Disclaimer: I own fuck all, if I did I wouldn't be poor.
I walk into the room I left Harley in, my new familiar tucked curled atop my arm, held against my chest. The blonde was sitting against the bed frame, ramrod straight, her fists bunched into the covers.
As soon as I enter she turns to me, "Where am I, who are you, and what am I doing here," she demanded to know, her voice was steady for the most part, and I almost missed the small quaver at the end.
I place down the Razorwhip on a small desk that was in the room, and sit on the chair beside it, facing Harley. "I'm Arhain Dravenson, you are in my house and as for what you are doing here, well I needed somewhere to put you after I rescued you and here was the most convenient." I speak softly, the way you would to a scared animal. I don't want to distress her any more, I see an opportunity here.
+15 Rep with Harley Quinn [015/100]
For saving her from a fate worse than death
I lean forward, "Now, I have a couple of questions for you, what's your name and what's the last thing you remember."
At my words she closes her eyes and suppresses a shudder. "My name's Harleen Quinzel, and I was kidnapped, I think, I was walking to my dorm after Uni and I felt something hit my back before I blacked out. I woke up a few days later in a cage, chains around my arms. There was a group of men, all leering at me, gathered around the cage, some of them were talking about 'showing the whore her place', the only reason they didn't was the one that was in charge told them I had to 'remain pure' for their buyer." She brings her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on them.
I narrow my eyes and suppress a growl, the smell of wood smoke beginning to permeate the air. I was focused on trying to reign in my anger that I almost missed her next question, "Pardon, could you repeat that," I ask her.
"I said so what happens now, are you going to send me home or what?" I grimace at that, this is going to be awkward.
"As much I would love to, I can't, the fact you exist has likely already been removed, wiped clean from everything and everyone." I grimace before delving into an explanation of the magical world, how certain people are born with the ability to cast magic, how pure bloods see themselves as better despite being inbred twats, the discrimination against muggleborns and muggles. All through it Harley was silent, curled up in a fetal position, although she had begun to stretch out a little, which I counted as a step in the right direction.
She bites at her lip for a second before blurting out, "Can you teach me magic?" As soon as she finishes she covers her mouth with an embarrassed look on her face.
I shake my head slightly, "Unfortunately I doubt I can, this form of magic needs you to be born with the ability to use it, there may be other forms you could learn, but I don't know of them."
There was an awkward silence after that, "So, what are my options then? If I don't exist then life is gonna be impossible ain't it." I lean back into the chair, I think over how to word this.
"You could stay with me, I have an ability, one that's unique among wizards, that allows me to help make a person more powerful. If you would work with me, I can make you strong enough to never have to fear anyone ever again. If not, I can try and set you up with some new documents and some cash, let you try and rebuild your life." She looks intrigued by my offer to make her stronger, but doesn't seem inclined to say anything.
"I'll give you time to think it over, that seem fair?" She nods at my question, staring off into oblivion as I pick up the small dragon and leave the room.
As I walk I turn the basement into a large steel room with an autopsy table, I have those acromantula still in my inventory, and the venom is valuable and I can no doubt find some sort of a use for it.
I enter the basement, and turn on the lights, wincing slightly as the glare shines on the metal. I pull out the smallest spider, about the size of a husky, and put it on the table. My dragon clinging to my back made it harder than it should have been, but I managed.
I brutally tear off the legs and abdomen of the creature. Setting them aside, the dragon sniffs, and gives a small chirp, before crawling over to the body parts. It licks a part of the oozing green flesh, before beginning to savage it, ripping and tearing at the meat, slowly devouring the spider corpse. At least I have a use for the rest of it.
Pulling out my knife I begin to slowly slice away the carapace and meat, looking for the venom sacks. After several minutes of carving up the meat I find the two fleshy bulbous sacks connected to the fangs. I manoeuvre the blade, cutting around the two sacks carefully, my high DEX being a great boon in not letting me accidentally pierce them.
I buy a potion ingredient jar from the shop, before holding the strange fleshy sack above it. I stab it quickly and watch as the venom drains into the jar. The liquid was thick and a vibrant green colour. A foul odour wafts up from the jar, my nose wrinkling at the scent. I repeat the process with the other sack, half filling the large jar. I decided to [Observe] the jar, to see what it tells me.
[Acromantula Venom]
Uncommon Alchemical Ingredient
Value: 100 G
A potent blood thinner, this venom is naturally produced by Acromantula. Targets poisoned with this gain the [Bleeding] status effect.
