"How long have you had two souls?" Horny asked.
Harry was dumbfounded, "What?"
"Unaware of the fact? Must have happened a long time ago then, it isn't something you would ever forget no matter how young you were, so the only explanation is that you were to young to realize it. Still you must have had a couple hints that you were different from all the other humans. I know wizards are a strange lot but didn't anyone among them find your behavior strange at times?"
Harry looked down at the ground, the only place he could look so he did not have to see the snakes every where. "I never had an ordinary childhood, for the longest time I didn't know I was a wizard and when I finally learned the truth. Magic was real and everything was new to me, I was isolated from the magical world so that I didn't know what was odd. It was all new to me. I later learned that I was an impossibility, I had defeated one of the most powerful dark wizards in history by surviving the killing curse, a spell that has no defense, when I was just a baby. I was praised as a hero, I was their savior, I was the Boy Who Lived. I never really questioned it."
Horny nodded, wizards could be brilliant but when faced with unpleasant truths they could be so blind. It was best to keep them distracted and he would have to do so with his new keeper or else he might find himself stuck in this dungeon for an even longer period of time. Giving a dismissive snort that got Harry to take stock of his surroundings, Horny planted his scythe in the ground, "Well what are you waiting for? You got the power, now use it to dig us out of here. Summon some imps for darkness sake and have them tunnel to the surface."
Harry shook his head, "I don't know how to do that."
Horny gritted his teeth, the urge to kill was rising within him, "You're a Keeper now, you know how to do this."
"But how?"
It's not even like it would really keep, the boy was a keeper now and would reappear in front of his dungeon heart, probably. It was always so hard to tell with Keepers, "I'm not a keeper, but I know this is a power that the dungeon heart will grant you. Maybe you should focus on that."
Harry could tell he was starting to get on the Reaper's nerves by the murderous glint in his eye. Deciding that the risk was to great to ask any more questions, Harry went over to the strange artifact in the ground and stared at it as it emitted a poisonous green glow that emphasized the shadows and how much was hidden from sight. It made the large chamber appear more massive and as Harry looked in to its depths, he could hear a sound steady as a beating heart rising up. The stench that had been present when Harry cracked the seal had dissipated but being around the heart made him feel queasy. Harry knew that he needed to figure something out quickly or else Horny would take out his aggression on Harry. Harry focused on the sensation in his stomach and tried to think of how he could summon some imps.
During his years at Hogwarts, enduring all the lectures from Hermione about studying the proper source material, Harry knew that magic was more then just waving his wand. There was something needed to give that magic structure otherwise it was as unpredictable as chaos incarnate. Harry closed his eyes and let out a breath, calming himself down as he concentrated on his connection to the dungeon heart and his own magic. "Summon Imp."
Harry felt a pulse of energy that traveled through his system and for a brief moment it made him feel exhilarated. Taking a deep breath, Harry looked around and saw a small creature move out of the shadows and the first thing it reminded him was of Dobby. A squat green creature with spindly arms and legs, wearing only a loin cloth and grasping on to a pick axe with all its might. The thing was shivering almost uncontrollably under his gaze. The impression was ruined by the fact its eyes were black pools. Harry wondered if it was blind but it's eyes stayed focused on him. "uh, hello?"
Whatever the green imp had expected, this put it at ease and it began chattering excitedly at Harry but he couldn't understand a word of it. Harry looked to Horny for direction but the Reaper was still in a foul mood, swinging his scythe experimentaly. Deciding not to disturb him, Harry in a random direction, "I want you to dig to the surface, that a way."
Jumping up and down the imp ran off in to the darkness. Horny watched the creature scamper away and let out a disappointed sigh, maybe some other time, "What did I tell you, just summon some more and as the imps increase the size of your dungeon you will be able to see what is in the earth around you. You can then gather the gold to pay for the minions you will acquire and to acquire the power to improve your dungeon. Simple enough."
Harry looked at the Reaper, "Why would I need minions? I'm just trying to get home."
"Where is home, Harry Potter? You do not know what I am, if you did you would have run. You do not know what a dungeon heart is, I have been trapped down here for a long time but the war the keepers waged would never be forgotten especially by wizards. I don't know exactly what waits for you on the surface but your home is not there Harry. When you reach the surface others will realize you are a keeper and when they find out they will try to kill you. They will hunt you down."
Horny's laughter echoed through the chamber and Harry wasn't sure what to do or think. So much was happening so fast and Horny was keeping things from him, "What are you talking about, how would people know I'm a keeper? What aren't you telling me Horny?"
"So many things Keeper. Half of which if I told you, you would not believe it, so I'm going to have my fun watching you discover it. Trust me it'll be a whole lot more fun. Here's something though, where is the imp?"
Harry was about to say that he didn't know but he could see it, in his mind. An image in his head, a map of the tunnels branching out from the central chamber he and Horny were standing in and there was the imp, breaking the earth at an amazing rate for such a small creature. "He's in the northern tunnels."
"Very good. You're catching on quick enough, Harry."
