Early chapter release to honor kur0y0kai who just had a birthday recently
1272
Harry stood looking with no small amount of boredom as he watched the train of magic users being led onto a ship destined for Kovir and Poviss. He had to be honest, he didn't know there was still this many magic users and creatures still in Novigrad. You certainly wouldn't know it from simply walking around the city.
If he had not killed an outpost full of Witch Hunters earlier in the week, this would probably have been a lot harder to accomplish. Of course, there was still the Church of the Eternal Fire, though they seemed to understand that they needed to stay away. He was surprised no one had figured out that the King of Avalon was here messing around, but everyone certainly knew a powerful mage was in town. Without their attack dogs, the Church was staying away. They were still doing their annoying sermons to the masses, but they hadn't done anything to antagonize him. If they had, Harry would have gone and burnt their fancy church to the ground.
"I want to thank you again for doing this Hadrian." Triss side at his side as she looked up at him. Harry looked down at the pretty redheaded sorceresses for a moment before smiling.
"Of course, I was happy to help." He told her.
"I'm sure. So, Geralt tells me you're a friend of Ciri's?"
"Indeed, Ciri visited my world when I was about 17. Actually, when I met her, we didn't know each other that long, maybe six months. Despite our rather short time together, she helped me through a very difficult part of my life and connected with me on a level that I had not experienced with anyone else. We had quite a bit in common after all."
"So, you decided to find a way to come to this world?"
"Well, not exactly… There was this dimensional portal in my world that I knew of. I was kind of stagnating in my world so I decided to jump to a different one. I memorized the way the portal was made so I could do another jump if I wished. When I went through it though, I was expecting to land on a random world. What I did not count on was this." Harry finished as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a medallion with a snarling wolf on it.
"A Witcher medallion? Did Ciri give it to you?"
"Indeed, she did. Lucky for me too. It was the only thing that I had from another different dimension so when I went through the portal, it detected the trace residue on the medallion from this dimension and brought me here. It brought me around to the time the medallion wasn't around, but it's not exactly an accurate method. I landed about a hundred years ago to a hundred fifty years ago. Still, considering it was an unexpected surprise, I was grateful." Harry explained.
"And ever since you've been just waiting on Ciri?"
"Well, not exactly. I am a child of prophecy in my home dimension so I know what it's like from first-hand experience. I knew that every she turned, Ciri would have people trying to take advantage of her. Of course, I figured she could count on her family, but there's not too many she considers in that group. She would need a little extra help. So, I created a kingdom and I now have an army at my command. I figured Ciri could use a powerful ally that had no longing to manipulate her." Harry admitted.
"That's a lot of work to put in for someone who you only met for 6 months," Triss commented. Harry nodded in agreement.
"True, but I am someone who was always willing to go all in for my friends and loved ones. Because of my power, influence, and skill set, I can do more than the average person. That, and I have had plenty of time to do some planning and setting up. I was capable of doing a lot, so I did. Besides, not like I had anything else to do." Harry said to her.
"Well, I suppose when you put it like that…"
"Exactly… Well, I suppose I should head to Skellige. Geralt should be there or getting close at this point."
"Wait, I thought you still had to deal with Whoreson Junior?"
"He has been dealt with. Once I discovered some of his… extracurricular activities, I captured him. I have him stored somewhere and I am going to take him to Yennefer and Geralt."
"Why?"
"I am sure that they will wish to take their own pound of flesh from him once I explain the situation to them," Harry explained to her without trying to give too much away. The truth is, when Harry had found Junior, he had been absolutely disgusted with the man. After he had finished restraining the man, he spent some time making sure the girls he had found in the man's house, had a proper burial.
"That doesn't sound good. Makes me sound you're hiding something so I won't also want a turn at him."
"Hm, you're right. Still, Ciri's parents get precedence. If there's anything left, then I'll allow her older sister to have a turn." Harry told her. Triss's cheeks colored at his words and she turned to try and hide it.
"Is that what she said?"
"Hmm?"
"Ciri… Did she tell you she thought of me as an older sister?"
"Well, of course. Did she not ever tell you?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Well, we were always close, but she never outright and said it… It's nice to know she feels the same." Triss said the last part to herself. Harry smiled again.
"Well, good. Alright then, I am off. I'd hate if Geralt got there earlier than anticipated and continued on without me." Harry told her.
"Of course. Goodbye, your grace. Thank you again for your assistance." Triss said with a slight bow. Harry glared at her and she chuckled in amusement.
"Right. Hadrian then."
"There you go. Goodbye Triss. I will see you when I find the little Swallow." Harry said. With that, he apparated away from the Novigrad docks.
Kaer Trolde
Harry apparated on to the top of a hill next to the town he was supposed to meet Geralt at and looked down on it. The small coastal town seemed to bathe in a somber mood which caused Harry to pause for a moment. He hoped it was nothing serious, or worse, something to do with Yennefer.
He walked calmly down the side of the hill and approached the entrance to the town. He saw a lot of the people look at him with suspicion. He wasn't surprised, the people here lived a tough life and tougher times made its people tough as well. Harry might look somewhat impressive, but he wasn't beefed or as rough looking like the people here. That, along with his comfortable looking clothes probably had many thinking he was some soft child.
He walked around a little before reaching out with his sense to see if he could notice Yennefer. She should be close by after all. As soon as he did so, he almost immediately noticed her presence. It wasn't hard to notice either. She was one of only two major magical presences nearby and both were up at the castle.
