Yo!
It has been a while hmm? Well it won't happen again, or at least it shouldn't with what I prepared for you.
Those of you who read more than one of my stories probably noticed that yesterday two of my other fics got updated announcing the same thing.
Starting from this week, I will be updating two of my stories per week(One story this week due to the late start). Now how will I decide what story to update? Well, I won't, you will. Or at least the few of you that want to support me as a writer (Remember this is optional).
So yes it all comes down to Patr-eon where I will be putting two polls per week so you can vote on what I update next, along with receiving some other perks as a thank you from me. Some of them relate to my original stories (One of them for now), some to my fanfiction (Voting and insider info), and others to writing in general and the community I want to create (Beta work, Q&As, Discord roles, direct contact to me).
Don't worry, there will be some rules in place so no story will be left behind. Though they will get much fewer updates than the chosen stories, it is only logical. In the end, the choice is in your hands.
Use my link tree for Discord, Patr-eon, and others: linktr. ee/Chaos65 (Delete the space. Or just add the /chaos65 to the normal Patr-eon link)
Also, a small note. From now on all chapters on every story will be no longer than 3,5k words. I think the regular updates from now on should be enough of a reason for that.
PS: First Poll will be up on Wednesday, so in a few hours.
A small reminder:
Harry smiled at Sirius' attempt to disperse the heavy atmosphere and decided to give the man a break and at the same time give him a piece of advice, "Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try."
Sirius' gaze slowly rose to meet Harry's and a grin began to blossom on both of their faces. Shortly after they both exploded in laughter with Sirius almost falling off his chair.
"Did you really just quote Yoda?" Sirius barked out between laughs, "Lily loved Star Wars and I see that this love passed onto her child. And I will Harry, I promise I will."
Letting out a last chuckle, Harry stood up, "Good. Now get up, we have been here long enough that the guards will probably barge in at any moment."
And so Sirius did just that without saying a thing. They kept this silence all the way back to Sirius' residence as Harry knew that his godfather needed this time to properly think about all that happened today. The wizard just hoped that their short argument would help in the long run.
I really hope so, Harry thought as they entered Sirius' home. Because if even his godfather couldn't be trusted in this world then who could.
Chapter 21. It all comes together
After a day full of bullshit, politics, and mad godfathers, Harry just wanted to get a full night of sleep and then just lay in his bed for a few hours. Sirius provided him with a room inside his mansion so Harry could show his Vidar persona around the area to the locals. As such after their successful meeting with the council, Harry went straight up to his private chamber and hit the sack without even taking most of his clothes off.
And now for some godforsaken reason, someone decided to wake him up way before Harry even wanted to think about opening his eyes. Someone is going to die. Harry groaned, turning over in his bed as the soft knocks on the door continued. "What is it?!" He shouted.
"My Lord," a muffled female voice came from behind the door. "I apologize for waking you up sir, but Magister Black requests your presence in his office at the earliest convenience. Do you wish for us to prepare a bath?"
I will bloody murder you Sirius.
"No, I'm fine. Please let the Magister know that I will be there soon," Harry answered as he rubbed his eyes. Rolling off the bed, he cracked his shoulders and took a deep breath. Let another day of madness begin.
Getting Sirius back was one of the best things that happened ever since Harry reincarnated in this bloody world, but sometimes he missed the few days of peace he got during his travels. There he could just relax and worry only about his own stupid decisions. Not about fighting against Magisters of major cities. Not about impossible plans of conquering the Disputed Lands. And definitely not about becoming a public figure once again.
"Stop complaining and get going," Ralnor apparently didn't appreciate Harry's glare directed at the wall. "If the last few days were anything to go by, then a lot more excitement is waiting for you. I can't wait to hear the next great idea your godfather has."
Harry scowled as he filled a large wooden bowl with summoned water. Good to know that you are on my side.
