Skin Game / Awesome

Par for the series in general, there were quite a few ridiculously awesome moments in this installment of The Dresden Files. WARNING: Unmarked spoilers below!

Butters, of all people, gets a series of Awesome Moments in this book. He's already a vanilla mortal who has been studying with Bob to the point that he can make a few simple magical trinkets—which is a feat on the level of a blind person teaching themselves to paint, because he doesn't have the magical senses that every other practicioner in the series has.
- In this book, it transpires that he's stepped up his game and figured out how to make some more substantial gadgets—including potions like Harry used to use, bottled mind fog, and a magical, self-propelled skateboard—which he powers by releasing Bob into them, which is something that Harry never even tried. And he's not just the Chicago crew's Q—he takes his stuff into the field himself. Murphy herself has started calling him Batman, just because of his utility belt, and she implies that he's doing it because with Harry and Molly out of commission, someone has to be the wizard of Chicago.
- He leads Harry, Binder's demonic goons, Genoskwa and Nicodemus in an epic Chase Scene. When they finally corner him in one of Chicago's mueseums, he has Bob animate lion statues in the museum to take on Binder's magical goons and deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle.
- Although it eventually backfires on him, when he starts to worry about Harry's sanity, he manages to pull one over on the Warden of Chicago himself — by slipping a magical listening device into the cast he puts on Harry's arm.
- At the climax of the book, with Harry out of commission and Charity in danger, Butters takes Harry's duster, powers it up by channeling Bob into it, and walks out to face the music, with no intention of surviving, just trying to buy some time for reinforcements to arrive. He tackles and headbutts Tessa, a Knight of the Blackened Denarius; pretty good for someone who is still a vanilla mortal, and it's probably one reason why...
- When Harry throws Charity the broken hilt of Fidelacchius, his throw misses... and hits her shoulder and bounces directly to Butters, who, with a combination of Butters' faith in Harry and good triumphing over evil, Harry's faith in him, and Michael's faith that the broken Sword of Faith still has power and purpose, manages to reforge a Sword of the Cross... into a lightsaber. Which he uses to break Nicodemus's sword like a toothpick, break the will of the Denarians' fanatical cultists, and terrify Nicodemus and Tessa to flee the scene.
- And unlike Murphy, Butters is accepting this as a permanent job. When Michael and Charity finish with him, he's going to be pretty much unstoppable — a magic-wielding Batman Jedi Knight of the Cross with an immortal spirit of intellect backing him up. Sanya has backup now. Even his line is awesome.
  "Nice try?" Butters said. "Mister, where I come from, there is no try."
When Butters takes up the Sword of Faith, Mouse has just finished up mopping up the mook squad and leaps onto a van, fur blazing with blue and white light. Just the SIGHT of Mouse is enough to terrify Anduriel. Not Nicodemus, not the human. The Fallen's Master of Shadows wets his demonic pants at what Mouse has become.
- Considering where Mouse has been living, and how he gains his power^note, Mouse could very well be approaching Archangel levels of ass-kicking — with none of those pesky limitations on whose ass he can kick that Uriel has. "Little Cousin" indeed.
The Reveal that Harry already had the power—and more importantly, the skill—to defeat Justin (and possibly Elaine) as a teenager. Lea's training just gave him the anger and willpower to do it.
The final conflict shows Harry's fighting abilities have jumped several dozen notches.
When Harry's Long Game comes together and The Mole is revealed, turning a 4 on 2 beatdown — Harry and Michael against Nicodemus, Hannah/Lasciel, Ursiel, and Grey — into a fair fight with Grey revealing himself to have been Good All Along (or, at least, hired by Harry first).
Harry making the normally cool, reserved Nicodemus totally lose it in the vault by taunting him about having to sacrifice his daughter. When Harry uses psychological warfare, it can make even the most stoic villains break.
- It should be noted that Nicodemus has had two thousand years to practice not only his stoicism but his manipulation, meaning he can probably see what Harry is trying to do and it still gets to him. On the flip side Harry's speech is completely merciless, taunting Nicky about how strong a relationship becomes after centuries of parenthood and how no amount of power is going to replace your own child. Harry continues to press Nicky's buttons with frightening accuracy, to the point where he starts to sound more like Hannibal Lecter than the slightly goofy pop culture nerd we know and love.
  - Also something of a Fridge Tearjerker, when you realize just how much Dresden loves Maggie, that the big goof can be that insightful as to what Nicodemus has lost, and outraged enough to resort to using those insights to completely demolish the man's ego. Dresden's brought down an entire nation to save his own girl, and what Nicodemus has done places him utterly beyond the pale in Harry's estimation: a Moral Event Horizon beyond all others, that makes demonic pacts or torturing the Archive seem like traffic offenses.
