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Harry Potter and the Shattered Ring Chapter 15 (Harry Potter and the Knight of Bronze)
🕑 Added 2025-01-18 19:48:00 +0000 UTCThe dungeon corridor seemed to constrict around them as Ordovis advanced, each step of his bronze-clad feet echoing with terrible purpose. Harry's golden spheres cast shifting shadows across the ancient knight's armor, making him appear even more imposing.
"Nepheli," Harry whispered, "we need to draw him to a wider space."
"The torture chamber," she replied grimly, adjusting her grip on her axe. "Twenty paces behind us. More room to maneuver."
They began backing away slowly, but Ordovis's voice cut through the tension. "Tactical retreat already? Perhaps there is wisdom in that young mind." The knight raised his shield, symbols glowing with an otherworldly light. "But wisdom will not save you from what must come."
Harry created more spheres, bringing his total to sixteen, arranging them in a defensive pattern around himself and Nepheli. "Your fight isn't with her," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Let her go."
"All who stand with you share your fate, child of the Great Tree." Ordovis's sword traced a gleaming arc through the air. "The Crucible accepts all who enter its embrace."
They reached the torture chamber, a grotesque space with various instruments of pain scattered about, but at least it offered room to move. Harry and Nepheli split apart, flanking the entrance as Ordovis followed them in.
The knight's first attack came with frightening speed - a thrust of his greatsword that Harry barely dodged. Three of Harry's spheres shot forward in response, but Ordovis's shield moved with impossible precision, deflecting them into the walls where they exploded harmlessly.
Nepheli darted in from the side, her axe whistling through the air toward the knight's knee joint. Ordovis shifted slightly, causing the blow to glance off his armor with a shower of sparks. His counter-swing would have taken her head if she hadn't rolled away.
"Good," Ordovis commented, his tone almost approving. "You understand the dance of combat, at least." His wings flexed, scraping against the chamber walls. "But understanding is not enough."
Harry sent another volley of spheres, this time spacing them to force Ordovis to choose which ones to block. Two connected with the knight's shoulder and hip, but the explosions seemed to do little more than leave scorch marks on the bronze armor.
"The Great Tree's power fragments itself," Ordovis observed, advancing steadily. "Just as you fragment your attention, your strength." His shield smashed into Harry's chest before he could react, sending him stumbling backward. "Focus, boy. Show me what you truly are."
Nepheli used the moment to launch another attack, this time aiming higher. Her axe caught the edge of Ordovis's wing, producing a sound like ringing bells. The knight spun with impossible grace, his sword nearly catching her, but Harry's hastily thrown sphere forced him to raise his shield instead.
"We need to coordinate better," Nepheli called out, circling to Harry's left. "His defense is too perfect for random attacks."
Harry nodded, gathering eight of his remaining spheres into two larger ones. The concentrated grace magic hummed with power, casting golden light across his face. "Can you keep him busy for a moment?"
"Done." Nepheli charged forward, her axe becoming a blur as she launched a series of strikes at the knight. Each was perfectly blocked or parried, but she maintained pressure, forcing Ordovis to focus on her.
Harry focused on his larger spheres, remembering Melina's lessons about grace manipulation. The orbs began to spin, compressing further until they glowed white-hot. With a thought, he launched them both at Ordovis's exposed back.
The knight's wings snapped shut, intercepting one sphere, but the other found its mark. The explosion rocked the chamber, and for the first time, Ordovis staggered. His armor showed a significant dent where the sphere had struck.
"First blood," the knight acknowledged, straightening. "But blood is not victory." His wings spread wide suddenly, knocking both Harry and Nepheli off balance. "Now, witness true power."
The air seemed to thicken as Ordovis raised his sword skyward. Ancient symbols began glowing along its length, and when he swung it down, a wave of golden-red energy surged toward them. Harry barely managed to create a barrier of smaller spheres, which detonated on impact, neutralizing the wave but leaving him drained.
"That's impossible," Harry gasped. "That was grace magic, but different..."
"The Crucible bore all things," Ordovis answered, his armor beginning to emit a dull red glow. "Grace, dragons, giants, beasts - all were one in those ancient days." He charged forward with newfound speed, his sword leaving trails of light in its wake.
