A/N - Um, Hi guys(Sheepishly waves hand). I kinda went on an impromptu year end trip with my family. Well, it was planned for them but impromptu for me, for reasons. It was full paid so I couldn't really refuse in any way.
Anyway, I am back now and have been hard at work.
Proof - 3 chapters back to back
ENJOY!
(plz don't lynch me!)
Disclaimer - I don't own anything. As the corporations say these days, you will own nothing & be happy. I don't, and have never claimed to, own Marvel or Disney or any of its characters. With that out of the way, let's goooo!
London
–Damian Hawthorne–
In his workshop, within a dedicated section, isolated with multi-level barriers, he was working on putting something together to destroy that Horcrux. His face was set in a frown as he carefully peeled layer after layer of enchantments, turning their dormant states into active ones, as they found the connection to the next level of enchantment.
A method of enchanting, he had kind of figured out for himself over the years he had spent doing this stuff. To make something with varying levels of energy output, he had to layer multiple enchantments, all linked together to either handle the highest amount of energy or moderate the amount of energy to the user's liking.
Since it was he who was going to use it, he did not focus much on user friendliness since he knew the relic's ins and outs. He already had a thermal laser built, but it was just a giant unit that using it for anything other than for the base's defenses would be the height of folly.
He had a reference point, all he needed was to shrink it down and hook it up to a dense power supply, something that could provide it the energy needed to melt down whatever magical defenses that Wooden Box might have. Normally, he would have just reached out with his magic, taken stock of the protections on that box, and then worked on getting the curses out, but the recent hit to his ego, rightfully so, had woken him up or something.
To not risk an unexpected attack from that wooden casket, he was more than willing to spend a couple of days here, down in the workshop, tinkering to make something cool that could also be used for something else.
Like melting down entire armies, coming through a single bottlenecked hole, for example.
So, he stepped back, and smiled as the cannon shaped, glowing hot red, laser began its enchantment sequence, connecting every single layer with each other before activating with a soft whoosh sound, the tip glowing bright yellow, then blue, then white before blasting a hole clean through the strongest forcefield he had before hitting a hexagonal block that absorbed all that heat, glowing red in the process.
Realising that it was more than enough for just a demonstration, he mentally flicked a switch, as the enchantment was mentally connected to him. One of these days, he was going to have to figure out something like a Bluetooth remote-esque connection to his creations because he realised that having them connected directly to his mind or spirit, using his magic as a medium, was not a great security practice.
In theory, and when it comes to magic, most theories do come true in one form or another, someone skilled could use his connection with his creations, to either track him down, attack him using some convoluted ritual scheme, or just plain curse him through that connection. Now, it might not work but what if it did work?
That question made him put a mental note to work on getting a remote control setup up and running, in a way that cannot be tracked back to this palace. He already had the satellite network up and running. All he needed to do was make something like a receiver to piggy back off that signal and install it in every single one of his creations henceforth.
Also, he would once again need to work on getting the electric currents to magic language running, which would be a pain in the ass but not an injury to the mind, which is what he might just get if he was just lazy to the point of ignoring critical security flaws.
As the laser shut down, which took over 3 seconds, he mentally noted, he walked towards it and held it up, noting that the enhancements were holding well, even after an abrupt shutdown at full blast.
Smiling at his success, he was about to head out directly to get rid of that Wooden Box, only for his stomach to rumble loudly. Food first, then?
Pushing the cannon back to its original place, he turned around and began walking up to the living quarters, which also had the kitchen, noting the soft clicking sound the forcefield made when the cannon was locked into place, secure.
___xx___
–Albus Dumbledore–
"Little Hangleton," He mused out loud, the night after his meeting with Headmaster Kato, who had spent the previous night doing some truly strong magic, something that Hogwarts' wards told him, resulting in apparently this location, "I don't believe any wizards live here."
"No, they don't," Kato confirmed for him, "This place has 1298 residents, all of whom are non magicals. Most of them have evidently never even been touched by magic."
"Could you have the wrong location?" He asked the man, who just walked on ahead, without answering his question.
They passed through the town streets, which were not clean but not in need of repairs yet, as they walked past silent houses, a closed City Hall, a closed diner, and more, as they reached the other end of the small, quaint town, in just half an hour.
As soon as they crossed the small garden at the end of the street, he paused, and so did Yato, as they both looked at different ends of the street, at small white stones that glimmered in the sunlight, looking as if they belonged on the side of the road.
He took a step forward, to get a closer look, only for a wooden cane to appear in his path. He traced the handle of the cane to Yato who was looking at the stone with an intense look on his face, "Wait here."
After that, the cane disappeared, a marvellous show of wandless conjuration, as Yato waved his hand, two needles appearing out of thin air, before they glowed yellow due to the enchantments carved on top of them. Then, he sent those two needles flying towards the two stones. In front of his eyes, the needles pierced the stones and then vibrated, releasing an immense amount of light before shattering.
