I would like to Thank everyone for the support and a special thanks to those that left a constructive review. I do take time to read every review I receive; I like reading opinions of my story and I do try to address problems.
Author's Note:
Greetings all!
Apologies for the lengthy silence.
Moving is a lot more involved than I initially imagined. Especially when moving to another country.
Moved to the UK for work, and I had to establish some ground rules with the locals.
Stuff like overthrowing the local lieged lord and dumping tea in his pool takes time, planning, and a metric fuck-ton of good old elbow grease.
But still, even amongst the boxes and containers, I found a smidge of time to get this chapter out.
Still getting settled, but slowly working on the next chapter.
I also have a new story in the works that I haven't quite posted yet, but I have the concept for.
Something that I tinker with on the backburner whenever the dreaded "writer's block" rears its ugly head.
So if you like Tavish's adventures, keep an eye out for my next story; "The Record Keeper".
Having a new baseline for a character allows for new takes and stories that can't always be conveyed through Tavish's "bust the door in" personality.
Who knows, if folks like it enough, I may alternate between the two.
I still have plenty of story planned for Tavish, but it takes time as I adjust how he interacts with various persons/places/things.
People like Dumbledore, Malfoy, even Voldemort, need a certain touch that I can only tell over multiple chapters.
I'm not trying for "evil Dumbledore" but I may try for Dumbledore in the nursing home. So you folks need to let me cook while Fawkes is "blazin' it" in the background.
And finally, before I go, I have to get several things off my chest.
1. King Charles is a CR 3 Challenge. (Check his royal picture for reference.)
2. Beans on toast is only "Mid".
3. Marmite is actually quite good.
4. Seasoning needs to happen while the food is being cooked.
5. English Muffins are secretly crumpets.
Alright and with that, lets continue our adventure!
Disclaimer: I in no way own these characters or worlds that take place in this story, I am just playing around with the sandbox left to me and my imagination. But the OCs are MINE!
Edited By Darklord331
Chapter 19: The Start of Something Magical
[Rose POV]
Waking up was a definite improvement over when I went to sleep considering that my injuries were healed.
The fact that I had a nice soft bed was also a definite bonus.
The lady that was looking after me, Macha, was really nice too.
But her husband and daughter were weird . . .
She explained about the existence of magic to me, but some of the stuff that they could do didn't quite fit into the realm of what I recognized as magic.
The twenty-ton barbell for one.
Eleanor and Tavish were exercising one day, and I saw Tavish lift up the massive weight like it was nothing.
Which probably should have paled in comparison to him wrestling with the massive winged snake in the front yard, but he seemed to be having a good time of it.
Eleanor claims that he forged the weight from the core of a star, but considering that humanity had only made it to the moon, I was a bit skeptical.
Macha has been slowly teaching me the basics of magic, stating that I wasn't quite healthy enough yet for the rigors of the "physical magic" that Tavish was teaching Eleanor, which was certainly fine by me.
The Lady Byrne made sure I always had enough to eat, often steering me away from certain foods as I combated the malnutrition from the Dursley's.
This was easy to do in the Byrne house, as many of their meals were designed for high-calorie diets.
Tavish, and Eleanor's constitution was so robust that, unlike Vernon and Dudley, they had to consume a lot in order to stay healthy.
When I asked Tavish about the phenomena, he explained the important difference between cells and gourmet cells.
He also explained about cells and just had a general conversation about various academic subjects.
Despite his fierce appearance, he had quite the intelligent mind, and he seemed thrilled whenever I asked him another question about some tidbit he brought up in the discussion.
At school, I had to learn quickly to conceal my intelligence, because if I got better grades than Dudley . . .
. . . well, Vernon expressed his displeasure, and I'll leave it at that.
A flair of terror flashed in my mind before it dissipated.
The only reason that I was able to look back at those events without emotion, was because Tavish had enacted some mental barriers to allow me to slowly process the trauma.
I still had to visit the magical hospital once a week for a check-up on my progress.
A large horned owl swooped overhead, distracting Tavish, allowing Ouro to thump him in the ribs with his tail and send him tumbling into the grass, where the owl clutching a letter landed on his chest.
[Tavish POV]
Dazed, I fumble with the envelope as the Owl looks at me with unimpressed eyes.
[Allspeak]
"(Don't look at me like that. You try getting whacked, and walking away fine.)" I scolded an owl, and he jumped in shock.
I snort in amusement as I finally break the seal on the letter.
The animal's reaction was always good when I spoke in a language they understood.
Reading over the letter, my interest peaked as I read the contents.
An invitation to a Japanese magic school.
Although the English was a little disjointed, I could tell that they put quite a bit of effort into this request.
They invited me to participate in a seminar for a demonology course that their higher years were taking.
Personally, I had no idea that they had a magical school in Japan, but I guess that just goes to show my own short-sightedness.
I mean, I knew about the French and Bulgarian schools, and I vaguely knew of one somewhere in North America, but I couldn't remember a name for the life of me.
My hand opened and ejected a pen as I conjured a piece of paper. My auto-translation software kicked in as I wrote a reply, accepting the invite.
Now . . .
What should my topic be?
[Time Skip]
[Mahoutokoro School of Magic]
Standing outside of a massive pagoda, a single word comes to mind to describe the massive structure.
Ancient.
A guide was assigned upon my arrival, who spoke very good English, who showed me around the school.