Harry then ducked behind a shack and once more apparated up further on to the mountain next to the small town and onto the bridge that led into the castle. As he appeared, he saw two guards standing in front of the entrance who looked in surprise at him. That surprise quickly turned into suspicion. Harry approached calmly.
"Greetings, I am Hadrian Black, King of the Avalonian Empire. I have come to meet with an acquaintance who should be expecting my arrival." Harry said, summoning his cold, magical presence to wrap around him to give credence to what he was saying.
The two men looked at him and then each other with uncertainty. Clearly, they had not been expecting to deal with this today.
"King Hadrian… Do you have some proof of who you claim to be?" One of the guards asked? Harry rose an eyebrow.
"Oh? Like what? Would a crown do or should I summon a storm of unholy fire to desecrate everything as far as the eye could see?" Harry asked. The two men immediately shrank as they watched black flames suddenly come to life and lazily circle around Harry. Though the heat at being so close was, no doubt extreme, the dark feeling the flames inspired within them was most likely even more terrifying.
"Er, of course. Apologies King Hadrian." The other said quickly. Immediately the flames cut out and the cold, oppressive feeling emanating from Harry cut out. He gave a curt nod in response good.
"It is fine. Now, about my request…"
"Right. Who is it you are here to see? We will need to confirm they are expecting you before letting you within our castle." The man said clearly trying to hold himself together.
"That is fine. I am meeting one, Yennefer of Vengerberg." Harry said. Immediately, a look of unpleasantness appeared on both of their faces. This didn't surprise him. Yennefer could be a difficult person to digest. She was certainly an acquired taste and her bluntness sometimes separated her from others.
"… Very well. I will go inform her." One of them said before turning and walking into the castle. It was a good thing neither of them had said anything unpleasant. Harry rather liked Yennefer and might have thrown these men off this bridge had they said something out of line.
Watching the man continue to walk towards and into the castle, Harry summoned a comfortable chair so he could sit down as he waited for the man to return. The guard that remained looked at him in surprise.
"Didn't know sorcerers could do that." He stated in surprise.
"Not all of them can. I am just special." Harry told him easily. They didn't say anything else as the other guard exited the castle and approached them both at a faster pace than when had left.
"Apologies for the wait. You are free to enter. Lady Yennefer is in the main hall with the rest of the court." The guard said. Harry nodded before walking past them smoothly. The chair disappeared as soon as he stood up from it. As he got to the castle, he walked through a rather small courtyard before going up some stairs and entering into the main hall. It would seem that there were several that were waiting on him.
He recognized Yennefer first, of course. She was the pretty brunette in a stylish black and white outfit and her characteristic necklace/choker. Next to her was an older but regal and powerful looking man who looked rather familiar to him. There was also a woman there as well. She looked regal and might even be considered if the scowl she was sporting did not ruin the look. There were others there as well, such as the other man whom he recognized to have magic and a few that were milling about the room doing their own thing.
"King Hadrian." Yennefer greeted politely. Harry's cold exterior cracked as he gave her a playful glare. She didn't seem to pick up on the playful nature though as she tensed once he did so.
"My friends and allies are too only call me Hadrian. Having titles be used in such casual conversation would imply I thought myself above you when I would prefer, we meet as equals." Harry told her. Yennefer gave him a surprised look for a moment before giving him a small smile and nod.
"Of course, you honor me."
"It was not my intention. I was simply speaking the truth." Harry told her blandly though this time, she did seem to pick up on the humor he was using as she smiled.
"Ha-ha. I like this one." The big and older man said with a short but deep laugh. Harry turned to him. He held out his hand. The man took it with ease.
"Hadrian Black, King of the Avalonian Empire, at your service." He said politely.
"Crach an Craite of Skellige, at yours." The man introduced. When he said his name, Harry's eyes lit with recognition.
"Ah, you are the nephew of the late Eist Tuirseach," Harry said. Crach frowned at the name.
"Did you know my uncle?"
"Mostly by reputation. It was your aunt Calanthe I was more familiar with. I was saddened by both their passing. Though Eist died in combat fighting for his loved ones. Not all of us can die so nobly." Harry said.
"True indeed. Good to see some on the mainland still know and respect the old ways." Crach said, seemingly pleased. Harry then turned to the scowling woman.
"I am afraid I do not know your name, my lady," Harry said clearly asking for her name. His lack of knowledge seemed to upset her. She turned her nose up at his offered hand, causing Harry to return it to his side.
"I am Birna Bran. The Queen Mother of the current King of Skellige." She said with arrogance as if he was somehow beneath her. That wasn't what had his attention though.
"Queen Mother?"
"She's the former wife of Bran." Crach said with some displeasure as he glared at the woman.
"Former?" Harry said, picking up on the word.
"Yes, you have unfortunately caught Skellige at an unfortunate time. King Bran has just passed." Yennefer told him. Harry's eyes widened at that.
"Dead? How?" He asked, not quite believing it. He had never met the man face to face, but he had seen him before. Despite his old age, he was sure he could last for some more years.
"The King was feeling old and started to hear the call of the next world. He went into the woods to hunt a bear with only a knife. The bear may have finished him but he died exactly how he wished, in battle." Crach said with pride about his uncle. Harry nodded.
"I see. You have my condolences, but I am sure your uncle will be dining in the hall of warriors by now. Has the funeral been conducted?" Harry asked.
"No, it will be tomorrow." Crach said.
