《Forsaken Blood》 Prologue/Backstory ///// Quite smushed, might rewrite at another time~ ///// Harry was born into royalty. His life was more than great. He grew up learning how to read and write, the basic history of his kingdom, how to act during public events and what he need to say or do as a true prince. He was fawned over by many a lass who wished to gain connections to the royal blood. He had everything he wanted, safety, family, friends... though¡­ He didn''t. They weren''t real friends, and the luxuries that he gained weren''t earned. It was... boring. At the age of ten he separated himself from those around him. Only to lock himself up in the library to read. Reading was fun; here he could take in the words of those smarter than his family, smarter than himself. The studies of magic, the studies of fighting. All locked within pages of text, he coveted it. He dreamed of what life would be like outside... Without these fake relationships, without all the lies. He''d do it, he''d leave, and he had to. This damned family could survive without him, he knew that. His time within the tall shelves had made him distant to past connections. At the age of only twelve he started to train himself. He practiced running, jumping, climbing those beloved shelves and learning the art of free movement from a certain book he had found. He certainly enjoyed it, this climbing and sprinting, the feeling of wind pushing past him and against him as he sped up. With control of his body he was free to do as he willed. His training continued for another two years. He still kept to himself, only doing things that were needed to be done such as public meals, ceremonies and other social fa?ades that took valuable time off of his own wishes. Harry started to spark out, practicing climbing on rock walls, swimming within the large stream that passed through the palace walls, since the palace was on high ground the water was generated from a magic crystal. As time passed his body became stronger... faster. Like he''d always wanted, not worthless and wasting away like the bureaucrats that played politics. Two more years and he turned sixteen. This was the time he wanted to leave, and so he did. After learning and training all he could before this time, the day before the celebration of his birthday. He ran, fast. Faster than the guards ever could, that he was sure of. Although the guards didn''t exactly see him from the way he stuck to the shadows. He left his forsaken kingdom, granted it took a few months, but the gold he had taken with him was enough to get him by... Before it was gone and then he got hungry, very hungry. He wasn''t being supplied with food now; he''d known this would happen... With his rude and abrasive mannerisms Harry wasn''t able to find a job; those in the palace had put up with him due to his blood, out here no one cared. It was at this point that Harry started to steal. It really was the only way so he thought, to keep himself fed he needed gold. He expected himself to feel... guilty, though he felt nothing but thrill. He took from someone. He STOLE... and he loved it. A sickening grin would rise on his facial features each time he took what wasn''t his. Then spent it, after a while he was getting noticed. The fact that he where he went, gold vanished. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At the age of 17 a certain adventuring party asked him to join them, to assist with the more... tricky things. How could he not agree?! This was an ADVENTURING PARTY! Tales of grandeur and glory spread in every kingdom naming powerful heroes that started as adventurers He''d dreamed of this, to adventure. Naturally he accepted! They were going to a dark wizards keep, to the high north. Not to kill him but to rob him. As such Harry followed suit, getting to know the adventurers over almost a month. The locks on the doors fell as harry twisted and tinkered with his tools. The guards of the keep, undead. Fell to the blows of his allies. Thankfully he didn''t fight, though he could if he wanted to. The wooden shield and leather armour he had on wasn''t just for show. The risk wasn''t worth it though; if he died then they wouldn''t be able to go forward so he was protected. After they had travelled through the keep the group finally got to the treasure room. Gold... Silver... Magical items, everything was here! Harry walked in, glancing around with interest... Then he felt... wrong, very very wrong. He looked to his companions with greed full on their faces, then moved around about to talk before he tripped on a vase. Falling head first into a strange contraption made of twisted metal, glass and magical crystals he sent it flying off. It shattered... Then sparked... Then he felt fire... consuming him. He yelled out in pure pain his flesh melting giving way to the flames, every single nerve was burning. It was all BURNING! He flailed helplessly before a black void devoured his consciousness. He woke up. He sat up... He looked around... Then he saw four charred corpses, he blinked... his friends... well, they had only known each other for three weeks but he had still felt a connection to them. Harry choked back tears as he looked down to himself. He was fine? Unharmed even. Though after a moment he noticed a pulsing in the side of his shoe, looking down he saw a silver coin, it hummed then spoke. "Finally awake? Where did you learn to walk ya¡¯ bloody fool? Get your ass up, and run before the old man gets back. Take me with you, it''s boring here doing nothin'' but waitin'', besides I¡¯m the one that saved your ass by bonding with you. Otherwise you''d be roasted like the others, personally I¡¯d say they¡¯re more charred grilled." Harry was confused... he didn''t argue with the talking coin and turned to run... and run he did. Out the halls of black stone, out the large gate to the keep and forward. As fast as he could. Not even thinking about the treasures he had left behind... Well, most of the treasure. The muffled clinking of coins in his satchel obviously had gotten there by mistake. Or not. ///// Thanks for reading~ Chapter 1 ///// Q/A + Author Introduction Greetings readers! First things I need to clarify: This is the first piece of literature I''ve created for public consumption. It''s probably not going to win any awards but I hope those reading it get some enjoyment out of it. I will more than likely make mistakes, feel more than free to point them out. I do wish to improve on what I already have. