Hello people, and welcome back to Frozen: Lords of Storm and Stone. Let's see what our old pal Dietrich has been up to since Elsa kicked his ass...or was it that he got he got himself shall we?
Come morning, Dietrich marched down the stone hallway, ignoring the occasional guard or patrolman. He eventually reached the main quarters where a large number of soldiers were feasting, drinking, and laughing, and walked past them. Some of them spotted Dietrich and they began whispering among themself about his recovery, his capture, and his fights.
Eventually, none other than Adrianna was leaning against the wall in front of him.
"Dietrich, welcome back to the living." She said casually.
"Very amusing." Dietrich groaned.
"What's very amusing to me is that the Red Wolf got his tail handed to him not once, but twice, by the same people." Adrianna said.
"Neither of their victories were honest." Dietrich said seriously.
"Really? That's your excuse?" Adrianna asked.
"I need no excuse." Dietrich said, then Adrianna started laughing.
"Since you got here in the end of November, there were times I thought the Snow Queen harmed you more than even my father's physicians could help you recover from." Adrianna said, then Dietrich continued walking.
"You know me better than that Adrianna." He said seriously.
"Clearly you don't know yourself." Adrianna said casually as Dietrich walked past her, then stopped.
"What was that...?" He asked.
"Come now...you can't handle a single girl who wasn't even trying to kill you. You've forgotten your training." She said seriously
"I forget nothing." Dietrich said.
"Have you forgotten why you want to kill Sigmund in the first place? Is that what was going through your head over the past three or four weeks?" Adrianna asked, then Dietrich quickly turned around and ignited his fists.
"Mind your tongue Adrianna!" He exclaimed.
"Oh...someone's getting awfully angry. Then again, that is your claim to fame...the Red Wolf of Sweden. Do you remember how you got that title?" Adrianna asked, then Dietrich extinguished his flames.
"I will never forget..." He trailed off.
It was nearly a week after the storm that destroyed Dietrich's home, and Adrianna took it upon herself to make certain that Dietrich knew the full extent of his potential. Little did she know that his potential was far greater than she had foreseen; every time they trained together, Dietrich could match Adrianna blow for blow, spell for spell, trick for trick. Adrianna launched a fireball at Dietrich, only for him to absorb it, or throw it back at her, she set the ground on fire under him, and he channeled it into his hands, and unleashed a torrent of fire at her that she redirected into the sky.
When they trained up-close, Dietrich's burning fists were on-par with the claws on Adrianna's fingers which she conjured out of flame. Dietrich's punches were as ferocious as the fire he spreads, and Adrianna's claw swipes did little more than enrage him further. Regardless of the outcome, the look of delight on her face was subtle not even to the most dull-minded of the soldiers under her command.
Eventually...Adrianna ceased to restrain herself, and the speed at which Dietrich's luck ran out was nothing short of staggering. Adrianna conjured a multitude of fireballs, then had them surround Dietrich, then smash into him one at a time from all directions. She used her fire to propel herself into the air and fly like a bird, using her hands and feet to control the direction in which she moves.
It became painfully clear in both the literally and metaphorical sense that Dietrich needed to master these more-advanced techniques.
Once he did, Adrianna took him onto the battlefield, starting with an abandoned village at the foot of a series of hill they were overlooking.
"There is your first target...go!" Adrianna said seriously, then Dietrich jumped, and propelled himself from the top of one hill to another, eventually reaching the shortest hill, then running down the slope. The moment he was in range, Dietrich conjured a fireball, then threw it into the village, then a hapless outlaw who came out of the targeted house didn't even have time to scream before he and the house was incinerated. The rest of the outlaws in each house immediately scrambled to investigate, but the ones who spotted Dietrich were incinerated a moment after.
Dietrich rampaged through the entire village, torching buildings and outlaws alike, with the few outlaws who had ranged weapons releasing bolts and arrows at him, but either miss, or were reduced to ash by Dietrich's fire whips before they could get a clear shot. Adrianna raised an eyebrow at the development before her as Dietrich lashed down outlaws by the dozen, and continued to set the remaining buildings ablaze. Even though Dietrich required a moment in cover to recover his stamina, the damage was nearly done; there was only a minor patch of the village remaining, and it wasn't going to stand for long.
Once he recovered enough, he ran into the last remaining area, then spotted a small group of outlaws retreating.
"Like that will save you..." Dietrich breathed out while conjuring fire in both hands, then he put his hands together and released a gigantic fireball toward the outlaws. When it was in range, he made the fireball explode, and the outlaws were consumed by the explosion. He then looked around at the burning village surrounding him, then absorbed the fire into his body.
Adrianna then walked through the blackened area, and couldn't help but smile and raise her eyebrows at the sight.
"That was most impressive Dietrich. You have mastered skills even I do not possess." She said seriously.
"Such as?" Dietrich asked.
"Your fire whips for starters." Adrianna said.
"I guess..." Dietrich groaned.
"Regardless, you've done well. With these outlaws erased from the world, we are one step closer to restoring peace." Adrianna said.
