A soft sound of hoofs hitting the ground indicated that Victoria had landed and Harry turned to see two pairs of eyes demanding him to let them off his loyal steed. With a wince as his injuries started to make themselves known he helped the girls off. He was mildly surprised it was Mia busting out the first aid cut and started to tightly apply bandages around the wounds Ugruk had managed to inflict.
As Mia busied herself with the bloody wound on his front Mia forced a potion in his mouth before he could protest. With a mental sigh he gulped down the foul liquid and his mind told him it tasted like a blood replenishing potion. "Are you three alright?" he asked after he wiped his lips and before Mia could stuff his face with another potion.
Victoria made a displeased sound. She turned slightly to show where the goblins had managed to land a few glancing blows. To Harry's relief there were no arrows or the like sticking out of her. "Could you go on?" A bop of her head was his reply. "Thanks girl, I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
Cressida decided the conversation was over and with a burp of steam Harry spat the empty pepper-up potion out of his mouth that she had stuffed into it. "You could just ask me to drink them." he said sourly to the older woman. "And then you'd complain about drinking potions. Hermione has warned me about your dislike for them."
"Have you tried them yourself?" Harry demanded indignantly as he felt like he was being treated like a toddler who didn't want to eat his greens. "No." Cressida replied shortly. "I try to avoid situations that require me to use such concoctions. Now shall we get out of here or do you wish to continue fighting the goblins?"
"I don't think we have much of a choice." Harry replied as he glanced up. Sometime during the fight Ugruk had found the time to close the hole in the ceiling they had come through. Harry had a rough idea where the entrance was but he wasn't sure if he could and should bust it open. Cressida followed his gaze and grimaced. "I concur."
"Victoria. I might call you later. Take a break." Harry ordered. As the Pegasus disappeared he gazed at Mia's white blade lying beside her. "This is Fimbulsverd." Mia said as an introduction. "Forged from the finest steel in a cold norse winter by the dwarves." "It looks like a good good sword. But frankly I can only tell the sharp end from the bit you hold it from." Harry replied frankly.
"For a barbarian it is good enough." Mia allowed and Harry suspected the extra tightening of the bandages on his calf was a silent retaliation. She started to pack up the unused bandages while Harry checked himself. With a silent sigh he put the bloody clothing back on. "Well. Let's see if the goblins are willing to just let us go." he stated without much hope.
He walked towards the partially collapsed entrance without the confidence his statement seemed to make him have. It led into a richly decorated wide hallway where clearly preparations to receive the heretic god were discarded. "A goblin must have been watching the fight." He noted and Mia gave a sound of agreement.
Cautiously they continued their advance. They found lavishly decorated rooms and sparring halls. All devoid of life. But they had trouble finding anything that would indicate that it was a way up. "I never thought that the underground areas would be so luxurious." Harry muttered. "The demented ride down to the vault only shows bare rock."
"It could be that this area is for the highest of managers or nobility." Cressida whispered as Harry peeked around the corner and found another empty hallway and more signs of a hasty evacuation. "Shouldn't they be fighting to protect their wealth? If I had a bottomless trunk…" Harry joked weakly as he gestured towards the various riches left behind.
They slinked through the hallway like a group of thieves. It slowly twisted towards the left and through a few doors Harry could see the rooms were less luxurious and looked more like barracks. The hallway straightened out and it ended in a large spiraling stairway. The landing was filled by a wall of goblins behind shields nearly twice their size. Poking through a few openings were spears and other polearms.
A few shouts of gobbledygook made it clear they were seen and Harry stepped into view. "I defeated the heretic god summoned." he declared loudly and he was about to ask the goblins to let them through when a volley of arrows was launched and sailed in an arc through the high hallway. Harry drew a vicious vertical line while shouting "Protego!".
A moment later the shield lit up blue as the arrows bounced off. A large pair of ballista projectiles bounced off with the same effect as their smaller counterparts. Cressida prepared her own counter spell with a mumbled incantation while Mia's sword started to light up by her own spell.