"I hope you will allow me to bear witness. Though we have never met, I had great respect for your King and wish to pay those respects one last time." Harry said with some passion.
"Of course." Crach said in understanding.
"If you don't mind, I would like to talk to… Hadrian, alone." Yennefer said. The rest of the group seemed to nod and with that, Harry and Yennefer left the room, walking side by side. As soon as they were out of earshot, Harry decided to speak.
"I assume Geralt has not yet arrived?" Harry questioned.
"Not yet as far as I know."
"Unfortunate."
"It is but it is not the only issue we have." Yennefer said. Harry looked at her.
"What issues then?"
"There was recently a disaster on Ard Skellige caused by a seemingly random burst of magic." Yennefer. Harry looked at her sharply.
"Ciri?" He asked with some hope.
"I believe so, but I, unfortunately, cannot be sure. The site of the burst is controlled by Ermion and he refuses to allow me access." Yennefer told him, causing Harry to frown in annoyance. His frown then turned into one of confusion.
"That name sounds familiar."
"He's more commonly known as Mousesack." Yennefer said. Know Harry recognized the name. The man was an old druid who had even taken care of Ciri at one point in her life.
"Why is he blocking our path, I thought he would be someone who is willing to help find Ciri."
"I have no told him that is who I am hoping to find," Yennefer admitted.
"Do you not trust him with the knowledge?" Harry asked.
"It's not a matter of trust, but I would prefer to let as few people know of our true mission as possible," Yennefer revealed.
"Always one to hold the cards as close to your chest as possible," Harry commented with some amusement.
"So, you are fine with that arrangement?" She questioned.
"For now." Was all he said in response, "How do you plan to get past him then?"
"I am hoping Crach an Craite will allow it. Mousesack has to listen to him." Yennefer said.
"He's a friend of you and Geralt's is he not?" Harry asked.
"He is but it has been awhile. I was hoping to catch him in a better mood, but then Bran died."
"I see. How long do you plan to wait?"
"Not long. Tomorrow or the day after. Those on Skellige do not mourn for long." Yennefer pointed out.
"Hmm, very well. Is there anything I can do for you right now?" Harry asked.
"No. I think, for now, you should lay low. Things are already tense here without a former ruler coming for an unexpected visit. Best not to do anything to push our luck quite yet."
"Smart, though I am confident I wouldn't be caught if I wished to sneak around. Still, I will default to your wishes for now." Harry said. Yennefer nodded, seemingly relieved to hear so.
Harry stood silently on a raised platform watching as Bran was settled onto the longboat and was about to be pushed off. As he watched, Harry felt a soft shove to his side. He looked to his left and saw Yennefer trying to catch his eye. Once their gazes met, hers moved to the right of him and she gave a slight gesture for him to look in the direction that she was looking. Harry turned and immediately saw what she was talking about.
Geralt was slowly approaching the platform before stopping at the bottom. He saw several people nod at the Witcher in respect before once more paying attention to the ceremony. Harry did the same before looking back. The ceremony was somber as a man spoke in favor of the King and his journey to the next land. A woman approached the longboat. Ermion tried to stop her, but she refused his advice and continued.
She climbed onto the longboat and started to cry on top of the dead king.
"Birna should be the one to go…" He heard someone murmur.
Harry frowned, in thought. He wasn't an expert on the culture of these islands, but now that he heard that, he remembered something about that. Though he could not fault anyone for not dying just because their spouse did, it certainly did not look good that the King's mistress was willing to go with him and his wife didn't. He glanced over and saw Birna had a cold and unemotional look on her face as she watched the scene.
A moment later, as the longboat pulled away from the harbor, someone shot a flaming arrow at it and the whole thing went up in a bonfire. To her credit, he did not hear the woman scream as the flames engulfed her and her former lover. He sent a silent prayer out for her before turning away. With that, the ceremony was over and people were turning away and leaving.
Geralt approached and started offering his greetings to the various people assembled here. Harry leaned down to Yennefer.
"I will meet you at the inn after you are done here." He said before departing. He had no interest to muck around hearing the greetings that needed to be made. He had only been here a day and he was already starting to get antsy.
It didn't take long for Geralt to come into the room, though he seemed to come by himself which caused Harry to frown.
"Geralt.
"Hadrian." He said in greeting.
"At least you were on time this time."
"More luck than anything else. The trip over was… eventful." Geralt told him. Harry gave a soft chuckle.
"With you involved, I am not surprised. Where is Yennifer, did she have some other business?" Harry asked.
"There's a feast about to happen. She wants us both to join her at the keep. She… wants me to change into something more appropriate." Geralt said. Harry nodded. He had heard something about a feast, though he was not aware they would be participating in it.
"Very well, I will allow you to change and meet you there."
Harry was already quite settled into the hall with a cup of mead at a table when Geralt and Yennefer finally entered. They didn't immediately approach him, of course. Small talk needed to be made, no matter how much it annoyed him at the moment. He watched them go from guest to guest and even talk to some of the jarls of Skellige. At one point, Harry even watched Geralt get into a fist fight with one of the Jarls and lay him on his ass which caused the hall to cheer for a moment. Harry couldn't help but smirk and take a very satisfying sip from the show. Finally, the couple made their way over to him.
"Hadrian." Yennefer greeted.
"Yennefer." He returned.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Geralt said as he took him in, sitting at a table sipping mead with calmness. Harry snorted at his assertion.
"Hardly. I will admit to already becoming antsy at the lack of progress we have been making." Harry admitted.
