Part 61
Elven Ruins. The Continent
The portal led us to what seemed to be some ancient ruins. The air here was breathable, and thanks to our wands, we had plenty of light, so we could see enough as we explored the ruins around the portal, and there was plenty enough for us to see despite only having walls around us.
By the looks of things, no one had been here for many years, maybe centuries, aside from the person who had left noticeable footprints in the stone dust for us to follow. I was not a tracker, but they looked to be the footprints of a man who wore shoes of a modern style. Not something you'd expect to see in an ancient ruin.
This meant that even without the Wayfinder, which, as it turned out, could be set to find a specific relic—in this case, the wand of Sirius Black, which he had been buried with and had been restored with the rest of him—we would have known where to go.
Not that anyone besides Heather seemed to be in a rush to chase after Sirius and even she got distracted by the strange place we had found ourselves in. To be fair, for all she knew her sort of uncle was wandering around stone corridors looking for an exit.
"I've never seen any place like this before," mentioned Hermione. "We might really be in another world".
Of course, I'd told them all that the portal led to another dimension, a universe separate from their own, somewhat like my pocket dimension only much larger, these ruins could be part of an infinite plane of existence or a fantasy world straight out of some book.
However, being told that wasn't the same thing as seeing it for yourself. There are no words that quite capture the feelings you experience when you find yourself in a whole new world, and you don't end up having an embarrassing panic attack about it.
While I'd switched universes before, and so I shouldn't be so overwhelmed, I couldn't help wandering around a bit, trying to figure out where we'd ended up. I hoped it was another 'fictional' universe, one that I knew a lot about, because then at least we'd have my knowledge to help guide us.
There was something familiar about the portal on this end. The stone arch was smaller on this side and built into a simple stone wall.
Spoiler
It didn't match the portal found in my pocket dimension, and I had no idea why that was. Nor did it look like I had any way of finding out.
"Darius, do you have any idea where we are?" asked Luna.
I did not. I knew very little about portals since I'd never studied them. Most of my attention over the nine months or so had been focused on learning advanced Elder Scrolls magic so I could learn how to manipulate souls and bring back the dead.
It was only thanks to the Oghma Infinium that I hadn't fallen behind in my classwork.
"How did Sirius get stuck here?" Heather wondered. "Are we stuck?".
As it turned out, we were not. Even if we hadn't had my special library card, which turned any door into a way into my pocket dimension, the portal at this end had a crystal by it that seemed to require a bit of charging with magic before the portal would open.
"It can't be possible to make a portal with such little magic," mused Hermione.
This allowed us to return to my pocket dimension, and once we knew we could use this portal to get back, I took the crystal so only we could use it. I assumed that Sirius had thought to cast some spells on the crystal since, while he might be foolish enough to go through the portal.
No, he wouldn't just abandon Heather even if he wasn't her godfather, the man could be reckless and he was a bit of a fool, but he was loyal to the people he cared about.
"I think the crystal is a kind of key to stop anyone who isn't a mage from using the portal," I said to Hermione. "The amount of magical energy required to make a stable gateway to another universe must be staggering".
Heather sighed before speaking.
"Darius, Hermione, you two can uncover the secrets of multiverse travel later. Sirius is the closest thing I have to family, so can we please focus and save the fleabag?" she requested.
The Wayfinder wouldn't take us directly to Sirius unless he was very nearby because the device was meant to take us on some kind of adventure when used, but it would put us on the right path, so I let the device lead us through the ruins.
As we moved through the stone corridors, we saw no evidence that the civilization that built this place ever got past the Stone Age, but metal things can rust away, and anything organic would have long since decayed.
As for Heather's remark, she wasn't wrong. The study of the portals we had access to could unlock the means to visit many more worlds in the future. Yet it could wait, and it would likely require years of investigation. Assuming this adventure didn't get us killed we had time to study such magic.
"Is it me, or is it suddenly getting colder?" questioned Luna.
Now that she'd mentioned it, I was noticing a drop in temperature. This might mean we were getting close to a way out of here.
We pressed on through the increasingly chilly corridors, the cold air nipping at our faces. Parts of the walls, which were made from stone blocks, bore intricate carvings that hinted at an ancient and forgotten civilization. Patterns and symbols carved into the stone had survived the centuries, their meaning lost to time.
Heather was at the front, determined and focused, the Wayfinder clutched tightly in her hand, as she insisted on using it as we moved deeper into the ruins. Once we found Sirius, I would simply retune the device to lead us back home and to the portal. I had tested this already since I wasn't stupid.
"Look at these carvings," Hermione said, her voice tinged with excitement. "They're incredibly detailed. This civilization must have been highly skilled with stonework".
I'd never seen stonework like it, and this place was massive. It would have taken generations to finish unless some powerful magic was involved.
"We can always come back one day for a proper look around," I reminded her.
She was still disappointed.
"Yes, I suppose finding Sirius is more important right now," Hermione conceded.
Luna, ever the keen observer, paused to run her fingers along one of the carvings.
"These patterns... they remind me of something. I just can't put my finger on it," she said.
She had a way of seeing the world that was different from other people, so it wouldn't surprise me to discover she could see a pattern when others couldn't.
"Keep moving," Heather called back to us. "Like I said before, you can figure out the ancient mysteries later".
As we continued, the temperature dropped even further. Frost began to form on the stone walls, and our breath became visible in the cold air.
Eventually, the Wayfinder led us to a large, open chamber. The ceiling was high, supported by massive pillars that disappeared into the darkness above. At the centre of the room stood what I guessed to be an altar. Quite a few large men in skeleton-themed armour were crowding around a figure I couldn't quite see. Yet given that the Wayfinder had led us to where Sirius's wand should be then it should be the man himself.
"Mortals, this does not concern you. Leave now while you still have the chance," said the figure who I assumed to be the leader of this creepy band.
Heather tightened her grip on the Wayfinder, her face set with determination when I took a second to glance at her.
"We're not leaving without Sirius," she declared, stepping forward.
Slowly, the leader of the spooky warriors took a few steps towards us. I still could not get a proper look at him, if it was a man, and there was something about him that seemed familiar.
"The one you seek is our prisoner" he said "Leave now or you will join him".
I could feel the tension rising among us.
"We don't want any trouble," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "We just want our friend back".
Both sides seemed to be trying to avoid a fight, but I didn't think we'd manage it.
"He's with us" Heather insisted, her wand raised and ready.
Hermione and I moved to flank her, our wands also at the ready. Luna hesitated for a moment, as she was a child of peace, but she would stand with us.
The skeletal-themed warriors began to close in, their weapons glinting menacingly in the light from our wands. I could see Sirius now, he was chained up and looking worse for wear but alive. I wondered why he didn't change into his dog form. Did he have his wand?
Heather didn't wait for any sort of signal. She aimed her wand at the leader and shouted, 'Expelliarmus!' The leader's weapon flew from his hand, clattering to the ground. At that moment, all hell broke loose.
Hermione and Luna joined in, casting spells to fend off the advancing warriors with the spooky armour. I felt very glad that I had the Staff of Magnus close to hand, as with it I was able to form a shield that protected us from a couple of archers who must have been hanging around in the shadows.
