No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2

Chapter 61: Sorcerer Supreme (Part 1)

Tony Stark's energy slowly strengthened as Victor Strange reached the west side of the Kamar taj. Victor noticed the inventor was physically there, down in the lower levels… where the weapons and artifacts for the Mystic Arts were normally forged.

The baby Strange made his way down the steep set of stairs. He noticed an orange glow as he reached the bottom, so he stopped. Tony's energy was warmer than normal, and the glow that he saw seemed brighter. It kind of, burned? Victor puzzled over it for a moment, then he glanced back up toward the Kamar taj surface. There was an old door at the bottom of the steps as well, and for once, the door was closed.

Victor knocked a couple times, then he waited.

An anxiety was building up, and Victor wasn't sure why. He adored Tony Stark. In fact, the baby Strange envied his presence, his charm and confidence. Victor wanted to be just like him, but he never gave the notion enough thought. Victor became impatient after a moment, and he gently made his way into the ancient workspace. The Sorcerer Supreme walked down into that lab, and the orange glow got even brighter.

Ahhh.. Victor understood his situation right away. He realized why his anxiety was picking up, and it had nothing to do with Tony Stark. The familiar scene had changed around him as soon as he entered the work space. The room filled with the color gold, then orange, yellow, and finally fire engine red. Gold really dominated that space after a bit, and Victor could see that he was actually standing in a sea of tall grass. The baby sorcerer understood he was taken somewhere else…

Hoggoth. It became clear that Victor was standing in the plains of Hoggoth's realm.

How cool. Even the temperature picked up. Victor looked all around him, and he wondered where Tony was hiding. It was either Tony or Hoggoth, or both? Victor's anxiety switched to excitement. He smiled as he looked around the beautiful realm. It was an unexpected surprise, because the baby Sorcerer Supreme was looking for Tony to ask him for some advice.

He didn't expect to encounter one of the Vishanti, so his soul started wigging out. Victor decided to speak to the tiger-like beast, just in case Hoggoth was watching him. Victor said hello, then he waited. The anticipation behind seeing someone or something was getting pretty brutal. Victor touched some of the gold-colored grass, and he started looking through it a bit more carefully.

Maybe, Hoggoth was laying around in the grass? He read somewhere that Hoggoth liked to sun bathe, as if he was an actual member of the "Big Cat" family. Ahhh… the Cloak of Levitation decided to join Victor as he walked through the tall grass. His gift from Stephen revealed itself, so Victor glanced down at his right shoulder.

"I think we're safe. Chill out."

The cloak had a mind of its own. Victor could feel it closing in around his arms and shoulders as he walked. It seemed like the cloak was being protective in that moment. Victor told the cloak that he felt safe. He said that he knew he was safe, because Hoggoth was nothing like Agamotto. The baby Strange told his brother's gift that there had to be a temple out there somewhere, but venturing out wasn't the best plan.

He didn't want to get lost in Hoggoth's realm.

Maybe, turning back was a better idea? Victor started thinking it was better if he spoke to Tony in a different way. The baby Strange glanced behind him, but the set of stairs were long gone. The tall gold grass seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Victor took in the sight as best he could, because the Cloak of Levitation started acting weird. It started moving over his shoulders, and the artifact pulled Victor's focus back in the opposite direction.

Victor's heart froze up for a sec, because he immediately saw Tony as soon as he turned back around. Tony was standing several feet away, and there was this massive ….SUPER TIGER standing there behind him. That shit was crazy cool, and Victor's soul was just about to burst. His mouth dropped down as soon as he saw them. The baby Strange couldn't speak for shit.

Tony smiled at Stephen's adorable brother, then he glanced up toward that giant cat. Hoggoth expanding his physical form was something new, but Tony didn't ask. His conversation with the Vishanti beast was directed more toward Victor's amulet, but then... the baby Sorcerer Supreme came knocking. His arrival was perfect timing, and Tony almost asked if that was a Strange trait.

Perfect timing for a Strange felt like the perfect punchline, but Tony refrained from sharing his thought.

"Uhhmahh…am I interrupting something?"

"Nope. Not at all Vic."

The Sorcerer Supreme was always welcome there in Hoggoth's realm. Rain or shine. Tony was clearing the path to make that notion a reality for Victor, so he held onto his smile as he took in his appearance. The baby Strange looked adorable, and Tony was happy to see a part of Stephen wrapped around Victor's shoulders. He took a second to process the scene before him, then he brought the amulet he made out of hiding.

Victor saw what Tony had in his hands. He blinked a couple times, to keep his eyes from filling up with a bunch of baby tears. Victor was trying not to be so emotional, or affected by stuff like that. Tony Stark making him something was supposed to be …

"Hoggoth really wants to protect you. He loves your energy, and he's already fused himself within this amulet. I'll teach you how to use it, if you're ready?"

Tony already knew the answer. He also knew that Victor was frustrated with something as he made his way down into Hoggoth's realm. Tony felt his sadness, and he saw it on his face when Victor was transported into the realm. Tony wanted to get to the bottom of what was frustrating him, but going over the amulet needed to happen first.

Victor just about choked when he heard what Tony said, and his baby heart just about burst when he got a good look at that amulet. Tony saw how Victor's beautiful emotions took over, and he welcomed that reaction.

Chapter: END

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