Well, I hope everyone isn't too disappointed in my decision to pair Harry with Nora. I thought it would be a nice surprise. Maybe Nora's cheery demeanor can help Harry. Especially since Nora is an orphan like Harry.
Nora Valkyrie, Harry quickly learned, was chatterbox of epic proportions.
"Your feathers are so cool! I like the red and gold. But I think pink would look good, too. Can you control the color? Can you control where they grow? Do you molt in the spring? Oooh, if you do, can I have one of your feathers? I can make them into hair clips and sell them online. Do you like pancakes? Or do you eat birdseed? What's it taste like? Can you do a bird call? Or a sloth call? I like sloths. They're so cute and amazing! Hey, can you fly?"
Harry never thought he would miss Yang's awful puns. At least she took a breath between them. Harry was worried Nora was going to suffocate if she didn't breathe.
Nora certainly was an interesting Huntress. She wore white, leather boots that reached above her ankles for support. She wore a short, pink skirt that helped display her strong legs. A white shirt and black vest with a high collar, but no sleeves kept her shoulders bare. On her arms were white sleeves above her elbow and fingerless, pink gloves on her hands.
If it wasn't for the silver armor that wrapped around her stomach and chest, she would have looked like a girl spending a day in town.
Also, the large, gray grenade launcher strapped to her back helped fill the Huntress image.
"If your name is Harry, how come you're not more hairy?"
Her talking, however…
"The term is hairier, Nora," Harry explained.
"That, too!"
Harry wanted to sigh and groan, but the bright smile on Nora's face wouldn't let him. She had the look of a girl who could be happy doing anything at all. Even walking through the woods filled with monsters.
"So, Nora, where are you from?" asked Harry. They were traveling north. Harry in the lead with Nora skipping behind him.
"Me and Ren are from Mistral," she answered.
"Ren?"
"My best friend. My bestie," Nora said cheerily. "He's here, too, taking the initiation. I was hoping to team up with him, but no luck."
"Oh," said Harry, surprised. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I'm happy to find another bestie," said Nora.
Harry's eyebrow rose at the unfamiliar term
"But if you and Ren are from Mistral, why didn't you apply to Haven Academy?"
"We both wanted a change."
"What did your parents think of that?" asked Harry
When Nora didn't immediately answer, Harry knew he said something he shouldn't have. He also heard he stop skipping. He turned around to see an unhappy look on her face as she stared at her boots.
Harry didn't like that unhappy look at all. It didn't belong on Nora's face.
"Ren and I are orphans," Nora said quietly. "We lost our parents very young and we've been on our own ever since. Together."
"I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "I didn't mean…"
"It's okay," said Nora. A small smile grew. "You didn't know. It's not on everyone's mind."
"I do know in a way," said Harry. Nora looked at him curiously. "I'm an orphan, too. I lost my parent's when I was one, so-"
Harry didn't finish because Nora rushed in and hugged Harry tightly. The air was pushed from Harry's lungs as she wrapped her arms around Harry's middle.
"Oh, you poor birdie," she slightly sobbed. "Left in the nest at such a young age."
Harry didn't know whether to be happy for hug or insulted at the bird comment. So he just hugged her back while trying to breath.
But before Harry could reply, a loud roar echoed from behind him. He turned his head to see a large Ursa charging towards them from the brush. Nearly six-foot tall on all fours, this could probably reach over ten feet when it stood on its hind legs.
"Hey!" shouted Nora as she let go of Harry. "We were having a moment!"
The girl quickly reached behind her back and withdrew her grenade launcher. She fired and pink smoke trailed behind a grenade that landed in front of the Ursa. The Grimm was knocked off its feet from the explosion. Before it could regain its footing, Nora rushed forward. She swung her grenade launcher in her arms and the familiar clicks of a mecha-shift weapon transformed the launcher into a large hammer.