- The absolute clincher comes with the final few lines, that finally break Nicodemus, that get through his years of discipline and determination by hammering home just who and what he sacrificed in the name of power.
  Harry: Do you remember? The first time you saw her? The first time she looked at you? Do you remember the change? That shift, when the whole universe suddenly tilted? Do you remember looking at her and knowing you would never, ever be quite the same person? Do you think the cup will do that for you?
  I don't know how you said it back in the day, but I'll bet you anything her first word was 'dada'.
The price Grey demands from Harry for his help. One. Dollar.
- Also, all of Grey's shenanigans.
Before it goes to hell, Murphy's fight with Nicodemus.
- Its actually a CMOA for both of them.
- Genowska has Harry hostage so Murphy walks up the group with her AT4 rocket launcher. Nicodemus taunts her that she wouldn't dare as it would kill Harry as well. So she steps into the blast range as well, scaring Nicodemus by telling she is ready to die for Harry. Then she reveals she had Fiddelachius hidden in the weapon.
- Murphy at first has the upper hand using Fidelacchius, and has Nicodemus with the sword to his throat, despite getting shot in the chest several times (Kevlar vest).
- So what does Nicodemus do? He proves why he has been around for 2000 years and its because he's smart and he knows the Knights Of Cross inside out. He drops his coin and removes the noose, rendering himself mortal. And then tells her that he surrenders after telling Genowska to crush Harry's skull. Karrin acts exactly as he expected and attacks him, depowering the sword, which he then breaks. Now that's a Batman Gambit.
- Then Nicodemus who is still mortal without the coin or noose proceeds to utterly destroy Murphy in physical combat, while delivering a Breaking Speech. By the end of it, he has figuratively and literally broken Murphy.
  - What makes it better is that Nicodemus beat Murphy in grappling, her best repertoire. Its as Murphy said about Skadi. There is no way she was going beat someone who has over a thousand years more experience than her, and it applied to Nic as well. After all, he had to take on generations of Knights in combat and win.
- Overall the only reason Harry and Murphy survived is due to Michael's quick thinking.
Michael's total willingness to trade his life for Harry and Murphy's, despite the fact that he knows Nicodemus will put him through literally unimaginable tortures until he's dead, has to count.
"I'm not the Carpenter who set the standard."
Uriel allowing himself to be Brought Down to Normal to restore Michael to fighting condition. Specifically by entrusting Michael with his grace, a power source capable of unmaking galaxies. Because he has that much faith in Michael's ability to do the right thing.
- As it turns out, he's merely Brought Down to Badass. When Nicodemus sends his goons to Michael's house, Uriel effortlessly slaughters a shotgun wielding mook with a kitchen knife. As Uriel himself put it
  I was fighting wars when this planet was nothing but expanding gases.
The rematch we thought we'd never get: Michael vs. Nicodemus. Michael, in Harry's own words, "goes all out"...and Nick has no answer. Two thousand years of swordmanship, thwarted by the Fist of God. (unless the Archangel grace enhanced him more than his previous levels)
- Even bigger: Michael first offers Nicodemus a chance to repent his sins, and Michael (it seems) almost convinces one of the most evil men to perform a Heel–Face Turn. Nicodemus has tortured to death Michael's friend and mentor, crippled Michael for life, and tortured and killed God knows how many other people, but Michael still honestly and truly offers the hand of friendship to Nicodemus, calling him "brother." Sometimes, the Awesome moment isn't violence, but the strength to offer a seemingly irredeemable man a second chance.
  - The fact that, despite his belief that everyone is redeemable, after Nicodemus turns down Michael's offer, Michael doesn't hold back at all. For the first time in the series, the Fist of God holds literally nothing back in his attempts to defeat his opponent, and it is terrifying.
  - Michael, like Harry, uses his experience as a father to try and get through to Nicodemus, but unlike Harry, it's to get him to repent.
    Enough, Nicodemus! Enough! Has today not been enough for you? In the name of God, man, have your eyes not yet been opened? Nicodemus Archleone. Look at yourself. Look at your fury. Look at your pain. Look where they have led you, man. Your own child. This is what it has taken, Nicodemus. This journey into the darkness of greed and ambition. You stand amongst untold, unimaginable wealth, and you have lost the only thing that really matters because of them. Because of the lies and the schemes of the Fallen. It is not too late. Don’t you see what has happened here? What has been arranged, all the pieces that have been moved to bring you to the only place where your eyes might be opened. Where you might have a chance — perhaps your very last chance — to turn aside from the path you have walked for so long. A path that has caused you and those close to you and the world around you nothing but heartache and misery. It isn’t a matter of belief. I need look no further than the evidence of my eyes and mind. It’s why I took up the Sword in the first place. To save you, and those like you, who have been used by the Fallen. It’s why I have been given the grace to take up arms again, this very night — in time to offer you a chance. For hope. For a new beginning. For peace. I can’t imagine anything happening to my daughter. No father should have to see his child die. As different as we are, as much separated in time and faith, you are still a human being. You are still my brother. And I am very sorry for your pain. Please. Let me help you.
