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batsutousaiTitle: Fallen Night
Fandoms: Harry Potter & Radiata Stories
Chapter: 4 of 11
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
batsutousai
Beta:tsuki_no_suzu
Rating: T
Pairings: Harry/Jack
Warnings: OoC, AU, slash, non-human arc
Summary: Harry slipped when he was standing a little too close, and the next thing he knew, he was far away from everything he'd ever known, with something like eternity waiting for him.
Disclaim Her: This story uses characters and settings owned by J.K. Rowling, her publishers, Square Enix and tri-Ace. No money is being made from the creation of this fanfic, and no copywrite infringement is intended.
Borrowing straight from the game again. It makes the chapters longer, and makes my typing up a script worth it.
A/N: The bathroom scene with Thanos can really happen in the game. There's five minutes just before he goes to sleep where he's in the bathroom next to his desk. If you talk to him while he's in there, you can pick up a new request or finish one. (Insanely amusing. I ♥ Thanos.)
Erm, so the only races we really know for sure suffer from algandars are the humans and the light elves, but it seemed odd to me that that was it. So I added the dark elves and the dwarves to their numbers.
-0-
Chapter Four - And If It Returns
-0-
Jack stared at the written request once he'd left Theater Vancoor, not even really seeing it. He leaned back against the building and sighed. It had been almost a week since he'd last seen Harry and now he had to go to the Vareth library to find out how to open a door, because Thanos couldn't be arsed to do it himself. (Not that Jack had ever seen Thanos away from that desk, except the one time he'd run into him in the toilet. That had been awkward. 'Hi, Jack, back from your mission?' 'Uh... you really want to debrief me in the men's room?' Jack now made a point to wait to empty his bladder until after he'd been debriefed.)
He rubbed a hand across his face and shoved the paper in his pocket. "It's money for food," he reminded himself, touching his meagre funds. Three thousand dagols would get him food for another week, even if he splurged a bit. Any money he made fighting on the way would pay for his laundry bills and travelling supplies. He needed this job.
"Jack?"
Jack glanced up and smiled at Bruce, the Vancoor medic. "Hiya, Bruce. I thought you'd be in the infirmary right now."
Bruce held up a box of herb extracts. "Had to run over to Blade Pharmacy for some more supplies."
Jack nodded in understanding – lower-ranked Vancoor members had been coming back from Black Town with mysterious wounds of late. Most of the upper members – the sergeants, like Jack, and Deputy Chief Gerald – were all of the thought that Void was striking out. Jack, himself, had been down in Club Vampire pretty often of late at night and he'd been left alone, but maybe Void was thinking it was better not to try their luck with the upper echelon, either because they were worried about being able to beat them, or they were nervous of the possible back-lash of knocking one of them out.
Bruce shifted the box in his arms and said, "Nick was asking after you last night. Says he hasn't seen you around in a while. I know you've been in town..."
Jack shrugged. "Um, I sort of... I fought with a friend from Vareth. Didn't want to chance running into him."
Bruce eyed him suspiciously. "So you avoid everything west of your own house?"
Jack winced; he'd been avoiding everything west of Vancoor, actually, unless it was late enough that all but Void was asleep. He was on good terms with Barbena, who ran the Swords and Silver Coin Inn, and after telling her he was fighting with his roommate and didn't have a place to stay, she let him set up camp there, for free, as long as he did his own laundry once a week and helped her carry her groceries home every other night.
Bruce shook his head, reading Jack's expression like an open book. "Get over it," he suggested a bit harshly. "You've got a job to do on that side of town, and things with Void are only going to get worse unless something it done."
Jack nodded and kicked at the ground. "Yeah, I know."
Bruce shuffled the box and reached out to ruffle Jack's hair, even though the boy was as tall as him. "I don't know what your fight was about, Jack, but you can't let it ruin your life. And it will, if you keep up like this. The only way to fix these things is to talk them through."
Jack smiled. "Thanks, Bruce."
"Sure thing, kid. Now, go do your job!" Then he turned and walked into the front door of Vancoor.
Jack laughed quietly to himself and turned his feet towards Vareth. "Talk things through, huh? How do you talk to a centuries-old dragon who told you he'd just up and leave from your life one day?" he muttered to himself, then kicked a loose rock. "He won't even care when I die."
Unbidden, Harry's face when he'd told Jack that Nogueira died popped into his head. Harry had looked so sad, like a family member had died, and not just a friend.
"He chose the dark elves," Jack muttered angrily to the memory. "They're family to him now."
But Lord Nogueira was a light elf, an obnoxious voice that sounded like his sister reminded him.
"A light elf who lived with dark elves." Jack sighed and stopped, leaning back against the nearest wall. A glance around showed he was outside Morfinn's pharmacy and Jack took a moment to weigh his options. He could continue through White Town, which would require him to go by the abandoned house Harry was staying at, or he could go up, past the shrine, and down through Blue Town. Going through White Town was just the littlest bit faster, but since he was already dragging his feet, that didn't really matter all that much.
He turned and headed for the shrine. He pulled out his pocket watch and smiled to himself; Nick and the other children would be having their class in the courtyard right now. That should cheer Nick up a bit, and he did miss the little brat.
Jack was waylaid for a bit by a pile of children who all wanted to talk to him at once. Between him, Miranda and Eugene, who'd been outside, napping, they were able to get the kids to calm down and focus on Miranda again. When Jack started again towards Vareth, Eugene fell in beside him.
"What's up?" Jack asked.
Eugene handed over a slip of paper. "Iris told me to pass that on. She's been waiting around for you for a couple of days now. You better hope she's still willing to talk to you."
Jack winced and pocketed the paper after glancing at it to see a time and place. "Crap. Thanks, Eugene."
Eugene nodded, then flipped his hand in a wave and made his way back towards one of the benches.
Jack sighed. Iris was not a patient woman, and he didn't have the money to waste on buying her information after making her wait however many days. He glanced at the time again and sighed. Two hours before he needed to make his way into the Beast Pit. Hopefully he could find this information on the goblin cemetery quickly. And, hopefully, Iris' price wouldn't be too high.
That was the problem with informants from Void – you either had to blackmail them, or pay them. (Although, to be fair, he was sort of blackmailing Eugene, and he had enough dirt on Dwight that the bishop would probably lick his boots to keep him silent.) "No wonder the chief has me looking into Void," he muttered as Vareth came into sight, "I'm practically one of them already."
He hurried through Vareth with purpose and no one bothered him, although that could have been more because he hadn't been around in a week, as opposed to him just looking busy.
The library was practically empty, other than the librarian, Leann. He was slightly surprised that Harry wasn't around, but he shook it off and asked Leann about a book on goblins. She pointed him towards the second floor in the back and it only took him a few minutes to find the book he needed. Once he had the password, 'Sesame seeds,' he made for the door. Just as he reached it, he paused, then turned back. "Leann?"
"Hm?"
"Has Harry been around?"
Leann blinked once, slowly, then shook her head. "He hasn't been by for almost a week. Rumour has it that a dark elf visited for him, so it could be he's left the city."
