Depositing the tiny mage between her breasts, Astrid withdrew her hand and waved. How unreal was the whole scenario... Over and over again the massive giantess couldn't wrap her mind around how tiny her friend looked now searching for the others. After a few moments going by, it really didn't look like Airvin had made any progress. Whoops, perhaps I should have thought of that and let her off even lower to start the search. It's not like the boys are right there, right? Or could they have been? The magic-user had said she was much larger than them...
Oh gods, can I even see them at all? Am I really that... Big? Big. The word bounced around her brain, like a bumblebee gathering pollen from lavender flowers. I'm not just big, I'm absolutely massive! I'm not just massive... I'm... I'm.... This is insanity! She once again looked around at the wonderland of conflicting imagery. Gazing at clouds that were lazily drifting almost looked like at some point they could crash into her face.
The blonde peered further down and saw the forest her little tumble had damaged so severely. No, she could see a definite ring, the crater where the brunt of the shockwave had devastated the landscape. Looking back at what happened to the forest was simply because... She had grown so much. The drag lines where her massive heels demanded everything get out of the way as she grew bigger and bigger. All while sleeping so soundly, that uneasy pit formed and squeezed her chest recalling that fact.
The thief swallowed hard at the next weird imagery. Parts of the forest remained intact but we're still so incredibly far away. And yet, that piece of land resided closer than her humongous black stockings. Parts of her own body tried to disappear into the horizon. Astrid couldn't help but try something a little mean. She flexed those gigantic toes. The subtle movement riding down her black stockings and into heels that created craters. Landscape reacted with a distaste for the motion, dark and light shades of green shifting like wind disturbed them. With a touch more wickedness, the giantess rocked her feet back and forth on those pivots. To her amazement, the whole forest became rippling waves. Those heels a stone cast into a smooth water's surface. Earthquakes... She could casually make earthquakes... Such domain alarmed even herself.
How could this occurrence be real and not some magic trick? She had listened to her friend, I'm just truly hoping somehow that wasn't also a part of an elaborate illusion. If it was, well it's certainly convincing. Those curious eyes the same color as the sky found the clouds again. White and fluffy she could reach out and touch them if desired. Slowly lifting her hand from its resting place on the mountain range, Astrid made a scoop and tried to catch one. Reflecting the sun brightly, the natural formation of water vapor playfully did not wish to be touched. Carefully wrapping around her hand and slipping through fingers the white wisp moved.
Some of it actually had condensed across her skin but the little amount of moisture so insignificant the giantess didn't perceive it. Not fully appreciating how bizarre playing with clouds could look like to others witnessing this, she continued. She pursed those large lips together and then blew a steady stream of air at another target. The fluff rolled and twirled with reckless abandon as it swirled away because of the woman-made jet stream. Her eyes caught another large cumulus about to pass by unnoticed.
This one being so much closer the big woman slowly opened her mouth and released a soft hiss. The steady powerful plume of hot air washed across this atmospheric feature. To her astonishment, the humid blast did something different than just move this one. All the moisture condensed in a rapid fashion and became something new. It turned to rain. She stared wide-eyed at the weather phenomenon falling to the ground that she just created. Well, precipitated. Never in a million years did this adventurer think she would control the weather. Distracted by all of this, a sudden tickling of her abs caught the huge blonde off guard.
She tried her best to stifle a giggle that ran up and down her spine. Failing spectacularly, the giantess laughed just a bit and her belly reverberated up and down. "Sorry, I'm ticklish... I'll really try to be more careful...." Looking down Astrid couldn't exactly tell where that pester originated from. Only once again felt odd about having her friend crawl underneath her clothing. The huge woman hoped she hadn't caused any undue harm to her party. That little outburst wasn't her fault but she surely had to be more careful because they still didn't know the fate of the two men.
"Gods I hope you guys are okay," Astrid whispered. "I don't know what I'd do if I was responsible for causing so much trouble." Hard to tell but the mage probably started moving again. Her little footsteps were so tiny the thief didn't feel them all the time. With a deep inhale, that cold layer of atmosphere enter her lungs. Gently letting her head roll back, her long blonde hair draping and swaying as it fell from shoulders. Astrid glanced up.
Looking straight into the heavens the most bizarre little dots caught her attention. Squinting and left with an expression of awe the monumental gal realized what she could see at this elevation. Stars. Even in the daytime. What in the realms would I be able to see if I was actually standing? Grabbing another deep breath, she felt but tried to dismiss Airvin's journey. Closing her eyes the giantess appreciated how the world felt between her fingers.
