Hi
I write a new chapter for this story. Hope you like it. Merry Christmas.
Journey to Volantis
Early in the morning, Harry went to the docks. He spent half the night taking care of his affairs in the city. He spoke with the innkeeper at the tavern where he planned to stay overnight, informing him that he would only be staying one more night. The innkeeper returned the remaining money to him, and he walked through the city to distribute his protective stones. During this process, he was attacked by some dark individuals whom he quickly eliminated, stealing their valuables afterward.
After distributing the protective stones and creating more, he used Occlumency to organize the information he had obtained from the memories of the Fire Mage and Daario. This gave him a better understanding of magic in Essos. Without the invention of wands and special rings that helped wizards control magic, magic had developed in a completely different direction.
The runes on the Fire Mage were quite interesting, an d with a bit of magic, he could identify a few components of the ink. Powdered dragon bones, basilisk blood, and black nightshade roots were the components he could recognize. All three were incredibly poisonous and could explain why the man looked so sickly. Perhaps the ink was an experiment and not the same as that given to all other mages. It seemed much more potent than what novices used. Perhaps the masters had found a way to create an antidote, but the mage had abandoned his training to serve as an assassin for some nobles.
Without a way to neutralize the ink, the man had only a few years left to live. Daario, on the other hand, was interested in blood magic and became an apprentice in blood magic. Unlike the Fire Mage, he never received runes but learned how to use blood for magic. He used his own blood as well as the blood of his enemies for his magic. Through experiments, he learned that some families possessed more magic, and royal bloodlines held a certain magic, as they were respected and revered by their subjects. The longer a dynasty ruled, the more powerful the magic within the family.
Ironically, families in Westeros had more magic available to them if they chose to tap into their potential. Democracy in Essos prevented the emergence of such powerful dynasty magic. Another way to strengthen the family is to be magicians over generations, something the families in this world did not consider. Magic needed to be cultivated, something no one in this world truly understood. If not used, it withered away. According to the research of Hermione, Daphne, and him, Muggle-borns were simply children of Squibs who, by chance, had enough magic in their bodies to become wizards.
According to their findings, people could be classified based on the level of magic in their bodies. Muggles have very little to no magic in their bodies. Squibs had more magic but not enough to become wizards. Muggles can have other Muggles or Squibs as children. Squibs can have Muggles, Squibs, or wizards as children, while wizards only have Squibs or wizards. They suspected that the first wizards emerged only about two and a half thousand years ago when the first people began using wands. Using a wand required more magic. Whether there was an intermediate stage between blood magic and wand magic was not documented anywhere.
Daphne, however, proposed the idea that certain stones might have been used initially, stones that could conduct magic very effectively. Stones like opals, amber, or pyrite were excellent conductors of magic and could easily be used as primitive foci. By using these, one could easily train in magic and create new wizards over generations.
Harry himself had considered creating a primitive focus with some stones but abandoned the idea when he had his stone wand. It was much better suited to his magic and could cast a broader spectrum of magic, making the stones irrelevant for him. His stone wand was created using a combination of blood magic, alchemy, and runic magic. He used gneiss and blood magic to generate the energy for transforming gneiss into magical obsidian, which could conduct magical energy better than anything else. This core for his magic was encased in a mantle of magical granite, whose durability was enhanced by runes. This allowed him to create a very reliable wand for any type of magic, as long as he didn't use too much magic at once.
Harry observed as the dockworkers slowly became active again and waited for Saera or Daario to arrive. As the sun slowly appeared on the horizon, Daario also arrived at the agreed meeting point. He wore his armor as before, but this time also carried a large sack filled with items. Behind him, two slaves pulled a cart loaded with items in crates.
"Good day, Daario," said Harry, greeting Daario. Daario stopped in front of Harry and nodded his head briefly.
"Good day to you, noble sir. I have arranged a ship to take us to Volantis. The Seahawk will be taking us there. My cousin gave me the ship and two others as compensation for my long years in her service. I am at your disposal to help in Volantis," said Daario, surprising Harry with this statement.