He introduced himself as Enatsu Kisho before explaining the history of the school in detail.
What threw me off was the younger than average children making their way through the halls to their next class.
Apparently, school here started as a day school for children ages seven to eleven before they transitioned to staying for the full school year.
Their transport for the younger years was fascinating as well, as they were picked up by essentially giant, lightning infused, seabirds.
It's a level of weird that is significantly scaled down from the thestrals they use to pull the carriages at Hogwarts.
I don't care what anyone says; it really hard to put a positive spin on invisible, death horses.
Eventually, I was led to an area, where the smell of sulfur hit my nostrils.
The archway opened up to a large plain surrounded by large walls. The rocky protrusions were interspaced with crevasses, and hellish earth filled the rest of the area.
Several portal generators were sputtering across the field, and I saw a student trying to subdue a twisted monstrosity.
More demons were trying to claw out of the portals, a witch was flinging spell fire at the openings as a wizard was frantically trying to shut the portals.
"I take it that is something of concern?" I ask, my hands clenching, as his eyes widened.
"Yes, the portals have destabilized. Could I trouble you for some assistance Mr. Byrne?" Kisho requested, drawing his wand and firing a series of red shrieking spells into the sky.
Drawing my attention from my guide, I gather my mana into my hands as I leap towards the closest demon.
My muscles bulge under the mana enhancement, catching the first demon with my elbow, splattering the shocked wizard with blood.
"Buck up young one! We must hold the line until the portal is shut!" I roar out, only for a much large roar to eclipse mine.
A colossal arm plunges through one of the portals, knocking the rest of the students back as it forces the portal open further revealing a massive fanged maw of a dragon.
[Demonic Dragon]
One of the first beasts to emerge after the creation of hell, its stores immense power within its bones enabling it to unleash massive destructive potential. Archdemons have been known to hunt these creatures to create weapons against the most powerful of archangels
Hellfire licked its teeth as it shoulders its way through, and the barrier around the room shakes from the sheer output of demonic energy.
Glancing at the few witches and wizards that still stood, some were trembling, some were resolute, while one had collapsed on the ground foaming at the mouth.
A witch, threw a blasting curse at the dragon only for the spell to harmlessly dissipate against its hide, drawing the creatures attention to the group.
"Wand Waver's . . . after so long, I had nearly forgotten about them . . ." it mused, causing fear to set in amongst the students.
"My legions were quite enamored with the spicy little snacks that provide their own toothpicks. Truly a delicacy to be found amongst the nonmagical." The beast continued, towering over the people below.
[3rd Person POV]
As the dragon went to continue, a brick thumped him in the eye, causing him to unleash a roar of pain, distracting all onlookers.
The surrounding students and teachers turned to look at the guilty-looking Tavish, a second brick grasped in his hand.
"Look, I'm sorry mate, but its just so hard to take you pedantic fucks seriously after all this time." He stated sheepishly, the dragon glaring down, apocalyptic in rage.
"How dare you mortal! Do you not know who I am?" it demanded, as Tavish took on a thoughtful expression.
"Freddy Mercury?"
"No . . . I'm . . ."
"The Who?"
"No!"
"John Lennon?"
"No! Dammit! I'm . . ."
"Alright, I got it. A bit of a shot in the dark, but are you, David Bowe?"
"I'm not a musician you little shit!"
The surrounding teachers and student blinked at the interaction between demon and wizard.
Rain started sprinkling down from the sky as the two argued, the dragon getting progressively angrier at Tavish's random guesses.
It wasn't until a demon tried to move closer to the students did a bolt of lighting shot down from the sky, incinerating the creature into nothingness.
"Ah, I'm going to have to stop our little guessing game right here." Tavish commented a little blithely as the rest of the demons glanced warily up at the crackling storm clouds overhead.
[Tavish POV]
Magic was . . . complex . . .
It was far simpler to hit a motherfucker with my fist.
Rather than complex spells and incantations, Id rather just channel that mana into my body and affect the world myself.
Macha was a little disturbed at my ability to transfigure by punching something, but I figure that if I'm able to accomplish the same thing, don't worry about it.
Thrusting my fist forward, a massive burst of wind burst forth slashing through the horde of demons, leaving behind a path of blood and gore before the fist dissipated against the hide of the dragon.
"Just out of curiosity, are your scales magic resistant? I want to know so I don't waste magic on your worthless hide." I ask, reaching into my inventory and pulling out a pair of gauntlets.
[The Punchables] (Rare)
An experimental set of gauntlets designed to help serve up extra helpings of whoop-ass to those you just want to punch in the face.
Due to the high levels of lead content discovered in the paint, it has a 2% chance of adding the poisoning debuff to your strikes.
I tend to make shit when I get bored, and I think this is an item I made before I was so inundated with cybernetics.
Really hated to see it go unused, so I decided to pull it out for a test.
The dragon was saying something, but I think I tuned out whatever it was as I bounce on the balls of my feet before launching at him.
[The Only Thing They Fear is You]
[Legend of the Slayer]
"Wait . . . no . . ." the beast said in disbelief, as I started running faster, red argent crackling as I neared the demons.
"HOLY FUCKING SHITE! THE HELLWALKER IS HERE!" one of the imps started screaming while frantically trying to claw his way back into the portal.
Leaping up over the first row of demons, I tear the head off a demon with a punch.