Nora grasped the long handle, leapt into the air, and smashed the hammer into the skull of the dizzy Ursa. The Grimm's head was immediately crushed, and the body quickly started smoking.
Harry was surprised. The top of Nora's head reached Harry's chin, but she was clearly a lot stronger than she looked. Definitely as strong as Yang and maybe even him.
Nora looked up as Harry approached. "Sorry about that. I just hate it when moments are ruined."
"I'll try to remember that," grinned Harry. Then he focused on her weapon. "What do you have there?"
"This is Magnhild. Want to see if you can hold her? She's pretty heavy," she offered the hammer to Harry.
Harry grinned and easily picked up Magnhild. He almost laughed from the look on Nora's face as he took a few practice swings with the hammer. Harry liked it. With his strength, this may have been a more ideal weapon for him than his sword.
"Wow. You're really strong," said Nora as Harry gave her back Maghild. "Is it your semblance?"
"No. My semblance is Seeker. It lets me since the direction of people or objects I want to find. How about you?"
"High Voltage," said Nora. "I can absorb electricity and it makes me stronger. Like, super strong."
Harry's eyebrow rose. "How did you discover a semblance like that?"
Nora shrugged. "Struck by lightning and didn't die. Typical Thursday."
What the hell is typical about that?
"Oh! You can find the ruins, can't you?" asked Nora excitedly.
Harry nodded. "I can." Harry took a moment to focus and turned to his to his right. "That way."
"How far?"
"I can't tell. I can only sense the direction. I need more information about the ruins to find out how close we are." Harry took another moment to use Seeker. "I can sense my friends Ruby," he pointed to a direction on the woods, "and Yang," he pointed to another direction "there. They're closing in on the ruins."
Nora's eyes lit up. "Can you sense Ren?"
Harry bit his lip. "I need more information about him. And maybe a picture."
Nora reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her Scroll. A few clicks later and she shoved the screen in Harry's face. He pulled her wrist back so he could see the picture more clearly. It was a teenage, young man with a sharp, angular face and magenta eyes. He had long, dark hair with a small lock of pink.
"Lie Ren. We grew up in Mistral. He likes green tea, meditation, painting, and cooking. He's super mellow, makes the best pancakes, and likes to take naps when he can. His weapons are StormFlower: two automatic pistols with blades under the barrels."
Harry nodded and took a moment to focus. Picturing the Ren's photo and his personality (which must include a mountain of patience to deal with Nora), Harry let his aura guide him. A few moments of indecision soon led his mind pointing in a specific direction.
"That way, I believe," Harry said and pointed.
"Let's go find him!" said Nora as she grabbed Harry's hand and tugged.
Harry was right. Nora was very strong. His arm was almost pulled from his socket and his feet nearly left the ground. But Harry gritted his teeth and pulled Nora back. She looked at him, confused.
"Nora, we have a job to do. We need to find the ruins and find a relic. Ren can take care of himself because he's a Huntsman. By now, he's probably found his partner and is making his way to the ruins like us. You need to trust him."
Nora bit her lip and looked to the direction where Harry pointed Ren's location. A moment later, she turned back to him, a smile on her face.
"You're right. Ren's a big boy. He doesn't need me to hold his hand."
Harry smiled back.
Ren was following his partner's footsteps, occasionally looking over his shoulder to watch their backtrail. It wouldn't help to miss a Grimm that was trying to sneak up on them. One King Taijitu did.
But then he stopped and looked in a different direction. Ren didn't know why he did. Just something was telling him a moment happened. A feeling of calm descended over him, lifting away his anxiety. The anxiety he was feeling about his friend Nora and how she was doing without him.
They have been friends since they were children. Since that night in Kuroyuri.
But now, his worries over his friend disappeared. And he knew she was in good hands.
"Something wrong?"
Ren turned to his partner, who was looking at him with concerned eyes. He smiled.
"No. Nothing's wrong."
