After a moment of amused silence, Elizabeth decided to speak: "Everyone ready? We'll Apparate halfway to the Brestov Caves; there's a small Muggle car park there. From there, we'll hike for about two hours up to Grey Peak, where the mountain trolls should be. Correct, Rudolf?" she turned to him with the question.
"Y-yes, Mrs. Bathory," he replied, his face pale. "I tracked a couple of them there two days ago."
"A couple? How many?" I cut into their conversation. "Aren't mountain trolls supposed to be solitary?"
A bit of colour returned to Rudolf's face. He narrowed his eyes slightly and smirked: "They are solitary, lad, but right now... they're breeding. So, it's possible we'll encounter more of them together."
Elizabeth giggled softly, and Vespera merely gave an amused smile. To me, sex was a natural thing, so I didn't let it throw me off and I didn't blush. It seemed Elizabeth was slightly disappointed by my cold approach; she had likely expected embarrassment and red cheeks.
"Shall we go?" she asked after a moment. When we nodded, she continued: "We'll Apparate in pairs. One with me and one with Rudolf."
Vespera immediately stepped toward the man. He paled again upon seeing her icy expression. I, therefore, moved toward Elizabeth. Vespera grabbed Rudolf by the forearm—quite roughly—and in an instant, they both vanished in a swirl of Apparition.
"She's quite protective of you, isn't she?" Elizabeth remarked amusedly. Without waiting for an answer, she gripped my hand firmly, and a second later, we followed them.
The Apparition was so lightning-fast that I didn't even have time to feel that unpleasant pressure in my stomach. The inn must have been truly close. We found ourselves in a small car park that felt like an exhibition of polished vintage cars. Seeing so many orange and green chassis with labels like Škoda 120, or even older pieces, was fascinating. Although I hadn't been a "car enthusiast" in my past life, I was now living in an era that had previously been mere history to me. In these years, I hadn't even been born yet in the past; it was strange, even if it was just Muggle technology.
I was pulled from my thoughts only by Vespera clearing her throat: "Shall we go, Patrik?"
I nodded, and we set off. Rudolf walked first, with Elizabeth and Vespera right behind him. However, I quickened my pace and caught up with the guide. I was curious if he used any special magical methods for tracking. Rudolf noticed my interest and gave me a brief smile, but we continued in silence.
I took advantage of the peace to observe the surroundings. Compared to England, it was an incredible difference. All around us, majestic peaks towered—some covered in thick forest, others just grass or bare rock. I suddenly felt immensely small, connected with nature; it felt as if I were just a drop in the ocean, and these mountains would stand here for another thousand years, long after we were gone.
Rudolf led us onto a path between the trees marked with a blue sign. I didn't understand the name on the plaque, but I understood the number: 945 m n. m. (metres above sea level). We climbed through a dense forest up a hill via a narrow path lined with dwarf pines. The treetops occasionally trembled in a pleasant summer breeze, but down where we walked, the forest muffled the wind perfectly. My footwear was sufficient for this hike—comfortable and soft. I had no trouble walking.
After an hour of walking along the trodden path, I heard the deep rumble of water. A moment later, a view opened before us of a river carved between the mountain slopes. A massive yet narrow wooden bridge made of roughly hewn logs led across the fierce current.
"Careful here, the logs are wet," Rudolf warned us; it was the first time in a long while he had spoken to our group. "It's more dangerous to walk now. Hold onto the chains firmly while climbing."
Even if he hadn't warned us, I would have been careful. As soon as I stepped onto the bridge, I gripped the wooden railing with my hand. I had city shoes on, so I wasn't surprised when my foot slipped occasionally; therefore, I walked with maximum caution. I felt Vespera's gaze on my back. I was sure that if an accident occurred, she would save me in a fraction of a second.
We walked on. After a while, a massive wooden ladder appeared before us, firmly fixed with wedges and chains directly to the rock. Rudolf climbed it without the slightest problem. I followed him; the ladder was damper, so I watched every step and grip. On a small rocky ledge, we waited for the women.
