CHAPTER 4:

THE APOSTLE AND THE DRAGON

The next morning, they headed off to Coda rather swiftly, Hodor still unconscious. Tuka stayed with him in the jeep, sitting by Harry's side, looking at her father concernedly. It was decided, once they got back to the village, that Harry and Tuka would tell the village elder. However, Tuka warned them that the villagers would probably intend to evacuate, and might need help. Itami agreed readily. Tuka seemed to be shooting odd glances at both himself and Mari, blushing slightly. He got Tuka into some conversation, learning that she was actually over 160 years old.

Eventually, they made it back to Coda, and they soon met with the village chief. Tuka took the lead in explaining what had happened, and a horrified village chief called for an evacuation. They would go with the JSDF partway to Alnus Hill, parting ways to head to another lord. Apparently the actual lord over these lands had been one of those killed during the assault on Ginza.

Harry decided to go and head to the two mages he heard of yesterday to warn them. Cato El Athelstan turned out to be a grizzled old man, a stereotypical old wizard, short of stature but still surprisingly energetic for his age. His protégé, Lelei La Lalena, turned out to be a rather stoic-looking girl of about fifteen, and a rather petite fifteen at that. She had short silvery blue hair and sapphire eyes. Harry introduced himself, and warned them about the Flame Dragon.

Cato seemed to panic, bringing out massive armloads of books to laden down the cart with. However, Harry knew that it would probably make the cart too heavy for the donkey pulling it, so he cast a Featherlight Charm on the books. "You are a mage as well?" Lelei asked.

"Yes. I'm the only one in our group. I come from beyond the Gate at Alnus Hill. The rest are soldiers from a country called Japan. Magic is hidden in our world, but these soldiers know about my being a wizard."

"I see," the girl said. "Why is it hidden on your world?"

"Persecution by those without it, amongst other things," Harry said. "Just some warning: what they use isn't magic, but it's still dangerous…"


He spoke with Lelei and Cato for a while, before heading back to the village, in time to repair a wagon whose axle had snapped. However, the horse pulling the wagon was maddened, and had to be shot to protect an injured girl, Mari, and Lelei. Lelei was staring in shock at the power of an assault rifle, and Harry had to gently lead her away afterwards, promising to talk to her later.

They soon set off, the refugee convoy making its way through the countryside slowly. Thankfully, Harry was on hand to repair some of the broken wagons, wagons the villagers may have had to abandon. In the meantime, Harry answered more of Tuka's questions, and she answered some of his own about High Elf society, or at least their culture. However, she was also worried about her father's condition, and, using Harry as a translator, often begged Mari for updates.

However, they soon stopped because someone had been sitting in the road, a murder of crows flying above them. And Harry had just enough time to hear Itami say something that sounded like "Goth Loli!" before he looked through the windscreen. He took his own pair of binoculars and looked through them. Sitting in the road was a girl, of about thirteen, with glossy black hair like a raven's feathers, crimson eyes, and a rather feline smirk. She was dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion, albeit with a scandalously short hemline, and a massive halberd.

Harry realised he knew this girl. "Oi, Itami," Harry said quietly. "I think this is one of the Apostles the Legilmens working for the Japanese Ministry mentioned." To Tuka, handing the binoculars over, he asked, "Is that Rory Mercury?"

Tuka looked through them, and nodded. "I've only seen her once before, but those are definitely the holy vestments of the priestesses of Emroy. I don't think you have anything to fear, though. If you explain your purpose, and she believes you, she'll let us pass. Indeed, she may accompany us."

Harry noticed Rory getting up. Distantly, but clearly, he heard her voice, strangely older-sounding than her appearance suggested, like an older teenager or a young adult, "And from whence are you men coming from, and where do you intend to go? Such strange carriages you ride."

Harry and Tuka dismounted, though they were passed by a small gaggle of children who cried out happily for the Oracle as they disembarked from one of the other vehicles. Thankfully, the children's words seemed to reassure Rory, who watched as Harry and Tuka approached. "Hmm? And a High Elf of Koan Village travels with these men? And who might you be?"