"Oh. Thanks."
"No problem," Leann replied, then returned to her book.
Jack started down the stairs outside the library, frowning. So Harry was gone. Jack had been avoiding Vareth for nothing. He took a deep breath. Maybe Harry was gone for good. As long as Jack avoided the dark elves, they'd never see each other again. "It's for the best," he told himself.
But, then, why did his chest ache so?
-0-0-0-
"I'm half expecting you to start pulling your hair out, the way you've been moping about," a voice commented from above where Harry was sitting against a tree.
Harry glanced up and tried a smile, but it fell flat. "Gil. What are you doing on this side of Wind Valley?"
"Trying to knock some common sense into Franz," Gil replied, settling on the ground in a sitting position.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I wish you much luck."
"I need more than luck to teach that fool child," the light elf assassin commented fondly.
Harry snorted. "At least he sort of listens to you. Did you hear what happened a couple days ago when Chatt dared to tell him his kick was too low for a normal opponent?"
"Please tell me he kicked that moron where it hurts."
Harry snorted again. "Twice, and then once upside the head when Chatt leaned over to protect himself. Mind, Franz landed on his arse from losing his balance..."
Gil chuckled. "He is awkward, but he has a natural sense of fighting, even if he needs to work a bit on fine-tuning his movements."
Harry shook his head. "I'll take your word for it. Physical fighting is just not my cup of tea." He glanced away as thoughts of physical fighting invariably brought him back to Jack. He'd thought it would be easier if he and the human boy parted ways before he got too attached.
Gil considered him for a long moment, then said, "What happened, Harry? You're not wandering the forest because of Lord Nogueira's death, nor are you moping because Lord Zane threw you off a cliff. Honestly, after I found out what he did, I half expected you to come barging into the City of Flowers and take him over your knee like you used to do to us when we were still kids."
Harry smiled. "You all were so cute as children. Now you're all taller than me and little terrors."
Gil grinned, unrepentant. He and Zane in particular had driven Harry batty as children. Once they grew up a bit, Zane decided to hate Harry for always being the one to lay down the law when he was visiting with the light elves, but Gil had understood that they'd needed to be punished for a number of the things they'd gotten away with, and Harry had never been one to shy away from it like the elder at the time was, after their parents died in the war.
"Don't think I didn't consider coming by and telling him off," Harry said. "But I know I was at least partially to blame. Though, really, throwing me into a chasm?"
Gil snorted. "Let it not be said that Lord Zane does things halfway."
"More like he takes it to extremes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: He's damn lucky I'm no normal human or I'd have died a dozen times over by now." Harry shook his head as Gil laughed. "Yeah, you laugh now. I'd like to see you survive a drop into a chasm. Without your wings."
Gil shuddered and flexed his wings. "No, thank you. I'll happily continue to leave all narrow escapes to you."
Harry chuckled a bit and leaned his head back against the tree behind him. "I don't know if you've heard, but I met Cairn's son in Radiata."
Gil let out a sharp breath. "Cairn's son? I don't... I remember he had a daughter, Cepheid knows he wouldn't shut up about her, but a son?"
"I think he was born either shortly before or shortly after Cairn died," Harry replied. "Jack. He was part of the group who tried to talk trade with the elves."
Gil shook his head. "If Lord Zane had known who came asking–"
"Gawain's son was also in the group."
Gil whistled.
"But I don't think Zane would have changed his mind, even had he known. For one, Genius was with them. For another, they weren't there to be friends, but to be humans."
Gil sighed and shook his head again. "I wish Lord Zane would get off that. It's only worse since Lord Nogueira died, you know. He's blaming the human girl that was saved."
Harry blinked. "Why is he...? No, never mind." He closed his eyes and knocked his head back against the tree. "Where did I go wrong with that boy?"
Gil chuckled. "So, Cairn's son. And Gawain's son. What was his name? Grand? Garfield?"
"Ganz," Harry offered. "Ganz Rothschild and Jack Russell."
Gil let out a vaguely sad sound. "I'd love to meet them. Their fathers were so..." He trailed off when he saw the sorrowful expression on Harry's face. "Cairn's son, Jack. What happened?"
Harry shrugged. "He found out I'm not a normal human. He's been having a bit of a hard time of it lately, with being split up from friends, and I sort of promised I wouldn't be far away. And then he found out I'd eventually leave when it became obvious I wouldn't age..."
"You swore you'd never tell a human," Gil said, shocked. "You swore..."
"Parsec visited. Some things were said. Jack found out." Harry shrugged again.
Gil shook his head. "So, what? You just up and left when he couldn't handle it? That's not like you, Harry."
"Shove it," Harry snapped, drawing his knees to his chest and hunching over them. "He left first. Clarence came to give me the all clear, so I came back. I had some potions to make and there was nothing to read there and–"
"You ran," Gil said, shocked. "You ran away."
"I didn't run!"
"You could have gone to talk to him."
"I–" Harry clenched his hands angrily. "The ball's in his court! He knows where to find me."
Gil shook his head. "You actually ra–"
Harry snapped his wand out and shoved it in Gil's face. "Enough."
Gil's mouth snapped shut and he eyed the wand warily. "Sorry," he whispered. He was perfectly aware of the amount of damage Harry could do with that stick. He wasn't willing to tempt fate just to be shocked by Harry doing something so completely against everything Gil knew about the man...
Harry glared at him for a moment, then shoved his wand back away. "Tell me how things are going in the City of Flowers."
Gil swallowed and proceeded to do so.
-0-0-0-
Harry was just about to step onto the path from the shortcut he'd taken when he heard voices ahead.
"Hey, how much further do we have to go?" asked a young woman's voice.
"Almost there," replied that of a male.
Harry poked his head around a tree and blinked in surprise at the duo headed off the path towards where the cocoons of lights elves infected with algandars lay. One was Genius, which didn't really surprise him, but the other, judging from her hair, was Ridley, and that did surprise him. What was the young woman doing out here?
Since they were clearly headed in the same direction, Harry cast silencing and invisibility spells on himself, wanting to know what they were up to. Visiting Nogueira could wait an extra ten minutes or so.
When the two humans stopped just shy of the clearing, Ridley asked, "Genius, why did you bring me here?"
Genius shushed her and pointed her towards the cocoon where Nogueira was entombed. After a moment, Zane stepped out of the forest from another direction and walked up to the cocoon.
"Who is that?" Ridley whispered.
"It's Zane, leader of the light elves," Genius supplied.
"Of course. He looks just like Lord Nogueira."
Genius looked pained. "There's something I have to tell you... Something terrible... Lord Nogueira...is dead."
Ridley jerked backwards in surprise. "He can't be!"
"He's been entombed here. That cocoon you see holds Lord Nogueira's dead body," the mage explained.
Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised that Genius knew all this, or that he was actually showing sorrow for the loss of Nogueira.
"Where are we?" Ridley whispered, sounding shaky.
"This is the graveyard of the elves. It's a place in which the fates of elves and humans are deeply entwined."