Hmm, interesting, I slide it further along the large table and I then use build mode to buy a large incinerator in the corner.
I go over and dump the fangs and empty venom sacks, casting Incendio to begin to burn them. I don't know how to get rid of them so fire seems as good a way as any. Going back over to the steel table I see my dragon has almost finished eating the abdomen. Actually, I need to name you don't I?
I tilt my head as I look at the silver dragon before the name hits me. "Phaedra," I whisper out, the name hitting me. The newly named dragon tilts her head before going back to her meal.
+2 Aff with Phaedra [012/100]
For Naming her
I smile slightly as I shove the rest of the spider corpse over to her,eating her feed in peace. I bring out another corpse, this one the size of a small bear, as I hear the door to the basement open and Harley walks down the stairs.
"What the fuck it that thing," she practically screams out, clutching the railing of the stairs. I suppose I can understand her fear, I am standing beside the curled up corpse of a massive spider.
"Magical species of giant man-eating spiders. Called acromantula, highly intelligent, highly venomous and highly dangerous." I briefly say, repeating the same process as before to get to the venom.
Harley blinks a couple of times, "And what are you doing?" She asks, I grunt as I tear off a large part of the tough chitinous carapace before turning to her.
"Harvesting the venom, those bastards are hard to kill normally, but their venom is used in a bunch of potions, so it's worth 100 galleons a pint." I tell her, putting the second jar beside the first.
"Galleons?" She questions, as I realise I didn't explain how the wizarding currency worked.
"The highest value wizarding coin, about £5 each so a pint of the venom is around £500." Her eyes widen slightly as she hears the numbers, before the familiar shine of avarice comes into the pale blue orbs.
She snaps out of her stupor as I finish harvesting the venom from the second corpse, filling the jar to completion. "So, did you come here for a chat, or did you need something?" I ask the young woman, shoving the remainder of the corpse to the side.
She fidgets with her clothes for a second, "I want to join you, I want you to help me get stronger. I was weak and scared and helpless and I never want to be like that again. Ever." The self loathing and hatred is clearly audible in her voice, I give a feral grin.
"Good, head up to the kitchen and wait there for a few if you don't mind, I'm just going to finish up here and then explain how this is going to work, okay?" She nods, her eyes briefly flick back to the massive butchered corpses before turning and heading up the stairs.
Oh shit, I never told her where the kitchen is. I mean, I don't really know either but still. Well she managed to find me okay, she can get to the kitchen easily enough.
Pulling out a blank sheet of paper and a pen from my inventory, I quickly scrawl out a to-do list, summoning my third form while doing so. Finishing it off I hand it over to my other form.
"Look after Phaedra while we are in the dungeon, finishing gathering the venom and then go do this when we get back." I tell myself, and isn't that a weird thought, before heading up the steel staircase.
As I travel along the halls, my superior hearing and sense of smell letting me easily find where Harley is, I buy an aluminium baseball bat from the shop. She needs a weapon and I doubt she can shoot a gun.
I enter the large kitchen, Harley sitting at the round table, looking out the window across the Scottish countryside.
Leaning the bat against the table, I take the seat opposite her, leaning back in the hard, wooden chair as she turns to me.
"So, how is this going to happen, you gonna cast some magic on me or something?" The blonde asks, her Brooklyn accent clear to me. Good she is getting back to her normal self, or at least I hope she is.
"'Not quite, my ability is… complicated, and I don't think I'm going to explain it fully until I'm sure I can trust you. But a facet of it is I can create a sort of pocket dimension, filled with creatures. Killing the creatures slowly makes you more powerful." Harley leans forward, her brow furrowed in thought.
"So it's like a video game, ain't it, kill enough shit to level up." I nod, she is closer to the truth with that statement than she realised.
I roll over the bat to her. "Here, you need a weapon, and I doubt you can wield a sword or shoot a gun well enough for it to be effective, can you?" I ask her, a single eyebrow raised.
She shakes her head, "I'm a student, or at least I was one. You think I could afford that." I chuckle, remembering the loot drops.
"Well stay with me and money will never be an issue again. So, you ready?" Standing I mentally ask Sebastian, "Can you add Harley to a Party or whatever without her knowing?"
Harley Quinn Added to your Party.
Thanking Sebastian as Harley stands, picking up the bat. I hold out my arm and she tentatively grabs it, before I bring us both into the dungeon.