While Elizabeth climbed up with ease, Vespera showed considerable effort. I, as a physically fit young man, had no problem. Rudolf was similar, but with Elizabeth, I assumed hidden help. If she had no problem sacrificing people for ritual bracelets, ritual augmentation of her own body was likely no obstacle for her.
Vespera pulled out her wand with a sigh. First, she used a hygiene spell on herself and then on me. Only then did I realise I was quite sweaty—at this altitude, there was still not even a slight breeze to cool the air.
"Can we continue?" our guide spoke up.
We nodded and headed further. After a few more ladder-like climbs, we rejoined a trodden path, this time significantly higher up. After a while, a figure walking toward us flickered in the distance. Even from afar, his "outfit" caught my eye: sandals with white socks. That was perhaps the most prominent thing about him, though his white tank top and colourful Hawaiian shorts didn't exactly help him blend in either. I liked him immediately. As we drew closer, I noticed he was genuinely grinning and enjoying the hike to the fullest.
"Good day!" he greeted us first with a wide smile.
"Good day," Rudolf and I replied almost at the same time. Vespera and Elizabeth remained silent, but the man wasn't fazed at all and contentedly continued his descent. As he passed by, I caught a strong whiff of alcohol from him. In my mind, I only hoped he wouldn't kill himself on those wet ladders below.
"He was a Muggle," Rudolf informed me after a moment.
"And?" I looked at him confusedly.
"Nothing, nothing," he shook his head and slightly quickened his pace. I had no trouble keeping up with him. When he noticed the women had fallen a bit further behind, he spoke quietly: "I thought you English had a problem with Muggles, Muggle-born wizards, and those from half-blood families."
"Mostly..." I shrugged. "Politeness is free, and abilities matter more than blood."
He nodded with an appreciative smile: "The right approach, lad."
"And you are...?"
"Muggle-born," he admitted with noticeable hesitation, and I sensed a hint of tension in his voice.
"And? How is the Muggle world in Czechoslovakia?" I asked curiously.
"This part, Slovakia, is largely controlled by the mafia and gangsters... and it looks like the Muggle state will soon fall apart. We have great food, excellent brandy... but the people. After communism, it's a total disaster. Everything is solved with bribes and connections. If you don't have them, you're stuck."
It occurred to me that in my past life, it wasn't much different in this country. I had a few friends from both Czechia and Slovakia, so I remembered their stories. For a moment, I wondered if I should go see if they or their families were already alive, but I immediately dismissed the idea. It would be like poking a snake with a bare foot. In the end, only I would suffer. I am Patrik Rosier now, and my girlfriend from back then certainly wasn't born yet—even if this were the same world, just with the bonus of magic.
"And the magical world?" I asked further.
"That is great, I have nothing to complain about. Abilities are what matter most here, and I can make a living without problems. I lead a content life, though sometimes a dangerous one," Rudolf answered evenly. I deliberately let my gaze slip to his worn robes so he would notice my interest.
"Pffft," he snorted amusedly. "Only you English would put on a new robe for a dangerous expedition!"
I had to admit he was right. But the truth was also that I didn't own any old robes, and as a member of a wealthy and respected house, I simply had to represent. Vespera would definitely forbid me from wearing tattered clothing.
We continued walking in a comfortable silence, broken only by the sounds of forest wildlife. Finally, we emerged from the forest, and a rocky ascent to the summit opened before us. On the sides, grass or weeds still flickered here and there, but the path was otherwise clear. However, the climb was steep; stones of various sizes and shapes required caution. I noticed that my aunt was starting to have trouble at this pace. Her pride, however, wouldn't allow her to accept Elizabeth's offered hand.
I slowed down. Elizabeth, with an understanding nod, continued after Rudolf, while I took Vespera's hand to pull her upward. She only nodded silently with a tired smile.
"Whose fucking idea was this, nephew?" she puffed deeply through ragged breath. "Why the hell didn't we take brooms?"
I was about to answer when my aunt added herself: "I know, I know... Muggles."
"You should start working on your fitness with me," I smirked at her amusedly.
