บท 44: Set Item - Luck's Vengeance!
Lilith, the Lethifold, rippled its way to Black and layered itself to the insides of his black robe.
Black eyed the two-way magical duels between Ekrizdis and Grindelwald and Voldemort and Dumbledore and frowned heavily, ignoring the screams full of panic behind him.
"What's happening?!" Ron exclaimed, failing to take his eyes off the closing, blind Basilisk.
Harry was faring much better, already holding his wand in his right hand. He didn't know any spell, but from what he had seen, it was more a matter of courage and less of casting magic. He looked at Black and saw his frown. But even that frown couldn't hide the stupendous Calm lingering on Arlen's face.
As the trio stood close, surrounded by what could be nothing but a dire situation, bordering sure death, Harry couldn't help but have an impression that he could depend on Arlen.
Suddenly, Black looked over his shoulder, pulling his sleeves down, and smiled at Harry.
Harry smiled back.
"What are you two smiling for?!" Ron asked, stunned.
Black looked away from the Character enjoying the Prime Providence and hid his frown under the smile.
Things were becoming too ridiculous for him now.
The White Serpent pirates had already planned to reveal Lord Voldemort's presence to the world by the end of this year. First, it would have distracted Dumbledore and his followers from Kai's magical experiments going on under the Cunestune Village. Second, it would have given a free pass to the original Voldemort, letting him do Kai's bidding without facing any resistance.
Ekrizdis' impulsive actions, and Dumbledore's trap, though, forced Kai to reveal the Dark Mark sooner than he had intended.
The best action to take now was to use Lilith's inherent Apparation-Disapparation ability and run away with Ekrizdis before the entire Ministry of Magic descended here.
However, Black's Title Switching was still in Cooldown.
Without his Luck backing him up, he didn't dare use Lilith's ability. Even Dumbledore would catch on him disapparating, given Kai's low Luck now. Much less needed to be said about the Merlin's Staff.
Moreover, even though Voldemort had joined the battle, pressuring Dumbledore, he had only delayed the inevitable.
Grindelwald was struggling against the Lord of Azakaban, holding Hippogriff's feathers dearly. At a glance, it seemed he would just die in the next exchange of blows. However, Gellert Grindelwald stood true to his name, not only contending against the Inferi but also regaining his lost touch of the wand with every passing second.
If things remained like this, then even if Black regained the Luck, they would still end up losing the battle.
What he needed now was a distraction, letting him stir away from this scene without raising questions.
The engines of Ad Infinitum spun furiously as it temporarily paused all processes and began calculating a way out. With its full power backing it up, it took a hundredth of a second for the AI to come up with the ten best solutions.
Black chose one option with the highest probability of succeeding and looked up, his dark gaze falling on the skeleton Dragon, buzzing around Dumbledore and Voldemort like a fire-breathing mosquito.
-Ekrizdis…- Black hissed under his breath, the invisible Yellow Cloak Artifact passing on his words to the Inferi.
…
High in the sky, Lord Ekrizdis gritted his rotten teeth, worms spilling out of his mouth.
He waved his wand, sending misty pillars of light toward Grindelwald. However, the old wizard stirred the Hippogriff away while simultaneously putting his wand in front of his mouth and breathing out red-purple-colored birds made of fire.
From Ekrizdis, a shockwave emitted, bursting those birds apart to smithereens.
Grindelwald let out a low chuckle, keeping an eye on the ground where the students were getting surrounded by the undead magical creatures. "No matter how powerful a legend you were in the past," he told the Inferi, "you mustn't forget that it's the young who always surpass the old."
The Inferi let out a low growl in anger.
Suddenly, he craned his neck out as if he was listening to something. The low growl of anger instantly became a twisted, vile grin. "Is that so?" he asked, creeping out Grindelwald. "How about… we put these young ones… to test then?"
Grindelwald felt a chill running down his spine. He didn't know what this dark monster was thinking, but he knew something bad was about to happen.
Something really, really bad.
So he did what the only thing he could do at this moment.
Grindelwald put his wand on his throat and shouted out his lungs. "DUMBLEDORE!"
The word echoed across the space encompassing the Bounded Field like a cry for help.
Albus Dumbledore didn't even have the time to spare to look up. Yet, the moment Grindelwald's word reached his ears, he shared his old friend's chill on his back. A deep sense of foreboding engulfed his entire existence.
"He-he-ha!" Voldemort grinned like a maniac seeing the panic written on Dumbledore's face. "You will die here… Professor!" He put his wand against his mouth and breathed out a giant, ghostly green serpent. It bared its fangs at the old wizard before lunging at him across the air.
The moment it was about to burn him to ashes, Dumbledore flicked his wand at its mouth.
The giant, green serpent of fire got swatted away as if a train had struck it. It shook its head, green tongues of flames bursting off it in blinding flashes. With great momentum, it slithered in the air and lunged at the Supreme Mugwump for a second time.
Dumbledore was already having a bad feeling about it all since Grindelwald's cry had reached him. So when Voldemort's great magical serpent came this time, he intended to obliterate it. However, suddenly, he spied something through the coils of green flames. It wasn't the presence of something, rather it was the absence that the Headmaster had just picked up.
No black-purple flames were bombarding him from his surroundings anymore.