"Then you may rest easy with the knowledge that we will be accomplishing something tonight and then hopefully tomorrow as well." Yennefer said, sitting across from him as Geralt did the same. Harry scrunched his brow at hearing that. He opened his palm and silently cast a spell on the table and its surroundings.
"We may talk freely. People will hear us talking, but not comprehend what we are saying." Harry explained.
"That's handy."
"Most definitely." Harry agreed.
"So, here is what we're going to do. Tonight, we are going to break into Ermion's workshop and steal an artifact that we need to help in our locating Ciri. Ermion has been refusing our efforts so far." Yennefer replied. Harry nodded as he processed that.
"And tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"With the ceremony and feast over with, we can finally, hopefully have a more in-depth conversation with Crach and should be able to convince him to allow access to the site of the burst of magic." Yennefer said.
"Excellent. Well, we can't all leave together, that would look strange. I will claim to leave know and wait for a while until you two can sneak away." Harry said.
"My thoughts exactly." Yennefer said as she smoothly stood and had Geralt follow. Harry watched them leave and waited for a few more minutes before bidding goodnight to those still celebrating. As soon as he was outside, he made his way over to a side of the keep and disillusioned himself. He cast a warming charm on himself and waited in the snowfall for his companions.
It didn't take long for Yennefer and Geralt to sneak out. He dropped the disillusion as they approached.
"Ready?"
"Yes. Let's get this done as quickly as possible before someone notices." Geralt said.
"Come on. I know where the laboratory is." Yennefer said. The three of them went back into the keep and Yennefer led them through the unfamiliar territory. Eventually, they went down some stairs and saw a door with several crows seemingly standing watch over the door.
"Ermions little spies." Yennefer said.
"No issue. I can hide our presence from them with ease." Harry said. Before they could respond. Harry closed his eyes and pressed his hands together in an almost prayer like fashion. A ripple seemed to emit from them and Harry opened his eyes once more.
"There, they shouldn't notice us at all now," Harry said.
"Do you also have a way to get past the locked door?" Yennefer asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Probably, but let me see what kind of enchantments he has," Harry said. Harry waved his hand smoothly in a silent diagnostic spell to see what he was dealing with. He frowned once he was finished.
"There is no magic physically protecting the door." He murmured as he cast the simplest unlocking charm he knew and heard the do click open.
"It's not surprising, I suppose. Ermion is a Druid, not a sorcerer. While powerful in nature magic, his skills outside of it are non-existent." Yennefer explained.
"Hmm. That does make sense." Harry agreed. Geralt said nothing at all until they entered the room. Inside was a cluttered roomful of all sorts of books and trinkets.
"Where would he have this thing stored."
"I'm not quite sure. Look around for clues." Yennefer said. Harry smirked and gestured to Geralt.
"Welp, your up pal," Harry told him. Geralt scoffed good naturedly before going to work. Harry had a look around as well trying to cast several revealing spells, though he had a feeling something hidden would not be hidden by magic. As Yennefer said, Ermion was a Druid, not a sorcerer.
"Hmm." Harry turned at the grunt and saw Geralt standing in front of a bronze statue of a thinking man. He approached.
"You think this is something?" Harry asked as he analyzed the statue.
"His hands are worn like something is placed and removed from it often." Geralt pointed out. Harry noticed once he pointed it out and frowned.
"A secret mechanism? Do we perhaps have to put something in his hands to open it do you think?" He asked.
"Yes. Look around for something that might be placed in his hands." Geralt said. They immediately split up and started looking around the cluttered room. Harry wasn't exactly sure what they were looking for if he was honest. There were a lot of things in the room that could fit in the statue's hands.
"Here, try this." Yennefer said, holding up a cup. Harry looked at it curiously. Why would she think it would be this? She tossed it to Geralt and he put it in the statues grasp. As soon as he did so, a noise was heard and immediately, a section of the wall disappeared and showed a secret chamber.
"Was that a guess?" Harry asked, looking at Yennefer.
"An educated one, but yes." She said with a smirk. He shrugged at that before turning his attention back to the new chamber.
"You think anything is waiting for us down there? Harry asked.
"I am sure there is." Geralt said gruffly.
"Hmm. Geralt come here and don't move." Harry ordered. The older looking man gave him a curious eye before acquiescing to his request. He immediately started casting on the man and watched as a soft blue glow appeared on his clothes before fading.
"What was that?" Geralt asked.
"I magically strengthened and reinforced your clothes so it acts more like armor. It has some weaknesses though. It can only take so many hits and strong blunted damage will still not feel great. Try to avoid getting hit." Harry told him. Geralt looked down impressed.
"So, it's like a more powerful Quen sign?"
"Hmm. Yes and no. I mean, they essentially do the same thing in trying to protect you from damage, just in different ways I suppose. If it's easier for you to think of it like that though, then sure." Harry said. Geralt nodded before they continued down. They went down some stairs and Harry was glad he had given Geralt the armor. An Earth Elemental awaited them.
After tensing for a moment, Harry calmed as he saw the elemental do nothing. He looked around the rest of the room before his eyes found an intriguing object.
"I take it that is the artifact we are looking for?" He questioned.
"Indeed, it is. The Mask of Uroboros." Yennefer said, eyeing it with a small amount of awe.
"I'm betting that thing activates the moment we go for it." Geralt said.
"Agreed. If it activates as soon as we touch it, we have a few choices. One, I can teleport us out immediately as soon as we grab it."
