"Everyone alright?" Frozone asked.
"I'd say I'm alive," Luke responded, coughing as he gingerly rubbed his chest. "Does that count?"
Harry watched as the new guy, Legolas, walked over and scooped up his arrow from where it had fallen. Out of Krell. Harry wasn't quite sure what he had just witnessed. One second, Krell had been standing there. And then, the arrow had hit him, and he had vanished. Almost like he had been erased from existence.
The only time Harry had seen something even remotely similar to that had been with Sirius or Tom Riddle's diary. But this was different. Sirius had fallen into the Veil. That's why he'd disappeared. And that only been Tom Riddle's soul he had seen, not his body. So did that mean, Harry and the others here weren't actually here?
"Interesting," Legolas remarked, looking at the ground where Krell had been.
"Where did he go?" Kuvira asked.
"I do not know. Away from here, obviously."
"He was definitely dead," Luke added. "We all saw that arrow hit him. No one could survive that."
"Never be too sure of anything," Legolas told him. "There are many mysteries out there and plenty more in this place. The rules seem to be constantly changing. We cannot be sure of anything."
Luke frowned. "What?"
"I think he means we can't rule out the possibility that Krell is alive," Kuvira said. "This whole place is a mystery to us. We can't take anything for granted. Not even death."
"Oh wonderful," Luke sighed.
"Here," Marina appeared by his side and pressed her hands to his chest.
"What are you- oh," he blinked in surprise. "Oh wow, that feels…weird. What are you doing?"
"Healing you," she replied and pulled her hands away.
"Oh wow, that does feel better, thanks."
Harry stared at her for a long moment before he found his voice. "You can heal people?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's one of my gifts," she said. "Why, are you hurt too?"
Harry shook his head. "Not me. But he is." He pointed to the corner of the chamber where Chewie was still incased in ice.
"Oh." Marina instantly stood up and walked over. "What happened to him?" Then she saw him through the ice and gaped a little. "And…what is he?"
"He got hit by some hammer-weapon-thing in the chest and we couldn't heal him so Frozone froze him to keep him, you know, from getting worse until we could find someone to help him. As for what he is…" Harry shrugged helplessly.
"Huh, alright well, let's get him out of there."
Harry moved to gesture Frozone over but before he could, Marina placed her hands on the ice and it instantly began to shrink, returning to water. Harry watched as it all melted away, leaving Chewie's furry form lying on the sand. He breathed out again, weakly, and gave a soft moan.
"Uh…how'd you do that?" Harry asked.
"Another one of my gifts," Marina replied as she took Chewie's hand in hers. "Now please be quiet. I need to concentrate."
Harry merely nodded and watched as she held Chewie's hand. He wasn't sure what he expected to see. Maybe some glowing light. But there was nothing. She just sat there and held his hand. Harry couldn't see any different until Chewie suddenly sighed deeply and his eyes opened. He then sat up and touched his chest.
"Hey buddy," Harry stepped over to him. "How you feeling?"
"Wwwhhhhrrraaaarrgghhhh!"
Harry smiled. "Yeah, that's what I figured. Good to see you back on your feet."
Chewie stood up and then turned and wrapped Marina in a bear hug. "Oh, ok, it was no problem- ack! Ok that's a little too tight. Too tight!"
Chewie growled again and let her go, patting her softly on the head.
"Right. I'm Marina by the way. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand and he shook it.
"Good to see you on your feet again Chewie," Luke said, walking over. Chewie patted him on the shoulder and let out what seemed to be affectionate growls. It was hard to tell.
Harry briefly wondered if he should say that Luke had considered leaving Chewie behind but then decided against it. That information wouldn't help anyone right now. And there were more important matters. Such as the creature that was hopping down from the hole in the ceiling.
"Whoa, what the hell!" Frozone cried, lifting his hands to attack. The black-suited girl got into a defense position and Luke readied his sword. Harry raised his wand next to him. He eyed the creature warily. It looked like a bowtruckle, except much bigger than any he'd ever seen. More tree than branch. In fact, it looked like the whole thing was made of tree roots and bark with green leaves poking out all over.
