Chapter 2 First Time for All
A/N: Apologies for holding off on updating for awhile, but I've been dealing with some rough stretches of life and Writer's Block. Also, this is part of a Three Chapter Mass Update, but after this, I will be focusing more on Rune Reader than this story.
Harry laughed as he cut down another squealing creature. This was almost fun! If only it weren't for the fact that there were so many of the fucking things. He raised his shield and blocked an arrow from a creature in the distance. Silver barked, " Potter! Cover me and my boys! We're going in!"
Harry shouted back, " You got it, Silver,", and charged into a small group of advancing spawn. He bashed one with his shield, and cut the legs off another, then swept his sword into a stab behind him. Three fell, and Harry finished the other. He laughed as the hum of a gun filled the battlefield. Nikolai shouted, " You better be staying away from vodka!"
Harry chuckled as he slammed the spike of his shield through a creature, and drove it off. The monsters made a quick retreat, and Harry regrouped with Silver's forces. Silver commented, " Nice job out there Potter. Most don't last through their second battle."
Nikolai laughed, shouldering his AUG, " Vodka for everyone! Let's go find out if Isilde managed to hurt herself again?"
Harry frowned heavily. As much as he liked Isilde, she just couldn't stay healthy. Hell, in the last battle, she almost broke her ankle by tripping on one of her own arrows! He wondered about the past of that girl. Oddly, his entire team was from here, unlike Lazarus.
Isilde wouldn't tell anyone exactly where she was from, but her accent was Scandinavian, and some of her keepsakes had a white flag with a blue cross on it. That generally meant she was Finnish. The Scandinavian countries were, alongside of Germany, the only countries in Europe that didn't use a Ministry. They preferred the old King and Queen monarchy. Poland doesn't even have a Magical Government, as Harry had learned from Isilde.
Nikolai, on the other hand, was obviously an old Soviet who had been born in 1959 about a mile outside of the Vorkuta Gulag during a prisoner uprising. He grew up in conditions almost as bad as the gulag itself, and wasted no time getting out of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, doing so cost him a lot of money. In his case, a lot of money he didn't have. He'd served plenty of time in the Soviet Army, and had some battle scars to prove it. But his days as a warrior were not over, as he drunk himself such a huge bar tab that the Goblins came to collect him for the Dark Roads. He wouldn't tell anyone exactly why he drank as much as he did.
Harry mused over these interesting characteristics as he marched back into the Goblin City of Khazad. They each had their secrets, and he respected them for that. Albeit, he didn't particularly like having to tank for two people he didn't know a lot about, but he got over it. If he wanted to survive, he would just have to live with some things.
Silver was giving the mission debriefing, and to their relief, Isilde had managed a battle without getting hurt. Her sneer told Harry she didn't like her rather heavy medical report being brought up. Silver commented, " Lady Isilde, if you keep getting hurt, then we will keep adding time to your sentence! You were supposed to return to the surface FIVE Surface years ago!"
Isilde gave Silver a glare that would probably have given Snape a good run for his money. Silver simply sneered back in the goblin way. He continued with his report, " The tally goes that Harry managed 56, Isilde managed 32, and Nikolai got 123. The points will be awarded later today."
Harry laughed, " Wait so we are keeping score?"
" Indeed we are, Lord Potter,", Lazarus commented as he entered the room. He was shouldering a large glaive that hummed with energy, and tossed a small packet to Harry, " That's your points for the mission. No one gets points for the first mission. You can get some improvements with those points. You got ten thousand I believe."
Nikolai smirked, " Dat's only about a tenth of my point total!"
Harry scowled, " Yeah, well…You're using a machinegun. That doesn't count."
" You just want some of my vodka."
Harry chuckled, and now that he thought about it, he did want some vodka. Nikolai seemed to read his mind, and tossed him an ice cold bottle. He chuckled, " Take small swigs for first time yes?"
Harry nodded, seeing as to this was advice, not a challenge. Harry took a small swig, and it was a bit rough on him. Isilde chuckled as she took a bottle herself. Harry got himself back together and resumed the drinking. He found he liked the flavor, cherry he believed. Nikolai smirked, " We vill turn the boy into a drinking man!"