The demons in this universe were surprisingly animated, and certainly displayed a higher level of self-preservation than any of my previous demon encounters.
A crack sounded out from behind me, and I pivoted to see a student braining a demon with a conjured kanabo, his wand held in one hand as he bashed the demon with the club.
One of the professor's zipped past conjuring a blade of her own and slashing out the throat of a demon on my right before a set of claws rakes across my chest.
Ordinarily, not a huge issue, but after I activated the Byrne Restriction . . .
My overall durability was reduced by a solid chunk.
Glancing down at the four gashes on my chest, I growl at the demon before I obliterated his head with my fist.
[Glory Kill]
This only really served to break the Punchables, fouling up my mood more, argent arcing across the wound as it slowly knit shut.
Demons still tried to run, and it was slowly getting progressively harder to rip into them as they danced out of my reach and tried to go after less ferocious mages, and eventually I had enough.
[Nano Armor]
The nano machines within my body build out the armor under my quickly deteriorating clothes, as I hook my fingers under a demons chin, and flip him over into a spire of rock, impaling it in place.
[Pain Train]
Turning, I start charging through the demons, carving a path of viscera as I plow through the horde and close in on the dragon.
To my surprise the dragon roar's in defiance, and drops its head to gore me with the horn on the center of its head.
Moving to the side of the horn, I catch it as it slices through the air, and I'm immediately forced back as my feet dig into the ground leaving long furrows.
[Indomitable Rage]
I dig in further as I'm pushed back before I realize what direction the dragon is rapidly charging towards.
He's trying to break the wall to the school itself!
[Divine Chains]
[Chain Conceptualization]
Hundreds of chains stab into the dragon, slightly slowing his speed for the first time, and I dig in and exert more strength, cracking the horn slightly, as the creature barrels towards the wall.
Truthfully, it was the first time in a long time where I was losing a test of strength.
Granted, I was under a metric fuck ton of restrictions . . .
But it was exciting none the less!
[Omni-psionics]
Switching tactics, I create a sloped half-pipe track, and let the dragon push me on before I create a matching wall that forces the dragon forward faster, before I flip myself up onto the horn for the ride.
The track looped around and back into the arena, preventing his full charge as he tries to skid to a stop.
Pulling Steel Blossom out of my inventory, it transforms into its staff form and I leap off to the side and taking aim.
Commanding the staff to extend, I poke him in the other eye, causing him to lose concentration and tumble.
As he roar's in pain, I use the staff to launch myself up into the sky high above the demonic dragon.
[Duplication]
A property of Ruyi Jingu Bang that enables it to create multiple semi-permanent duplicates of itself.
Hundreds of staffs appeared around me and grew to the size of large columns, each one reaching twenty feet across, and eighty feet long.
I start siphoning the power of the storm I had harnessed above, and used it to cast spells that would expand my strength temporarily.
[Cataclysm of Thunder]
Infuses the entirety of thunder behind your strikes.
[Lightning Supercharger]
Infuses lighting into a gravitational object. Every time this object hits its target, it perpetually passes excess power generated to the next strike, creating a true lightning hell for the target.
Striking the first staff, it is quickly encased in lightning as it roar's down to hit the dragon in an instant, breaking its right wing.
Leaping from staff to staff, I kick off sending the pillars of steel leaping at the dragon in an explosion of thunder.
The dragon roared one last time in defiance, before the forty-third pillar took his life.
Landing on the pillar that tore off his lower jaw, it took a minute before I realized the sheer silence that had engulfed the impromptu battlefield.
Looking down, the few demons that remained had vanished back into the portals, while the students and teachers were just staring up in stunned silence.
Sitting down I watch the students for a few minutes before I speak.
"Take this incident to heart students. No matter the safe guard that may protect you, the daemonic will always find a way. This is not to diminish the quality of the facility that was built to house your education about this field of work, but to illustrated the creeping tendrils of hellish beings."
"A daemon hunter can try their very best, and even still, there are simply more of them, than us. The crawl their way into the very fabric of our world, trying to tempt humans with their very core instincts of greed, lust, rage and all the sins deemed flaws of the human condition. It is up to you that if you continue on this path to possess the strength of will to turn these vulnerabilities into strengths." I finish, noticing that one of the students raised their hand.
"Mr. Byrne, how do we resolve situations like this? None of us could scratch the dragon with spellfire, and you could physically throw the demons around like dolls. You even caught the dragon for a little bit." The witch questioned, and I scratched my chin thoughtfully.
"I infused magic into my muscles to enable that, but I had to burn an absolute ton of mana to stop my body from getting destroyed by the dragon's charge."
"I've journeyed across the many planes and realms that make up hell, and have studied the very depths of magic to account for my current ability. But it is a method that I don't recommend as time flows differently in hell, varying wildly where one year there can equal a day in the physical realm, or be completely opposite."
I continued chatting with the students, as the battlefield was slowly cleaned up and the wounded were tended to.
[Time Skip]
[Rose Potter POV]
Macha was a very patient teacher.
I wasn't entirely sure that I believed her when she told me I was a witch, but when she offered to teach me magic, it was hard to reject the small flicker of hope.
Her explanation about how my emotions affected my magic and the world around me added a bit of validity to her statement, but I just couldn't tap into the magic itself despite Macha's gentle coaching.
This is what led to me sitting on the front lawn with her, trying to move small pebbles.
