HMJ - Chapter 15 (Patreon)
Content
‘Man, I thought I was a goner.’ Harry breathed in relief after the shade had disappeared from his shop and didn’t come back through the door. ‘My first connection seems to be the world of the inheritance cycle. I read these books when I was a kid or teenager, but it’s been so long that I don’t remember a lot of them. Still, the most important details are there.’
Instead, he chose to refocus his attention on the elf on the floor. She looked beautiful and somehow so otherworldly. At the same time, there was a sense of mortality about her; these burn marks and that charred wound at her side were a clear sign of it.
‘I should get her into the guest room.' One of the few rooms he had finished was one guest room; he prepared for exactly such a case. Pointing his hand at the elf girl, he cast the Levitation Charm and began moving her out of the storeroom.
Do you grant Arya Lv. 162 permission to enter your world? [Yes or No ]
It's good to know that they need my permission to enter my own world. I don’t believe I could have beaten Durza if he got out. Neither could I beat Arya here. But she is a good person, so I won’t have to worry about that. I hope.’ Harry mused.
[ Name: Arya Gender: Female
Occupation: Swordmage
Level: 162
Age: 103 Race: Elf (Inheritance Cycle)
HP: 6130 MP: 5350
STR: 198 VIT: 175
INT: 213 WIS: 171
DEX: 199 CHA: 180
LCK: 153
Reputation: 8 (neutral)
Description: The Elf Princess is the daughter of Queen Islanzad and one of the younger members of her immortal race. She has acted as ambassador for the Elf’s with the Varden for over 70 years and has transported a dragon egg for the last 20 years in order to find a new dragon rider amongst her people, or the Varden. ]
‘Seriously, Elves and that shade too must get some serious Boni for their HP and MP to be that high. She has less INT than me and more MP.’ Harry thought as he placed her in the bed of the guest room and inspected her wound.
A short decision later, he brought out a Vial from his inventory and said, ‘This is the only bottle of Essence of Dittany I had in my inventory. But if I am able to get the elves to become my trading partners, it would have been worth it. I only wish my previous self would have stocked up on more Potion Ingridients; I only have a handful that I could grow.’
Harry’s expertise in healing was severely lacking; only thanks to Sirius Books did he gain some minor spells, but they were more fit for first aid than actual healing expertise. And to level them up, he had to actually treat the wounded, so they were hard to level too.
But still, he cast ‘Episkey’ a few times to mend the bruises she received from her impact, this time using his wand so the magic would be more effective.
Meanwhile, the charred wound, clearly from a spell, was treated with the essence of Dittany, hoping that its curing properties were powerful enough.
That’s all he could do, with his limited healing expertise, and I hope that Arya is aware that she escaped the clutches of the Shade. Hopefully, she wouldn’t put herself in a coma.
———
Arya Dröttningu, POV
Arya’s dreams were wild and chaotic. The wounds caused by the Shades spell were heavy on her. Any wounds caused by Shades were troublesome, but even more were the ones caused by their magic. Only her Elven physiology allowed her to resist most of the damage after the vile magic had broken through her wards.
She wasn’t strong enough to heal herself or focus her mind to defend itself. At the same time, she was confused: why wasn’t the shade trying to break into it? If she were his prisoner, he would without a doubt try to break her. It was rare for an elf to land in the hands of Galbatorix men; they rarely left the guarding forest.
“Goodbye, Shade.” These words by an unfamiliar male voice were the last thing she had heard. But what did they mean? Was she in the Hand of the Shade or somewhere else? How?
The more time passed, the more she managed to collect her thoughts; the previous chaos cleared up, and the mist of confusion vanished. Now she could sense her body once again. It was healed, with traces of magic supporting it.
Was the egg saved? Did Brom receive it? Where was she? Many questions bothered her, and finally Arya chose to venture out of the borders of her mind, rejoining the world of the awakened as she opened her eyes.
Above her was a stony roof, and she felt a well-made bed below her. A closer look at her surroundings revealed a small and simple furnished room, and somehow it reminded her of Farthen Dûr, the father of mountains, and its city, Tronjheim, carved into it deep within.
