9 Chapter 8

(AN: This chapter went through a lot of rewrites so please bear with the occasional inconsistencies and or grammar mistakes and inform if I had made any)

(2 weeks later)

I ignored the sweat gathering on my face as I watched the culmination of my efforts of the last few weeks. I directed mana through the last few indentations of the runes while simultaneously holding back the other first two layers I had bypassed. All I had to do now, was get to the core of the rune and overwrite it and I would have fully dispelled the rune. Tension filled the air as my mana reached the core and began circulating. Yet despite this the rune wasnt dispelling and I was finding it harder and harder to keep the other layers away. Then, just as I was about to lose my focus, the rune began to glow signalling that it had been dispelled.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I leaned back on the chair my eyes never leaving the book. The rune glowed brighter and enveloped the surrounding and I smirked, looking at the rune as if it were a steep cliff I finally managed to scale. Though to be honest, scaling a cliff is a dozen times easier than dispelling a rune. The glow eventually dimmed and I found an item lying on the cover of the grimoire.

It was a ring. A silver colored sing with several runes engraved on it along with a crystal on its center.

"About time." I heard the old woman who introduced herself as Madam Han speak prompting me to turn around and smile smugly at her. She merely rolled her eyes exagggeratingly as she walked towards me. Her face brightened upon seeing the ring on the grimoire." Just as I remember it." she muttered.

"What exactly is this? Better not be a ring that makes me invisible but attracts wraiths to me." I asked jokingly.

Madam Han chuckled as she replied. "No nothing like that. This ring is called the "Anulus Arma", the ring of armaments. You see Theodore was what one would nowadays call a hoarder of sort. In his travels he collected many items magical or otherwise. So much so that he dabbled in spatial magics to find ways to carry all of them on his person. This ring in particular is very special as it was created to store his magical weapons hence the name. Using a special method he bound the weapons to the ring and is able to summon or banish the weapons at will so long as he has mana."

I looked at the ring like a child would at a new toy. " How many weapons are in it?"

" I have no idea what the exact amount is. But I have seen him used at least 10."

"That low? I thought you said he was a hoarder."

"Doesn't mean that he'd put all of his weapons into a single object. He only placed his unique collection inside the ring."

"Such as?"

"Put on the ring and find out." She invited, holding out the ring for me. I took it from her then slowly put it on the ring finger of my right hand. I felt a slight vibration as the ring was placed this was followed by a small prick before I felt it draining my mana. I momentarily panicked before the flow subsided.

Intinctively, I sent mana to the ring and I began to see mental images of several weapons. I mentally picked a sword and in a split second, I felt a weight fall on my hand causing me to drop it in a panic. The object fell on the floor with a metallic thud and I saw that it was the same sword I had seen in the from the ring.

It had a 1.5 meter long, thin blade along with an ornate sword guard a red crystal was attached to the hilt of the sword which I recognised as a magical focus. Despite the length, the sword was quite light, perhaps only weighing 1 kgs at maximum. A brief examination with [Sight] showed several runes and enchantments on it.

"The sword of the Adjucator, Lux Rubrum It was a sword used by an order of knights who would hunt mages dabbling in forbidden magic. The blade is created using a special metal that can detect nearby magic allowing the Adjucators to find and disarm magical traps, find hidden mages and even detect interdimensional tears. The runes engraved on the blade makes it easier for you to cast spells on yourself. In other words, this is sword is excellent for healing yourself and as you call it 'buff' yourself with spells and enchantments. Not that you can't use offensive spells but you will find it easier to use spells on yourself than others. " Madam Han explained as I examined the sword.

With a mental command I stored the sword back in the ring before attempting to take out another weapon when I realised something.

" Madam Han. You said there are at least 10 weapons here. But I only see 5." I ask her.

Madam didn't seem surprised as she replied. "I guess you are jdot ready to use other weapons yet. Probably for the best. Some of the weapons could kill you if you are not ready."

"Thanks that wasn't ominous at all." I say sarcastically as I took one of the other weapons, a staff and I saw Madam Hans expression darken.

"The Totem of the Shadow, Erebus. A staff made to harness Darkforce and Lightforce." She whispered.