"I thought you were only accompanying us to Volantis and then returning to serve House Orthys. I would have granted it to you," said Harry, wondering why this man wanted to stay in his service. Daario signaled the slaves to unload the cart and placed the sack beside him.
"That is true, but I can only serve one person at a time. I have realized that there is no way for Taena to leave her husband for me. With you, I might have a fresh start and not only find a woman but also learn more about magic. Please, kind sir, take me as your apprentice," said Daario, kneeling before Harry.
Harry thought briefly, wondering if he could take on an apprentice. An apprentice could be assigned certain tasks that involved a lot of routine work. Having a magician under his command wouldn't be bad either, even if he could only use blood magic. Perhaps it wouldn't be so wrong to find out if he could improve the magical stones to make them more practical.
"Very well. You can be my apprentice. I will see what I can teach you and what I cannot. I may not be able to teach you much because the magic I use requires one to be a wizard. Your power level is on the border. It will likely be a very rocky path," warned Harry, but Daario only nodded. Harry sighed and looked towards the horizon. He had a lot to consider before he could teach Daario magic.
"Which ship is the Seahawk? Can we start loading our items onto the ship?" asked Harry, and Daario promptly replied, "Certainly, my lord. Once the goods are loaded, we can fetch the other people who will accompany me and can be of use to us."
"I know some individuals who want to start a new life but cannot do so here in Lys because they have crossed some powerful figures. If we offer them to leave the city with us, they would be grateful and willing to work for us," Daario explained.
"What can these people do? I don't want to transport burdens," said Harry, hoping he didn't sound too harsh. The fact was, he did not have the resources to help many people and needed to focus on those who had a realistic chance of achieving something.
"Indeed, these individuals can be of help to you. One is a scholar who was caught with his employer's wife. The other is a blacksmith with a family who angered the smith's guild by making weapons for the Tigers that were not approved," Daario explained, and Harry nodded. He could use a scholar to learn how to write in the new languages here. It was much easier to extract spoken words from people's minds than written ones. With a teacher, he could fill this knowledge gap. After that, he could serve as a teacher for Saera's children. The blacksmith could teach him how to forge swords and refine metals.
"Indeed, bring these people here. They can surely be useful to our plans," said Harry, receiving a relieved exhale from Daario. Together, they went to the Seahawk. Upon arrival, Harry had to admit that he had not seen a better ship so far. The Seahawk was a fairly large ship with two masts, a forecastle, and an aftcastle. It had white sails with the Orthys coat of arms and a row of rowers. Each side could accommodate twenty rowers. With a length of nineteen meters, it was one of the larger ships in the harbor.
"This is quite a respectable ship. I did not expect it to be such a large vessel," marveled Harry, boarding the ship with Daario.
"It was the largest ship in its fleet, but since its ships mostly sail between Pentos and Lys, it is unprofitable for him compared to the others. With these, you could sail to the Summer Isles or visit Sothoryos, although I would not recommend the latter," said Daario, heading to the captain to discuss something. Harry decided to help the two slaves and carry the items onto the ship. At least he could be useful in some way. After a few minutes, Daario came back and said, "I have talked to the captain. He said we can set sail in a few hours. Before that, he needs to replenish the provisions. I also managed to convince him to give up his quarters for you."
"That is very considerate, but I believe the quarters are better for Saera and her children. We wouldn't want the sailors getting any ideas," Harry pointed out and received a thoughtful nod from Daario.
"You may be right. I hadn't thought about that. Forgive me," said Daario, but Harry waved it off.
"If we're not setting sail for a few hours, I can try to take care of some matters in Lys. Saera should be arriving soon as well," said Harry and could see that Daario was not thrilled about the prospect. Daario seemed to desire Saera, but he was not pleased that she was accompanying them. This dislike for Saera probably stemmed from his infatuation with his cousin. However, Harry hoped that this aversion would decrease; otherwise, the journey would not be very pleasant.
"I understand your dislike for Saera, but you may have to endure her only until Volantis. After that, our paths may possibly diverge. She will likely become the courtesan of a powerful man and go her own way," said Harry, seeing that this irritated Daario.
