Chapter 297: Dragon Shadow Over the Village and Malfoy's Treasure
Inside the giant village, tension crackled through the air like lightning before a storm. Astoria faced off against a massive giant warrior, his crude axe gleaming with dried blood from countless battles. The weapon looked like it could cleave a horse in half with a single swing.
"Just a curved blade?" Aiden asked gently, though his eyes held predatory interest as he observed the proceedings.
"That's more than enough. Watch me work."
Astoria patted her travelling robe with practised efficiency. The enchanted threads woven throughout the fabric shimmered and transformed, revealing a sleek black combat outfit that hugged her lithe form like liquid shadow. The material seemed to absorb light itself, making her appear almost ethereal against the primitive backdrop.
"This outfit should be added to the wager," the giant leader suggested from his elevated viewing platform, his voice carrying obvious lust as he tilted his enormous head. Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Of course. Similarly, if you lose, this warrior becomes our property," Aiden replied smoothly, raising one elegant eyebrow while his fingers drummed against his thigh in anticipation.
"Fine, as long as you don't cheat with magic during the combat," the giant leader nodded eagerly, showing a satisfied grin that revealed teeth like yellowed tombstones.
After all, how could any slip of a girl possibly compete against a giant in pure physical combat? The very idea was laughable.
"Begin!" A referee-like giant struck a massive war drum with bone-crushing force.
The thunderous boom echoed across the camp like cannon fire, and immediately the axe-wielding giant charged toward Astoria with ground-shaking steps. Dust clouds erupted around his feet with each thunderous impact.
He raised his enormous axe high overhead and swung it down at Astoria with enough force to split boulders, the blade whistling through the air like a falling meteorite.
Astoria moved with fluid grace that seemed almost supernatural, lightly sidestepping at the last possible moment. The giant's axe crashed into the earth where she had been standing just heartbeats before, sending explosions of mud and stone fragments in all directions.
Without missing a beat, the giant swept his weapon horizontally toward Astoria's slender waist, trying to bisect her in one devastating blow. The axe blade sang through the air with deadly precision.
Astoria raised her curved blade and struck with viper-like speed toward the giant's attacking weapon, her movements flowing like water around stone.
The curved blade and giant axe collided with a sound like thunder splitting the sky. Sparks showered the arena in brilliant cascades of light.
The giant leader had already risen from his seat expectantly, wanting to witness the anticipated slaughter of the presumptuous wizard woman.
"Clang!" The metallic ring of weapon against weapon split the air as sparks flew where steel met steel. Then both combatants were pushed backward by the tremendous opposing forces, their feet sliding through the packed earth.
"Impossible!" The giant leader could hardly believe the scene unfolding before his bulging eyes.
A wizard matching a giant's raw physical strength without employing even the slightest trace of magic. Such a thing defied everything he understood about the natural order.
'They came prepared for this exact scenario,' the giant leader realised with growing unease, then glanced meaningfully toward Aiden.
A certain leisurely dragon had somehow produced a bottle of fresh lemon juice and took a long, refreshing gulp. His face showed an expression of pure satisfaction, as if he were watching an entertaining theatrical performance rather than a potentially deadly combat.
In the makeshift arena, Astoria looked up and made direct eye contact with her giant opponent. Battle hypnosis activated with surgical precision, her enhanced mental abilities piercing through the creature's primitive psychological defences.
The giant raised his axe to deliver another crushing blow, but suddenly his five finger joints began experiencing intense discomfort. Sharp pains shot through his hands like red-hot needles.
Unable to maintain his grip, he involuntarily released the axe handle. The massive weapon went flying outside the designated combat area, landing with an earth-shaking crash.
Astoria seized this perfect opportunity and leapt from the ground with inhuman agility, appearing directly in front of the now-defenceless giant. Since this was a subordinate she intended to claim rather than destroy, Astoria carefully moderated her attack.
She delivered a single devastating punch to the giant's head. Her slender form looked almost comical contrasted against the giant's massive skull, like a hummingbird attacking an elephant.
But the giant was knocked completely unconscious by Astoria's precisely calculated strike and crashed to the ground with tremendous impact, sending tremors through the earth.
"What in the seven hells?!" The giant leader's eyes widened in absolute fury, his face turning crimson with rage and disbelief.
"Then according to our binding agreement, this warrior now belongs to us," Aiden observed with narrowed eyes that glittered with satisfaction.
He raised his right hand with casual authority, and a Levitation Charm effortlessly lifted the unconscious giant to float behind him like a grotesque trophy.
Astoria walked over with obvious satisfaction, her delicate features covered with battle dust and her clothes stained with mud. The combination made her look wild and dangerous, like some primordial goddess of war.
Aiden produced a pristine white handkerchief and gently wiped her face clean, then turned his calculating gaze toward the increasingly agitated giant leader.
"Shall we continue this entertaining contest?" Now it was Aiden's turn to deliver carefully crafted provocations.
"No way, absolutely no way. The famous giants actually lost to a little slip of a girl."
It turned out that the dragon's psychological manipulation was considerably more sophisticated than the giant leader's crude attempts.
Soon, more red-eyed giants stepped forward to challenge Astoria, their pride wounded beyond endurance. Masculine roars of outrage echoed across the camp.
Astoria rose to meet each challenge with deadly grace, defeating them one by one through a combination of superior technique, supernatural reflexes, and strategic hypnotic manipulation.
When the collection of unconscious giants floating behind Aiden grew to an impressive six, the giant leader finally couldn't maintain his composure any longer.