The dragon, Hebridean Black, had disappeared.
Oh, no!
Albus Dumbledore, in his concern, couldn't help but look down and saw the skeleton dragon landing near the Basilisk and… missed his mark as the magical serpent bared its fangs this time.
The ghostly, green fire fell on him and devoured the Headmaster.
…
ROAR!
The dragon landed on the grounds in front of the derailed Hogwarts Express and let out an ear-bursting roar.
"Oh my god…" Ron stumbled back.
Harry couldn't help but fall on his knees as the train shook.
Black looked back at the two Characters and let out a grin. "It's time…" he said, walking away.
Before Harry and Ron could ask what Arlen meant, under their stunned gazes, Black jumped off the train… and ran toward the dragon.
The Yellow Cloak resonated his magical signature with the Timeline. However, it didn't provide him enough magic to truly act as an in-world Character.
Black knew there were, or would be, eyes watching him, if not now then later when it was all over. So he could only rely on himself, his spells, and his magic to contend against the dragon and use it to stir himself as far away as possible. Not only that, he must do it most reasonably.
If it was before, then he would have faced trouble in replicating the magical prowess of a Storyline Character.
Now, though, Black's magical might was only lesser than the Lead Characters.
Black ran like an 11-year-old, stumbling and falling, recalling the Stats of his first Set Item.
…
[
Item: Robe
Note: The Item is a part of Set Item - Hogwarts Uniform
Grade: Uncommon
Specification: A black plain work robe
Requirement:
1. Hogwarts Student
2. Intelligence >25
3. Perception >20
Attributes: Cost - 4 Galleons and 12 Sickles
Effect:
1. Intelligence +5
2. Intelligence +2 (Upon equipping Hogwarts Uniform Set Item)
3. MP Damage -50%
4. MP Damage -65% (Upon equipping Hogwarts Uniform Set Item)
5. Charisma +5
Quality: 100%
]
…
[
Item: Pointed Hat
Note: The Item is a part of Set Item - Hogwarts Uniform
Grade: Common
Specification: A black plain pointed hat
Requirement:
1. Hogwarts' Student
2. Intelligence >25
3. Perception >20
Attributes: Cost - 3 Galleons and 7 Sickles
Effect:
1. Intelligence +3
2. Intelligence +1 (Upon equipping Hogwarts Uniform Set Item)
3. Charisma +3
Quality: 100%
]
…
[
Item: Dragon-hide gloves
Note: The Item is a part of Set Item - Hogwarts Uniform
Grade: Uncommon
Specification: A pair of brown protective gloves made of dragon hide
Requirement:
1. Hogwarts' Student
2. Strength >20
3. Stamina >20
4. Intelligence >20
Attributes: Cost - 3 Galleons and 11 Sickles
Effect:
1. Strength +3
2. Intelligence +1 (Upon equipping Hogwarts Uniform Set Item)
3. MP Damage -80%
4. Poison Damage -99.99%
5. Fire Damage -99.99%
6. Cold Resistance -75%
6. Charisma +5
Quality: 100%
]
…
[
Item: Winter Cloak
Note: The Item is a part of Set Item - Hogwarts Uniform
Grade: Uncommon
Specification: A black winter cloak with silver fastenings
Requirement:
1. Hogwarts' Student
2. Intelligence >30
3. Breath >20
4. Strength >20
5. Stamina >20
6. Charisma >20
Attributes: Cost - 8 Galleons and 14 Sickles
Effect:
1. Intelligence +7
2. Intelligence +3 (Upon equipping Hogwarts Uniform Set Item)
3. MP Damage -50%
4. Cold Resistance -99.99%
6. Charisma +10
Quality: 100%
]
…
The ridiculous thing was, Black had no Pointed Hat on him. Nor was he wearing the Dragon-hide Gloves and the Winter Cloak.
His Intelligence still stood at a whopping 55, though.
To not stand out too much, Black had hidden these three Items within him, layering them under his skin using Biokinesis. It was equivalent to him equipping the Items, granting him all the Buffs.
However, even though he didn't lack magic…
… even though the Ad Infinitum had suggested to him the best strategy…
… even though neither Grindelwald nor Dumbledore could interfere with him here…
… there was one thing that stood against Black with monstrous vengeance.
He wasn't lucky anymore.
Under Black's surprised gaze, Fawkes, the Phoenix, descended upon the dragon out of nowhere and uselessly pecked and clawed at its face.
Suddenly, the giant dragon skull, with ghostly, green blobs of fire burning in its eye sockets, cracked. Flesh and blood oozed out from the skeleton as the dragon began losing its undead form. However, the crack wasn't thorough, making the transformation pause in between.
Black knew a disaster when he saw one.
Roarrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Being neither an undead nor a conjured magical beast, the Hebridean Black let out a maddened roar, lifting its giant, bat-like wings. Its mouth brimmed with purple liquid as it eyed the first thing it could set afire.
The students… still standing on the Hogwarts Express.
Then, as Dumbledore's, Grindelwald's, and Black's hearts throbbed, the dragon opened its half-flesh and half-bony maw and spat out a pillar of purple fire, burning everything to ashes under it.
And the ones who stood at the receiving end of this disaster were…
… Darcie Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass!
*******************
AN: Break Tomorrow
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