A second volley lanced out a half a dozen seconds later. As the last ballista bolt bounced off Harry dropped the shield and chanted "Eurus interauilonem ettelum imperator!" as Mia and Cressida fired their own magic down range. A stream of water bowled over the heavy goblin troops while the blast of energy destroyed the shields and tossed their wielders into the goblins behind them.
Then Harry's air lance slammed into the wavering line and did not stop. It pierced all the way into the solid stone and exploded in a scattering of stone. A weak volley of arrows fired at a shouted order but was once again easily blocked. "Charge Charge!" the goblin commander shouted as Cressida and Mia used the momentary lull to launch their spells again.
The goblins still standing drudged forward and picked up speed as they went. The rest scrambled to their feet and followed behind. Harry stepped forward while intoning "Tales poenae et novem ignitos." in a dreadfully calm voice. The sword of Gryffindor in his other hand was not even raised.
He swirled the wand above his hand at the final word and nine lashes of fire flowed out. The temperature shot up immediately but the goblins charged onward. In a single wide sweep Harry lashed out and the fire struck the goblins like a physical force. The charge faltered as the leading elements were slammed into the wall like a giant had hit them. "How! The armor should protect us!" one of the goblin warriors blathered in english.
Harry struck again and the fiery tails extended at his mental command to reach the goblins who had faltered. "Campione!" one goblin who just managed to avoid being struck shouted in realisation. Harry could see the goblins' morale break as the difference of power between an average wizard and him struck the warriors still alive and standing.
One of the crossbow men tried to run but was struck down by another goblin. That goblin spat something in gobbledygook which Harry suspected was to encourage the survivors to stand tall. More importantly however he recognized the tone of the commander. Mia however beat him to the punch and her snow white blade spat another strike that went straight through the goblin.
The goblins manning the ballistas ceased their attempts to load the devices and fled. A raggedly volley of arrows flew towards him and Harry swung his wand again to swat the arrows out of the sky. By the time his vision cleared of the fire the goblins responsible were legging it as well.
With a ring of fire still swirling above his head he took stock of the situation. With a flick of his wand he dismissed the magic as it became clear only the scorched dead and crippled remained. "When did you find the time to master that spell?" Mia couldn't help but ask. "Hermione is as curious about the magic she can't do as the spells she can." Harry answered. "We didn't just kiss and grope each other when we asked for some privacy."
"Your dates included studying magic?" Mia asked in reply. Her expression made it clear she had trouble believing it. "What can I say? That is the kind of girl Hermione is. I doubt I would have learned the protego spell as quickly without her encouragement." He answered with a shrug as he stepped forward. "Let's go up."
Mia and Cressida exchanged a worried glance as Harry walked up the spiral stairs with the same sense of urgency as if he was about to be late for a class in Hogwarts. At the landing on the top two heavily armoured goblins stood. Their armour resplendent with decorations and wealth to show their importance.
At their feet Harry saw a handful of the goblins who just had fled. Slightly behind them was the corpse of another goblin in far more expensive armour than the rest. 'Not enough corpses from the goblins who fled. These two must have stood aside after their buddy was cut down.' he analysed. Somewhere inside him he noted how muted everything felt before he silenced that voice.
"Human, I challenge you…" the left goblin started to call out when Harry aimed his wand at him. "Eurus interauilonem…" the Campione intoned in reply. "You have no honor!" the goblin objected as his comrade shuffled away. As the goblin complained Harry finished the incantation and a second later a wind spear drilled its way through the goblin. His armour was too heavy for a sudden evasion.
"Honourless scum!" the remaining goblin shouted indignantly. "My lord does not have time to talk to thieves." Cressida answered for Harry as Mia leapt forward. The goblin war axe stopped Fimbulsverd from finding its wielder's life liquid. It was for naught as Mia hopped away and a needle of water rammed its way into the goblin's head through the open visor.
With the obstacles out of the way Harry led the girls forward through the less richly decorated hallway compared to the hallways down below. "The way this hallway looks we must be on the same level… or at least section from where we fell." "The stairs were fairly high." Mia added thoughtfully.
