Author Note:
This is my most popular story yet I have over a hundred reviews now and this isn't even half way through for book one.
Reviews
Hypnosis Writer
A Time Lord Gothic would be awesome and I'll consider writing it if you come up with ideas for him. Would he stick to the Doctor Who universe or travel to other science fiction universes for his adventures?
It could work because there are quite a few sci fi settings I didn't bother to use for Emperor Gothic due them involving only Earth. But with my knowledge of science fiction and a Time Lord's genius I could really ruin the lives of alien invaders and such.
I'll also need some ideas for companions the out line of an adventure or two would be good as well. Just give me something to work with and I'll do the rest.
Worsfold15
I did play a few of the Final Fantasy games when I was younger but I don't remember any of them well enough, perhaps because I was stoned while playing them, so I'll have a look in the attic and see if I can dig one them out. Perhaps if I play Dragon Age or one of the FF games (when not stoned) I can jog my memory and add them to this story.
douchiesnacks
She's done with Ron but not with Harry so when she saw Harry leaving the castle to investigate what the Death Eaters were up to she followed Potter and got caught as well.
A W
I never really liked Lupin very much. He was suppose to have been James Potters' friend but doesn't seem care much about Harry. Lupin being a werewolf is a good reason for him not to taken care of Harry as a younger child but that shouldn't of stopped him from visiting Harry at Privet Drive a few times. Sirius Black had a good reason for not visiting and took the first chance he got to go and see Harry but Lupin had no contact with Harry until he took the teaching job. If one of my childhood friend's kids got orphaned I'd of at least checked up on them and made sure they were being mistreated but Lupin never did as far as I can tell he's only dangerous around the full moon so there would be nothing stopping from visiting a couple of times a month.
As for not killing that wounded Death Eater well few people can simply murderer another human being. Its one thing to kill a group of terrorists trying to bring their boss back to life its quite another thing to kill a helpless person who is already wounded.
So yeah maybe Damien needs to harden up a bit but he's not insane or evil he will always show mercy its just that now he's also willing to do what needs to be done.
Plus in that world murdering (I don't think killing people in self defence or to protect others would hurt you to much in a spiritual sense) people damages your soul so that wounded Death Eater wasn't worth Damien damaging his soul further as he knows its a bit messed up already.
The First Gothic. Book One. A Wizard In Training. Part 19.
The Hall Of The Elements. The College Of Winterhold. Skyrim.
As all four of the Outcasts stood in The Hall Of The Elements wearing our college given robes my group and I discussed what was going on.
"I still don't understand what's going on here. What is this place? Why are we here?"
Neville was right to ask these questions and I could tell by the expression on Ginny's face that she wanted to ask some questions of her own. So I moved the small group away from the other students and cast my favourite privacy ward before answering Nev's questions.
"This is a school of magic like Hogwarts only it doesn't have classes or time tables like your use to. Its more like a college or a university" I explained.
The Wizarding World had no universities and while some professions, such as being an Auror, required additional education and training that was about it for higher education so it was hard for me to explain what this place was for when the only higher education they knew about were apprenticeships and on the job training.
"Then where are all the people our age?" asked Ginny.
I resisted the urge to sigh and tried to decided how to best phrase my answer.
"The people here have already completed that level of eduction" I told Ginny. It was sort of true as the students did seem to have had some magical tutoring already "they come here to learn more advanced stuff and to work on their own ideas".
"My Mum was a spell creator this place is like a school for them but its also a place were they can work alone or together to create new spells" said Luna trying to help me make things clear.
It would have been so much easier if it was just Luna and I here but the Traveller had decided that all my friends should come with me on this trip. I should really be grateful that he made this possible ,as I knew that the Outcasts might need the kind of magic they could learn here in the years to come, but I got the feeling that I was going to be spending a lot of time answering other people's questions rather than learning anything myself.
"Okay I'll explain everything again" I told the Outcasts "just listen and I'll answer any questions you have afterwards".
Even Luna didn't know everything that I did so like Neville and Ginny she stood up straight and listened with rapt attention as told them part of the truth.
"A being called the Traveller, he's a kind of god, was trapped in a magic box. I freed him by mistake and he decided to reward me for setting him free. He offered me the chance to start a new and more important life on another world.".
Ginny was about to ask something but I stopped her.
"Let me finish explaining everything first".
I took a deep breathe and carried on.
"I didn't have any close friends in my old life and my family didn't need me around so there was no reason for me not to go. I took the offer and came to your world to learn your kind of magic".