It was that day that Harry learned that you never challenge Nikolai to a drinking contest. He can drink you under the table, through the walls, and above heaven itself. Nikolai had a strange habit of collecting the bottle caps though.
Isilde was a terrible drunk. She slurred, could barely stand, and was even worse tempered than normal. Harry ended up having to carry her to the barracks, because Nikolai was a binge drinker. Once he started, he didn't stop for anything. Not even Hell freezing over and the sky falling could stop him. He already had a collection of about six bottles, well over what should be the lethal amount of BAC ( Blood Alcohol Content) and was working on a seventh.
Harry threw himself on his bed, and drifted to sleep. He found himself dreaming about what might be happening on the surface. Hogwarts would be in session right about now wouldn't it? He had a strange feeling that someone he knew and cared about was dying.
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( Topside)
Neville Longbottom panicked as he watched his housemate, Katie Bell, convulsing under the influence of a cursed necklace. Severus Snape, whom he'd always been somewhat afraid of, was trying his best to prevent the spread of the curse, but he was fighting a losing battle. Even with the aid of several Curse Breakers and a Medi-Witches, he was having a hard time even slowing the curse.
Neville had never been particularly close to Katie, but he knew the Former Golden Fox, now Only Fox of Gryffindor was a very popular person in her year. She had an amiable personality, and was easily the prettiest girl in Gryffindor. Not even the other Foxes, who had graduated last year, held much to her. At least, in his opinion. He knew Fred and George thought otherwise, but you would be hard pressed to find any other Gryffindor male who did. He also knew that Katie had always fancied Harry heavily and still did, even after his conviction. It was just a shame that no one ever saw fit to tell Harry this, because he never noticed. It was for the simple fact that he was a dumbass and could never tell someone's feelings for him unless you were standing shoulder to shoulder or slapping him in the face.
Neville watched Katie's friend, Leanne, howling over the winds. Neville had a sinking feeling in his stomach. A feeling he had learned was always right. It was right again. Shortly thereafter, Katie stopped convulsing, and ceased movement entirely. She still breathed, but a short time after that, she was pronounced to be catatonic, with the strong possibility of immanent brain death.
Neville watched passively, well, as passively as he could, as the Medi-Witches from St. Mungo's Apparated the golden haired chaser out of Hogsmeade. Neville could see Draco Malfoy in the background, looking torn between horror, satisfaction, and terror. Neville felt suspicion begin to rise in his mind about the blonde Prince of Slytherin. He knew that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his oft erstwhile 'friends', kept heavy track of the Blond Ponce. But it was unlikely they would ever be able to pin him for anything.
On the other hand, Neville could, if only people would believe him. He had Slytherin contacts, namely via his Herbology N.E.W.T class, which consisted of Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Paul Runcorn. He didn't like contacting them, for various reasons. Bulstrode was a bitch, about as moody as the trolls she was rumored to be descended. Davis and Runcorn both had the warning bells of being Death Eaters. Greengrass asked too many questions about Harry. He was particularly adverse to speaking with Daphne, though the other Slytherins chalked it up to her having an old crush on Harry. Neville had seen that with Ginny, and Ginny definitely didn't have a crush on Harry anymore. Some might say she had crossed the borders from crush to dislike to Snape style hate. At the same time, she was warming considerably to Neville, who she'd hardly paid any attention to outside of the Yule Ball that one time.
Neville was slowly but surely becoming aware of the fact that he was being subtly manipulated into a situation where he wouldn't have anywhere to turn to, save Dumbledore. Lest he risk losing everything, there wasn't even much he could do about it. His grandmother was one of Dumbledore's Patron Saints, and obedience was huge to the Longbottom family.
He frowned sadly as he heard that Bell was being transferred to a Muggle Hospital, where she'd be hooked up to what the Muggleborns called Life Support, even though she was a Pure Blood. Having experience with the Long Term Care Ward at St. Mungo's, he couldn't blame them if they held out hope she might one day recover. Outside of taking care of their basic needs, like food, St. Mungo's did nothing to see if they could possibly mend or heal the damage done to his parents by Lestrange.