The leader of the creepy warriors yelled something, and moments later a portal appeared, this one not set into any kind of arch, and the men in armour began to fall back while a mage of their own protected them with a barrier. They had us outnumbered and yet they were the ones leaving. Why?
Two dangerous dog creatures were sent at us, only for them to collide with the shield I was keeping up before they were struck by spells multiple times, and then rather than get knocked out, they sounded as if parts of them had shattered.
While the skirmish was intense, it didn't last for very long, and the men in the spooky armour had left with Sirius, leaving no trace of themselves behind aside from the weapon the leader had been carrying and the remains of the dog things which weren't totally made out of ice. Not that I spent much time looking at them.
"Who were those people? Why did they take Sirius? Where has he gone?" Heather demanded to know.
She still held on to the Wayfinder, which I examined.
"Either he still has his wand, or one of them managed to take it from him," I told the punk witch. "The Wayfinder is tracking his wand and it will take us to him, but I think we need to bring Serana and Alette with us".
We'd only come here to see if Sirius had simply gotten stuck. Now that we knew there was danger we needed to prepare ourselves better and gather a larger team. We would need some sort of armour and a large supply of potions.
"We'll need a healer with us if we are going out into this world, and Serana has a lot more combat experience than any of us," I said to everyone.
No one objected to my plan, just the need for it.
"Those warriors looked very dangerous," pointed out Hermione. "Is going after them a good idea?"
Yes, and not just because Heather wanted Sirius back. Those warriors had avoided a fight and left because they had such a valuable prisoner not because they'd been scared of us. Time may have also been a factor.
"Hermione, whoever these people are, they have access to portals, maybe even portals that can take them to other worlds," I explained to the goth witch. "And now they have someone from our world as their prisoner. It might be possible for them to use Sirius in some way to reach the Wizarding World, and I don't think they'd arrive as peaceful explorers".
This was when the Celestial Reliquary appeared, just as Luna drew my attention to the axe that Heather had knocked out of the hands of the leader of the small group of enemies we had just faced.
On a whim more than anything else, I tried to put the axe into the Celestial Reliquary, in case it counted as a relic, and it did. I opened up the scroll and read.
Wild Hunt Warrior Axe - The Witcher
This dark steel axe is enchanted to break through armour and do massive damage to those struck. Weapons like these were used by the Wild Hunt as they chased Ciri across different worlds.
I swore very loudly.
"It's bad news, isn't it?" Luna asked.
That was an understatement.
"Yes, it is very bad," I told everyone. "Sirius has been taken by the Wild Hunt, a group of warriors who travel between dimensions and they make slaves out of the people they drag off to their world".
And very soon they would know not only about the Wizarding World but the Muggle one too, as Sirius was far less ignorant about mundane humans than most of his kind.
"The Wild Hunt?" Hermione asked, a note of concern in her voice. "I've heard of them in legends, but I didn't think they were real, and aren't they supposed to go after the souls of the damned?".
The myths might be true in other parts of the multiverse, but not here, as for why I had not recognised them, it was rather dark here.
"They are very real and very dangerous," I confirmed. "They're known for their ability to travel between worlds and enslave people they capture. We have to move quickly if we want to save Sirius".
Heather gripped the Wayfinder tightly.
"Then let's not waste any more time," she said.
We headed back through the ruins, and as we reached the portal back to my pocket dimension, I activated the crystal to open it. The familiar warmth of my pocket dimension was a welcome relief as we stepped through.
"Hermione go tell Professor Flitwick that there is a problem in Winterhold and we need to deal with it so we are leaving the castle before the end of term," I ordered "Everyone grab your stuff and meet outside the Room of Requirement. From there I'll make a portal to Winterhold so we can grab some armour and any equipment we need for a rescue mission. Then we will grab Sernana and head out".
As I unrolled the scroll lying on top of the Celestial Reliquary, there was a chance it would provide a useful relic for the rescue mission.
700 points
Bank or Roll?
I wrote for a roll
700 points
-50 points
650 points
Grimoire - Ben 10
A book of spells for beginners. Good for teaching the fundamentals to novices.
Well, this would have been very helpful to have when I started learning magic, but now I had a massive library so it was rather worthless. Maybe I could gift it to a novice magic user or just add it to the library.
Not that it mattered right now as I had an important mission to plan.
Part 62.
The Northern Realms. The Continent.
The group I'd brought with me this time was larger than the last. With me were Heather, Luna, Hermione, Serana, and Alette. Not only was this group larger, but we were all better provisioned for this mission, having taken the time to get some proper adventuring equipment.
While at Winterhold, a place with stores stocked with things people living in a harsh environment would need, we'd found what we needed. This made sense since the city was based on one from a world where adventurer was a career choice and there was money to be made in supplying those people.
I still wore my Kingdom Hearts outfit because it looked awesome. The only real difference was that I now had my Starforged Sword, which I called The Astral Blade, slung over my back—more for the aesthetics than anything else. Additionally, I wore a cloak lined with mammoth fur over my outfit in case we ended up somewhere cold.
Any cloak from Winterhold with mammoth fur on it had the magical property of keeping away the cold. It was why the mammoth herds were so important to the people of Winterhold. The furs were a big money maker for the town and I got my share of the profits.
While Heather was no swordswoman, I'd decided to let her carry Dark Sister because she thought it would look cool. Even Hermione was carrying a dagger on her person. The only one of us not armed was Luna, but she had her wand and wore a cool outfit like the rest of us.
The rest of the group had purchased similar cloaks to wear over the adventurer outfits that at least gave them some protection due to the bits of armour as well as the enchantments. Proper armour would have been better, I would just have to hope the enchantments worked as well as promised if we got into trouble.
We would still look out of place in this world, but at least we had some decent equipment. Plus, we looked like very wealthy and well-armed people, and this could be useful later on if we had to deal with any other powerful people. It would be much easier to get people to take us seriously if we didn't look like the college students we actually are.
Thanks to the Wayfinder, we managed to find our way out of the elven ruins, a place that contained nothing of value other than the portal, as far as we could tell, and no sooner did we step into daylight than we were set upon by a pack of Nekkers or Drowners.
I didn't know the difference between the two types of monsters, nor did I care to. They were not any kind of people and they would kill us if they could, so I made sure they stayed out of our way for good.
They didn't last long as I just blasted them with the Staff of Magnus. It was a pity that I couldn't have done that with the Wild Hunt, but I could have killed Sirius, and in the heat of the moment I'd not considered that it wouldn't matter since I could bring him back to life.
To be fair to myself bringing someone back from the dead was not something to be done lightly. I'd been warned about that by the spirits of James Potter and Lily Evans, so it was best not to be reckless with the lives of anyone I cared about.
Besides, I hadn't understood who I was dealing with at the time. If I had, I might have taken the risk or tried draining their magic, or just blasting them, not that the former would have stopped them from stabbing us with their weapons or killing us with arrows. Anyway, there had been too many of them for me to drain quickly.
"Darius, did you have to blast those poor creatures?" asked Luna.
It had been the wise thing to do.
"Luna, those things eat people, and I don't want to be eaten," I explained.
