Kyugan: Greetings All! Just to give a head's up, while I'll be finishing this Fic, The Herwald Series may undergo an overhaul in order to address several points that have been brought to my attention.
(Sound of Heavy Beating the Scrap out of Bots) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Spy: (Stunned) Good Lord! I don't know how to feel about seeing that.
Medic: Now now, let him have his fun (Grins as a wad of cash flies out of the dustcloud) Oooh! Money!
Kyugan: Sigh, glad to see you've got your priorities sorted. In the meantime, the Wheel of Fate is turning...Let's see what the latest Continuum Shift has wrought.
Chapter 18: The King of Serpents.
The moment he heard the sound of the Basilisk's approach, Herwald was already moving, ordering Mordred to stay near Ginny before activating the Potter Ring's invisibility charm to cover his escape, putting as much distance between himself and the monster as he possibly could.
'Scheiße…' he swore, grimacing as the floor shuddered beneath his feet as something huge hit ground behind him. The Basilisk had to weigh several hundred tons at least, which meant it was easily well-over the twenty feet length of the shed skin.
"Find Him!" Riddle hissed, though it sounded rather strained, unsurprising really, as Herwald had intended to crush his windpipe with that last blow, "Find him, but don't kill him!"
'That was your first mistake…' Herwald muttered, slipping stealthily around the outskirts of the chamber, keeping his head down to avoid looking the Basilisk in the eye. Any self-respecting Magus with a weapon of great power at their disposal would have used it immediately on their enemy. But Riddle was apparently the perceived Typical Slytherin, all pride and ambition but not one whit of common sense.
"You'll pay for that, Potter…" Riddle called out, his voice choked, though Herwald could still make out the venom in his tone, even over the terrible hissing of the Basilisk "Don't think I'll make it easy for you, no, I've waited a long time to get my hands on you, I intend to savour the moment."
"And just when I thought you couldn't get any creepier." Herwald called out, throwing his voice to the opposite side of the chamber, a handy little piece of misdirection, even as he fired a stunner from his wand at Riddle's back, only to curse as the Effigy whipped around and deflected it, revealing he held Ginny's wand in his hand, before launching a Reductor curse at the spot Herwald had vacated moments before "Still, I suppose it's a relief you didn't see Frau Weasley in such a light, I was actually worried for her chastity for a bit."
"Again with the senseless jokes…" Riddle hissed, though Herwald was pleased to detect a hint of annoyance in his tone "Still, I suppose it's all you can really do, your Alchemy means nothing in the face of Slytherin's Monster-!"
A wave of spikes erupted from the ground, racing towards Riddle's position, the Memory lunging out of their path with a yelp even as the Basilisk hissed at the attack on its master.
"If I can't attack the Monster, I'll aim for its Master." Herwald shot back, throwing his voice so that it echoed around the chamber, moving between the pillars like a phantom "In case you forgot Tom, I'm not as limited as you."
"FIND HIM!" Tom hissed, his face purple in apoplectic fury as he lashed out with Ginny's wand, sending curse after curse into the shadows, though none even came close to hitting Herwald "Find him! Smell him out!"
"Snakes don't 'SMELL' their prey, Tom." Herwald pointed out in a sing-song voice, the Einzbern thoroughly enjoying himself as he cause a spike to erupt beneath the memory's feet, sending Riddle sprawling across the cavern floor "Honestly, you'd think Slytherin's heir would know such a thing!"
"Shut up!" Riddle swore, his features nowhere close to handsome anymore as he got to his feet, casting curse after curse into the shadows, some of them actually striking the Basilisk itself, though they simply bounced off its enchanted scales "I won't be talked down to by the likes of you! I don't care what those lack-wits say, there's no way a skinny little brat like you could have defeated the greatest Wizard of all time!"
"I certainly don't recall pissing off Merlin or Zelretch at any point in my life, so I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you there." Herwald opined, shivering at the idea of even CONSIDERING such a suicidal act even as he sent another wave of spikes Riddle's way.