Harley winces as the bright sun hits us, I suppose I didn't really think how a normal person would be affected by the desert portion of the dungeon. As she looks around I pull my Nimbus out of my inventory and go over to where she began to wander off.
"Hey, we need to head over to the big mountain in the distance," I gesture to the massive mountain taking up the majority of the view. "The fastest way to do that is to fly, so here."
She gingerly takes the broom, looking confused. I chuckle a bit before explaining.
"It's magic, literally a flying broomstick, I need you to mount it, kick off firmly and it will begin to fly, I'll be right beside you in case anything happens, okay."
She looks panicked for a moment, "Trust me, that thing there is the best flying broom the wizards have got, and I won't let anything bad happen." I reassure her.
Shakily, she swings her leg over the broom, and pushes off, the magic stick beginning to hover. When she begins to fly further away I summon my wings and fly up, keeping pace with her.
The flight to the mountain was done in silence for the most part, Harley focussing on flying the broom. Eventually we make it to the top, landing beside a large outcropping of rock I put the Nimbus back into my inventory
Looking out I see the massive crater, the volcano that was the main attraction to the dungeon long since extinct, and it's molten rock hardening to form the ground.
Inside was an encampment of goblins, bringing up ore from a mineshaft, using carts attached to large Komodo dragon looking lizards. The place is mostly filled with tents, the sole building was the forge, carved into the mountains side.
I turn to Harley, "Okay, so I want you to go down there and kill as many things as possible, I'll stay a few feet behind you and jump in as soon as there's trouble."
Harley lifts her bat and takes a deep breath, "Okay, and this will make me stronger?" I nod at her words. She steels herself, before creeping behind the nearest goblin.
She lets out a cry, swinging the bat into the back of the tiny creature's head, killing it and causing it to shatter. The others look over at the noise, and begin to run over.
Strangely enough they all seem to have short spears as weapons, rather than a variety of different blades like you would expect. I shrug off the anomaly and keep an eye on Harley, making sure she doesn't get into too much trouble.
She was doing rather well, dodging out of the way of attacks, and in range of the goblins to kill, only taking a few minor scratches that I could heal easily with a potion.
A sharp stabbing pain in my side brings my attention to the goblin that thought it would be a good idea to attack me. Tearing the spear out of its hands, I kick it into the crowd, causing several of the small creatures to die. I then throw the spear into the nearest lizard, the small weapon flying through its skull, killing it quickly. Ignoring the added stat pop up, I instead look at the near winded Harley, the shattered remains of the goblins surrounding her, Not bad for a regular human with little training.
"You okay?" I ask, handing her a basic healing potion I bought from the Shop. She chugs the vial, giving it a look as her wounds heal and fatigue fades.
"Seriously, you guys have literal healing potions. Wizards get all the cool stuff," she whines, her pout only growing in response to my laughter of her reaction.
A roar brought our attention to the entrance of the mine, a small group of orcs, around 6 of them, made their way out, banging their weapons in what they assumed was an intimidating manor. And at the front was a red skinned behemoth, its tusks jutting out more than a foot from its mouth.
I [Observe] it, seeing it was clearly the leader of the new comers.
High Orc Berserker
Lvl: 275
HP: 17,500
MP: 0000
Thoughts About You: Rage
Well, that's cute. I take aim with Rias' pistol and quickly take down the lesser orcs, my damage mods active, before aiming at the big guys head. As the bullet goes to kill the beast it clangs off a field projected from its armour. Narrowing my eyes, I [Observe] to see what the issue was.
[Breastplate of Projectile Protection]
Rarity: Rare
Special Effect: The wearer cannot be harmed by any ranged attacks.
I bite down a growl as I rush to the orc, claws extended. No matter, I can kill him quickly enough without my guns.
As I go to stab him, he hits me with a backhanded blow, and I go flying into a nearby cart, the wood shattering as I hit it.
I pick myself up, and pull out some wooden shards stuck to me while my regeneration heals the wound, as I hear a piercing scream. Looking up I see the brute towering over Harley, the pale blue kanabo in its hands raised up ready to crush her.
I see red, and move. The ground shatters as a spider web of cracks form around my foot when I push off, sprinting to the two, a shockwave emanating from my body as the sound barrier is torn to shreds.
