FicWad

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Chapter 1: Wizards, the Other Squibs

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It was supposed to be a routine sweep for a Rian nest. Horus had Mark ready with healing drafts in case they came across any survivors. Rian had the tendency to be almost as messy as Skrill in there feeding. 'So far the sweep had been quiet and that has never bode well in my experience,' Horus thought as he motioned Tobias to check if there were any concealed tunnels. Lately the Rian had been getting better at using what little innate magic they could. Still they were less likely to set traps for food than Skrill trap-spider scouts. Still it paid to be paranoid in this business. Rian that got a decent sized nest up tended to quickly depopulate entire villages and while there were only reports of the few villagers disappearing nearby that was no reason to not be cautious. Dover had far too many places where they could burrow for his own peace of mind.

So far things were slow, too slow and it was enough to have the team on edge. At most he hoped for a Rian scout that had been separated from its nest and had ended up here. Trace amounts of Rian venom had been detected. So there had to be at least one. Kat was currently keeping a watch on there backs as he had Manix on point. Warlocks had much better luck in there magic affecting the resistant Rian as it was elemental in nature and not unnatural. The current generation of Rian were becoming too resistant to poison and direct magic for anybody to be happy. Fuckers seemed to adapt rapidly like micro-organisms rather than like higher species taking many generations to change.

Tobias had signaled that there was something hidden up ahead. So they got ready to do some tunnel diving. Rian were more comfortable below ground were they did not have to worry about. Kat was getting anxious due to having to sneak into caves, Were-cats were not known to like enclosed spaces, but they were some of the more able minded zoanthropes and were good when it came to physical fighting. Mark was getting himself ready in case things went wrong. As a chi-mage, Mark was good at manipulating and sensing energies. So it made him the most likely to locate any survivors.

What happened next was unexpected and could have led to a great tragedy. Instead of a lone Rian scout, they had stumbled on a hidden Rian nest. There was a Rian Queen and that always spelled trouble. Smarter, stronger and more resilient than scouts or soldiers, queens could easily lay enough eggs to swamp an area rapidly with drones and shells.

Manix and Kat were the first to start fighting the soldiers. Manix was using the tunnels loose rock to bludgeon the Rian to incapacitation and hopefully death. Still they had the initiative and home advantage so Manix took things far more seriously than normal. Drones and scouts were ripped apart by low level MD spells while he tried to cook the ones that came to close with his flames.

Kat was grateful that she had a decent war hammer or things would have been messy. If it was not for the toughness and strength of an earth stylist and a were-cat, she would not have been able to deal with the swarm that was trying to tear her apart. As an earth stylist, Kat was resistant to blunt trauma to near titan levels so she was able to avoid too much damage from all the blunt traumas the drones were trying to do. In addition to the toughness earth stylists were at one with the earth and metals. That allowed her to easily scamper out of the way by running on the walls and ceiling. Unfortunately, she came far to close to their stingers and pinchers and had gotten a good deal of cuts on her. None of them were fatal due to her feline zoanthropic healing.

Tobias quickly made sure that if they failed that the Rian would go with them. A Rian nest could not be permitted to get established. The last time that had happened millions had to be killed to contain the spread. While the team was strong, none of them had the pure power to take a Rian Queen on there own. Sacrifices had to be made in there business. Tobias made sure he had full sensory illusions to keep the stronger soldiers contained while he booby-trapped as much of the tunnels as possible. Still he was using Air and Blood doubles to get as many of the traps ready as he could. Normally they would have driven the Rian into their traps now he had to make sure they got the enemy while not incapacitating or killing his comrades. Thankful that these crawlers were still susceptible to air blades he made sure to snipe any that came near there backs. It would not become them to get killed and die without taking the threat with them.

Manix was able to deal enough blunt trauma to the scouts to keep them from coming to the aid of their queen. Tobias was nearly spent from all the illusions and traps he had to rapidly deploy to keep the swarm contained. If they got out, the civilians were as good as so much meat. The highest priority was the queen as only queens were able to lay eggs. Quarantines would work and they could keep soldiers and scouts from causing too mush damage, but a queen could easily repopulate the forces rapidly. Any poor bastard who got an egg laid in them was as good as dead. The Rian had been adapting. Currently a queen could easily nest several drones inside someone and they could easily use the body as a puppet.