"Ah, you want her for yourself. Well, for that, you'll also have to offer something. Three ships may not generate the income to finance Saera's lifestyle. I'll give you some advice. Find yourself a pretty ordinary woman who wants you for who you are, not what you can offer. It reduces heartache and protects your wallet. Also, don't even think about taking her by force. If you do, I'll have to castrate you. You also need to apologize to her because I tried it last night," said Harry, and Daario nodded thoughtfully. Harry patted him on the shoulder and left the ship, heading back towards the city. In the city, he resumed buying and selling valuable items. The weapons he had received last night also needed a new owner. A few coins richer, he continued searching for information about Valyrian Steel, but none of the merchants had a piece of this valuable material. However, one merchant informed him that there were forges in Qohor capable of forging Valyrian Steel, something he had not heard before. If he could find out how to forge it, he would be one step closer to his research.
At noon, he returned to the Seahawk and could already see from a distance that a cart was being unloaded. A white tuft unmistakably belonging to Saera was seen giving instructions to the men. Upon entering the ship, the last crates were being loaded into the ship's cargo hold. At the bow of the ship, the captain stood with Saera. Today, she wore a very unremarkable dress that did little to flatter her figure but seemed very practical. It was of lesser quality, with patches sewn at several places. She did not look like a noble courtesan in it but rather like a poor girl from the countryside. Only her beautifully styled hair and velvet hands deceived the appearance.
"Look at her. The princess honors us with her presence," joked Harry, earning an angry look from Saera.
"I am not a princess. Just a woman who enjoys the good life. Can we leave this place?" asked Saera angrily, and Harry raised his hands in a placating manner.
"I hope your children are already present. If Daario and his people are here, we can leave this place," said Harry, getting a nod from Saera, who ignored Harry and flirted with the captain.
-Kiss-of-the-Dragon—
Shortly after noon, they set sail and headed towards Volantis. The wind was in their favor, and they made swift progress. Before sunset, they were out of the jurisdiction of Lys and sailing towards Volantis. As the sun rose, they saw something that instilled fear in many. Their small convoy was being followed. Four ships trailed them, and none of them were trading vessels. No, they were pirates.
"Damn it," exclaimed the captain of the Seahawk, peering through his Myrish telescope once again.
"Can you communicate with the captains of the other two ships? Perhaps they have a solution," Harry suggested, receiving a headshake from the captain.
"I could communicate with them, but they themselves have no idea. We could sail a bit faster and try to escape, but the Seatiger has issues with its sail and cannot go faster. It may take hours for them to fix the sail, but by then, the rowers will be exhausted and unable to fight off a boarding."
"Well, what if we leave the Seatiger behind, and the people on the ship fight? At most, two ships can try to board at the same time. With the right people, we could defeat the pirates," Harry proposed, earning a wide-eyed look from Daario.
"You don't seriously want to go to the Seatiger and fight against those pirates. The odds are against you," Daario said, but Harry waved it off.
"Who said we would fight fair? The odds are more against them. Can we transfer the loot from one of those ships to ours afterward?" Harry asked, and the captain looked at him incredulously.
"You seriously believe you can stand against those ships and then plunder them. You can try. I won't stop you. If you succeed, we could subdue the crews of the ships and control another vessel. With that, we could distribute the goods from another ship onto ours. It will be tight, but it should work," the captain replied, trying to understand the madness he had signed up for. His new boss seemed to be quite special. He never thought Daario Narratys would leave the service of his cousin to work for another person. Now he had seen almost everything.
A message was quickly sent to the Seatiger, and Harry climbed onto the other ship using a rope. Before leaving the ship, Harry explained his plan to the men, who reluctantly accepted it. Since they were sailing into a fog, no one could see what was happening, and everyone was grateful for that. The sails were reset, and the Seatiger separated from the other two ships. The fog cleared, and the four ships still followed the other two, but a few minutes later, two of the ships turned and began to chase the Seatiger.
The men on the ship saw this and became uneasy. Only now did they realize the plan their superiors had devised, and they were not thrilled that they were being sacrificed to the sharks so that the other ships could escape.