There was no need to tell her more, not right now, we had bigger things to concern ourselves with—such as if the sun here would stop Serana from going outside. As it turned out, she was fine once she put her hood up; it was just mildly annoying, like the light from the star that cast its light upon Earth or the fake sun in my pocket dimension.
As we followed the Wayfinder, we found ourselves at the edge of a landmass that looked out into what seemed to be an ocean. Over in the distance, across the river, was a big city—or at least it was big by local standards. For a medieval city, it was rather impressive in size.
Thanks to my Omnioculars, I was able to get a good look at the city and quickly figure out that it was Novigrad. The flags stirred up old memories, and it looked much like it did in the game; the scale was just much larger.
The city looked to be packed with people. That could be due to the war or maybe this was normal. I'd have to explore some more to be certain of what point in history were in, but the axe relic I'd recovered suggested that the events of Witcher 3 were taking place.
"Okay, the Wayfinder is guiding us to that city," I informed the group as I consulted the device.
Thanks to my memory of playing the game, I was fairly certain that there was a way to reach the homeworld of the Wild Hunt via a portal within the city in the basement of a house. That, or Sirius had somehow escaped and ended up here in Novigrad.
I wouldn't put it past him to have been moved from one part of this world to another by the Wild Hunt and then to have somehow given them the slip. Alas, he was most likely in their world and we had to go get him as I'd rather he didn't lead the Wild Hunt to the Wizarding World.
Since the Wild Hunt was looking for Ciri and their homeworld was in danger due to the White Frost, or whatever it was called, they might be a bit too busy to go check out a version of Earth; however, this wasn't a risk I could take, not if it endangered Winterhold, a place I had sworn to protect.
"There are three ways we can do this. We could try to sneak into the city, try not to get caught by the witch-hunters..."
Before I could say more, Hermione spoke.
"Sorry, what do you mean by witch-hunters?" she asked.
That would take some explaining.
"Novigrad is full of hateful fanatics who are going after mages," I explained.
I took a book out of my pouch of holding. A book that had come from my library, which had expanded to include books from this new world, including ones on historic events, even those still happening.
At other times I would have delved into the new collection of books with gusto. Sadly, I just didn't have time for that. We needed to get Sirius and go back to Winterhold as the summer had started and soon the college would open. Exploring this world could wait.
"According to this, we might be here during the witch hunts," reported Hermione as she skimmed the part of the text I had left a bookmark in, using the glasses relic I had gifted her to read at great speed "During this time, many sorcerers and sorceresses, including the Lodge and other magic organizations, were persecuted. Most victims were impaled, burned at the stake, or tortured to death during interrogations. In the Northern Kingdoms, the hunts weren't limited to mages there was plenty of nonhuman persecution as well".
Through the Omnioculars, it was easy to see the witch-hunters on patrol, and I could see them so well I got to watch them swagger about, no doubt inflated with a sense of self-importance as they went about their murderous business.
"Since we are all mages it seems dumb to try to sneak in, so here is what I am thinking: once we get out into the water, I can deploy the Black Ark and then use the raiders to carve a path to where we need to go with orders not to harm civilians," I said to my group. "We can let the raiders deal with the witch-hunters and any guards who aren't smart enough to run away".
Black Arks are the largest vessels commanded by a Dark Elf Corsair, vast floating fortresses capable of carrying thousands of warriors and slaves. Not that we had any need for slaves, and while Novigrad looked well-defended, it wouldn't be able to stop a fast-moving raiding force made up of dark elves. Not if we took them by surprise.
"What's the third option?" asked Heather. "Is it one where no one dies?".
Plan B would be messy and innocent people would get hurt, but we would get to the portal, and we might be able to take some raiders with us for backup. Any raiders lost would respawn back at the Black Ark, so I didn't mind expending them against this city and the Wild Hunt.
"I can deploy the Black Ark and try to negotiate passage from a position of strength; this nation is at war, so they can't afford to tangle with us," I told the women with me.
Heather frowned thoughtfully, her fingers tracing the hilt of Dark Sister as if the sword was providing her with some sort of support.
"Negotiating from a position of strength makes sense. I don't want to see anyone get hurt if we can avoid it," she said.
Luna nodded in agreement, her expression serene as always, yet I saw some concern in her eyes.
"I believe we should try to speak with them first. Violence should be our last resort," said the hippie witch.
Serana pulled her hood a bit lower, shading her eyes from the bright daylight.
"I agree with Luna. Besides, a confrontation might draw unnecessary attention and delay us. We'd have to fight our way through a city full of panicking people," she pointed out.
Hermione looked uneasy, clutching the book she had been reading.
"If these witch-hunters are as dangerous as you say, Darius, sneaking in might be too risky. If they catch us, they'll likely see us as threats immediately," she reasoned "We need help".
Alette had nothing meaningful to say on the matter.
"I follow your lead, my master," she said.
Their words made sense, but there was a slight problem.
"Hermione please read the bit about King Radovid for us. Skip the unimportant stuff," I requested.
She did as I wished, trying to keep things simple.
"Radovid bore a deep aversion towards mages that stemmed from his father being secretly assassinated by an unknown elf at the behest of the sorceress Philippa Eilhart, who went on to rule in his name and was known to demean him throughout his youth," Hermione read out.
The mages weren't exactly innocent in all of this, but that didn't mean they all should be punished, as not all mages were part of the Lodge, or even harmed people. Plus, the non-humans certainly didn't deserve to be burnt at the stake.
"It did not take long for King Radovid of Redania to prove himself a hard and ruthless ruler, one fully deserving to be styled 'the Stern' once he had seized power and wrought vengeance on those who had treated him with disrespect. He waged war not only against Nilfgaard but also against mages, whom he saw as the root of all evil. Radovid also made every effort to gain control over the Free City of Novigrad, whose fleet and treasury could tip the scales of the ongoing conflict towards Radovid's victory".
The women with me all looked at me as I spoke.
"And I think he's here because there's a big ship in port," I said while pointing at it. "From what I read in the book, Nilfgaard is going to try to conquer the city, and the guy in charge around here hates mages, so he might try to kill us anyway even if it means the city would suffer for it".
Of course, I knew more than I was letting on; however, this wasn't the time to delve into the lore of the world of the Witcher. I just needed my fellow Grey Wardens, as we called ourselves, to understand the political situation and how our presence here could alter events.
"According to this book, he was killed by the Sorceress Philippa Eilhart," mentioned Hermione. "If that has happened already, then we might be able to deal with whoever is in charge now".
The Witch-Hunters were about, but they might not have disbanded yet, depending on if Radovid was dead or not.
"Alright, negotiation it is," I decided. "Let's try to minimize any conflict and see if we can gain entry without causing a war".
Getting out into the bay turned out to be only a little trouble. I just gave a fisherman a small fortune, relative to his income, in exchange for his boat. I got it moving with a bit of magic and then when we were far enough from the land, I let the ship out of the bottle.
I didn't know if I could put it back in the bottle, but one problem at a time, and if I couldn't I already had an idea of where to send the Black Ark.
The next thing we knew, a towering structure loomed above us, a dark and imposing fortress on the water.