Nicodemus uses the Grail to shield himself from attacks. Michael turns his sword away — he thinks the Grail is too valuable to destroy. Harry doesn't, so he shoots right at Nicodemus. Who also does, and so he takes the bullet, urgently saving the Grail from Harry's hit. Apparently, using something you are not ready to lose as a shield against someone having no objections to destroy it is not a wise idea.
Mr. Sunshine's reveal that his primary reason for the whole thing was trying to save the Squires. Made even better that he (mostly) succeeds.
- This bears repeating. Uriel, one of the four Archangels and the greatest defender of mortal free will, risked death, or even Falling. Not to prevent some massive apocalypse. Not to prevent Nicci from getting his hands on the Holy Grail. Not for some large world-saving purpose that drove him to that desperate act. But simply to try and save the souls of Nicodemus's mooks.
- Closely related: how Uriel convinced Michael to stop protesting the risk of an Archangel dying or Falling. Michael already knows one of his best friends is in a very precarious situation and that Nicodemus is after the literal Holy Grail, but what ends the discussion?
  Michael: Can you tell me what is at stake, that I should risk this?
  Uriel: A soul.
  Michael: Oh. You should have said that from the beginning.
Hades stops time to talk to Harry in private. Just because he just wanted to meet him and shake his hand, saying that he sensed they had much in common (i.e. doing an unpleasant job because somebody has to, overseeing a prison, owning big dogs that are far kinder than their reputation suggests). Seems Odin isn't the only god who is wild about Harry.
The way old Nick is taken down a much-needed peg or four, and the way Mab and Marcone and Hades utterly deconstruct his image as the badass master of manipulation and leave him in the mud.
- The way they take him down is great too: They let him team up with Harry "avatar of chaos" Dresden, trusting and knowing that Harry will be able to manipulate Nicodemus into breaking his word, and survive.
- It was explicitly stated in the previous book that Mab—Queen of the Wicked Faeries, The Dreaded to just about everyone, an incredibly cold, incredibly ruthless, incredibly logical being who makes Spock look like The Mccoy in comparison—still is human enough that she refuses to harm her own daughter, despite the fate of the world being at stake. Back in Small Favor, Nicodemus showed contempt for her by breaking the Accords. Here, she and Marcone manipulate Nicodemus into murdering his own daughter—and, since Harry got away with four out of the five artifacts, for a very paltry gain indeed. The message is very clear: Do not ever, ever, EVER mess with Mab.
After Nicodemus smashes Fidelacchius, he has Harry and Murphy fully beaten. Michael Carpenter offers to come out from behind his guardian angels if Nicodemus lets them go, and Uriel shows up to say this sacrifice isn't called for. Nicodemus then taunts Uriel repeatedly about how this is human free will and there's nothing he can do. And then:
Nicodemus: The bargain was made. His word freely given. You cannot stop him from fullfilling it.
Uriel: Correct, but I can help him to do so. (heals Michael to full strength)
- Butters comes sprinting around the side of the house, having retrieved Amoracchius from wherever it was hidden and pulling parts of the covering off. Michael effortlessly pulls the Sword from the package without even looking. Michael the family man may enjoy his retirement, but Michael the Knight is something else, and the Sword clearly hasn't forgotten him.
  Nicodemus: You cheat!
  Michael: [Wielding Amoracchius] I said I would come out to you. [Kicks down the garden door] I'm out. In nominae dei, Nicodemus, I have come to face you.
- And then Harry walks up to them, and gives Nicodemus a delicious dose of Hoist by His Own Petard, by naming Michael as his partner as Murphy was injured, stumping the Denarian.
Harry creating a distraction and incapacitating the guards with Roman candles.
Special mention goes to Hannah Ascher, whose fire magic makes a Fomor mook's head literally explode. Even Harry is impressed. Also, walking through a firestorm and barely even getting signed, which even Harry, an incredibly powerful and quite skilled wizard by this point, admits would be well beyond him.
- During the above firestorm, a fire salamander tries to attack Hannah. Nicodemus effortlessly nails it with his thrown sword. Harry has to admit to himself he's good due to centuries of practice.
Harry's duel with the aforementioned Hannah Ascher is a perfect example of how experience and flexibility trump raw power. Harry's opponent, while being even greater pyromancer than him and boosted by Lasciel's Hellfire to the point a single hit would kill Harry, actually fails to land a single hit, as each time Harry retaliates with a counter-attack that hits hard, and eventually turns Hannah's own Hellfire against herself in a Defensive Feint Trap. With the added benefit of possibly trapping Lasciel in Hades' treasury for good. Even further, Harry takes pains to offer her mercy, and when she refuses, he demonstrates that even though she has better fine control over fire than he does, and probably greater raw power thanks to Lasciel, she's still way out of her league when it comes to actual combat skill.