The queen was using her drones to get away as quick as possible. Horus's priority was the queen if she got away the casualties while trying to get to an established queen would be high. Queens were practically immune to almost all normal spells. Only the strongest elemental and enhanced spells could pierce there thick shells. Rian Queens could out populate cockroaches in a short period of time. He had to leave his team on clean up. The new parasite versions of drones made survival of hosts practically non existent. Mark would do his best, but Manix would do what is necessary. The removal of a Rian parasite was ninety percent lethal due to the buildup of certain toxins in the body that the parasites present counteracts. It also tends to leave any survivor as flesh eating zombies.

No, it was worse than that. If it had been over a day, the human host's mind was pretty much gone. All memories and remnants of the person they were would be gone. The bastards were like Hobbesian people. They were unable to talk or function at a level higher than a lower animal. Not even beast speakers could reason with them. That they had been reduced to three impulses: feed, fight and fuck made them as dangerous as feral vampires and ravenous zombies. That their victims while not as animalistic, would be a minor mercy since they were susceptible to pheromone control by various demon species was bad. No sadly there was no hope for those poor bastards any more than a rabid dog could be cured after the brain had degenerated. They would have to be put down. Thankfully none of the victims were kids.

Damn things tended to inject premature eggs into children and let them escape to be taken inside. Once inside after incubating they tore the child apart and that was the least of the problems. Before that, they indirectly cause normal children to experience hallucinations and psychotic episodes. The number of families that had been butchered by infested children were too high. Scorp madness tended to make even the most calm individual into one of the sickest fucks to live. The eggs tend to secrete a chemical that can change someone into the most depraved monster possible. Those in the madness will rape, murder, torture, cannibalize and worse. If the stricken is male, they will rape any female and kill any male in the area in the most gruesome way possible. If the stricken is female, it gets worse. Maternal instincts become reversed in that they will kill any female that is not sterile by ripping their stomachs out and eating their eggs. Any male they come across will normally be raped then killed. The girl will remove the guys balls to get enough semen to become pregnant. If the girl is alive when the fetus is delivered it will be a shell that if Rian pheromones are removed suffers from the madness. They only stop when the eggs start to become mature. When the eggs are developed, they hatched and dug there way out of the host ripping the flesh out of there way. Normally they ate as they went causing more pain. Most would spread out in search of more food as the weaker ones would continue eating the child as it struggled on the ground paralyzed by the diluted venom each stung when it moved. Unfortunately they would soon have their venom concentrate to a higher toxicity than most would believe imaginable. Only Skrill which tend to deposit eggs in sleeping children were more dangerous and painful in there amount of killings they caused. Being paralyzed from moving, but not feeling being partially dissolved and digested is one of the worse ways to go.

His team was left to the onerous task of dealing with what was left. Some victims could be rescued and would be far to many were beyond even technomagical medicines limits and would have to be put out of there misery. That left Journeyman Horus to chase after the Rian Queen that his squad was after. It had to be destroyed no matter the cost. They could not allow it to escape. He was running through the catacombs that they had dug out. Horus was running at full tilt, there was no option to not go as fast as possible when Rian Queens scuttled at speeds that no mundane animal could escape from. It almost got away when it jumped a portal that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

He pushed the switch to open a channel to his subordinates and stated coldly, "Scorch earth the nest. I'm going after the queen."

Without any further thought, he continued the chase into the white portal.

'Hope I get a chance to kill this Scorp before the portal closes,' he thought as he jumped in. He could not allow a queen to get away.



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One from anywhere that is not always, dealing with the conflicts here would be most cowed by his attire. Thankfully he had his weapons concealed when he arrived somewhere in the highlands of Scotland or things might have gone even worse. A warrior being dropped in front of sheep like near pacifists is never a good thing. Then again, reality never did care for the strange ideas people came up with to justify themselves.

As he came out of the portal, he saw the Rian surrounded by young children, there favorite prey and egg holders. He noticed that there was an illusion showing the sky on the ceiling and four tables of children each having a different crest on the front with adults on a raised table along the far wall. Knowing he had to think fast, he jumped away from the Rian's stinger distracting it before it could get near the children. He was so preoccupied that he did not notice the portal slowly close behind him.

'Shit! They don't know Rian are magic resistant.' he thought in his jump as the older looking man with the long beard leveled his wand at the Rian. A red bolt of light flew at the Rian and dissipated on its carapace not even causing more than a shimmer. Horus threw a ball at the stinger that melted the stinger shut preventing it from poisoning anyone and drew all of its attention from the meals around it to the threat. Dodging the claws that the wounded Rian aimed at him, he tried to keep all of its focus on him and not the children.