After all, these captured warriors represented his core power base, and there were still some members of the tribe who remained loyal to the previous leadership structure. If he lost too much of his fundamental support, he might face another internal rebellion.
After weighing his rapidly diminishing options, he decided to abandon all pretence of honour.
"Enough of this deception! You despicable wizards must have secretly employed magic throughout these combats!"
The giant leader drew his enormous great sword and pressed the blade against Aiden's throat with threatening pressure. The metal felt as cold as winter against skin.
"Don't even think about moving," he snarled, using Aiden as a human shield while addressing Astoria. "Excellent female warrior, I hope you will remain in our village permanently. Your superior bloodline combined with our giant heritage will surely produce invincible warriors for future generations."
This giant leader possessed unexpected diplomatic skills, Aiden noted with genuine amazement. The creature was actually capable of making strategic marriage proposals under pressure.
However, hearing such crude suggestions made Astoria's expression darken like storm clouds as deeply buried traumatic memories began surfacing in her mind.
"Snap!" Astoria's fingers produced a sharp sound that seemed to resonate through the collective unconscious.
Instantly, two nearby giants fell under her hypnotic influence and charged toward their own leader with berserker fury, their eyes glazed with artificial rage.
"What treachery is this!" The giant leader was genuinely startled and immediately released Aiden, raising his weapon to desperately parry his suddenly rebellious subordinates.
After fierce combat filled with blood and screaming, he managed to fight two against one and severed both of his former followers' heads with brutal efficiency. Gore splattered across the primitive arena.
"Roar!" He bellowed at the remaining giants, re-establishing his dominance through raw intimidation and fresh violence.
"So you possess this ability as well," the giant leader said, now understanding the true scope of their capabilities. He looked at Astoria with even greater greedy hunger than before.
"Are you simply going to stand there and watch?" Astoria's calm gaze swept over Aiden with pointed expectation.
Aiden recognised that she had reached her absolute limit of patience, so he nodded once and stepped forward with predatory grace.
Right before the giant leader's horrified eyes, Aiden began to expand and transform.
The dragon's shadow fell across the earth like a living eclipse. After advancing to Sequence 3, Aiden's mythical creature form had become truly colossal, dwarfing even the largest giants.
Mysterious runic symbols flickered and danced across the grey-white dragon's hide, making the giants feel alien thoughts rising unbidden in their primitive minds. Whispers in languages that predated human civilisation echoed through their consciousness.
The magnificent dragon spread wings that could blot out the sun and soared into the sky with impossible grace, opening jaws that could swallow buildings whole. When he breathed, invisible flames of pure mental energy cascaded earthward.
The entire camp instantly became a sea of ethereal fire, with giants crying out in terror and fleeing in all directions like scattered ants. Their primitive minds simply couldn't process the cosmic horror looming above them.
Through ripples in the collective unconscious sea, Aiden could now perceive these giants' thoughts directly without requiring virtual personas to invade their minds. Their fear tasted like copper and desperation.
Quickly identifying giants still harbouring hostile intentions, Aiden descended upon them with terrible purpose.
Dragon breath turned the giant leader to charcoal in seconds and eliminated several of his most loyal followers with surgical precision. The scent of burnt flesh and terror filled the air.
Within moments, the surviving giants prostrated themselves before the dragon hovering above them, their spirits completely broken.
The dragon's shadow gracefully descended from the sky, and Aiden materialised beside Astoria in his human form, not even breathing hard from the exertion.
"Excellent work. Now it's time for our beautiful Miss Astoria to handle the administrative details."
The muscle had been applied successfully. Now the skilled negotiator could take centre stage.
Astoria approached the terrified giants with businesslike calm and began discussing compensation matters with the newly elected leader, who had assumed power through the simple expedient of being the only senior giant left breathing.
Yes, compensation. Astoria, who had spent years navigating the treacherous currents of Knockturn Alley politics, had detected something unusual about this entire situation from the beginning.
The previous giant leader and his followers joining Voldemort's cause must have received substantial material benefits in exchange for their loyalty. After all, he hadn't seemed like the type to be swayed by mere promises of future glory. Unfortunately, her enforcer had eliminated him too quickly to permit proper interrogation.
Now she could only extract maximum value through careful negotiation with the survivors.
Astoria Greengrass, acknowledged Lord of Knockturn Alley and master hypnotist, quickly extracted detailed information about hidden treasures from the giants' lips through a combination of psychological pressure and supernatural persuasion.
She also forced them to sign binding indenture contracts that would ensure their future cooperation.
Returning triumphantly from her negotiations, Astoria beckoned playfully with one finger for Aiden to follow her deeper into the camp.
"Let the new leader Lada handle the remaining tribal reorganisation," she explained with obvious satisfaction.
"So what exactly did Sister Tom offer them to inspire such devoted loyalty?" Aiden asked, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.
Astoria led him to a concealed cave entrance and blasted open the sealed doorway with a precisely controlled Blasting Curse. Stone fragments scattered like confetti.
Inside the hidden cavern, golden Galleons filled the entire space from floor to ceiling, creating a treasure hoard that would make dragons weep with envy.
Suddenly, Aiden spotted an ornate painting mounted above one of the more expensive artefacts. His eyes widened with recognition and delight.
The Malfoy family crest gleamed in the torchlight like a beacon of irony.
"There's your answer," Astoria said, pointing toward the familiar heraldic symbol with obvious amusement.
Both young people couldn't help but burst into delighted laughter in the treasure-filled cave, their voices brightening the dark stone chamber with genuine mirth. The sound echoed off ancient walls like music, carrying notes of victory, discovery, and the sweet satisfaction of uncovering their enemies' secrets.