"I'm Harry Potter. I'm a mage working with the Japanese Self-Defence Forces."

"Ahhh, so you are the ones from beyond the Gate Hardy opened onto another world," Rory said.

"And you are Rory Mercury, Apostle of Emroy, apparently. Your reputation precedes you. Those the Japanese took prisoner praise and curse your name."

"I'm sure they do. Hmm, you've seen many battles, Harry Potter." She then strutted up to him, and smirked, before heading over to the jeep. "So, how does this work?"

"I don't know, Lady Mercury," Tuka said, "but it's certainly comfortable, more so than a carriage. They lower the temperature inside using something called 'air conditioning'."

"Oh?" She then turned to Itami, and licked her lips. "I'd like to try it for myself…"

Itami stammered out a greeting in the local language from the phrasebook the JSDF compiled. Harry just knew something hilarious and embarrassing was about to happen…


As it turned out, Rory, with only a thin veneer of innocence, sat in Itami's lap. That caused quite a bit of hilarity, before Rory decided to take mercy, and merely sat between Itami and Kurata. They continued on, with Harry speaking to Rory. Oddly enough, she could speak English and Japanese fluently, attributing it to a gift from Emroy.

"So…you're basically an immortal priestess of Emroy, one who acts as his emissary in the world. Right?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Rory said, looking back at Harry. "We Apostles are gardeners of this world, and sometimes, it behoves us to do some weeding. Oh, don't worry, Emroy's actually quite besotted with these…JSDF and their weapons. But magic is hidden on your world?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, how curious. Anyway, I came to meet this convoy after I overheard some bandits looking to loot Coda and join up with some deserters from the Imperial Army," Rory said. "I sent their souls to Emroy for their imprudence. That, and…" Her face fell, becoming solemn, even angry. "They murdered a farmer, his wife, and his daughter. The wife and daughter were raped beforehand. Emroy may be a deity of calamity and warfare, and to him, to kill is not a sin. Rather, it is motive. If your cause is truly righteous, then he has no problem. Those who do it for the sake of slaking either bloodlust or just plain lust, of course, are other matters entirely. Those who do violence to each other for violence's sake must be ready to face the consequences."

"So that's why you came to meet us?" Itami asked. "Curiosity?"

"Indeed. I'm not disappointed. Most soldiers would not try to help these people, at least in this world."

Itami nodded absently, looking out the window, looking back at the convoy…before his eyes suddenly widened. "CONTACT! THE FLAME DRAGON'S HERE!"

"What weapons do we have?" Harry yelped.

"You mean that can harm the thing? Only the Panzerfaust-3s!" Kuwahara said. "What about your magic?"

"Back home, they needed a team of dragon handlers to even stun them! I'm not even sure the Killing Curse…NO!" Harry yelled as he looked out the back window, as the Flame Dragon belched flame over the villagers. "No, no, NO!" he screamed as dozens were immolated or eaten.

The loud report of rifles filled the jeep as Itami took aim and fired, leaning out of the window, while the others began firing. "Aim for the eyes!" Tuka yelled.

"Tuka just said to aim for the eyes!" Harry yelled. He then looked at Kuwahara. "Have we got a Panzerfaust-3 in here?"

Kuwahara nodded, indicating a long box under his seat. Awkwardly, thanks to Rory's halberd and Hodor, who was lying in the way, they managed to slide it out. "You know how to use one of these things?" Kuwahara asked. Harry may have been a civilian on paper, but the older soldier clearly trusted Harry enough to use it.

"Shino showed me once while I was training on the base," Harry said as he pulled out the rocket launcher. "Just make sure nothing is behind me that can get caught in the backblast, and make sure the pin is out so it can act as a HEAT round. Now, I'm going to jump out. I'll be fine with a charm, but I need that damned thing to stay still."

"Distract it? Got it. Just make sure you hit the damned thing," Itami said.