"Calm down, men. I know the odds are against us, but we can win this, but only if everyone pulls together," Harry shouted as he stood in front of the men, trying to boost their morale.
"How are we going to win against two ships? We're a trading vessel, and those are pirates," one of the sailors exclaimed, and many of his comrades nodded in agreement.
"That may be true, but you lack courage. Do you want to give up so easily? I tell you, if we win, I'll invite all of you to a drinking spree in Volantis. There, you can get drunk, so you won't know whether it's up or down the next day," Harry shouted to the men, and several of them were excited at the prospect.
"So, are you in?" Harry shouted, and the men collectively screamed, "Yes, sir."
"Okay, furl the sail and stow the oars. Then, all of you go down to the cargo hold," Harry said, confusing the men.
"Well, the pirates want the ship, right? Let them have the hard-to-defend deck. But if they want the loot, they have to go into the cargo hold, and with the ladder, only a few of them can come down at a time," Harry explained his plan. This seemed to convince the men, although some still looked confused. The sail was quickly furled, and everyone made their way down, even the captain hesitated before joining in.
Once everyone was down, they got a surprise. Harry closed the door and left the people trapped below. Harry sighed and ignored the knocking of the sailors. He had a lot to prepare now.
Quickly, he opened his suitcase and took out a clay jug, filling it with chili powder and some other irritants. Pressed for time because the ships were getting closer, Harry quickly recited the spells for the plan and, at the last spell, tapped his wand against his head. A bubble formed around his head, preventing him from being affected by the substances. With a jolt that went through the entire ship, one of the pirate ships rammed the Seatiger. Several pirates threw boarding ropes, and shortly after, the ship was also rammed from the other side. The Seatiger was trapped between the two pirate ships. Dozens of pirates ran onto the ship from both ships, surrounding Harry. He observed everything without fear. Why should he? Everything was going as he wanted.
"Surrender. If you do, we'll only sell you into slavery; otherwise, you'll pray for a quick death," said a man who looked like the captain of one of the ships, stepping forward and pointing his sword at Harry. It was a very nice sword, adorned with decorations, and the blade itself shimmered in a dark gray color with a wave pattern. Harry would have jumped for joy. There he had searched for a small piece of this metal a day in Lys, only to find an entire sword. The Potter luck seemed to be striking again.
"And if I don't? Will you and your men kill me?" Harry asked, examining the man more closely. He wore a richly adorned surcoat and underneath a jerkin. His skin was dark, and in his black eyes, Harry could see a powerful intelligence. Harry suspected that this man either came from Dorne or the Slaver's Bay. This man was no ordinary captain of a ship.
Men, seize him," said the leader, stepping back behind his men. This was what Harry had been waiting for. He took a sip from his bottle and sprayed the men with burning alcohol, discreetly igniting it with his left hand as it left his mouth. The men screamed as they caught fire.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Harry knocked down some of the men, then unleashed another burst of fire on them. Several men jumped into the sea to extinguish the fire, but Harry paid no attention to them. He struck down one man after another. He had to dodge blows from the men, but every time it got close, he set a man on fire.
The men grew fearful. They were soldiers, but they had never fought against a wizard. They retreated, clearing the way between Harry and the leader. The leader had bent down and was writing something on the ship's hull with the blood of his subordinates.
"I should have known you're a wizard. Too bad you're not a match for me," the leader said confidently, activating the runes. A column of fire emerged, burning the sail. The captain made some hand movements and whispered some words. The column of fire twisted, forming a sort of armor around the man's body. Burn marks appeared on the wood, and the ship started to catch fire in some places. Harry realized that he wouldn't get far with fire magic. Much to the magician's regret, Harry was a very clever wizard.
He tapped the rope around his waist, and immediately the knot loosened, the rope slithering towards the leader. The leader shot a burst of fire at the rope, but it couldn't harm it. The leader screamed in fear as the rope wrapped around his body, cutting off his connection to his magic.
"Now, who's the greater wizard?" Harry said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The man had soiled himself. "Now you've soiled your pants. Simply disgusting," Harry said, gagging the man. Then he made a staff movement, extinguishing the fire on the ship. None of the men were conscious anymore, so Harry no longer needed to keep up the charade.