"Damn your peace. I want to see this Lord of Stone!" Dietrich said seriously.
"Please, in your current state, you wouldn't last one minute." Adrianna said.
"I don't need a minute!" Dietrich snapped.
"You flatter yourself." Adrianna said casually, then Dietrich sighed.
"You saw what I did here." He said.
"You may have learned a new trick on your own, but everything else you learned from me...and I did not teach you everything I know." Adrianna said, then Dietrich glared at her.
"What are you withholding?" He asked seriously, then Adrianna smirked, extended her hand in a distant boulder, then spread her fingers out before the boulder was instantly destroyed in an explosion.
"I lied. You simply lack the power I have...and from the look of things, you always will. Unless you can prove me wrong." Adrianna said before she turned around and walked away.
Later still, Adrianna oversaw Dietrich's future rampages through one nest of society's trash after another, with each one being as destructive, and awe-inspired as the one before it. Dietrich's whips lashed down countless outlaws, his mouth released enough fire to reduce whole palisades to ashes within minutes or moments, and he released fireballs that rendered entire swaths of land uninhabited. Adrianna herself merely oversaw the devastation, but each time she witnessed Dietrich unleash his fury was one step closer to their ultimate goal.
One time, Adrianna was so pleased with Dietrich's affinity for destruction, that she informed Absalom himself, and he oversaw one of Dietrich's rampages alongside Adrianna.
"So, his fury is the key..." Absalom trailed off.
Eventually, Dietrich was brought to Absalom's throne room, in his castle.
"You must be Lord Absalom." Dietrich said.
"If you know who I am, then you know why I summoned you." Absalom said, then Dietrich folded his arms.
"More pests to exterminate?" He asked casually.
"And I thought Adrianna's bloodlust was staggering. No, I am curious as to how much you know of the Lord of Stone." Absalom said.
"Only that he is the one who failed to save my home, and he will be punished for it." Dietrich said seriously.
"Then you do not know him half as well as you should. He is a man who's entire life has revolved around war itself. By my count you have destroyed no less than nine strongholds full of people that were beyond redemption, but Sigmund is capable of that and more." Absalom said.
"You flatter him..." Dietrich groaned.
"And you underestimate him. He is not a common land baron you can intimidate into submission, if he was, I would have defeated him long ago. His magic lets him bend the earth around him to his will, which means he can not only destroy, but repair, reform...create." Absalom said.
"Interesting..." Dietrich said.
"Trust me when I say you will need far more than your affinity for destruction to defeat him, and take your vengeance." Absalom said.
"I'm listening..." Dietrich trailed off, then Absalom stood up.
"Come with me..." He said.
Dietrich followed Absalom to the dungeon of Castle Absalom, then some soldiers attached Absalom's plate armor to Dietrich's body in the middle of the room.
"I do not need any protection!" Dietrich growled.
"This armor is modeled after my own, and it is for something much better than protection." Absalom said.
"What?" Dietrich asked.
"It seems as though your power is tied directly to how furious you are...which is more than alittle intriguing for me personally." Absalom said.
"Why?" Dietrich asked, and Absalom pointed at the door.
"Leave us." He said.
"Yes my lord." A soldier said then the soldiers exited the chamber one by one.
"How much do you know of your powers, specifically about where it comes from?" Absalom asked.
"I don't know, and I fail to see why it matters." Dietrich said.
"Very well then...Have you heard of the Lodge of Sacred Stars?" Absalom asked.
"No. What about them?" Dietrich asked.
"I...acquired some of their research some time ago. According to them, the sun is the greatest source of fire in the world, and every now and then fragments of its heart are bestowed upon certain people, granting them magics that defy comprehension. As fortune would have it, you and Adrianna are two such people." Absalom said, then Dietrich ignited his hand.
"So that's where it comes from..." He said.
"Indeed. I wasn't certain as to where you acquired your power, but your campaign against the vermin of these lands has convinced me." Absalom said.
"But that doesn't explain this armor, or why you need me when you already have Adrianna." Dietrich said.
"In your case...well, let's just say I'm sympathetic. As for the armor itself, are you aware that Sigmund's armor is specially designed to give him a resistance to my powers? Well that armor is meant to do the opposite." Absalom said.
"So...it doesn't resist your powers at all?" Dietrich asked.
"No...it channels it through the wearer's body." Absalom said.
"Then why aren't you the one wearing it?" Dietrich asked seriously, then Absalom sighed.
"I'm sorry for this..." He breathed out.
"For what?" Dietrich asked...before Absalom's hand sparked with lightning, then he released it on Dietrich who immediately started screaming, and fell to the ground spasming uncontrollably until Absalom stopped.
"You may have grown stronger since your campaign began, but it is time I lent you...assistance, first-hand." Absalom said as Dietrich picked himself up and started growling.
"You call this assistance!?" He asked before Absalom continued making him scream and spasm by shocking him.
"As it stands, Adrianna is far more powerful than you, even if your rage were to completely consume you, you would not be able to defeat Sigmund without Adrianna's help. However...I can feel my power sharpening your own, and that is my gift." Absalom said.