Harry and Nora continued their journey to the ruins. Harry took the lead, using his semblance to find their way. Nora was behind him, skipping and humming cheerfully. They've been traveling for about an hour. Harry couldn't tell how close they were, but they had to be near.
Thankfully, they hadn't run into any more Grimm. Their sad emotions early drew the Ursa to them earlier. Now, with Harry's focus and Nora's cheerfulness, Grimm were not being drawn to them. It was very quiet.
But soon, Harry found out a bored Nora was a dangerous Nora.
"Uggh! Why haven't we found anything!?" Nora shouted. She stopped humming ten minutes ago. Those were warning signs, Harry realized.
"Nora, calm down," said Harry. "You're going to alert the Grimm."
"Good! Anything to break up this monutamy."
"Monotony," Harry corrected.
"That, too!"
Harry tried not to sigh. That was sign of weakness and Grimm fed on that. But he couldn't help but agree. The sun was high in the sky and Harry was beginning to get hungry.
"How about we take a break?" Harry pointed to a large tree giving plenty of shade. "We can rest."
Nora didn't say anything but walked to it. She plopped down with a huff. Harry sat beside her and pulled out his wallet. He discovered a neat little trick it can do with its' extension charm. Including his Lien, it had enough room to store two water bottles and two granola bars. He wondered if it was made this way to store a good portion of a wizard's gold.
"Here," said Harry, handing Nora a bottle and bar.
Nora's eyes lit up as she took the items. "Where were you hiding those?"
Harry just grinned. "Magic."
"Can you make pancakes with magic?"
"Not yet," Harry shrugged.
"Aww. Too bad." She opened the water and chugged half of it down. Then she tore open the wrapper and ate the granola bar. Harry just shook his head.
The two ate in silence, listening to the sounds of the wind blowing through the forest and birds chirping in the treetops. Occasionally, a gunshot would echo through the woods. Harry wondered how Yang, Ruby and others were doing. Yang could definitely take care of herself. Ruby was gifted, but she had to be a little nervous being here. Pyrrha said she was tournament fighter. However, Harry didn't know how she would deal with Grimm.
Then there was Jaune. If his flirting skills reflected his battle skills, then he might be in trouble.
"Can you tell how much further we have to travel?" asked Nora.
"No. Sorry," said Harry. They were still going in the right direction, but he still couldn't tell how far.
Nora sighed and shoved the last of her granola bar in her mouth, chomping loudly.
But then, two minutes later.
"Harry! Look!" Nora whispered excitedly, pointing towards the woods.
Harry focused and saw a large Ursa walking through the woods. It didn't seem to sense, hear, or see them. It was just minding its' own business.
"What? Do you want to kill it?" asked Harry.
"Nope," Nora grinned. Maniacally. "I want to ride it."
Harry must have misheard her. "I'm sorry. Did you say you wanted to…?
"Ride it. We'll ride it straight to the ruins."
"Nora, that's crazy."
"Harry, sometimes you have to realize crazy works."
Before he could even argue, Nora rushed forward. Her hammer was in her hands, a battle cry bellowing through the trees. The Ursa finally heard her and swung its bulk around to face her. Nora ducked under a swinging paw and rocked her hammer into the bear's stomach. The Ursa gave a small whine, then collapsed.
With the Ursa down, Nora folded her hammer down and jumped onto the creature's back in front of the bear's first, white spike. She turned to Harry, smiling.
"Get on. I'll guide it north and we can still rest our feet."
"Nora. Don't even think about it. Riding a Grimm is completely mad." Harry ran towards her, hoping to pull her off the Ursa, who was beginning to stir
"Come on!" Nora said, holding her hand for Harry to take. "We'll travel in style."
"Nora, no!" Harry grasped Nora's hand to pull her off.
"Nora, yes!" Nora pulled Harry up before he could pull her off. He was jerked off his feet and landed on his stomach across the Ursa's back. Luckily, he avoided the armor spike. He was sandwiched between the spike and Nora's back.