"There's a high chance it would be able to reach the portal and follow us if we do that." Yennefer pointed out.
"I didn't say to use a portal, I said teleport. It's pretty instantaneous." Harry corrected with a smirk. Yennefer immediately gained a fascinated look at his words, but was interrupted by Geralt before she could question him.
"What's the other option?" Geralt asked.
"We grab it and fight the elemental before exiting in a, hopefully, peaceful manner," Harry said.
"If your method of travel is instant, then I see no reason we should not attempt to use that." Yennefer said eagerly, Harry couldn't quite tell if she was saying it to avoid a fight or because she wanted to see another form of magical transport that was faster than a portal. Geralt immediately grimaced. Yennefer took notice and interrupted him before he could complain.
"Oh, don't complain too much, dear. I promise I will make it up to you after this." Yennefer said, giving her lover a sultry smirk. Geralt immediately seemed much more supportive of the idea.
"Well, if you think its better…" He said trailing off. Harry snorted at the man's actions causing the Witcher to glare at him.
"Whatever, let's grab the mask and get out of here," Harry said as he approached it. He watched Yennefer reach out and as she did so, he made sure to put a hand on the couple in preparation. As soon as she wrapped her hands around the mask, there was a groan from the elemental, not that it mattered since they disappeared with a pop.
Almost immediately, they were back in Yennefer's room back at the inn in the town. As soon as they landed, both Yennefer and Geralt started gasping as they tried to steady themselves.
"That was… unsettling." Yennefer said as she took several deep breaths.
"That's an understatement." Geralt said while copying her actions. Harry just rolled his eyes at the dramatics.
"Oh, it wasn't so bad you big whiners. You'll be happy to know that it is never as bad as the first time and the more you do it, the more comfortable it gets." Harry said.
"I should hope so." Yennefer said with some snark.
"Well, I assume that is all for the day. I am going to go find myself some sleeping accommodations since I am sure that I wouldn't appreciate sharing a room with you two tonight." Harry said with a pointed look. Yennefer just stared back unashamedly and Geralt actually smirked at him. He rolled his eyes at them. He held out his hand and gave them a bronze coin.
"Here. Rub this and say my name and it will summon me. You'll probably not know where I am staying so it'll be easier to find you than the other way around." Harry told them. Yennefer took the coin and gave it a cursory glance before nodding.
"Very well, we will see you tomorrow. Now, if you will excuse us, Geralt and I have some catching up to do." She said saucily before shoving him out of the room and shutting the door.
"Gross."
Harry looked at Geralt and Yennefer as they stood near some random men and Ermion. Judging by the fact that they dressed similarly to Ermion, he assumed they too were Druids. Harry was a little confused. He had assumed Yennefer would call him in the morning to talk to Crach but apparently, she did it with Geralt on their own and then called him once reaching this camp.
"So, you were their accomplice in this endeavor?" Ermion accused. Harry rose a questioning eyebrow at him. Did they know about the mask? He looked over at Yennefer and she nodded reluctantly.
"If you're talking about the mask, then yes. It is necessary for our task and if the circumstances weren't what they were, I would have been more opposed to doing such. Unfortunately, the stakes were too high." Harry said.
"High stakes? You know nothing of high stakes. The gods themselves will punish us for what we are about to do."
"Watch your words. Don't think that your lack of experience with such things translates to me. I have had to deal with immortal beings before and can handle myself just fine." Harry snapped at the man with a glare that seemed to cause him to back down, if only a little. Ermion looked him over for a moment.
"We will see." He said finally.
"I'm sure. Yennefer, what are we doing here?" Harry asked.
"We are going to approach the place where the magical burst was. We are going to use the mask to see what happened. While we do so, though, we need to prepare for… complications."
"I can deal with complications," Harry said. Yennefer nodded, seemingly pleased by his words.
"Good."
"No, not good. You cannot use the mask. You must return it immediately!" Ermion yelled.
"Absolutely not."
"You have no say. A King you may be but you have no influence here." Ermion said with a glare.
"I am not here as a King. I am here as someone trying to help someone they care for. No-one shall get in the way of that." Harry said simply. He had already noticed, he just needed to stall Ermion a little longer.
"And you plan to doom all of Skellige in this pursuit?"
"No, I will make sure to clean up any messes I cause. While I am not sure if I believe a bonafide god or goddess would interfere, I will make sure to stop them from destroying the islands." Harry said.
"And how do you pla-"
The man was interrupted mid-sentence as thunder rumbled violently and it started to rain. The winds picked up heavily and immediately Ermion started looking around.
"Where did she go? What did she do?" Ermion asked in a panic.
"I assume she used the mask. Oh well, no use arguing any further, not is the time for action. Geralt, let's move, your sorceress needs back up." Harry said as he took off in the direction, he saw Yennefer go towards.
It didn't take long sprinting through the forest. She was wearing the mask and there seemed to be a fog centered around her. She unleashed a torrent of lightning from her form and he saw why when he saw several forms suddenly appear and stumble once hit with lightning. He leapt forward and downwards. As he landed, he unleashed a massive quake in the direction of the creatures causing them to deeply stumble. He stood quickly and made a slashing motion with his hands and suddenly, the heads of the creatures were slashed cleanly from their bodies.
"I see you started the fun without me," Harry said to Yennefer. She took off the mask and shrugged.
"I needed to take my chance while Ermion was distracted." She said as Geralt approached. She looked at him and tossed him the mask.