Spoiler
As we approached, the gangplank was lowered, and a contingent of Dark Elf Corsairs greeted us. They were all half-naked females for some reason.
Spoiler
"Welcome aboard The Death Fortress, Dreadlord," one of the dark elf pirates said to me.
Dreadlord—now there was a title so edgy I could cut people with it. I figured that I should use my title of Jarl if we got a meeting with the people running the city.
"Dreadlord, Death Fortress," I heard Hermione mutter.
They were a strange collection of women these pirates; no two wore the same kind of skimpy clothes or carried the same weapons, aside from the cloaks they wore which looked to have come from some sort of dragon. Aside from swords and daggers, they carried nets, grapples, and barbed chains.
A few were clearly sorceresses, and I knew that this would only make things harder if we did have to deal with magic-hating fanatics. Even if they agreed to talk I needed to have a few tricks prepared just in case.
Spoiler
Perhaps we should have sneaked, we did have a couple of invisibility cloaks between us. But it was too late now, the people in the city would be panicking and that would make moving through the streets while invisible all the harder.
As for the pirates, I gave them their orders, emphasizing the need for caution and restraint.
"We need to speak with the leaders of Novigrad. So unless I give the order, there is to be no violence and no harm to the civilians" I told them "If we are attacked or I give the order, you will only strike down those who are a threat. Understood?".
The Corsairs nodded, their eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. They were used to battles and raids, and diplomacy was a different kind of challenge, one I was glad I'd handle as they did not look as if they'd be any good at it.
As I looked out over the city the Celestial Reliquary appeared again and I picked up the scroll.
650 points
+200 points
850 points
Bank or Roll?
No sense waiting since it was going to take the locals time to organise a response and to send someone out here. So I decided to roll and see what was given to me this time.
850 points
-600 points
250 points
Dog Talisman - Jackie Chan Adventures
Provides immortality to the one that carries it - protecting them from any attacks that would outright kill them (but not the sensation of the injuries) and also giving a plenty of youthful energy.
Oh wow, this was a powerful relic, and while it was a shame I didn't have enough points to buy more than one talisman, I wasn't going to complain, and I didn't mind waiting for my points to build up again. I was the only member of the group who couldn't be brought back from the dead since I hadn't finished teaching the method to anyone else. And now that I had a form of immortality I felt a lot better going for a peaceful solution since as long as I survived I could bring the others back to life.
"Is it going to take them a while to send someone to meet with us?" asked Heather.
Given what I could see through my Omnioculars the city was in a bit of a panic.
"I'd imagine so," I said to the punk witch "Even if they want to attack us it takes a bit of effort to undock a ship. The only downside to using waiting is that they will be prepared for an attack and if it comes down to fighting things will be bloodier".
That did not sit well with the women who made up my harem.
"Giving them a chance to settle things peacefully is still the right thing to do" insisted Luna.
If there was another way I'd take it, but the Wayfinder had brought us here, and I didn't know of any other way to get where Sirius was.
"Come on, if this is going to take a while then I want to check out your massive pirate ship" decided Heather.
If the crew wasn't made up of sexy and evil dark elves this would be a dream could true for her due to her pirate fetish.
"I'm supposed to have some sort of mansion onboard" I said "And we should see what kind of cargo we have in case we need something to barter with".
We those things in mind my group began to explore this impressive vessel.
Part 63.
The Black Ark. The Northern Realms.
Serana Volkihar, the estranged daughter of Lord Harkon and Lady Valerica, had not known what to expect when she woke up from all those years spent sleeping within her stone sarcophagus. All she'd known for sure was that she would be getting away from her dysfunctional and treacherous family.
Understandably, she had been rather desperate to get away from her clan, given that her father had plans to sacrifice her to bring about an insane prophecy that would likely end all life, so overall it had been a good thing she'd left her world. She did her best not to dwell on that past and to look forward to her future.
Thanks to the terms of the deal she'd made, a bargain she found difficult to talk about, she'd also been aware that she'd end up in the service of someone she never met before, in exchange for escaping her father's mad plans and the chance to explore a whole new world, or more than one world as it turned out.
She'd been willing to endure some rough treatment to escape her former life and to avoid having to go against her father. He might be evil and insane, but resisting him would have been very dangerous, and kin-slaying was a big taboo even among vampires.
Luckily for her, Jarl Darius Olle was not a cruel master, and so far he'd been making good use of her skills, something that made her feel valued. She might have been used by him as a bed warmer or a mere servant, and that would have been much better than the alternative.
She'd never imagined becoming a teacher, but the idea of being able to pass on what she had learned from her mother about alchemy had a certain appeal about it and it wasn't as if she had to spend her days teaching snot-nosed brats who didn't know a poultice from a potion.
Instead of serving as a bed warmer or worse, she was to become an educator at a respected college, one with a staff so diverse that no one cared much that she was a vampire, or rather they had become more relaxed around as the weeks went by until it stopped being a concern.
Not that Serana had taken their initial nervousness around her as an insult, because she was a vampire and at a different time in her life she might have fed on them. This was an issue now as there was an effective replacement for blood on offer, and she had long since mastered her bloodlust.
No doubt her father would have seen the station as something beneath this daughter, even if her mother might have seen things differently since it was her knowledge that Serana would share, and if anything that made taking on the role of teacher all the more appealing.
It was very much unlike anything she could have done if she still had the Volkihar name and reputation attached to her, and much more than she'd expected to have when she'd agreed to leave her world behind.
Beyond her teaching job, Darius had her assisting him with certain problems, such as needing to save a family from an infestation of chaurus and now here they were in another world trying to track down one of Jarl Olle's allies who had foolishly gone through a portal to a world just as savage as her own.
If not for the fact that this Wild Hunt, a group of slavers who had her master so concerned, was likely torturing Sirius Black for information, she was sure that the man would have one heck of a punishment awaiting him once he was dragged back to the pocket dimension.
As a lover of adventure herself, Serana could understand the desire to go off and explore, she had certainly felt tempted to go through that portal for a look around, but she was wise enough not to do such a thing without having a plan on how to get back, and she would have made sure she had some supplies as well as someone she trusted with her if possible.
She wondered if there was something about coming back from the dead that might have made Sirius Black more reckless than was normal for a mortal. Perhaps coming back from the afterlife had reduced his fear of death, if only for his own demise.
While Serana had supported the group's plan to deploy this floating fortress called the Black Ark to display strength, she was not so naive as to assume it would work, not if the local king was insane and bloodthirsty.
Still, she was no monster and she felt that it was right to try to avoid a needless conflict. She was just more prepared for all of this to go wrong than Darius's human followers. They were only children and could be forgiven for their nativity.
Serana had picked up on the fact that her master was, if not distressed about how things were working out, then he was at least feeling stressed, and so she had decided to do something about this. She worried that he was overburdened by these recent events as now the fates of thousands, if not tens of thousands of people, rested on his shoulders.
His other followers, the witches called Heather, Hermione and Luna just didn't seem to see it and if Alette did she was saying nothing on the matter. The fairy folk were an odd lot and while Alette was polite around Serana the two of them wouldn't confide in each other.