"Stay calm, friends," Legolas said. "This is an ally of mine."
The tree-thing nodded. "I am Groot," it said.
"Indeed," Legolas added.
The others still eyed it warily but they relaxed their stances.
"What's the plan now?" Kuvira asked. "Where do we go from here?"
"The sun is setting," Legolas said, glancing up at the sky through the hole. "I have already glimpsed what roams this land when the sun is high. It might be wiser to not wander when the night descends lest we encounter the darker beasts."
"Uh…yes," Frozone nodded after a second. "What he said. Let's all stay here for the night and then figure out our plan in the morning."
Since no one could think of anything else, they all agreed. Kuvira blocked the hole by raising a pillar of rock to seal it. She quickly did the same for the tunnel entrances, only allowing small holes to remain so they could all still breathe.
Harry made himself useful by creating cups of water for them all to drink, quenching their thirst.
"Don't suppose you can do the same for food?" Marina asked.
"Sorry, no," Harry shrugged helplessly.
"No need, here," Legolas interrupted and handed out small packages. Harry opened his and found a small piece of bread inside.
"Not a lot, but we'll take it," Frozone said.
"That is lembas bread," Legolas explained. "One bite will fill your belly for hours on end. We elves use it on long journeys to allow us to remain steadfast."
Harry frowned but took a bite anyway, relishing the sweet taste that hit his tongue after a day of no food. And then he blinked as the empty feeling in his stomach slowly faded away. He also felt rejuvenated, as if given a spark of new life. And judging from the expressions of the others, they felt the same way.
"Damn, that is good," Frozone muttered.
"Wwwrraaarrrggghhh," Chewbacca agreed.
"Do not eat too much," Legolas warned. "We do not know when we will be able to find food again and as long-lasting as the bread is, even it will not last forever."
After that, they settled in, each finding their respective places in the cave. Harry settled down in the corner near Luke and Chewbacca. After his nap earlier, and the battle with Krell, he wasn't feeling particularly tired. But he could see others nodding off quickly, Marina now dozing a few meters away. The bat-suited girl was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed but Harry was pretty sure she wasn't sleeping. Next to her was Groot in an almost identical position.
Kuvira was still standing, eyes alert and roaming, her arms crossed. Legolas and Frozone seemed to be conversing nearby but Harry couldn't make out what about.
As he looked around the room, Harry began to wonder. "Do you really think this is a contest?" he asked.
Luke looked up from where he'd been lying. "I think it's possible," he replied. "We were clearly all brought here for a reason. And from experience, whenever something like this happens, it's usually for others' amusement."
Harry blinked. "How often has this happened to you?"
"This exact situation, never. But I have been in similar ones, always as a plaything of others. Right now, I say we just make our way and do our best to survive til we can find a way to turn the tables on the ones behind all of this. We need to understand how the game works before we can beat it."
"What about what Vorjavik said? Only the greatest will prevail. Does that mean it will end up being the last one standing? Do we all have to kill each other to make it through?" Harry shuddered at that thought. He would never be able to do that. But some people, Vorjavik and Krell it particular, seemed to relish that idea.
Luke was silent for a moment. "I don't know what everyone else will do, but I play by my rules. If someone attacks me, I'll fight back. But I'm done going and looking for fights. I've done that most of my life and it wound up getting me-" he stopped suddenly. "It wound up being pointless," he recovered and Harry frowned. It sounded like he was about to say killed but he decided not to ask. "All it did was hurt people around me. I'm not looking to win some stupid contest here. I want to find who started all this and beat them so I can get out of here."
Harry nodded. That sounded like a good plan. He just hoped it would work.
Even though he had taken a nap earlier, he felt his eyelids drooping, the long day catching up with him. He drifted off to sleep, thinking of Ginny and hoping she was safe.
He didn't know how long he slept but he woke up to the sound of raised voices.
"…is a bad idea no matter how hard you try to justify it. This place is too dangerous."
