CHAPTER 12:
TRAINING AND TURMOIL
Harry grimaced, rubbing a bruise, even as he and Vali sat on benches on the perimeter of the training arena. "And that's you holding back?" he asked incredulously.
"Of course," Vali said. Vali had brought him in for another training session, though this time, he had brought in others, a group of associates who were loosely affiliated to the Grigori. Two of them, a young man in a severe suit and a girl in a stereotypical witch's outfit, both with blonde hair, turned out to be the descendants of King Arthur. Indeed, the young man called himself Arthur, and his younger sister called herself Le Fay.
The dark-haired, cocky-looking young man calling himself Bikou was a descendant of Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King famous in Asian literature from Journey to the West. And then, there was the young woman with cat ears and tails, and a sexy, sultry demeanour, dressed in a kimono that seemed to be always on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction. This was Kuroka, the Stray Devil he'd heard much about.
Harry looked to where Le Fay and Kuroka clashed, using their distinctive and differing magic styles against each other, while Arthur and Bikou sparred with their respective weapons. "Damn, your friends are powerful."
Vali nodded. "All of them, like me, have immense potential running through their veins, potential they develop. I have the advantage with my Sacred Gear, true, but I train hard."
"Train hard for what?"
"Fighting strong opponents."
Harry scoffed. "There's got to be more to it than that, Vali. Voldemort once told me that there is no good and evil, just power, and those too weak to seek it. I call bullshit. Some people seek power for its own sake, or to dominate others, while others…they want to protect. So unless you get off on this training hard thing because you're a masochist or something, I have to wonder why."
Vali looked to him, before looking to his friends. "…Well, seeing as you're prying, I need to ask…why do you get stronger?"
"…Because I want to protect myself and others…and so I can have freedom to do what I want, even if I want to just have a relatively quiet life, helping people when I can, and when I want. After all I went through with Voldemort, I just want a life I can live on my own terms. The problem is, with my new power, there's sure to be all sorts of people wanting it, or me. The Biblical Factions, some of the pantheons, and Azazel told me about this Khaos Brigade that's on the rise lately. I don't want to be stronger than everyone else, not if I don't have to, but to protect those I hold dear, along with myself…and to ensure I can have a happy life…I need to be stronger."
Vali was peering at him appraisingly, before he nodded. "I can't say it's anything so noble for me. Most of it is my wanting to fight strong opponents. Then again…I have few friends, but those I have, I value. Then again, it's not like I have many. Halfbreeds are often viewed with contempt in the supernatural world, and as I am a Cambion of the Lucifer bloodline…"
"You want to be seen as just you? Not Vali Lucifer?" Harry posed.
Vali blinked, before he shrugged. "I want to be seen as a power in my own right. Divine Dividing and my Lucifer heritage give me an advantage, true, but I don't intend to sit on my laurels. You speak of wanting a peaceful life, one on your own terms. I don't, and I'll be perfectly honest, life won't be kind to you either. Peace is…ephemeral, fragile. I'm not saying one should ever desire outright war, but conflict drives growth, whereas peace…peace just promotes stagnation. Maybe that's why all the beings of the world find any excuse to fight each other. Maybe it's a primal drive."
"That sounds like an excuse, even if that has its points," Harry retorted, glaring at Vali. "The Death Eaters didn't care about growth and progress. They just wanted to exterminate anyone who didn't share their views, or didn't fit into their notions on Blood Purity, which, I might add, is pretty much the same shit as the Nazis peddled."
To his credit, Vali held up his hands. "Hey, I understand that, I really do, Harry. I know what it is like to be treated like filth because of my heritage, either human or Devil. And you had to fight through a war against Voldemort, not to mention having your own people, the ones you bled for, turn on you when it was convenient, out of fear and greed. And yet…you still want to help others. In most people who've gone through what you went through…I would think that idiocy. And yet, looking at your eyes…it's like looking at tempered steel. I would hope that the Red Dragon Emperor, my destined rival, has the same steel in his eyes, the conviction to back up his ideals. Still, I guess our differences count for more than our similarities."