"A good thing Hogwarts has been training our endurance." the swordswoman joked even as she felt her calves complain. She wondered if Harry and Cressida cheated somehow with magic as they seemed to be unaffected by the climb. The joke fell flat and Harry continued on. He ignored several branches in their path and continued on what he thought was the main pathway. The hallway ended in front of a pair of large doors. The sword of Gryffindor rose and after a burst of divine power it cut cleanly through the locks on the other side.
With a kick Harry forced the gate-sized doors open. With sword in hand, wand raised and a spell on his lips he stepped into the room. Instead of a horde rushing towards him. A lot of smaller than usual goblins were herded away by a few slightly, but still below average, sized goblins. It took Harry a moment to realise he was facing a large group of children herded by a much smaller group of women in some sort of communal dining hall.
One goblin woman stepped forward and fell to her knees and bowed that her head pressed the stone. "I beg of you lord Campione." the goblin woman pleaded. "We are but nought women and children. None of us are warriors and have no influence on the decision that created your conflict with the goblin nation."
"If I was allowed to walk out of here I would." Harry said more roughly than he intended. Despite his harsh tone the woman sagged in relief. "Where is the nearest exit to the surface?" If the goblin woman wasn't already down on the ground she would have stumbled over herself to explain the way out. With a nod Harry walked through the crowd which parted like the red sea.
The door was opened for him and Harry left a mixed crowd behind him. Some of the goblin children glared at the departing humans while others were relieved they were not hurt. Harry was just glad that the goblin matron seemed sincere and he now knew he had a route out of Gringotts underground lair.
Instead of more empty hallways Harry's posse almost ran straight into a small patrol shortly after leaving the dining hall. The goblins started and formed a half circle of shields while Harry's group took a few steps back. A tense silence settled as the groups observed the other warily. "I do…" Harry tried to say in order to negotiate when the goblin with a few exotic feathers sticking from his helmet shouted an order in gobbledygook.
The goblins charged. In response Harry dug into his authority again as he parried the first axe strike away from his body "Chosen blade of the hero reveal yourself in grand splendor. Cut all those who oppose your wielder. Stand fast against both claws and teeth!" He felt power flow into the sword of Gryffindor. The next axehead that clashed against it shattered.
The debris slammed into the ground hitting neither combatant. But without a weapon the goblin had no defence against Harry's return stroke. It's shield was utterly useless at stopping the divine empowered blade. Beside him a flanking goblin was sent flying by a stream of water. Mia's bladework meanwhile kept the rest from attacking Harry's other flank and he circled around stabbing the goblins in the back.
Despite the situation turning against them none of the goblins tried to retreat. Despite their defiant stand they were soon cut down to the goblin leaving the three humans surrounded by bleeding goblin corpses. "I think I am going to stop trying to talk with them." Harry said as he released his authority again. The strain was starting to get noticeable and that was without his wounds bleeding again.
"They don't seem to be inclined to listen." Mia agreed as Cressida tended to a small cut on her upper arm. "Are you good to go?" Harry asked once Cressida was done and was packing her supplies. Mia nodded and shot a glance towards the wound on his stomach but Harry ignored it.
Harry took the lead again and soon saw some signs that he recognized which confirmed the matron had not lied to him. At the end of the hallway was a long straight stairway Harry remembered taking down. This time however it was packed with goblins. The first three lines were goblins holding heavy shields and thick armour while the ranks behind them pointed large crossbows at the approaching group.
Harry stayed true to his word and by the time the leader called out to aim Harry had a windspear slamming into the third shield line and the first line of crossbow goblins. The goblin commander was unfazed and ordered the volley to be shot. Harry responded by forming a shield blocking the near perfect volley effortlessly.
He retaliated with another wind spear but the goblin line remained strong. The unidentified commander barked another command and instead of a volley each line started to fire in an interval forcing Harry to maintain the shield. "I don't think they are aware I can keep this up all day." Harry told his companions after shielding for half a minute.