"You wear the mask. I will look into your mind and see what you see. Hadrian, you can protect us I hope?" She asked while looking at him.
"You don't even have to ask. Let's get this started Harry said as he started to grab hold of his magic from within and prepared for battle.
Immediately, Geralt put on the mask and started walking. They approached a partially destroyed area where Geralt stops for a moment.
"Ciri was here and then she moves." He said. As soon as he said, more foglets appeared and approached them. Harry made a claw with one hand and raised it towards the sky. As he did so, several earth spikes sprung from the ground and impaled into the Foglets, killing them instantly.
"Let's keep going," Harry said. This repeated several times with Geralt apparently watching Ciri do battle with the Wild Hunt before moving on. As this continued, Harry continued to kill the annoying Foglets. They could make themselves invisible in the fog they produced, but Harry was sensitive to magic use and could sense it rather easily. Because of this, Harry could track them easily and could kill them without much trouble. Eventually, Yennefer and Geralt stopped moving.
"It seems, Ciri went from here to Velen." Yennefer said, seemingly disgruntled. Harry immediately felt his jaw clench.
"Is that all?" He asked, trying to contain himself.
"No, we have another lead. She appears to have an ally, a mage. You don't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?" Yennefer asked. Harry frowned at this new knowledge.
"No. As I have said, I have issues finding Ciri." Harry explained.
"Hmm. Well, we're trying to find him." Yennefer said.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Ermion yelled rhetorically as he stormed at them. Harry sighed in annoyance and moved away to allow Yennefer to deal with the man. They began to talk and once Yennefer mentions Ciri and the Wild Hunt, Ermion's anger turns to horror.
"The Wild Hunt? After Ciri."
"Yes," Yennefer confirmed. Ermion went silent at this knowledge as he processed the new information.
"This… changes things," Ermion said. Geralt handed him back the mask.
"We apologize for deceiving you and taking the mask, but we were not sure if you would have been more opposed due to the knowledge of who was involved." Yennefer said finally. She sounded sincere, or at least as sincere as she could.
"Hmm. The mask has lost its power. It is useless now." Ermion declared.
"We know you are not happy, but there is one more trail we need to follow out here. Ciri had an ally and we're trying to track him." Geralt explained. Ermion seemed to weigh his options for a moment for nodding.
"Very well. Let us get this done with." He said. They moved over as Geralt used his enhanced senses to continue to follow a trail further into the forest. They soon came to a fallen tree and Geralt approached it.
"Can one of you?" He asked, gesturing to the fallen trunk. Harry casts a charm quickly and immediately it started floating up into the air. Beneath it, a body with rather pristine armor lay unmoving.
"A warrior of the Wild Hunt," Ermion said in horror. Geralt approached the body and examined it.
"Body has signs of being attacked with weapons. Wounds indicate magic." Geralt said.
"Unbelievable. To believe there was another attack…" Ermion said. Harry's face snapped to the man almost immediately.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
"A village on the Isle of Hindarsfjall was attacked. Lofoten was attacked." He said. Harry immediately looked over at Yennefer and Geralt. They apparently had the same idea.
"We need to get to Lofoten right now. Every second we waste; our lead grows colder." Harry stated.
"I hate to agree, but he's right." Geralt said with reluctance, clearly knowing what was coming next.
"I'll make a portal. We're not in so much a rush that I believe we need to use your… unique methods." Yennefer said directing the last part to him.
"Buncha babies…" Harry mumbled just loud enough for them to hear. Harry watched as Yennefer opened a portal and walked through. Geralt bid goodbye to Ermion and Harry nodded to the man before following.
As soon as he was through the portal, he looked around and saw they were just outside a small looking village. It wasn't hard to see that this place indeed was attacked recently. There wasn't a single building that didn't look like it was damaged and there was a clear somber mood. Harry wasted no time to approach the village. He immediately started looking around and saw several women that he assumed were priestess's.
Harry approached the woman while Yennefer and Geralt tried to keep up.
"Excuse me," Harry said, trying to sound polite. The women look at him and seem unpleased by his interruption.
"Apologies for interrupting, but we are in a rush. Have you seen a young woman around here with ashen hair?" Harry asked. The priestesses looked at each other for a moment before one responded.
"Aye. There was a girl here who matched that description just before we were attacked. She was seen in the stables with Craven when we were attacked." The woman told him.
"Craven? Is that the man's name or title?" He asked curiously. They scowled at his question.
"Both. His name was taken after he ran from the village in its time of need to save himself." The one talking to him, spat out.
"I see. If he saw the girl last then we will need to talk to him. Where is he?" Harry asked.
"He went to Freya's Garden to try and kill Morkvarg, the vilest man to ever live. In doing so, he would have brought honor back to his name and cast off the name Craven." The woman said. Harry scowled.
"And how long ago was that?"
"Several moons."
"So, he is likely dead." Harry deduced as he looked the woman directly in the eye for a long moment. She said nothing in response and didn't seem to have much sadness for the man's death. Harry continued despite her lack of response.
"Thank you for the information, we will leave you in peace now," Harry said before walking away. Yennefer and Geralt fell in step on each side of him.
"We need to go to the garden." Yennefer said.
"No, we don't," Harry said. Yennefer frowned.
"If we can find his body, then-"
"We don't need to find his body, I have a better plan. Just follow me." Harry said. Yennefer went silent at that and followed him out of the village quietly. They reached the forest edge and entered the said forest. They went in a way before Harry stopped. Harry conjured a sharp dagger and slit a cut across his palm. He let the blood flow and drip from his hand before speaking.