"Which is why we need to explore it. Send out teams to learn what we can."
Harry blinked and shook his head as he woke up. He looked around and saw some of the others up. Frozone and Kuvira were the ones arguing, trying to stay quiet in the corner but it wasn't working very well. Luke was standing nearby as was Legolas and the bat-suited girl. Marina was just getting up as well and Chewbacca was still snoring away next to Harry. And Groot…Harrry wasn't sure about him. He was still just sitting in that same pose.
Harry got up and made his way over to where the two were arguing. "What's going on?" he asked.
The two stopped, still staring hard at each other. "Difference of opinion," Frozone said.
"Opinion of what?"
"Of what to do next," Luke interjected. "They do agree we need to explore this new world we've found ourselves in, but they can't agree on how. Kuvira here wants us all to split up into separate parties while Frozone thinks we should stick together."
"Oh," Harry nodded.
"There's safety in numbers," Frozone said. "We've already all seen what we're up against and who knows what else is out there."
"All the more reason to explore as much as we can," Kuvira argued. "We split up into smaller groups and we can learn more about where we are."
"I agree with Frozone." They turned as Marina walked up. "I get where Kuvira's coming from, but staying together makes more sense. I've seen what happens when people split up." Her expression turned sad for a moment. "Staying together will be better for all of us."
"Exactly," Frozone nodded.
"If we stay together, that just paints a larger target on our back," Kuvira replied. "A larger group is more noticeable."
"I think we should split up as well," Legolas added. "We will each be able to cover more ground if we are traveling smaller."
"Yeah, but you only came at the end of Krell single-handedly wiping the floor with us," Luke told him. "If we run into someone like him, or someone stronger, when we're split up…" He left that thought hanging.
Harry wandered off as they kept arguing, not really up for dealing with it. He didn't really mind if they split up or not. All he wanted to do was get moving. He was tempted to just walk out right now on his own but after seeing Vorjavik and Krell as well as the swarm of flying monsters, he didn't know how long he'd last. Better to stick with the others for now.
He came to a stop where Groot and the bat-suited girl were sitting. "Hey," he said, causing them to look up at him. "I don't think we've really been introduced yet," he told the girl. "I'm Harry."
The girl took his outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. "I am Cassandra."
"Nice to meet you."
"I am Groot."
Harry blinked. "Yeah, Groot, I know, we all met last night. Nice to meet you too."
The tree nodded slowly at him. Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet. He'd seen bowtruckles and other magical creatures before, but Groot seemed to be more sentient than the others. Hagrid would probably become best friends with him.
"So, what do you think we should do?" he asked.
Cassandra tilted her head, thinking. "Whatever is best," she replied.
"I am Groot."
Harry blinked again. "Um…ok. Is that…all you can say?"
"It is all he has said," Cassandra confirmed. "Though in different ways. I believe he is saying something else to him, but it comes out the same to us."
Harry frowned, not quite sure he was following. Where was Hermione when he needed her. Though if he could request people to come here, he'd probably ask for the entire Order of the Phoenix.
He opened his mouth to ask something else when he heard it. A soft humming noise just in the background. He looked around but couldn't find the source. It seemed to be coming from outside.
From the way Cassandra was tilting her head, she heard it too. Slowly, the others took notice as well.
"What is that?" Marina asked.
"It sounds…like a plane," Frozone said.
"It's coming from outside." Marina raised her hands up towards the rock pillar covering the ceiling but Kuvira quickly stopped her.
"Wait," she said. "We don't know what's out there."
"Which is why we should go check it out."
"It could be a threat."
"Yes. And it might not. Either way, we should know what it is."
"She's right," Frozone said. "We stay hidden, make sure we're not seen, until we know what it is."
Kuvira pursed her lips but nodded sharply. She then raised her hands but instead of the rock pillar coming down, a new one shot up from beneath them, lifting them up. Harry started in surprise but quickly recovered. He watched as they rose to the ceiling and saw the rocks above them slide up as well, keeping them covered as they arrived back on the surface.