"Maybe," Harry said. "I'm honestly astonished you have the descendants of King Arthur as friends, to say nothing of the descendant of Sun Wukong. And that's without going into an infamous Stray Devil. How does she avoid a wardrobe malfunction?"
"I'm guessing magic or ki manipulation is involved," Vali said, sighing. "Kuroka is actually quite a decent girl, dress aside, but she is…well, not to put too fine a point on it, she wants to get into my pants."
"And you don't indulge her? Is what she did so heinous?"
"No, nothing like that. Her former master was scum, and she was forced to leave her little sister behind, so I'm told. And honestly, it's not like I don't like women. It's more that…"
"You're more interested in fighting?" Harry asked.
"Pretty much," Vali said. "That, and…I have a lot of baggage that any partner would have to deal with. Kuroka is more of a good ally than a lover. Besides, she wants to have a lover based on their strength, so that she can have strong offspring."
"…I'll make sure to lock my doors," Harry said dryly.
"Mittelt…how the hell can we convince Harry to stay with the Grigori?" Raynare asked her petite friend in Harry's quarters, pacing along the floor. "Forcing him is right out, seducing him will backfire spectacularly, and…I don't know what to do."
Mittelt shook her head. "Raynare, why are you asking me? If it's because you're hoping to gain favour with Lord Azazel, you're going about this the wrong way. Lord Azazel is probably aware of Harry's intentions. Hell, Harry probably discussed that with him already. All we can do is ensure Harry has a favourable impression of us, so when he does leave, he'll still be allied to us."
"I know that, Mittelt, I can understand it intellectually…but we are giving up a potential asset to the Grigori, one that could swing the balance of power in our favour as much as Vali does! And Vali's a loose cannon! His bloodline doesn't matter, but the fact that he's a goddamned battle-junkie does!" Raynare snarled.
"I don't think Lord Azazel would want to hear you calling his adopted son that," Mittelt said. "But Raynare, calm down a little…"
"How can I remain calm?!" Raynare snapped. "If Harry leaves the Grigori, then it means I have failed in my mission! It means I will forever remain a laughingstock within the fucking Grigori! They laugh at me for my love towards Lord Azazel, and…and…and I know he will never reciprocate, Mittelt. I try to gain his attention, but…I…" She sat down on the lounge heavily, with Mittelt soon embracing her. "I try so hard, and it doesn't matter," she said bitterly.
After a period of silence, where Mittelt hugged her big sister figure, Mittelt asked, rather seriously, "Raynare…what do you actually see in Lord Azazel? I mean, that actually attracts you to him?"
"…What do you mean?"
Mittelt stood, and walked around in front of Raynare. "What attracted you to him? His intellect? His looks? His charisma? And yet, knowing that he's an unrepentant manwhore, someone who lacks the ability to commit to a single woman, to say nothing of his fixation on Sacred Gears…you still pursue him? Raynare, I love you as the big sister I never had, but I can't really stay silent on this any longer. It's been centuries since you've started to pursue Lord Azazel. Centuries. There's remaining loyal to him out of gratitude after you Fell, that I can understand. But pining for him like a lovelorn maiden out of some trashy romance novel, for centuries?"
"You're mocking me, Mittelt, like all the others?!" Raynare demanded, her anger swiftly building within her.
"I'm giving you a reality check, Raynare!" Mittelt retorted. "I just…" Her expression fell, and most of Raynare's anger melted away at seeing Mittelt's despondency. "…You've wasted centuries on pining after an unattainable man. Do you know how much it hurts me to see that?"
Raynare wanted to lash out, thinking Mittelt was mocking her like everyone else. But she also knew Mittelt meant well. Despite being far, far younger than Raynare was, Mittelt was wiser than her years. She may have been an insufferable smartarse more often than not with a sharp tongue, but Mittelt knew that there were lines she should never cross, not without reason, and this was one of them.
So, instead of lashing out, Raynare said quietly, and bitterly, "Do you know how much it hurts me to hear that?" When Mittelt nodded, Raynare shook her head. "No, you don't, Mittelt. You…you don't know what that kind of unrequited love is like. If I don't keep trying, then the past centuries are a waste."
