Beyond the Outer Gates Lies...A Tenuous Divinity?
"Something was bothering me last night," I told Serafall, as I emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed. We were both wearing normal clothing today, so we wouldn't have to deal with the photographers. Levi-tan was just finishing packing her bag, and I just had to put my sleepwear, comb, and toothbrush away. Then we could check out of our room, and leave the bags with the front desk while we explored the last day of the Con.
"If that's the case, you should have sent me back to my own bed," she teased.
"Not that," I rolled my eyes at her, "It was something you said, when you were talking about you man troubles. But you were on a roll, and I didn't want to interrupt you and spoil the mood."
"What did I say, Harry-chan?" the Maou asked, looking painfully cute in her crop-top PreCure t-shirt and blue jean shorts.
"You described Azazel as 'asexual'," I recalled, "Not exactly the term I would use for an Angel who Fell so he could create a harem, and is almost as breast obsessed as Ise."
"Yeah," she nodded, "That may have been a bit of hyperbole on my part. Ajuka isn't really either. Probably."
"But since the war," she said thoughtfully, "Az-chan has been more interested in research than in girls. Sure, if you gave him the choice between watching 'Gone with the Wind' or going to a strip club, he'd pick the strip club. But offer him a choice between a pole-dancing competition between me, Gabriel, and Aphrodite, and research a new sub-species of Sacred Gear…"
"I see your point," I nodded sagely, zipping my suitcase and locking it. After all, the easiest way to get him to stop meddling in my relationships was to bring up my latest experiments in talisman making or potion brewing.
"And even before the war, he never wanted anything long term," she added, "Mostly one night stands and the occasional one month fling if the woman was attractive enough or had some bit of magical knowledge Az was craving. Sure, he had big harem at first, but it was so big that he could go months without seeing individual girls. Barely like a relationship at all."
"Another good point," I agreed, remembering his reaction when I teased him about settling down and getting married.
"So you know how to pole-dance?" I let my curiosity overwhelm my judgement for a moment. But I kept my expression and tone carefully neutral.
"Yup," she said with just a hint of Danger, "Though I'm not nearly as good as Rias-chan and Ake-chan... Maybe you should come to our class some time. Sona said you like dancing..."
I took the safe route. I grabbed my luggage and hurried out of the hotel room without acknowledging I had heard her.
"You really surprised me back there," I told Serafall, looking down at the literal prize. I was carrying three shopping bags, two oversized ones, and one more normal sized. Only the last one belonged to me, and I slipped the game into it.
"Oh?" Serafall asked, "You didn't think I would be any good at it?"
"Honestly, no," I said without recrimination, "I didn't think fighting games would have been your thing. Maybe more cutesy puzzle games."
"I like those, too," she relaxed, "But this is hardly the first Mahou Shoujo fighting game ever released… I've gotten pretty good, I guess."
"Pretty good?" I snorted, "It's a game you hadn't played before, and you carried the two of us to the finals. If it had been Tsubasa with you, instead of me, you two could have won it. And you would still have been the star of the team."
She blushed slightly.
"Are you sure you don't want this?" I looked down at the outline of sealed package against the bag. It was a copy of the game we had just played, and it wouldn't be released until next week.
"No," her blush deepened, "I already preordered the limited edition PS4 version."
"The one the winners got?"
She nodded. It had been a much bigger box, with a statue, soundtrack, and DLC code.
"Well, we have a few more hours before the last train," I recalled the schedule, "So is there anything else you want to do?"
She brightened.
"Considering we already checked out of the hotel," I reminded her wearily, "And I have to finish my homework on the train."
"Well, there are still a few more booths we haven't checked," she pouted slightly, "Or we could go back to that nice vendor where you got the bookmark."
"She did have some nice jewelry," I remembered, "Might make a decent base for some new talismans I have been thinking about trying to make."
My old earring had run out of juice, and I was working on upgrades, both because of the experience with the Cao Cao and the True Longinus, and because of some of the new calculated spells I had learned.
"Jewelry is good," she agreed, with simple smile, "A simple bronze or copper ring or bracelet is good gift to give a girl early in a new relationship."