'I need to end this fast' he thought as he noticed one of the other teachers with a sneer and greasy looking hair level his wand at the creature and whisper an incantation. Green light with the feel of death causing the hairs at the back of his neck to rise flew at the creature striking it but not even leaving a scorch mark on it. Looking at the Rian he noticed that its compound eyes shown with that green light as it raised its head back and its jaws opened. A green ball tinged black flew from its mouth. Having neither the time to dodge nor to raise a shield, he held out his glove to catch the spell just before slamming his hands down into the ground with the glowing green glove first.

The crackling green struck the ground before the ground under the Rian exploded with spikes cracking with energy suddenly pierced the carapace before extending barbs to prevent it from moving. The only vital point that had not been pierced was the raised head that was tossing back and forth, as it tried to get free with its mandibles moving in irritation. Its head swung back and forth trying to break free while it clicked its annoyance.

"Thought you could escape," he said before jumping over the Rian while drawing a blade and proceeding to cut off the stinger from the tail. Having secured the sealed stinger in his pocket, he turned around to face the creature. He took a deep breath and raised his hand as a barrier surrounds the creature with a brief wind encircling it with a rather strange symbol glowing beneath the creature.

"Burn," he commands after the barrier raises to contain the Rian and the resulting fire from harming the civilians. He watches impassively as the Rian shrieks as it is burned until it is just ash and the spikes are crumbling charred wrecks.

He turns to the nearest table and notices that the children there have a lion on the badge. Completely ignoring the adults at the table, he turns to the children and asks, "Do you mind if I eat a little bit of your food?"

No one moves until he notices one of the younger girls shake her head quickly as he meets her eyes. Even if it was not an obvious yes, he took it as a qualified affirmative and sits down before he takes a bit of food and places it on the plate that had just appeared before him. He raises the piece of chicken he had to his face and the mouth cover parts enough to get the food into his mouth closing again as he moves the piece back to chew. It never did wrong to be careful of the food and other thing getting into the body. If it had been poisoned or laced with something, questionable the mouthpiece would have stayed shut. As he chewed, he looked at the people around him and noticed that those at the head table still were a bit out of it.

'The first to recover was the man in the long flowing beard looking like Merlin,' he thought. 'I hope that he is nothing like that manipulative betrayer. Then again, the way he is eying me like a new tool is quite disconcerting.'

"My dear boy," the man said after blinking and turning his eyes on the stranger sitting among the students. "Would you mind telling us where you came from and why you felt the need to kill that poor helpless creature?"

'Helpless creature, a Rian helpless? Where am I, that someone does not recognize one of them?' he thought. Slowly chewing he cocked his head with disbelief as he looked at all of those present on the head table. He noticed, in addition to the two earlier that seemed interesting, that there was a woman with graying hair in a tight bun giving him a stern glare, a man with slowly graying hair that had a wild look to it, a rather tall man with a black bushy beard with a rugged old style lumber-jack look to him, and a few less than interesting individuals also sitting there.

"Rian," he said in a cold and impassive tone one would take when instructing ignorant little brats about lethal dangers, "are not helpless creatures. Unless one considers a species, that would have eaten some of your students and laid its eggs in either their fresh bleeding corpses or there still struggling bodies, as helpless. I did not think there was anyone who would not recognize them on sight, but then again you look as if you have lived in an isolated community without much exposure to the rest of the world. As for whom I am and where I came from, how is that any of your business?"

The old looking man seemed affronted by the behavior of this child. 'How dare he not recognize me and accede to my requests. It is for the greater good after all,' he thought. He drew up on his image of a kind grandfatherly adviser figure and making his face seem more benevolent looked at the deviant before him.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock, Grand Sorcerer and Supreme Mugwump," he said.

'He acts like any of those titles matter. He is neither a Sorcerer nor a Warlock and what the Hell is a Mugwump and how can he be the supreme one?' he thought. 'Hmm he and that other guy used a wand to do magic. So what have I found, a lost colony of wanders perhaps. I wonder if that will decrease or increase the number of requests for repealing the WPA if they are not endangered anymore.'

"Hmm," he said. "You act as if you are someone important that I should submit to your authority Albus when it is obvious to me that you have no authority either over me or my possessions that I should humble myself to accede to your demands. I find it amusing that you think that since I did something those a bit more ordinary would deem as magic that I automatically fall into your purview. It would be quite apparent that since I did not require the use of a wand to perform my magic that I do not fall under the heading of someone who studies witchcraft or wizardry. While I am a spellcaster, it is obvious that your group is not the sole source of magic in the world," he replied in a most derogatory manner stressing how little he thought of the self important man drawing a very menacing glare from the man instead of his usual all knowing twinkle.