"The graveyard...of the elves?"
Zane spoke then, looking up at what was left of Nogueira. "Like the elf king of old, my brother lies dead. But why? That ancient king brought the human female and child to that benighted castle, and there the dark elves were born, along with algandars. For the first time, that terrible disease exposed the immortal elves to death. No one was immune. Even the king himself fell victim to it. It infected and killed him."
Zane paused in his monologue, clenching a fist, then practically shouted, "Now it returns to claim my own flesh and blood! When our bodies decay and fall away because of disease or age, elves do not die. The transpiritation lets our spirits fly to different bodies, where they can mingle with other souls. But, the cursed algandars shuts our souls deep, deep within these cocoons. My brother! Why did you perform the transpiritation on that human girl!? To break the natural laws that separate elf and human... Algandars was your inevitable reward. Brother! Why in the world did you bring this fate upon yourself!?"
Ridley looked shocked and hurt as she whispered, "Was this...because of me?"
Harry frowned, then moved quickly around the two humans even as Zane started again.
"Human filth! How much will you make us suffer before you are satisfied? Will you take and destr–"
"That's enough," Harry ordered, stepping into the clearing. "Nogueira's death was no fault of Ridley's, Zane, as you well know."
"He'd still be alive if it weren't for that harlot!" Zane snapped, turning on him.
"For another month, perhaps. I've told you before, there's no way to stop algandars. Once you're infected, that's it. He'd already been sick for months, it was his time."
"It wasn't! He was still needed!"
"Now you're just acting like a child. Must I take you over my knee like one?"
Zane lashed out with a cutting wind spell, which Harry casually directed off into the woods, away from the two humans hiding in the underbrush. "You would mock me again? Need I remind you that you're on my land?"
Harry scoffed. "The air is your land, you fool child. This ground is for those who don't have wings."
"You'd give it to the humans, then? Those same humans that killed my brother?"
"Magic killed your brother," Harry snapped. "And don't act like light elves are the only ones suffering for the mistakes of the past! Dark elves disappearing in the woods without a trace, dwarves turning to stone before their eyes, humans going mad and killing everyone around them before they kill themselves. As ever, you ignore the sorrows of other races to dwell on the pain of your own. How very human."
Zane's eyes flashed and he unleashed a torrent of wind and light towards Harry. Harry shoved forth a great deal of energy towards protecting the two humans he could still sense in the trees behind him, leaving himself open to the attack.
When it was over, he ached something fierce and felt blood dribbling from numerous wounds, but he still darted forward and shoved his wand in Zane's throat, eyes blazing with a green fury. "If you ever attack me like that again, Zane, I will tear out your intestines and choke you with them. Do you understand?"
Zane swallowed and jerked backwards and up. After staring for a moment in shock and not a little fear, he flew away.
Harry carefully put his wand away, then turned towards the forest. "Are you two still alive back there?"
Wide-eyed, Ridley and Genius stepped out. They both sported a few minor cuts, but were otherwise just fine. "How did you–?" Genius asked.
Harry waved him off, wincing, then pulled out his pouch and sorted through it for some pain potions. "I saw you on the road. Followed you." He choked a potion back and breathed out a breath of relief as his pain dissipated. He pulled out two more potions and waved them over to Ridley and Genius. "Drink them."
Genius immediately knocked his back, but Ridley stared at Harry. "How did you survive?"
"I will force that down your throat, nobility or no," Harry replied, turning his magic to his ruined tunic. "Damnit, Zane."
Ridley drank the potion, gasping at the slight burn it left, then demanded, "How did you survive?"
Harry rose an eyebrow at her. "Magic," he deadpanned, shaking out his tunic. It was mostly fixed, but there were some places where too much fabric was missing for him to properly be able to fix it. He'd have to trash it when he got back to the Forest Metropolis, unless he wanted to brave the City of Flowers and ask about a new shirt.
On the other hand, that could be a lot of fun.
"What do you know about algandars?" Genius asked. "I've heard it mentioned before, usually in passing in a book, but..."
"The books by Master Potter?" Harry inquired. He was the only author in the Vareth library who'd ever mentioned the name algandars in reference to the disease, so far as he knew, and since he'd read most of the the books in that library...
Genius nodded. "Yes. He's... a curious fellow. I take it you've read him?"
Harry chuckled. "Rather. Most of my findings are based on his research, mind you, so you probably know everything I might tell you."
"Then tell me," Ridley said, stepping forward and looking determined. "Is it true that Lord Nogueira didn't die because of me?"
"Lord Nogueira was sick long before your party came to the Forest Metropolis," Harry assured her, carefully sitting on the ground and leaning back against Nogueira's cocoon. At their horrified looks, he said, "He won't mind, he's dead."
"Let the dead rest in peace," Ridley complained.
Harry shrugged, not bothered enough to walk over to a tree and wanting something against his back. "Algandars is named after the castle it was first seen in, Algandars Castle, in the Ocho Region. This was back in the days when elves controlled most of Tottaus, so Algandars was ruled by an elven king. The king at the time saw, one day, a beautiful human woman and fell in love with her on sight. He had her and her son brought to the castle and fed them, had them cleaned up and so forth. Eventually, the human woman fell in love with the elven king and they lay together and had children. These children became what are now known as the dark elves.
"Something about that melding of races caused an imbalance in the world; more specifically, it caused an imbalance in the magic that controls all living things in Tottaus. The sudden imbalance caused a backlash, which infected those in the castle with a horrible disease, a disease that struck every race differently. In the light elves, it pained them every time they used magic and ate at their life force, eventually killing them and forming a hard cocoon around them, trapping their spirit inside.
"In humans, it took the form of a three-part illness; first, the person gains unimaginable strength; then, they start going mad, trying to kill everyone around them; last, they turn on themselves, wracked with self hatred for the horrors they may or may not have committed, and they kill themselves with whatever is handy." Harry eyed the two humans; both were pale and had taken seats on the ground across from him to listen. "In dwarves, the illness slowly turns them to stone, which can take anywhere from a week to a year."
"A year?" Ridley whispered.
Harry nodded grimly. "I'm told it is excruciating. They usually prefer to commit suicide, rather than sit the process through. The other affected race was the dark elves. None of us are quite certain how the disease affected them, as they simply disappear one day, with no trace of them. They disappear away from anyone else, and the only warning sign is a gradual withdrawal from others.
"When the king of Algandars Castle, all those centuries ago, realised that everyone was falling deathly ill, he sealed the castle and layered magic over it to warn people away. Those elves that survived moved as far from the castle as they could and settled around Wind Valley. With so few elves left, the humans took control of what was left of the broken kingdom and built Radiata, becoming the new power in Tottaus. Because the light elves used to rule, and because it was the addition of human blood to the royal line that caused so many deaths, the light elves have forever been butting heads with the humans."
"So it is the fault of us humans," Ridley decided.
"Not...necessarily," Genius replied, frowning. "The king was the one who fell in love first, right?"
"That is correct," Harry said, though Genius hadn't really been looking for an answer.