Confident that the ship wouldn't catch fire again, Harry made his way to the other ship. He climbed over the gunwales and looked into the frightened faces of the men.
"Drop your weapons. If you surrender, I'll spare you; otherwise, I'll kill you all," Harry said, appearing to the men like a demon. His cloak was splattered with blood and intestines from dozens of men he had killed. His sword dripped with the blood of the men. One by one, they dropped their weapons and knelt. Harry cut some ropes and tied the hands of each man together. Many of them had soiled their clothes, and the air smelled of blood and urine.
Once this was done, he cut a piece of fabric and hung it in the wind. As soon as he did, Daario's ships turned around and approached again. With the assurance that reinforcements were coming soon, Harry went back to the leader of the entire expedition to examine the sword that fascinated him.
When Harry arrived at the leader of the expedition, he took the sword of his opponent and examined it carefully. As he suspected, it seemed to be a special bastard sword. The crossguard was shaped like the heads of two dragons, and the eyes of the dragons seemed to be emeralds. The pommel bore the coat of arms of a house that Harry did not know, but he suspected that this house was behind the attack.
Harry put the sword in his suitcase and then tended to the wounds of the wounded. He was now no longer sure if these people were all pirates. The men on this ship looked more like soldiers. If this was true, then the captain on the longship had not lied to him.
Half an hour later, Daario and the captain of the Seahawk stepped onto the ship and were astonished to find Harry facing more than three hundred men alone and coming out unharmed.
"You are truly a great warrior if you can defeat so many men alone," said Daario, and the captain nodded.
"Well, they were not prepared for the tricks I had up my sleeve. I can't help it if they didn't comply with my request to surrender," said Harry, shrugging. Several sailors rushed to the gunwales to vomit when they saw the dead people.
"It's certainly their limited perspective that led them to oppose you," said Daario, and Harry could hear the sarcasm. Harry smiled, thinking that Daario himself had made the same mistake several hours ago and ended up as Harry's lackey.
"Indeed. I was just about to interrogate the leader of this little operation, but I thought you would like to be present," said Harry, getting nods from the captain and Daario.
"Very well. Tell us, who sent you to attack us. If you cooperate, it won't be so bad," said Harry, removing the gag from the man's mouth.
"I won't tell you anything. Do you hear me?" shouted the leader, looking at everyone hatefully. The man had forgotten that just half an hour ago he had been terrified of Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and put the gag back in the man's mouth.
"Before we proceed, we should clarify what we will do with the prisoners and the ships. We can probably repair this ship only with difficulty, but the large galley could surely be filled with some of the goods in the ships. There should be enough space," said Harry, and Daario nodded.
"If we force some of the prisoners to row for us, we could use the ship and maybe take another ship. Then we should have enough cargo space to load the goods from the other ships onto ours," Daario suggested, turning to the Seahawk captain. "Symon, can you ensure that the conscripted rowers are distributed among all the ships? This way, we can make sure the pirates don't get any ideas. Oh, and search the cabin of this ship too. There may be information we can use."
The captain nodded and set to work, barking orders to his sailors. Harry and Daario dragged the leader of the gang behind them and headed to the captain's cabin of the large galley. It seemed secluded enough that they wouldn't be disturbed but interesting enough to potentially find more information.
When they arrived at the cabin, their eyes had to adjust to the darkness inside. It had no windows and was correspondingly dark. A spell from Harry later, and some candles were burning, allowing them to see better. Across from the door was a large table with several maps on it. Some showed parts of Essos, while others were more navigation maps for routes known to few. In one corner was the captain's bed, and on it lay some clothing. Suspiciously, two rings were attached to the beam supporting the ceiling, looking very much like they were used for interrogating people.
They tied ropes to the man's arms and pulled the other end through the two rings. Slowly, they hoisted the man up, suspending him in the air.
"Since you want to be my apprentice, today I will give you a small lesson in runes and how to use them to make people talk," Harry said, tapping the man's clothes, causing them to fold themselves on the bed. Only the underwear remained on the body, preserving their modesty.