Nepheli met his charge head-on, her axe catching his blade in a shower of sparks. The impact drove her to one knee, but she held. "Harry! Whatever you're going to do, do it now!"
Harry grasped the Lordsworn's Greatsword with both hands, channeling what remained of his grace energy into it. "Carian Greatsword!" The blade erupted with blue-white energy, extending to twice its length.
He swung just as Nepheli rolled away, catching Ordovis in mid-strike. The magical blade cut deep into the knight's armor, drawing a roar that shook dust from the ceiling. But instead of falling back, Ordovis pressed forward, his wings wrapping around Harry like a bronze cage.
"Yes!" the knight thundered. "This is the power I sensed!" His free hand caught Harry by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "But you reach for the wrong stars, boy. The moon is not your mistress."
Nepheli's axe smashed into the joint of Ordovis's damaged wing, finally tearing through the bronze material. The knight released Harry and spun to face her, his sword trailing crucible fire. "Brave warrior," he growled, "but foolish."
Harry hit the ground rolling, his mind racing. He had only a few spheres left, and his grace energy was running dangerously low. The Carian Greatsword had taken more out of him than he'd expected. But watching Ordovis face off against Nepheli, something clicked in his mind.
"The Crucible bore all things," he muttered, remembering the knight's words. Then, focusing on his remaining spheres, he tried something new. Instead of compressing them or launching them, he let them orbit around him, faster and faster, until they formed a ring of golden light.
"Nepheli! Move!"
She disengaged from Ordovis just as Harry released his creation. The ring of light expanded outward like a disk, slicing through the air with a high-pitched whine. Ordovis raised his shield, but the disk's rotation caused it to slide along the shield's surface instead of deflecting, catching him in the shoulder and cutting deep into his armor.
The knight staggered back, actually showing pain for the first time. "Clever," he said, his voice carrying a note of respect. "Using the Crucible's own nature - rotation, cycle, change." His damaged wing dragged along the ground as he reset his stance. "But you are not ready for what comes next."
The symbols on his armor began to glow with intense heat, and the air filled with the smell of burning metal. "The Crucible Knights were born in fire," Ordovis intoned, his sword igniting with crimson flames. "Let us see how you fare against the original flame."
Harry looked at Nepheli. They were tired, running out of options, and facing an opponent who seemed to only grow stronger.
"Ready?" he asked Nepheli, gathering his remaining strength.
She nodded, twirling her axe into a defensive position. "Together."
The chamber's air crackled with ancient power as Ordovis raised his sword skyward, crimson flames dancing along its length. The bronze of his armor began to pulse with an inner light, and Harry felt the temperature in the room rise dramatically.
"You've shown skill, children," Ordovis's voice resonated within his helm. "Now witness the true power of the Crucible."
The knight slammed his sword into the ground, and the chamber's stones groaned in protest. Golden energy surged through the cracks, forming intricate patterns that resembled tree roots. Harry barely had time to shout a warning to Nepheli before Ordovis's helmet began to change.
Ethereal horns materialized around the knight's helm, their translucent forms glowing with the same golden-red energy as his sword. Without warning, he charged forward with frightening speed, the horns leaving trailing afterimages in the air.
Harry dove to the side, feeling the rush of air as the horns passed inches from his face. They struck the wall behind him with a thunderous crash, leaving deep, glowing fissures in the stone. Heat radiated from the cracks, and Harry could see molten rock bubbling within.
"The Crucible's gifts are not mere tricks," Ordovis declared, turning to face them again. "They are the primordial truth of this world."
Nepheli attempted to flank him, but the knight's wings swept out, forcing her back. "Harry! His movements are different now - watch for-"
Her warning cut off as Ordovis's helmet split open like a blooming flower of bronze. Golden fire erupted from within, a searing stream of ancient power that filled the chamber with blinding light. Harry rolled behind a fallen pillar, feeling the intense heat singe his hair and armor. The smell of burning leather and stone filled his nostrils.
Nepheli wasn't as fortunate. Though she avoided the direct blast, the residual flames caught her left arm. She screamed through gritted teeth, dropping and rolling to extinguish the flames. Angry red burns showed through her scorched armor.
