“Hello… Subeta, are you home?” There came no reply. Crisis moved deeper into the cave, with Guar riding on top of her head. There wasn’t really any sign of Subeta or her assistant. Crisis called again, “Subeta. Are you home?” Again there was no response. “Maybe we should come back later,” Guar said. Seconds later, they heard a soft thump of fairy feet landing outside and Subeta entered the cave.
She smiled at Crisis, “Why, hello Crisis. What can I do for you today?” Crisis returned the smile and slithered over to her and gave her a friendly hug. She then lifted Guar off her head and showed him to Subeta. “This is my friend Guar.” Guar stood and bowed to Subeta. “It is an honor and a pleasure, Subeta. It has been a while since I have encountered a fairy. And never before had I run into one who was so tall.” Subeta smiled and returned with a nod. “The pleasure is mine, Guar. To what do I owe the honor?” It was Crisis who piped up, “He needs a special crystal and we were wondering if you had it.” Subeta raised her gloved hand and a portal in the wall opened. “No problem, I have LOTS of crystals in my workshop. Come on in, let’s see what I got.”
Subeta flew in and Crisis followed with Guar in hand. They entered a room that was quite vast and packed full of artifacts, weapons, tapestries, and things no human eye had ever seen. “Wow,” Guar said in awe, “So many things in here.” Crisis looked down at him in her palm. “You can see all this?” Guar just shrugged, “Only the things that have magic to them. Magic items have an aura too, you know. So naturally, I can see those. The rest of it I can smell.” They continued further into the vast workshop, passing mounds upon mounds of treasure and artifacts. It was by such a mound that Guar perked up and signaled Crisis to stop.
“Do you sense the crystal?” she asked. But Guar never answered her. He just continued sniffing the air and stared intently into a mound beside her with his blank, white eyes. Subeta, noticing they had stopped, flew back to Crisis. “Why did you stop? We still have a little further to go.” Guar suddenly stood, shock plastered across his face. “It… It just can’t be,” he stammered. He suddenly leaped out of the palm he had been riding in and landed with a somersault and started to dig into the mound. Artifacts were flying everywhere as he dug. Subeta franticly tried to catch them all. “Hey!” she called to him, “I had those exactly where I wanted them!” She turned to Crisis, arms full of what was just thrown and more coming, “What is he doing?” she asked. Crisis could only look blankly and shrug with an, “I don’t know.”
Finally, after a few more minutes of digging, Guar emerged dragging a large chest behind him. Its frame was solid gold and the panels looked as if made from oak. It had a silver inlay that seemed to tell a story all the way around the sides. The lid was also oak with a silver image inlayed into it. It looked like one of Guar’s race, holding golden clubs in each hand and wearing a white tunic of ivory. The trousers that were on the image were made of jade and the boots of ebony.
Once he had it settled flat, Guar simply hovered over the chest. He raised a shaky hand over it and gently touched it. His mind did not want to accept what his senses were telling him. Tears began to form in his eyes and trickle down his furry cheeks. He dropped to his knees and rested his forehead upon the chest. “I can’t believe, after all these years, that I would be the one to find it. I would be the one to find our new home.
Quickly, he turned to Subeta and asked, “Where did you find this?” Subeta thought for a second and then snapped her fingers. “Oh yes! I remember. I got that from a human I found a long time ago. He was dragging it behind him. When I asked about it, he said he stole it and was on the run.” Guar stood, his face was tense with desperation. “Who was he? Did he say? Where is he now?” Subeta shook her head, “He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t get the chance. Once he said that, I told him I was going to take it and then I ate him.” Subeta cranked her head back, deep in thought, remembering that day. “It was odd, too. Usually humans taste really good, but he was kind of… I don’t know… I guess bland.”
Guar wasn’t listening at this point. His attention was back on the chest. His fingers grazed over it, feeling the inlay with a touch so gentle, an observer would have thought that a harder touch would break it. Crisis leaned down and studied the chest. “Guar, why is this so special? It’s just a box.” He sighed and turned around, the chest behind him and to his left, and sat down. He pulled out his tin whistle and waved his hands before him, ushering them to do the same. “Come, Crisis, and you too, Subeta. I wish to tell you a story.” Crisis got excited and curled up her tail to get comfortable. Subeta flew on to a small, nearby mound and leaned forward to listen. “This, my friends, is the armor and weapons of the Knight Protector. This… is our people’s legend…” He began to tell them the story, drawing out every word and playing a song as he did, which seemed to enhance the story to where each word was followed by a picture. It was if they could not only hear the story, but were actually a part of it. As if they had seen everything described with their own eyes …
Many, many years ago, we of the Taur’Draug lived as the protectors of humans. We swore an oath to our God that we would be the keepers of his creation. In taking this oath, he granted us with eternal life so that we may protect them forever. Some years later, however, we began to quarrel and split into four tribes. Each moved into the four corners of the earth. We soon realized that we could not work together too closely. It would only start arguments and we would fail at our divine duties. But to work alone was not working either. We needed a new government system. We needed a leader to protect not only the humans, but us as well. So, every 100 years, we chose the strongest of the four tribes to be that leader. We called him the “Knight Protector.” The four tribes were then commissioned to each design a magical artifact to aid this leader of tribes.