Ralnor's chuckle reverberated through Harry's mind. "I have to get my entertainment from somewhere. It is not my fault that we are stuck together for now... Speaking of, we should really try to find some way to give me a somewhat stable body after we finish your wand. I'm grateful that you freed me from my tomb, but I think we can both agree that I can do more if we can separate for more than a couple hundred feet."
Body frozing, the water slipped between Harry's fingers as he processed what Ralnor just said. Okay? What brought that on all of the sudden? I know we wanted to find a way to separate ourselves sooner or later, but why now?
Ralnor materialized next to Harry, his arms crossed. "Your godfather's plans. We can get control over Myr in a day or two with all the skills we possess. It is only the matter of one good plan and we have it, but the Disputed Lands?" He shook his head, "You're only one man, Harry, and we will be fighting against two or even more Free Cities. With me free, we can at least spread our strength on two fronts. Not much better, but it's at least something."
Harry sighed, hand massaging his forehead as he leaned against the small wardrobe. "I didn't know you cared so much," he murmured. "I know that we went through some tough shit together, but I thought that once you get your own working body, you will leave to find your own place in this world. I wouldn't even fault you for that, not after being trapped for centuries."
A snort brought Harry's gaze back to his companion. "And go where? To Leng? Yi Ti? Fuck that. Getting my freedom back is one thing, but why would I leave the only person that tried to help me... Even if it was involuntary at first. So no Harry, I'm not leaving. You are stuck with me whether I get a new body or not. Besides the old man was right about one thing. Wherever you go, trouble follows and I really don't want to miss the culmination of this madness."
Harry smiled, his mood lifting after the rude awakening. "Well then. Glad to have you on board. Let's get moving, shall we?"
The ancient man grinned as his form disintegrated into countless grains of light. Harry shook his head and grabbed the glamour necklace from his nightstand. I wonder how much time we have until the runes fail. The features of his face shifted, the persona of Vidar once again replacing Harry's Valyrian ancestry. He then quickly put on the armor he received from the Yi Tish Emperor and threw his personalized cloak over his body.
Shrouded in the shadows, Harry stepped out of his room and nodded to the servant waiting outside. "You can go now. I know where Magister Black's office is."
The young woman bowed and departed in the opposite direction. Let's get this ball rolling. Going up to the second floor and taking a few turns, Harry stopped before the closed-door guarded by two soldiers. Both gave Harry a bow, while one of them reached for the door handle. "The Magister is waiting."
The door swung open and Harry stepped in, his gaze taking in the small chamber.
Like expected, Sirius was already seated behind his desk, a goblet of wine in hand. What Harry didn't expect this early, was the presence of General Ballo, who sat in one of the two chairs on the other side of the desk. Like every time Harry saw him, the General's back was stiff as a board and his goblet of wine remained untouched.
"General," Harry nodded, taking off his hood and narrowing his eyes at his godfather. "Sirius," he hissed. "You really couldn't wait a few more hours, couldn't you? It is still almost dark outside for fuck sake."
The bastard exploded in sniggers, his eyes shining with mirth as he looked from Harry to Ballo. "See?" Sirius said to the General between the fits of laughter. "Our young friend here doesn't have a problem with cursing me as the first thing in the morning. You should take lessons from him and stop being so stiff. No wonder no woman wants you."
The general sighed, shaking his head but he didn't say anything. Harry really felt for the man. Sirius' personality was an acquired taste that was only good in small doses. Harry probably inherited the immunity to most of Sirius' character from his father, but Ballo had to survive with this magic-powered man-child for years. Truly a tiring existence.
Hoping to give the man a break, Harry growled, "Sirius!"
The man threw his hands into the air. "Fine, fine. Ruin my fun, why don't you," he muttered, almost pouting. "Take a seat, Harry. I called you this early because we got a lot to talk about. Especially after yesterday's council meeting."
Harry took the offer, a small smirk creeping onto his face, "The same meeting that you completely messed up?"