"I'm talking about Voldemort you insufferable child!" Riddle snapped, an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes as he launched a curse at Herwald's last known position "How did you do it? How did you, a child with no exceptional talents, escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"I would hardly consider Voldemort the most powerful Wizard of all time." Herwald shot back mockingly, "Not with Zelretch still alive and kicking anyways, never mind The Barthomelois..."
"Silence!" Riddle snarled, lashing out with a wave of living fire that weaved around the pillars in the shape of a serpent, only cutting it off when it looked like it was about to strike the Basilisk "Voldemort's power surpassed theirs in every way!"
"I never would've taken you to be a fan boy, Tom." Herwald shot back, a hint of disappointment entering his tone that wasn't entirely faked, even as he switched positions once more, constantly moving to keep as much distance between him and the Basilisk "Besides, what do you care for how I defeated him? Voldemort was after your time."
"Voldemort…!" Riddle snapped, only to pause, his features softening as he regained his composure "Voldemort, Harry Potter, is my past, present, and future."
Herwald frowned, looking on in suspicion as Riddle began to trace Ginny's wand through the air, the words TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE appearing in thin air in simmering letters, like living embers. "Congratulations, you know how to spell your own name." he called out mockingly "I can see how you earned your position as prefect."
"Ever the comedian…" Riddle sneered, waving Ginny's wand once more, the letters of his name rearranging themselves in mid-air, Herwald's eyes narrowing at the new formation:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"You see?" Riddle proclaimed, his face set in a triumphant sneer as he turned to peer into the darkness, trying to spot his opponent "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course." His features shifted into a sneer of disgust "You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch?" he shook his head, his eyes peering into the darkness for any sign of the Einzbern youth "No Harry, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world-!"
"Gott im Himmel…" Herwald swore, the Einzbern shaking his head in exasperation as he stared at the teenage persona of his 'mortal enemy' in disgust "THAT's your dramatic origin story? You're angry at the world because Daddy didn't love you?"
"SILENCE!" Riddle snarled, lashing out with Fiendfyre once again, his features set in a mask of apoplectic fury even as Herwald's mocking laughter echoed around the chamber "Stop mocking me!"
"But you make it so easy!" Herwald sniped back, erecting a barrier to block a stray gout of flame even as he sent a wave of spikes towards the memory "You think YOU had it rough? Hell there are kids the world over whose stories are WORSE and they turned out better people for it, why should I give a rats ass about yours?"
"Shut up!" Riddle snarled, "I will not be mocked by the likes of you! I'm Lord Voldemort! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! The one who will usher in a new age of Magical superiority!"
"You can start by finding a better speechwriter." Herwald sniped, casting a Levicorpus, causing Riddle's ankles to flip from under him, the enraged memory hanging upside down in mid-air as if caught in a rabbit trap, "Honestly Tom, I'm glad you're willing to talk about your abandonment issues, really, I am, I just don't feel I'm qualified to give sound psychiatric advice."
"KILL HIM!" Riddle hissed, Herwald letting out a curse as he rolled to the side to avoid the King of Serpents as it barreled towards him at an amazing speed for a creature of its size, Riddle dropping to the floor with a yelp as Herwald was forced to release the spell.
"You'll pay for that, Potter…" the Memory snarled, pushing himself off the ground and glaring at the surroundings, trying to find his enemy "I'll make you suffer for your disrespect…you'll regret the day you crossed Lord Voldemort!"
"I already was." Herwald shot back, erecting a wall with Alchemy to block the Serpent's head as it came around a pillar, shielding it's eyes from view even as he cast a disarming charm, sending Ginny's wand flying out of Riddle's hand "But don't flatter yourself, the only reason I do is because people won't leave me alone because of it."
"Dammit all! Riddle snarled, all traces of his former good looks gone, an animalistic look of fury on his face as he picked himself off the ground "KILL HIM!"
As Riddle Rants...
'Finally getting serious I see…' Herwald muttered, the Einzbern catching his breath behind a pillar, trying to come up with a strategy even as he listened out for the Basilisk's approach 'Still…this is starting to look bad…where the Hölle are the bloody staff?'