"What is that?" I asked, a but unnerved by her expression.

She stared intently at the staff before speaking. "The light force and its counterpart, the darkforce are interdimensional energies similar to mana. Light force has healing capabilities and while darkforce has corruptive influences. Both opposes one another yet at the same time has a synergy with one another. Many socerers have tried to use it only to succumb to one of them. The closest anyone has ever come is that staff. The crystal on the staff directly absorbs the energies instead of passing it through the body like mana. One can then use either of the energy in tandem with mana to cast spells. Though seeing that you haven't been taught about lightforce and darkforce, that staff is not of much use to you. "

After hearing her explanation, I nodded before storing the staff back in the ring before taking out weapon number tres. A bow. And almost instantly, Madam Hans face brightened. "Ullr's Reprieve. A bow said to be crafted from the wood of Yggdrassil itself. Even though its powers has faded other the millenia, it still contains the magic from the Divine tree which will allow you to see far off into the distance. The arrows are created by using your mana which you can imbue with spells."

I nodded in acknowledgement before taking out weapon number 4 which turned out to be a large greatsword..... with a broken blade. I looked at Madam Han quizzically. " Is the blade supposed to be broken?" I asked and got a nod in return." Isnt a greatswords speciality supposed to be its range and weight. I don't think one with a broken blade would do much."

Madam Han chuckled as she pointed at the hilt. "That's not an ordinary greatsword. That's a Romani Battlemages Swordstaff which Hampton upgraded. He called it Dragnir. One part sword for close quarter combat and one part staff for casting spells. Hampton made his own modifications as well but left the broken blade because he found it aesthetically pleasing. No idea why. He was an eccentric fellow when it came to certain topics."

" Is that all?" I asked.

" Nope. Dragnir was originally meant to be only for casting defensive spells and offensive spells but Hampton made it so that the sword has a template rune to create a magical blade through the broken one with any spell of your choice. " she explained.

I then took out the final weapon which turned out to be a dagger which had suspiciously familiar designs on it. It took me while to remember that the design was very similar to the weapons used by the Asgardians I had seen on TV the few times they had arrived on Earth. Madam seemed to understand my dilemma as she began speaking.

"Yes. That dagger is made of Uru. The same metal used to create Thor's Hammer. As is the ring." She spoke with a serious tone.

I clutched the ring at her words as if I was holding a live grenade that would explode should I let go of it.

"What?...How?..... Why?... Who?... When?" I stammered as Madam Han raised her hand to stop me.

"Your predecessor went on a lot of misadventures, met a lot of colorful people. Of them was the Dwarf king Eitri. He apparently gifted Hampton the Uru, which he and the Dwarves worked together to create the ring. They then used the remaining Uru to create this dagger. They call it the Icon. The dagger is a part of the ring and vice versa. The true form of the dagger exists in the core of the ring in a time locked state. As such it's makes astral manifestations of itself which is in sync with the wielder of the ring allowing him to cast spells on the dagger even if they are realms apart."

"The manifestations, do they have the same functions as actual Uru?" I ask.

"Well, yes and no. The manifestations will cut and will be enchanted no differently than the original would and can withstand the same amount of physical damage. However, the manifestations are weak to magical attacks and will break very quickly if they do not have a protective spell around it. Also Anti magic will immediately dispel the daggers. " she answered.

I sat down on a nearby chair before examining the ring again. The ring had quite a unique and powerful selection of weapon and it seems that there were still other weapons that I currently wasn't ready to wield. However, it also made me realise something. This ring will also put a target on my back. There was bound to be people who would want to take the ring for themselves whether it was for the Uru it was made from or one of the weapons that reside in it. My suspicions were confirmed when Madam Han began to talk in a serious tone.

"I'm sure you have realised this but yes. There are people who will come after you if they know you possess this ring. Even the Prince of Asgard himself." she said solemnly. I looked at her quizzically as she continued.