Soft morning sunshine warmed her skin, especially with how cold the wet mud underneath felt. Damp and somewhat tacky, the crushed mountain range had become cookie dough. She had already wrecked the immediate area. There was nothing pinching and pulling at the ground damage further. Squeezing her mighty fingers together brought sensations of gritty silt and malleable loose clay. Too curious not to dig a little deeper, the huge thief did just that.
Once again scooping her hand, Astrid pushed her fingernails into the earth. She watched massive broken features of mountain crumble even further. Her fingertips easily broke through layer after layer of geologic history that didn't want to budge. Some of the more stubborn buried layers held out for a split second longer but they too snapped like caramel seafoam candy. The sounds were quiet to her ears, But she knew that was a trick of her size. The rumblings and echoes reverberated in the space and ironically... Off of her as well.
Rotating her wrist and lifting an actual mountain's worth of material, Astrid tilted her head seeing the geologic striations. Probably the only person in the world to see what had previously been buried forever. If being so massive wasn't obviously problematic, it could have so many benefits. So many things to uncover. Things like...
"Oh my gods! The treasure!" The giantess rapidly looked around for any indication as to where she actually fell. However, the view was so alien to her from up here. Maps indicated clean borders of forests and planes and swamps. Mountains and valleys so plainly marked and labeled. This wasn't anything like that. Obviously, she sat on that ridiculous amount of riches. Even if the growing woman had fallen backward putting the pile at her feet... Ultimately her impossible growth had vanquished any possibility of figuring out where their reward lay buried.
She looked at the mountain still resting in her palm. Even the biggest of boulders were nothing more than discolored grains of sand. If she did dig it out, it would be too scattered and dispersed throughout the sediment. It could even be in her hand right now and the thief wouldn't know. Her shoulders dropped as she deflated. So close and yet so far away from their goal once again. The giantess poured the mountain from her hand a ways from where it had been taken. Perhaps others would like to see the history she uncovered.
Her stomach growled. "Oh dear... That's going to be a problem unless..." Astrid quickly found her satchel. Flipping the gigantic fabric lid open she discovered everything in it a similar scale. Of course, she had noticed that her clothes had grown with her but that didn't mean the rest of her gear should have. Luckily it was all here, rations, some smoke bombs, throwing stones of various sizes, and even some of the treasure she pocketed. Taking out the best find from the dragon's horde that she did manage to tuck away, the giantess gripped a precious gemstone and brought it out to an inspecting gaze.
A little bit smaller than her palm and mostly in a rectangular cubed shape, this sapphire and ruby gemstone was cut cleanly, with a large face on front with eight sides. About sixty percent sapphire and forty percent ruby, the divide completely clean with no blending of the colors. Such a rare combination coupled with how expertly carved the rock was, made this not only the most expensive thing she'd ever heard of but held. And now its size could alter maps... Rolling it around a few times, letting it gleam in the sun, Astrid then set it down in her own little sandbox.
If we do find a way to shrink me back to normal, What would happen if I just kind of... Left this here? She put it back and looked at the rations. Realizing the giantess didn't feel any movement, she looked down at her tummy and then back to the food. Probably might make things difficult for her tinier friends if Astrid started munching right now so she decided to wait. Worry began to sprout up again. How long was this rescue mission going to take? They didn't even know if the men were actually okay or not.
A weird amount of guilt started to surface. It wasn't her fault that a silly ask turned out to be such an unfortunate result. Not like the massive woman asked to be sitting on top of the world for all to see... All to see... This thought ricocheted off of her with a clang, like a heavy wooden spoon forcefully hitting a large tin pan. Astrid froze, only blinking several times. Painfully slowly, the giantess turned her head and looked in every direction at as much of the world she could possibly drink in. Cities, towns, villages, and scattered hamlets... All of them, no matter the distance, with every single person in them... Must have been looking at her.
Once again the blonde was flooded with disbelief. She couldn't and wouldn't accept it. For the longest of moments, she refused this detail. No no no! This can't be possible! This can't actually be happening to me right now! Her mind reeled with this unfortunate truth. Suddenly forced into the spotlight, her breathing quickened as stage fright squeezed her lungs. She closed her eyes and dispersed the thoughts. Finding her center knowing that somehow, eventually Grom and Airvin would be able to fix this. Well... Maybe only Grom.