"Together, these runes form the unit of control for the spell we use," Harry began, drawing several runes on the man's chest. To do this, he used a little blood from the man's nose. He then drew a circle around the runes and more around that circle, and a rune on each man's cheeks. He drew a rune on the man's forehead. "The runes on his face are the runes that compel him to tell us the truth. The ones around the circle regulate the energy used by the runes on his face," Harry said, then went on to explain the meaning of each rune separately before giving different examples of how to use each rune.
"You know a lot about runes. Many of these runes I have never seen before. I have seen these two before, but they were used in a ritual," said Daario, pointing to the two runes he already knew.
"Well, these two runes are good for rituals because they can also be used as a safety measure to ensure the ritual goes smoothly. Similar runes are often used in many rituals to minimize risks. However, drawing the runes during rituals is not the only thing to consider. The ingredients must also be analyzed first. The purity and potency of the ingredients can vary, so not every ritual is the same. Now, let's wake up our new friend," said Harry, nudging the man's ribs to wake him up.
The man looked around confused for a moment before glaring at them angrily.
"I'll give you one last chance. You answer us, or we'll take what we want without asking," warned Harry, removing the gag.
"You won't get anything out of me. You can torture me as much as you want. My lips are sealed," said the man defiantly, and Harry replied, "Not through conventional means, but with magic, many things are possible."
"I don't believe you. I've studied magic long enough to know that this is not possible," said the man, and Harry sighed. He had hoped not to have to do this. It was slowly getting on his nerves that he had to use magic to force every magician to cooperate with him. As if he didn't have other things to do. He would much rather study the sword he had stolen from the man, but now he had to fry this man's brain.
"There's a difference between us. You're a small magician who knows a few tricks. Impressive for normal people. My understanding of magic is much deeper and more comprehensive than anything you could ever grasp," Harry whispered almost inaudibly and activated the runes on the man's chest.
"What is your name?" said Harry with a commanding tone, and the man replied in a monotone voice, "Gaemon Belaerys."
"Is this the same spell they used against me yesterday?" Daario asked curiously, remembering how it felt. A shiver ran down his spine. He didn't want to experience that feeling again, being forced to answer even when resisting. That was anything but pleasant.
"It's similar. Yesterday, I simply sent the magic of this spell into your mind. Those who know the spell very well and understand how it works can do that directly. This is the version that you could also use. So, remember it. I may not show you this spell again," explained Harry and then went back to questioning Gaemon.
"Who sent you to attack us?"
"Magister Pendaerys learned that Daario Narratys is on one of these ships," replied Gaemon, shocking Daario with this answer. He hadn't thought he had such enemies.
"Why now, and why am I the target?" Daario asked.
"He saw it as the perfect opportunity to eliminate him without Pereno Orthys or his wife tracing it back to him. He is upset because Narratys has eliminated several of his people."
"Why were you sent, and no one else?" Harry asked, trying to find out why a very talented fire mage was sent. Using such firepower against ordinary traders was more than exaggerated.
"Magister Pendaerys found out that Narratys is a magician. To kill a magician, you hire an assassin or a mage more powerful than the target. Since the nature of the magic Narratys can use was not known, Pendaerys paid me a thousand golden dragons to kill Narratys," Gaemon explained monotonously, and Daario whistled at that sum.
"That's a handsome sum. I'm even considering whether I should just eliminate myself," Daario joked, getting a thoughtful nod from Harry.
"Your sword. Where did you get it?" Harry asked, and Gaemon promptly answered, "It's a family heirloom. My grandfather said that we were once Dragonlords and should honor our heritage. Unfortunately, my family's dragons died in the fall of Valyria. Since then, no one has succeeded in hatching a dragon."
"Would you be willing to serve me?" Harry asked casually, and Daario looked at him with surprise.
"No. I only serve for money and will hunt you until I have my sword back in my hands," Gaemon replied, making Harry sigh. He would have liked to have the man as his subordinate.
"If I return your sword and promise to look for a way to get you a dragon, would you be willing to work for me?" Harry asked, hoping he wouldn't say no again. Then he would have to bring out the big guns, and he didn't want to do that.