He blinked as the sunlight hit him again, blinding him for a second. It took a few seconds before he could see again, the vast expanse of desert once again appearing before him. The humming sound was louder here and this time he could definitely tell it was from an engine. He didn't spend too much time around Muggle vehicles these days, but he could still recognize the sound. He started looking up at the sky, trying to spot it.
"There."
They all followed Cassandra's finger and saw the dark from flitting across the sky.
"What is that?" Legolas asked, eyes widened.
"That's not a plane," Kuvira muttered.
"No, it's a jet. Moving fast," Frozone said.
"What is a jet doing here?" Marina asked.
"What are any of us doing here? Doesn't matter. What do we do now?" Luke asked them all. "Do we signal it or let it pass?"
"It is fascinating," Legolas commented.
"It's fast," Frozone mused. "Might make a good scout."
"It also makes a lot of noise. Not ideal."
Frozone nodded to Kuvira's point. "It also has a lot of firepower. Could be useful."
Harry still watched the jet, a sleek grey thing that shot across the sky. It looked like a bird from this distance except so much faster. He tapped his wand against his glasses and activated the magnifying spell, zooming in on the jet. "Huh."
"What is it?" Luke asked him.
"The jet has these strange markings all over it."
"Like on a flag?"
"No, I don't think so. At least, none that I know of. The markings seem random, just lines and symbols scattered over."
"How are you even seeing that?"
Harry quickly explained the spell he'd used.
"That thing is going to disappear in seconds, so we might want to decide what we're going to do," Luke reminded them.
As the others debated, Harry kept his eyes on the jet, keeping his head moving as it flew which was starting to hurt his neck. He was still curious about the markings but he didn't know too much about Muggle technology. Maybe it was a personal vehicle or something. He moved on to the cockpit, trying to get a look at the pilot. Then he frowned, blinked, and looked again, taking a step closer on instinct. But he had been right the first time. The cockpit was empty. There was no pilot.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
"I am Groot?"
"Oh, hey Groot," he said, over his shoulder. "It's just…there's no one piloting the thing. It's empty."
"I am Groot?"
This time, Harry sensed surprise in Groot's tone. Maybe Cassandra was right. Groot only said one thing, but each time it had a different meaning. "Uh, yeah. No one there."
"Remote piloting perhaps?"
Harry almost flinched as he realized Cassandra was right next to him. "I don't know what that is, I kind of grew up in the magical world." Technically, he grew up in both but now wasn't the time to get into all that.
Cassandra quickly explained what remote piloting was and he blinked in surprise, not realizing Muggles could do that. But this didn't look like that. "Then why build a cockpit?" he asked.
"What's going on?" Luke asked while the others still debated on what to do and Harry explained it to him. "Huh," he said. "That is weird. I mean, I don't know too much about mortal technology, but that doesn't seem right."
Harry took another step, even though subconsciously he knew it wouldn't help, keeping his eyes trained on the cockpit. He could feel a kink forming in his neck from the straining and turning but he ignored it. He didn't know much about Muggle machines, but there was something off about this one. The lack of a pilot, the markings on its side, it all gave him bad vibes.
"Why is it circling?" Luke asked behind him.
"Looking for something maybe?"
"I am Groot."
As Harry looked, he frowned as he saw something in the center of the control panel. He narrowed his eyes before taking another step forward and then blinking and just altering his glasses again. It was hard to keep the jet in his line of sight like this. He focused, trying to make out what he had seen. He caught sight of it again just as the jet passed by his line of sight and he cursed, moving again and automatically taking another step forward.
And then, suddenly, he spotted it. A symbol, right in the control panel. It looked sort of like a face, except it was more wicked-looking with sharp lines that formed into a diamond-patter bottom. Something about it gave Harry chills. It looked…sinister. Evil.
There was something else that was bugging him but he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something had changed.
"Harry!"
He felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and yank him back.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, whirling around and deactivating the spell on his glasses. "What the hell?"
"Look!" Luke angrily whispered at him, pointing furiously.