"Now, let's charge!" Nora kicked her heels into the Ursa's sides.
The Ursa roared and reared back onto its' hind legs. Nora grasped the ears and was able to hang on. Harry slipped on the spike and fell off. He was able to grab another spike just has the Ursa landed back on all fours. When it did, it lumbered quickly into the forest towards the ruins.
Cardin Winchester and his partner Russell Thrush were pushing their way through the gaps in the trees. Cardin was able to figure out which was north and met Russell a few minutes later. The duo was on their way to the temple ruins.
But then, a roar echoed through the woods along with loud stomps. The boys got their weapons ready as the stomps grew louder towards them.
"Yee-haw!"
From the brush rushed a large Ursa. It was running full speed towards them.
Then it ran right passed them.
For a few moments, Cardin and Russell, their weapons ready, were frozen with shock. Their minds were having a hard time processing what the just witnessed.
"Cardin?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that just happen?"
"You mean an Ursa running through the forest with a girl riding on its back and a guy holding on for dear life with both hands on the thing's spike?"
"Yeah. That."
A long moment passed.
"No. I don't think so."
"Right."
Harry held on for dear life, nearly biting his tongue to keep from screaming as the Grimm ran through the forest. Nora didn't hold back as she shrieked with joy. The Ursa roared as well. It ran so fast to shake Nora off its' back that Harry's legs were flying beneath him. He was like a red and black flag attached to the Grimm's spine armor.
For a time that was either a few minutes or a few hours, the Ursa finally stopped when it reached a large clearing in the forest. It roared and stood on two paws again.
Then collapsed in a heap.
"Aw. I think I broke it," Nora said. She hopped off and examined the fallen Grimm.
Harry let go when the Ursa stopped so he wouldn't have been impaled on the spike was holding on to. He rose up on shaky legs, checking to make sure he didn't have any injuries.
"I think I'll stick to flying," Harry mumbled. Then he turned to his partner. "Nora, you almost got me killed. Just what were you think-"
"Ren!"
"Ooff!"
Somehow, Nora had raced across the clearing in a short amount of time and bearhugged a teen so hard they collapsed. The boy, Ren, was awkwardly patting Nora on the back as she giggled and held him tight.
Harry sighed and couldn't help a smile. At least those two met up. If they really have been friends since childhood, Harry was glad they found each other. He turned to Ren's partner, who was smiling broadly at the boy's death hug.
"Yang!" Harry waved. Yang looked up and spotted Harry. She waved back and ran to meet him. They both laughed when they hugged, Harry catching Yang as they spun in a circle.
"Glad to see you made it," said Harry.
"You too, Hot Stuff," said Yang. She slapped a hand on his shoulder. She looked at her partner and Nora still hugging on the ground. "So, you teamed with Ren's friend, huh? He was worried about her earlier. He was also worried who was going to team up with her."
"I can't imagine," Harry said sarcastically.
"Harry!" Nora was instantly by his side and started pulling him towards Ren. "This is Ren. My bestie and maker of pancakes."
Ren was about his height and looked like the picture Nora showed Harry earlier. But he was thinner than Harry. He was wearing a long sleeve green and black jacket and white pants. His hair was longer than in the picture.
"Nice to meet you," said Harry. He reached out a hand. "Harry Potter."
"Lie Ren," introduced the boy in a soft voice. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Nora."
"I needed two eyes," muttered Harry. "You've been her friend for years, right? How do you do it?"
"I'll show you a few tricks later. They'll help." Ren's eyes did seem to be worn and old.
"Thanks."
"Oohh, look at this!" said Nora, shoving something in front of Harry's face. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it away so he could get a good look at it. In Nora's hand was what looked like a large, golden chess knight.
"It's My Little Pony," Nora sang, spinning in a circle and holding the knight above her head.
"Uuhh…what is that?" asked Harry.