Genius nodded to him anyway, then looked back at Ridley. "If the king was the one who brought her into his home for love, it was his fault."
"You don't choose who you love," Ridley retorted. "That's like saying it was the woman's fault for being attractive."
"So we are blaming the human."
"No, that's not what I–! Argh!"
Harry chuckled. "I have always placed the blame on both races, equally. There were a number of factors involved, but both parties made unwise choices, and those choices led to where we are now, with algandars rampaging through what's left of the elves and Radiata, taking lives indiscriminately."
"Isn't there a cure for it?" Ridley asked. "There must be."
"It's not a physical illness, despite all the signs that point to that," Harry replied, shaking his head. "It's magical, and since it affects the humans just as much as the elves, it's in the magic of the planet, not the magic of the user."
Ridley shook her head, confusion creasing her brow. "I don't understand."
"The planet is full of magic," Genius offered, tapping the ground. "It helps things to grow, provides us with clean water and regulates the weather. Humans tap into that magic, which is what allows us to cast spells. The elves, though...their magic is innate, it's a part of them. They don't have to tap the planet to cast spells, which makes them all the more deadly in combat."
"You really have read Master Potter," Harry commented. "I'm impressed."
Genius sniffed. "I read his books, then I went out to verify everything myself. All of my findings agreed with his."
Harry smiled. "You're beginning to grow on me, Genius."
Genius sniffed again.
Ridley coughed. "There's no cure?" she asked.
"Not unless you have a way to heal the magic of the whole planet," Harry replied grimly. "The elves have been working on that for centuries without any luck."
Ridley bit her lip and nodded, looking like the world had just come crashing down around her. Next to her, Genius closed his eyes, having long ago reached a conclusion very much like that.
Harry considered them for a moment, then said, "The only way I can think of to heal the planet is an event that will be occurring sometime within the next few years. I can't say much about it, as I don't know much, but I can say this: If anything could heal the damage, it's this event."
"What is it?" Genius asked, eyes brightening.
"An awakening," Harry offered cryptically, "and a sleeping. The changing of brothers."
"Do you know what it will be? When?" Ridley pleaded. "Give us some idea?"
"I know what it is, to a point," Harry offered, "but I can't tell you when, as there's no set moment. Events must conspire just right for everything to work out, and I'm uncertain about the details. The last time this event occurred was almost five hundred years ago. Not something any of us were alive for, and it was before any writings we might have. Any history of it is lost to us."
"But there's a chance this will fix things?" Ridley needed to know.
Harry nodded. "A chance, yes."
A faint smile pulled at the girl's lips and some tension left her. "So there's hope."
"Oh, there's always hope," Harry replied, then groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, leaning ever so slightly against Nogueira's cocoon as a dizzy spell came over him. Once it passed, he dug through his pouch for one of the last blood replenishing potions he had from his old world – he'd yet to find materials that would be suitable replacements for the things he couldn't get in this world. He knocked it back and closed his eyes, letting it help him.
"Are you okay?" Ridley asked, getting to her own feet and stepping over to him.
Harry smiled and tucked the empty vial away. "Fantastic," he assured her, then considered his tunic. "Well, okay. Maybe not fantastic, but I will be, just as soon as I get a new shirt."
Ridley smiled in relief, then paused and frowned at him. "I don't even know your name, and yet... I feel as though I've known you my whole life."
Harry eyed her curiously, then shrugged. "Your soul was merged with that of the light elf, Hap's. I've known her a long time." He offered her uncertain expression a smile. "Don't think on it, Lady Ridley. The world is a strange, convoluted place."
"His name is Harry," Genius offered, coming over to stand with them. "He's the one who killed the blood orc."
Ridley looked startled for a moment, then looked Harry over with respect gleaming in her green eyes. "You must be strong. I mean, I know you can go head-to-head with Lord Zane, but..." She coughed. "Sorry. Um, is there a last name with that?"
Harry rose an eyebrow at her. "Not for a very many years now," he replied. "Elves have no use for last names, so I gave mine up."
"Oh. So..."
"I'm simply Harry, your ladyship," Harry replied with a bit of mischief.
Ridley flushed, then made an aborted movement with her hand. She stared at it for a moment in shock, then let it drop to her side. "We should be getting back to Radiata," she told Genius.
"I'll walk with you to the pig," Harry offered, pushing off from the cocoon.
"Yes, of course."
Just before they exited the clearing, Harry glanced back at the cocoon that had once been Nogueira. "Rest easy, child," he whispered, then hurried after the two humans.
As the entrance to the City of Flowers came into sight, Genius wondered, "What did you say to Lord Zane? He looked almost...terrified."
"Wondering if you can use it to get into the City of Flowers?" Harry replied.
Genius shrugged. "It might work."
Harry smiled and shook his head. "It would only work if you intended to follow through."
"What was it, then?" Ridley asked.
Harry eyed her, then said, "A bit too violent, I think, for this pleasant weather."
Ridley frowned at him. "Violent? Why would you threaten violence? I thought you were friends with the elves."
"Some of them," Harry agreed. "But this is the second time in the past week that Zane's almost killed me when he's lost his temper. I'm quite done with him."
"Almost killed you?" Ridley looked shocked. "But... why?"
Harry smiled and nodded to the pig just ahead of them. "Safe trip, Lady Ridley, Master Genius." Then he turned and started back towards the City of Flowers. He needed a new shirt, and he and Zane should probably sit down and actually talk, without human ears about, this time.
"But what did you threaten him with?" Genius called.
Harry glanced back, still smiling and said, "I told him that if he attacked me again, I'd choke him with his own intestines," he offered, then continued on up to the waterfall. Shin and Fan were floating there, looking vaguely green. "Move."
"And let you curse Lord Zane?" Shin snapped.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the light elf. "I have no intention of doing Zane any harm so long as he keeps his bloody attempts on my life to himself."
Shin crossed his arms. "You need the permission of an elven elder to get in, and Lord Zane doesn't want to see you."
"Might I remind you who helped raise Zane?" Harry replied. "I'm de facto elder for the dark elves right now, so move."
Fan moved to one side and said, "Shin, let him pass."
"But he'll–"
"I can make you move," Harry reminded him drily.
Shin jerked out of the way as quickly as he could.
Harry nodded and started up into the city. First, a shirt. Then he'd go talk with Zane.
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A/N: I'm sure we can all guess how that talk's going to go. *snort*
So, I realised while taking a break from writing this chapter, that Harry might come across as a bit Gary-Stu-ish. Sorry if that offended anyone. I didn't intend for that to happen, and it bothers me a bit, but I haven't the energy to re-write it.
Next chapter, Harry and Jack should resolve their issues. Also, the start of the war.
Cheers!
~Bats ^.^x
Chapters:
Prologue - Falling
1 - Elves ||| 2 - Humans ||| 3 - Let It Go
4 - And If It Returns ||| 5 - It Was Meant to Be ||| 6 - Ways of the Dragons
7 - To Build an Army ||| 8 - Power Over Life ||| 9 - Arbitrator
10 - Blood-Filled Days ||| 11 - Hic Sunt Dracones
...