The Black Ark was a massive floating fortress, and Darius had an entire home on the vessel, a large one, so Sernana knew where Darius was, and that this was as good a time as any to make sure he wasn't feeling too overburdened.
His quarters were located at the heart of the floating fortress, it was meant to be a place he could retreat to when necessary, and take a break from commanding this powerful ship. It was guarded by two scantily clad Druchii, but since they knew Serana to be a loyal follower of their Dredlord they did nothing to impair her path.
For now, the rooms that made up this large home were mostly bare, and since this was meant to be a pirate vessel this made a kind of sense as there was little point plundering if you didn't have anywhere to display the spoils taken from battles.
Serana wondered how long it would be before the walls of this home were covered in looted artwork and shelves containing trophies. Would Darius limit himself in battle to taking only from his enemies or he allow the Druchii to plunder as they wished? It wasn't her place to judge, she was simply curious.
Interestingly, the cargo bays were not empty even though they had plenty of room in them for loot. The ship was well-stocked with food, water, weapons, armour, and other supplies as well as a worrying amount of alcoholic spirits. It was as if the creator of the Black Ark wanted it to be some sort of party boat.
Currently, Darius's harem was going through the cargo to see what could be offered in trade in Novigrad in exchange for safe passage through the city. This would take some time as the Black Ark was more of a mobile fortress than a mere sailing vessel.
Those witches were too optimistic about the situation for Serana's liking, but there was a chance cooler heads would prevail as Novigrad was, according to what little she knew, a city that thrived due to trade, so it would make sense for the leaders of the city to want to turn a potential enemy into a trading partner.
Assuming that the insane king they'd been warned about didn't figure out a way to make this situation as bad as possible. If this Radovid was anything like some of the rulers Serana met during her long life he might pick a fight just because his ship looked so puny when compared to Darius's magnificent vessel.
As Serana approached the ornate door that led to her Master's cab, she took a deep breath, steeling herself. Her bond with Darius was one of servitude, sure, but right now she felt a duty to support him beyond mere obligation. She was truly worried about the wizard and if he broke down now it could be a disaster.
Not that he seemed overly worried when last she saw him, but the reality might not have totally sunk in by then. He seemed older than he should be, but compared to Serana he was still inexperienced and might have needed some time for the implications to hit him.
She knocked lightly before entering. Inside, the room was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from a series of candles and what little sunlight could penetrate this vessel which seemed to repel the light of the sun, as a vampire this was something she was grateful for even if others would find it gloomy.
As for Darius, he was seated at a large, wooden desk that was cluttered with maps and documents, he must have taken them from his impressive library and brought them here to aid in their mission to save Sirius Black. He had books on local history on his desk.
If nothing else Darius believed in having enough information as possible before committing to a course of action. The downside to this was that he might not react quickly enough if presented with an unexpected situation.
"Master," Serana began softly, "We need to talk".
Darius looked up, his expression softening slightly as he saw her.
"Serana, come in. What's on your mind?" he asked.
She moved closer, her hands clasped in front of her. She was not normally this nervous and she couldn't help thinking that her idea of how to help him deal with his stress might be poorly timed. Darius Olle was not always an easy man for her to read, despite his youthful features.
"I know things have been difficult lately. The mission, the uncertainties with the local king, and the pressure to maintain control... it's a lot to handle," she said sympathetically.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"You're right. It's been... challenging. But we must stay focused. There's too much at stake. We can't let the Wild Hunt keep Sirius and find out about the Wizarding World. It will be a tempting target for them even if they are otherwise occupied".
Serana nodded, understanding the meaning of his words. She'd seen enough of Winterhold the town to know that the Wizarding World was full of people and creatures that others would like to exploit for their own means.
There were concerns about the magical governments, the local Ministry of Magic and the ICW trying to take control of the town now that it was getting international attention, and adding the Wild Hunt to the mix could destabilise things even if any attack were unsuccessful.
Winterhold was an independent state, more or less, but if an outside threat appeared, one that threatened to expose magic to the masses of that world, the ICW could use it as an excuse to try to talk control of the town and the college.
"I agree. But we can't afford to let the stress consume us. We need to be at our best, especially now, and I thought I'd come here to help you relax," Serana explained.
Darius didn't need to ask what Serana meant by that as when she got down on her knees in front of him as he sat in his chair, her intentions became quite clear. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, then softened as he let himself relax a little.
This wasn't the first time that the vampire had offered her services in this way, but her timing was odd even if her reasoning was sound.
"Let me take care of you," Serana insisted "You've been doing so much for everyone. Let me help you unwind a little".
Being a vampire meant she had one hell of an advantage over other women when it came to providing oral sex to a man, she didn't have to breathe, and as such she could take a man's dick as deep inside her mouth as she wanted without caring about possible asphyxiation.
Aside from that when you've been around for a few centuries you find yourself with plenty of time to perfect certain skills, and even though oral sex wasn't something she'd devoted a lot of time to, Serana knew a few things about pleasing men. She bobbed up and down, taking as much as she could of her master's manhood into her cool mouth.
In a case of poor timing, no sooner as she started to pleasure her master than someone knocked on the door to his cabin, before letting Darius know that it looked as if the locals were getting ready to attack.
Serana cursed whoever had decided to respond to the presence of the Black Ark, and moved her mouth away from Darius's manhood.
"We can pick this up another time," said her Master.
She hoped it would be sooner rather than later, as things could soon become rather intense around here.Part 64.
The Northern Realms. The Continent.
I didn't need my omnioculars to know which ship was coming to meet us out in the open waters. It was the HMS Oxenfurt-Tretogor, the flagship of King Radovid V the Stern.
Spoiler
With the aid of my magical binoculars, I could see the man himself was in command of the vessel, and I was able to make out the stern expression on his face and even the glint of madness in his eyes. Which didn't make me feel optimistic about what was about to happen.
The ship's presence here, rather than it being docked over at Oxenfurt, suggested that Radovid had managed to take control of the city of Novigrad to some extent, or that at least he felt he had the right to take charge of this situation.
No one had stopped him, after all, and everyone on the deck of the ship other than the king was in uniform. I couldn't see anyone who looked like part of the city's leadership, such as the priests of the Eternal Flame. Not that I minded the lack of priests as they were the witch-burning types.
Given Radovid's presence in Novigrad, we must be here around the time he is killed by the sorceress Philippa Eilhart, and that is part of a much larger political mess I would rather have avoided. However, our group's involvement in events meant things might not unfold as expected in other parts of this world.
Which could have far-reaching implications and maybe even prevent Ciri from defeating the White Frost. Yet it was too late to worry about that now as I'd already derailed events just by being here, and I would just have to hope that the prophecy about Ciri played out in such a way that she'd still be able to defeat the White Frost.
If not, then this world and many others could be doomed. Only there wasn't anything I could do about that right now, as I had Winterhold to worry about and perhaps I could lend a hand later, once I'd completed my current mission, and I was free to divert my attention elsewhere.
Knowing King Radovid somewhat, as I did from playing the game Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, I doubted he'd come here for a cup of tea and some peaceful talk, but he wasn't a complete fool; there was a chance he'd try to recruit me to his cause rather than pick a fight with such a powerful enemy.
