Hello and welcome to chapter 15 of The Glacial Ones!
To start off, once more, reviews!
Arawn D. Draven: I am aware that I over exaggerated Dumbledore's second chance thing as I am intending to paint forgiveness and second chances as Dumbledore's most important flaw. I intend to then contrast it with the fact that he believes Esdeath needs to go, without any second chances, as a way of showing his views of her, as Tom Riddle is the only other person he doesn't give second chances. But I did overdo it a little. I've toned it down now. Thanks for the heads up!
Jashava: To start off, it is true that Esdeath, and thus Harry by proxy, would be someone who may be interested in creating Horcruxes, however not only is the information on their creation well hidden, Esdeath can't use magic to create them and couldn't have Harry make it for her. She would also be doubtful to risk the whole insanity, soul instability that Horcruxes can cause.
As for the gem, nothing is set yet. It may well be a piece of dimensional energy that followed Harry through those years ago, or even a failed first attempt at making the Stone by the Flamels that fell through the cracks in reality when they tried to finish it. After all if Harry can cross dimensions, highly powerful gemstones being used in an equally powerful ritual for unknown effects probable can to.
At the moment the gemstone is merely a possibility of being something else important.
Anyway, thanks for pointing all that stuff out and giving suggestions and ideas for our mystery stone!
Froper98: Thanks for reviewing these ideas. For the whole Horcrux argument, see the first part of my response to Jashava. For Esdeath and Harry's relationship, I intend to have poor Wave have to explain it to them, and it's never going to be a conventional relationship.
As for Teigu, there are multiple lost ones that the Empire doesn't know about, on the same note overpowered Teigu without a need of serious training would kind of ruin that portion of the story, so even if they are powerful Teigu, they will have a serious downside, like damaging the body, and will still require a shit load of training to use properly. Like how Incursio will kill anyone not ready to take the strain.
Once again, thanks and keep the suggestions flowing!
Imperial warlord: Honest is far more evil than Esdeath and would be inclined to creating Horcruxes if he had the magic to, but I would also point out that I never said Esdeath was evil. Sadistic, homicidal, bloodthirsty etc. but I've never said she was evil. Just to clear that up. Anyway, I almost panicked when I couldn't find your review! Thanks for your continued support!
And now, onwards to chapter 15 of The Glacial Ones!
I do not own, in any way, shape, or form Akame Ga Kill or Harry Potter.
-T.G.O-
Chapter 15: To Reach Shambhala
With a soft sigh, Harry attempted to free himself from Esdeaths arms.
He failed.
Did he ever mention that Esdeath was a really clingy sleeper? He was pretty sure he did mention it to Wave at some point, but he wasn't quite sure. It didn't change the fact that he was currently stuck, lying on his side with Esdeath spooning against him, which was rather easy considering how much taller than him she was, just as she had been every morning since he had brought Air, Fal and Luna back.
He really, really wanted to get up right now, but Esdeath was far, far stronger than him and had a solid grip. So he was forced to wait for her to wake up, or at least get up. He wouldn't put it beyond her just to lie there watching him.
He didn't know why she did it, but he had caught her doing it at least once.
With a sigh, Esdeath finally rolled away from him, arms disengaging their hold of his torso as she sat up.
"Good morning, Harry. Get up now."
Finally free from his torment, Harry sat up, careful to avoid looking at his sleeping companions' naked body. He hadn't the faintest clue as to why his body reacted the way it did when he saw her naked, but had long decided that until he did figure it out, he would rather avoid the odd phenomena.
"Good morning, Esdeath."
Slinging his legs over the side of the bed at the same time as Esdeath did on the other side, in an eerie kind of synchronisation, Harry quickly began to pull on his clothes, careful to keep his back to Esdeath as he did.
"Have we got any missions planned out for today, beyond the normal patrolling and danger beast extermination?"
Esdeath pulled on the last of her clothes as she turned towards were Harry was pulling on his overcoat, back turned towards her.
She smirked with amusement.
"Nope. Nothing that the Jaegers can't do without us. I intend to borrow one of the flying danger beasts and we can take those three girl out into the mountains for some hunting."
Harry glanced over at her, turning towards when he noticed that she was fully dressed.
"Do you think they are ready to hunt those kinds of danger beasts?"