"You don't say," I said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
"Yup," she nodded, "Did you know Sona and I both wear a size 7 ring on our right ring fing…"
She trailed off as my phone rang. I looked at the ID, and then showed it to her.
"Hello, Michael," I answered, "What's up?"
"Good afternoon, Dresden-san," the Angel's voice emerged, "I wanted to thank you for your quick and discretely resolution of the incident. And ask you for your billable hours, so that I can send a courier to your home tomorrow after you are done with school."
"You are welcome," I said, "And between the search and interrogations, six and a quarter hours."
"I will round it up to eight, considering your travel time," he told me agreeably.
"I'm sorry you didn't get what you were looking for," I said carefully.
"I would not call this a bad result," Michael countered, "Whatever my hopes and expectations, I would rather not see one of my comrades sin. Still to break the law without sinning…"
"There's a reason Law and Good are different alignments," I said sagely.
"There may be truth in that," he agreed. Then I could almost hear him smiling benevolently, "Well, I will let you enjoy the rest of your afternoon with the Leviathan."
"Thanks, Michael," I looked down at her happily, "I will."
"Dresden-san!" Matsuda and Motohama declared in unison as they entered the classroom. I braced myself. The fact that they used 'san' instead of 'kun' usually meant they had some new, hare-brained scheme to use magic to help them peep or do something else perverted.
I ignored them, planning how best to tell Reya that I would have to skip our normal appointment, so I could meet Michael's agent.
"Dresden-san, we would like to hire you," the bespectacled pervert said humbly.
"What is it this time?" I said cautiously.
"We want you to make us bulletproof," Matsuda proclaimed.
"What now?" I prompted in spite of myself. I didn't see the connection between some sort of low level invulnerability, and their usual antics. Unless they were planning to be heroes to try to win the girl's good will. Like an intentional version of what Ise had done accidentally. Except in their case, I had no illusions that it would work.
"Make us bulletproof," Motohama repeated.
"I heard you," I shook my head, "I'm just confused as to why you want that. Or how you even thought of that is in first place."
"We heard about the bulletproof coats you supposedly make," the Sizes Scouter explained, "We thought that if they can stop bullets, then fists and shinai should be no problem. And we should just skip the jackets and have you cast the spells on us directly."
"And where did you hear about the coats, I wonder?"
I looked around, and the two most likely culprits, Ise and Asia, had not arrived yet. But Motohama's eyes flicked over to where Xenovia was chatting with the kendo girls again. I glared at the Knight's chin.
"Tee hee," she said, sticking out her tongue and tapping the side of her head. Normally when Japanese girls made that gesture, they affected a ditzy look and said it in a cutesy sing song voice. The former exorcist didn't seem to get it, she kept her usual stiff expression and stern, near monotone. So the effect was lost.
"You know what, sure," I told the duo. And for a moment you could have heard a pin drop in the classroom, as all the girls turned to look at me in surprise and some cases, betrayal.
"Really?" they asked in unison.
"Yeah, let's do it," I nodded, and they high-fived each other.
"To start, we'll have to carve the runes and glyphs into your chests and backs," I said with innocent thoughtfulness, "A quarter…. no, probably a half an inch wide to be safe."
The girls blinked and started to smile slightly.
"Carve?" Motohama protested weakly.
"You're right," I bobbed my head again, and they looked relieved. Then I continued, "Branding them would be much more precise and repeatable."
"Brand?" Matsuda squeaked.
"And then we'd want put salt and lemon juice on the burns, so they scar up good," I pretended to ignore them, seemingly lost as I contemplated my magic.
"Scars?" they cringed in unison. I believe I already explain my host country's aversion to scars.
"Then, once they heal up," I was barely able to keep from smirking as Lash whispered in my ear, "We'll have to tattoo over the top of them, to implant the reagents."
"Tattoo?" the duo were on the verge of tears. Japanese culture frowned on tattoos as well. Rumor had it a voice actress had been blacklisted for getting a cute and tasteful rose on her shoulder. She had to get it removed and write a formal letter of apology, before anyone would hire her again. Generally, anyone with a tattoo was expected to be a criminal, of either the organized variety or the low-life thug variety.
"But some of the reagents are a little poisonous," I mused, "It probably won't kill you, but might cause blindness or impotence."