"I have great stamina! It's just this climb that's killing me, I can totally feel my calves," she huffed with feigned offense.
"Of course," I simply nodded, rather than provoking her unnecessarily. After a moment, however, it occurred to me to ask about Elizabeth; she and Rudolf were walking just a few metres ahead of us. "Didn't you say her family are pacifists now?" I asked quietly.
As soon as I said it, Elizabeth turned around at the front with an amused smirk. She winked at me and continued on her way without a word. She had damn supernatural hearing.
"Th-they are," Vespera answered heavily while walking. "Czechoslovak wizards believe that the greatest criminals should die ritually, so that at least some use comes from them after death. They don't have Dementors, so they sell criminals to families who symbolically buy them. The Ministry gets money, and the blood families of Central Europe have their sacrifices. Thanks to that, innocent people don't disappear from the streets. They consider it more humane than the British Azkaban," she finished with her last breath, pressing her hand to her side.
We pressed on until we reached the rocky summit. At that moment, I felt like I was in The Lord of the Rings, when the Fellowship was crossing mountain passes. It felt truly magical. The steep climb was replaced by a narrow path leading along the ridge. For a moment, we stopped at a signpost where the names of the junctions were in a language I didn't master.
"Well, we are at Grey Peak. In about twenty minutes, we'll be with the trolls. Watch yourselves," Rudolf informed us. After a short rest, we set off forward.
I felt tension rising within me, but hand in hand with it came adrenaline and pure joy. I caught myself smiling eagerly. I was expecting a real challenge.
When a pungent, rotting smell of something unwashed hit my nose—similar to the stench in Knockturn Alley illegal ring—I knew we were there. After a while, Rudolf led us down the foothills through a sharp, steep slope. We stopped in front of a cave that I would have completely missed without a guide, as it blended perfectly with its surroundings.
"The troll is inside," he announced in a whisper. "A weak Bombarda will lure it out," he added, his gaze fixed on Vespera, but she didn't answer him. She just gave me a short nod.
"What?!" Rudolf blurted out, shocked. "He's just a boy!"
I ignored him and stepped firmly forward. I raised my yew wand, pointed it at the rocky side of the entrance, and concentrated. "Bombarda!" I cried, putting a precisely measured dose of power into the spell. I didn't want the cave to collapse and bury my prey; I just wanted a good bang.
My grey beam hit the rock, which cracked deafeningly under the impact. The stone didn't shatter, only crumbled slightly, but the sound was more than enough for an angry animal roar to echo from the depths of the cave. It wasn't long before a thundering stomping followed.
An enraged troll ran out from the darkness. It must have been about four and a half metres tall. Greyish skin, a blunt hairless head, and a huge club in its hand. The sight of it, however, was more bizarre than I expected—it wore absolutely nothing, not even the proverbial loincloth. With what hung between its legs almost to its knees, it looked dangerous just by the sight of it. It began to look around dully until it saw me. With a roar, it ran straight at me.
"Aguamenti!" I shouted, putting a good half of my power into the spell.
Literally a small tsunami shot from my wand. The stream of water hit the troll with such force that it immediately threw it back toward the cave, which it hit with a tremendous thud. Inspired by the films, I didn't wait for anything and immediately formed a massive, five-metre dome from the water. I trapped it inside. I felt it thrashing desperately within, trying to get out. To no avail. To speed it up, I forced the water to enter its nose and mouth, which were wide open in a silent scream.
When I felt it stop moving, I released most of the water. It hit the ground with a splash and began to flow down the slope into the forest. I left a small part, however—it remained in a small dome tightly wrapped around the troll's head. I didn't intend to underestimate it. I was sure it had a huge lung capacity, and one of its blows would turn me into a greasy smudge.
I waited one more minute. Then I slowly sucked the remaining water back through my wand. I wasn't yet experienced enough for it to happen instantly, but I felt the strength pouring back into my veins. The troll lay dead on the ground, its face contorted in a gruesome grimace, and its club lay discarded lifelessly beside it.
"A nasty death," I thought. "But effective."
I turned to my company.