She smirked at him.
"It isn't a matter of whether they are ready or not, it will be happening either way. They all work well together so with the two of us to make sure that they are not rushed, they should be fine. They'll survive as long as they work together."
Harry nodded as he followed her from their room, falling into step beside her as they strolled down the corridors of the Jaegers base.
How much their decision to hunt on this particular day in that particular place affected the fate of not only one, but two, worlds they would never know.
-T.G.O-
Supressing his urge to whoop loudly, Harry instead resorted to simple grinning massively as he sat behind Esdeath. Fal, Air and Luna were all sitting behind him in various states, the five people lined up along the spin of the large dragon like danger beast that Esdeath was currently flying above the cloud tops.
Esdeath was grinning, a bloodthirsty grin tinged with amusement and a little affection. She knew well how much Harry enjoyed flying in any form.
Behind Harry, Luna was silent, a small smile on her face as she looked at the mountaintops below with a kind of childish wonder that she couldn't quite hide. Behind her, staring around at the endless skies around her, Air sat with a grin on her face. Fal sat at the end, looking around with a grin that rivalled Harry's as they swept across the skies, smaller danger beasts fleeing from their presence, Esdeath easily cutting down anything that didn't.
Looking down, Harry gazed at the flat topped mountains poking out of the cloud cover below, surrounded by sheer cliffs of rock, Esdeath forcing the danger beast they were riding down towards the largest of them, the great draconic creature landing on the mountaintop with a loud crash and the sound of splintering stone.
Leaping off the beast, Esdeath already a moment ahead of him, Harry landed with a soft thump on the flat rock, turning to look at the three girls behind him as they clambered down from their perches on the danger beast back. He grinned as they ran over to him, Esdeath sending the beast back up into the sky were it turned back towards the Capital, its great wings thumping powerfully as it flew away.
Harry looked at the three girls as they watched the beast leave.
"Are you three ready? The local danger beasts will have heard us landing and will be here soon."
Air, Fal and Luna turned to look at him as one, Fal answering first as she grinned, holding up gauntleted hands.
"Heck yeah! I've been wanting to do this for ages!"
Harry sighed softly as Air and Luna pulled out their weapons, Air unsheathing a longsword and Luna pulling her bow off her back.
"I believe we are ready."
"Yeah, I want to see how good we are against something that isn't, well, you or Esdeath-sama."
Esdeath looked sadistically amused and Harry let out another sigh.
"Just don't get cocky. It would be rather annoying if you were all to die on us so early on."
The three looked slightly embarrassed, nodding seriously before turning to Esdeath as she smirked at them.
"The danger beasts will be here in a moment. Harry will deal with most of them, but the rest will be up to you three. Don't expect me to step in if you get in trouble. Harry might, but I won't, even if one of you dies."
The Air, Fal, and Luna all nodded in synchronization before turning to face the nearest edge of the cliff top, Harry turning to face the other and Esdeath standing completely at ease, watching.
The scratching and slapping of claws and flesh and other things best not mention on rock reached their ears.
Then the danger beasts arrived.
They were ugly things, originally created in some kind of experiment gone horrible, horrible wrong, with vaguely human faces and mismatched hands and feet, tentacles and claws and all manner of odd things sticking out of their bodies as they surged over the edge of the cliff, driven by the promise of fresh meat.
The first died to Harry's blade, magic enhanced muscles swinging his twin blades in a maelstrom of death and blood, limbs flying as he hacked apart the first wave of beasts, their sudden leap over the cliffs edge giving them no time to defend.
On the other side, with Air, Luna and Fal, the first arrival caught an arrow from Luna straight to the forehead, not quite killing it but toppling it backwards where it fell, wailing, off the mountain. The beasts surged towards the three girls, the first to reach Fal diving forwards, mouth agape as it tried to bite a chunk out of her.
It was meet with a gauntleted fist to the chin, slamming its mouth shut and jerking its head up into the air where Luna nailed it straight through the face with an arrow, killing it instantly.
Let it never be said that Fal did not know how to give a mean punch.
A smaller, spindly, vaguely humanoid danger beast rushed in at Fal from the side, only to discover that its head had been violently removed, courtesy of Airs longsword.