"No, not even then," Gaemon replied monotonously, disappointing Harry.
"In a few days, you'll surely be more willing to work for me," Harry said confidently and left the room with Daario.
-Kiss-of-the-Dragon—
Harry sat in the cabin of Gaemon's former ship, slightly exhausted from the day. He looked down at the sword he had taken from Gaemon. They were only a few days away from Volantis, and he had finally convinced Gaemon to work for him. To prevent Gaemon from turning against him, a simple oath was all Gaemon had to swear. For three days, Harry delved into Gaemon's mind, exploring his past. With more time compared to Daario's investigation, Harry could proceed much more gently, ensuring that Gaemon remained unaware that someone had entered his mind and delved into his memories.
Unlike Daario, Gaemon was a master of fire magic and had spent half a year learning the intricacies of blood magic. Not a substantial amount, but enough to create his own rituals. The fire armor was a technique Gaemon had devised himself and was still in development. Only individuals naturally resistant to fire from birth or those who performed a ritual to artificially create such resistance could wield this spell. All others would end up killing themselves. Gaemon belonged to those who could hold their hands in fire without getting burned from birth, but he further increased his resistance with a small ritual. This had the added advantage of making it easier for him to use fire magic.
Harry recognized a flaw that Gaemon had overlooked. While he was immune to fire magic and could use it more easily, he inadvertently revealed a vulnerability to cold. Every ritual had its drawbacks. Only those who understood the magic behind the rituals could create them without disadvantages. He himself belonged to those who hadn't studied everything, but he had an advantage over individuals like Gaemon or even Voldemort when he started experimenting with rituals. His family was old, and generations of Potters had collected knowledge and refined magic. Unlike them, he had precise instructions for a significant part of the magic he had performed and notes from his ancestors. Hermione cursed every time she read the Potter books. So much knowledge kept secret, denying it to Muggle-borns. Partly terrible knowledge, but what they needed for their fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters altered by dark magic. Voldemort, however, only gained this knowledge when it was already too late for him. Many of the rituals required an intact soul to be performed without severe drawbacks. Not for nothing did every book on rituals contain the warning never to alter one's own soul.
Being already in Gaemon's mind, Harry could manipulate his thoughts. Not overtly, but enough to prevent him from planning to escape at the first opportunity. After three days, Gaemon was even willing to talk to Harry and no longer needed to be bound. This greatly eased the situation, and they could discuss the sword.
Gaemon admitted that he had once tried to create a similar sword himself and only learned fire magic because he thought it was the solution. Harry could have told him that, but he refrained from the answer. In the end, they agreed that Harry would return the sword to Gaemon once they were in Volantis, and Harry would attempt to create Valyrian Steel himself, together with Gaemon.
Gaemon sat across from him, listening to Harry's insights into the components of Valyrian Steel. After three days, Harry had finally figured out what the steel was made of.
"Do you really say that the blade is made of iron and stone? How? This contradicts everything I've learned about forging in recent years," Gaemon asked, and Harry nodded.
"I don't know either, but dragon fire can melt stone, and with magic, many things are possible. If what my spells reveal to me is true, then fire and blood are used for forging this steel. With blood magic, it's possible to forge the metal again, but the blade is likely to become weaker," Harry explained thoughtfully and then pulled a normal stone from his pocket. He had gotten used to carrying some in his pocket, as he never knew when he would need protection stones again. Under Gaemon's puzzled gaze, Harry placed the stone in a bowl and cut his left palm with the sword.
With clenched teeth, Harry dripped his blood onto the stone and muttered a few words. His blood, containing magic, was absorbed by the stone and changed its color. When he was satisfied, he quickly healed his palm with his wand and examined the stone.
"As I suspected, you've created blood stones," said Harry and leaned back in his chair.
"What are blood stones?" Gaemon asked curiously, trying to associate the term with what he knew about blood magic.
"Blood stones can be used in rituals to serve as offerings. Most rituals I know that use blood stones are designed to increase the fertility of a piece of land or a person. Quite insidious magic. If one is not careful, one can curse oneself and one's descendants or turn a piece of land into a desert. An ancient culture almost wiped itself out with this magic," Harry explained, recalling the Aztec Empire, which nearly eradicated itself with blood magic, only to be wiped out by European wizards.