They shuddered at that. And moved subtly towards the door.
"So, I'm busy today," I continued, as if they had not backed away, "And I'll need to make the brands. What do you say we get started on Wednesday? Oh, and it will be about 200,000 yen, each."
That gave them the out.
"Well, that is a little expensive," Motohama said in poorly faked regret.
"We might need a little while to save up the money," Matsuda agreed.
"Maybe the rest of the class could help you," Murayama piped up from the other side of the room, grinning vengefully, "After all, we would all like to get a chance to see the results of Dresden-san's magic for ourselves."
"Oh, no," the bald pervert protested, "We could not possibly let you do that."
"We might be able to work out an installment plan," I suggested.
"No, that is quite alright."
"Wouldn't want to bother you."
"We're too young to go into debt."
"Especially to a wizard."
"Alright," I shrugged, "But if you change your minds…"
"We'll let you know," they agreed in stereo, and then darted out of the classroom. A moment after they were gone, rest of the class burst out in cheers and laughter.
"Did we miss something?" Ise sounded bewildered as he escorted Asia into the classroom. That just set the rest of us off even harder.
After apologizing to Reya, I hurried home. Even if he or she would probably not be coming in, with an Angel coming to my house, I still felt the need to straighten up. Though they weren't as impressive as the Angels back home, it was still kind of like having your grandparents come over to see your house.
Or what I expected that would be like, anyway.
Fortunately, the librarian Bishop was not too disappointed. Especially in lieu of our pending date this coming Saturday.
As soon as I was in the door, I started putting games and movies back on the TV stand. I put the game controllers away, and straightened the remotes on the coffee table. Meanwhile, Lash floated around the room, 'helpfully' pointing out dust bunnies, that my shoes were haphazardly stacked in the entryway, the half-full trash can in the kitchen, and the dishes in the sink.
"So who do you think they will send?" I asked her, "I'm guessing not Michael, Gabriel, or any of the other Seraphim, since I don't think Michael would refer to one of them as a courier."
"What makes you so sure the courier will even be one of the Host, my host?" she asked.
"Well, he'd still have to send someone down here, to hire a Human courier and deliver the check to them," I mused, "And if he wanted to hire a Human in Kuoh town…"
"That would probably be you," the Fallen's Shadow nodded.
"Right," I agreed, "And hiring me to deliver my own check sounds more like something Serafall would do."
"I can see the Leviathan doing that as a means to spend more time with you," she said, "Or Azazel if he wanted to discuss research with you. Or your harem."
I ignored that, returning to my original question, "It probably won't be Irina, either. She could just give it to me at school, or walk over any time, so he wouldn't need to tell me in advance she was coming. Maybe one of his other Brave Saints…"
"Does he even have any, besides the young Ace?" she countered.
"Maybe not?" I realized neither Michael nor Irina had mentioned him having used any of his other cards, "In that case, who do you think he will send?"
"Perhaps he will send that girl Lumiel," she suggested, "as part of her penance."
"That would make sense," I said after a moment.
"She certainly seemed frightened of you," Lash added with a smirk, "Sending her to you again could help to warn her against future misdeeds."
"Hey!" I protested. But before I could argue further, the doorbell rang. I glared at her, as I strode over to the door. I opened it up to an unexpected sight.
He looked like he was about thirty. He had dull blonde hair, kept short. He was wearing a simple, blue, cotton, button down shirt and tan slacks. He was not handsome or pretty, but just on the attractive said of plain. Not ugly, but he wouldn't stand out in most crowds.
But it was his eyes. His deep blue orbs were sharp. They had little lines around them, speaking past cares and experience. I recognized them, even though I had never seen this Angel before. At least not on this side of the Outer Gates.
"I wouldn't have expected Michael to send his Spymaster to deliver a simple paycheck," I said sarcastically, not quite meeting his eyes, "Or are you planning on trying to add me to your deck, Uriel-kun. Harry Dresden, Jack of Diamonds…"
His eyes darkened and narrowed.
"Harry B. C. Dresden," he said, his voice firm, angry, and just a bit threatening, "While it is preferable to you shortening it, I will not allow you to apply a diminutive honorific to my name, either."