Mittelt sighed. "Haven't you heard of something called a sunk cost fallacy? Raynare, Lord Azazel is worth our loyalty, but he's not worth pining for. Don't get me wrong, he's smart, easy on the eyes if you like scruffy, devil-may-care looks, and honestly, that compassion of his is going to get him into trouble one day if the Devils or Heaven get more belligerent, even if it means he's fairly decent. But…he has a pathological resistance to commitment. I listen to all the gossip within the Grigori. He may have preferred lovers, yes, but you'd want to be his wife or de facto, or at least his top lover, right?"
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Raynare asked, her voice almost inaudible.
"Not at all. But we Fallen are creatures of sin, more than humans, and almost as much as Devils. His sin is being a massive manwhore," Mittelt said. "I mean, he wholly admits that he Fell because he enjoyed breasts. And honestly, that's not really that special. How many of us Fell from Grace because of Lust? Lust and Wrath seem to be the main causes of Angels Falling."
"And in other breaking news, Serafall Leviathan has a thing for magical girl series," Raynare snarked. "I know this, Mittelt."
"It bears repeating, Raynare. My point is…look at you. You could have the pick of any man, or woman that swung that way. Fallen, human, hell, even a Devil. So, find someone who is worth your love. Like I said, Azazel is worth our loyalty, but…he's not worth your love, not your romantic love. Admiration, love as a leader, yes, but romantic love?"
It couldn't be said that Raynare came to an epiphany then. Given the depths of her infatuation with Azazel, such a thing was not easily shaken off. And even Mittelt's well-meant intervention couldn't get through to her. But there were chinks in the armour around her heart already appearing, and this talk widened them. Gradually, yes, but still there.
Even as her thoughts swirled in turmoil, Mittelt gave her a smile. "Anyway, don't worry about Harry not staying with the Grigori. It's not a failure of your mission, not unless you really screw the pooch and have him become our enemy, right? If he remains our friend, and thus friendly to the Grigori…then I reckon that counts as a success, right?"
Raynare, albeit reluctantly, conceded that point. "But are we friends with him, do you think?"
"Well, we are, or at least getting there," Mittelt said.
Raynare hoped that was the case. It was a bit hard to tell at times. Leaving aside both Harry and her own history with friendship and betrayal, she had been on so many seduction missions, it was a little hard to tell when a genuine friendship was born. And she hadn't made friends with humans for a long time: her few actual friends were her fellow Fallen.
And forcing the issue with Harry, seducing or coercing him into staying with the Grigori, would be a disaster. It was one thing if he was some simpleton who thought with his dick while having such power, she'd done that before. They were easy to manipulate, even when they did have power. But Harry, while not exactly a genius, was nonetheless far from stupid. And he had enough experience to know when he was being manipulated, at least potentially. If he was still just a mere human wizard, that might not matter, but as a hybrid between two of the most powerful beings to exist?
Still, she felt helpless. Mittelt was right, it shouldn't be viewed as a failure if Harry didn't join the Grigori, and yet…it still felt like one. She needed to show she was capable of responsibility to Lord Azazel, dammit!
In the end, though, Mittelt's talk was a much-needed one, even if she didn't like hearing it. They were unwelcome words, but they needed to be said. And they would help Raynare in recovering herself, even if she didn't know it yet…
Azazel hated doing this. He hated having to hit people with the stick when they didn't accept the carrot. But he was doing this anyway. Harry deserved it.
The other Gringotts branches, thankfully, were more reasonable than their British branch. In theory, Harry could withdraw his money through those branches. In practise, Goblin banking practises and protocols made such a thing unnecessarily difficult. And of course, there was the fact that much of the Potter family fortune had been seized and divvied up between the Goblins and the Blood Purists.
Which was why Azazel was currently intimidating the current head of Gringotts, allowing his aura to intimidate him. "I thought my requests were wholly reasonable," he said. "Especially considering that I had to help you clean up that mess with Ranrok over a century ago. And yet, here you are, betraying the person who saved your worthless hides, ridding your bank of a Horcrux you allowed to squat in here, and for what?"