"Got it." Harry flung open the back door of the jeep, and after casting a cushioning charm, jumped out. Tumbling on the ground, he got to his feet, hoisting up the rocket launcher. Admittedly, Shino's lesson was a very quick and dirty one. She'd taken him to the range where they fired training rounds and allowed him to fire one. Not the real deal, obviously, not one with a HEAT warhead, but he knew how to take the safety off, how to get the round prepared, how to aim, and how to fire.

He quickly looked behind him to see whether anyone would be hit by the backblast (nobody, thankfully, was close enough behind him to be of concern), before readying the rocket launcher, looking through the scope, and, recalling that time when Mari strapped him down to watch Jaws, and growled, "Smile, you son of a bitch." And then he pulled the trigger.

The noise of the rocket going off startled him, and he staggered back a couple of steps. Still, the rocket raced through the air. He'd aimed it right at the torso, just as the dragon was looking away, and it was turning back just as the rocket hit it.

Shino had explained what a HEAT round does. It was basically explosive around an inverted cone of metal. When the explosive went off, the metal cone became what was basically a jet of liquefied metal going at hypersonic speeds. While less effective against most modern tanks these days, with the likes of reactive armour being used, a Flame Dragon didn't have those. The blast wasn't powerful enough to penetrate the Flame Dragon from end to end…but it certainly pulped most of its vital organs, judging by the massive flood of gore coming from the wound and the agonised screech the Flame Dragon emitted.

Harry didn't feel any elation, though, even as the Flame Dragon died slowly and horribly. No sense of triumph. Instead, he turned back to the burning remnants of the convoy. He hurriedly rushed over, beginning to cast Aguamenti charms, just in case there was anything he could do.

But in the end, there wasn't…


He sat apart from the rest of the group as they buried the dead and held a funeral as night fell. 150 dead out of about 600 of Coda's inhabitants. The rational part of his mind knew that, given the Flame Dragon's ambush, there was nothing that could have been done. But the rest of his mind was drowning that out. The guilt, the anger…Mari had seen this, and after an attempt to try and help him, instead let him go off alone. Even Tuka, after thanking Harry profusely, realised he wasn't in the mood, and so went to tend to her father.

He sat on a cart, toying with his helmet pensively. He didn't notice anyone approaching until, in the periphery of his vision, he saw black lace. "Leave me alone," he said quietly.

"Nope," Rory said, popping the 'p' of the word. Rather more solemnly, she said, "Most would view slaying the Flame Dragon as a triumph, you know. Even I would be hardpressed to triumph, given that it'd devolve into a war of attrition. This is the sort of thing people would immortalise in song. They don't care that those people died. Oh no, as long as the hero triumphs over the monster, that's all that matters. You're thinking of those people, though. But you forget that you saved more than were killed, you and the JSDF."

"Everyone around me keeps dying," Harry sneered. "I'm bad luck to anyone I care about."

Rory scoffed softly. "Try living to be 961 years old. Everyone around me keeps dying." As Harry turned to look at the ancient girl, whose eyes looked every second of her age, she said, quietly, "Sergeant Kurokawa told me a little about you. How you're famous amongst the wizards of your homeworld. The Boy Who Lived…but she knows that you hate your fame, partly because it's a reminder that your parents died, and you didn't. In a way, we are the same. I can barely remember my parents now. They were murdered by bandits when I was young, and I was taken into the service of Emroy. I would give anything, even my Apostlehood, to have a normal life with them. But Hardy never gives up her prizes once she has them in her clutches. Whatever tragedy you have witnessed or endured, I can guarantee to match it, if only by dint of experience. But…from what she told me, you also go out of your way to help those who need help. When the Flame Dragon attacked Koan, you used your magic to extinguish the flames, not to mention finding Tuka and Hodor. When it attacked the convoy, you acted swiftly. So did the JSDF. Think not on what you have lost, but on what you have saved."

Harry didn't bother replying. He knew she had a point, but it was hard for him to acknowledge it. Instead, he watched the makeshift funeral service. He'd helped dig the graves, manually, like he did for Dobby.