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.I''m not a professional but I''ll PR other peoples works~ And lastly please leave any suggestions you wish to come to light. Don''t hold back on negative reviews either, rip me apart. [th_100_.gif] Chapter 1 - Coming to Terms Chapter 1 Happy Reading~ ///// Harry half collapsed against the blackened tree, falling on his backside with back resting against bark he panted heavily. "Lungs... burn, what are you? Bonding?" His concern was well justified, considering a talking coin had stated that it had saved him. The coin returned his questions with answers rather snappily. The voice resounding inside of Harry''s head was one of an aged male. He was reminded of his riding instructor, the man always annoyed Harry. [What am I? You rude little brat. I''m not a thing I''m a person, n'' if I still had a body I could teach you how to walk! Nice moves you did, killing your allies and almost yourself.] "I panicked all right! Wasn''t my fault that... thing was in my way. You still haven''t answered! What bonding? What did you do to me?" [... I saved your sorry hide is what I did.] "How did you do it? Answer me before I throw you into a lake!" [Tch...] The coin made a sound similar to the clicking of a tongue. How Harry wasn''t sure then again he wasn''t sure how the coin was talking into his mind, he glared at the silver coin he had now brought out into his palm. [Do you know of the arcane arts? Magic.] "Somewhat... I know of mana and that manipulating it into certain patterns can create the spells used in combat and some structures. I''ve tried to use mana, couldn''t grasp it correctly" [So the basics of basics. Great, how lucky I am...]The coin let out a mental sigh at this. [Some magic users, most closely related to nature can use mana in a way of bonding a small shard of their soul to an animal. I''ve done a round-about version of this. Due to this bonding I was able to pour some of my personal mana pool into your sorry ass and activate a simple protection spell.] Harry blinked and gawked at the metal in his hand. -This thing, put its soul into me? Wait, did it call me an animal? No that''s not right, it''s wrong. Bonds like this need the others acceptance for it to work I''ve read about it I''m sure. If that''s right...- "Did you use a form of black magic on me? Soul magic, necromancy, whatever it''s called!" [...] The coin was silent at this point. Brat was smart, that or a good guesser. [My name is Oalk but you can call me Master if you''d like] "Master?... Do you want to be melted down? Wait, don''t change the subject! You used black magic didn''t you, you bastard! Once I get to a city I''m getting a wizard to cut this bond." [No dice on the Master thing? Feel free to ask a mage to cut the bond. Won''t work, well it will. Only after you die that is.] Harry felt his complexion turn a tad whiter. "Dead... Oi oi oi, nothing in the books said anything about unbreakable bonds! You''re kidding right? Right?!" [Fraid'' not kid. It was a last moment thing, You stumbled upon me, quite literally since your empty head smacked right on top-o'' me. Quite lucky for me I''d say cos'' you see... The thing is, if we''re separated for too long, you start to feel sick, nausea, vomiting after a while you''ll struggle to stand... This sickness will only get progressively worse ya'' get where I''m goin'' with this?] "So I''ve witnessed my friends perish, I''ve had a talking prick of a coin use black fucking magic on me and now I''m stuck with said prick of a coin. Do I get ANYTHING for all my troubles? Nope!" [Kid'' I saw you scoop gold into your satchel you got sumthin'' for yourself didn''t ya? Besides I don''t think you understand your situation. You''ve got a legendary sentient magical artefact with a soul bond, to you and all ya'' do is complain? I''m more of a gift sent from the celestial planes than anything you''re making me out to be. Acting like I''m some curse... I saved your ass, be a little grateful brat.] To this Harry fell silent, it was true. He was saved by this thing even if it had used forbidden arts on him. Carrying the coin around wouldn''t be that big of a deal, least this thing wasn''t a chair or he would have been screwed. A minute of silence passed before Harry spoke once more. "I apologise. You did save me that I can''t deny, what was that thing? The burning... What killed them?" Oalk gave a mental nod towards Harry''s apology, at least the brat wasn''t completely lost in the art of manners. [It was a deactivated magical trap. When it senses a presence it gives off an intimidating aura, if that doesn''t work and it''s control sigil is touched in the wrong way, it releases the power of three fire charged crystals. You activated the thing and its sigil when your right foot decided to try the left side of life... with a vase.] "Thanks for the reminder you prick. intimidating aura? That''s it? No loud noises or blinding light? Sounds weak." [Lad, that aura can make a mountain troll shit its self and run to momma''. Hell, I''m not sure a wyrm could stand against it.] "Oh... That doesn''t sound... good. Next question, I felt the burning, why am I not injured and for that matter why is my equipment not ashes?" He gave a gesture with his free hand, indeed his clothing, satchel and weapons didn''t seem to have taken any damage. [Heal and repair. Good spells for the intermediate magician, I myself held a great power when I wielded a body. Thanks to you I can once more cast spells. Also, thanks to me you''ll probably be able to use magic. Expanding your mana pool is a side effect of such a bond] "Eh? This bond has granted me the ability to sense mana?! Now I need those books... that are a kingdom away and in the library... No worries no worries I''m sure a mages guild has them, no sweat. If they weren''t guarded... Oi co-... Oalk, you said that you were powerful, could you teach me?" Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. [Brat if you die I''ll probably get screwed over one way or another. I''ll teach ya'' so long as you''ll listen and shut it when I tell you to. On another note an extended mana pool isn''t the only thing you''ve got. I ain''t a one trick ancient magical artefact! Lets see... Mh... There we go~] Harry blinked as he came to understand what he was seeing... Then he cursed.