King Radovid was supposed to be a brilliant military mind, so it depended on how far his mental health had degraded.
If he was still somewhat reasonable, I could promise to aid him against his enemies, secure passage into Novigrad, use the portal, recover Sirius, and then just leave.
Normally, I keep my promises, but this seemed like one of those situations where it was perfectly acceptable to break an oath, as I would rather avoid unleashing my deadly Dark Elf raiders on the Free City of Novigrad.
Alas, there was only a small chance of things working out that way. Thanks to my omnioculars, which provided commentary on what I was seeing when I used them, and not just Quidditch commentary, I knew that King Radovid had the lower decks of his big boat filled with Witch-Hunters.
While they might be onboard to serve as some form of insurance in case something went wrong during our talk, I suspected Radovid planned to try to board the Black Arc. Perhaps Radovid believed he could seize my ship if he was bold enough and willing to take a big risk.
Which was insane because I had a crew of thousands made up of raiders and sorceresses, not to mention the war hydras, and that was without counting myself or my harem. Then again, Radovid didn't know that, and perhaps for some reason, he believed the Black Arc wasn't as well defended as it might seem to be.
I realised that by not attacking already, I might have given certain people the impression that I could not invade Novigrad for some reason, or that I was unwilling to, and that despite appearances, the Black Ark was not as much of a mighty fortress as it looked.
Given that he had a ship stuffed with Witch-Hunters, I was not willing to let my guard down on the off chance he was here to talk. If Radovid thought he could control those fanatics, he truly was insane.
"Prepare to be boarded and prepare to board that ship when I give the word," I ordered, my voice calm but firm. "Radovid isn't here for a friendly chat. He's got a ship full of Witch-Hunters below deck, and they despise anything magical. If they get the chance, they'll torture us and burn us alive".
While I might be willing to risk myself and my harem to avoid sacking a city, I had no such restraint when it came to harming the fanatics. They would not be reasoned with and had devoted themselves to destroying me and everyone like me. It would come down to me or them in the end.
"Aye, Dreadlord," said one of the sexy raiders, who was soon signalling to the crew.
Radovid's ship drew closer, and I could see his stern face clearly through the omnioculars. He was scanning our ship, likely assessing our strength. His Witch-Hunters would be waiting for his signal, ready to spring into action. I just wondered what the signal could be.
The gangplank was lowered, and soon Radovid himself stood on the other end of the plank, flanked by a handful of what I assumed were his elite guards. He stopped a few feet away from stepping onto the plank, his cold eyes locking onto mine.
This was a bold move; I had thought he would invite me, once he knew I was the leader, to meet him onboard his vessel and perhaps try to take me hostage. I didn't think he'd stand in the open and face me in person.
"You will surrender this vessel so it can be used in the defense of Redania," declared Radovid.
I raised an eyebrow, amused by his audacity more than anything else. I'd imagined him trying some trick, and here he was outright demanding a surrender. He was a bold one.
"Surrender my ship?" I said, my voice filled with incredulity.
The King of Redania stared at me, and soon it became clear that he had expected me to give in. The fact that I had a large number of dark elf raiders nearby didn't seem to faze him. I knew they had elves in this world, but the alien nature of the Druchii didn't seem to faze him, even if the same wasn't true for his soldiers who were looking worried.
"Your Majesty," I said, "You must realize how absurd that sounds. This vessel and its crew are not something you can simply demand. We are not your subjects".
As Radovid's eyes narrowed, I knew that attempting diplomacy was pointless. He was already a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and this situation had likely made things worse for the royal's mental health.
"This is not a request. This ship of yours and its crew will serve Redania, or it will be taken by force," the king stated.
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I'd have been happy to hand over armour and weapons for his war effort in exchange for secure passage, but he was not getting my ship, not even as a bluff. It was far too dangerous to allow anyone other than myself to control it.
"You seem to misunderstand the situation, Radovid. You may have your Witch-Hunters hidden below deck, but I have an army of raiders, sorceresses, and war hydras. Any attempt to seize this ship will end in your defeat," I stated.
Radovid's face twitched, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features for a moment as if he realized that he was making a mistake before a cold look filled his eyes once again.
"Then we are at an impasse," he said slowly. "But know this, I do not give up easily".
I was unsure if I should order the attack. I would feel better if he made the first aggressive move.
"Neither do I," I replied, my tone icy.
Radovid stared at me for a long moment, then turned sharply on his heel and walked away. As his men followed, I sighed and signalled my crew to attack as the mad king moved away from the gangplank and began to make his way towards the helm.
"Take the ship!" I yelled, "I want Radovid alive. Kill only those who resist!".
This might seem rather out of the blue since Radovid seemed to be backing off, but I was not a fool. I knew that this mad king had something planned. It had suddenly struck me that the king was simply getting out of the way before making his own signal to attack.
Not that his plans mattered now. My dark elf raiders were fast and agile; they easily leapt the distance between the Black Arc and Radovid's ship. Most of his guards were quickly subdued, their resistance proving futile against my fearsome warriors. However, the real fight began when the Witch-Hunters charged up on deck.
The Witch-Hunters were relentless and fanatical, their faces twisted with zealous fervour as they clashed with my dark elves. The air crackled with the discharge of sorcerous energies as my ruthless raiders, fought back against the fanatics with equal ferocity and much greater skill.
In something of a detached state, I watched as the war hydras roared and snapped at the zealots, their massive forms intimidating even the most devoted of the Witch-Hunters. The monsters used their heads to bite and even devour a few of the fanatics.
Amidst the chaos, I kept my eyes on Radovid, who stood at the helm of his ship, barking orders and directing the Witch-Hunters. His calm demeanour in the face of such violence was both impressive and a bit unsettling. It was clear he had anticipated some resistance, but not the overwhelming force we brought to bear.
One of my greatest relics was Narya, which I had merged with the Ring of Wizardry. While Narya's ability to hide me from remote observation had been made redundant by the warning magic tattooed onto my body, one of its other gifts is that it can inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair.
Radovid was a tyrant, a man who supported those who hunted down and killed mages. He had to be stopped, and I felt the reassuring presence of Narya as I devoted myself to bringing an end to Radovid's rule. He would have to die here or be removed from this world.
"Secure the king!" I shouted to my closest warriors, pointing toward Radovid.
A small group of elite raiders broke off from the skirmish and began to cut a path through the Witch-Hunters as well as the remaining guards, aiming to reach Radovid as quickly as possible.
Radovid noticed the shift in our tactics and drew his sword, ready to defend himself. The battle was brutal and swift. My raiders pushed forward, overwhelming the Witch-Hunters with their superior numbers and skill.
Those who lacked the courage of their convictions jumped off the boat or ran below decks, neither action a good course of action since I was going to seize the ship. Also, the Witch-Hunters might be able to swim to shore, the guards were wearing armour so they would drown.
As for Radovid, he fought fiercely, his skill with a blade evident, but he was no match for the combined might of my elite warriors. They surrounded him, disarming him, and forcing him to his knees.
One of the sexy elf raiders took his crown, knelt and presented it to me as I made my way over the defeated monarch. It would make a fine trophy to put on display someone on the Black Ark or within my pocket dimension.