"We can use this knowledge to create our own swords?" Gaemon asked hopefully, but Harry had to deny.
"Now that we know the components, we're one step further, but we still need to determine the correct manufacturing method. That will take some time, but yes, we can use the knowledge to create our own swords."
"That is surely a progress I wouldn't have made without you. What is our next step? I trained as a blacksmith, but I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to forge such a blade," Gaemon admitted. He leaned back in his chair and seemed to be considering how he could contribute to the activity.
"A person on Daario's ship is a master blacksmith. I plan to help him set up a forge and then involve him in our research. After that, I want to travel to Qohor to bribe one of the forges there to obtain their secret of metal melting," Harry outlined his next steps and saw the dark look on Gaemon's face.
"You still want to claim the bounty on Daario's head? What can I do to dissuade you from these plans?" Harry asked and rubbed his eyes. Since he had performed a ritual, he no longer needed glasses, but occasionally his eyes hurt when he strained them too much.
"He can only buy his freedom by paying the bounty himself, but that won't stop Pendaerys from sending a more powerful wizard. There are several wizards more powerful than I am and with a larger fleet," Gaemon explained, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"They will fare like you. I may not be omnipotent, but I can take on thirty wizards of your caliber, but I'm not always near him, and it only takes one lucky shot," Harry pondered aloud, and then his face brightened.
"What if I pay you for his protection? You both work together in Volantis and build a small trading empire. As traders, you can also gather information for me and procure products that are not easily accessible to an ordinary citizen," Harry suggested, seeing that Gaemon was not enthusiastic about the idea. Harry knew that he had to earn Gaemon's loyalty, but he was confident that he could convince him.
"Indeed, a trading empire is an interesting occupation, but how will you help me create Valyrian Steel if you are not in Volantis and I remain in the city with Daario? I would much rather accompany you and learn the forging of Valyrian Steel myself," Gaemon tried calmly, but Harry heard in his voice that he was forcing himself to remain calm.
"Well, I will travel to Qohor, as I mentioned a few minutes ago. There, I will gather information about the melting process and sell some goods. We'll see about everything else," Harry said, concluding the conversation.
-Kiss-of-the-Dragon—
Very early in the morning, they reached Volantis. The sun rose behind the mountains, and the mist slowly lifted. Many of the anchored ships were still covered in fog, and one could only navigate using the lanterns scattered in the harbor. Only occasionally could one see people in the harbor. Most people were still asleep at this hour or were just getting ready for the new day. Following the captain's advice, it was decided to enter the harbor at this time when it was not as busy, making it easier to pass by the tired guards. Especially with the nearly three hundred soldiers who had joined Gaemon in supporting Harry's cause, they did not want to attract attention. Three hundred men were not enough to conquer a city like Volantis, but sufficient to make the city guard nervous. A nervous city guard could easily be provoked to attack them, and that was the last thing they needed.
First, the Seahawk entered the harbor, followed by the newly named Seadragon. The naming was unimaginative, but neither Harry nor the others could come up with a better name. Gaemon was excluded from the naming process because he had simply named his ship "Ship," and it was decided that he was not allowed to name anything.
Once docked in the harbor, they immediately began to unload the ships. Several soldiers escorted the pirates away, whom everyone was eager to get rid of. Especially Gaemon was relieved, as he no longer had to pay them, and he received a third of the proceeds from the sale of the slaves. A quite substantial amount for him, and as far as Harry knew, the soldiers would also get a share of the money, which persuaded them to continue working for Gaemon.
Most of the soldiers were afraid of Harry, which he truly understood. Why wouldn't they be? He had defeated them all alone and demonstrated his superiority over them. Above all, he had defeated their leader, whom they considered invincible. With the money, Gaemon could convince them to continue working for him. Perhaps it was also because Harry promised not to kill them—an idea that was briefly considered to prevent the soldiers from turning against them. In the end, it was resolved, and everyone was reasonably content.