"Keep moving!" Harry shouted, summoning a cluster of golden spheres. He sent them rapid-fire at Ordovis, trying to disrupt the knight's focus. "Don't let him pin you down!"
The spheres exploded against Ordovis's shield and armor, but the knight seemed to shrug them off. Worse, the flames from his breath attack didn't dissipate - they clung to the stones and metal of the chamber, creating barriers of burning gold that limited their movement options.
Harry reached deeper into his reserves of grace power, forming the energy into a familiar shape. "Loretta's Greatbow!" The magical construct materialized in his hands, and he loosed three quick shots at Ordovis's exposed flank.
The knight's wings snapped shut, deflecting two arrows, but the third found its mark between armor plates. A burst of blood came out from the wound, but the knight didn't seem to care much. Ordovis responded by charging again, his horns materializing even larger than before.
This time, Harry wasn't quick enough. One of the spectral horns caught his shoulder, tearing through his armor and flesh. Hot pain blazed down his arm, and he felt warm blood soaking his sleeve. The impact sent him spinning into a wall, his vision blurring momentarily.
"Your grace magic weakens," Ordovis observed, advancing steadily. "While the Crucible's power only grows stronger with use."
Nepheli took advantage of his focus on Harry, darting in despite her burned arm. Her axe struck true, catching the joint where Ordovis's shield connected to his arm. The impact produced a sound like shattering glass, and the knight's guard dropped slightly.
But Ordovis had been waiting for this. His sword movement was a feint - as Nepheli committed to her attack, he pivoted with impossible grace. The edge of his shield, enhanced with that same golden-red energy, formed a sharp edge and drove into her thigh.
Her scream echoed off the chamber walls as the enchanted metal cut deep. Blood sprayed across the bronze armor as she fell, her injured leg giving out beneath her. Her axe clattered across the stone floor, spinning away into the flames that still burned around them.
"Nepheli!" Harry tried to move toward her, but Ordovis was faster. The knight's shield smashed into her face with devastating force, sending her sprawling unconsciously across the floor. Blood trickled from her nose and split lip, and a brutal bruise was already forming along her jaw.
"Your ally fought well," Ordovis said, turning back to Harry. "She dies with honor, if you fall here."
Rage and desperation fueled Harry's next attack. He formed his remaining grace energy into a Discus of Light, larger than any he'd attempted before. The golden ring spun so fast it hummed, distorting the air around it.
"She's not dying here," Harry growled, blood dripping from his wounded shoulder. "None of us are."
He launched the discus with everything he had left, following it with his last three spheres. The combination attack caught Ordovis mid-stride - the spheres exploded against his helmet, momentarily blinding him, while the discus struck his torso with enough force to carve a deep groove in his bronze breastplate.
The knight staggered back, actually dropping to one knee. Golden light poured from his new wounds, and his wings drooped noticeably. But when he looked up at Harry, his helmet's eye slits blazed with renewed intensity.
"Finally," Ordovis rumbled, rising slowly. "You begin to show your true potential." He raised his sword, which ignited with flames so intense they turned white-hot. "But you are spent, while I have yet to show you my full power."
Harry's vision swam as he tried to summon more grace energy. His legs felt like lead, and his injured shoulder screamed in protest at every movement. Blood dripped steadily from his fingers onto the stone floor, joining the growing pool around Nepheli's unconscious form.
The chamber had become a hellscape of burning golden flames and molten stone. The air was nearly unbreathable, thick with heat and the metallic scent of blood. And through it all, Ordovis advanced, his damaged armor glowing like a dying sun, wings spreading once more despite their injuries.
"Your grace fades," the knight observed, raising his blazing sword. "While the Crucible's fire burns eternal. Show me, child of the Great Tree - what will you do when all your power is spent? When your borrowed strength fails you?"
Harry gripped his Lordsworn's Greatsword with both hands, ignoring the pain that shot through his shoulder. He could barely stand, let alone fight, but Nepheli's unconscious form behind him left no room for retreat. Whatever happened next would decide all their fates.
"Your friend's life bleeds away," Ordovis stated, his sword trailing fire as he circled. "Surrender now, and I will grant her a warrior's mercy."
Harry's response was to press his hand against his wounded shoulder, channeling what little grace energy he had left. "Minor Erdtree, hear me," he whispered, remembering Melina's teachings. Golden light flickered around his fingers, sealing the worst of the damage, but the effort left him dizzy and drained.
