CHAPTER 4:
RAMPAGE
Soon afterwards, Rimuru took Shizue away to speak. Probably something to do with post-war Japan, Harry supposed. He wandered over to his hut, dogged by the thought of home.
Not Magical Britain. Just Earth. Maybe Hogwarts. He wished that was his home, not 4 Privet Drive. The Dursleys were the worst kind of Muggles…well, and not be outright rapists or murderers. Vernon was a thug with delusions of upward mobility. Petunia was a raging jealous bitch, envious of her own sister for having magic. And Dudley was a bully, plain and simple.
The irony is, he didn't have to go back there.
But what of his friends?
No, he didn't want to think of them. Ron, his family, Hermione, Neville…they could all be dead. And even if they weren't, they'd be treated with suspicion by association. Dumbledore…he had visited Harry regularly, promising he was doing all he could to help Harry. If it weren't for the sadness in his eyes, Harry would have lashed out at the old sod. He felt discontent towards Dumbledore, true, but hatred?
He sat there in his hut for a while, before Rimuru finally returned with Shizue. The pair of them entered his hut. "Hey, Harry? I told Shizue about you, and she wanted to talk to you a bit more. I'll leave you two to it, okay?" Rimuru announced.
As the Slime hopped away, Shizue gave a rather sad smile as she removed her mask. "He's rather nice. Too nice for this world. He managed to show me his memories of post-war Japan. To think Tokyo has become a city that can rival New York or London. Did you live in London?"
"Little Whinging in Surrey," Harry said. "It's not far from London. The magic school I attended was in Scotland, though. I thought of it as more of a home than the one I was forced to live in."
"I see. Your life is a sad one. You were an orphan, according to Rimuru. My father…I can't remember his face. He was conscripted into the military when I was too young to remember it," she said. "…I do remember my mother, though. I was old enough to remember seeing her consumed by the flames."
"…War is hell. I'm glad I never really lived through that, I guess. God knows what kind of mess I'd be if I had to live through the Blitz."
"I've learned enough of the history of that war to be at peace with it. In truth, I'm glad I wasn't at Hiroshima or Nagaski. Nuclear weapons gave me the chills when I heard about them." After a moment, Shizue said, "I'm dying."
"…Sorry, what?"
"…I may not look like it, but I'm in my 60s. My body only looks and acts young because of my fusion with the Elemental, Ifrit," she said, with the air of a confession. "In truth, my body is falling apart inside. And there's worse to come." She toyed with her mask pointedly. "This is handy to conceal my identity, but it's more to help control my power…or rather, suppress Ifrit. I know that sooner or later, I won't be able to control him. The damage to it, this crack, it'll only make things worse. Which is why…I'll try to obtain another, and send it here. For you."
"…For me?"
"…Rimuru spoke to me of your Unique Skill, one that is possibly as much a curse to me as Ifrit has. But…I don't want you using this mask, or at least the one I send you, as a crutch. That was my mistake. I didn't learn to control Ifrit as much as I could have. But…"
"Stop right there," Harry said, his voice thick with emotion. "This Obscurus…it's my curse. My own magic turning against me, according to what Rimuru learned. I hate it. I hate my own magic. If only I had been normal, I could have had a happy life, and…and…"
As he teetered on the verge of weeping, Shizue quickly gathered him into a hug, rubbing his back. "It's okay. It's okay. I know exactly how you feel. I'm ashamed of my fame, I'm ashamed of this cursed power. But…I've tried to do good in the world, despite all that. You're a good kid, Harry. Don't spend the rest of your life fearing that power like I did. Try to use it for good. Learn to control it, to master it, lest it master you. And learn to love your magic again. Magic is a wonderful thing. It can be used for good and evil. Don't hate it. Love it."
Shizue's gentle tones helped, but Harry couldn't help but say, "…Easy for you to say."
"I know. And I know what a burden this must be. If I had time, I would try to help you more. But I don't think I have enough time left. I'll do what I can before I leave."
"…Wish I had you as a teacher at Hogwarts," Harry admitted. If she had such a reputation as an adventurer, she'd be a hell of a DADA teacher.
Shizue simply chuckled. "I'm a teacher myself for a group of Otherworlder kids. I'd like to think I picked up a few things…"
Harry had to admit, he was glad he had met Shizue. For all that Rimuru and most of the people of his village were friendly towards them, they weren't human. And Shizue, unlike the adventurers she had tagged along with, was also from Earth. So was Rimuru, but it was a little unnerving listening to that childish voice coming from a blue blob, and Rimuru hadn't quite suffered like Harry had.