Neville sat down heavily at the Gryffindor Table, across from Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. Seamus had only gotten worse about Harry being a madman since his conviction. Dean was a convert. Dean asked, " What happened Nev?"
Neville looked up grimly, " Katie Bell was almost killed by some dark curse. She may even be better off if she were dead. Damn it!"
Neville slammed his fist down on the table, and made resolve to absolutely get into better physical shape. If only he'd been able to run faster….
Seamus frowned, " Mate, it isn't your fault."
" Don't speak to me about it. In a way, it is."
Now Neville knew what Harry must have felt like when Cedric Diggory, and then his Godfather, had been killed right in front of him. Anger, helplessness, a great deal of emotions swirled within Neville. He saw Granger looking at him oddly. He tilted his head, noting that Dumbledore was also watching him from the Staff Table. That was strange. Neither ever paid much heed to Neville unless he blew a cauldron in Potions. He broke the gaze immediately, knowing his own Occlumency shields were not strong enough to hold off Granger, if she knew Legillimency, much less Dumbledore. He sometimes wondered if she did, because she had Dumbledore's knack of knowing things that didn't concern her.
The next day, Neville went up to the Room of Requirement where Harry had held the DA. After wanting a training room and pacing three times he spun around and opened the door. He sealed it behind him, and set to work. If he was going to be carrying Harry's Banner while he was serving his time, then he needed to be more than the pudgy fool that was better known as Snape's Little Bitch.
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( 3rd Mission in the Deep Roads)
Harry lowered his shield, and marched up to Nikolai, who was staring off at the entrance to one of the more heavily contested routes. Nikolai commented, " They had better have plenty of vodka for when we get back."
Harry laughed, watching Nikolai load his AUG. A harsh sounding voice rang out, " INSTAKILL!"
Harry didn't know why, but he shouted, " OH YEAH! Here we go!"
Isilde yipped, " Hooray! My arrows kill now!"
Then the voice shouted out again, this time with a fierce snarl first, " DOUBLE POINTS!"
Nikolai smirked, " Now this is proper Soviet Socialist Reform."
The first wave appeared, and Nikolai just laid into them with a barrage of fire. They dropped one after another, black blood spraying over the walls. Harry shouted, " Leave some for the rest of us eh?"
Lazarus walked up, looking rather majestic in his silvery grey armor that had a golden eagle spread on the breastplate. He pointed his glaive at the cave, " You boys ready?"
Harry nodded, and Lazarus smirked. He shouted, " Charge!"
Harry broke into a run, shield held up to his eyes. He and about fifty Goblins were leading the charge. Harry bared his teeth in a fierce grin as he drove his shield into the first Dark Creature he hit. He and the Goblin Vanguard, led by Lazarus, ripped through the remnants of the first force with ease. Silverstrike led his Recon team up, " Lord Lazarus, the enemy has gathered a massive force just in front of the Crystarium."
Lazarus cursed, and Harry knew this was bad. How the hell had they almost gotten to the Dwarven City of Thule? That was impossible. Unless….
Lazarus shouted, " FUCK! There must be some sort of breakdown on the other side of the defenses! Traitors! They shall be flayed alive and then burned like the heretics they are for this!"
He turned to the assembled forces, " We march now! More Goblins will gather to stop the attack, but we need to get there now!"
Harry joined into the forced march. Odd how five hundred goblins could run faster than humans on a good day, but on a bad day, there was no contest. Harry was struggling to keep up with his armor on. He followed Silver and Nikolai through the streets of Khazad, and walked through the gates.
The Crystarium was a magnificent place. It was a place where magic solidified into solid sheets of a glass like substance that the Dwarves called Eluvia. This Eluvia was the key component in the Dimensional Mirrors that the Goblins used to travel the worlds to claim warriors. It was also the big reason wizards couldn't use conventional magic in the Dark Roads. The Crystarium was highly volatile, and very vulnerable to over stimulation. If that happened, then it was a real possibility that the Goblins would be overrun, since the "Claimed" made such a large portion of the Legion Forces.