I froze. Not for the reason you might have been expecting. It wasn't what he said, but more the simple fact that he said it.
Even though most of my magical knowledge and power from my home universe carried over, there were a few differences in Bizzaro World. Most obviously, the fact I could play a fighting game against Tsubasa and win (which only happened once in a blue moon) without blowing up the TV, PS3, or controller. The other big one was that the alternate dimensions here were different than the giant, interconnected, ever changing mess that was the Nevernever I was familiar with.
But the third big one was True Names. Back home, knowing someone's name gave you incredible power over them. You could scry for them through almost any barrier, summon them and force them to act against their will, or even turn them inside out. Here, not so much. When I had started at my previous school, and all my classmates introduced themselves to me, I did a few innocuous experiments. Trying to scry for them, or ward against them. My spells had been no more effective with their True Name, than without them.
It wasn't enough to be sure. But with a few other experiments, Lash and I had come up with three basic theories. The first was that True Names were different in Bizzaro World. Like there was something more than just the name they thought of themselves as. Maybe people and creatures here had some sort of secret serial number. Something they didn't know, but was assigned to them by some god or just the universe itself. The second option was that the magic needed to use True Names was vastly different than what I knew. That special runes or glyphs were required to make the names effective. Or it could have been just that True Names did nothing here. That there was no combination of syllables that symbolically described a certain person and afford a practitioner power over them.
The first two options were not mutually exclusive, and if it was only one of them, I might be able to work it out. But if both of them applied, my chances of getting name magic to work were almost as low as if the third theory was correct.
Uriel saying my abbreviated name hadn't had any mystical effect on me. I hadn't felt any tug, physically or spiritually. But like I said, it was just the fact that he even said my two middle initials. Since I had arrived in Bizzaro World, I had never given out my full name. Never said it out loud, never even written it down. I hadn't even told anyone that I had any middle names. And from everything I had seen, and form my magical studies, it didn't seem like the Angels here could just pluck it out of thin air, the way the ones back home could using Intellectus. So there shouldn't be any way this universe's Uriel could know my True Name. And it was pretty unlikely that he both guessed I had two middle names, and what letters they started with.
And then there was the blatantly allusion to the time I had shortened my Uriel's name, and he not so subtly threatened to unmake me, if I did it again. And I remembered vividly my response to him.
"Mr. Sunshine?" I asked tentatively, my eyes widening. The anger went out of his face, and he smiled at me enigmatically.
"Uhh," I stammered, "Would you like to come inside?"
He followed me back in, removing his shoes, and then sitting on couch by the window, all without saying a word. I closed the door, double checked my wards, and then threw up a few more privacy spells.
"Is it really you?" I demanded, "How did you get here? Wait, if you got here, does that mean that I can…"
He held up his hand to stop me.
"Before you get your hopes up," he told me gently, "I am not the Uriel from your original universe. You closed the Gate, your allies barred it, and you added your own seals on this side. Nothing can exit or enter your home world. Well, there are a few exceptions, by those are rare and unique, and none would allow you to return, or allow your Uriel to come here or myself to travel there."
"Then how do you know where I am from, or what my name is?" I asked, a bit of anger creeping in, "Do you Angels have Intellectus? Have all of you known the whole time?"
"I am the only one who knows, and no, I do not possess the ability to suddenly know things just by wanting or needing to," he said, not annoyed by my reaction, "Nor does any being in this world, now that He is no longer with us. I have an alternate means of gaining information, and my ability to share what I learn is severely limited."
"What does that even mean?" I shook my head.
"What you called me outside," he reminded, "The Spymaster. What do you think it is most important for a spymaster to have?"
"An eye patch and flying aircraft carrier," I covered my confusion in the usual way. He just smiled benevolently and shook his head. I gave it a little more sincere thought.
"A really good information network," I decided. I felt Lash's shock, and she shared her suspicion with me silently. I matched the direction my mind was wandering.
"You are one of those exceptions," I accused, "You can't travel between universes, but you can communicate with them."
"Specifically, I can share information with my counterparts," he confirmed with a hint of approval, "But is that your insight, or Lasciel's?"
"That's not her name," I said firmly, and I could feel her approval, "And it was both of us. Show off. Does that mean Uriel… my Uriel… knows what's happening here in Bizzaro World?"