Whereas Shizue had probably…no, definitely suffered worst. Summoned while being burned alive during the firebombing of Tokyo, abandoned by the Demon Lord who summoned her, only to have an uncontrollable Elemental inflicted on her as a perverse gift, and struggling with Ifrit for decades. Yeah, Shizue had had it tough, Harry wasn't entirely so self-centred that he would believe he had suffered more than she had.
So her words, as much as he wanted to deny them, nonetheless hit home more than if, say, Rimuru would have said them. It wasn't like it would drag him out of his self-hatred. He'd only been fresh out of imprisonment, first by Magical Britain, and then by Falmuth when they couldn't control him completely…or at least what he had become. But…her words helped.
Harry had tried to repair her mask, but it did little. Shizue appreciated the effort, though. And Harry was glad for it.
It was the next morning, and the adventurers were planning to leave, to report back to this Fuze guy. Harry hoped that Shizue was as good as her word, that she'd find a way to ensure the bounty on him from Falmuth wasn't followed, at least by anyone in Blumund. Hopefully, she would ensure those three adventurers stayed silent.
However, as they left, she began convulsing, moaning in pain. "What's the matter?" Kabal asked.
Harry, realising what might be happening, screamed, "Get away from her, quickly!"
As the adventurers hesitated, Shizue snapped, her voice distorting into an eldritch growl, "Do as he says! Get the people away from here! NOW!"
Flames began to purl around Shizue. Harry, despite his panic, despite his hatred towards his magic, quickly fired off a Stunner. It smacked her in the head, and sent her sprawling.
Unfortunately, though he couldn't have known it, this was the worst thing he could have done.
After a few seconds, Shizue's body spasmed, before jerking into the air, spasming and quivering, like a puppet with tangled strings. The mask clattered to the ground, revealing Shizue's face…her eyes now glowing red with malevolent fire. Suddenly, she seemed to be consumed in flames, before a shape formed out of the flames.
It was demonic, with blood red hair, glowing red eyes and tanned skin. Its only clothing was loose trousers and a horned headdress. And it was looking at Harry.
It spoke one word in a low, sneering tone. "FUTILE."
And then, it fired off a blast of fire, and then, Harry's world was nothing but burning pain…
"HARRY!" Rimuru screamed, as his friend was consumed in flames. Not now! He just gained two new friends, and friends from Earth! A fellow Japanese, and an English kid! Someone he could talk to in terms they could understand!
He hoped his Potions could help save him…assuming he was still alive after that. When the flames cleared, though, what was left was a black, charred mess. It was moving and twitching, but it looked like a parody of a person. One thing Rimuru remembered about Britain was their thing for Guy Fawkes Night, and wondered if those Guy Fawkes effigies looked like that?
Without hesitation, Rimuru spat out a globule containing a Potion at Harry. Hopefully, it would heal him. He only waited long enough to see the healing process begin, before he turned to look at Ifrit. "Why the hell did you do that?"
Ifrit merely pointed to the sky…and summoned a series of fireballs that it began raining down on the area. The scariest thing was, after it had spoken once, it didn't speak again. Hell, the expression wasn't even malevolent or sadistic. It was so flat and emotionless. As if burning shit down was simply what Ifrit did.
But then, Rimuru heard an even more chilling noise. A hoarse scream of pain and fury. Coming from Harry. Rimuru looked to him, and found he was still alive…if covered in burned rags. He was glaring at Ifrit, before he began convulsing and spasming even more violently than Shizue had done before her transformation. Ifrit just looked on, not even seeing it as a threat, just…almost curious, like a cat seeing a mouse that roared.
And then, Harry seemed to dissolve into a thick black smoke-like substance, almost oily-looking, in a transformation that seemed painful as hell. A thick black cloud that suddenly lunged at Ifrit with an eldritch roar. Ifrit had just enough time to have a wonderful look of shock on its face before it was smashed through the air. Part of the cloud seemed to ignite from Ifrit's flames, but the flames soon extinguished.
So this is the Obscurus, Rimuru thought in awe, dipping into Thought Acceleration for now. You know, if I was still able to, I'd be soiling my pants right about now.
ANALYSIS: The Obscurus is a parasite composed of raw magical power, the Great Sage answered. Therefore, the strength of the Obscurus when unleashed is considerable. But the trade-off is the unleashing of negative emotion, turning the Obscurial into a berserker. In addition, while he is powerful in that state, Harry is far from invincible. Unlike you, he does not have Thermal Nullification. His attacks will harm him, so unless he can regenerate, he is in danger of killing himself simply by attacking.
Crap, Rimuru thought to himself. And the problem is, he might get in the way of my attacks, or worse, turn on the village. I'll need to get Rigurd and the others to evacuate ASAP, before we go on the attack. Maybe Water Manipulation or something.