It had always struck me as odd that in all the stories I've read about people being taken out of their dull sometimes even meaningless lives to somewhere wonderful always end up focusing on going home. Which is somewhat understandable if that person had responsibilities back home, people who depend upon them but most of the time the person on the adventure of a life time just ends up thinking that their lives back home are suddenly very important and that those lives need to be returned to as quickly as possible regardless of the consequences.
I couldn't imagine why someone would want to go back to the world were your just one of millions of people who spend their lives doing boring nine to five jobs when you could be doing something meaningful like I was now.
Perhaps it has something to do with the homing instinct that all living creatures share but in my mind this overwhelming desire for people to return to their sometimes pointless existences back home seemed very strange. I'd much rather have the adventure.
"What was your reward?" asked Nev.
Despite this being yet another interruption I answered the question anyway as it did help me get back on track after letting my mind wander as it sometimes did.
"The Traveller isn't evil, at least I don't think he is, but he is a bit of mischief maker".
Well I'd of called him a jerk but he might be listening.
"But rather than just let me pick a reward he came with lots of ideas for a reward and then let me pick one at random. The reward I picked was the chance to become a great and powerful Wizard. So the Traveller sent me to Hogwarts to get my magical education and during the summer he sends me off to other magic schools to learn about their magic so I can become the very powerful Wizard the reward promised".
Sometimes having Pureblood friends is a good thing. If Luna, Neville or Ginny had been Muggleborns they might of realised that what I'd told them meant that I hadn't always been a Wizard. Someone like Granger might of even wondered about who I was before I became a Wizard and she would have no doubt asked me about it but Purebloods, even rather bright ones like Luna, just tend to accept things. Which for now was something that worked to my advantage and I was glad of this because I really didn't want to have to explain about the fact that I use be a twenty something Muggle living in a world were all their lives were mere fiction.
"But why were we brought along?" asked Neville.
For a moment I considered lying and saying something to the effect that I had asked the Traveller to let me bring them along but I felt that the truth would serve me better here.
"You guys know about prophecies".
It wasn't a question but they all nodded anyway.
"Recently I was told a prophecy which leads me to believe that I have to do something important, something that will change the world" I told the Outcasts "I might even have to go as far as to take down the Ministry or at least I might need to bring about some changes major within it".
Given that Ginny and Neville didn't react badly to me saying that I might have to overthrow the government I felt it was safe to carry on talking.
"We've all seen how corrupt the government can be. The Minister used to be a advised by a known Death Eater for pity's sake. And its not just the Minister either Dumbledore needs to be removed from power as well. He nearly got us all killed by sending us into that forest and lets forget that whole incident with the stone Dumbledore might as well of invited Voldemort right into the school and laid down a welcoming mat".
None of the Outcasts much liked Dumbledore these days so they didn't need much convincing there.
"But in order to bring about these changes I'm going to need to break the law and do bad things to bad people, one day I'll be labelled as the Dark Lord and those that help me will be thought of my Death Eaters".
There I'd come out and said it I was going to be the next Dark Lord and I would bring the Ministry down if I had to.
"But the prophecy also said that I will have help".
Well it had words to those effects in any case it was more about gathering those forgotten and misunderstood to my side but I chose to see that as working with my friends.
"Your here now so you can learn magic the rest of the Wizarding World doesn't know about. If you want you can use this magic to help me when I start fulfilling the prophecy. I really could do with your help".
Given that I had just asked them to help me overthrow the government it was understandable that I waited their reply with bated breathe.
"I'll be there for you mate" replied Neville "like you've been for me".
"If its that important I'll help" said Ginny with a smile "As long as you don't get my Dad sacked".
Luna's trust me in me I could understand but I never could figure out why Ginny and Neville followed my lead so easily. I wasn't that convincing of a speaker and I didn't think having enhanced charisma would make someone so trusting. Friendship can only get you so far and I had just mentioned that I might have to overthrow the government which was treason. So either they must really trust me, which I doubted, or I had some strange power over people that I simply couldn't understand.
Then again perhaps my doubts about myself were more about me than them. I just wasn't used to people believing in me and I didn't see myself as a leader even though I was. If I was to survive I had to stop thinking that way and I had to embrace my fate.
I knew that this wasn't something I could escape as when people do try to run from their destiny it rarely ends well and often attempts to avoid one's fate is exactly what brings it about.
During our last meeting the Traveller had told me that this was so. He'd made me understand that there other forces were at work out there. Forces that were outside of his control. My benefactor had no intention of getting to involved with destiny outside of the commitment he had made. There were things he simply wouldn't help me with which I realised meant that once I had completed my education and was considered to be a full Wizard that he would no longer aid me in anyway as that was the end of his commitment.