Ouro's massive form was nearby quietly eating a large creature that looked cow-like in nature, but the cow had a strange camouflage texture to it.
The Couatl's head perked up from his meal as the air warped in front of him into a portal, and Tavish stepped through, a large bag clutched in his hand.
"Macha! Rose! How does Japanese food sound for tonight? I've got a serious hankering for Sukiyaki, and I didn't want to eat on my own." He asked, fishing some onigiri out of his bag and offering some.
"And what, pray tell, is Sukiyaki?" Macha questioned, gingerly accepting the snack, as he fished out another one.
"A hot pot. I think the name translates to cook what you like, but usually it has noodles, beef, cabbage, mushrooms, and you get to cook it yourself in the broth!" He informed enthusiastically, passing a rice ball to me before taking a bite out of his own.
Taking an experimental bit of mine, I got a rich spam and egg flavor, and before I knew it, I was quickly devouring the treat.
"That sounds fine, Rose and I were just working on drawing out her magic." Macha commented, and Tavish's eyes flicked back to me.
"That's good. Any progress?" He offered, and I watched Macha sigh.
"No, I can sense the magic is there, and I can see her almost reaching it, but something is blocking it on an emotional level." She explained, and Tavish chewed thoughtfully before swallowing.
"The soul fragment?" he offered, and Macha, glanced at me and I saw her eyes glow faintly.
"Maybe . . . I'd need to examine her body without the soul in the way. May as well detach the parasite while I'm at it." Macha mused, as I grew increasingly nervous.
"Um . . . what are you guys talking about?" I asked, finally speaking up.
Both of them looked at me and glanced at each other before Tavish spoke up; "So, you know the evil shmuck that we told you about?"
"The one that killed my parent's? Vaguely." I replied, and Tavish continued.
"On that night, in a bit of a hailmary of desperation, he left behind a fragment of his soul attached to yours. It's parasitic in nature, so we were debating the best way to remove it without harm to you." He explained, and a cold shiver went up my spine.
"So how would you do that by removing my soul?!" I ask, panicking slightly watching Macha wave off my concerns.
"Quite easily my dear, the soul fragment is clinging to you, so a disruption should cause it to be dislodged. I'm no slouch at soul magic, so I can quite easily do it."
"I'll keep ahold of your soul so it doesn't go wandering off. I may even have an idea or two to offer in regards to your magic." Tavish supplied, and I felt a slight tap to my forehead and saw my body collapse beneath me as Macha got to work.
"Make sure your back by dinner and have fun Rose!" She said, casting a couple of spells at my body.
I felt my soul get pulled into Tavish's body, and within a few minutes, I was looking from behind his eyes.
He opened a portal and stepped into an open field.
"Alright Rose, I know that this is a bit abrupt, but trust that Macha knows what she's doing, and you'll be back where you belong in a bit." He stated, as I tried to process the feeling of the body I was in.
What I was most distracted by, was the mass of power located next to Tavish's heart.
It was restrained under what felt like chains, but I could feel it slowly flow up his arm, ending in his palm, igniting a small flame in the center that used mana as fuel.
"The wand waver's concept of how mana functions is interesting but ultimately limited in the long run. Magic is a fundamental force that can alter our physical reality, and is only limited by how much mana you have to supply to it, and your level of control." Tavish explained, as I watched in fascination as he cut off the flow of power feeding the small flame.
"Now, I want you to take control. Envision a flame. Imagine its warmth and heat, and think of using my mana to provide fuel to that little flame." He urged, causing me to jolt in shock.
"I can't control your body though. I'm just a passenger?" I questioned, and I felt Tavish grin.
"Are you sure?" He asked, and I tentatively tried to move his arm, watching it respond and jolt at my surprise.
"A soul has a bit of control depending on what the host body allows. I am allowing you control to get a feel for what I'm describing to you." He informed, as I tried to focus moving the mana source I found.
Slowly, I watched the mana flow down his arm once more, reaching all the way to his fingertips.
Excitement bubbled up from within as I felt the ebbs and flows of magic.
Finally moving on to the final step, I tried to envision the flame, only for Tavish's hand to spontaneously combust into a bonfire.
Frantically trying to put out the hand, I beat the hand against the ground, punching craters into the turf of the field before I noticed the lack of pain in the flaming hand.
"Point of note, I happen to be fireproof." Tavish supplied helpfully, as I calmed down and cut off the flow of magic to the hand.
"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO INFORM ME?! I THOUGH I WAS DAMAGING YOUR BODY! ITS HARD ENOUGH TRYING TO PROCESS THAT MACHA CAN JUST PLUCK MY SOUL OUT LIKE ITS NOTHING!" I finally explode, the days events finally catching up to me, and I felt Tavish's smugness in the back of my mind.
"And on that note, I think we found one of the most potent triggers for your magic." He commented airily, as I noticed the pure mana flowing through his body, causing distortions in the air around me.
"Emotional response is one of the ways to draw out the greatest amount of magic, but it needs to be tempered and directed. This is how you can achieve endless possibilities." Tavish stated, as he slowly took control once more, reigning the rampant magic back in.
"Is their a limit?" I ask, watching the mana slowly flow back into the core with a small amount of disappointment.