I'm there in an instant, pulling Harley out the way with my right arm, my left raised to block the impact. The kanabo connects with my open palm, and my arm explodes in pain, the bones shattered into fragments, blood vessels exploding and skin tearing.
I grit my teeth, and lift the still screaming blond, rushing over to the smelting room. I set Harley down on a bench and begin throwing other benches in front of the closed door, hoping to hold off the monster for even a few more seconds to let me regenerate more.
Looking around the room I see a massive stone crucible, filled with molten metal and I grin as a plan starts to form. My [Thermal Vision] tells me the orc is slowly walking over, clearly assured in its superiority that it doesn't feel the need to rush.
Nudging the near-catatonic Harley, I gesture to a hole in the wall at waist height, clearly serving as a window in the room. "Harley, I need you to hide until that orc gets in, then escape out the window while I distract him."
My tone brooked no discussion, and Harley follows my instructions in a daze, ducking behind a large anvil beside the window. I climb up to the edge of the crucible, before unequipping my clothing save my dragon hide trousers and dropping in, holding onto the edge with my right hand, keeping my head above the metal.
The molten material feels no different than a hot bath, but the heat begins to do its job, massively boosting my regeneration, letting my ruined arm begin to heal. I do however feel some sympathy for Midoryia from My Hero Academia, having just experienced a similar injury to what he constantly inflicts upon himself.
The scraping sound of stone being forcibly moved makes me focus, the high orc having entered the room. Focusing with my Blind Sight I 'see' it move towards the crucible, and prepare to swing, while Harley jumps out the window while it's distracted.
As soon as the kanabo he'd enough momentum to prevent it from easily changing path, I vault out of the crucible, landing beside the muscle bound beast. Using the knowledge I gained from [Martial Artist], I grab the extended arm, and twist, throwing the brute onto the ground with a meaty thud, his kanbo flying from his grasp and ending up in places unknown.
Not letting go of the arm, I plant my foot against his shoulder and pull, the arm ripping off in a fountain of blood and a howl of pain. The orc manages to buck me off and clambers to his feet, backing away slowly.
"You shattered my arm," I spit out and raise the arm still in my grasp, "So I took yours." I begin to slowly advance, "You tried to kill what is mine, so I'm going to kill you, and tear this mountain apart making sure every last one of your kind is wiped out." The orc snarls, and charges, his remaining arm held high, going for a downward strike.
Sliding out of the way, I swing the arm, hitting its head and causing it to stumble. I begin hitting it faster and faster, relentless in my assault against the brute, slowly beating it to death with its own limb. A savage blow knocks it down onto its stomach, where it begins to crawl away, repeating the same phrase in what I assume to be Orcish, whether a prayer to its god, or a plea for mercy I don't care.
I firmly press my foot onto the back of its neck and grab the two tusks, before wrenching upwards, tearing off its head. The body shatters as is the norm, leaving a gatcha token behind and its fleshless skull in my hands. I pick up the token and snap it, wondering what i could get this time.
Unique Skill Gained:
[Quirk: Cremation]
Allows the user to generate and manipulate intensely hot, blue fire at will.
Damage and SP Cost depend on the use.
Well damn, Cremation was incredibly powerful in MHA, the only downside was that Dabi couldn't handle the heat, and I don't have that problem. I hold up my hand and will it to burst alite with the azure flames. They feel like the caress of a warm summer breeze to me. Under my control the fire turns into a swirling arrow of flame, and shoots into the fireplace of a nearby forge, turning the flames inside to the same blue for a couple of seconds. I grin at that, I do like fire, it's very fun to play with.
I place the skull down and go over to a nearby trough filled with ice water, quickly jumping in it to cool down. I was just submerged in molten steel after all. As I cool down, the water begins to boil around me and I look over my left arm. Where before there was smooth skin, there was now a lattice of scarring across my fingers, and thin strips that occur sporadically across the arm itself. I look at my shoulder as best I can, to see a white ridge circling around it, where my arm had been torn off. I guess even my regeneration can't handle some of these injuries in time.
As soon as I feel that I am at a normal temperature, I jump out, heading towards the exit, grabbing the skull as I pass it. A gleam catches my eye, and I see the forgotten form of the orcs kanabo in the corner. I pick it up, the metal object feeling surprisingly light for its size, about 5 feet long. I [Observe] it to see what I'm dealing with.