"Over half a century ago, Hampton found an old gateway that led to Nidavellir. Tensions between them and Asgard were high then as Dark elves from Svartellheim attacked the Dwarves and no help came from Asgard. Originally, the Dwarf King Eitri wanted to sell Theodore to the Trolls to try and secure an alliance against the Dark elves. But he managed to convince them to let him help them with his magic. And true to his word Theodore managed to defeat the Dark elves. The ring and the dagger were created for him as a reward with him even participating in its creation.

Unfortunately, this incurred the wrath of the Allfather as Asgard and dwarves had a treaty which prevented them from selling Uru or weapons made from it to anyone else. However King Eitri broke the agreement citing that Asgard failed to defend them in their time of need. Knowing that he'll lose face of he were to act against the dwarves, Odin set his eye on Hampton. He sent his Valkyries to try and capture him and the ring only for him slip past his grasp by going to another realm. Eventually, Odin ceased his search in favor of more pressing matters but if he ever sees that ring, he will send his soldiers to retrieve it. If that happens, Thor would be honor bound to do the same. " Madam Han took a seat infront of me.

"What should I do then?" I asked fearfully. There was no way I could stand against Asgardians not to mention Thor and by extension, the Avengers should they choose to support their comrades.

"I suggest that you use it wisely. Save for a few, no one on Earth should be able to know that the ring is made from Uru. Also I suggest you refrain from using the more exotic weapons and use Lux Rubrum and Dragnir unless it's an emergency. Speaking of which... " she trailed off before continuing." I don't suppose you have any training in any of these types of weapons?"

I shook my head and she sighed muttering" thought so". She began pacing back and forth with her hand grabbing her chin.

A few minutes later, she stopped before turning to me. "Alright, we'll have to cut down your magic training and focus on your physical trainings for the next few months. I'll train you how to use the weapons myself. Be here at 4:00 am starting from tommorow." she said.

I groaned at her words. I wasn't really a fan of physical activity incase you haven't noticed. These next few months were going to be hell. I could feel it.

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(1 month later)

The past month went by faster than I thought. Madam Han made made me follow a strict dietary regiment which included potions she had concocted to help raise my affinity to magic as well as purify my body. This combined with a workout routine also chosen by Madam Han caused several changes onto my body. I grew up several inches, my body became slim and lean as the all the remaining baby fat was removed. My skin became soft and radiant as the potions removed the acne, black heads and other impurities that had been plaguing my skin since I went through puberty.

Most of my days consisted of training with Madam Han inside a small pocket dimension to raise my skills with the weapons, our spars resulting in me getting over dozens of broken bones which she mended with magic before resuming the arduous torture. Most of the focus was on mastering the Lux Rubrum and Dragnir but I knew enough to use the rest of the weapons without fumbling save for the Totem of course. Instead, Madam Han gave me one of her spare staves to get used to using such weapons and to use as a primary weapon as it was also a good method to keep others attention off the ring as people will assume that I was summoning from the staff rather than the ring. I also have begun dabbling in Potions as I made several Healing potions and Mana potions with the help of the book and Madam Han.

Aside from school, I spent most of my time with Madam Han after telling my foster parents that I had taken a part time job there as an alibi. Sadly this meant that I was hanging out with Peter, Gwen and even Felicia even less not that it would have made much difference of course as all of us had were busy with our own lives. Peter was working as both his internship as well as the bugle in addition to school to try and lessen the financial burden on his aunt. Gwen had missed several classes as due to her internship causing her to take to take extra classes to make up for it and for Felicia, she claimed that she had family issues which seemed to result in her periodically being absent from class from time to time some times even for days. My gut told me something was amiss but I couldn't really do anything about as we were both still, essentially strangers. No matter how gorgeous she was and no matter how much her green piercing eyes and luscious lips make me melt from within. Figuratively... Yeah I need help.

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I stretched my arms feeling the soreness alleviate a little as I waited for the others to arrive. After a month of grueling training, Madam Han was satisfied with my current skills. Enough that I can now continue training on my own. Not that I didn't like Madam Han but I needed to learn how to do things on my own otherwise, I'll end up completely dependent on Madam Han and expect her to solve all my problems thus halting my progress. Regardless, this was the first free day I had in months, no training, no runes to dispel, no potion to brew and most importantly, no bones to mend.