Sakura Reed was bored. When her grandfather had first given her Keroboros, the Guardian Beast of the Seal, to be her familiar on her fourteenth birthday it had been one of the most exciting days of her life. She had so many dreams about becoming a hero of the realm and protecting the people from a wicked keeper when she first learned she had the ability to become a wizard like her Great Grandfather, Baron Clow Reed. Those dreams were steadily worn away by the dreary lessons she was forced to endure by her teacher Yue, who while a very good looking man to be stuck in a room with wasn't able to teach in a way that really held Sakura's interest, after the third time Sakura dozed off Yue just shook his head, "It looks like I can't do anything with you today Sakura. Why don't you take Keroboros and go explore in the woods till dinner time? I sure that would be more fun then listening to me ramble on."
Sakura's face was flush with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry Yue. I've just been up late the last couple of nights, having a bad dream. I will pay more attention. Please continue."
Yue looked at the girl with a little concern, "A dream? The same one each night?" At Sakura's nod, he shook his head, "No, its probably nothing. Still it could be, but surely there would be other signs."
After almost a full minute of this Sakura left her desk to place her hand lightly on Yue's shoulder, "What's worrying you?"
"I'm probably over reacting but there is an element of seer magic in you. I won't ask what you dream about, such dreams tend to only have meaning to person receiving them. I want you to do something for me though, if you ever get the feeling that the things you are dreaming about are happening. Find help and stop what ever is causing you to be scared."
"All right," Sakura said reluctantly, "I guess."
Probably the best he was going to get, thought Yue, "Go in to the woods, you need the break now, I won't hear another word otherwise."
"Thank you." And with that Sakura was running out the door and to her room to pick up her familiar and some sensible clothes.
Sakura was running as fast as she could when Toya stepped out of one of the training rooms in the manor to have his little sister crash in to him. "Oof" The two of them fell to the floor and Toya groaned, "Oh no, I've been attacked by a little monster. Such a strong thing and now I'll never grow up to become the Baron of Harmony. The monster will have to take my place and won't that serve her right."
Sakura punched her brother before getting to her feet, making sure her clothes were still all right, "Why don't you just shut up. Great Grandpa Reed is going to live another hundred years so if that were to happen I'd have one of my children take charge. You're so dramatic, I don't even know why you spend so much time swinging that sword its not like anyone would be stupid enough to attack with Great Grandpa here."
"Great Grandpa Reed can't do it alone, even the strongest heroes have their companions. Besides if that's really the way you feel then why do you work so hard to study magic. Maybe its because you like the teacher so much hmm?"
Blushing, Sakura hid her face and started running away, "That's not it at all."
Toya sighed, it was such a silly crush but it was going to cause problems when father finally finalized the engagement with that foreign merchant group. One of the hazards of living wealthy was that a spouse was not chosen for romance but for practicality and power. He hoped Sakura wouldn't take it to bad when the news was broken to her. Considering how childish she acted, Toya knew it was a weak hope.
Sakura reached her room and slammed the door shut causing the shelves in her room to shake and a loose book to drop to the ground. When she realized which one it was, Sakura moved even quicker to shed her indoor clothes of satin dress and cloth slippers for firm leather boots, a green skirt, and a white blouse. Once she was finished, Sakura picked up the fallen book and using a key connected to her necklace opened the lock on the book. Satisfied she'd taken care of everything, Sakura ran out the door just as a yellow stuffed animal with white wings on its back climbed out, "What was that Sakura? You know I don't like being dropped, Sakura? Sakura!"
Realizing that Sakura hadn't stuck around, Kero let out a snort of irritation, "You can't get away from me that easily."
Sakura tried her hardest, making it out of her house and to the edge of the town's walls before Kero finally caught up to her. Kero grabbed on to the girl's shoulder and secured a perch and waited. And waited. And waited.
"I'm sorry for dropping the book, are you happy now?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Kero said, "Now if only you'd study from that book. Master Reed made it especially for you and you're just wasting time. He wouldn't make something that important if he didn't have a good reason."
"I'll read a little bit of it tonight, after dinner. Anyway Yue gave me the afternoon off so I'm going in to the woods."
Sakura worked her way in deeper, keeping track of her surroundings until she finally reached her favorite spot. It was a small shaded field surrounded by massive trees. Sakura loved to climb these trees and just look off in to the distance. She had spent her entire life here in Harmony and sometimes she wondered what else was out there, she wanted to see it. Sakura started up her favorite tree and had a good grip on the next branch up when it broke off in her hands. Mystified, Sakura examined the wood to find it had become pitted and rotten in the center of the branch, hidden by its healthy looking exterior.
"Kero, what do you make of this?" Sakura asked.
Kero licked the wood before spitting, "Rancid, I don't know maybe the tree is just diseased, it happens sometimes. Lets check the others to see how wide spread it is."
Sakura was filled with worry that her favorite spot was so sick. Maybe she could bring back a piece of wood and show it to Yue. He'd know how to heal the trees. Kero returned from his survey, "From what I can tell five of the trees bordering this field are ill, it makes me nervous we should tell somebody what we found."
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(Posted Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:38)
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