His smirk grew as a loud groan came from Harry's right. "What have you done now, Sirius," Ballo said, his posture finally slumping into the chair. The man could only take so much after probably being woken at ungodly hours.
Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Harry didn't even let him get a word in as he clapped his hands. "Why general, our dear Magister here decided to change our well-crafted plan just a few minutes before the meeting without even informing me. We got one of the remaining Magisters on our side, but the other two left screaming after Sirius pretty much threatened them."
The general sighed, the action becoming something of a custom from the beginning of this meeting. "Full story please," he groused out.
Harry's grin became feral as he recounted the entire council meeting. He glanced at Sirius and couldn't help the smugness raising within him as he watched his godfather deflate with every word that left Harry's lips. Wake me up before sunrise again, I dare you.
"It could have been worse," Ballo muttered after Harry finished his monologue. "But it also could have been a lot better Sirius. I served with you for years, a bit more trust would be well appreciated."
Sirius winced, "I know, I know. Harry already gave me a proper dressing down. I can live without another." Ballo offered Harry a nod which was gladly returned. "Now if we are done picking on your superior then I would like to get to the crux of this little meeting."
"As Harry explained," Sirius continued. "Thoreo Essohr decided to step down and soon, another part of Myr will be under my control. It will take a few weeks to integrate his slaves and establishments into the new community, but it is crucial that we deal with the other two Magisters during this process. Now that they know I'm coming for them, they will actively try to sabotage anything I do instead of just complaining... I need to show the people of Myr that I can lead them to greatness and if I do that while exposing the other Magisters then it will only strengthen my hold over the city."
Harry mulled over Sirius' words. "You want to frame them into treason against the city. People love you so if you show them the crimes of two of their leaders, the game is practically over. Almost no one will question your will if you decide to get rid of them. Hell, I doubt anyone would complain if the two just died the next day," he stated.
"Maybe," Sirius nodded. "But why kill them if I can better my overall position among the people while doing pretty much the same thing. And no, I don't want to frame them, at least not yet. Those two were Magisters for a long time and I am sure that somewhere along the road they did something that put Myr at risk. In the past maybe it didn't matter, but Myr had changed over the years and most of our population doesn't consist of slaves anymore. Now we just need the final push to throw them over the edge."
Ambitious, Harry noted. Though anything that Sirius does in this world is ambitious. If his plans worked was another matter altogether. It was one thing to create a perfect plan and another to execute it without any bumps on the road. I just hope you know what you're doing Sirius.
"Do you have any possible leads?" Ballo questioned.
"A few," Sirius took a sip of the wine. "I'm trying to go through the records available to the council and some files that I took from the previous Magisters. I'm not sure if I will find anything, but it's a start. Ballo, I was hoping you would join me. I'm only one man and there are a lot of documents to go through. Like a lot, trust me."
"As you wish," Ballo nodded, receding to the obedient General persona. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"Unfortunately yes," Sirius sighed and reached for a stack of papers on his desk. "Here are the names of every slave registered under Thoreo Essohr or his associates that the Magister refuses to employ after the changes. In the coming days, they all will be required to come here and go through an evaluation. I need to know who needs help, who can work straight away, and other standard information. You know the drill. I'm sorry to put this on you again, but I need someone I trust to handle this mess."
"I will get it done. I take you will give me some people to help," Sirius nodded at Ballo's question. "Good."
Then Sirius turned to Harry and the young wizard immediately knew that he wouldn't like what his godfather planned. "Harry, we both know that you have certain abilities that make sneaking through hostile territory quite easy. I need you to search the houses of the other Magisters for anything suspicious. Records, letters, anything that we can use."
"Could be worse," Ralnor noted. "It will be a tedious task, but not one you can fail. Not with everything we learned in the last few years."
Harry massaged his temple. You aren't wrong. Let's just hope it will be a quick in and out. Both Harry and Ralnor snorted internally. As if anything in their journey was that simple. And now with Sirius' plan added into the mix, there was no chance for anything going smoothly. Rest in peace my sleep.
