CHAPTER 15:

STASIS QUO

As they broke camp in the morning, ready to move out once more, as they had for the past month or so, Casca looked down at the diary that was the sole reminder of the one she loved, the one she had quarrelled with. Now he was trapped, frozen like a fly in amber, as good as dead, and she couldn't do anything about it. And she hated it. More than anything else, she hated weakness and impotence, not as much a lack of physical strength as much as the ability to do anything to redress the situation.

And what a situation they'd ended up in. It had taken until they captured one of their pursuers that they found out why they had been attacked. Casca cursed Guts often these days, but she also cursed Griffith. Guts may have caused Griffith's breakdown, his lapse in judgement, but it was Griffith who bedded Princess Charlotte…and thus catalysed this crusade against the Band of the Hawk. Indeed, it was becoming more of a crusade with the Holy See getting involved: soon after they were forced to flee, the Holy See set up camp around the bubble formed when that stasis rune went off. It was rumoured that even the feared inquisitor Mozgus had taken a personal interest in the case.

She opened up the paired diary, the one Judeau gave her after that horrid morning. Night after night, since the pursuit began, she had written in it. She poured out her feelings to it, hoping beyond hope that it would show something when she woke up. A reply from Harry, whether it be a tirade or a term of endearment. But nothing came.

Until this morning. Until she saw five words that brought such a sense of relief to her heart.

I'm here, Cas. I'm alive.

When he'd woken up, it was to find himself trapped in what looked like a marble, space warping and shimmering around him. In truth, he knew it was the event horizon of a runaway stasis field, something that couldn't be crossed without major harm, only dispelled. He could see the blurs of movement around the area. The brief appearance of fires, of shadows and forms.

It took him a few minutes to take stock, and another few minutes to stew in self-recrimination for what happened. He didn't regret the sentiments he expressed to Casca, just the wording he used, the alienation between them. And now, here he was trapped, and he had no way of knowing whether she was dead or alive. Then, inspiration struck. He remembered the diary Judeau took, and its twin was on the table. He opened it up, and found Casca's familiar writing, sometimes a messy scrawl, other times, its usual rather pragmatic script. She bared her heart to him, not knowing whether he was still alive…and she wrote of what happened.

He cursed Griffith, snarled and roared, before he finally calmed, and read. So, the Holy See finally made their move, had they? He looked at the stasis rune on the stone, and with an amateur eye, roughly estimated how long he'd be trapped. Thankfully, it wouldn't be for eternity. Unfortunately, he didn't think meddling any further with a runaway reaction was at all wise.

So he got to writing. Though a minute in here was likely to be several hours out there…

It was agony to wait as every letter crawled at an infinitesimal pace, and Casca felt that riding and commanding only proved to be minor distractions. As they made camp the next time, she opened up the diary, and found that he had added to the missive.

Runes in runaway cascade. Will be freed eventually. But not for eleven months. Sorry. Will be eleven hours for me. Stay alive, Cas.

Casca chuckled ruefully. "Easy for you to say." She'd told Judeau and Rickert about it, but none of the others. There might be either false hope or resentment. Eleven months…a long time to wait when you were being pursued.

Eleven months did pass, spent in agony for both Harry and Casca. The agony was great for Harry because it meant eleven hours (not counting the time spent unconscious and coming to grips with the situation) confined to a relatively small place, unable to help Casca. The agony for Casca was even worse, given that it was eleven months on the run, harassed and harried by the King's hired swords.

Eventually, Harry knew the time had come, and he prepared himself for battle. He didn't know it, but the Holy Iron Chain Knights were waiting for him…

Harry watched as the field began to be less distorted, the time fields once more coming into sync, the stasis effect loosening. He could now make out figures rather than blurs, and he could see one figure in particular watching him intensely. She was familiar, and it took him a moment to realise why. And he groaned when he realised he had seen that particular blonde hair with twin ponytails before. Farnese de Vandimion.

And then, the stasis field collapsed, leaving Harry in a field with the Holy Iron Chain Knights, a couple of dozen of them at this moment. Farnese and that blonde boy Serpico, who happened to be nearby at this point, looked surprised when it did. They'd probably been expecting this, true, but not for it to happen right now.