Fandoms: Harry Potter & Radiata Stories
Chapter: 4 of 11
Author:
batsutousaiBeta:
tsuki_no_suzuRating: T
Pairings: Harry/Jack
Warnings: OoC, AU, slash, non-human arc
Summary: Harry slipped when he was standing a little too close, and the next thing he knew, he was far away from everything he'd ever known, with something like eternity waiting for him.
Disclaim Her: This story uses characters and settings owned by J.K. Rowling, her publishers, Square Enix and tri-Ace. No money is being made from the creation of this fanfic, and no copywrite infringement is intended.
Borrowing straight from the game again. It makes the chapters longer, and makes my typing up a script worth it.
A/N: The bathroom scene with Thanos can really happen in the game. There's five minutes just before he goes to sleep where he's in the bathroom next to his desk. If you talk to him while he's in there, you can pick up a new request or finish one. (Insanely amusing. I ♥ Thanos.)
Erm, so the only races we really know for sure suffer from algandars are the humans and the light elves, but it seemed odd to me that that was it. So I added the dark elves and the dwarves to their numbers.
Chapter Four - And If It Returns
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Jack stared at the written request once he'd left Theater Vancoor, not even really seeing it. He leaned back against the building and sighed. It had been almost a week since he'd last seen Harry and now he had to go to the Vareth library to find out how to open a door, because Thanos couldn't be arsed to do it himself. (Not that Jack had ever seen Thanos away from that desk, except the one time he'd run into him in the toilet. That had been awkward. 'Hi, Jack, back from your mission?' 'Uh... you really want to debrief me in the men's room?' Jack now made a point to wait to empty his bladder until after he'd been debriefed.)
He rubbed a hand across his face and shoved the paper in his pocket. "It's money for food," he reminded himself, touching his meagre funds. Three thousand dagols would get him food for another week, even if he splurged a bit. Any money he made fighting on the way would pay for his laundry bills and travelling supplies. He needed this job.
"Jack?"
Jack glanced up and smiled at Bruce, the Vancoor medic. "Hiya, Bruce. I thought you'd be in the infirmary right now."
Bruce held up a box of herb extracts. "Had to run over to Blade Pharmacy for some more supplies."
Jack nodded in understanding – lower-ranked Vancoor members had been coming back from Black Town with mysterious wounds of late. Most of the upper members – the sergeants, like Jack, and Deputy Chief Gerald – were all of the thought that Void was striking out. Jack, himself, had been down in Club Vampire pretty often of late at night and he'd been left alone, but maybe Void was thinking it was better not to try their luck with the upper echelon, either because they were worried about being able to beat them, or they were nervous of the possible back-lash of knocking one of them out.
Bruce shifted the box in his arms and said, "Nick was asking after you last night. Says he hasn't seen you around in a while. I know you've been in town..."
Jack shrugged. "Um, I sort of... I fought with a friend from Vareth. Didn't want to chance running into him."
Bruce eyed him suspiciously. "So you avoid everything west of your own house?"
Jack winced; he'd been avoiding everything west of Vancoor, actually, unless it was late enough that all but Void was asleep. He was on good terms with Barbena, who ran the Swords and Silver Coin Inn, and after telling her he was fighting with his roommate and didn't have a place to stay, she let him set up camp there, for free, as long as he did his own laundry once a week and helped her carry her groceries home every other night.
Bruce shook his head, reading Jack's expression like an open book. "Get over it," he suggested a bit harshly. "You've got a job to do on that side of town, and things with Void are only going to get worse unless something it done."
Jack nodded and kicked at the ground. "Yeah, I know."
Bruce shuffled the box and reached out to ruffle Jack's hair, even though the boy was as tall as him. "I don't know what your fight was about, Jack, but you can't let it ruin your life. And it will, if you keep up like this. The only way to fix these things is to talk them through."
Jack smiled. "Thanks, Bruce."
"Sure thing, kid. Now, go do your job!" Then he turned and walked into the front door of Vancoor.
Jack laughed quietly to himself and turned his feet towards Vareth. "Talk things through, huh? How do you talk to a centuries-old dragon who told you he'd just up and leave from your life one day?" he muttered to himself, then kicked a loose rock. "He won't even care when I die."
Unbidden, Harry's face when he'd told Jack that Nogueira died popped into his head. Harry had looked so sad, like a family member had died, and not just a friend.
"He chose the dark elves," Jack muttered angrily to the memory. "They're family to him now."
But Lord Nogueira was a light elf, an obnoxious voice that sounded like his sister reminded him.
"A light elf who lived with dark elves." Jack sighed and stopped, leaning back against the nearest wall. A glance around showed he was outside Morfinn's pharmacy and Jack took a moment to weigh his options. He could continue through White Town, which would require him to go by the abandoned house Harry was staying at, or he could go up, past the shrine, and down through Blue Town. Going through White Town was just the littlest bit faster, but since he was already dragging his feet, that didn't really matter all that much.
He turned and headed for the shrine. He pulled out his pocket watch and smiled to himself; Nick and the other children would be having their class in the courtyard right now. That should cheer Nick up a bit, and he did miss the little brat.
Jack was waylaid for a bit by a pile of children who all wanted to talk to him at once. Between him, Miranda and Eugene, who'd been outside, napping, they were able to get the kids to calm down and focus on Miranda again. When Jack started again towards Vareth, Eugene fell in beside him.
"What's up?" Jack asked.
Eugene handed over a slip of paper. "Iris told me to pass that on. She's been waiting around for you for a couple of days now. You better hope she's still willing to talk to you."
Jack winced and pocketed the paper after glancing at it to see a time and place. "Crap. Thanks, Eugene."
Eugene nodded, then flipped his hand in a wave and made his way back towards one of the benches.
Jack sighed. Iris was not a patient woman, and he didn't have the money to waste on buying her information after making her wait however many days. He glanced at the time again and sighed. Two hours before he needed to make his way into the Beast Pit. Hopefully he could find this information on the goblin cemetery quickly. And, hopefully, Iris' price wouldn't be too high.
That was the problem with informants from Void – you either had to blackmail them, or pay them. (Although, to be fair, he was sort of blackmailing Eugene, and he had enough dirt on Dwight that the bishop would probably lick his boots to keep him silent.) "No wonder the chief has me looking into Void," he muttered as Vareth came into sight, "I'm practically one of them already."
He hurried through Vareth with purpose and no one bothered him, although that could have been more because he hadn't been around in a week, as opposed to him just looking busy.
The library was practically empty, other than the librarian, Leann. He was slightly surprised that Harry wasn't around, but he shook it off and asked Leann about a book on goblins. She pointed him towards the second floor in the back and it only took him a few minutes to find the book he needed. Once he had the password, 'Sesame seeds,' he made for the door. Just as he reached it, he paused, then turned back. "Leann?"
"Hm?"
"Has Harry been around?"