"Don't overestimate yourself. I paid enough attention during your history lessons to remember this was one way for the goblins to force a victory." Cressida corrected curtly. Harry blinked at the short tone he was giving before putting it off as stress. "I don't think you'll have to shield much longer." Mia interjected as she keenly observed the goblin lines.
"Why?" Cressida asked with a frown as she tried to see what Mia saw. "They are shooting bolts by the bucket load and unless I am mistaken they should run out after half a dozen or so shots." Mia replied with a smirk. "I also have my eyes on the goblin in charge. Harry, could you drop the shield at my signal?"
"I can." Harry replied with a nod pleased that Mia figured out how to turn the situation into their favor. The goblin leader seemed to be unaware of the supply problem as the lines fell silent. "Now!" Mia cried out and Harry dropped the shield and prepared to fire another wind lance. A blast from Mia's sword rocketed out and struck a goblin just as he shouted a command of his own and a wave of water bowled over a line of shield goblins.
In the middle of casting a spell Harry saw a bunch of the goblins duck to the ground to reveal a pair of two-man ballista. They fired their bolts the moment their line of sight was clear towards Mia. Despite the risk Harry allowed the wild wind magic free and ignored the few cuts it made on his arm as he formed a desperate motionless and wordless shield. Mia turned to avoid but she was too slow.
Just before the ballista bolts could skewer the woman a shield emerged roughly the size of a buckler that brought both bolts to a dead stop before it fell apart. Harry stumbled in relief before anger clouded his mind. With a roar he incanted the imperial wind lance into existence and poured far more magic into it than he usually did.
The far larger lance roared down range as the goblins scrambled to reload. Its impact killed most of the goblins and devastated a good part of the stairs and the bedrock behind it. The backlash meanwhile cut into Harry's arms, upper chest and face but he ignored it as his green eyes shone like emeralds in his ire.
A few more normal spells from Harry killed the last few goblins who slung them at speeds Mia and Cressida had never seen him do before. "Harry…" Mia tried to say once the area was clear. "Just a couple of scratches. Let's go. The main floor should be at the end of those stairs." Harry replied.
"If the goblins wanted a Campione… I think they have one now." Mia whispered to her friend as they followed her friend. "Yes. But I am worried what this means." the scion of the Lyala house replied. Harry either ignored the conversation or he did not hear it. He led the way into the main floor fully expecting it to be packed with goblins. Instead there was just one well decorated goblin looking important with a few bored bodyguards standing in the center.
"Tales poenae et novem ignitos!" Harry shouted and the goblins whirled to face the sudden intrusion. Shields and axes were raised to block the whips of flames flying towards them. Most goblins weathered the first blow but Harry was relentless. His wand flying up and down and the whips of fire slammed into the group of goblins without mercy.
Soon either goblin strength or the metal of their arms failed. In a final sideway swipe Harry wrapped up the leader in the whips of fire. He struggled fiercely as Harry walked past him almost dismissively before the heat finally caused him to collapse. Mia being the pragmatic warrior she was made sure that all the goblins were truly dead as Harry started to critically look at the massive beams of richly engraved steel holding the doors shut.
With a slash of his wand the whips of fire became longer and wrapped themselves around the beams. Harry was surprised to find that the metal started melting soon afterwards. "They seem to have gone for the cheap solution." He noted to Mia and Cressida. The first deadlock was melted through and the ends fell to the ground with a thunderous bang.
With another slash he wrapped the flames around the second one while Mia and Cressida stood at his back expecting a horde of goblins to erupt to investigate the sound. None came however and soon another twin bang informed the world that nothing was holding back the massive doors. With a wave of his wand a massive force blew the doors of Gringotts open to reveal a small crowd held back by a dozen goblins led by one in slightly more decorative armour.
Only that goblin turned around and his jaw dropped upon seeing three humans emerge from Gringotts. Cameras went off as Harry descended from the steps. The young Campione gave the leader one look and he immediately folded. Barking something out in gobbledegook the goblins retreated and gave Harry a wide berth.