The man drew a deep breath while those around him looked affronted that some child would speak to their superior in such a manner. Mostly that was or the simple reason that since their superior was treated with such little respect that they immediately inferred that he would give even less respect for themselves.

"Who are you child," the greasy haired man sneered at the boy. "To treat someone who is obviously your better in such a manner. It is obvious that you are far too stupid to have been accepted as a student here." That the so-called child had used a level of magic beyond his own to dispatch a dangerous creature never entered his mind in his blind arrogance.

"One does not demand respect; one has to earn it. Or does such a simple truth seem to allude your little biased mind," Horus shot back at the ignorant man. "Then again, he never really asked who I was considering he made it quite apparent that he was demanding that I tell him who I am in a manner far too inquisitive for anyone's well being," he said while cocking his head to look at the man.

"I'm sorry my dear boy, but it is necessary for you to tell me who you are, why you are here and where you came from as it is necessary to know if you are a danger to the students," the old man finally asked.

"About time that you actually ask properly and for a somewhat valid reason," he said with a slight bit of humor showing in his voice after he chuckled. "However, you should have asked if I was a threat to your students not if I was a danger as there is a bit of a difference. I am indeed a danger to your students or at least you would consider me such considering that some will indubitably feel a need to question me about my actions. However, I am not a threat to the students unless they were to attack me while meaning to harm me. Since you only asked, who I am and where I came from, I will tell you. My name is Horus and I was dealing with some Rian with some associates, which resulted in me being brought here. Since that is all you asked for I have nothing else to say to you."

"You have issues don't you," the girl next to him said in a rather off hand manner.

"Hmm perhaps I do, however there is no need to over analyze my life. Knowing my luck, they will try to claim that since I used such destructive magic that I must be evil or whatever scapegoat term they use. As for issues, I was adopted and had to deal with a lot of different problems in my life. Besides my career choice is not prone to have a lot of people prying into my affairs being good for either my or their health," he said to her.

"Hello my name is Hermione Granger. Why were you being so confrontational?" she asked in a prying tone.

"Don't talk to him Mione. He is probably a Death Eater what with how obviously dark that magic was," the boy said pompously.

"Didn't I tell you they would automatically try to scapegoat me when I did not fit into there idea of what magic is limited to. So what's your name?" he said.

"My name... Is Ginny Weasley," she stuttered out as she reached her hand out accidentally getting her sleeve covered in food.

"Well Ginny as I said earlier my name is Horus or to be more precise Horatius. My friends and comrades call me Horus," he said as he gripped her hand before kissing the back of it. "So please call me Horus," he added as he flirted with her.

Blushing she looked at him and stuttered out, "Ok Horus," before blushing deeper and noticeably elsewhere than her face.

"Hey stop talking with my sister you mini Death Eater," the redheaded boy tried to distract him by saying.

"Still trying to vilify me are you. Besides, what's a Death Eater anyways?" Horus asked.

"Death Eaters are the servants of you-know-who and use Dark magic," then bush haired girl said.

"You-know-who? Why would you call someone that unless you were afraid of the name? Besides I don't know who you are referring to besides you keep mentioning dark magic like what for instance?" Horus asked the seemingly self-conceited know-it-all.

"How can you not know He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named? And dark magic is used to hurt people isn't it obvious," the know-it-all said in a huff as she swung her head away from him causing her hair to flick over her shoulder in a dismissive manner.

"Still avoiding his name eh. Knowing my luck, you are probably afraid of what he named himself not whatever his real name is anyways. Then again, no one that is planning on being a villain ever goes by there real name; shame they never read the Evil Overlord's Handbook then again they never would fall if they actually followed the advice there. Still you are quite vague and incorrect in your classification of dark as anything being used to hurt. One merely needs to be creative to use any form of magic to cause harm. How about giving me an example of some non-dark spell and I will tell you how it can be used in much the same manner as your mis-described dark magic?" Horus asked the inquisitive girl.

"Levitation Charm, Cheering Charm, Summoning Charm for instance how could they be evil as they are fundamentally light magic?" Hermione asks.

"Levitation needs merely to drop either a person suspended or a significant weight on them. Cheering charms affect the body and can fry the brain with over exposure. Summon a person on a blade or an item through a person and it's fatal," Horus answered as Hermione's face became pale as he continues to speak.