"Not as far as I know. Most of the wand-waver's rules are set on the precedent that all mana is limited, verses actually pushing the boundaries of reality. I have enough power to do most anything I need or want to do, so ultimately, I'm limited by my drive or overall ingenuity for magic." He answered, tapping his foot against the ground, and causing the surrounding craters to slowly fill back in and grass to regrow.
Their was no way it's that simple.
"Could you break a star?" I ask, curious to his response to such an outlandish request.
Silence set in as he pondered, and even I started questioning the absurdity of the request after ten minutes of silence.
"I don't see why not. Granted, I've never tried before, but there is a first time for everything." He commented, standing up abruptly and stretching out.
Holding out his arms, metal bands of a black metal appeared before unlocking and hitting the ground.
More metal bands fell from his legs, cratering into the ground as I felt the chains around the energy loosen, before unleashing completely.
He did a couple of experimental bounces, before squatting down and leaping straight up.
The mana fired throughout the entire body like an endless torrent of power as he accelerated up into the sky, the earth becoming a blue dot below.
Stars streaked by as he moved faster and faster, until a star was quickly filling his vision.
"Bit of a small confession, I never tested my flame immunity like this before, but it withstood a goddess, so this much should be fine." He commented aloud, before bringing his fist against the surface of the star.
Gravity bent around us as the star collapsed from the force of the blow, raw magic scoring the universe around us as the energy collapsed into a singularity before exploding in a bedazzlement of lights.
[Lucious Malfoy POV]
The headline of the Daily Prophet glared up at me as I drummed my fingers against the table.
Hellwalker
By: Jonas Gremwich
The students of Mahoutokoro School of Magic were shocked last Tuesday when their demon arena was overloaded, allowing for demons to spill out well beyond their capabilities.
Mahoutokoro is one of the few magical schools that offers demonology, as an advanced course for their care of magical creature's courses, which is commonly used as a leap off point for demon hunting, rearing more dangerous beasts, and harvesting parts for potions and other magical artifacts.
One might question holding such a course near the school as demons themselves hold inherent dangers.
Dangers that were promptly realized when the summoning portals in the training area overloaded, spewing demons into the material world.
This continued until a greater draconic-like demon came through the portal, nearly breaking the enclosure surrounding the training center.
Luckily, Lord Byrne was there to give a guest lecture and was able to swiftly respond to the incursion with his own considerable might . . . .
The article went on for an entire page extoling the virtues of Byrne, even going as far to speculate his overall magical might in comparison to some modern-day magical powerhouses.
But reading between the lines, I saw him in a different light.
A potential problem.
Over the years since the dark lord fell, the light and dark factions have been somewhat in balance.
This resulted in the neutral faction gaining a significant amount of power as both sides tried to appeal to them to sway the vote to one side or another to push through votes and bills.
They remained a deciding factor in all votes up until the appearance of Byrne.
Having not heard of the family in quite some time, I hired a spy to peer into his background only to come away with a name.
Belmont.
The clan has dedicated their lives to hunting and slaying Dracula and other creatures of the night.
And was the one name the spy uncovered before he was beheaded by the goblins.
Putting any other possible lineage aside, the Belmont blood was enough to sway any of the "older families" with a pedigree like that.
The fact that the goblins were willing to kill just to keep that a secret, makes me wonder what else he's hiding, but my bigger concern was why he hadn't revealed it yet.
Thus far, he has stuck true to remaining neutral, but I could see his occasional agitation at certain policies
His movements around the Potter heiress were surprising as well, as the entire court was blindsided with a bill creating an agency to properly monitor and care for magical orphans and muggleborns.
Dumbledore was forced to use a considerable amount of his political power to mask his involvement in the situation, but it was clear that he was in possession of too many responsibilities.
And while I was happy with the small victory I had gained against Dumbledore, I had to give up any hope of moving Potter to a "proper" household.
Byrne was appointed as her guardian for the time being, pending the new review board, but any thoughts of vying for guardianship were swiftly thrown out the window on my part.
The look he threw at me was unsettling.
Almost akin to a dragon guarding its nest.
And the potential gains were not worth alienating such a beast.
This brought me to my current problem.
His movements were too eclectic.
On a whim, he went to guest speak in Japan, the next, he slaughtered a demonic dragon.
I need a way to keep an eye on him without directly showing my hand.
He won't do anything if there are witnesses.
. . .
At least . . . I don't think he will . . .
But outside of hiring more spies, I had a simple, yet cost effective way of keeping an eye on him.
Hogwarts.
Being on the board of directors has its perks, and receiving monthly reports on his whereabouts would do much to ease my mind.
The question was, how to get him there?
I couldn't keep him contained all year round, but I could most certainly track him during the school year.
And the best way to keep him on the grounds would be to hire him as a teacher.
But what to have him teach?
And how could I word it in such a way so he doesn't try to met out revenge against me?
[Time Skip]
[Tavish POV]
After that little adventure, Rose had a very acute feel of her magic now that she knew what to look for, but it came with an unexpected side benefit.
Thanks to the breaking of that star, I had a plethora of dwarf star metal on hand for building stuff.
I had long exhausted my supply of the alloy with various upgrades and projects, and the few mineral tree's that were successfully spliced with the material had an extended bloom time, resulting in a very slow production of new material.
The mineral tree's had a similar problem with Blackstone that I was working on improving.
I barely had enough Blackstone to add to my newest hammer.
