that require your direct presence to enact and minutes, rather than seconds, to do so.
[ ] Quick but Methodical - As above, but use the Refinement of Quickness to substantially hasten the destruction of her preparations. Exhausting, but even a badly drained Hunger should be more than a match for an un-prepared Augustine. ...Right?
*A strategy that is unlocked by Adorie's presence
*Just because it's conditional, doesn't mean it's strictly better than the other options!
*That said, it would be pretty nice to deal with Augustine's defenses without knocking Gisena out or giving the Lord Protector yet more time (with which she might conjure up even more time) to do things.
[ ] Absorb the Tower of Earth [12 Arete, if successful] - Is this really the time for this? Not guaranteed to work.
*Just imagine what the Cloak could be, with earth and sky both bent to your dominion!
*Unlocks a mystery effect as well as one of the following: Immediately gain two Emypreal Signs, Triple the Protection offered by the Cloak, or strongly upgrade the Supreme Enclosure ability (Supreme Enclosure -> Bring To Heel). It is otherwise rarely practical to acquire upgraded versions of Empyreal Signs, which can in some respects match - or even exceed - the glories of the Royal Praxis in the field of magic.
*Tactics and/or omake power can somewhat strengthen your odds of successful assimilation
*You'd still need to deal with her other defenses afterwards, but maybe after such a show of force Augustine would consider giving up or offering reasonable terms!
*If you fail, who knows what could happen? Well, Augustine probably has some idea.
*Is this... bait?
*Still kinda tempting
---
If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider subscribing on Patreon! Subscribers receive lots of patron-exclusive content, including early updates, timed exclusives, Discord roles, and bonus chapters. A huge thanks to existing subscribers, the amount of support has been breathtaking! Even more content is coming to Patrons soon!
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the AST Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting within the Discord.
Aobaru arrived, carrying Letrizia, as they made final deliberations for the attack. Hunger's glimpse had afforded only a brief examination of the Lord Protector's defenses, and they were at this moment hoping only that Gisena's ultimate would suffice to negate the majority of them, or for the raw power of Hunger's unleashed Pressure to carry the day.
"What happened?" Hunger asked, taking in the bedraggled appearance of his squire. Letrizia grumbled and shifted out of Aobaru's arms, gingerly leaning on one leg as she stood barely supported by his shoulder.
"We got attacked," she said. "The hospital staff told us you were busy summoning something, and the Lord Protector took the window to capture another one of us. It was pretty intense for a moment there."
"But," she conceded with a sigh. "Aobaru saved the day. What a freakishly powerful Element... even my Sharpbright apparently can't compete."
"I made a breakthrough," Aobaru conceded, "But it definitely wasn't my effort alone! Your Pressure did a lot of the work, Hunger, Letrizia, even if Hunger wasn't actively using it. With what I've learned, I should be able to augment you more extensively now. Anyway, how did the summoning go? Are we ready to stage an attack on the LP?"
"There's no need to downplay your achievements," Hunger clapped Aobaru on the free shoulder. "It sounds like you had it rough. I should have anticipated that Augustine would try something like this, especially given her actions against Verschlengorge."
"Augustine?" Aobaru asked.
"The Lord Protector is Adorie's half-sister," Gisena explained. "Concealed beneath a sorcerous shroud! Apparently she was the daughter of the previous King as well as a Foremost remnant. She wields a fragment of Foremost sorcery itself. I'm interested to see how my Nullity will fare against it..."
"I wouldn't bet against Miss Gisena," Aobaru said sheepishly. "That's pretty wild. What does Adorie think about all this?"
"We're still trying to decide on the best way to tell her," Gisena said. "Rank is so vulnerable to one's spirit and emotions, and if her resolve were to falter at this crucial juncture..."
"Nah," Aobaru shook his head. "That girl's strong. She wouldn't give up at a revelation like this."
"So certain!" Gisena raised an eyebrow. "What brought on such absolute conviction, Sir Vigorflame? Or are you perhaps simply speaking from the heart?"