"Still you cling to the Erdtree's corrupted gifts," Ordovis scoffed. His damaged armor leaked golden light from a dozen wounds, yet he moved with undiminished power. "Show me something true, boy. Show me the Great Tree's strength!"
The knight charged, his sword becoming a blur of crimson flame. Harry parried the first strike with his Lordsworn's Greatsword, feeling the impact rattle his bones. The second strike he dodged, letting the burning blade pass inches from his face. He could feel his hair singe from the heat.
Time seemed to slow as Harry watched Ordovis's patterns. The knight was impossibly strong, but his movements followed a rhythm - like a dance of steel and flame. During training, Melina had taught him that every warrior, no matter how skilled, had moments of vulnerability between attacks.
Harry created three small spheres, letting them orbit him as he continued dodging and parrying. Each movement sent fresh pain through his partially healed shoulder, but he forced himself to focus. The spheres began to spin faster, drawing closer together.
"Is this all that remains?" Ordovis taunted, his wings spreading wide. "Desperate evasion and weak magic?"
Harry's response was to launch himself forward, directly into the knight's guard. The unexpected aggression caught Ordovis off-balance for a split second - enough time for Harry to slam his fused spheres into the knight's chest at point-blank range.
The explosion rocked the chamber, sending both combatants stumbling backward. Ordovis's armor cracked further, and his helmet showed a significant dent where the blast had caught him. Golden light poured from the damaged bronze like blood from a wound.
"Better," the knight growled, his voice carrying a note of genuine approval. "But not enough!"
Harry didn't wait for Ordovis to recover. Channeling every bit of remaining grace energy he possessed, he cast the Carian Greatsword spell while swinging his physical blade in the same arc. The two swords - steel and magic - moved as one, aimed at the weakened portion of the knight's helm.
The impact produced a sound like shattering glass mixed with rending metal. The right side of Ordovis's helmet exploded outward, revealing what lay beneath. A face of ageless beauty and terrible fury gazed at Harry through bright purple eye. Blood - actual blood, not golden light - trickled from a cut along the knight's exposed cheek.
"You dare?" Ordovis's voice had lost its metallic resonance, becoming something older and more terrible. His exposed face contorted with rage and shame, his purple eye blazing with an inner fire. "You DARE?"
The knight's hand flew to cover his revealed face, his entire form trembling. "Gahhh!" The anguished cry echoed through the chamber. "My face... shown..." His voice cracked with shame and fury, "Such curse... I cannot bear..."
His uncovered eye fixed on Harry with murderous intent, his voice dropping to a vengeful whisper. "Thy part in this... shall never be forgiven..."
The knight's fury manifested as pure power. The air itself seemed to crack as golden energy surged around him. Behind his damaged armor, something massive began to take shape - a tail of pure crucible energy.
"Behold the true face of the Crucible!"
The tail struck with devastating force. Harry tried to dodge, but his exhausted body refused to move fast enough. The impact caught him square in the chest, sending him flying across the chamber like a ragdoll. He felt ribs crack as he slammed into the stone wall with bone-crushing force.
But the wall, weakened by their battle and Ordovis's earlier attacks, couldn't withstand the impact. Stone crumbled beneath Harry, and suddenly there was nothing behind him but empty air and darkness.
Time seemed to slow as he fell backward. Through the growing hole in the wall, he could see Ordovis's singular exposed eye blazing with purple fire. Could see Nepheli stirring weakly on the ground. Could hear a familiar voice crying out from somewhere above.
"HARRY!"
Melina's scream echoed through the darkness as he plummeted. The wind rushed past him, carrying the scent of silver lilies. His grace magic flickered weakly, trying to respond to his desperate need, but there was nothing left to give.
The golden light of the chamber grew smaller and smaller above him. His body felt strangely distant, the pain of his injuries fading into a sort of peaceful numbness. As consciousness began to slip away, he thought he saw something in the darkness below - ancient roots stretching into infinity, glowing with a light that predated the Erdtree itself.
Then everything went black, and Harry Potter, the Tarnished who had defeated Margit, fell into the depths beneath Stormveil Castle.