[Starbreaker] (Mythic)
A massive Warhammer forged from a blend of Blackstone, and dwarf star alloy. Its anti-magic properties, in addition to the superhuman strength required to lift it, have placed it amongst the deadliest weapons against supernatural forces, provided you have the strength to lift it of course.
I wanted to make a greatsword as well, but it was probably better that I didn't considering a flaw that quickly made itself known in the hammer.
I couldn't channel magic through it.
It was something I probably should have realized the moment I started infusing Blackstone, but I just got so excited that I failed to calculate how it would affect my own fighting style.
Realistically, I knew that I couldn't merge magic and anti-magic. If I tried to infuse it into my body without proper safety protocols, I'd explode in a spectacular fashion.
So I had to containerize the anti-magic property in such a way that I could use it, while keeping it separate from the plethora of magi-tech in and around my person.
[Anti-magic Nano Hive]
An artificial core of anti-magic, these nanomachines run on special protocols to separate Tavish's magical core from anti-magic, allowing the user to tamper with anti-magic properties.
[Magi-tech Nano Hive]
A blend of technology and magic, this core allows for rapid calculation of more precise spells.
The Magi-tech core was installed after listening in on one of Macha's magic lessons with the girls and I reflected on how I cast magic.
I preferred a more . . . bestial nature, versus the precision that mages coveted. This resulted in most of the spells I've cast up to this point to have a "broader" effect.
This way of magic resulted in a lot of wasted mana, and I hated having to do "quick" Gallifreyan math to compensate.
Much easier to design machines that can free-float the arrays into existence, than to do time lord math on the fly.
On a slightly different note, Rose's magic was improving by leaps and bounds after our short field trip.
Whether it was from feeling out my magic or the removal of the horcrux, I couldn't say for sure, but both were bound to be beneficial.
Macha's distain for handling the soul fragment was clear as she was a bit moody for a bit afterward so I had to find a way to make it up to her.
Let no one discount the tastiness of burnt ends made from a dragon. Especially after Macha asked for her third helping of the dish.
It was hard to find ways of using up all the meat from the dragon I killed, but it certainly was a new favorite protein that I liked to add to my diet.
Kebab's, steaks, burger's I was fully planning on consuming that entire dragon, one way or another.
It was only at Macha's recommendation that I use it to spread our influence in the wizengamot.
She has taken to the politicking like a duck to water, and is enjoying reaching out to various families to start forming alliances, initiate trade, and get a feel for the political system.
This ultimately led to inviting a family or two over for dinner.
Supposedly, Cygnus Greengrass and his family were coming over tonight, so that left me little time to marinate the steaks.
I did feel a bit embarrassed when Macha reminded me that I could manipulate time, but that felt like a cheap cope out.
[I'm still pissed that your using time magic to speed up the marinade of meat.]
Look Iris, I've basically unlocked the ultimate cheat code to cooking, you should be happier.
Regardless, I had been going through and harvesting various crops in my farming dimension. If their was one thing to keep in mind for a diner party, make sure the food is good, even if the guests are shit.
That way, you only have to deal with one pain in the ass during the evening. If food sucked on top of that, I might just have to unalive someone.
[New Wing added to Fortress of Doom!]
I stopped harvesting my potato's as I think back to remember if I was building anything at the moment.
. . . .
Nothing comes to mind . . .
So why would the fortress add a new wing?
Opening a portal, I step through to the Fortress.
Wandering through the halls, I finally come to a big open space of wall that wasn't there
previously, and saw an airlock attached to a room, with more structure being built in the empty
space behind it.
[Closed for Construction.]
[Dark Ages content under development.]
Behind the sign, a new armor stand sat, holding a medieval style doom slayer armor, a new
shield and super shotgun hanging next to it.
Iris?
[Ah!]
[They dropped a dope ass trailer for a new doom game.]
[This is the system getting prepared to generate new content for it.]
A new grin of excitement made its way across my face.
Is the new content any good?
[The Shield doubles as a Chainsaw and can be thrown.]
[And I distinctly remember a gun that can grind up skulls,]
[and shoot skull fragments into people.]
Damn . . .
That shit is fucking lit!
Massive metal chains slam over the door the moment I reach for the door handle, immediately barring further entry.
[Nope!]
[You're going to have to wait just like everyone else!]
Goddamn it . . .
[Time Skip]
[Neville Longbottom POV]
Gran has taken me to plenty of pureblood events before, but she insisted that I had to attend dinner at Lord Byrne's home.
The Greengrass family also attended, as I recognized Daphne and her little sister Astoria, along with Amelia Bones and her niece Susan.
Daphne was cold as usual, while her sister waved excitedly before getting a nudge from her sister.
Susan waved happily, as her aunt stepped away from the portkey point with her.
"Augusta. A pleasure as always." Lord Greengrass greeted, closing the distance to shake Gran's hand.
"Cyrus. An odd conglomeration of individuals that Lady Byrne invited." She commented, taking the outstretched hand.
"It was probably intentional. Lord Byrne has little patience for large groups of fools. I imagine we are one amongst a series of dinners that will occur over the coming months." Amelia interjected, joining our slowly growing group.
"Very astute Madam Bones." A voice came from the darkness, and my eyes widened as blue flames ignited around the portkey point.
A beautiful woman was revealed, small blue flames fliting back and forth around her as they illuminated more of the area.
Will-o'-the-wisp.