"It's a relic," explained Yang. In her hands, she tossed around her gold piece. "They're over there."
Harry followed Yang's gaze and finally saw the ruins. They were old, but small. Harry couldn't help but be reminded of Stonehenge. Blocks of carved rocks stacked in a circle of what might have been a small castle. And on a circle of pedestals were over relics, which Harry recognized as chess pieces, both gold and dark.
"So each pair grabs one and takes it back to cliffs, right?" asked Harry.
"Correct," said Ren.
"And I guess Nora has picked ours." Nora was still swinging in a circle and singing about friendship and magic. "I guess we should head back."
"Not yet," said Yang.
Harry turned to her. "Why?"
"Ren and I wanted to wait until Nora and Ruby arrived before we head back. I'm not leaving here until I know my sister is okay."
"I don't think you have to wait long," said Ren. He was looking up at the sky above them. So was Nora, who was using her hands like binoculars.
"What?" said Yang and Harry at the same time.
Harry looked up. Using his binocular vision, he was able to spot a Giant Nevermore in the sky. Harry didn't understand what Ren meant.
Then…
"Heads uuupppp!" yelled a voice.
Ruby, a tiny red dot that was growing larger by second, was falling straight towards them.
"How did she get up there?" asked Harry.
"Did she ride a Nevermore?" Yang questioned.
Nora gasped. "That is so much better than an Ursa."
"Uuuuuppppp!" Ruby continued to yell.
Harry sighed. "I guess I better catch her. Nora, can you give me a boost?"
"You got it!" Nora yelled. She folded out her hammer.
"Yang?"
"Ready," she said. She cupped her hands together.
Harry placed a leg into Yang's hands, and she pushed him into the air. As he fell, he pushed his aura into his feet to protect them as he landed on Nora's swinging hammer. The momentum launched Harry into the sky like a rocket. He flew for several seconds, keeping his eyes on Ruby. When she saw him, she smiled.
"Harry!" she called, reaching for him.
Harry held out his arms and caught her roughly to his chest. The momentum for her falling and him rising froze them in the air for a moment. Then, they began to fall.
"Just dropping in?!" Harry asked loudly as the wind rushed in their ears.
"Well, you know, just trying to make an impression," Ruby answered.
"You certainly did that. Now hang on."
Once again, the feelings of weightlessness returned, and his mind started to go blank as the wind breezed through his feathers. This time, Harry trusted his instincts as he fell. When they neared the ground, Harry's clenched his shoulder blades together like before. Their descent slowed intensely, and they lightly touched the ground.
And this time, Harry turned to his right and caught a glimpse of what he was doing. A dark, harvest-colored wing stretched nearly ten feet from his body. It was a bird-wing and he could see distinct feather patterns. They were also translucent. He could see the forest through them.
However, like before, they disappeared in red and gold embers.
"You have wings!?" Nora shouted. "Why didn't you fly us here?"
Harry turned to see Yang, Nora, and Ren with surprised looks on their faces. Ruby did, too.
"When could you do that?" Ruby said with awe.
"I didn't know I could," admitted Harry. "It just happened today."
"You didn't know you could grow wings?" asked Yang sharply. Her eyes were narrow.
Before Harry could answer, a loud, feminine scream echoed above them.
"Some girl is in trouble," said Yang. "You guys heard that, right?"
Ruby gasped and looked above her. "I forgot about Jaune!"
"That was Jaune?" asked Harry. He joined Ruby by looking above them. "That scream?"
Sure enough, there was a white speck falling towards them. Unless Harry's eyes were playing tricks on him, he seemed to be shimmering with a white light.
"Help mmeeeee!" Jaune shrilled.
"You both were riding the Nevermore?" asked Nora.
Ruby blushed and pushed her fingers together. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Are we ever going to save him?" Ren said. To him, there were chatting unnecessarily while a man plummeted to his doom.