This allowed the people held up forward as well and from the crowd Harry was surprised to find Fudge taking the lead followed by a pair of people he suspected was from the Witenagemot. "Did you slay the heretic god that invaded Gringotts?!" the portly minister demanded. "Invaded?" Harry asked flatly. "They descended Ugruk , the first goblin emperor on top of my head."
Hisses and fearful shouts emerged from the crowd behind Fudge. "And that was after that they informed me Gringotts had stolen my heritage as the ministry neglected its duties to inform the goblins I was still alive." he turned around to face the goblin leader. "Inform you leaders that I will return tomorrow and that I expect my rightful belongings have been returned to me."
The goblin, having seen the state of his companions inside, merely nodded that he would do so. "Wha.. What?!" Fudge sputtered. "What are you talking about? And what do you think you are doing?!" he demanded and Harry's eyebrow rose. Before he could interrupt a familiar voice interrupted him. "Are you alright little brother?"
Harry was surprised to find Godou pushing his way through the crowd with his gaggle of girls hot on his heels. The younger Campione's suspicions about Godou being more cunning than he looked like was confirmed by the sudden familiarity. "I am injured. But nothing life threatening big brother."
Godou inspected Harry's form and his gaze lingered a moment on his bloody clothing before nodding. "I assume that you dealt with the heretic god then? We did not receive any updates while I was rushed over by the Witenagemot." "I did." Harry confirmed. "I am sorry for the trouble it caused you."
The elder Campione smiled and patted Harry's head in a patronizing way. "It is no problem. We were heading to London in the first place for my flight back to Japan. You should visit one day." "I will." Harry replied as he wondered what the other Campione was up to now that the 'brotherly bond' was firmly entrenched in the perception of everyone. And soon the rest of the world would think so as well if Cressida's lessons were to be believed.
"I will be going now." Harry bothered to tell the minister of magic who was busy flapping his jaws upon realising 'his' country was now hosting two Campione. The domestic one currently had started a war with the goblins by his lonesome. His two companions immediately started to follow and each started to softly talk with Mia and Cressida.
The crowd parted to let both Campione and their entourages through. He was surprised to find Dumbledore with Pomfrey moving to intercept him. With a nod Godou kept his course and Harry turned to the headmaster. "Headmaster." Harry greeted as if he had just met the man in the hallways of Hogwarts instead of standing in Diagon Alley with clothing clad in his own and goblin blood.
Pomfrey seemed to be ready to tie him up physically and drag him to the nearest hospital bed she could find. "Poppy, if you could check over miss Layla and Develd." Pomfrey seemed to be ready to protest but conceded to the request and methodically started to work on the injuries the two woman had sustained.
Meanwhile Harry calmly informed Dumbledore what had happened. He was not unaware that the press and the Witenagemot members were jotting down every word. "I see. Do not fret about your heritage. I shall see to that." he assured the young Campione. "Headmaster?" he inquired with a frown as he couldn't see how it was Dumbledore's responsibility.
"Once Poppy is certain your friends will be alright you can head straight for Sirius's home. I know miss Granger and her parents are there as well once it became clear that something had happened inside Gringotts." a wry smile showed through his long beard as he saw Harry frown. "A heretic god descended in the middle of London Harry. Everyone was informed and for a short while the alley was evacuated."
Dumbledore expertly hid his worries that Harry did not even look sheepish. The boy instead took it all in with a nod while patiently waiting for madam Pomfrey to clear his companions. Once she had done so he watched Harry leave just in time as Fudge gathered his wits moments later. With the grace expected of an old wise man he handled both the bumbling minister and the crowd which prevented anyone from pursuing Harry.
As the crowd finally dispersed in what felt like hours later Dumbledore gazed to the open doors a few goblins were trying to goblinhandle shut once again. 'This does provide an opportunity despite the problems it brings along.' The headmaster thought speculatively. 'I must cajole Fawkes into playing as a messenger phoenix despite his dislike for it. I will need some capable hands from the old crowd…'