"Don't worry about it Sirius," Harry finally answered. "Just give me the locations and a few days."
Sirius smiled and proceeded to do just that. From there the conversation shifted between different subjects. Be it the army or defenses of Myr, Sirius' plan to take over the city, or some happenings in other Free Cities. Harry listened to most of what was discussed, only dozing off when the state of some businesses was mentioned. No reason to listen to something he couldn't understand anyway.
And so the first phase of Sirius' plan was in play.
"It looks better," Maran noted, scanning the short object lying at the table in front of him. "Still not as good as the wand the Magister gave you, but it is definitely better than anything we created in the past."
Harry nodded and grasped the white wand. Power rushed through his arm, eyes closing as he felt the connection between the short tool and his own magic. It was far from the euphoric feeling Harry experienced when he bought his first wand, but just like Maran said, this new creation pushed the connection further than any other Weirwood wand.
He swished the wand at the cup sitting at the end of the table and gave the transfiguration his full focus. The brown wood gave way to the metallic silver and slowly the shape shifted. The metallic cube spasmed, growing legs, head, and finally a tail. Keeping the transfiguration active, Harry shot another spell, the simplest animation charm he could remember.
"Meow?" The metallic cat moved, a soft purring filling the room.
"I will be damned," Maran muttered, his eyes glued to Harry's creation. "A cat made of metal wasn't something I planned to see today. Truly a wonderful piece of magic. I wish I could do something similar."
Harry broke the connection with his spell, the cat returning to its previous form. "It wasn't much. One day I will tell you what a true master of transfiguration can do. That's something I can call both wonderful and dangerous."
"One day," Maran smiled. "Now how is the wand?"
"Better," Harry stated, rolling the smooth wood between his fingers. "Much better. My spells finally leave the wand properly and even if I still have to actively channel magic so the transfiguration won't collapse, I count it as a win in my book. The focus and power it requires are off the charts, but with some practice and time, it should be usable in battle. I just need to figure out the limits of this new wand and find out what spells do and don't work."
"All in due time," Maran patted Harry on the shoulder as he stood up and approached one of the bookshelves. He came back with a bottle of wine in hand. "Let's celebrate. It is not every day that you recreate a tool that no one even knows about."
Harry chuckled as he pushed the offered goblet away. "No drinking for me today. I have a job to do when the night comes."
Maran gave him a look, "Magister's plan?"
"Aye," Harry frowned. "I just hope to finish it quickly so I can focus on what has to be done before Sirius decides to start his conquest of Disputed Lands. I want to have every advantage I can get when the time comes."
"Oh? Do tell."
"The egg I received in Stygai and a permanent body for Ralnor. I hope to find the solution to the first one in Valyria, but I need a month or two to get there and search the place properly." Harry said and removed the mysterious egg from his bag.
"Dangerous, not that it will stop you," Maran released a throaty chuckle. "And what about Ralnor? You two never told me about any plans to separate. Do you even know where to start?"
The younger wizard shook his head. "Not really. I'm hoping to find something in Valyria or just find the possible fix ourselves." He glanced at Maran, a small smirk painted on his lips, "What do you think about another project? Messing with souls, unknown magic, and mysteries of the world."
Maran exploded in a burst of booming laughter, "Oh, I knew that things wouldn't be boring with you."
Harry grinned. "I aim to please."
And that would be it for today's chapter. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the shorter chapter, but like I mentioned in the AN above. More chapters equal slightly shorter chapters. Besides, it is much easier for me to write them like this.
If you want to support me and vote for what I update next along with gaining some interesting perks, you can visit the site that shall not be named. Just add /chaos65 to the normal link. The voting for this week's update starts in a few hours.
Or use my link tree instead for Discord, Pat, and others: linktr. ee/Chaos65 (Delete the space)
See ya soon.