"Um," Aobaru replied, a shade too calmly, "I just have a good eye for this sort of thing. End of the day, the LP's still a tyrant, isn't she? I think the Princess is an idealist at heart, and pretty level-headed. She'll be able to separate her feelings for her sister from the reality of the Lord Protector's policies. This war's already claimed so many lives, there's no other path but forward."
Gisena hummed contemplatively, a sly smile adorning her features, but deigned not to tug any further on that thread.
Hunger coughed.
"Loath as I am to leave you kids exposed again," he said, "We're still going to need you to hold the flanks while Gisena, Adorie and I strike at Augustine's redoubt. You should still be in range of my Pressure which will mitigate most of the risk, so fight aggressively unless you encounter an enemy of my level or greater. In that case, flee immediately."
"You got it, Lord Hunger!" Aobaru saluted. "We'll hold down the fort, unless we have to bravely run away."
"See that you do a better job than last time," Hunger deadpanned. "The hospital was a great feat. What preceded it, not quite. I hope to return once without our allied Legions in disarray."
Aobaru coughed. "I wouldn't count on that, Hunger. Keep the LP occupied and we'll see what we can do, otherwise these guys are pretty much screwed against her."
"Please bring Versch back," Letrizia asked, wincing as she stood forward, putting pressure on her injured leg. "He's... my family has given so much to defend our partnership with him. Every Artriez has returned him in good stead to the keeping of the House. If I fail now, I..."
"We'll save Versch." Hunger nodded. "That's priority number one."
---
Trudging through the despoiled waste of the Lord Protector's defenses was a thoroughly unpleasant affair, thundering waves and sickening pulses of spellfire raining down upon them. His Pressure sufficed to mitigate the damage, but not entirely, as both he and Gisena were conserving their energy in lead-up to her ultimate. What modest damage they took was quickly repaired thanks to his Ring, its supernal force sufficient to overwhelm the host of exotic conditions that accompanied Augustine's spells.
Adorie lent her Rank to his own, buttressing their aegis of spiritual will, but the spatially-warped mire was still a tedious slog, and terminally dangerous were it not for his overwhelming might.
It galled him that he had no recourse but simple strength against this opponent, whose finesse and treachery so comprehensively exceeded his own; but if brute force were the most efficient path to victory, he could hardly turn his back. It was almost enjoyable to be the stronger party for a change, conflict so much smoother than the desperate contests against Vanreir, Seralize or the wizened magus of the Outer Temple. All foes mightier than him, laid low by scheming and tactics. Hunger just had to take care not to assume their mantle against the underdog treachery of his opponent.
Cutting through the territory of their enemy's strength did lend one advantage, however: there was plenty of time for Adorie to come to terms with her half-sister's existence. Luckily the enemy Legions were no more than a strong distraction in the face of his strength, the Ring of Blood alone sufficing to bring them to their knees. Hearts palpitated uncontrollably as blood fluxed and congealed, reeling from the scorn of the Ring its ruler. At close range it was a mostly non-lethal means of dispatching the Legions, which allowed Hunger to fulfill Adorie's request for mercy without overmuch slowing their pace.
"My sister..." Adorie clutched her dress with almost archetypical concern, petite brow furrowed as she took in the news. It was at times still disconcerting to witness the storybook mannerisms of Nilfellian royalty, so graceful and proper that one questioned - whether the Realm of Myth was not the true reality, and the outside world merely its fallen reflection.
"I suppose it would be too much to ask that you spare her as well, Hunger? I cannot begin to understand the tortures she must have gone through to become what she now is. But, I understand if you consider her too dangerous to be left alive."
"I'll defer to our anti-magic specialist on that matter," Hunger said, "But the default stance is that she will be slain, yes."
Adorie's lip quivered, but she nodded slowly in resolution. "...All right. She is the last of my blood but me, but it was by her own hand that such came about. I wish there was more we could do for her..."
"The only way would be to exploit her vendetta against her mother," Gisena commented. "If she's sincere, then she should be willing to turn over power to us in exchange. We'd need some way to enforce the agreement. But, there's no reason to provoke an even stronger magus than Augustine, especially one that hasn't directly influenced the Realm at large. For all we know her mother is still sleeping even now."