"Enough!" Radovid spat, his voice filled with venom. "You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over!"
As the fighting died down, I stunned the King with my wand and had my raiders bind him in chains. I then signalled to my raiders to take Radovid below deck and secure him in the brig that I had no doubt would have been used to imprison me if Radovid had gotten his way.
I would figure out what to do with the crazy king later. Perhaps I could drop him off in an asylum back on Earth so he could be cared for. That was the sort of thing that most of my harem could get behind.
The remaining Witch-Hunters began to falter and surrender. My warriors quickly disarmed them and secured the ship. As the dust settled metaphorically speaking, I turned my attention to the next part of this mission.
With Radovid captured, we had a valuable bargaining chip. However, I knew that keeping him would be risky. His defeat could incite further conflict, and his escape could make him a danger again.
Radovid's capture was a significant development, but it also complicated matters, as while he might be a valuable bargaining chip, he wasn't well-liked by some of the big players in Novigrad. I recalled how there was a coup of some sort being set up to kill him, a plan I had just screwed over.
"Ransack the ship and take all of the weapons," I ordered my raiders. "Then prepare to raid the city. I want it cleansed of Witch-Hunters".
I then looked at the city of Novigrad, which was no longer lit up by sunlight as it was starting to get dark. A nighttime attack by dark elves would be brutal; however, it would be over quickly, and I could limit the damage with some well-phrased orders.
"We need to get moving," I said to my closest followers as they joined me on the deck of the ship I had just captured. "I'm going to order an attack on the city, but I'll give orders for only the Witch-Hunters to be killed and limit the looting to the richer parts of the city".
I had more to say on this matter.
"We'll take down the priests who want to burn all the mages and non-humans, and then we will withdraw," I told my harem "The city can then sort itself out afterwards".
No one looked pleased by the idea, but what other choice did we have? Negotiations had never been an option it seemed and every moment we delayed put Winterhold in more danger.
Part 65.
Novigrad. The Northern Realms.
As soon as I stepped foot on the docks, I was greeted by a dark elf sorceress who right away I could tell was different from the others. She wasn't as slender as others, having a more curvy form, and she wasn't quite as alien as the others despite her inhuman nature.
Spoiler: Vivith Stormbinder
She introduced herself as Vivith Stormbinder, claiming to be one of the sisters of the Dark Convent of Sorceresses. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, other than it sounding somewhat like the Lodge of Sorceresses they had in this world, but I got the impression that Vivith was going to play a similar role for the dark elf raiders as Alette did for the fairies who served me.
Vivith gestured to the guards she'd brought with her. They were all female, clad in more armour than the raiders I'd seen so far and carried weapons designed for combat against other warriors rather than the tools of a pirate. These warriors seemed more suited to facing the armoured cavalry of the Wild Hunt than the rest of my army.
"You're going to be my black mage," I told Vivith.
Heather gave me a confused look, so I clarified.
"A black mage is a spellcaster in an adventure group who focuses on dealing damage by doing as much harm to the enemy as much as possible," I explained to the punk witch.
She grasped that quickly.
"So she's like the opposite of you," Heather said to Alette.
Hermione and Luna had elected to stay behind. They weren't fighters and didn't want to witness a city being sacked. Luna, with her peaceful nature and her gift for divination along with her talent for charming magical creatures, was better off away from the violence. As for Hermione, she was a researcher at heart, so she would stay in my cabin to go over the reading materials I'd brought from the library.
Heather, on the other hand, was here at my side because she wanted Sirius back and wouldn't stay behind despite her poor fighting skills. Unlike me, she couldn't use a powerful staff to brute force her way past problems, but with so many deadly warriors surrounding her, I wasn't too worried about her safety.
Serana was with me as well, but she wasn't as suitable for the role of the group's black mage as I'd hoped. She was too nice and preferred elemental attacks like ice spikes and lightning bolts over unleashing nasty curses on groups of enemies. Not that I had any reason to complain as having any alchemist in my group was a blessing.
"Oh Master, I can be anything you want me to be," Vivith promised.
Having loyal followers can be a lot of fun, but this was not the time or the place to let one of them stoke my ego or any other parts of me for that matter.
"We need to get moving," I said, consulting the Wayfinder and pointing in a direction. "That way".
Without delay, we began moving through the streets of the city and they were calmer than I had imagined. It seemed most of the average people had either fled or were hiding in their homes. Something I sought to be rather sensible of them what with their being a scary floating fortress within view.
I'd ordered my raiders not to pillage the homes of the poor or attack those who weren't a threat, so bloodshed had been kept to a minimum in this part of the city. Only the Witch-Hunters seemed willing to put up a fight anyway.
Most of the fighting was focused on Temple Island. According to Vivith, who had some way of keeping in touch with other sorceresses, the Witch-Hunters and those guards who were still willing to fight had fallen back to the island to use the main bridge as a choke point.
Not that this would help them much as I had powerful sorceresses at my command and I didn't think the defences at the bridge would last long once my raiders unleaded one of the battle hydras on the fanatics. I no doubt that quite a few Witch-Hunters, those not totally deluded due to their fanatical faith, had fled the city long before I arrived at the dock.
The narrow, cobblestone streets echoed with the distant sounds of battle, the clash of steel and the occasional cry piercing the relative calm of the quarter we traversed. My vivid imagination made it easy for me to picture what would have happened to his place had I just let the raiders run rampant in this city.
Vivith's guards moved with disciplined precision, their eyes scanning every shadow, their weapons at the ready. Vivith herself walked with an air of casual confidence as if any danger ahead would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience or maybe even merely a distraction.
As we approached the central market square, the signs of recent skirmishes became evident. Overturned carts, and discarded weapons lying on the cobblestones painted a grim picture of the conflict that had swept through the area. There weren't even that many signs of looting.
Yet, there was a strange sense of order amidst the chaos—my orders to avoid unnecessary violence were being followed, and the lack of dead bodies around meant either the raiders had let everyone run away or something had dragged the bodies away already.
"We're making good progress," I said, checking the Wayfinder again.
The magical artefact was guiding us towards our objective, and that turned out to be, as I had suspected all along, the home of a godling and a witch who specializes in the magic of dreams, or something along those lines. I couldn't recall their names I just knew enough about them to know that they weren't bad people, and should be left alone.
"Two guards on the door" Vivith commanded her kin "Keep everyone out even our own people".
I didn't want this house to be pillaged so I was pleased by the command.
"When we enter the house we'll make our way directly to the basement," I told everyone who was with me. "As long as the inhabitants don't bother us, we won't bother them".
Although much could go wrong here, I wasn't too worried. Luna had performed a tarot card reading for me before I came ashore and from what I understood, while there would be obstacles ahead, I was due to succeed in my endeavours.
Given that the last time I'd listened to a prediction made by Luna, we'd met a Moogle, and I had been able to purchase a couple of cool magical items, I was willing to extend her predictions some trust.
One of the guards kicked down the front door and we entered the property. Wisely, anyone living in the house stayed out of the way as we made our way down into the basement of the building going through the kitchen.