NameHarry Vivi''shant¨¦ Revour
TitleCowardly Prince
Health28Mana420
Level2
Health Regen/SecNaturalMana Regen/Sec3
Strength12Agility16
Wisdom4Intelligence14
Stamina22Dexterity14
"Cowardly prince! How dare... what... Did you-" Oalk quickly interrupted Harry less he be allowed to explode. [It''s the magic, it reads the person it effects then gives information corresponding to said person in a feedback loop of sorts... Still... a prince? You?] Harry muffled his outcry of rage, spare hand curled into a fist and stuffed into his own mouth. After a few moments of composure rebuilding he dropped his fist into his lap. "Four hundred and twenty mana essence. By the blazes of hell that''s a large pool. I assume you did that... FOUR WISDOM. I''m not inept at philosophical thinking! Is your magic faulty coin?" [It''s Oalk and no not faulty, it''s wise to know when to shut your mouth. A skill you sorely lack, it''ll be your social cues that''ve tanked that aspect down. I''m more worried about the stamina, you sure as hell don''t seem the type to endure pain... or anything for that matter.] "Hey, I''ve self taught and trained myself in many things that didn''t go along with the families interests! It takes dedication to do what I did..." Harry trailed off at this point, looking back to his given title with a scowl. It just wasn''t right, he''d left because he found the lies of his friends boring... Cowardly? He wasn''t afraid, he could have easily have handled being a prince. Telling himself the title was wrong once more he snapped back to reality when he realised the sky was dimming. "Shit, I''ve got to set up camp" [Oh, finally doing something productive? While you go do that I need to think about what I''m gunna'' do now I''m stuck with your useless self. Why couldn''t I have been picked up by a powerful wizard and not some fleeing prince.] Harry was about to respond before he felt a small detaching snap in his mind, placing it down to Oalk breaking the connection that allowed it... Him to talk to Harry. He simply fell silent. A moment later and he was back onto his feet, arms raised as he stretched his body. His legs would be sore with all that running, he couldn''t even see the keep he had flee''d from. -Well, time to get to work.- On that mental note Harry started moving himself, currently within a forest of blackened trees (Due to the dark magic frequently used not too far away) Harry didn''t feel all that safe, to the east was a rocky outcropping and that is where he headed. Only yesterday did he camp there with his now fallen allies. Harry reprimanded himself. -It''s a harsh world. Thinking of them now won''t bring them back, only cause grief for you.- His compassionate side responded -Yes but they deserve to be remembered. If anything you should tell their family, track them down. They should know!- -That''ll take years! They were adventurers, it might not be possible to even track them down!- -You know where Talias family live. Going there is the least you could do for her.- -Yes if I want to place myself into a very awkward position surrounded by tears and emotion! I don''t deal with that well! You KNOW that!- -Because you''re scared to face it... I know well. I''m just saying it would be the RIGHT thing to do. Do what you wish- With a scowl on his face Harry continued in his own silence. After an hour of walking he came to the outcropping. Bringing himself to the previously camped in spot he brought out his bedroll from his satchel. Normally something as big as a bedroll wouldn''t be able to fit into a simple satchel, but not this one! It was his most prized possession. Thanks to a magical enchantment the container could hold up to one-hundred pounds of material and objects up to five foot in length! Now that he thought about it, why did he only scoop up a handful of coins? He cursed himself once more as he unrolled the bed in the shadow of a large rock. If Isaac was here he''d place some protection wards to drive away beasts. Thinking there was no choice other than winging it he crawled into his bedroll to force himself to sleep. Finally after two hours and sixteen minutes of regretful thinking, reprimanding himself and mentally insulting the coin he felt sleep come. ///// Thanks for reading!~ Three hours for this one chapter. I''ve severely underestimated what it takes to write literature. I shall learn with time. Chapter 2 /////End.///// Chapter 2 - Lonesome Trek Harry awoke early in the morning confused and disoriented. It took him around twelve seconds to recall, review and then sigh at the memories of the day before, gone by. He sat up before getting to work rolling up his bed and placing it back within his bigger on the inside satchel. As he predicted he felt a soft gnawing sensation in his legs. It was the long sprint he had done away from the dark keep, across the tundra and to the forest that caused this pain. A thought of asking Oalk to preform some kind of pain nullification magic such as one Isaac would have done, flashed through his mind. -Yeah, no- The coin could go screw itself at this point. Nodding to himself as if to validate his own opinion he started to set off. His plan would be to follow the side of the High Nether Mountains that spread south-east until he came to one of the only functional roads in the high north. The road lead to The High Ice, a several hundred mile wide sheet of black-blue ice that didn''t melt without aid of magical fire. The resource was sought by artists and nobility for its durable quality and beautiful patterns. If Harry had been born seven hundred years prior, he could have gotten onto the road by travelling north-north-east as it had once forked away from the direction of the ice plain to the now High Ruins of Orenk. Sadly he wasn''t born seven hundred years ago so he set off south-east. That is until he reached the boundary of the outcropping he had camped in. It was at this point that he slammed face first into a seemingly non-existent barrier, rebounding and falling heavily onto his backside Harry muffled a yell as his hands covered his bleeding nose. "Whff thf!" A mental tug made clear Oalks presence. [Hah! That was a good''un. Right smack that was, I''ll admit my mistake, my mistake. I seem to have forgotten to mention the wards I took the liberty of setting up while you had your rest. Mh... Should be fine to proceed once you''ve got your sorry ass up now.] "Prick! You forgot because you wanted to!" Harry pulled one blood splattered hand away to reach into his satchel to bring out a rag. He pressed the rag on his nose as he stood up, scowling. "Seriously, can you not hinder me. I''ll do my best to work with you." -Until I get rid of him, soul bond aside there must be some way to cut him apart from me. Perhaps forcing the shard of him out, that or shielding the backlash that I''ll get if he''s melted down...