"Herwald?" Mordred called out, the invisible Einzbern looking up to see the spectral knight looking around in confusion, silvery gauntlets gripping her sword "Are you there?"
"I'm here." Herwald whispered back, keeping his voice as low as possibly to avoid attracting the Serpent or Riddle's attention "What are you doing? I told you to guard Ginny!"
"The girl will not be harmed." Mordred assured the teen "From what I gathered from his earlier blusters, he needs her alive to complete his revival, it stands to reason that, until the ritual is complete, he will not allow her to come to harm."
"Which doesn't give us a lot of time…" Herwald muttered, his features dark beneath his invisibility "Ginny's pulse was negligible at best…I give her a few more minutes before he drains her dry…"
"Blast it all…!" Mordred cursed, the Knight glaring at one armoured silver fist, hopeless fury shining in her silver eyes "Never before have I resented my current existence more than now! To think I should stand by helpless while children do battle…"
"I'm hardly a child but I appreciate your concern." Herwald replied dryly, touched by the fallen Knight's sentiments as he caught his breath "Still, I have to admit I wouldn't be adverse to a little help right now."
As it was, Herwald had constantly been ducking between the offensive and defensive, trying to take down Riddle while simultaneously trying to keep clear of the Basilisk, a task that was proving more arduous than he would care to admit, considering the King of Serpents knew its home better than anyone, possibly even Riddle. Add to that the number of spells and transmutations he'd been forced to use in rapid succession, and it was no wonder he was so haggard.
'At this rate it'll come down to a war of attrition.' He muttered, scowling as he did so 'I could take him easily in a straight out battle…but so long as the Basilisk is in play I'm fighting a battle on two fronts…' he grimaced as he recalled Ginny 'Then there's the time limit…how long have we been down here? An hour? Two? How much longer can she hold out?'
"Mordred…" he whispered, catching the Knights attention as he spoke "I need you to go and get the Professors, I don't care who or how you do it, but we can't let Riddle get out of here."
"You think I would abandon you in such dire straits?" Mordred demand, a look of affront adorning her features as she stared at the spot where Herwald was concealed "Nay boy, t'would go against my code as a Knight to do so."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not like you could do much good in this battle." Herwald countered, shaking his head at the Knight's semantics "I mean, it's not as if you could even hurt it as you are…"
He paused, his emerald eyes widening as a sudden, impossible idea took root in his mind. By all rights, it should be impossible, and even if he could pull it off, there was no guarantee it would work, but as it were, he really didn't have a lot of options.
"Herwald?" Mordred spoke up, the spectal spawn of Arturia Pendragon eyeing the spot before her in concern at the youth's sudden silence "Are you well? Is something the matter…?"
"I'm fine, Mordred…" Herwald spoke up, his tone calm "In fact, I think I may have come up with a plan, but I'll need your help to pull it off…"
Riddle's POV...
"Find him!" Riddle hissed, the corporeal memory glaring at the shadows of the chamber as he watched his ancestor's monstrous familiar track their prey "You cannot hide forever Potter! Sooner or later the Basilisk will find you, and the longer you persist in this cowardly game of hide and seek, the closer your precious Ginny comes to death!"
He didn't really expect the boy-who-lived to react to that, he was a fellow Slytherin after all, and Slytherin's new better than to let emotions cloud their judgement. "I'll admit I was surprised you came to rescue her alone." He called out, his tone mocking as he smiled broadly "Charging in headfirst to meet the enemy? How very Gryffindor of you, you must get it from your parents."
"People DO say I take after them in looks." Herwald shot back, his voice echoing around the cavern, making it had to pinpoint his location "I'm afraid that's where the resemblance ends though. But then you'd probably know all about that."
"You could say that…" Riddle admitted, a flash of some dark emotion appearing in his eyes that quickly vanished "In fact, I dare say even you must have noticed that there is a strange likeness between us. Both half-bloods, orphans. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself." He smiled darkly "We even look something alike, though I don't know what you were thinking with that hair."