Harry decided to take advantage of this by smiling winningly in his best imitation of Tom Baker, complete with boggling eyes(1), and said, "Hello there! My name is Harry Potter, you are Farnese de Vandimion, you are Serpico, and I presume that these are the Drafted Rich Kid Knights(2)."

Farnese's mouth, which was already open slightly in surprise, was now just gaping in absolute shock. Serpico, who seemed to have a perpetual squint, had opened his eyes wide, blinking. A few hastily stifled snorts and giggles broke the two out of their shock, and Farnese whirled and favoured them with a glare. Serpico, after a moment, cleared his throat. "My lady?"

Farnese turned back to Harry, giving Serpico a brief nod of thanks for bringing her attention back to the matter at hand. She then cleared her own throat. "We are the Holy Iron Chain Knights, and we have been ordered to take you into custody, to answer charges of heresy and assisting the traitor Griffith and the outlaw group known as the Band of the Hawk through witchcraft."

"Okay, can I point something out?" Harry asked. "I mean, I'd ask where your proof is, but you seem like a bunch of rabid religious fanatics who think proof is for other people." Quietly, to himself, he said, "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt…well, without the religious fanaticism part. Wouldn't be surprised if the likes of Umbridge or Fudge were rabid. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is…EXPELLIARMUS!"

A wave of magic blasted out from Harry, and almost all of those present were flung backwards, their weapons landing at his feet. "…I've been holding back, really. Most of what I did in the Band of the Hawk, combat-wise, was done without magic," he said to Farnese and Serpico as they picked themselves off the ground. With a gesture, the weapons rose into the air, hovering in front of Harry, between him and the Holy Iron Chain Knights. "Now…I'll put it to you bluntly. You have NOT brought enough people to deal with me. I've got your weapons, a lot of magic, and a very bad mood, due to being kept in stasis for a year. What have you got?"

"Faith and numbers!" Farnese said arrogantly, though fear clearly danced in her eyes.

"Which mean bugger all," Harry said. "You know what grapeshot is, right? Imagine all these weapons being grapeshot. You're all young, too young to be playing warriors for your god, who's probably an arsehole." He noticed that Serpico was inching closer to Farnese in a protective gesture. "And I don't like killing, not unless you yourselves are unrepentant killers. And for the record, I think that Griffith was a moron to go and fuck Princess Charlotte without the King's consent. But don't meddle in the affairs of wizards, for we are subtle and quick to anger, only, I'm not actually subtle. So, do yourselves a favour, and piss off, or I will…"

But then, he was cut off when an arrow came speeding towards him, followed by more. He moved the swords and weapons to intercept the volley, with Serpico all but dragging Farnese out of the line of fire. He sighed. "…Do this," he groaned. And then, he acted.

The swords and lances and the like flew through the air like a blizzard of metal death. The sensible ones flung themselves to the ground, including Farnese and Serpico. Soon, about half the Holy Iron Chain Knights present were dead, and a few others were injured. For good measure, he fired Stunners at the remaining ones, until only Farnese and Serpico were left, the latter interposing himself between Harry and Farnese. "What did you do?" he demanded, his eyes now open in a frankly impressive glare, managing a Snape on the glare scale.

"I knocked the survivors out. Be thankful that I warned you. Personally, I really should kill you. Your little group of fanatics are more trouble than they're worth. But I have literally better things to do." Serpico's head snapped back when the Stunner hit him, causing him to fall backwards.

Farnese, however, was staring at Harry, her anger and outrage dwarfed by fear…and perhaps a little awe. "…What are you?" she whispered.

"I'm Harry Potter. I used to be the Boy Who Lived. I've faced down an immortal warlock, a dragon, and Nosferatu Zodd," Harry said. "Do you understand? I'm an army unto myself. I may not be invincible, or invulnerable, but frankly, do you want some advice for dealing with me in future?" He knelt down in front of her, weariness on his face, before whispering to her, "Stay the fuck out of my way. Because otherwise, I will send you to your god, who, as I said, is probably an arsehole." A strobe of red light, and Farnese was unconscious once more.

With a weary sigh, he packed up the table, and then took as many of their weapons as he could. He was sure that the Band of the Hawk would find them useful, and he still had his mokeskin pouch. "Hang on, Cas," he muttered. "I'm coming…"

When he Apparated to the area he thought was close to Casca, he nearly got decapitated by a startled Kushan. Only by Apparating to a nearby rock did he avoid that. "Fuck, what's your problem?!" he yelped, noting that he wasn't far from a campground that was being attacked, by Kushans and other soldiers.