[Mithral Kanabo]
Rarity: Rare
Deals [500+STR] Bludgeoning Damage per hit
Special: Light; No STR Requirement to wield
Well I guess Harley has a new weapon. I equip a plain black tank top and leave the forge, the kanabo leaning against my shoulder. As soon as I do, a blonde missile slams into my side, arms wrapped around me in a hug.
She then jumps back a second later and slugs me in the arm. "YOU BASTARD. I thought you were going to die." She screams at me. "What the fuck were you thinking?"
I smile at her, "That it was weaker than me, I out rank it so much that it wasn't a fair fight." I hold out the Kanabo to her. "Forgive me?"
She takes the bludgeoning tool, and gives it a test swing, "It's light, or lighter than it should be"
"Well I hope it would be, it's made of Mithral, lighter than steel but just as durable"
She gives a nod, "Fine, you off the hook this time, but try it again and I'll kick your ass, got it?"
I roll my eyes, "Got it, so ready to leave for now?"
She grabs my arm, and the dungeon disappears around us, the kitchen coming back into view. The table was laden with food, bacon, eggs, slice, links, a range of fried greasy food. I thank Ug and sit down, beginning to eat the heavenly meal, Harley doing the same.
As we eat, my phone rings, Adrastia's name appearing on the screen. I tell Harley I'll be back soon and head out into the hall, answering the call.
"What do you want? I'm busy." I say briskly, I was enjoying my meal there.
"I want for you to explain why I have an enraged Russian pure blood asking for his 'property'."
"Long story short, your husband kidnapped a muggle to sell as a sex slave, I'm currently looking after her. Is this idiot important, or can he disappear without issue?" I can hear her deliberation over the phone.
"No, the fourth son of a lesser family, with known ties to various criminal organisations as a debtor, he could vanish and it would be extremely hard to find someone that would care. Why?" The accusatory tone is sharp.
"Because he is going to vanish, what's your floo address I'm coming over." She sighs over the phone as she gives the address. I poke my head back into the kitchen to see Harley still eating.
"I'm just heading out for a bit, make yourself comfortable, okay?" She nods and I head up to the study. Looking at the empty fireplace I sigh. Right, I need something to burn. Turning to the horrible wooden chair I shrug, before breaking it apart and putting the pieces into the fireplace, lighting it with [Cremation].
Atop the mantle was a small pot, the glittering green floo powder inside. I toss a handful inside, and step in, the familiar whoosh of flame and I appear in the ostentatious manor Adrastia stays in. The woman in question was waiting for me at the other side of the fireplace.
"Good, he's in the parlour, follow me." She turns without another word, and walks away. I follow her, hands in my pockets. I enter the room to see an overweight man, in his early twenties perhaps looking out the window, he turns as he hears us and starts to talk in a Russian accent.
"Well, where is the girl, I am very busy." He barks out, causing me to smile, I'm going to enjoy this.
"Money first, I know you haven't paid for her yet, and I'm not in the habit of giving away merchandise for free." He scowls ah my words, before bringing out a leather pouch, heavy with money, and handing it over. I bounce it in my palm once, before grasping it and swinging it against his temple, knocking him out.
"Well that was unexpected. What do you intend to do with him, hmm?" Adrastia is leaning against a chair at the other end of the parlour. I shrug to her question.
"Not sure yet, but as a totally unrelated matter, do you have a book that contains how to cast the Fidelius charm." The woman taps her chin for a moment.
"I might do, but it shall cost you," she says, a smug look on her face.
"What?" I sigh, please be reasonable here I begin to beg internally.
"A date, I have a small event coming up and I simply cannot go alone." Really, that's it. Fuck it, might as well.
"Fine, when is it." She smiles at my agreement.
"Next Tuesday, wear formal clothing, muggle is fine and I shall pick you up at say 8 o'clock."
"Okay, now can I get the book please." A small crack from what I'm guessing to be a house elf occurs, and the book is resting in her hands. She passes it over with a small mocking bow.
"For you." I take it and mumble a thanks, before picking up the still unconscious Russian, and flooing back to my home.
I fucking live bitches. So reason this took so long is I wrote it during while I was depressed and then tried to edit it when I was getting over it. My new Beta, Ethedir, great guy check his shit out, told me it was shit and to redo, that didn't work so fuck it here is this.
On the other side, I have a P()atreon now, if you want to give away money then I wont stop you. Add JarlDraven to the end of the whole link to find it.
You can talk to me on The Dark Wolf Shiro's discord, its fun there and we are soon to hit 2k members.
/UveMUSX