While Vespera stood with her chest out and a proud smile, Elizabeth observed me with unsettling calm. In complete contrast was Rudolf, whose face had returned to the paleness from the inn. He looked at me with undisguised fear. It didn't matter to me, though; I had one last task left. I needed a piece of skin and a bone—even a small fragment would suffice.
The troll had thick and magically resistant skin, but I was sure that an overpowered Diffindo would solve my problem. With slow steps, I walked toward the corpse. The wrist or fingers were the best choice; in humanoid creatures, these parts are always less resistant than the torso.
I decided on the wrist. I aimed my wand and called out with concentration: "Diffindo!"
A red flash flew from my wand, hitting precisely. Thick, dark blood immediately spurted from the wound, smelling almost unbearably. Part of the wrist was still hanging on a piece of skin, so I repeated the spell—weaker this time. My magical core was at about a quarter capacity, and I didn't intend to waste strength unnecessarily.
The wrist hit the stone with a soft thud. I quickly pulled gloves and a simple cloth bag from my pocket. The gloves were a necessity; the thought of touching a troll with my bare hands, not knowing where it had shoved that hand before, was repulsive to me. I picked up the severed limb, let the worst of the stinking blood drain off, and then placed it in the bag. I sealed it tightly and hid it in my pocket. Done.
With a small smile, I returned to the group, which was watching me in silence.
"We can go back, Rudolf," I announced to him.
"Y-yes, M-mr. Rosier," he replied shakily and immediately turned to leave.
Vespera stopped him, however: "Wait, do we have to walk all that way back now?"
"Y-yes... we-we must," the guide confirmed.
"In the Tatras, something interferes with Apparition and Portkeys, Vespera," Elizabeth explained. "Maybe one in ten survives an attempt at Apparition. I thought you knew that, since you didn't protest at the start of the journey."
"I thought you just wanted a walk! You said before you'd like to go on a hike sometime," Vespera countered miserably. Evidently, she had had enough of hiking.
"When we were fifteen, dear!" Elizabeth laughed. "We have to go on foot all the way down to the Muggles."
We headed back up the hill to the ridge we had descended from earlier and continued our peaceful way back. One thing was still nagging at me, though.
"Shouldn't there have been more trolls?" I asked into the silence.
Rudolf reacted immediately, though his voice trembled: "W-well, th-there could have been, but th-there didn't have to be. They have these... one-offs. After 'work,' the second mountain troll always disappears immediately."
I just nodded. Tension and fear radiated from him from metres away. I didn't know exactly what had thrown him off so much—after all, he knew we were going to kill that troll. Perhaps he was just shocked by the ease and cold-bloodedness with which I had done it. In any case, since he no longer resembled that relaxed and smiling guide from an hour ago in the slightest, I preferred to move away from him and join the women. He was shaking a bit too much for my taste.
Vespera still looked dissatisfied due to exhaustion from the hike, but Elizabeth nodded to me with an understanding smile. The troll's skin and bone were obtained. I was already looking forward to the next ritual. On my path to power, I saw this success as another key point that would move me forward.
***
Author's note:
Our MC might have gone a bit overboard with the water magic on that troll... but hey, better safe than sorry. Especially when you have a troll charging at you with a "third head" swinging between its legs :D.
Vespera, on the other hand, is absolutely not built for hiking.
This chapter was quite a challenge to write, but I feel like I'm improving and I'm relatively happy with how it turned out :D. While the MC is out there grinding magic, I'm here grinding my writing skills.
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(16):
68. From Peaks to Plates
69. Ashes of Justice
70. The Scent of Despair
71. The Old Bird's Wisdom
72. Toujours Pur
73. The Emperor of Mankind
74. Two Romans Walk into a Bar…
75. Tactical Retreats
76. The Twelve-Year-Old Dark Lord
77. Poking the Snake
78. Of False Heroes and Tethered Minds
79. The Casual Intruder
80. The Silent Partner
81. The Black Inheritance
82. The Frequency of Intent
67. Socks, Sandals, and Sorcery
Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)
Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows me to dedicate more time to crafting this world.