With a few deep breaths, the giantess opened her eyes and adjusted her hair. Clearing her throat and trying to speak plainly but not loudly she addressed the entire continent. "Ummm... Hi everyone. Forgive me for dropping by so suddenly... Ummm... We are experiencing a magical mishap and are trying to get it resolved as quickly as we can." Astrid waved her hands in a shooing motion. "So please, ignore me and go about your business. Oh, and listen to your mother. Whether you like it or not she's normally right." Slightly proud of a message that could have gone way worse, she proceeded to act as if everyone would listen, knowing full well absolutely nobody would.
Didn't matter though, if her address even put a few people at ease it was worth the silly charade. The thief looked down at herself again. She hadn't felt anything in a while, where in the realms was her party? Astrid really wanted to eat but dared not without entirely knowing how much her body would move. A weird feeling like boredom crept in. Of course she wasn't bored, not with the current circumstances or how odd every single moment had been. But she desperately wanted more time to pass as if waiting would fix this. Astrid really wanted to know that her friends were all right. With not a whole lot else to do, she just lay in a sitting position and looked around curiously at the world. At this scale and without a map trying to distinguish different villages or towns was impossible.
All of the landscapes no matter how contrasting to one another simply bled together in a way that made discerning locations impossible. Then again, she never claimed to know the lay of the land very well. Oh gods... Just how many villages did I flatten underneath me? How many people did I crush under my ass? I mean... This was mostly just a mountain range. The whole reason the dragon picked it was the isolation. Hopefully I didn't hurt anyone... Hopefully...
The sun continued to rise, its placement in the sky marking late morning. Its radiance comforting against how cold the atmosphere clung to the skin. Many areas of her current viewpoint grew more vibrant with the ample amount of sunlight. Astrid tilted her head seeing if other places still held shadows. Well, other than the tremendous one she made herself. A faint shimmer caught those big blue eyes. Twisting even further, the giantess realized she could see the coast and the ocean just beyond.
Even though the water table and snow made her backside wet, she still felt glad she didn't fall into the sea. But even if I did, would I actually sink very deep? Just resting I'm taller than mountains... How deep is the ocean really? With an abundance of curiosity Astrid kept looking along the coastline until her eyes settled on something unmistakable. A small group of islands that she knew all too well, especially the largest one that had a crescent shape to its cliff face.
No way I can see that from here... Or even... Could I actually just reach it? She slowly brought her humongous arm up and began stretching it over the land and open water. Her eyes widened as her shadow crawled across the ground and ocean effortlessly. Her wingspan so immense it startled her. Thoughts returned to that grand island that now looked pitiful. Broken bow cove. The not-so-secret hideout where her old gang resided. A fire stirred in her heart and her teeth clenched firmly together.
Not all of them would be there... But certainly, the ones that mattered the most would be on that island right now. The liars, cheaters, and murderers that had wronged her so badly. The ones that truly taught her there was no honor amongst thieves. In the past, there was nothing normal Astrid could have done about them. All she knew about their rotten deeds wouldn't be enough, no matter who listened. She had been overlooked, cast aside, and powerless. But now...
Astrid could picture their faces so clearly. She could taste their laughter, inhale that unforgivable betrayal all over again. Her nostrils flared. Her arm extended further as index finger drifted outward. The shadow spread across the tiny bit of jagged rock underneath. Eyes low with a piercing stare at those she couldn't see but had earned it.
"Remember me?" her voice fairly quiet but certainly traveled nonetheless. She twisted her wrist making a pale pillar of judgment hovering above the island. "I'll give you all a moment to pray to the gods for forgiveness. Cuz I've known for a long time... You won't get any from me." Her heartbeat quickened. She knew what she could do... And now with this power would execute it.
She would smite this den of sin. It's what all that scum that resided there deserved. The giga waited for a long while, making good on that command issued moments ago. But then she kept hanging on to that pause. Could she really just alter the map like this? End all of those who deserved it so easily? After all, there must have been others on the island too. Those she didn't know, maybe even new members that were naive like she had been. Her single fingertip could end so many people's lives. Could she live with herself if there was even just one person of collateral damage? Her heart hammered in her ears. The silence stretched on. The giantess noticed her mouth getting dry with bitterness. She may never have another opportunity like this again. It had to be done. Astrid looked from the island to her finger and back again. That was long enough. They weren't worth any more time. She began to drop her finger.
"Astrid! No!"