The dark-skinned Kushan frowned at him from behind the veil covering his mouth. He wore what should have been gear better suited to the desert, his cold, green eyes regarding Harry. Harry sent an Expelliarmus at the man just as he charged, and his blades, along with chakrams, were sent everywhere. The man sprawled onto the ground, but hopped up swiftly. "So…the rumours are indeed true, that the Band of the Hawk was assisted by a sorcerer."

"I'm a wizard. Harry Potter at your service, especially if you decide to leave."

"I will have to decline. I am Silat, of the Bakiraka clan," the man said.

Harry frowned. Not so long ago, shortly before Guts left, he and Casca were discussing events elsewhere. This included the Kushan Empire, and some of its more infamous denizens. "An exiled clan of Kushan assassins," he muttered. "The King hired you, didn't he? I didn't think he'd go for Kushans. I guess when he's got a grudge against us because of the stupidity of our leader, he doesn't care. I'll put it to you this way. He hasn't paid you enough to deal with me, because I'm tired of killers trying to give us grief. How much would it cost me to hire your services away from the King?"

"Sadly for you, more than you'd be able to afford," Silat said, picking up one of his blades.

Harry fished out a golden coin from his clothes, enchanting it with a Portkey spell. Wordlessly, he tossed it at Silat, who didn't make to catch it, instead blocking it with his weapon. The moment it made contact, however, he disappeared. Harry had sent him back to the very field the Holy Iron Chain Knights were.

He then strode onto the campground, his lance at the ready. He saw the various Kushans and mercenaries who looked to be hired closer to home, attacking the Band of the Hawk. A cheer went up from the Band of the Hawk. "He's back!" he heard what had to be Rickert. He saw Casca, looking bedraggled and weary, and their eyes met. A brief smile touched both of their lips, before Harry returned his gaze to the opposing soldiers, who had paused their fighting briefly to look at the newcomer.

"Hello," Harry called out. "My name is Harry Potter. I'm a wizard, and also pretty fucking annoyed. If you don't want to see how annoyed I am, then…" An arrow came at him, and he sighed as he blocked it. "…Don't do that. What is wrong with you people? Kushans, I just sent your leader quite a way…" After a moment, he pointed behind him. "That way. If you value him, I suggest you hurry up and get him. Otherwise…"

And then, suddenly, a Kushan charged at him with whip-like blades. Harry blew his head off with a Cutting Curse, blood and brain matter going everywhere. "Stop fucking interrupting me! I am in a VERY bad mood!"

"Well then," came a voice from next to him, a familiar and, frankly, welcome voice. "Do you mind if I cut in?"

Harry realised that standing next to him was Guts, still with that damned sword of his. "You know what, Guts? I'd love that."

The battle, by that point, was rather swift to conclude. Harry was no longer holding back his magic, and Guts was a force of nature unto himself. But as the soldiers cheered them both, Harry had eyes only for one. He ran over to Casca, and embraced her. "…You okay, Cas?"

"…Not really. But I feel better now that you're here…"

And this was a sentiment shared by the rest of the Band of the Hawk, given the cheer that went up. As much of the Band of the Hawk surrounded Guts, Harry and Casca were left, embracing, alone. And perhaps that was for the best…

CHAPTER 15 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry's broken out, and met a few people who will become very important to him in the future.

Anyway, I dunno when the next chapter will be out, but I hope you enjoy this one all the same. I'm actually getting a hold of the first Berserk omnibus soon, thanks to a pre-order. So maybe you Berserk fans might see more crossovers from me.

1. Tom Baker, is of course, the actor who played the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who, and Harry's dialogue is based a little on a bit of dialogue the Doctor says in City of Death. Incidentally, Tom Baker recently co-wrote a novelisation of an unmade script he co-wrote, Doctor Who: Scratchman. I finished reading it very recently as of writing this, and the novel is actually good, significantly better than the synopsis of the screenplay it was based on…

2. This comes from the trailer of Hawk Abridging's Berserk: The Abridged Series, where this is EXACTLY what Farnese calls the Holy Iron Chain Knights.