Blinking as the information conflicted with her sensibilities, she looked shocked as her very belief structure was crushed. She looked at her friends and noticed that those around them had quieted even more and that they also had shocked looks on there faces. Then she looked at her friend Ron and noticed that he was not shocked, but that he had started to go red with anger.

Sneering Ron after working himself into a jealous rage said, "You see. He has to be a dark wizard if he knows how to twist normally safe spells into such." He finished in a huff as he tried to yet again, maintain his believed importance.

"You seem to equate dark and evil yet deny when I show how light does not mean good," Horus said. "Still there is usually a reason for describing something as dark, take necromancy for instance. It is classified as dark because it deals with either raising a body from an inanimate state or breaching the barrier to the realm of the dead. While summoning deals with living spirits from a light realm parallel to ones own, it is classified as light since it does not breach certain barriers, However some would consider it dark, since a large number of summoning styles require the use of blood to act as a conduit. Then again, there is Invocation, which is considered a shadow or Grey art being a form of single time bargaining for assistance except with a patron. Now as blood magicks tend to be always viewed as dark by most religions being as blood is sacrificed to a deity shedding blood to something else is sometimes viewed as heretic or at least that was the case by the die hards at the Vatican. Thankfully, that is far too narrow of a world view for the modern era. Then again, there is a large branch of magic that deals with blood the component branch considers blood magic a sub type requiring the use of blood as a component, thankfully most people only consider blood that is forcefully taken as evil due to the intent. For instance, Unicorn blood willingly given has different properties than forcefully taken blood due to intent and the nature of the substance involved."

Most of the students around them had a bit of a glazed look while the Ravenclaws had pretty much been listening in to this great explanation of magical theory. The Slytherins were interested in someone who didn't automatically label people. The Hufflepuffs were somewhat confused sure he had killed that creature, but he was protecting them and he had been standoffish yet was now trying to make friends.

Still there was some doubt in the backs of there minds as the meal continued. Horus ate his fill and answered peoples questions carefully avoiding giving any information in a manner that most spies and such would be green with envy of. Practice at misdirection and disinformation was a necessary trait when one never knew who to trust.

'The Order of Shadows requires secrecy and deception in all members. It is a shame that some trainees ran away. If it were not for that, those embarrassments that call themselves shinobi or ninja would not be desecrating our traditions by being so blatant. It is a shame how they became so famous when they were meant to live and die in secret leaving no visible trace of there passage,' he thought. 'Then again, these people given how obvious there dislike of Slytherins with its serpent mascot is its likely that they would kill me if they found out about the Order of Serpents let alone that they practice what these idiots call dark magic. That's not even taking into account the assassination training I went through.'

Looking out over the crowds he noticed how it stilled as the old man gently tapped his glance and looked as if he was prepared to speak. The silence seemed unnatural in how quick it grew across the students.

'Hmm it would appear that he inspires enough awe to silence them with little effort. It probably would not work if they are too excited, though he looks the type to use subtle magicks as he talks', Horus thought.

"Well as you have at least made some friends in Gryffindor I think it would be best if you roomed there while you are here," Dumbledore said. 'That way I can get you under my thumb. You look a much better tool than the boy,' he thought.

Horus followed them to there common room where they whispered the password to gain admittance. He followed the strange boy, Ron, up to the third year room and there he saw was an extra bed that he went to sleep in. He went to sleep without taking off his clothes after making sure everything he needed was within reach especially his weapons after he had put up a few security measures. Something was bothering him though he knew he had heard the old man's name before, but where had he heard such an unusual name. He did not trust the man. He knew that if he thought about it, he would remember where.

'Hmm I guess I should find out where I am,' he thought as he touched his m-watch. He blinked, 'This was not good,' he thought,' I'm somewhere in Scotland and the date is at least two centuries off. Time travel... No other explanation. I hate time travel. If I was going to go back in time why did I not tell myself what to expect. Whatever it can wait till morning, its not like temporal paradoxes can occur. So I went through a portal that did not have the time dimension static. Weirder things have happened.'

He laid back after double checking that no one would be able to kill him in his sleep before closing his eyes. Tomorrow would come soon enough. Perhaps he would remember where he had heard the name, Albus Dumbledore, before. For some reason he thought that he had read it somewhere and that You-Know-Who guy. Maybe if he had paid better attention in history class, he would have remembered.

'And now I lay me down to sleep, and pray the darkness my soul to keep. If I should kill before I sleep, I pray the dark my soul to keep. If I should fail before I die; I pray the dark my vengeance to take,' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.