"Bizzaro World?" he frowned thoughtfully, "I can see how our world might qualify for one from your world. But no. His Intellectus only extends to the edge of the Outer Gates, so he only knows what he asks and I share. Not that he has asked more than the basics."
"So when a new wizard shows up in town, and shows off a power you know shouldn't exist here, you asked the other Uriels if they were missing a Harry Dresden, and once you find the right one, you started exchanging notes. Like him telling you my full name and that the spirit of intellect in my head is also the former Shadow of a Fallen Angel?"
He inclined his head ever so slightly, and then clarified, "Though my counterpart only gave me your initials, not your full, True Name."
I considered it for a second, and then realized, "Then that means you could give the other Uriel a message to…"
"No," he shook his head sadly, "While I am technically capable of doing what you are thinking, I am restricted from doing so…"
"One of those rules of the universe that forces you to be cryptic and evasive for our own good?"
"Exactly," he agreed, "Even if we could deliver a message for you, without severe penalties for all involved, I would not do so. Do you honestly believe it would help your loved ones in your home universe, to know anything of your current state? Or would they try to do something… unfortunate?"
"Are you certain of this, my Knight?" Mab, Queen of Darkness and Air, regarded me with an uncommonly gentle expression. She was in the full of her power, standing over twelve feet tall and radiating cold and magic like nobody's business. There was a lull in the battle, and I glanced over to where Odin was regrouping the Valkyries and Marcone's mercenaries. Molly and Sarissa were floating behind the three Knights of the Cross, each Lady throwing off almost as much power as their respective Queens. Somehow, in this time and place, the proximity of Winter and Summer felt more like harmony than dissonance, the mix of hot and cold forming a gentle breeze that refreshed our allies.
"Certain?" I chuckled darkly, "Hell no."
I ran my gloved hand through my hair, and then lifted up the splintered shards of my staff. I had broken it on the neck of He Who Walks Beside. At least I thought it was his neck. It was a small price to pay to take out the source of Nemesis. Even if it hadn't cured everyone under his influence, it guaranteed no-one else could be infected. And now there was only one Walker left.
Despite that, the Outsiders' push had gotten worse. Almost like the death of his brothers was making He Who Walks Behind desperate. Unless they had some sort of timeline we did not know about. Even though our newly formed alliance had initially overwhelmed them, the horde was starting to push us back. Just Outside the massive Gates, a new army of nightmares was gathering, greater than we had faced up 'til now. At this rate, it was only a matter of time. Seeing that cemented my decision.
We had an answer. The Outer Gates could be closed. But only from the Outside. Once the two-part metaphor, one-part physical door was shut, it could be barred from the inside. Sealed. But that meant whoever closed it was punching themselves a one way ticket.
"But I am the only choice," I continued, "I am Starborn. Which means even though someone like you or Vadderung may be more powerful than I am, your chances of lasting long enough to close the Gates isn't much higher. And that's assuming your nature and responsibilities would even let you try. No, my queen, it has to be me."
I figured since I was getting ready to march off to my death, it wouldn't hurt to be respectful, just this once. Besides, that way she might also forget I was taking the mantle of Winter Knight with me, and she might not be getting it back.
"Will you promise me one thing?" I asked her softly. She looked at me, her eyes still kind, but I could tell that she was carefully considering my words.
"That depends on what you are asking," she said.
"Keep guarding the Gates," I explained, "What was closed can be opened again. Even if it really is only from this side. I don't want my sacrifice going to waste because some crazy demon or power hungry sorcerer opened the Gates again while you guy weren't looking. Or that there is some kind of exception we aren't aware of. I don't want you getting caught with your proverbial pants down."
I looked her in the eye again, and in my most formal voice, repeated my last request.
"Promise me, my queen, that you will leave twenty percent of your army here, to make sure no-one reopens the Gates, and to guard against future breaches."
"I promise I will leave a full third of my army to guard the Outer Gates," she said, "One fifth at the Gate itself, and the rest spread out along the wall. This world will be guarded, your sacrifice upheld. I swear this as Mab, Queen of the Winter court of the Sidhe."