- [Mhm, honest mistake lad. What''s the plan at this point in time anyway?] "If you must know I''m just wanting to get out of the blighted tundra. Perhaps to the city of High Glen. Though to get there I''m following the High Nether Mountains and going south down the high road once we get around the end of the mountain spine. My... Group, came up north via the High Forest. I don''t wish to go through there without a group. If I could I would" [...] Harry frowned at the silence that stretched quite some time. "What?" [That''s a lot of highs... These names mean nothing to me! Who renamed everything?! A five year old?] Harry paused, Oalk did have a point why was everything named so terribly. High this high that, though ultimately it was better than the naming scheme of old common. One was lucky to remember the name of the house they lived in never mind a mountain range . Harry had studied the old language and through perseverance and pure stubbornness managed to grasp most of the concepts to the language. It was this understanding that made him speak. "Just be glad they''re easy to remember. So shut up and don''t question it, we travel by the High Nether Mountains." [Tch.] As Harry took a step to finally set out he stumbled from the rough mental yank of Oalk detaching communication. Harry vowed to one day murder the coin and continued forth. {/Break\} It took Harry five hours of traversing rocky ground to finally reach the mountain ranges end, happily he took out some of his rations to eat. The dried meat was rather burnt due to the repair spell not working on food but he dealt with it. During his travelling he had doubled checked his equipment to establish what he needed and what he still had. The one thing Harry truly treasured was his signet ring. Given to him as he had turned ten years old. The rings front spiked thrice at the top and once on the bottom, giving it the appearance of a shield. Within the centre a large H and V were intertwined. His name and his family name both initialled. To the side of the shield and around the ring potion of the ring lay a floral design. The workmanship required to make such a beautiful piece of jewellery always caused a smile to raise on Harry''s lips. Though he couldn''t wear it out in public due to it''s value. Even if it wasn''t recognised as a royal ring. It still looked noble and his less than majestic appearance didn''t quite fit. So he kept it within his satchel. Talia''s dagger was another thing altogether. Harry did have a hobby, one that included sculpting small wooden figurines. Those of noble linage or of royalty were expected to take up at least one artistic skill. Sculpting was Harrys, that and playing a harp, though it had been more than a year since he''d even set his hands on a harp. Sculpting was another matter, all he had to do was pick up a good thick piece of wood and then work it with a suitable knife. Losing his old one during the travels north he had asked to borrow Talias. He hadn''t even remembered he had it until he checked. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The blade held a blackened design at the hilt, the steel somehow darkened with the pattern of a winged... hamster? Harry wasn''t sure but the creature certainly looked like one, its two buckteeth seemed to glint with a sharpness that simply wasn''t there. The blade edge however was sharp and well made for that matter. The balance almost perfect. Though he personally didn''t know how to use a dagger as a weapon... Any more than pointy end first. He mused that only a true street kid like Talia would grow up being able to wield such a thing effectively. Still it worked for his purposes, no reason to hold it to sentimental value. If he could detach himself like that. Shaking his head he brought himself back to his location, his head turned gazing to the left of the upcoming road. That way would be to ice and nothingness other than a small mining colony. So he promptly turned right and started on the road to the west. With luck and a good step he''d make it to Sundabar before nightfall. {/Break\} One hour of walking later Harry was interrupted by Oalk. [Kid, I wish to ask you some questions... About what''s going to happen.] "Mh?... Well ask away. I might answer depending on the question." [Heh. What are you planning? Once you get into a city... What''s your purpose at this point? You ran away from home right?] "I didn''t run away I left, couldn''t stand it. I look around only to see a family who enjoys nothing more than being grovelled to, my younger brother thrilled himself by ordering around the maids only to make their lives harder. I left because it wasn''t the place I wished to be. Simple as that Oalk." [Don''t you like the idea of being waited on hand and foot? From what I see lad you had it set. Got everythin'' you could ever want there.] "Do I wish for others to degrade themselves in front of me in order to gain favour? No. I find it unpleasant, I find the looks of admiration, jealousy and not to mention envy, disconcerting." Harry frowned at this before a low growl built in his throat. "Hell, it pisses me off! Why am I better than them? Because of my blood? Because of my parents? Why do they act like