Leann blinked once, slowly, then shook her head. "He hasn't been by for almost a week. Rumour has it that a dark elf visited for him, so it could be he's left the city."
"Oh. Thanks."
"No problem," Leann replied, then returned to her book.
Jack started down the stairs outside the library, frowning. So Harry was gone. Jack had been avoiding Vareth for nothing. He took a deep breath. Maybe Harry was gone for good. As long as Jack avoided the dark elves, they'd never see each other again. "It's for the best," he told himself.
But, then, why did his chest ache so?
"I'm half expecting you to start pulling your hair out, the way you've been moping about," a voice commented from above where Harry was sitting against a tree.
Harry glanced up and tried a smile, but it fell flat. "Gil. What are you doing on this side of Wind Valley?"
"Trying to knock some common sense into Franz," Gil replied, settling on the ground in a sitting position.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I wish you much luck."
"I need more than luck to teach that fool child," the light elf assassin commented fondly.
Harry snorted. "At least he sort of listens to you. Did you hear what happened a couple days ago when Chatt dared to tell him his kick was too low for a normal opponent?"
"Please tell me he kicked that moron where it hurts."
Harry snorted again. "Twice, and then once upside the head when Chatt leaned over to protect himself. Mind, Franz landed on his arse from losing his balance..."
Gil chuckled. "He is awkward, but he has a natural sense of fighting, even if he needs to work a bit on fine-tuning his movements."
Harry shook his head. "I'll take your word for it. Physical fighting is just not my cup of tea." He glanced away as thoughts of physical fighting invariably brought him back to Jack. He'd thought it would be easier if he and the human boy parted ways before he got too attached.
Gil considered him for a long moment, then said, "What happened, Harry? You're not wandering the forest because of Lord Nogueira's death, nor are you moping because Lord Zane threw you off a cliff. Honestly, after I found out what he did, I half expected you to come barging into the City of Flowers and take him over your knee like you used to do to us when we were still kids."
Harry smiled. "You all were so cute as children. Now you're all taller than me and little terrors."
Gil grinned, unrepentant. He and Zane in particular had driven Harry batty as children. Once they grew up a bit, Zane decided to hate Harry for always being the one to lay down the law when he was visiting with the light elves, but Gil had understood that they'd needed to be punished for a number of the things they'd gotten away with, and Harry had never been one to shy away from it like the elder at the time was, after their parents died in the war.
"Don't think I didn't consider coming by and telling him off," Harry said. "But I know I was at least partially to blame. Though, really, throwing me into a chasm?"
Gil snorted. "Let it not be said that Lord Zane does things halfway."
"More like he takes it to extremes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: He's damn lucky I'm no normal human or I'd have died a dozen times over by now." Harry shook his head as Gil laughed. "Yeah, you laugh now. I'd like to see you survive a drop into a chasm. Without your wings."
Gil shuddered and flexed his wings. "No, thank you. I'll happily continue to leave all narrow escapes to you."
Harry chuckled a bit and leaned his head back against the tree behind him. "I don't know if you've heard, but I met Cairn's son in Radiata."
Gil let out a sharp breath. "Cairn's son? I don't... I remember he had a daughter, Cepheid knows he wouldn't shut up about her, but a son?"
"I think he was born either shortly before or shortly after Cairn died," Harry replied. "Jack. He was part of the group who tried to talk trade with the elves."
Gil shook his head. "If Lord Zane had known who came asking–"
"Gawain's son was also in the group."
Gil whistled.
"But I don't think Zane would have changed his mind, even had he known. For one, Genius was with them. For another, they weren't there to be friends, but to be humans."
Gil sighed and shook his head again. "I wish Lord Zane would get off that. It's only worse since Lord Nogueira died, you know. He's blaming the human girl that was saved."
Harry blinked. "Why is he...? No, never mind." He closed his eyes and knocked his head back against the tree. "Where did I go wrong with that boy?"
Gil chuckled. "So, Cairn's son. And Gawain's son. What was his name? Grand? Garfield?"
"Ganz," Harry offered. "Ganz Rothschild and Jack Russell."
Gil let out a vaguely sad sound. "I'd love to meet them. Their fathers were so..." He trailed off when he saw the sorrowful expression on Harry's face. "Cairn's son, Jack. What happened?"
Harry shrugged. "He found out I'm not a normal human. He's been having a bit of a hard time of it lately, with being split up from friends, and I sort of promised I wouldn't be far away. And then he found out I'd eventually leave when it became obvious I wouldn't age..."
"You swore you'd never tell a human," Gil said, shocked. "You swore..."
"Parsec visited. Some things were said. Jack found out." Harry shrugged again.
Gil shook his head. "So, what? You just up and left when he couldn't handle it? That's not like you, Harry."
"Shove it," Harry snapped, drawing his knees to his chest and hunching over them. "He left first. Clarence came to give me the all clear, so I came back. I had some potions to make and there was nothing to read there and–"
"You ran," Gil said, shocked. "You ran away."
"I didn't run!"
"You could have gone to talk to him."
"I–" Harry clenched his hands angrily. "The ball's in his court! He knows where to find me."
Gil shook his head. "You actually ra–"
Harry snapped his wand out and shoved it in Gil's face. "Enough."
Gil's mouth snapped shut and he eyed the wand warily. "Sorry," he whispered. He was perfectly aware of the amount of damage Harry could do with that stick. He wasn't willing to tempt fate just to be shocked by Harry doing something so completely against everything Gil knew about the man...
Harry glared at him for a moment, then shoved his wand back away. "Tell me how things are going in the City of Flowers."
Gil swallowed and proceeded to do so.
Harry was just about to step onto the path from the shortcut he'd taken when he heard voices ahead.
"Hey, how much further do we have to go?" asked a young woman's voice.
"Almost there," replied that of a male.
Harry poked his head around a tree and blinked in surprise at the duo headed off the path towards where the cocoons of lights elves infected with algandars lay. One was Genius, which didn't really surprise him, but the other, judging from her hair, was Ridley, and that did surprise him. What was the young woman doing out here?
Since they were clearly headed in the same direction, Harry cast silencing and invisibility spells on himself, wanting to know what they were up to. Visiting Nogueira could wait an extra ten minutes or so.
When the two humans stopped just shy of the clearing, Ridley asked, "Genius, why did you bring me here?"
Genius shushed her and pointed her towards the cocoon where Nogueira was entombed. After a moment, Zane stepped out of the forest from another direction and walked up to the cocoon.
"Who is that?" Ridley whispered.
"It's Zane, leader of the light elves," Genius supplied.
"Of course. He looks just like Lord Nogueira."
Genius looked pained. "There's something I have to tell you... Something terrible... Lord Nogueira...is dead."
Ridley jerked backwards in surprise. "He can't be!"
"He's been entombed here. That cocoon you see holds Lord Nogueira's dead body," the mage explained.
Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised that Genius knew all this, or that he was actually showing sorrow for the loss of Nogueira.
"Where are we?" Ridley whispered, sounding shaky.
"This is the graveyard of the elves. It's a place in which the fates of elves and humans are deeply entwined."