I wasn't angry about this as the reward he'd given me was a great one and I had known, deep down, that I'd never would of been happy to simply be another citizen of the Wizarding World.
Even without some agency of fate getting involved I might of still become a revolutionist if I was given a good enough reason. The only thing that had been holding me back from that course ,was until now, the fact that my own insecurities were greater than my ego's ability to give me the confidence needed to become the next Dark Lord.
That had begun to change since Luna had been so badly hurt both mentally and physically due to Dumbledore's actions. I now had all the motivation I needed to do what needed to be done.
And as for that event well it would have been easy to blame Granger for 'grassing' on us when she saw who left the letter on Binn's desk. I could of easily gotten some form of payback but really the blame was between myself and Dumbledore.
I was partly to blame for coming up with the plan in the first place and Dumbledore was the one who had sent us into the Forest. It was the Headmaster who put all of my friends in danger and one day he was going to pay for that.
"So what are we going to do while we're here?" asked Nev, snapping me out of my thoughts wandering trail of thought.
"Oh I don't know really" I answered before thinking about it "I guess we could check out that Saarthal place".
I paused as my memories of playing Skyrim ran through my head. Saarthal that was where the Eye Of Magnus would be discovered. The Eye was a magical object of great power (although what that power was I didn't have a clue) but it could bring about an equally great disaster.
If I remembered right that disaster could be avoided by using the Staff Of Magnus but it would be a lot simpler if I just made sure that no one found the Eye in the first place that way this world could avoid a lot of danger and the Outcasts and I could get on with learning some magic. Which was after all the reason for our presence here.
Doing all the quests needed to deal with the Eye if the Mages here started messing around with it could be fun but they could also be very dangerous. I might get myself, or worse the Outcasts, hurt which would be wrong of me as they were sort of in my care as I was the adult of the group in terms of mind's age at least.
On the other hand I could see the value in obtaining such artefacts for myself. The Eye was too dangerous and far to big to take home with me but the Staff Of Magnus could be handy as it had the power to drain magic from both people and objects.
For a few moments I had an amusing scene running through my head. I imagined me with the Staff Of Magnus draining the magic out of some useless wastes of space like Ginny's brother Ron turning him into a squib.
I didn't think it would actually work that way but it would be nice if it did as turning Death Eaters into squibs would be a far more fitting punishment for them than merely killing them.
And even if I couldn't remove a person's ability to use magic it could at least be used to disable wards or even to remove enchantments. That would make dealing with the remaining Horcruxs simple enough as I could break into Gringotts quite easily with such a staff.
Perhaps the Staff could even destroy creatures of magic like Dementors by taking away their evil powers. That would be better than using the weapon the Traveller had provided as I wouldn't have too close to the creatures.
"The Staff will work Damien" said Luna who as ever seemed to know what I was planning, sometimes even before I did "but getting the Staff could be dangerous and it won't be the Traveller that you meet".
I took that to mean that all my ideas about the Staff Of Magnus were correct and as for the last part of what she'd said while it was rather cryptic but I was sure that it would make sense latter.
Also I'd have to deal with the Dragon Priest Morokei but I felt quite safe in going on this quest Luna wouldn't let me go if she foresaw my demise so I felt sure that whatever it was I could handle it.
Addressing all the Outcasts I said.
"Okay guy and gals here's the plan. Neville, Ginny I want you to go with Luna to Saarthal. Follow her lead and trust me when I tell you that doing what she says is very important".
They both knew by now that Luna had a special way of looking at things and after her near death experience she seemed more focused then ever. Which was understandable as its hard to ignore reality when it tries to kill you.
"Bring me back something nice" I whispered to Luna who would no doubt take the chance to recover some of the magical objects from Saarthal before she buried the place in order to ensure that no one would find the Eye".
"What about you Damien?" asked Ginny "what will you being doing?".
I smiled at the red head and said.
"Me, I'm just going out to get myself a new staff"
With the we went our separate ways and once out of sight I spilled down into the Midden and used my Discworld magic to leave the College without anyone noticing.
Labyrinthian Tribune. The Labyrinthian, Skyrim.
My plan was a good one. Instead of fighting my way past lots of different kinds of undead and risk my neck by accidentally setting off some ancient booby-trap instead I'd simply intended appear right next to the Dragon Priest. Then I would have freed the creature before dealing with it using a few well chosen spells.
Only it didn't quite work out that way.
Rather than find the enthralled Mages keeping Morokei in place I found the Dragon Priest already free and in battle.
A large force of Draugr ranging from Draugr Scourge, to Draugr Wights were charging at the Dragon Priest who was using lightening attacks to destroy many of its foes but more of the undead kept coming.