cattle in front of me, treading carefully as to not be sent to the slaughterhouse?" [You actually care? forgive me for saying but you just don''t seem the type lad.] "I don''t. I just wish I''d started on even ground. I wish to be better than others because of the things I personally accomplish. It doesn''t matter what''s under the family name, I''ve not won any wars. I''ve not governed any cities or pioneered a village in wild territory. Why do people look to me and give me that credit simply because I have the name Vivi''Shant¨¦ above my head?" Harry''s voice raised with his arms as he continued, tone laden full with sarcasm. "''He''s the grandson of Percy the Great! I''m sure he''ll be a grand ruler!'' ''He has the blood of Elga''Tharnora the wise! He''ll be smart and lead us to a new age'' ''Ohh, there''s Master Harry! Did you know he has the blood of ten great kings flowing through him? He''ll be a fierce warrior one day!''" "They can all fall down a bloody well for all I care, wool headed fools the lot of them! I never understood how father or brother could find enjoyment from it. Not to mention the lies that spew forth from those you think are close to you!" Harry breathed in clenching his teeth together in order to stop himself from ranting further. [...] Silence. "Get it?" He brought the silver coin from his pocket, opening his palm to stare at it. Harry did this so he could feel like he was talking to someone. Rather than the air. [Damn kid'' Thought you''d blow your brain out. I get it, though I''m amazed you didn''t fall into the conformity trap.] "The what?" His tone turned from annoyance into confusion. [Well... Normal people strive to be accepted by others ya'' know? If a bunch''a people of say one thing even if it''s the wrong thing, new members to the group or existing members will be more likely to go along with the majority. Even if the thing is as stupid as a stubborn mule. Or in replacement of a mule. You.] "You sure?... That... would explain why everyone panders to the royal family. Though I''ve never had those urges, sure having friends and allies is fulfilling but... I''ve never gone against what I strongly believe in to satisfy said friends own beliefs." Harry fell silent. [Well you''re not normal kid, I''ll give you that. I see you better now, as a person that is. Nice to know you''ve got some depth to you. Even if you''re a brat.] "I''m NOT a bra-" Before Harry could finish he felt the snap of the mental connection. Oalk didn''t break it as rough as he had previously done though it was still an unpleasant feeling. "I swear... Rude bastard of a coin! I''ll use you to buy bread, then I''ll feed the bread to the worms..." Harry paused, awaiting a response that never came. A few moments later Harry shook his head and set off towards Sundabar at a quicker pace. His annoyance fuelling him forward. Oalk came and went as he pleased. This in turn made Harry pissed. -I''ll ask the questions next time, coin.- Another vow was made while he followed the beaten path. ///// Thanks for reading~ Chapter 3 ///// Chapter 3 - Sundabar Harry looked forward as he reached the desired destination, this being the small town of Sundabar. The town was created as ''the'' trading point for black ice. A good sixty miles away from the mines that gathered this raw material. Harry himself hadn''t been here before as he''d come up through the High forest to the south-east. Though he had questioned his former allies about the town spotted in the distance as they travelled. Sundabar had a small wooden palisade that ran around the entire town, not that there was all that much to run around considering the population didn''t exceed two thousand. Hell, quite a number of buildings were owned by those who didn''t even live within the town, for personal trading purposes. Sundabar resided within the northern kingdom of the High Marches, the ruling family was completely comprised of dwarves as such most of the population that occupied Sundabar were dwarves themselves. Harry speculated it took a certain naturally firm arm strength to actually mine dark ice, a thing dwarves held in abundance. Due to this, those who were of a different race (mostly human) worked as merchants, buying the ice and other goods before moving south west , to where Harry planned to go. High Glen. Still, he planned stay within Sundabar for a little while. If he continued past the town any time soon, his legs would give way. The fact that he was still standing after walking on the tired limbs was because of his willpower and stamina. Shrugging off the numbness that spiked into pain with each step he moved towards the door blocked arch within the makeshift defence... Why was the door closed? Harry cursed as he walked up and knocked upon the wood, a few minutes later he banged upon it. "Oi, What''s the deal?!" The sound of scuffling came from behind the door then wood on wood as a small slot opened up at chest height. Eyes looked to Harry from the other side. The voice that called out was most definitely male and slightly worried. "Who are you? A miner? A bandit?..." The grey eyes scanned Harry. "You look like you''ve been through hell." It was true, Harry hadn''t washed in some time, before he had relied on Isaac''s magic to clean his equipment and being, this was no longer a choice. The other option was Oalk and Harry didn''t even want to think of asking the coin for magical assistance, due to obvious reasons of disliking the damned thing. As such his armour looked scruffy and his hair ragged. "I have been through hell. Now are you going to let me in or do I need to sleep on the road?" The other paused before the small click of a latch sounded. The door opened to reveal a stout dwarf looking up, to Harry. The dwarf was dressed within guard garb, armour and a hammer, attached to his belt. A small badge was clipped onto the worn chain mail, it labelled the dwarf as a sergeant. "No problem young man... Though why''d you come in this gate? There''s nothin'' out there but the mine... Adventurer?" The