"Thank you," I said gravely. I handed her the remains of my staff, buttoned up my coat, and lifted my blasting rod.
"Go swiftly, my knight," she leaned down to kiss me on the forehead, and I felt a rush of power flow into me, "We will clear the way for you."
I could feel the Sidhe Queens, all six of them, gathering their power even as I broke into a run. Odin, the Erlking, and Hades too. Hopefully some of our other allies were dwarfed but still contributing. One massive blast, to punch a hole through the Outsiders line, for me to slip through.
As I passed the front line of Fae warriors, running faster than the Beetle had ever managed, a BEAM passed over my shoulder. Silver of the soul, hotter than the sun, and absolute zero, all at once. Their resistance to most magics be damned, the Outsiders evaporated into nothing where our combined power hit them. I could only hope He Who Walks Behind was in its path.
"You're all clear, boss," I heard Molly shout above the growing din. And I could hear the tears in her voice. She was saying what she knew would drive me on, even if it was more or less a lie.
"Now let's blow this thing and go home."
I dove into the gap.
Mab had promised not to let the Gates be reopened. Which meant if Murph, or Molly, or Thomas got it in their heads to try to come rescue me, they would probably get killed. And even if they succeeded, that would just mean the Gates would be open, and someone else would have to be sacrificed. Unless…
"Just for grins," I said carefully, "IF we were to reopen the Gates so I could go back, couldn't someone from here close them? Maybe get Great Red to chase off any Outsiders, and then you or Serafall or Sirzechs can shut them again."
"No," he shook his head almost immediately, "The Gates to a universe can only be closed by one from that universe. At this point, you might not even qualify to seal off your original home world. Were it not for Lash and the Mantle you bear, I would be sure you do not qualify."
"Damn," I sighed, tears rising unbidden. Stupid teenage body.
"Then why tell me all of this?" I demanded sharply, "Why use his words, let me know that you know, give me these little bits of hope just to tear them away?"
"So that you do not do anything foolish, should the chance arise," he said, "And more importantly, to give you someone to talk to. You are keeping your nature secret. I can neither say that this is foolish or wise. It is simply your choice. But that may hurt you, in ways you have not thought of. I may not be able to answer all, or even many, of your questions. But I can answer some of them. And I can listen."
"Beyond that, as you are a special case, a few of my own restrictions are lifted," Uriel continued, sounding somewhat relieved, "Though my brethren are aware I have an alternative means of gathering intelligence, I am not allowed to let them know its source. I can only reveal it to one who already knows firsthand about alternate universes. So while there may be things I cannot reveal to you for other reasons, at least I do not need to hide the source of my knowledge."
I sighed deeply. It was just another example of how human the Angels and Devils in Bizzaro World were. But I could understand his feelings.
Then I remembered something, an instant before Lash prodded me.
"The Outside," I said quickly, "Is it the same as the Dimensional Void, or are they separate? And does anyone in this universe, besides yourself or Great Red, know about the Outsiders?"
He looked at me, proud and possibly relieved, and I just avoided 'Gazing him.
"The Outside and our Dimensional Void are separate," he confirmed, "But more similar and less strictly delimited than the Outside and the Nevernever."
Then he considered his words carefully, and continued, "And there are those in this world who know of the Outsiders. Our rules are less strict than yours, but despite that, basic knowledge is less common. We do have a history with them.
He paused and then said, "If you really want to know about Outsiders, there is one close at hand, who knows more than I do. And she is less restricted in what she can tell you. Especially when one takes into account the fact that she is your teacher."
"Sona?" I frowned dubiously. Then it hit me, "Rossweisse. Wait, I thought she was an expert on…"
"The former Valkyrie has studied a great many things," Uriel interrupted enigmatically.
"I'll take that under advisement," I mumbled, not sure how I could broach the subject with her, or how much I might accidentally give away. Probably just like Uriel wanted.
"Well, if you don't have anything else," I said, "I'd like some time to recover from having my mind blown and my world view inverted. Again."
"Actually, there is one more thing," he said, obviously amused. I gave him an exhausted look and a weak shrug.
"Your check?" he reminded me, holding out the envelope.
Next: Beyond the Outer Gates Lies...a Guest Appearance?