"It's an Einzbern tradition." Herwald shot back, his tone mildly defensive despite the echoing quality of the room "And I fail to see what point this has, I highly doubt you wanted to trade beauty tips."
"Indeed," Riddle sneered, his tone mocking as he watched the Basilisk coil stealthily towards the statue of Salazar Slytherin "Tell me, Harry, excluding our current confrontation, you have faced Lord Voldemort twice now." His features grew dark at the admission "Twice you have crossed paths with my future self, and twice I have somehow miraculously failed to kill you." He glared into the darkness, as if hoping it would divulge his enemy's location "How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."
'And the sooner my ritual will be to completion.' He added, smiling darkly as he felt himself growing more corporeal by the second. It had taken too long, longer than he'd have liked certainly, for the hooks he'd placed in the girl to begin draining her of her magic. When she'd stopped writing he'd wondered if he'd jumped the gun and moved to fast at first, especially when the boy refused to write in the Diary again, but fortunately, Ginny had been desperate to see if he'd spilled her secrets to her crush, which was all the opening he needed to finish the job.
'I hope you enjoyed your last twelve years, Harry Potter…' he muttered, smiling darkly as the Basilisk began moving towards Slytherin's Statue in earnest, having clearly picked up the scent of its prey 'That was time ill deserved, rest assured that I shall not be as forgiving as my older counterpart."
"Have at thee, monster!" a voice called out Riddle's eyes widening as the Basilisk reared back, the King of Serpents spitting explosively as the ghost that had accompanied Herwald into the chamber rushed it head on, her face hidden behind a horned helmet, no doubt to shield her eyes from direct view.
The Basilisk hissed, an explosive, menacing expression of rage that translated into a string of enraged expletives to the stunned Riddle. Not that the sight of the Knight fighting the Serpent shocked him mind you, it was, after all, what they did, but that Slytherin's beast would know such foul language.
"Missserable pessst!" it hissed, head lashing through the air, it's tail lashing out as it tried to swat the ghost away, only for it to predictably pass through the fallen knight with no ill effects, for the knight that is "Begone cold one! We have no interessst in you!"
The Knight, naturally, did not respond to the Serpent's words save to lunge forwards once again, her silver blade digging deep into the monster's flesh, doing no damage outside of spreading a deadly chill through the Basilisk's body causing it to hiss and rage in agony. After all, while Basilisks and other such magical serpents weren't as dependent on sunlight as their mundane brethren, they were still reptiles at the core, and as such, were naturally predisposed against cold climates. Even with the onset of the summer months the walls of the Chamber continued to give off an unearthly chill, one that even Riddle was beginning to feel as he slowly came more and more tangible.
One of the reasons the beast remained sealed inside the statue was to protect it from the elements, the serpent essentially entering a state of magical hibernation until the master of the chamber called it forth. Now however, with every strike of that spectral blade a chill beyond mortal comprehension was seeping through the Basilisk, arguably doing more damage to the ancient beast than if the blade had been corporeal, the King of Serpents' movements beginning to grow more rash, less coordinated, it's hisses of anger and discomfort growing more urgent with each strike Riddle's features growing darker as he watched the great blunt head weave drunkenly between the pillars, the deadly, sabre-like fangs snapping furiously yet fruitlessly at its fore, the Knight clearly ignoring the head in favour of the rest of its massive body.
"LEAVE HIM!" Riddle roared, the heir of Slytherin cursing himself for losing the girl's wand, making a note to learn a few exorcism spells once his body was corporeal "He cannot hurt you! Ignore him and find the boy!"
"Silber und Eisen als Ursprung…" Herwald's voice echoed, Riddle's head snapping up, trying to spot the boy-who-lived in the gloom "Edelstein und der Großherzog der Verträge als Eckstein…"
'What is that?' he muttered, scowling in suspicion even as the spectral knight resumed his attack on the Basilisk even as the chanting continued 'That's not latin…German?'