The current head of Gringotts, Pluton, didn't answer. But Azazel answered him for him. "It's because he embarrassed you by robbing Gringotts. That, and you're a member of the Sons of Ranrok, as are most of the influential Goblins here. I'm sure Griphook was a member of you lot. So, let me make this clear. You will ensure that Harry's fortune and possessions are returned to him. Or else, I will ensure that all assets of the Grigori are withdrawn from Gringotts."
"You can't do that! It'll cause problems!" hissed Pluton.
"My heart bleeds for your problems," Azazel said coldly. "You teamed up with the Blood Purists, the very people who would have happily seen you wiped out once Voldemort was done subjugating the populace, and you teamed up with them all for the sake of greed and forcing some concessions out of the Ministry, concessions you don't deserve. Goblins deserve better treatment, true, but there's a difference between being given better rights, and just more power to screw people over. You're fond of giving ultimatums, so you should feel honoured to receive mine."
"This is an outrage!" Pluton hissed.
"Yes, it's not fun when the bullies become the bullied, is it? You have my not-unreasonable requests. You have a week to figure out how to fill them. Oh, and if you betray Harry still being alive to the Blood Purists…I know there's a few ambitious Goblins who'd love to fill your shoes, and who are certainly more reasonable."
"Just try it," Pluton sneered. "The Devils invest here too, they won't stand for your blatant manipulation of Gringotts' business!"
"Actually, I'm sure Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan at least would do the same thing," Azazel said. "So, you'd better lube up, because either way, you're getting fucked over. It's just up to you how badly you are."
Honestly, he hated doing this, at least the principle of it. But there were times when abusing his power was fun to do, and watching some uppity, xenophobic Goblin piss his pants was one of them. Time would tell if it worked out, though. Yes, time would tell…
CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry's bonding with Vali, Raynare has gotten a much-needed talk from Mittelt, and Azazel's taking on the Goblins.
I have to say, this was one of the most difficult of the chapters to write for various reasons, mostly with Mittelt doing what she should have done in canon and give Raynare a reality check. In canon, I don't think she was given this, but here, thanks to Harry's situation, Mittelt has plucked up the courage to do that.
As for Azazel bullying the Goblins, I decided to put in a reference to Hogwarts Legacy. Given what Ranrok did in that game, it's possible relations needed a lot of smoothing over, and I wouldn't be surprised if a number of Goblins still kept to his twisted ideals. For the sake of this story, many of the important Goblins in Gringotts did (though not necessarily the rank and file, or the average Goblin citizen), hence that scene.
Review-answering time! Nathair1: As stated before, this will NOT be a harem fic! Pay attention!
Dragon Man 180: I didn't think of that, of Harry adapting Quidditch moves for aerial combat, but who knows? I certainly had him use the Wronski Feint against the Cognition of Wakaba in my Persona 5 crossover 40 Thieves? I Just Need One Wizard! So, why not?
Jostanos: A love of flying, I feel, is a big part of Harry's character. It's one of the reasons why, when I write him having an Animagus form, it's usually as a bird. In my Overlord crossover 200 Years, A Long Wait for Friends, he confesses to Albedo shortly before the Yggdrasil shutdown that he loves flying in the game, and wishes he could continue. That airship music from Final Fantasy IX (my personal favourite instalment in the franchise) I mentioned in the previous chapter is evocative of the sort of joy Harry would feel.
WearyCurmudgeon: I can't answer all of your review without going into spoilers for later chapters. However, 'Reave' doesn't simply add the stolen power to Harry's own reserves like Divine Dividing does, nor does it simply double his power every so often. It actually amplifies Harry's power as well. In other words, the power stolen is enhanced and amplified, and exponentially to a degree Boosted Gear can't match. Harry's main limits are those of his body to store that power.
EmperorNefarious1: Actually, corsets could be pretty dangerous, it's not just a fictional contrivance. It was the practise of tight lacing in particular that made them so. And I'd imagine that practise happened a lot during the Georgian era, which was the period during which Raynare had to wear one.
No numbered annotations this time.