Harry frowned but turned and then gasped. Now he knew what had been wrong. He hadn't been turning his head to follow the jet. Because he hadn't needed to. It had stopped moving.
It was just floating there, midair.
"Uh…do jets do that?" he asked, already fearing the answer.
"Not ones I know," Luke replied and Harry saw he had pulled his sword out.
"What did you do?" Kuvira glared at him.
"Me? I didn't…" Harry's eyes fell down to the sand in front of him where his footprints led out beyond their rocky canopy. Where he'd been visible. Exposed. "Oh."
"Not good. Really not good."
"I am Groot."
"Wwwrrraaaarrrrggghhhh!"
"Hold on, it might be friendly. It's just floating there right now. It hasn't done anything yet," Frozone pointed out.
They watched in growing fear as the jet slowly turned in midair until it was facing them. And then it started moving again.
"Ok, maybe now we start t-" Frozone cut off when they all saw the sleek, cylindrical things detach from the jet and come soaring towards them.
"MOVE!" Kuvira bellowed, shooting rocks up around them. At the same time, Frozone started blasting ice, Marina raised her hands, Groot's arms elongated, and Harry started casting spells when the missiles struck.
Characters:
Spider-Man and Hermione currently together attacked by Sinestro and prepping against Voldemort.
Conan, Jessica Cruz, and Boba Fett held captive by Vlad Menshikov and Saruman.
Harry Potter traveling with Luke Castellan, Chewbacca, Frozone, Cassandra Cain, Kuvira, Marina, Legolas, and Groot
Percy fought alongside President Superman, Toph, Ahsoka Tano, Jon Snow against Emperor Superman and Homelander.
Korra traveling with Wonder Woman, Ben Grimm, Nico di Angelo, and Liza, separated from Hela.
Barbara Gordon currently held prisoner by Darth Vader alongside Polybotes, Aurra Sing, and Balk.
Ember the dragon and Amani escaped Vader together.
Steve Rogers and Rex are working together.
Matt Murdock, Casey Jones, and TJ are together.
Arya Stark and Lin Beifong are together.
Zuko, Nia, Thalia, Shazad, and the Mandalorian are together.
Thanos and Uraraka are together.
And we're back with the latest update. Hope you all enjoyed that segment and Groot's introduction. Also, if you don't know what that jet is, then you're in for a surprise.
I'm glad to see no one else has decided to post reviews on how much they hate One Piece. Please refrain from doing that in the future.
CRUDEN – thanks for the info. I was already planning on bringing in the characters before the time-skip. Also for all One Piece fans, I have made it all the way up to the Summit War saga which I'll start in the next few days. So in the next few chapters, you should start to see characters popping up.
KiddoIsTheBest – I did check it out and it's good. I like it.
Thegodsfearme – glad you're enjoying it
TheShadySlade – haven't played that yet, but have heard good things so maybe
KiraReaper – Thanks for the comment and I am doing well.
Unfortunately, I now have some bad news to share. This will be the last update for a while. How long? Probably not til February.
There are a couple reasons for that. One is that last month I applied for a job. And for some reason, they interviewed me. And then, they hired me. So now I have a part-time job which I actually enjoy. So part of my focus is on that.
The other thing is that last week, I turned in the final submission for my Master's degree. The thing is, that submission was a piece of my manuscript which I'm hoping will become a full-fledged book. And I found out that in the next few months, there will be an event where I will be able to shop my manuscript off to agents to get it published. But they don't want a small piece of it, they want the whole thing. So, I need to put all my writing focus on getting that finished so I can get published.
I hope you guys understand and if you don't, well, look at it this way. Fanfiction is for fun while my book is an actual career. So obviously that will be my main focus.
I'll be stating the same thing on my other stories. However, some won't be as affected as I have more written out for them. For example, My Hero Academia – Into the Marvelverse will still get updates for now.
Sorry again. Glad you're all enjoying this story and I just hope you can be patient and wait for a few months where I can update regularly again.
Stay safe out there.