"Der Vorfahr ist mein Großmeister Einzbern…" the adopted Einzbern continued to chant, the air in the chamber seeming to shift slightly, an unseen breeze causing the flames to dance in their braziers "Der strahlende Wind wird zu einer Mauer. Die Tore in die vier Richtungen schließen sich, von der Krone kommend dreht sich die dreigespaltene Straße, die zum Königreich führt…"
"What are you doing, Potter?" he called out, eyeing the surrounding darkness warily, "Are you praying? Have you accepted your fate to die at my hands?"
"Schließen, schließen, schließen, schließen, schließen." Herwald chanted, Riddle's features contorting in anger at being so casually ignored "Wiederhole alles fünfmal. Zerbrich sobald gefüllt…"
"I didn't take you to be the religious type, Potter." Riddled called out, rather annoyed that his opponent was ignoring him "I'd have thought one raised by the Einzberns would be above such things."
"Ich verkünde." Herwald continued, his even tones echoing around the chamber, Riddle suppressing a shiver as he felt the cool, biting chill of the chamber shift subtly, as if something was altering the very composition of the air "Dein Selbst dient mir, mein Schicksal liegt in deinem Schwert."
'What the devil is he saying?' he demanded, the one-sided battle between the Basilisk and the ghost forgotten as he tried to locate his enemy 'It can't be a spell, even the German's use Latin for Spell casting…and Alchemy requires no spoken incantations…'
"Whatever you're planning won't work Potter!" he called out, his tone confident as he tried to drown out the hauntingly chilling incantation "There's no way out of this chamber, and even if you could get past me, the Basilisk will hunt you wherever you go!"
" Gemäß der Ankunft des Heiligen Grals, wenn du dieser Gesinnung, diesem Grund folgst, dann antworte." Herwald continued, his voice seemingly rising in pitch, Riddle's eyes snapping towards the statue of Slytherin, where a dull red light was shining "Hier ist mein Schwur. Ich bin der, der alles Gute der Welt der Toten wird, ich bin der, der alles Böse der Welt der Toten aufbahrt. Du, sieben Himmel gehüllt in drei Wörter der Macht…"
"THERE HE IS!" he hissed, pointing towards the statue, actually enraged that the boy had used his ancestor's effigy for shelter, "LEAVE THE DEAD ONE! THE BOY IS BEHIND THE STATUE! KILL HIM!"
The Basilisk hissed, ignoring the chilling, spectral strikes of Mordred's blade as it turned to answer it's master's call, the King of Serpents slithering towards the statue of it's Master, loosing a menacing hiss as it reared back, towering over the still form of Herwald, who was apparently standing in the middle of a glowing alchemical array with his eyes closed, one hand held clenched before him, blood dripping from his palm to land in the centre.
Hissing victoriously, the King of Serpents Reared back to it's full height, towering over it's prey, it's sabre-like fangs bared in anticipation, acidic venom dropping to the floor as it gazed down at it's seemingly unknowing prey. It had been a long time since it had devoured anything more substantial than the rodents that stupidly littered the tunnels of the school, it's current master, up till recently, having apparently been too squeamish to allow it to consume it's prey.
However, even if the master hadn't authorized this kill, the King of Serpents would've eaten the boy anyway. Not only had he dared to injure it, he had used a spirit to torment it, such a brazen insult would not be tolerated.
"KILL HIM!" Riddle hissed, a sentiment shared by his monstrous servant, the Basilisk's own hiss drowning out it's master's order as it lunged forwards, fangs bared to strike the troublesome prey, the meddlesome spirit from before lunging in front of it, arms spread wide as if to shield the boy, for all the good it would do, for even despite the chilling touch, the Basilisk was in no mood to care anymore.
As Riddle looked on in manic glee, as the Basilisk's fangs drew ever nearer to Mordred's spectral form, Herwald's emerald eyes snapped open, the boy looking death right in the mouth as he delivered the final verse of his spell.
It was a spell he had only performed once, a spell that by all rights could only be cast once per lifetime, the requirements for which being almost impossible to obtain. However, there was precedent that refuted this fact, two perfect examples actually, the first having occurred well before he'd met the Einzberns, the latter shortly after he'd teamed up with Rin and Shirou to defeat Caster.