Behind the three, Esdeath watched, analysing them as Harry lead a one man massacre on anything that moved on the other side of the mountain top, blades singing the tune of slaughter as they cleaved though flesh and bone alike.
Luna released another arrow, sending one of the larger danger beasts stumbling backwards as it was pierced through the eye, Air leaping forward, ignoring the smaller danger beasts around her that Fal promptly punched away, and slashing her longsword across the beasts neck mid leap before rotating in mid-air and coming down on another danger beast in a powerful downwards slash that split it's skull down the middle.
Behind her another danger beast was sent toppling away from her, an arrow planted in its skull as Fal smashed yet another into the ground with a literally skull splitting punch.
And so it went one, Air acting as the main attacker, user her longsword to eliminate the larger beasts with Luna's assistance while Fal covered her, who was smashing the smaller danger beasts with her gauntlet covered fists with great enthusiasm, both making sure that nothing got near Luna, who, in turn, assisted in killing off any danger beasts in her two friends blind spots and staggering the larger ones for Air to kill.
On the other end of the cliff top, the wave of danger beasts had long since came to a stop, Harry standing beside Esdeath as he watched the three girls fight, a pile of corpses standing behind him and even more resting were they landed near the bottom of the mountain.
Slowly the number of small horde of danger beasts died down, Fal and Air killing the last two with two final, decisive blows that left them standing in the middle of a slaughter scene, twisted bodies spread out around them as they turned back towards where Harry and Esdeath were standing, noting the piles of corpses littering the mountain top behind them.
Esdeath nodded as the three approached.
"Not too bad, compared to what you were like when you first arrived."
Harry just grinned at them.
"Good work."
The three grinned as one, Air opening her mouth to respond when Harry and Esdeath both spun around, weapons out and pointing towards a nearby boulder. Instantly, the three followed the two's lead, preparing themselves once more.
"It looks like we have an observer. Come out now or I'll kill and ask questions later."
And twisted laughter echoed around the mountain top as a man stepped from behind the boulder, body and face hidden by a large jacket.
"I thought I had hidden my presence pretty well, though I suppose that's to be expected from the Empire's Strongest. Still, for me to run into you here…guess playtime is over now."
Esdeath smirked, pointing her rapier towards him.
"You seem to know some interesting things. I'll escort you to the torture chamber."
The man grinned wickedly.
"Hmph, I'd really rather not. Since I need to return to the Capital now, how about I send you on a little adventure?"
He reached into his coat, pulling out an unidentifiable device hidden in his hand as he held it in their direction.
The mountain top light up as an odd symbol made of pure light materialized beneath Esdeath and Harry, catching the three girls in its radius with them.
Then there was a flash of light, and there was only one living thing on the mountain top.
-T.G.O-
Air stared.
Fal stared.
Luna stared.
Harry looked around interestedly.
Esdeath gave a cursory look around before a bloodthirsty, insane grin threatened to split her face in two.
She looked down at Harry.
Harry looked up at her.
They grinned all over again.
Air was the first to break the silence, tearing her gaze away from the rather beautiful beach they had found themselves on, the mountains they were on moments ago nowhere in sight.
"Ah…what happened? How did we get here?"
Esdeath and Harry turned towards their companions in unison, Harry speaking first.
"That, if we aren't wrong, was the lost Teigu known a Dimensional Formation: Shambhala. No idea how our mystery man found it, but a trip off to an unknown island is well worth being able to confirm that it is currently in the Empire. Now we just need to hunt that man down and acquire it off him."
Luna looked at the two.
"Why do you want it?"
Grinning sadistically Esdeath answered before Harry could.
"Shambhala allows someone to set out 'markers' and teleport to them. In certain situations it can also take the user, and anyone with them, to a location they are familiar with. I wish to see if Harry can use it to return to his birth world."
Luna's eyes light up in understanding. The three had been informed of the nature of Harry's power and origins not long after Esdeath had started training them, since they had already seen him using his abilities.
Fal nodded in understanding.
"So that man sent us here using Shambhala and you intend to take it from him when we get back. Sounds fun!"
Smirking, Esdeath nodded.
"Of course. The question is how to get back. We could capture a flying danger beast and simple fly back to the Capital, though it would take a while. On the other hand, from what I know about Shambhala, there should be a marker somewhere around here for such a long distance teleport, and our mystery man may well open it so we can head back. Or he might not."