I vaguely remember Gran cautioning me against the mischievous fairies. But this time they seemed to be obeying the whims of the tall woman.
"You must be Lady Byrne. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Madam Bones stepped forward greeting the now identified Lady Byrne.
"The pleasure is mine Madam Bones. My husband is off corralling the more dangerous beasts that are allowed to roam these woods when we don't have guests. They are used to our family's presence, but some don't quite realize that you all are welcome here." Her last words hold a weight containing magic, and I could feel a wave of power wash over me, the magic palatable in the air like a warm breeze.
"It's perfectly safe should the children go exploring. Pablo and Ouro are quite vigilant when the girls go exploring, and very little escapes that Couatl's watch." She continues, prompting Lord Greengrass to speak up.
"The Storm Couatl? I was wondering if we'd get the chance to see the creature? I have yet to find a record of anything similar to it. But is "Pablo" also a creature?" He questioned, and she nodded easily.
"Pablo is a black bear, of somewhat magical nature. He's been a point of curiosity ever since I've met him." She commented airily, leading us toward a path that cut through the forest.
Thunder boomed overhead, and I looked up to see a long shape whip through the sky above.
"Ouro! Stop being ostentatious and introduce yourself properly!" Lady Byrne, called up and the only response was grumble-like thunder sound.
"Great . . . now he's acting moody." Lady Byrne said, rolling her eyes at the Couatl's childlike behavior.
Taking a turn on the path, and the forest opened up to reveal a massive tree, and the house built within it as the lights from within glowed with warmth.
In a large clearing off to the side, a massive dragon skeleton laid, the empty sockets glaring balefully off into the night while its body was surrounded with various rendering tools and several strange golem's moved around the body, slowly breaking it down.
My eyes widened as I took in the corpse of the beast.
Gran had shown me the article when the prophet released the issue.
Lady Byrne continued to lead us up to the house and I got to meet Eleanor Byrne, and Rose Potter.
Eleanor was quite tall for her age, which was further shown by how small Rose Potter was.
While I wasn't a huge fan of the Rose Potter books growing up, I always pictured her as larger than life, whereas this Rose was timid, almost fragile looking.
Something that I suspected wouldn't be for long when the Patriarch himself served the food.
Tavish Byrne walked in carrying a large assortment of dragon meat, followed by some small humanoid snake like creatures, carrying side dishes and a variety of drinks.
The aroma made my mouth water, as the portions were served up and I saw Rose take a sizable slice of prime rib.
I've had dragon before when the Malfoy's were throwing a banquet, but the flavor paled in comparison to the sheer variety of ways it was cooked.
Their were steaks, ribs, burnt ends, burgers and each one was accompanied by a dish to compliment it.
I've had mac and cheese before, but never with dragon burnt end mixed in.
Eventually, I had to use the loo, and Lord Byrne had one of the dopey looking snake creatures show me the way to the bathroom.
After taking care of business, I stepped out to discover that the creature had disappeared, leaving me a little lost and trying to find my way back.
Taking a turn down a hall, I pushed open a set of double doors to reveal a huge trophy room.
A large trophy case filled with vampire skulls and I leaned closer to read the captions.
1094 A.D.
Leon Belmont, although not able to claim Mathias Cronqvist's (Dracula's Mortal Name) head. He was the fist Belmont of record to begin the fight against the vampire and start our traditions of fighting the creatures of the dark.
1476 A.D.
The First Skull of Dracula claimed by the Belmont Family.
Slain by Trevor C. Belmont.
1591 A.D.
The Second Skull of Dracula.
Obtained through various twists and turns and is attributed through a joint effort between Christopher, and Soleil Belmont.
1691 A.D.
The Third and Fourth Skulls of Dracula.
Both claimed by Simon Belmont over a seven year period as he fought the monster's curse.
1792 A.D
The Fifth Skull of Dracula.
Claimed By Richter Belmont, who also claimed the title of "most powerful vampire hunter" of the time period.
1988 A.D.
The Sixth Skull of Dracula.
Despite the monster's ever increasing power, his skull was claimed yet again by Demon Slayer Tavish Byrne. While The fabled Vampire Slaying whip "The Morning Star" was in his possession, he opted to beat Dracula to death with his fists.
My eyes widened at the implications as I took in the entire display. Their were additional clashes with Dracula recorded on plaques next to the case, but each listing within the case were the exceptions where a member of the family had bested the mythological vampire.
"Ah! There you are Neville." A voice boomed out behind me, and I quickly turned around to see the amused looking Lord Byrne.
"S-sorry, I got lost coming back." I hurriedly apologized, quietly cursing my nervous stutter.
"No worries. Find something interesting?" He asked gesturing at the room around us.
"U-um, yes. Why does Dracula have so many skulls?" I asked, causing his eyebrow to raise.
"Hmm. Have you ever heard of the power of belief?" he countered, and my confusion must be evident since he continued.
"Every human, muggle and wizard alike possess this inborn ability, and when enough people gather belief in something, it creates an aspect of that thing in the material world."
"The legend of Dracula is a universally known horror through all cultures in one form or another, as anything "vampire" can be attributed to him outside of the magical world."
"Thus, every once in a while, Dracula regains enough power to poke his head back out and cause some mischief, and it's a Belmont's job to be strong enough to suppress him." He finished, and the implications of the phenomena he described set in.