"Erscheine vom Ring der Unterdrückung," he called out, the glowing circle beneath him erupting with crimson light as he flooded it with a combination of the ambient Prana in the Chamber and his own personal Od "Oh Hüter des Gleichgewichts!"
For a moment, he feared nothing had happened, the sabre-fangs of the Basilisk literally in his face, so close he could smell the snake's breath on his face.
The next moment, there was a flash of light, a flash of steel, and the Basilisk's head landed on the other side of the statue, the body falling to the ground, twitching spasmodically, like a lizard's tail.
"What?" Riddle stammered, the memory made flesh gaping like a fish, his gaze travelling from the severed head of the basilisk to the black Knight, clearly alarmed "You…where did…how did…?"
"It's called Magic, Tom." Herwald called out, stepping out from behind the statue, wrapping a strip of fabric around his hand "You would think a former Slytherin Prefect would know that much."
"Don't mess with me Potter!" Riddle snarled, though there was fear in his eyes now as he eyed the boy-whop-refused-to-die warily "No second year spells could've beheaded the King of Serpents!"
"On that account, I will agree." Herwald conceded, his tone mocking, "Basilisk scales are almost as resilient as Dragonhide in regards to the immunity to magic…" he smiled mockingly "then again, Dragons are notorious for being felled by four feet of forged steel."
"Clearly the Dragons of your time are not much to speak of then." A voice opined, Riddle's eyes widening in alarm as the sound of armoured footsteps echoed through the Chamber, the Effigy's eyes widening in alarm as a figure stepped out from behind the Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-Die.
It was a Knight, there was no way to mistake such a figure as anything else, but unlike the Suits of Armour that lined the halls of Hogwarts, THIS Knight was clad in armour of finest silver over a red tunic. Red markings adorned the breast-plate, over-sized Tasset and Besagues, which combined with the horned helmet that completely concealed the Knight's face and the spiked gauntlets that adorned his arms to give an overall intimidating appearance.
But what truly frightened the Effigy was the Knight's weapon, a two-handed broadsword that shone bright silver even in the dim light of the Chamber, the basilisk's blood dripping from the sword like water, as if repelled from the blade by the runes that adorned the flat of the blade. Riddle was no expert on swords, indeed, like most Wizards, he regarded them as barbaric, but even he could tell that the weapon was beautiful, a dangerous beauty that caused him to feel decidedly uncomfortable the longer he stared at it.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Herwald called out, snapping Riddle out of his trance, the Effigy stunned to find he'd broken out into a cold sweat simply gazing at the Knight's weapon "I can't blame you for being entranced, after all, it isn't every day you see a Noble Phantasm." He smiled as Riddle's eyes widened "Ah, I see you did your homework, well then I'm sure you realize that, before a weapon of THIS calibre, a Basilisk's scales are about as effective as a butter shield."
Before Riddle could say anything, Herwald lashed out with his wand, the memory flinching, expecting a curse or hex of some sort, only to freeze as the Einzbern merely summoned his diary, a cold sweat washing over him as his soul anchor landed in the younger Slytherin's extended palm.
"Knowing that…" Herwald continued, his tone as pleasant as a serpent's kiss "I can't help but wonder how a soul fragment sealed in a book would fare…" he smiled cruelly "Let's find out shall we?"
Riddle screamed and lunged for the boy, his hands outstretched, though whether it was to seize the book or throttle his enemy would never be known as Herwald, with an almost dismissive air, tossed the diary to the side, the Knight's sword coming down on the cursed tome point first, burying itself into the heart of the book.
And with that, the Chamber of Secrets is slowly drawing to a close.
Scout: Seriously man! Enough with the damn cliff-hangers!
Spy: It IS starting to grate on ze nerves a little, Auteur.
Kyugan: Which is why I got the follow-up Chapter already to be shipped out.
Sniper: A two-fer-one deal eh? Good on ya!