ANALYSIS: Using Water Manipulation on Ifrit is ill-advised. The sheer amount of heat would evaporate the water, and to use enough to overwhelm Ifrit and weaken it would cause a steam explosion capable of destroying the surrounding area.
DOUBLE CRAP! Rimuru yelped. Okay, uh, got nothin' for now. Gotta think of something…
To those looking on, it was a clash of titans. In truth, it wasn't anything of the sort. Ifrit was far more powerful than the Obscurus. Its main advantages were its sheer raw power and the burning flames wreathing it. The Obscurus had alacrity and unpredictability, for despite it being a berserker, it was also an elemental force that, while not on a par with Ifrit, was able to at least approach it enough to damage it.
But as the Great Sage pointed out, the Obscurus was still being damaged by the fire. It was a war of attrition that Ifrit was winning. And when it split itself into multiple clones, it seemed like the tides had turned.
But when one clone rushed the Obscurus, there was a shriek of pain from the Obscurus…and then, something unexpected happened. Words chimed in the mind of Ifrit, and some of those present. A voice that was familiar to it.
Unique Skill: Blue Magic active. Skills copied: Hellflame, Cloning.
Out of the Obscurus, writhing like a wounded thing, came clones of Harry Potter, half-burned, their sclerae black as pitch. As one, they held out their hands. And Ifrit realised it was in trouble.
Spells jetted from the clones, pelting Ifrit in blasts of multicoloured light. Ifrit roared with frustration as it was hammered by the weak but numerous spells, with parts of its body beginning to bleed, before it lashed out and destroyed the clones, and then sent another gout of flame at the Obscurus. A form appeared out of the dark cloud, which dissipated, crashing to the ground, half-burned.
Rimuru hopped over. He'd absorbed an ice spell from Elen, begging her for help, and now he could use that spell. He threw another Potion onto Harry. "…Tag out, Harry. You did good," Rimuru said, not sure whether Harry could hear him. "Now, it's my turn…"
Harry could hear Rimuru, even despite the pain he was in. He opened his eyes to find Rimuru getting ready to fight Ifrit. To think of such a small creature fighting something like Ifrit sounded laughable. And yet…
Suddenly, Rimuru shot out a blast of icy spears. Ifrit was damaged, and his clones dissipated. Ifrit, in retaliation, blasted Rimuru with a pillar of fire. For a moment, Harry wondered if this had killed off the Slime…only to remember something. Rimuru had remarked on his ability to withstand extremes of temperature. So maybe, just maybe…
Rimuru leapt out of the pillar of fire, steaming a little, but otherwise none the worse for wear, before engulfing Ifrit. Harry stared at Rimuru as he somehow ate Ifrit, leaving Shizue's body behind. She began falling, but Rimuru caught her. She gave them both a pained smile. "…Rimuru…Harry…thank you." Then, she passed out.
Why did she thank me? Harry thought to himself bitterly. All I did was lose control. I saw it all, a helpless passenger in my own mind. Just like her. What the hell did I do to help? It was all Rimuru…
And then, darkness consumed him…
CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Shizue's tried to help Harry. But two monsters rampaged this time.
Also, Harry's second Unique Skill has been revealed! Yes, it's Blue Magic from the Final Fantasy games…and it applies retroactively. In other words, any spell that has been used on Harry throughout his life, he can use. Of course, mastery is another matter entirely…
Also, yes, I know Shizu was canonically in her 70s when she died, but I wanted Rimuru to be from the same Earth as Harry, so in this story, Satoru Mikami got shanked some time in 2006, while Harry was summoned by Falmuth in 2005. Shizu was probably born in 1940-41 or thereabouts, as she was about four when she was summoned from the middle of the Tokyo Firebombings in 1944-45.
Review-answering time! ZLC genesmith: Not quite, but Shizue's words will encourage Harry to let go of his self-hatred and his hate of his magic. It'll take time, and Shuna and Rimuru will do more of the work later, but Shizue is the catalyst.
LoamyCoffee: Indeed. What's more, Rimuru will learn about Clayman and the Moderate Jester Troupe sooner too.
Jujugol: I personally think you're wrong. As some commentators pointed out when I posted my initial chapters in the Cauldron, those remarks by JK Rowling were a hasty attempt to retcon any inability for Harry to become an Obscurial. I personally think it was a miracle he didn't become an Obscurus, and as noted in the first chapter, Dumbledore, being the well-meaning idiot he is in that story, sealed up the initial Obscurus.
Leicontis: No, I did not. (whistles innocently at the apparent retconning)
No numbered annotations this time.