However, if the world could answer, another white blur came zooming from above the treetops and collided into Jaune. This object was too shrieking femininely. They merged with a loud crunch, then flew into the treetops and crashed into the branches.
"Jaune!" Harry and Ruby cried out.
"What hit him?" asked Yang.
A moment of silence was broken by a shriek.
"Ahh! Pervert!" cried a feminine voice. A loud smack and deeper voice cried out in pain.
Everyone looked through the broken branches and spotted Weiss Schnee sitting in Jaune's lap. The two were covered in twigs and leaves. Jaune was holding his cheek, which was covered with red handprint.
But Harry noticed Jaune's hand glow gold and the handprint disappeared quickly. Jaune didn't notice it all. He was staring at Weiss with a goofy smile on his face.
"Where did she come from?" asked Yang.
"Can she fly, too?" asked Nora.
Suddenly, a loud crashing noise broke the conversation. Everyone turned to the other side of the clearing. They saw several large trees being uprooted and tossed into the air like kindling. A flash of red jumped into the clearing and Harry recognized Pyrrha.
With a giant Deathstalker behind her.
"Holy crap!" Yang and Nora yelled out loud.
Pyrrha was skillfully dodging the Deathstalker's claws and stinger even as she was running away. But Harry could see she was tiring. Sweat was dripping down her face and she was beginning to stumble. The Deathstalker was close enough Pyrrha could have reached behind her and touch it.
"Pyrrha!" Harry yelled. He turned Ember Rose into its' rifle form and loaded a fresh cartridge into the slot. He took aim and fired at many eyes on the Grimm's right side. Ruby quickly joined him, and she fired to the left side.
The rifle rounds bounced off the Deathstalker's armor, but it did halt it progress and raised its pincers to protect its' eyes. Pyrrha kept running. She ran right to Harry and practically fell in his arms. He caught her as gently as he could. Nora took over his spot and fired her grenades at the Grimm.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked as he lowered her to the ground.
"Fine," she gasped. She was taking deep breaths. "Just exhausted."
"Well, you did run all the way here in heels. I don't know how you did that," he chuckled.
"Practice," she grinned back.
Nora, Ruby and now Yang were able to back the Deathstalker back into the forest. It wasn't showing any smoking wounds, but it was retreating.
"KKAAAAWWWW!"
The Nevermore from earlier decided to join the battle. It flew low and quick, skimming the treetops of the surrounding forest. Then it flapped once to slow its pace.
"Find cover!" yelled Ren.
Weiss grabbed Yang and stabbed her rapier into the ground. A glowing, white symbol appeared beneath their feet and a wall of ice was conjured. Jaune placed his shield in front of himself and Ren. Pyrrha did the same with Nora. Harry quickly pulled out his wand and tapped it against his orange,Earth Dust.
"Petram!"
A wall of rock grew quickly from the ground and Harry grabbed Ruby to hide behind it. A second later, the Nevermore cried out and Harry could see several large quills land all around them. He heard a few hit the wall but did not penetrate.
The Nevermore flew over them, kicking up a big wind as it passed and soared back into the sky. Harry and Ruby stood from their cover. Everyone else stood up as well, quills sticking in the ground around them.
On one side of the clearing, the Deathstalker roared as it returned to fight. On the other side, the Nevermore reached its' height in the sky and began to bank towards the ground.
"We're pinned down!" Harry yelled.
Sorry for the chapter to end like this. But Part 3 will be out as soon as I can get started. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.
I tried looking different latin terms for rock and 'petram' was the one all recommended sites agreed on.
Also, there were a few lines in the story where I made Nora sound like Omi from Xiaolin Showdown. Didn't realize it until I proof-read it.
Also, I would like to make a request to readers. If you have every written an online book for Amazon or another E-Book company, I would like some advice on how to do it. Anything knowledge you can offer would be extremely helpful. If you do, please send me a PM.