dwarf questioned as a thick finger pointed to Harry''s sheathed sword. With a tired expression Harry nodded. "Yes, to the blighted tundra. The keep that''s there, it went wrong. Very wrong." Harry looked away from the dwarf, not wishing to meet his gaze. "Is that all you need?" The dwarf frowned before nodding and stepping aside. "Sorry to hear that lad. Names Gareth, if you need anything, directions, information, a point in the right direction just come to the guardhouse and ask for me. If I''m not there or on night duty, one of the lads will give you a hand. Least I could do." Gareth gave a nod to Harry as he closed the door after Harry passed through. Harry provided a thanks along with his own name in return. Then he made for the town only to stop back and watch Gareth return to the small wooden building attached to the palisade, inside was lit by several candles and a lantern. From what he could see there were several other guards within this little outpost. Sitting around a table that held both cards and booze upon it. He gave a small chuckle to himself as aching legs walked him towards the centre of the town. That''s one good thing about dwarves he mused, if you''re ever in trouble they''ll lend a hand. Bad weather and hard times reigned in the north so naturally they banded together. Those from the north and who hadn''t experienced human greed and betrayal first hand, acted more than friendly to others. True to themselves, they''d help because it was the right thing to do. Rather than to get security and a position of power for themselves. A few dwarfs were of the tricky kind, though they were generally easy to spot and avoid. Now with a faint smile upon his lips Harry reached the large courtyard specially designed for housing the towns market. The main things sold within Sundabar consisted of metals from the dwarven capitol city of Felbarr, dark ice from the High Ice mine Hlaungadath and wares from various dwarven producers. Usually weapons and superior tools. Though at this point only a few food stalls were open, aiming to entice those leaving all manner of taverns less than sober. Harry headed towards the tavern with the third best outward appearance, going to the best or second would be asking for all manner of trouble considering his appearance. The tavern he approached looked rustic, well maintained and warm. Hard, grey stoned bricks and intricate wooden carvings made up most of the building''s outer structure. Harry observed them with slight interest before shaking his weary head and moving forward. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. As Harry entered the tavern through the thick wooden door, he was welcomed by the pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. Along side the tell tale scent of alcohol. The bartender was busy taking orders from a group of what looked like merchants, though still managed to welcome Harry with a friendly nod and a grin. It was as charming inside as it was on the outside. Thick hard wooden beams supported the upper floor, lanterns attached to hooks lit the room. The walls were completely empty, Harry speculated it was due to drunken customers stumbling against the walls too often, knocking things over. Waiting for the right time Harry approached the bar once the barter was free. "Got a room free for a poor traveller?" To this the bartender gave a nod. "Aye we do. Gota'' single room for you if yer'' wanting a single. Though a traveller at this time... Where''d you come in from? Felbarr or High Glen?" Harry grimaced as he opened his satchel. "Nether, come from the east gate. To correct my previous statement I''m an adventurer not a traveller. How much for the room, food and a bath?" The bartender simply nodded to this, not enquiring further. "It''ll be gold''n four silver. I''ll get one of the gals'' to fill up the tub and you can eat while she does." Harry placed the coins onto the bartenders hand as he finished speaking. "You go sit down, I''ll bring yer'' grub over. Drink o'' ale with it?" "That''ll be brilliant. Names Harry... and thanks barter" He grinned as he stepped back. Turning to tread over to a corner table. "My names Auric, lad. Not barter, nor bartender." With back turned Harry simply gave a wave over his shoulder, sitting down with his back to the wall he closed his eyes and waited for his food to arrive. The rest of the evening was uneventful. After eating the above average beef stew Harry was shown the bathing room by one of the girls working there. Dwarven women didn''t really interest Harry as they usually could crush him in more ways than one. Size doesn''t mean everything, more so when it came to the arm strength of a small female dwarf. Harry shuddered at the thought. Once he was left alone he stripped and enjoyed his bath. Though he did wrap the silver coin within his under shirt and shove it into his satchel. Once he finished with the warm bath he finally felt refreshed and invigorated. Albeit with sore legs. Dragging his dried self into the room provided, he locked the door and wasted no more time to fall face first onto the bed. {/Break\} Harry awoke feeling sick to his stomach. Groaning he forced himself to sit on the edge of the bed. After only a few moments of groaning he started to feel a strong tugging within his chest, it throbbed and yanked the more he focused on it. Looking into the direction of said tugging did he see his dropped satchel. -Oalk you piece of shit... I''ll melt you, I swear on my blood!