"Mors, dominum tuum a te et ostendam illi Skjall Lofoten," Harry said in a murmur. As soon as the sentence was finished coming from his lips, the shadows of the forest seemed to grow darker and the air in the forest around them seemed to become thicker.
"What was that? What did you say?" Yennefer asked in confusion. Harry said nothing and waited. It only took a moment before and the ethereal blue figure came from the ground and take the shape of a young man. He looked around confused for a moment.
"Who are you?" The ghost asked in confusion.
"Hadrian Black. You are Skjall from Lofoten correct?" Harry asked. The ghost nodded in confirmation without seeming to even realize it.
"I am."
"I need you to tell me about the ashen haired girl you met before your death," Harry ordered. With that, the story immediately came pouring out of Skjall. When he was completed with that, Harry released his spirit, allowing him back into the embrace of death.
"How did you do that? I did not recognize the spell or even the language." Yennefer said, looking at him.
"It wasn't really a spell. As I have said before, Ciri and I are very similar and multiple ways. I too was a child of a powerful prophecy. Just like Ciri has the title of the Lady of Space and Time, I have the title of the Master of Death. I have a certain dominion over death and cannot die myself." Harry said.
"Ah…" Yennefer said, seemingly unsure of what to say further.
Harry was thinking to himself now. Ciri had apparently made a friend with a mage named Avallach. Now that he had a name and lead, Harry could track this man down himself and find what he knew of Ciri.
"I think we should split up," Harry said to the two. They both looked surprised at this.
"Why?"
"Know that I have a name, I can track down this man alone much faster than if we were together. I propose I find him myself and then meet up with you both after." Harry said.
"Are you sure you will be able to find him? What if he is like Ciri?" Geralt asked with uncertainty.
"There's a very low chance of that being the case. I have issues finding Ciri because dimensional and time magic is part of her very essence, it throws off my methods of tracking. Even if this man knew dimensional and time magic, it wouldn't be the same. If he's on this world, I should be able to find him." Harry told them.
"If we split, how would we meet again?" Yennefer asked.
"I say we meet at Kaer Morhen. I'm sure you have plenty of things to do to occupy yourself while I find him. Meet me there when you're ready."
"Hmm. I suppose, after seeing what you're capable of, it does make some sense." Geralt admitted.
"Excellent, then I shall say goodbye. I shall see you two soon then." Harry said before disappearing.
Harry had to admit, finding this Avallach character was a little harder than he thought it would. Not impossible though, just difficult. He clearly had magic that was made for hiding his presence, but Harry had dealt with such issues before and knew ways to get around it. It had required him to return to Avalon to conduct a few rituals, but he had finally accomplished.
After all that work and effort, he had put in, the last thing he had seen coming was him arriving back at Crows Perch. He was unsure if the spell had gone awry or if perhaps the mage had accidently picked the perfect hiding spot that no one would think of. Either way, Harry was marching through the small town and towards the keep. This time around, the guards, gave him a huge berth, which was good. Had they bothered him right now, he would have killed them.
He got into the keep and made his way to the office where he knew the Red Baron to be. He entered the office without even knocking with his spell still activated. The Baron looked up at him from his desk and looked at him with a mix of emotion.
"Sorcerer? What are you doing back here? Come to kill me?" The man asked wearily.
"No. Is there any other living creature in this room right now?"
"Urrr, no. Just me… and little Uma over there I suppose." The man said in extreme confusion. Harry looked at him.
"Uma?"
"Aye, he's in the cabinet."
Harry immediately walked over to the cabinet the man had gestured to and opened it. Out fell… something. It looked like some very ugly baby. Harry picked it up carefully and eyeballed the creature. He cast a silent diagnostic and saw it read positive. This little creature had magic, but also had it sealed and was being forced into this… thing.
"Right. I'm taking him with me. Thanks for the visit." Harry said. A moment later and popped out of the room before the man could say anything to stop him. He suddenly came out at the main door to the main hall of Kaer Morhen. He slammed his fist several times on the door loudly and waited. It didn't take long before Vesemir answered and looked at him in confusion.
"King Hadrian?"
"Just Hadrian," Harry said with a scowl.
"Right. My apologies, Hadrian then. May I ask what you are doing here?"
"I take it Geralt and Yennefer have not arrived, then?"
"Oh, they did, this afternoon in fact." He said.
"Ah, well, I have been helping them in their search for Ciri and have just found the mage who was aiding her," Harry said holding up the ugly creature thing. Vesemir looked at the ugly baby for a moment.
"That's…"
"Extremely ugly, yes, I know. This is not his true form. He is under some sort of curse." Harry explained.
"I see. Well, come on in. I am sure I can clear some room for you."
"Thank you for your hospitality," Harry said as he entered the keep. He found an empty table and immediately plopped Uma down on it. He then stunned the creature and secured him to the table. He immediately started carving runes into the table around the small body. After near an hour, almost the entire was covered in runes with a few also on the floor around the table.
"What are you doing?"
"You found him?"
Harry looked up and saw Geralt and Yennefer approaching him and looking both confused and intrigued.
"Nice to see you both too. You look… happy. Something happen while I was gone?" Harry asked without missing a beat and continuing to move around the table and placing stones around the body at strategic locations.
"We had a… productive week with each other." Yennefer said, seemingly pleased.
"What about you?" Geralt asked.