"Augustine's thoughts mentioned strongly the resemblance between yourself and her mother," Hunger mused. "Perhaps the Foremost were connected somehow with the Maiden? If so, it bodes well for our chances. It's unlikely that your Nullity would be powerless against her magics in that event."
"But also possible that she's devised a countermeasure," Gisena pointed out. "Such interactions work both ways!"
"That would be disastrous," Hunger said. "If your Sea of Nullity strips me of the Cloak and much of my Rank, but leaves her unaffected, we might actually fall here."
Gisena summoned a ribbon of Nullity, tracing it gauzily with one finger about in the air. "Don't worry about that, silly. I'll just have to develop a countermeasure to her countermeasure! "
At last they reached the border of Augustine's inner dominion, the simple command tent now elevated atop a foreboding pillar, column of earth upthrust from the swamp around and fissured with seams of azure and gold. The Cloak of Sky writhed and snapped, bristling before the form of its nemesis: stone to its air, depth to its void.
The senses swam before that impossible tower, its fell radiance swarming mind and spirit. Augustine's forces dwelt in the corners of the real, their might sufficient to rend soul and sanity; yet he was the envoy of a greater power still, before which even such terrors as this were less than motes in the breeze. He flared the Ring of Crimson, bright burning Blood which brought mere Passion to heel, and even fear itself could naught but yield before its fury.
---
The winner was [X] War with [X] A Burning Spirit.
The time has come. Determine one strategy to face the Lord Protector. All tactical determinations are Hunger's own estimate; the actual capabilities of the Lord Protector may affect the viability of any given plan.
[ ] Cut Through - Penetrate as far as you can before Gisena detonates the Sea of Nullity; the closer to the epicenter the Lord Protector is, the more her effects will be caught by the Nullity. Risky, but has the best chances of an uncomplicated kill once it goes off. It's important to neutralize any spatial displacement effects that could allow Augustine to evade the reach of Hunger's blade or banish Versch to some unknown plane. The Refinement of Quickness would be an imperfect counter to such techniques.
[ ] Slow and Methodical - There's no need to risk things with a hasty assault. The Lord Protector has had subjective hours, possibly even days, to assemble her defenses; if she had decided to liquidate Versch the deed would already be done. Cut down the Tower of Earth with the Artful Thorn and work with Gisena to disassemble as many of the Lord Protector's effects as is practical before charging in. It should only be the work of a few minutes to tear down her preparations of hours. Would potentially leave you open to any sorceries that require your direct presence to enact and minutes, rather than seconds, to do so.
[ ] Quick but Methodical - As above, but use the Refinement of Quickness to substantially hasten the destruction of her preparations. Exhausting, but even a badly drained Hunger should be more than a match for an un-prepared Augustine. ...Right?
*A strategy that is unlocked by Adorie's presence
*Just because it's conditional, doesn't mean it's strictly better than the other options!
*That said, it would be pretty nice to deal with Augustine's defenses without knocking Gisena out or giving the Lord Protector yet more time (with which she might conjure up even more time) to do things.
[ ] Absorb the Tower of Earth [12 Arete, if successful] - Is this really the time for this? Not guaranteed to work.
*Just imagine what the Cloak could be, with earth and sky both bent to your dominion!
*Unlocks a mystery effect as well as one of the following: Immediately gain two Emypreal Signs, Triple the Protection offered by the Cloak, or strongly upgrade the Supreme Enclosure ability (Supreme Enclosure -> Bring To Heel). It is otherwise rarely practical to acquire upgraded versions of Empyreal Signs, which can in some respects match - or even exceed - the glories of the Royal Praxis in the field of magic.
*Tactics and/or omake power can somewhat strengthen your odds of successful assimilation
*You'd still need to deal with her other defenses afterwards, but maybe after such a show of force Augustine would consider giving up or offering reasonable terms!
*If you fail, who knows what could happen? Well, Augustine probably has some idea.
*Is this... bait?
*Still kinda tempting
---
If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider subscribing on Patreon! Subscribers receive lots of patron-exclusive content, including early updates, timed exclusives, Discord roles, and bonus chapters. A huge thanks to existing subscribers, the amount of support has been breathtaking! Even more content is coming to Patrons soon!
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the AST Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting within the Discord.
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