It was the walls and the roof made of stone; it looked like the room had been carved into it, just like the city that the Dwarves prided themselves on.
“You are awake!” A male voice said as it came through the door, a young man with dark hair and Emerald Green eyes reminding her of her own. A Human.
He casually pointed his hand at the fireplace in the room, and it burst into fire without him having uttered a word. He used magic silently!
“That’s a dangerous practice for just a fire. Who are you?” She asked in the ancient language, the tongue of the elves, which allowed no one to tell a lie.
———
Harry Potter, POV
‘Ah, I have her attention. A high enough mastery of my casting ability, combined with an affinity for magic and the ability to manipulate it more freely, allowing me to cast a spell wandless and silent, was all that it took.’ He thought wryly as he saw that his little show had worked.
But he didn’t understand the words she spoke next. Beyond a few words he remembers from the books, he doesn’t speak them. From his encounter with Durza, he learned the human tongue of Alagaësia, and from the Urgals, he picked up their language.
And still, it seemed as if his ‘Merchant’s Tongue’ skill wasn’t working with the ancient language. Probably because of its unique properties and not being a requirement to speak with Arya. ‘Too bad. I would have loved to cheat my way to a whole magic language, allowing me to describe the spells I want to perform.’
The ancient language was far more flexible and powerful than the way wizards used magic. It was basically a language allowing one to shape reality freely. Almost. If it weren’t for the danger of dying if one couldn’t supply enough energy,.
“Sorry, while I can understand the intention of your words, I am not able to speak the ancient language. At most, I knew a handful of words, but I didn’t have the chance to learn them yet.” Harry apologized, “But I am Harry Potter, Head of House Potter, a Wizard, and Lord of Skagos. It’s nice to meet you, Arya Dröttningu, daughter of Queen Islanzad and Princess of Elves.
Her look instantly became guarded as he revealed that he knew her full identity.
“How can you only speak a handful of words in the ancient language if you call yourself a wizard? Are you insane? Performing magic through your raw will, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” She said it in her melodious, otherworldly voice.
“I am aware of the risk of performing magic based on one's raw will. The children of my people are doing that by nature until they learn to control their gifts. He replied friendly, giving her a slight hint: accidental magic was basically raw magic manipulation based on desire. “But I have completed most of my schooling and use spells to perform my spells, just not in the ancient language.”
Arya’s eyes widened as she realized the implication behind that: “Where am I?”
“You had a bit of strange luck, Princess; your encounter with the Shade and his Urgals somehow sent you flying through one of my doors. Beyond my duties as a lord and head of a noble house, I am also the owner of the Dimensional Trader. A store connects different worlds together. And you are right now in a different world, in my home inside the tallest mountain of Skagos.” Harry stated it honestly.
“Did I die?”
“No, you are alive. It’s not the afterlife. You can still return to your world, though I would wait for a while. You were asleep for less than a day. I wouldn’t wonder if Durza is still out there searching for the door. Harry replied, “How are your wounds?”
For the first time since she woke up, she remembered that she had been hurt, her eyes wandering to the burnt hole in her clothes. “What is this? And how did you take care of the shade? Durza, is that his name?”
“This is the essence of Dittany, the essence of a plant with healing properties. I hope it’s helping; my understanding of healing is limited. And it’s the last I have.” Harry said, trying to cause a bit of guilt in her, “As for Durza, I already said that I am the owner of a dimensional store; it’s a higher form of magic far beyond my level that was granted to me as an innate ability, you could say. It gives me certain control over my store, like that nobody can fight inside of it, so Durza couldn’t harm me. Additionally, I can simply ban people from it. Anyone banned will be sent out of it and won’t be able to find a door again.”
“I see. Thank you for your help, Lord Potter. I am indebted to you. How can I thank you for your help?" She asked as she bowed her head slightly.
"Well, you could buy some things at my store. It would help me improve my ability. And your position as princess and ambassador could bring me a lot of new customers. But most importantly, there are also a few things I can help your world with. For the right price, of course.”
Once again, she was looking wary at him before he realized that the last sentence could be misinterpreted badly.