Harry looked around in the sand, spotting a small, glowing blue symbol identical to the one that teleported them that was smoking odd blue smoking as it cooled down. He pointed at it.
"There's the marker, it looks like it could be a while before it reopens. I vote we stick around a while anyway and explore the island a bit."
Esdeath, Air, Fal and Luna all nodded in a rather creepy synchronicity, Esdeath looking around the area again.
"Good idea, we could have a bit of an unplanned vacation. Hmm…Let's get a better view of the island."
Without giving any more warning, Esdeath slammed her palm into the ground, a massive pillar of ice, just wide enough to hold all five of them, burst from the sand below them, carrying them high into the sky.
Harry didn't even flinch, used to things like this happening around Esdeath. Air, Fal and Luna weren't on the other hand and almost fell from the pillar in fright.
Sending his gaze around, Harry let out a rather childish smile. The island they were on was a typical tropical paradise, meaning it was sunny, with a beautiful beach and the classic mountain in the centre.
A thunderous crashing rang out as a monstrously large, humanoid shape rose up a several hundred metres inland of them.
Of course, being a typical tropical paradise, it also had its giant, man eating monster.
Harry let out a sigh as the other four turned to look at the monstrous, humanoid shape that had dragged itself up from the ground. Its right arm was made out of rusted metal, the entire right side of its chest and the top of its head, except a patch on its forehead, was wrapped in massive bandages, covering its right eye. On the left side of its chest was a massive number one.
And finally, and most importantly, it was almost a hundred metres tall.
Harry resisted the urge to face palm.
"What's the beat that that is one of Stylish's memento's for us? Should we kill it?"
Leaning her head to the right, Esdeath observed the rather ugly danger beast, not that any danger beast were really pleasant to the eye. A sadistic grin grew on her face.
"Let me test it first. It could be interesting."
Air and Fal snapped out of their shock at the emergence of the massive danger beast, Luna having already regained control of herself after Harry started talking, and looked over to Esdeath to see what she intended to do to the beast.
The beast sprinted towards them at high spend.
Esdeath clapped her fingertips together before throwing her arms wide as if she were pushing against a wall on each side.
All around them, hundreds of spears of ice materialized, some as small as a metre long while others were as large as ten metres.
The danger beast thundered closer, metal hand outstretched.
Esdeath swung her arms forward, crossing them in front of her body.
The danger beast dived forward.
The wave of ice spears rocketed to meet it, slamming into it all along its head and torso, piercing through flesh and rusted metal with ease as the force of the projectiles forced the beast backwards, sending it tumbling into a heap on the ground with a massive boom as its rather considerable weight landed.
Flicking her some of her hair behind her ear, Esdeath let out a soft sigh of annoyance.
"I was hoping for more from one of Stylish's creations."
At that moment the danger beast stood back up, dragging its bleeding body into the sky.
"Oh, so it did survive after all. That's good, maybe this will be interesting after all."
Fal peered at the danger beast as it began to stomp back towards them, far more cautious than its earlier wild rush.
"Hey, Harry, Esdeath-sama, doesn't that spot on its forehead look rather fragile compared to the rest of it?"
Harry grinned at her and nodded.
"Good spotting. Yes, it does look like its weakness. In fact I would say that it is whatever person Stylish used to create the thing. Kill them and the whole thing dies."
Nodding, Esdeath motioned to Harry.
"Why don't you try this time?"
Harry grinned and flicked his right wrist, materializing a spear of ice floating above his upturned palm. It was just over two metres in length, less them five centimetres wide at its centre, thin grooves spiralling down its sides. While Harry couldn't materialize near as much ice as Esdeath, he made up for it with far more precision in his creations.
The danger beast, realizing no more attacks had come, began to speed up, its confidence returning.
Harry winced slightly as he tugged harshly at his core once more.
The spear floating above Harry's hand began to rotate, spinning faster and faster until it was whipping up a small wind, a white mist swirling into it as Harry continued to reinforce it and compress it with more ice, making it longer and longer even as it began to grow thinner.
He tugged on his core again, spinning the spear faster and faster until winds were whipping around him, the spear more of a blizzard in the form of a spear that and actual spire of ice.
The danger beast began to thunder forwards once more.