"The graveyard...of the elves?"
Zane spoke then, looking up at what was left of Nogueira. "Like the elf king of old, my brother lies dead. But why? That ancient king brought the human female and child to that benighted castle, and there the dark elves were born, along with algandars. For the first time, that terrible disease exposed the immortal elves to death. No one was immune. Even the king himself fell victim to it. It infected and killed him."
Zane paused in his monologue, clenching a fist, then practically shouted, "Now it returns to claim my own flesh and blood! When our bodies decay and fall away because of disease or age, elves do not die. The transpiritation lets our spirits fly to different bodies, where they can mingle with other souls. But, the cursed algandars shuts our souls deep, deep within these cocoons. My brother! Why did you perform the transpiritation on that human girl!? To break the natural laws that separate elf and human... Algandars was your inevitable reward. Brother! Why in the world did you bring this fate upon yourself!?"
Ridley looked shocked and hurt as she whispered, "Was this...because of me?"
Harry frowned, then moved quickly around the two humans even as Zane started again.
"Human filth! How much will you make us suffer before you are satisfied? Will you take and destr–"
"That's enough," Harry ordered, stepping into the clearing. "Nogueira's death was no fault of Ridley's, Zane, as you well know."
"He'd still be alive if it weren't for that harlot!" Zane snapped, turning on him.
"For another month, perhaps. I've told you before, there's no way to stop algandars. Once you're infected, that's it. He'd already been sick for months, it was his time."
"It wasn't! He was still needed!"
"Now you're just acting like a child. Must I take you over my knee like one?"
Zane lashed out with a cutting wind spell, which Harry casually directed off into the woods, away from the two humans hiding in the underbrush. "You would mock me again? Need I remind you that you're on my land?"
Harry scoffed. "The air is your land, you fool child. This ground is for those who don't have wings."
"You'd give it to the humans, then? Those same humans that killed my brother?"
"Magic killed your brother," Harry snapped. "And don't act like light elves are the only ones suffering for the mistakes of the past! Dark elves disappearing in the woods without a trace, dwarves turning to stone before their eyes, humans going mad and killing everyone around them before they kill themselves. As ever, you ignore the sorrows of other races to dwell on the pain of your own. How very human."
Zane's eyes flashed and he unleashed a torrent of wind and light towards Harry. Harry shoved forth a great deal of energy towards protecting the two humans he could still sense in the trees behind him, leaving himself open to the attack.
When it was over, he ached something fierce and felt blood dribbling from numerous wounds, but he still darted forward and shoved his wand in Zane's throat, eyes blazing with a green fury. "If you ever attack me like that again, Zane, I will tear out your intestines and choke you with them. Do you understand?"
Zane swallowed and jerked backwards and up. After staring for a moment in shock and not a little fear, he flew away.
Harry carefully put his wand away, then turned towards the forest. "Are you two still alive back there?"
Wide-eyed, Ridley and Genius stepped out. They both sported a few minor cuts, but were otherwise just fine. "How did you–?" Genius asked.
Harry waved him off, wincing, then pulled out his pouch and sorted through it for some pain potions. "I saw you on the road. Followed you." He choked a potion back and breathed out a breath of relief as his pain dissipated. He pulled out two more potions and waved them over to Ridley and Genius. "Drink them."
Genius immediately knocked his back, but Ridley stared at Harry. "How did you survive?"
"I will force that down your throat, nobility or no," Harry replied, turning his magic to his ruined tunic. "Damnit, Zane."
Ridley drank the potion, gasping at the slight burn it left, then demanded, "How did you survive?"
Harry rose an eyebrow at her. "Magic," he deadpanned, shaking out his tunic. It was mostly fixed, but there were some places where too much fabric was missing for him to properly be able to fix it. He'd have to trash it when he got back to the Forest Metropolis, unless he wanted to brave the City of Flowers and ask about a new shirt.
On the other hand, that could be a lot of fun.
"What do you know about algandars?" Genius asked. "I've heard it mentioned before, usually in passing in a book, but..."
"The books by Master Potter?" Harry inquired. He was the only author in the Vareth library who'd ever mentioned the name algandars in reference to the disease, so far as he knew, and since he'd read most of the the books in that library...
Genius nodded. "Yes. He's... a curious fellow. I take it you've read him?"
Harry chuckled. "Rather. Most of my findings are based on his research, mind you, so you probably know everything I might tell you."
"Then tell me," Ridley said, stepping forward and looking determined. "Is it true that Lord Nogueira didn't die because of me?"
"Lord Nogueira was sick long before your party came to the Forest Metropolis," Harry assured her, carefully sitting on the ground and leaning back against Nogueira's cocoon. At their horrified looks, he said, "He won't mind, he's dead."
"Let the dead rest in peace," Ridley complained.
Harry shrugged, not bothered enough to walk over to a tree and wanting something against his back. "Algandars is named after the castle it was first seen in, Algandars Castle, in the Ocho Region. This was back in the days when elves controlled most of Tottaus, so Algandars was ruled by an elven king. The king at the time saw, one day, a beautiful human woman and fell in love with her on sight. He had her and her son brought to the castle and fed them, had them cleaned up and so forth. Eventually, the human woman fell in love with the elven king and they lay together and had children. These children became what are now known as the dark elves.
"Something about that melding of races caused an imbalance in the world; more specifically, it caused an imbalance in the magic that controls all living things in Tottaus. The sudden imbalance caused a backlash, which infected those in the castle with a horrible disease, a disease that struck every race differently. In the light elves, it pained them every time they used magic and ate at their life force, eventually killing them and forming a hard cocoon around them, trapping their spirit inside.
"In humans, it took the form of a three-part illness; first, the person gains unimaginable strength; then, they start going mad, trying to kill everyone around them; last, they turn on themselves, wracked with self hatred for the horrors they may or may not have committed, and they kill themselves with whatever is handy." Harry eyed the two humans; both were pale and had taken seats on the ground across from him to listen. "In dwarves, the illness slowly turns them to stone, which can take anywhere from a week to a year."
"A year?" Ridley whispered.
Harry nodded grimly. "I'm told it is excruciating. They usually prefer to commit suicide, rather than sit the process through. The other affected race was the dark elves. None of us are quite certain how the disease affected them, as they simply disappear one day, with no trace of them. They disappear away from anyone else, and the only warning sign is a gradual withdrawal from others.
"When the king of Algandars Castle, all those centuries ago, realised that everyone was falling deathly ill, he sealed the castle and layered magic over it to warn people away. Those elves that survived moved as far from the castle as they could and settled around Wind Valley. With so few elves left, the humans took control of what was left of the broken kingdom and built Radiata, becoming the new power in Tottaus. Because the light elves used to rule, and because it was the addition of human blood to the royal line that caused so many deaths, the light elves have forever been butting heads with the humans."
"So it is the fault of us humans," Ridley decided.
"Not...necessarily," Genius replied, frowning. "The king was the one who fell in love first, right?"
"That is correct," Harry said, though Genius hadn't really been looking for an answer.