- With that thought coming to mind Harry stumbled up on two feet, being disoriented didn''t help him move to his bag. He picked up then reached into the satchel scowling. Unwrapping his shirt he brought Oalk into his palm. Instantly he felt the connection latch onto his mind. [What happened! I came back fro... That doesn''t matter, it was dark and I couldn''t sense you. The hell are you playing at kid! I told you not to let me become separated.] With the coin in hand, the nausea was slowly receding. "Fell asleep. Didn''t know you needed to be THAT close to me in order to ward off the effects of this idiotic bond!" Oalk growled within Harry''s mind, voice raised. [Listen here boy!] The last word was spit out brimming with contempt. [Do not forget about me, don''t separate yourself from me. Not EVER. You could die if you do, you think that''s only bad for you? No, without you close I can''t use my magic and your body weakens each second we''re away, you become drained. Stay close or I swear I''ll...] Oalk trailed off, then sent a snarl and a mental blast to Harry''s mind, the connection was snapped along with the blast. Harry felt himself turn pale. His now shaking hands instantly came to his head as the resounding pain brought forth a throbbing headache. Oalk had used something to hurt him, he just didn''t know what. He could feel the digging sensation shoot directly down his spine. Not only was his head in extreme pain but his entire body seemed to lock up before jerking and trembling uncontrollably. It took three minutes before he could once more control his body, at this time he had curled up into a ball after having fallen to the floor. Now he waited for the pain to fade with eyes closed tight. By the gods did his head feel excruciatingly injured, he expected blood to be running from his ears and eyes though he couldn''t feel them in this state. He couldn''t even think, all that was held within his mind was the pain. pure pain. Growing, throbbing then shrinking only to torment him by rising once more causing his body to uncontrollably spasm. Harry attempted to hold on, he really did... but in the end he witnessed defeat laugh at his seemingly feeble attempt. Then blackness consumed him. ///// Thanks for reading. Onward my readers, to honour, to glory, to chapter 4! Chapter 4 - Control Harry awoke laying against a pulsing grey, smooth surface. Lines of faint light scattered around, fleeing, flowing and twisting between one another. Moving his eyes from the strange floor he raised only his head, body too heavy to control. There was nothing that he could see, other than the floor he was laying upon. It was strange, he would have called the view ''blackness'' but there wasn''t a blackness, nor white. It was simply nothing, his head ached just looking upon the... nothing. He whimpered from the lingering pain that was slowly receding. Inside his mind utter turmoil reigned, was this something the coin had set up? Was his mind crumbling or was he dead? The pure agony he had experienced seemed enough to have killed him that was for sure. Harry twitched as he heard a voice, smooth and silky. Male, yet soothing. In a tone a mother would use upon one of her children. This wasn''t Oalk. [Little lost lamb] "Hhuuuu..." [Going to bleat for help? Not that it would do you any good child. Here, let me help you.] "Help?... Yess. please help. C...can''t move, everything stings. It''s heavy..." Harry''s voice trailed off, it hurt his chest to talk. [Mhh... My dear it would hurt, your mana control is completely broken. It''s destroying the ability to control your body. Not this one though~] The males voice chimed, a small chuckle flowing from the area. Then Harry saw a black stand extend from the floor and touch upon his chin. The thing felt wrong but his body held reduced pain. He shivered and closed his eyes allowing the wrongness to ripple over him. [You''ve gotten yourself into quite the predicament now haven''t you child? Picking up such an old artefact. You should have risked throwing it away for what it''s worth. Now you''re going to die, your soul will be crushed to feed the thing taking over your physical body.] An odd chuckle rang out at this notion. Then the voice grew dark, less caring and reassuring. [Unless~] The being paused, waiting for Harry to ask the obvious. "Unless... What? What do you want? How do I know you''re not Oalk trying to trick me?!" Giggling commenced, surrounding him, sinking into his skin and mind. His teeth clenched along with his tightening muscles. The giggle stopped instantly leaving the dark atmosphere more foreboding. [That thing doesn''t need to trick you any longer. Like a child with no reasoning you chose to believe what the coin told you. Now you''re stuck, with no way out other than with me.] Harry could feel the grin within the air... Was there air? He couldn''t breathe anything in, nor out. Yet it didn''t bother him until he drew attention to the fact. [You will make a contract to me Harry Vivi''Shant¨¦. You will not play games any longer, you will not run. You will do as I command and return to your kingdom.] "... Why would I do that?! How in the abyss does that benefit you? Though most importantly HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME!" Harry growled his out, his head thrashing to look for the thing speaking to him with such cold words. [Benefit me? I said nothing of what will help me. It''s what you need to do. I have my insurances that you''ll not disobey, more so once you''ve sealed the contract. As for the help, I''ll grant you a boon stopping the coin from consuming you. Understand me boy?] "Heh... You seem to think I''ll accept this? That I''ll bow down to you? What if I allow myself to perish mh? From what I can see, you''re a greater evil than whatever the damned coin is!" Harry desperately attempted to lift his body, only to have himself slump back down limp. The weight had become heavier. [If you simply accept the contract I shall not have control of your body. I cannot interfere with the mortal realm with a flesh and blood, body. It''s the rules. Nor can I tell you what the contract entails. Nor can I tell you who I am, nor what I am before the contract is accepted. It''s against the rules. As for accepting the contract, you''ll accept it even with all these limitations, you are not the kind of being who''ll accept death so easily. You''ll fight, even if it means ultimately being controlled by me~] Another giggle reverberated around the nothingness. "Tch..." Harry snarled at his situation. At the thing speaking to him so... arrogantly. Yet