I had gotten skilled enough to take on multiple novice mages even evade from someone like Doom until help arrives, hopefully. Not that I had anything to worry about on that front as Doom was sent to Latveria after the 'Incident' making feel a lot more safer already. Moreover, Madam Han had reassured me that both the socerer supreme and the Avengers would probably be keeping an eye on the man as such he won't be able to try anything anytime soon.

"Over here." I hear the voice of a familiar blonde girl call out to me. And sure enough I saw Gwen waving at me. I walked over to her and saw Peter and Felicia not far behind. After exchanging greetings, we all headed to our destination, the mall.

Honestly, I still don't know how Felicia convinced me to go with them. Oh wait, I remember. She and I were inside the locker room after gym, both drenched in sweat when she invited me. At first I said no but she insisted once more. When I was about to refuse her again, she lifted the hem of her shirt to wipe some of her sweat, giving me a great view of her abs. The next thing I knew, my traitorous mouth said yes and Felicia left with a triumphant smile.

I felt my face flush because of the memory but I managed to keep myself calm as I walked with my friends.

"Where should we go first?" Gwen asked.

"I heard there's book signing for the new Valiant Hearts book at the bookstore to the north." Peter suggested.

"I was thinking we should check the boutiques over there. I could use some new clothes. And besides, I think it's high time that we gave Harriet a little makeover." Felicia said

"What's wrong with my current clothes?" I asked.

"You look like a boy." Felicia said bluntly. I looked at the Gwen and Peter hoping for support only to see them nodding in agreement. Traitors.

As I was about to protest, I hear someone call out.

"Harriet? Peter? ."

We turned to see a girl around our age with brown hair and of South Asian descent. Both me and Peters widened in recognition before I leaped at her and caught her in a hug. "Oh hey Kamala. Good to see you. Shopping trip with family? "

The girl giggled shyly before speaking. "Yeah. It's been a while hasn't it. How have you been? I almost didn't recognise you."

"Good. You?"

"Can't complain. So what brings you guys here? Last I checked, you hated the mall." she asked with an amused smile.

"Nothing much we're just hanging around. Oh this is Gwen and Felicia. Gwen, Felicia this is Kamala Kahn. She and I were desk mates in middle school." I say introducing her to the rest.

After a few minutes making small talk, Kamala asked. "So what are you going to do now? I can text my abba that I'm hanging out with you. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Before I could reply, Felicia interrupted me. "How about we split up. Peter and Gwen can go to the book signing. Me, Kamala and Harriet will hit the boutiques. We'll meet at the food court at noon."

The others agreed to it and despite my protests, I found myself being practically dragged to the boutiques by Felicia and Kamala. The former must be having the time of her life as she had constantly tried to get me wear more girlier clothes.

(one eternity later)

The girl and I finally got out from the last boutique. They had spent literal hours making me try different clothes. Felicia ended buy several of them for me before finding some clothes for herself. I excused myself, letting them continue onwards to the food court as I went to the restroom.

{Bang!!!}

A loud crash echoed through the mall followed by gunfire and screams causing me to exit promptly. I then saw several masked men wielding guns spreading out around the mall. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what they were doing. I retreated back into the rest room hoping that they wouldn't find me.

It was then that I remembered that my friends were still out there and in danger from the robbers. I began hyperventilating, as I was reminded of what happened with Doom. I stood in place for what seemed like hours trying to get my breathing undercontrol. After while, I succeeded and my mind became clearer.

My friends were in danger and who knows if the cops and or suoerheroes would arrived on time. I thought back to the months I spent training and I made my decision. I began chanting a spell and magic circles began manifesting on my hoodie and jeans. In a split second, the hoodie was replaced by a white cloak that covered my face, torso and back. Underneath it was a white shirt adorned with runes and embroidered with gold red and black colors. My jeans were replaced with a matching pair of pants and a pair of white knee high boots with black highlights now adorn my feet.

Lastly, I chanted another spell and a magic circle appeared on my palm before a staff manifested from it. With my ensemble now complete, I was now ready to battle the robbers and save my friends.