"Then what about the other monsters? Or the gods? Do they exist as well?" I ask, and he smiles in amusement.
"Of course. But a god is far less likely to be wandering amongst the mortals. More important things to do such as run the natural aspects of the world, verses mess about with the likes of you and me." He chuckled, before gesturing up at the tall shelves dotted throughout the room.
"You are welcome to access the archives, and read about what my family has encountered over the years. I'm still sorting through much of our history. I believe the church burned down the Belmont ancestral home sometime around 1459 when they drove us out, but I think I stole back all the manuscripts they nicked."
I looked up at him incredulously after that last statement, as he calmly reached for one of the books on the higher shelves, and passed it to me.
"On a side note, do not visit the Vatican anytime soon. I think they might be a tad irritated after I basically ignored anything that might possibly protect their shite against us "filthy pagans"." He continued, as I glanced down at the title of the book.
Druidic Cants and other natural Magics
"That one should be a good read for you Mr. Longbottom. Your magic feels very "earthy" when I look at it, so it would be worth a try." He commented, as I opened the first page, and feel something resonate from within.
[Interlude: Whispers of Legend]
[Roboute POV]
Sitting in on my counsel of war, I shake the slowly fading fog from my mind as I gather the current state of the imperium.
My Father's grand imperium was rotted, with myself being the last of my brothers still standing.
With even Ultimar showing its age after this Abadon's last assault, my assembled war counsel was informing me of all the current threats and advising me of courses of action.
The chambers' doors opened once more, and Belisarius Cawl, Inquisitor Greyfax, and Saint Celestine joined the ensemble around the massive holo map.
"Lord Guilliman, a variable has been brought to our attention from the Cicatrix Maledictum." The Inquisitor spoke up, focusing on the massive warp tear separating the galaxy.
Focusing on the map, the tear was slowly fading in and out of realspace, as if struggling to stay open.
"What is happening?" I asked, the strange warp anomaly fighting to maintain existence, allowed bits of chatter through from other portions of the imperium.
"Something has changed in the space of time. Sparse hours ago, us three all shared memories of Cadia's fall. Now, we see multiple paths opened as history is in flux." Celestine stated, bringing up a picture of Celestine herself fighting alongside a figure with wild red hair, his fist punching a hole through a greater daemon.
"Project 21st, the emperor's final primarch has activated. And he proceeds with his Night Sentinels with a vengeance." Cawl stated, causing my hearts to stop for a moment.
"There is another? Why wasn't he found with the rest of my brothers? Why weren't we told?!" I question, my voice raising, as Cawl raised a hand.
" He wasn't even born yet, It wasn't until recently that his body vanished from Mars. But theoretically, he'll be someone you've known this whole time." The tech priest mused, causing me to grit my teeth.
"You speak in riddles Belisarius . . ." I growl, and the Magos speeds up his explanation.
" Tavarius doesn't exist within our concept of time, his power draws him towards events, similar to Lady Celestine, in order to "correct" certain events. The more events he is able to participate in, the longer he can exist in realspace. This was the Emperor's failsafe to prevent his "corruption." Historically, he has interfered and helped prevented the 9th Black crusade. And we may have pinpointed two more events, thanks to the changes." The priest continued, causing my mind to halt and ponder the possibilities.
"Could he prevent . . ." I trail off, but Cawl predicted the end and continued.
" Not enough data yet, he's not powerful enough yet. But his might is not in question judging by the new memories I am receiving." Cawl stated, a mechandrite, reaching around and plugging into the holotable.
A video was transmitted to the holo table showing the primarch in all his glory, various serfs and mechanicus scurrying around the bridge of a Blackstone fortress behind him.
"To all imperial forces throughout the galaxy . . . Cadia rises from its ashes as we rebuild, but Abadon has done his damage, and it will be several decades before we can restore realspace back to its natural medium."
"Terra remains in danger, as The Thousand Sons and other chaos entities are enroute, far faster than my ships can re-engage."
"This is a rallying call to join in the defense of the golden throne. The Sons of Ultimar already answer the call, along with the Legio Custodes in the defense of Holy Terra."
"My Night Sentinels will redeploy as soon as we've reestablished Cadia's defenses. Planet reconstruction happens to be a specialty of ours."
"He is quite forthcoming." I state, a crackle of laughter coming from the vox box of Cawl.
"And blunt as a hammer. He also sent us an encrypted transmission, intended for you." The Tech Priest intoned, a new message coming to life on the monitor.
"To my brother, Guilliman . . . I would first like to apologize for greeting you in this manner. It must be quite a shock finding yet another sibling after all this time."
"But time, is something in short supply, and while I'd like nothing more to sit down and share a drink, worlds call for our aid."
He adjusted before continuing;
"While the majority of my Night Sentinels are trying to piece Cadia back together, I've managed to gather a full company, along with many acolytes to escort Legio Fateweaver."
"This Psy-Titan legion contains forty of my chapter's best librarians to counter the warp threats you may face. And I have routed the 82nd Argentian Helldiver's to provide more fire support."
"There are more forces enroute, but these should make it to you before you depart from Macragge."
"And speed permitting, I should be able to join you at Terra itself."
"Providing Father's damn restriction doesn't rip me from realspace again." The message cut out after the last growl, as the rest of the message becomes garbled.
I snort in amusement at the new primarch's character.
Whatever may come next, it should be interesting to say the least.
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