"Well, I found the mage. All that's left is to get this nasty curse off of him." Harry said still moving about.
"What kind of curse?" Yennefer asked.
"An elven one from what I can tell. I'm not sure what the curse is but I can tell what it does and how it works for the most part." Harry said.
"And you can break it without knowing the original curse?" Again, Yennefer sounded intrigued by this.
"I can. The runic array powered by these rune stones I am placing will attack each aspect of the curse being inflicted on Uma here and overload them. The curse will then become destabilized and shatter." Harry explained.
"That's quite the ability. You can do this with any curse?"
"Theoretically. It's not exactly as easy as it sounds. You need to have powerful sensitivity to magic to be able to identify how a curse works and then an encyclopedic amount of knowledge of runes to know exactly which ones to apply to attack the curse. Then, of course, you need to have the materials. These runestones I am using aren't exactly cheap and would be considered rather rare if I didn't know how to make them myself." Harry said.
"I see. So not exactly something just anyone can do." Yennefer seemed disappointed.
"Hmm," Harry said as he finished his preparations.
"Alright, let's do this… You might want to stand back. There is a very small, tiny, chance that this might explode." Harry said.
"Wha-"
"Let's go!" Harry yelled and activated the array he had spent nearly an hour and a half to complete. The whole array started glowing and immediately started pulling power from the rune stones which caused the palpable energy in the air. Both Geralt and Yennefer started backing up slowly.
Harry rose an eyebrow when he saw small arches of lightning sparked off the array and onto Uma which seemed to wake him and cause him to go into some sort of panic. Soon, Uma started glowing and didn't stop. The glow didn't stop until you couldn't even see Uma's form under the bright light covering him.
Harry shielded his eyes for a moment as the light got brighter and brighter. A few minutes and the light finally started to fade and Harry could finally uncover his eyes. He waited as the light continued to fade and got excited when the form the light had been covering appeared to be taller and much more proportional than it was previously.
The light finally faded and it revealed a very naked elf. He appeared to be a male and… somewhat handsome he supposed. Elves weren't really his type, boy or girl. The man also groaned. Harry quickly cast some numbing charms and checking over him for wounds. Oddly enough, he wasn't in too bad of shape.
"Well, that was rather successful. The man isn't in bad shape and he should be up and about very soon." Harry told them. Yennefer seemed excited and Geralt seemed to show a lot more interest than usual at that news.
"Mi-" Harry immediately turned and looked at him.
"Calm down. You are safe here. You are still very weak.
"Isle… Mis-"
"Isle of Mis… Mist? Mists? The Isles of Mists?" Harry asked as his mind started racing. Could it be? The thing he had been chasing for so long, the location of Ciri.
"He's murmuring about the Isles of Mists," Harry announced. Geralt looked at him and nodded.
"We leave in the morning.
Harry exited the portal that Yennefer had set up to help him conserve energy. It had been a combination spell between the two with Harry providing the location and she is providing the magic. Harry had never been directly on the Isle of the Mists but he had flown over them on a multitude of occasions.
As he exited, Geralt quickly followed. He looked around at the desolate island. It certainly wasn't much to look at but if Ciri was on any island, then she would be on this one, he was sure.
"You're sure this is the place."
"Positive."
They said nothing more as they started trekking up the island. Almost as soon as they leave the beach, they were attacked by Foglets. Unfortunately, Harry was not in the mood.
"Get the fuck out of my way!" Harry yelled and let out a torrent of flame that burned everything in front of him for several hundred feet in a cone shape originating from him. He could hear several unnatural screams of pain and then silence before he cut off the powerful fire spell.
"Hmm. You need to calm down. If Ciri is here, the last thing we want to do is spook her." Geralt told him with a slight glare. Harry took a breath before answering.
"Sorry. It's just… were so close. I can feel it." Harry said as he continued the trek.
"Hmm. I understand, I can feel it too, but we shouldn't lose our heads over it." Geralt said.
"You're right. Let's keep going." Harry replied. They kept moving forward but were bothered by no other creature as they pushed forward. Soon, they saw a house in the distance and almost as soon as he saw it, he could feel it. A presence he had not felt in a long time.
"Ciri." He said out loud before he broke out into a run and charged the house.
"Hadrian wait."
"She's in there. I can sense her." Harry said. As soon as he got to the door, he started pounding on it.
"Ciri, are you in there, it is Geralt and Harry," Harry yelled. He heard no response for a moment, then a sneeze. He then heard multiple voices talking to each other in a hushed angry voice.
"Who is in there? I can hear you. Open this door immediately or I'll break it down." Harry threatened.
"Go away." A voice from inside said. It was a male. Harry's mind filled with possibilities and none of them were good. He knew Ciri was in here now that he was close enough to sense her unique presence. She wasn't responding to him though, and instead; a strange male voice was and refusing him entry.
"Fuck you. Reducto," He yelled and the door was reduced to rubble in front of him. On the other side were several dwarves that were looking at him with fear.
"Where is she!" He demanded.
"She's in the other room, please just don't hurt us." One of the dwarves said. Harry ignored him as soon as he saw where he gestured and charged the room. He burst into the room and saw a bed that he immediately approached. He saw a pale female form lying in the bed with a splash of white hair draping down onto the girl's face. Harry froze after he stood over the girl. A split second later and he was looking into the now opened eyes of the groggy waking girl. Emerald met with light green. Her brow scrunched in confusion.
"Harry?"
He choked.