With a small tug on Harry's core, he sent the spinning blizzard in the form of a four metre long, 3 centimetre wide spear rocketing towards the danger beasts' forehead.
The danger beast didn't even have time to realise what was happening.
There was a burst of wind, blasting those standing around Harry in a flurry of air.
A sonic boom rang out.
A flash of white.
The danger beast died instantly, the high frequency ice spear slamming into the small figure on its forehead before tearing it apart like paper, continuing onwards as it drilled a hole almost a metre in diameter into the beasts' head.
It continued on until it slammed into the back of the danger beasts' solid, reinforced skull.
The spear explodes, a massive, howling blizzard tearing its way out the back of the of the creatures head, obliterating most of the back of its skull in a rather impressive display of crimson snow.
There was silence for a moment, broken by the sound of Esdeaths clapping.
"Well done. That was far more impressive than I expected. Imagine if that had hit a group of human enemies."
Harry grinned slightly at the praise as he regained his breathe.
"It takes to much energy to use efficiently for anything but a kill blow, unfortunatley."
Meanwhile Air and Luna just looked rather disturbed at Esdeaths last comment as they imagined it striking a normal human, ripping through them and detonating in a blast of howling wind and razor sharp ice particles, shredding anyone within range. It would be a very, very messy affair.
Fal just ignored the thought, instead grinning as she looked at the destruction Harry had wrought.
"That was seriously aweso…"
She was cut off when the ice pillar shook, something slamming into it like a meteor, the top half snapping off and descending towards the ground.
Looking at their attacker as they started to fall, Harry couldn't suppress a groan of annoyance.
"There are more of these things? Dammit sparkly guy, I knew you were evil!"
Esdeath grinned as she fell, clicking her fingers as she materialized a massive boulder of ice several times the danger beasts size before dropping it straight down.
Harry landed on the sand, spinning around to make sure that Air, Fal and Luna had landed safely before turning back to the danger beast in time to hear a deafening crash as it was crushed into the jungle by Esdeaths boulder, Esdeath landing lightly on top of it.
Shaking his head, Harry sighed.
"Of course, she just pulls that out of her sleeve without any real effort."
The three girls beside him just nodded mutely before snapping out of their daze and following Harry back towards Esdeath.
After that, time flew by as they explored the island together. Esdeath found some coconuts and other fruit, showing them how to eat them properly in a rather surprising show of a rarely seen side of Esdeath, before they continued exploring the island, laughing and playing as they did, chasing after what local wildlife there was and playing pranks on each other.
They would have almost seemed like an ordinary, happy family.
If they hadn't quickly and violently murdered every danger beast they came across that is. Several of what they assumed were Stylish's creations attacking them at different times, with Air, Fal and Luna working together to eliminate the smaller ones and Harry and Esdeath eliminating any larger ones that showed up, though none were as near as big as the first two.
Eventually night finally fell, leaving the ground of five sitting on the sand of the beach where they first arrived, staring up at the stars above them.
Harry looked over at Esdeath beside him.
"When do you think the gateway will open?"
She turned to look at him, finding him oddly entrancing under the star light. She shock off the odd feeling that welled up inside her chest before speaking.
"Who knows? It may not be opened at all. If it's not open by morning I…"
She never finished her sentence as light burst from where they knew the mark was behind them, all five turning to see that the gateway had opened once more.
"Well. That answers my question rather well. What are the chances the man was watching us just so he could do that?"
Esdeath stood up, pulling Harry up with her, Air, Fal and Luna following quickly behind.
"Zero. I would have noticed."
She turned to the glowing gateway, leading the group towards it.
"A pity, I was rather looking forwards to taming a danger beast. Either way, let's go."
With that she and Harry stepped into the gateway, Air, Fal and Luna moments behind them.
All five vanished in a flash of light.
The gears of fate had begun to move once more.
Those poor, poor wizards.
-T.G.O-
And that is chapter 15 complete! I really hope you enjoyed it!
Firstly, I'll just point out that the weapons that Air, Fal and Luna were using are not necessarily their main weapon type.
Anyway, as always, any ideas, likes, dislikes, advice or constructive criticism are all welcome and appreciated, so please review!
Thanks reading this chapter and I hope you have enjoyed the story so far!
Goodbye and see you next time!