They all ignored me and focused on Morokei who was quickly reduced to ash as the Draugr used their Nord made weapons to hack the dragon worshipper apart.
Then that I saw the Necromancer who led this undead army. He was a tall figure dressed in fine black robes. He carried a large staff adorned with a human skull on the top in one hand while his other hand stayed close to a ornate looking sword which hung on his belt.
When I saw his face I thought for a second or two that it was the Traveller as the Necromancer looked like an adult version of myself but then I remembered what Luna had said not that long ago and it all started to make sense as her cryptic remarks often did when the time was right.
The Traveller's reward card had said that I could be any sort of Wizard I wished to be aside from a Necromancer. I also knew that the Traveller had decided to gift other versions of myself with the rewards I hadn't picked. Putting those two facts together it was clear that this was...
"Necromancer Gothic" said the other version of myself "That's the name I chose for myself in case you were wondering".
"Huh?" I said as by way of reply.
The Necromancer version of me smiled in what should have been a friendly smile but there was something cold about it in the blue eyes that we shared.
"Your not the first alternate version of myself I've encountered" explained the black robed wizard "there's a Daedric Prince version of us doing Divine's know what in the Realms Of Oblivion".
While I digested this piece of information a group of half naked women entered the room. They too seemed to be Necromancers or at least Dark Witches of some sort judging by the way they were (partly) dressed, their rather pale skin and their slightly glowing eyes. It was hard to judge their looks due to the skull masks they worse but I saw enough to tell that they were attractive in body.
"My harem" said Necromancer Gothic while gesturing to the women "you should get yourself one. Having a few dozen willing young ladies around who are eager to please you is always fun".
If this version of myself had the same perverted sexual fantasies I sometimes had then I could indeed see the value of having a harem of dark magic using witches around, they didn't look very inhibited to me either which was always a plus when you had exotic tastes for bedroom activities.
"The Daedric Prince version of us that I met told me that there are many others like me out there" informed the Necromancer "so what version are you?".
I didn't really wanted to answer that question. In fact what I really wanted to do was to get the hell out of the Labyrinthian and perhaps even Skyrim if I could arrange it but I'd settle for being able to get away from this guy. The only reason I hadn't already left was that I wanted the Staff of Magnus more than I wanted to run away.
With this in mind I quickly considered my options. I could run and therefore fail my self appointed mission or I could fight and likely die a gruesome death before being turned into a zombie or I could try grabbing the staff and then I could run away.
Slowly I moved towards the ashen remains of the Dragon Priest making sure that my wand was ready but not pointed at anyone in a threatening.
"I'm just a Wizard" I told the Necromancer.
The darker version of myself eyed my wand but rather than looked worried he simply smiled showing a set of very clean teeth.
"Hogwarts student then" he figured out "that explains the wand and why your so young I've visited that world myself using the portal spell".
I was still slowly moving but none of the living or dead people seemed to care. The dead things didn't even move and the living minions of Necromancer Gothic seemed to be to busy gathering up the loot to care much about what I was up to.
"Portal Spell?" I inquired.
Rather than answer my Necromancer counterpart instead gave me the spell. I didn't know how this was done but I'd experienced it before so I was prepared for the odd sensation that came with someone putting a spell into another person's mind.
"Its a handy spell" said the Necromancer "but it only lets you go to worlds were magic is used. Were as worlds ruled by science seemed to have stronger dimensional barriers preventing the use of such portals"
This act calmed me a little as I reasoned that if the Necromancer wished to harm me then he wouldn't of given me a spell that would help me to escape. I still felt the urge to attack my counterpart but it was a lessening urge.
It then hit me that he hadn't asked me how I'd gotten here. Judging by the fact that he had given the portal spell he must of figured out that I lacked the means to travel to other worlds under my own power.
Not that I was going to question his generosity as having the portal spell was very handy. I might have an escape route in the Department of Mysteries but that device wasn't controllable so having this portal spell was much better.
"Now I'm guessing that your here for something in particular" reasoned Necromancer Gothic as he examined the loot his harem had sorted out "what is it?"
I hadn't noticed that the Staff was piled with the gathered loot so all my subtle movements had been wasted.
"I came for the Staff of Magnus" I answered.
The Necromancer nodded and said.
"That makes sense your wearing the College's uniform and if I know me as well as I know me your getting the Staff long before you need it".
I only nodded in reply as I was still finding it a little odd to converse with myself.
"Well given that I live here I don't want the Eye exploding or anything like that so take the Staff".
The Staff was passed to me by one of the female Mages and I took a few steps back span on the spot and got the hell out of there but not before promising myself that I was going to stay safely inside the College for as long as I was visiting Skyrim.