- Making it even better is that while both Hannah and Lasciel had understandable grievances against Harry (that is Lasciel wants their daughter and Hannah's friends from The Fellowship of St. Giles who were Token Good Teammate half-vampires of Red Court died via his spell), those were situations that he had no control over. Harry still recognises his mistakes and is willing to make amends and compromises, showing true Character Development from the guy who shot first and questioned later. Unfortunately, those two decided to be petty about it, so Harry decided to live up to his Memetic Badass reputation.
  - Making it even sweeter is Lasciel's Oh, Crap! when she realises exactly what Harry has in mind for them while Too Dumb to Live partner Hannah is blasting away like a demented cowboy.
Harry is forced to fight Tessa without his Winter Knight powers and wizard magic, since where they are standing means Harry's allies would suffer from collateral damage. He still gives her a fight till he is literally backed into a corner.
- Plus, despite an attack of hers (splitting her body into thousands of insects to cover someone and then attack them mentally and physically) which is basically Nightmare Fuel and Nausea Fuel personified, he still manages to stifle a scream and literally chew out the insects who got into his mouth.
Michael's Big Damn Heroes moment to save Harry from the above. He simply places his hand on Harry's head and lets out his Battle Cry and a prayer, and the same holy fire which burned the Red Court vampire in Grave Peril rushes out and starts roasting Tessa's insects, forcing her to flee and deal with the heavy damage. Even Nicodemus is scared and confused as to how that was possible.
- Then the archangel spirit within Michael gives an epic speech to everyone present, reminding them of the importance of their choices over power, and warning them that one day, judgment will come for them:
  All of you, hear me. You think your power is what shapes the world you walk in. But that is an illusion. Your choices shape your world. You think your power will protect you from the consequences of those choices. But you are wrong. You create your own rewards. There is a Judge. There is Justice in this world. And one day you will receive what you have earned. Choose carefully.
  - It's triply awesome when you realize that speech could apply to everyone present — heck, everyone ever — and still be poignant. The archangel is telling good people to stop tearing themselves apart on failures, those with grey morality to have faith, and evil to repent and atone. As Harry said in his mind:
    Uriel. You sneaky bastard. But you weren't telling me anything I didn't already suspect.
Simply, the description of the satellite photos of Sanya facing off against two Denarians. It sounds like straight out of an Akira Kurosawa movie. And he won. Jim Butcher just keeps giving and giving.
"Those are from Iran," Karrin said. "Gary says that they show a functioning nuclear power plant."
The images were obviously of some sort of installation, but I couldn't tell anything beyond that. "Thought they had big old towers."
"He says they're buried in that hill behind the building," Karrin said. "Check out the last few images."
On the last pages of the folder, things in the installation had changed. Columns of black, greasy smoke rolled out from multiple buildings. In another image, the bodies of soldiers lay on the ground. And in the last image, up on the hillside, which was wreathed in white mist, or maybe steam...
Three figures faced one another. One was a large man dressed in a long overcoat and wielding a slightly curved sword in one hand, an old cavalry saber. He carried what might have been a sawed-off shotgun in the other. His skin was dark, and though his head hadn't been shaved like that the last time I'd seen him, it could really have been only one person. "Sanya," I said. The world's only Knight of the Cross was standing across from two blurry figures. Both were in motion, as if charging toward him. One was approximately the same size and shape as a large gorilla. The other was covered in a thick layer of feathers that gave an otherwise humanoid shape an odd, shaggy appearance. "Magog and Shaggy Feathers," I muttered.
- An extra moment of awesome in that we later learn Sanya survived taking on two at once — heck, in his next appearance, just a few months later, he doesn't seem to be carrying any major injuries!
The Genoskwa (a Forest Person Evil Counterpart of River Shoulders) destroying Harry in their first fight. Including effortlessly dispelling his ice magic.
- Then, later in Hades vault, he reveals he’s Ursiel's host, his already massive body growing to gigantic proportions. And then despite Grey blinding his normal eyes, he still beats him.
- And after that he takes on Harry blind. He thrashes around like a madman, but then Harry realizes he wanted to generate enough rubble that Harry crunched it under his feet at every opportunity, giving away his position.
- Though for their Heroic Rematch, Harry wins using his wits and environment. This time, instead of hitting the Genoskwa with magic, he uses magic to send projectiles at him. Then he lures him into the Ice Gate traps and makes him hit one while avoiding it himself with his newly gained parkour skills.
  Parkour, bitch.

Awesome / Skin Game

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