it understood him all too well. Even if the outcome was bad he wouldn''t accept death. Perhaps that was the reason he blindly accepted what Oalk had said... The stated alternative would have been death and Harry wouldn''t test to see if it was false. His thought turned to the four wisdom... Then he mentally cursed himself. Could he die? Really let himself be killed, his body taken over and his soul crushed? No. Not a chance in hell. Even if it meant giving himself to this unidentified thing? Yes, even this price he was willing to pay. -You''re a fool- I know I am. -No, I mean you''re a fool. A HUGE fool, the biggest fool around. You should have the title Foolish Price. Never mind coward, though you are a coward- I KNOW! Harry silenced the shard of himself before speaking out loud. "FINE! FINE! On terms of giving me the power to save myself... To allow me to live. I ACCEPT THE DAMNED CONTRACT!" His voice was loud, though not nearly as loud as the rough and rather recognisable laughing voice. [I knew ya'' would lad! Good job, yer'' not gunna'' regret this. I''m telling you!] Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Harry froze, his mind stopped working for a split second. Then once the gears started clicking all he could do was shout. "MOTHER FUC-" Then blackness consumed him. {/Break\} Harry woke up, dizzy, disorientated and in pain. His thought process proceeded as such. He forced himself up onto his rear, his back resting against the side of the bed. Where he had been gripping the coin was the remains of dust. Some still in his now open hand, the rest on the floor where he had collapsed. "... Oalk?" Harry was nervous at this point in time, this feeling grew as silence continued for what seemed like hours. His thoughts turned into the hope of something gone wrong, perhaps Oalk had killed himself somehow? [Congratulations lad!] Harry almost screamed, though thankfully held in his surprise at the loud... coin? "Wha? The coin... you''re... what?" [Heh, confused lad? I ain''t no lousy coin. That coin right there is something used to contact and contract beings in the mortal realms. You now being one of ''em. Once such a contract is made I don''t need to use the physical object to talk to you. As for the congratulations, you''re now on the path to demigod-hood! Your name once you reach your pinnacle, if you ever do is... Wait let me see, that name is it under...] "..." Harry felt it best to stay silent as he heard a mental shuffling of papers. What in the world was going on? [Ahah! Found it. You''re now on the path to becoming Gral. Demigod of Chaos, Trickery... Charm... and ugh... Wisdom... Wait that can''t be right, the coin was fated for you, you should be wise... not to mention charming...] Oalk''s voice turned worried as Harry controlled himself to not have a meltdown. [That''s strange... Perhaps there was a glitch in the glyph, did I make a mistake somewhere?] "I have questions!" Harry stated to the thin air. [Mh? Oh yes sorry, I forgot about you lad. Ugh, something didn''t go as planned. Perhaps... mh. The contract is made so... I guess I can''t revoke it, no... Blast it. Sorry, questions?] "What''s going on? What are you? Why did you wait so long to pull that shit on me? Lastly... DEMIGOD?" [What''s going on is a procedure used to balance powers within the world, you''re in the middle of said procedure. I''m Oalk, High God of Accounts, Checking and Humanoid Resources for the Demigod department. Currently filling in for recruitment, gotta'' meet the quota.] A mental sigh came to Harry. [It took so long because a bond needed to form between the symbol and the chosen participant, had to lie to make you keep the coin close. Apologies.] Harry took this in, desperately trying to wrangle the information down as it attempted to fly over his head. "Ah... I didn''t understand most of what you said. I''m getting that I''ve been duped and tricked." [In a manner of speaking yes... Here''s what''s going to happen, you''re going to be tested. Going back to your kingdom and taking over the throne. If you do a good job, you get granted even more powers and ugh... immortality from ageing.] "... My family has the throne?" [Younger brother assassinated and father terminally ill, so it says right here. Your mother could take over the throne but at this point in time you have the first rite. Not to mention you don''t have a choice, you''re going to go through with this test or you''ll die. Simple as that lad.] Harry winced at the news of his brothers death and the upcoming death of his father. He loved them... as much as he disliked most of their personalty traits. They were family, caring family if only for each other. Gulping down whatever sound was aching to come out, Harry spoke. "No choice... Do I some boons as you put it?" [That''ll be right... Although the boons usually correspond to the kind of demigod you''re meant to become but... From what I could see there''s been a problem. The quickest fix would be for you or I to chose what you''ll beco-] Harry quickly voiced his opinion before Oalk could continue. "I''ll choose! Please don''t choose for me, I can do it!" [... Right you are lad. I''ll place you into a kind of sub-dimension with your choices shall I? Also you''ll be able to teleport directly to Luiren, your Kingdom. Well, teleporting there will be your only way out.] "Ah, cornering me again. Anything I should know?" [Try not to pick conflicting ideals, it could get nasty. Sometimes it works, more so if you add balance in there. Other times you explode. Also grab your bag.] "..." Harry silently peeled himself from the side of the bed to grip onto his satchel. Then nodded to the air. [Finally get you out of my hair...] Oalk was heard mumbling as Harry began to feel slight tingles run across his arms. He brought his bag against his chest, hugging it as his head span. Then whiteness consumed him. ///// Thanks for reading this confusing chapter. Any questions relating to characters will be answered if asked in the Q/A thread. Chapter 5 (SOONtm) /////