Rory eventually continued. "The village chief will probably ask the JSDF to take care of the orphans and the widows who can't look after themselves. This is close enough to the lord they want to go to. I've got the feeling that Cato El Athelstan and Lelei La Lalena will come along too: their curiosity has been piqued by your magic, and the contrivances of your world. And, of course, there is Tuka and her father…"

"Speak of the devil…" Harry said, as Hodor emerged from the jeep he had been in, looking groggy. Tuka soon noticed, and yelped in pleasant surprise, hurrying over to him. Harry couldn't hear her words well enough to, though he could guess their import…but the puzzled look on his face didn't bode well. Nor did the look of dawning horror on Tuka's. They had an urgent conversation, increasingly desperate on Tuka's end, before she finally headed over to Harry, who hurriedly reapplied his translation charm.

"Harry, I need your help. My father…he doesn't remember me!"

CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:

And on that bombshell, goodnight!

I actually liked this scene between Harry and Rory. While she does have similar scenes in Parva Sub Ingenti, I wrote the Rory in that story similar to GATE canon, like a cat who adopted an owner, and one who alternates between a big sister and little sister role for Harry. But after writing in Rory as more of a mentor figure in my Star Wars crossover GATE: Thus the Chosen One Fought There, I actually thought, giving Rory this vaguely maternal, big sister air actually worked better. Mari is still a fairly good big sister figure for Harry, but Rory, perversely enough, is better. She already has a very good idea of what makes him tick (she has over nine centuries of experience), and I think there's this desire to have a little brother figure. Plus, she's over 900 years old, and I like writing her in the moments when she shows it, and not just the childish, playful and bloodthirsty Rory. I like her moments when she's actually solemn or philosophical in the show, when she's a bit like a more bloodthirsty and violent version of the Doctor.

As for having Harry slay the Flame Dragon, this wasn't written in to make Harry more badass than the JSDF. This Harry isn't as seasoned and knowledgeable a mage as the one in Parva Sub Ingenti, and is still coming to terms with the trauma he's gone through in childhood. So, when a huge dragon comes along, and kills a lot of people, he decides, fuck magic, and immediately goes for a Muggle weapon. It was also written to give the story a little push off course as well.

Review-answering time! Raghnall: Whether I start a story or not is up to me and me alone. Besides, aside from a one-shot at Halloween, I've finished no less than four stories this year, including my longest to date, my Naruto story Observations of a Wannabe Kunoichi. So don't make comments like that.

Blaze1992: On seeing your review, I had a quick look on Wikipedia. The term itself was more prevalent in the Eighties, and nowadays, isn't as prevalent. But it is a genuine Japanese idiom, and I'm sure it's still used as a pejorative.

rmarcano321: Actually, I'm actually much more of a Doctor Who fan. However, oddly enough, Harry Potter fanfic is much easier to write. One of my correspondents, I can't remember who (apologies to whoever did say it to me), once called Harry Potter the 'little black dress of crossovers', because it goes so easily with many things.

Guest (regarding Tuka's sexuality): Thanks. In a later chapter, I actually do go into Tuka's reasoning, with her stating to Harry that the few men she was actually attracted to beforehand were already attached. I got some comment making Ilia Amitola from RWBY bisexual for Under the Light of the Shattered Moon, though at the time I first wrote it, the episodes that revealed her sexuality weren't aired yet, and after they were, I hurriedly rewrote parts of the story I had already written (but thankfully not published) to change it around. In that story, Ilia was basically in the final category you mentioned. I thought that plausible, as it's never actually stated in RWBY whether Ilia is an outright lesbian or bisexual. Also, Tuka's relationship with Harry will be a slow-burning one, as it will be with Shino. Yao's addition to the harem will be a little more abrupt, but that's due to various circumstances.

freeforall546: No, Lelei will not be part of the harem. She's only 15, and Harry is 20 in this story. That being said, I have another GATE crossover on the cards, Worlds Apart, with a teenaged Harry in an eventual relationship with both Lelei and Myuute Luna Sires (the Siren girl conscripted by the bandits to attack Italica, if you don't know who that is). Of course, there's no guarantee that story will have enough chapters to be published eventually, but it's on Chapter 7, and I'll consider posting it as a full story once I've either finished that chapter, or the one after it.

No numbered annotations this time.