Harry's armor lit up with bluish light as he entered the Crystarium. A large force of Dwarven Sappers were already present in the Crystarium, loading massive ballistae with strange, glowing bolts. Several Dwarven archers were present on the battlements, using crossbows armed with the same bolts.
Harry asked, " So who's in command here?"
Lazarus gestured at the razor wire thin man with raven's colored hair like Harry's own, " The Cold Prince, CZ. He's the most favored human amongst Goblins."
That didn't exactly make Harry feel better, " Wait, CZ?"
Lazarus gestured towards the thin man standing atop the batteries, " Head tactician. Some of us call him the Cold Prince. His real name is Charles Zoroark. Apparently, he deliberately made himself the Public Enemy Number One of his world, and then staged his own death. The Goblins loved him for it, and managed to kidnap him before he died. They brought him back to health, and he's been here almost as long as I have. He is higher than the Human Gods could ever be in Goblin Society. The only man who may sit on the Goblin Council, and dictate their strategy in war. He holds absolute authority over all British Goblin and Dwarven Forces. He coordinated the last Goblin Rebellion."
Binns didn't teach a lot, and it was really hard to concentrate in his class. But Harry distinctly remembered the last Goblin Revolt as being coined, ' The One They Almost Won.' There had been a massive shift in Goblin tactics, and they had coincided the revolt with the advent of the American Revolution, resulting in a dearth of British forces to quell it. The same occurred in France and a multitude of other nations, but it was most successful in Britain. Hundreds of Wizards were killed in the Battle of Stonehenge alone, a battle that many historians still debate whether the Goblins had been in command or not. Apparently, they hadn't.
The black haired man shouted down, " Commander Lazarus. Get your men ready. They'll be advancing on the left flank in thirty seconds, coming at a flanking angle of thirty degrees. Archers, level your bows to fire at an angle of thirty five degrees. We don't lose."
Lazarus smirked, " Well, you heard the man Harry. Let's rock."
Harry nodded, and marched off with the Knight Commander. He followed him out onto the battlement, where some of the Dwarven Archers were bickering with each other. Lazarus separated the two, and motioned for Harry to continue to follow him. Lazarus briefed Harry while they walked.
" Alright, Lord Potter. Here's your chance to shine. We've got some of the best Claimed out here today. You might actually recognize a few. Geralt of Rivia, Roland the Gunslinger, David Soranzio, Karel, and Myself of course. You get the chance to show us otherworldly bastards that the people here can actually fight. Without magic."
Harry smirked, " Well I guess I had better get started on that then. When's the attack?"
" Can't you tell? It's already started."
Harry frowned, " I mean the real attack. This is just the vanguard. I've fought Voldemort enough times to know that it is foolish to send the full force in at once, even if that seems to be one of Lestrange's favorite tactics."
Lazarus smiled, " I think you might just live up to the expectations the Goblins have for you."
CZ shouted, " Commander Lazarus! I thought I told you to get your men moving! Don't just stand there! We can't let them get too close before the actual attack starts!"
Lazarus looked down at Harry, " Well, I guess that's that. Let's move before CZ get's pissed. More pissed than he normally is."
A/N: Next Chapter: The Cold Prince himself is introduced.
CZ: Charles Zoroark. He's going to be Dumbledore's replacement as Harry's Mentor. He has no qualms.
References:
Crystarium the name of the leveling system from Final Fantasy XIII.
Geralt of Rivia: From the Witcher ( Book and PC Games)
Roland the Gunslinger: From Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series.
Karel: Swords master from Fire Emblem ( Original American/ FE 6 I think)
David Soranzio: Imperial Guard Commissar from the Commissar's Series of stories I had originally written, but took down. A buddy of mine has reposted Commissar's Journey.
Review Responses
The smurf: Apparently you don't realize that I go through at least a week, maybe more, between updates. That isn't all spent actually writing the story you know. But hey, this is a different personification of the Goblins. Rather than be the bitchy statics they are by canon, they do at least have some personality in this story. In fact, one might say there's an interesting duality between Surface Goblins and Deep Goblins. Silverstrike, as an OC, is rather unique compared to other Goblins, and really, what Goblins don't hate humanity on the topside?