Genius nodded to him anyway, then looked back at Ridley. "If the king was the one who brought her into his home for love, it was his fault."
"You don't choose who you love," Ridley retorted. "That's like saying it was the woman's fault for being attractive."
"So we are blaming the human."
"No, that's not what I–! Argh!"
Harry chuckled. "I have always placed the blame on both races, equally. There were a number of factors involved, but both parties made unwise choices, and those choices led to where we are now, with algandars rampaging through what's left of the elves and Radiata, taking lives indiscriminately."
"Isn't there a cure for it?" Ridley asked. "There must be."
"It's not a physical illness, despite all the signs that point to that," Harry replied, shaking his head. "It's magical, and since it affects the humans just as much as the elves, it's in the magic of the planet, not the magic of the user."
Ridley shook her head, confusion creasing her brow. "I don't understand."
"The planet is full of magic," Genius offered, tapping the ground. "It helps things to grow, provides us with clean water and regulates the weather. Humans tap into that magic, which is what allows us to cast spells. The elves, though...their magic is innate, it's a part of them. They don't have to tap the planet to cast spells, which makes them all the more deadly in combat."
"You really have read Master Potter," Harry commented. "I'm impressed."
Genius sniffed. "I read his books, then I went out to verify everything myself. All of my findings agreed with his."
Harry smiled. "You're beginning to grow on me, Genius."
Genius sniffed again.
Ridley coughed. "There's no cure?" she asked.
"Not unless you have a way to heal the magic of the whole planet," Harry replied grimly. "The elves have been working on that for centuries without any luck."
Ridley bit her lip and nodded, looking like the world had just come crashing down around her. Next to her, Genius closed his eyes, having long ago reached a conclusion very much like that.
Harry considered them for a moment, then said, "The only way I can think of to heal the planet is an event that will be occurring sometime within the next few years. I can't say much about it, as I don't know much, but I can say this: If anything could heal the damage, it's this event."
"What is it?" Genius asked, eyes brightening.
"An awakening," Harry offered cryptically, "and a sleeping. The changing of brothers."
"Do you know what it will be? When?" Ridley pleaded. "Give us some idea?"
"I know what it is, to a point," Harry offered, "but I can't tell you when, as there's no set moment. Events must conspire just right for everything to work out, and I'm uncertain about the details. The last time this event occurred was almost five hundred years ago. Not something any of us were alive for, and it was before any writings we might have. Any history of it is lost to us."
"But there's a chance this will fix things?" Ridley needed to know.
Harry nodded. "A chance, yes."
A faint smile pulled at the girl's lips and some tension left her. "So there's hope."
"Oh, there's always hope," Harry replied, then groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, leaning ever so slightly against Nogueira's cocoon as a dizzy spell came over him. Once it passed, he dug through his pouch for one of the last blood replenishing potions he had from his old world – he'd yet to find materials that would be suitable replacements for the things he couldn't get in this world. He knocked it back and closed his eyes, letting it help him.
"Are you okay?" Ridley asked, getting to her own feet and stepping over to him.
Harry smiled and tucked the empty vial away. "Fantastic," he assured her, then considered his tunic. "Well, okay. Maybe not fantastic, but I will be, just as soon as I get a new shirt."
Ridley smiled in relief, then paused and frowned at him. "I don't even know your name, and yet... I feel as though I've known you my whole life."
Harry eyed her curiously, then shrugged. "Your soul was merged with that of the light elf, Hap's. I've known her a long time." He offered her uncertain expression a smile. "Don't think on it, Lady Ridley. The world is a strange, convoluted place."
"His name is Harry," Genius offered, coming over to stand with them. "He's the one who killed the blood orc."
Ridley looked startled for a moment, then looked Harry over with respect gleaming in her green eyes. "You must be strong. I mean, I know you can go head-to-head with Lord Zane, but..." She coughed. "Sorry. Um, is there a last name with that?"
Harry rose an eyebrow at her. "Not for a very many years now," he replied. "Elves have no use for last names, so I gave mine up."
"Oh. So..."
"I'm simply Harry, your ladyship," Harry replied with a bit of mischief.
Ridley flushed, then made an aborted movement with her hand. She stared at it for a moment in shock, then let it drop to her side. "We should be getting back to Radiata," she told Genius.
"I'll walk with you to the pig," Harry offered, pushing off from the cocoon.
"Yes, of course."
Just before they exited the clearing, Harry glanced back at the cocoon that had once been Nogueira. "Rest easy, child," he whispered, then hurried after the two humans.
As the entrance to the City of Flowers came into sight, Genius wondered, "What did you say to Lord Zane? He looked almost...terrified."
"Wondering if you can use it to get into the City of Flowers?" Harry replied.
Genius shrugged. "It might work."
Harry smiled and shook his head. "It would only work if you intended to follow through."
"What was it, then?" Ridley asked.
Harry eyed her, then said, "A bit too violent, I think, for this pleasant weather."
Ridley frowned at him. "Violent? Why would you threaten violence? I thought you were friends with the elves."
"Some of them," Harry agreed. "But this is the second time in the past week that Zane's almost killed me when he's lost his temper. I'm quite done with him."
"Almost killed you?" Ridley looked shocked. "But... why?"
Harry smiled and nodded to the pig just ahead of them. "Safe trip, Lady Ridley, Master Genius." Then he turned and started back towards the City of Flowers. He needed a new shirt, and he and Zane should probably sit down and actually talk, without human ears about, this time.
"But what did you threaten him with?" Genius called.
Harry glanced back, still smiling and said, "I told him that if he attacked me again, I'd choke him with his own intestines," he offered, then continued on up to the waterfall. Shin and Fan were floating there, looking vaguely green. "Move."
"And let you curse Lord Zane?" Shin snapped.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the light elf. "I have no intention of doing Zane any harm so long as he keeps his bloody attempts on my life to himself."
Shin crossed his arms. "You need the permission of an elven elder to get in, and Lord Zane doesn't want to see you."
"Might I remind you who helped raise Zane?" Harry replied. "I'm de facto elder for the dark elves right now, so move."
Fan moved to one side and said, "Shin, let him pass."
"But he'll–"
"I can make you move," Harry reminded him drily.
Shin jerked out of the way as quickly as he could.
Harry nodded and started up into the city. First, a shirt. Then he'd go talk with Zane.
-0-0-0-0-0-
A/N: I'm sure we can all guess how that talk's going to go. *snort*
So, I realised while taking a break from writing this chapter, that Harry might come across as a bit Gary-Stu-ish. Sorry if that offended anyone. I didn't intend for that to happen, and it bothers me a bit, but I haven't the energy to re-write it.
Next chapter, Harry and Jack should resolve their issues. Also, the start of the war.
Cheers!
~Bats ^.^x
Prologue - Falling
1 - Elves ||| 2 - Humans ||| 3 - Let It Go
7 - To Build an Army ||| 8 - Power Over Life ||| 9 - Arbitrator
10 - Blood-Filled Days ||| 11 - Hic Sunt Dracones
...