"What...?" Dietrich whispered.
"Sigmund is capable of not only bending the earth, but also increasing the amount of earth he has at his disposal. I however can use my own magic to effect other kinds of magic...or material." Absalom said, then Dietrich tried to pick himself up...only to fall down.
"Then why...are you trying to...kill me...?!" He growled, before Absalom shocked him once again.
"You feel pain, however...I am not the one inflicting it." He said.
"Liar!" Dietrich yelled, then Absalom shocked him again.
"Your body is untouched by the heat of my lightning; what you feel is the effect it has on your body itself. Your magic is simply reacting...with results similar to what would happen if you did not have magic in the first place." Absalom said.
"Shut up!" Dietrich yelled before sitting up and spewing a torrent of fire out of his mouth at Absalom...who created a barrier out of lightning which made the fire wash over him harmlessly until the fire storm ended.
"You've already improved dramatically, with and without your rage." Absalom said simply, then Dietrich stood up.
"Don't ever do it again...!" He growled.
"That depends on whether or not you can focus this newfound power as much as you did when you used your fire whips." Absalom said.
"Funny...Adrianna mentioned how impressive that was before..." Dietrich trailed off.
"She is not wrong Dietrich; that requires a level of focus which otherwise has been uncharacteristic of you." Absalom said.
"Don't insult me old man..." Dietrich said.
"A lack of focus does not equal a lack of power, but enough of that...I have a task which requires your attention." Absalom said.
"Then get me out of this-" Absalom cuts Dietrich off.
"No, keep the armor on. You will need to get used to it for the coming trials." Absalom said.
"What...?" Dietrich asked.
"Follow me and find out." Absalom said seriously before he lead Dietrich out of the dungeon.
For the next campaign, Dietrich followed a small army of Absalom's soldiers against a fort full of outlaws, and the soldiers exchanged musket fire with the outlaws as Dietrich observed while still wearing his armor. The outlaws, and the soldiers alike were shot dead or were simply hurt, and Dietrich stood there trembling with fury. He was told by Absalom to not interfere...but each time he watched his fellow soldiers die, it became harder and harder to follow his orders.
Meanwhile, Absalom and Adrianna watched from the top of a cliff, and Adrianna observed the entire battlefield, as Absalom observed Dietrich.
"Shouldn't we tell Dietrich that most of our soldiers aren't much better than the outlaws?" Adrianna asked.
"No...Dietrich needs as much power as he can acquire, and his wrath is the key as much as ever." Absalom said.
"He's not going to obey you forever." Adrianna said.
"I don't expect him to." Absalom said, then Dietrich conjured a fireball over his head, then yelled as loud as he could as he unleashed the fireball into the fortress's front gate.
"Well that did it..." Adrianna said.
"Alright Dietrich...let us see what you can do when you're weighed down." Absalom said as Dietrich used his fire to propel himself into the air, then flew over and around the fortress, torching everything in sight. The rest of the soldiers retreated from the fortress, and simply watched Dietrich turn the fortress into a giant bonfire. Amazingly, the armor he wore did nothing to slow him down, or make him less aggressive...what if he wasn't weighed down by the armor?
Eventually, Dietrich landed in the middle of the blaze, and observed his work as the fires crackled around him as furiously as their master lit them.
"Well, congratulations are in order." Adrianna said casually.
Come night time, the army returned to Castle Absalom, with Dietrich being relieved of his armor, and summoned before Absalom in front of his army.
"Dietrich, you were weak when you first arrived here, but now you have grown to suit a station that is far beyond that of every man behind you. Now, take this gift...and put it on." Absalom said seriously as Adrianna handed Dietrich the same leather suit he wears in the present.
"It's over there." Adrianna said while pointing at the barracks, then Dietrich groaned before he went to the barracks. When he went inside, he looked for a suitable place to put it on. When he finished, he moved his arms and legs about; the difference between it and the armor he wore was black and white.
Eventually, he came out of the barracks fully sheathed in his suit, and the soldiers gave him their full attention.
"Soldiers! Salute the Red Wolf of Sweden!" Absalom yelled, then the soldiers raised their weapons, and began shouting to the sky.
In the present day, Dietrich looked over the very courtyard in which he first received his status, and pondered what it meant. He lost his family, friends, and even some animals he was close to...but is that worth the glory and status he acquired? Would it still be worth it after he made Sigmund and his ilk suffer for their transgressions? Would he be able to continue destroying in order to save the people he hasn't destroyed?
"What does it matter...? What's done is done, and I will not let Sigmund's failure go unpunished, just like I never did." Dietrich breathed out.
Well...that was one hell of a montage, if you can call it that. But at least more of Dietrich's past is laid bare for those who care, not that rhyme wasn't intentional, but I'm not going to argue with it. Anyway, that's one of many bad guy chapters that'll happen at some point in the future. When will those chapters happen? I don't know, and if I find out...I'll never tell. So please continue to Rate, Review, and Share until they swing our way. Stay Tuned.