"Hmm. Noise isolation matrix, uniquely poised for mass isolation. Horribly inefficient." He heard Yato whisper to himself before he continued their walk, only for Yato's and his necks to snap in a certain direction, a wave of Dark Magic washing over them, minute as it was, forcing them to exchange looks before both of them began speedwalking to the source of the Dark Magic.
It was not clear whether that Dark Magic was the Giant Killer or not, but either way, he was not about to leave such venomous Dark Magic within a stone throw's distance of a town of muggles, defenceless against any magic, let alone Dark Magic.
After traversing a surprisingly dense forest, they reached the site of…wreckage?
It was clearly a building of some sort, a very small one, that had been destroyed, very recently as well. Most of the material had either withered away or turned to dust because of the fire, which was not magical in nature, at least from what he could tell anyway.
"Not magical, the fire." Yato surmised as they both took a side and circled the rubble, trying to find anything of note.
"This is in line with the previously recorded attacks from the Giant Killer. His magical attacks, leave little to no magical residue, leading me to believe that he uses magic to–"
"To create a natural phenomenon that doesn't contain any magic. Yes, I know. I have read the theories of Ancient Atlantis as well. That doesn't bode well for us, as you very well know."
Yes, that was true. The principle of using an infinitesimal amount of magic to unleash devastating attacks, armed by the power of Nature, such that there was no hint of the caster's magic within the attack, was the domain of Ancient Magic. Specifically, the domain of Atlantean Ancient Magic.
It spoke of control and understanding of magic never seen before, on top of the knowledge of the natural phenomena of the world precise enough to create these effects. If a wizard was actually capable of such marvellous feats of magic, they would have been focused on far more important things, rather than bringing down an isolated, clearly abandoned magical dwelling, however seeped in Dark Magic it may be.
"The Dark Magic is dissipating," he remarked as he waved his wand, casting multiple diagnostic charms, telling him the same thing. Just a few days ago, this place was chock full of Dark Magic. Curses, wards and whatnot, woven together to form this place. But right now? Most of the material holding onto those enchantments was gone, either vaporised or burned down, removing the hold of Dark Magic.
"Yes." Kato sighed as they both stood in front of the rubble. "I am certain that he was here very recently but what we know about his capabilities."
"He could be anywhere in the world, right now. I believe we should head back and try other avenues," He suggested as Fawkes materialised above him in a blaze of fire. Before he could suggest Kato to hold onto Fawkes, the man's form shimmered before he disappeared from the spot in a rush of displaced air. He smiled once more, one of the very few men he could call his peer, leaving no opportunity to show off his unique magic.
"To Hogwarts, dear friend," He told Fawkes as they too disappeared in a rush of Phoenix fire.
___xx___
–Damian Hawthorne—
"Die! Die, you son of a bitch!" He shouted with manic glee as he activated the laser cannon and was currently in the process of burying that wooden casket into the ground, hoping that extreme heat would work.
He was in the middle of nowhere, basically, plains as far as he could see. A couple of sound isolation wards later, he was ready to blast this thing to smithereens, opening the containment unit, he winced as he immediately felt the foul magic trying to spread out, to latch onto anything magical nearby.
It was a pretty nasty thing, almost sentient in its approach to finding any holes in the magic nearby.
Which is why he was so enthused about finally dealing with the Dark Magic once and for all.
The fun he was experiencing currently had nothing to do with the inherent joy buried deep within his genetics that came from blowing stuff up!
No sirrr!
After almost a minute of non stop blasting, he turned off the cannon and retrieved his handy dandy claw, to retrieve the Wooden Casket, because he could still feel that Dark Magic, just fainter, if that made any sense.
It did not dishearten him. On the contrary, it just gave him more opportunity to blast stuff up!
Retiring the red hot but still intact Wooden Casket, he dropped it on another patch of land and then angled the Thermal Laser, ready to create yet another hole in the ground.
It ain't much but it's honest work.
With that thought in his mind, the laser whirled to life, releasing yet another devastating blast of heat, and this time, he was pretty sure that he heard a shrill scream coming from the Casket. It might have tried to speak something, but he was pretty busy blasting it into the ground to hear any of it.
___xx___
–Albus Dumbledore–
Both of them apparated side by side, arriving at a location with truly nothing on either sides, except this.
A silent Notice-Me-Not charm cast on a piece of land, full of holes, still growing red hot in the ground.
"What is he doing?" Kato growled, a rare show of emotion from the man. He could understand it. After all, for the past two days, they had been tracking down the Giant Killer who had been doing nothing but blasting holes in the ground with some sort of extreme heat spell, resulting in sometimes, glassed areas with hints of the Same Dark Magic, growing weaker with each site they found.
"I believe he is digging holes to find some lost treasure?" He tried to insert some humour into the situation but apparently, his attempt was not well received, as Kato, turned around and disappeared from the spot, knowing that there was nothing they could glean from this place, just like the four others they found earlier.
Also, full of holes. Also, recently used.
Truly, what was the Giant Killer doing?
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