Once we got into the basement I saw that someone had done a poor job of putting up a brick wall between the basement of this house and the elven portal as if a mere barrier of bricks would keep people safe from what could come through.
This made me wonder how many other relics there were in this world and others that had been hidden away. No doubt, thanks to the Wayfinder, I would uncover many of them as we explored this and other worlds. All the treasures of the multiverse could be mine.
The sexy dark elves made short work of the wall and soon exposed the portals to our eyes. With lit wands to light things up, I examined the portal and then took out the crystal I'd taken from the portal that led to my library. I hoped to find some more of these as they could be quite useful.
"I want a couple of the guards to stay here and to make sure no one messes with the portal," I ordered. "This might be our only way back".
Carefully, I slid the crystal into the slot and fed a little magic with a tap of my wand. A moment later, a portal opened. Heather, Alette, Vivith, Serana and I, along with about twenty guards, went through the portal and to what I suspected was another world.
Ancient Ruins. Ferelden.
"We have breathable air, even if it is a bit musty, and we even have light," I said.
Some torches along the walls lit themselves up and emitted more illumination than they should, suggesting some magic was involved. Statues lined the hallways but time had worn them away to the point they were just rough humanoid figures to my eyes.
I picked up a piece of rubble and let it drop to the ground, which it did as normal.
"And we have normal gravity," I added. "We didn't fall into a pit of lava either".
Heather looked alarmed.
"Could that have happened?" she asked.
Somehow, I doubted it.
"Luna's tarot card reading aside, nothing from the Celestial Reliquary has harmed me. The Wayfinder is supposed to guide us to a relic of some kind via a route that gives us a taste of adventure, like a treasure hunt. We might have to face danger, but I don't think it would lead us to certain death. Where's the adventure in that?".
As if to prove my words right, as the dark elf guards began to look around, they found the corpses of some humanoid warriors that they soon drew my attention to. If that wasn't worrying enough, our presence here stirred them into action. They began moving, and there were some sort of spooky lights in their eyes.
"Draugr!" called out Serana.
The undead warriors, once lifeless, now animated with eerie lights glowing in their eye sockets, began to rise from the ground. Their movements were slow and jerky at first but grew more fluid as they gained their sense of balance as if they were rapidly figuring out how their bodies worked or remembering.
"Form a defensive line!" I commanded, my voice echoing through the chamber.
Vivith's guards quickly took up positions, shields raised and weapons ready. Then Vivith stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.
"These creatures are infused with some sort of otherworldly power. We need to be careful" she warned.
Heather glanced around nervously.
"How do we stop them?" she asked "We didn't cover the undead in Defence Against the Dark Arts".
With a swift motion, Serana unleashed a blast of ice magic, striking one of the draugr squarely in the chest. The creature staggered back but continued its advance. I had just enough time to realise that these were not the draugr of Skyrim, but they were something similar.
"Looks like they're tougher than I thought," Serana muttered.
I raised my staff, channelling a surge of energy through it. A bolt of arcane energy shot forth, going between two defending warriors, before striking a draugr and causing it to crumble to the ground, lifeless once more, or at least unanimated.
Soon the guards engaged in close combat, their weapons flashing in the dim light as they fought to keep the creatures at bay. Their weapons were rather good at forcing the undead to stay back but they didn't seem to do enough to put them down.
Alette, who was standing close to me, focused her magic on supporting the others. She cast protective spells on us as well as spells that would ensure we remained full of energy during the battle. This was good as the undead would not tire.
Despite this we could be overwhelmed as more of these draugr emerged from the shadows, their numbers seemingly endless. The chamber echoed with the sounds of battle, the clash of steel against bone, and the sound of spells being carefully cast.
"Arnzipal's Black Horror!" shouted Vivith.
A magical vortex appeared behind the undead and I didn't what it did, but everyone who wasn't shielded by Alette's protective magic dropped dead, or rather just dropped to the ground before the vortex vanished.
No sooner had I thought the battle was over when suddenly a spell struck the guards, knocking them all down as some undead creature that hovered above the ground came floating over to us. It didn't speak, and I couldn't see it well enough to make much of its appearance, but its actions spoke well enough for its intentions.
Heather fired off a spell that the monster ignored, and Serana's ice spike only slowed it down, but I had more success with the Staff of Magnus as it was easy to drain the magic out of a single target and this time I didn't have to worry about harming my guards as they weren't in the line of fire.
"Fan out and find the other portal," I ordered, once everyone was back on their feet.
Once the undead mage was destroyed, there were no more undead to bother us. With the Wayfinder to guide us on the correct path, the only other thing between us and the next portal was the web of a single giant spider. Luckily for us, magical webs are flammable, so the mages in the group just burned it all and used wind spells to drive the smoke away.
We found the portal in what seemed to be some sort of workshop for a mage. The books on the shelves turned to dust when we tried to collect them, and everything other than some of the crystals used to open the portals had long since rotted away.
"The design of this place is similar to the ancient ruins we saw before but different," reported Serana as she looked around "I'd say they were either built by a different society of the race that built the first or they were built at different times".
When the Celestial Reliquary appeared on a table that looked somewhat intact, I picked up one of the portal crystals and put it inside for safekeeping while handing out the rest to my most important followers.
Portal Crystal - The Witcher
These crystals act as keys to the portals created by Aen Seidhe and other elves in ancient times to make sure only they could make use of their portals.
Well, that told me nothing I didn't already know, and it seemed wise to make use of the Celestial Reliquary to see if I could gain another useful relic before we moved on and saw where the next portal would take us.
250 points
+400 points
650 points
Bank or Roll.
I wrote for a roll and hoped for something useful.
650 points
-200 points
450 points
Loki - Asgardian Armour
You have your own set of Asgardian Armor. It can be summoned onto your person at will, regardless of what you were wearing before, and it is quite protective. Any item of clothing, an accessory or armour you add to this outfit will be summoned with it.
Spoiler: new armour
"So what do you think?" I asked Heather.
By the looks of things, my Kingdom Hearts outfit had merged with a set of leather Asgardian armour such as that worn by Thor. I'd merged items before such as when Narya the Ring of Power and Ring of Wizardry had become one item.
"I guess it will protect you better," she commented.
Not a big concern now that I have the Dog Talisman from the Jackie Adventures cartoon series, but some protection was good as I could still the force of blows according to what the scroll had told me and therefore some armour was a good idea. With armour on I was less likely to have the air knocked out of my lungs, and stuff like that.
"Would you like a set?" I asked Heather "I have enough points for that".
I had enough to buy three sets, but I'd like to save some points and Heather could be reckless some protection for her would be a good idea.
"Sure," she said.
I wrote on the scroll to purchase another set and then instructed her to put the armour on by summoning it. Which we both just knew how to do.
450 points
-200 points
250 points
Spoiler
"I'm not sure about the cape," she remarked.
The cape vanished as soon as she spoke the words and she inspected herself as best she could.
"Why is my set a lot flashier than yours?" she wondered.
I assumed it was a Gryffindor thing, the gold of her armour was more noticeable than the then bronze and silver of mine, but rather than discuss that I decided that we should move on and unlock the next portal.