From the North, a pair of boots was made from the skin of the black hound, the fastest of all dogs. These were the “Paws of the Knight Protector”. They were to aid him in reaching the helpless quickly in their time of need.
From the South, trousers made of jaded silk. These were the “Shanks of the Knight Protector.” They gave him the ability to leap out of harm’s way, or into it, to save the innocent.
From the West, a tunic made from the purest of white cotton. This is the “Coat of the Knight Protector.” To protect his heart from projectiles, the heart that loves all and gives him the will to protect those he loves.
And from the East, tonfas made of the finest gold. These were the weapons of the leader. Dubbed “The Fang and Claw,” these weapons would cause a small explosion with each strike, to send evil back from whence it came.
Each Knight Protector ruled us with wisdom and grace. They were the best of us and pulled us together. But then the humans started to fear us. They began to chase us around the globe, driving us from their lands. If it wasn’t for the Knight Protector at that time, we would have abandoned hope and simply passed from existence. It was he who suggested that we leave our world and find a new one. We stood our ground and gathered at the mouth of the gateway that led to another dimension. We heard fighting in the distance and when we went to check on what it was, we found our Knight Protector dying, the weapons and armor gone.
He told us that he was attacked by the humans. They had found some way to kill us with a special poison. He had the power to foresee the future, however, and told us that the artifacts will be recovered from he who stole them. And that if we were to find them, to make that place our new home. With his final breath, he wished us luck, deemed one of us his successor, and then died.
“So you see, this chest means quite a bit to me, Crisis.” Guar finished. He turned back to the chest and again placed a hand on it. “Being the last of my kind, I am duty bound to become the next Knight Protector. And because I found it here in Felarya, this is where I must stand my ground. This is now my home. The land I must protect for all eternity.” He pulled out the DGP and held it in his hand. After staring at it for a second or two, he crushed it in his palm and cast it aside. “Subeta, if you don’t mind, forget the crystal. Please return to me the artifacts of my people.” Subeta hesitated. It was hard for her to just hand over such cool artifacts. And now knowing what they did made it even harder to part with. She wanted so badly to study them.
Finally, after several moments of silence, she agreed. “I never could use them anyway. They always repelled me, somehow.” Guar chuckled, “I am not surprised. Like all our technology, the artifacts work on aura. Only our race can use them. As these are worn, they tap into our aura. To use their abilities causes one to drain his or her aura. If drained too much, they die.”
Guar looked back at the chest, a nervous look plastered on his face. “I cannot lie, my friends. I am afraid to put them on and use them. It takes years of training to learn how to properly use them and I was never trained.” Subeta perked up and flew down to his side, shrinking to his height. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. “I know someone who can help. His name is Alvar. He is always training out in the forest somewhere and it might be good to ask him to help you out.”
Guar looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you, Subeta,” he said, wiping a tear from his white eye. “Perhaps I will ask him. But first, I need to put them on so the magic will attune to my aura. Otherwise, it might kill me before I even start” He focused back on the chest.
On the lock, there was an imprint of a hand. Guar laid his own hand on the imprint and instantly light shone from the chest. It swirled around the trio, faster and faster until it stopped and hovered above the chest. It morphed into a humanoid and after several seconds, became a Taur’Draug. The image was misty in form and one could easily see through him. He was as tall as Crisis and he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His fur was pure white and his eyes shone like the sun. His demeanor was very profound and he glanced to each of the three; first at Crisis, then at Subeta, and then finally at Guar. His eyes blazed like fire as he focused on the member of his race before him. Although his lips never moved, his voice was booming inside their heads.
“Who hath stepped forth to claim the ancient right of the Taur’Draug? Reveal thy name.” Guar stood and with as much bravery as he could muster, called out to the giant image before him. “I am Guar, son of I’megliandir. I claim the right of the Knight Protector.” The image floated down and shrank to Guar’s height, but his voice lost none of its potency. “Thou hast a good name and come from a great line, Guar, son of I’megliandir. But can thou live up to thy namesake? Doest thou even know what it means?”
Guar’s face seemed to harden as he took on more bravery. “In the common tongue, I am Defender. I am the son of The Watch Tower.” The image gave a pleased look. “Thou art brave, young one. But I sense none of the training in thee. Being brave alone does not give thee the right to claim leadership of thy people.” Guar fought back tears as he replied. “Our people are slaughtered. The artifacts were stolen and we were banished to another realm. Only I have survived to find that what was once lost. Spirit of the chest, I ask that you over look my training. I am strong in our arts and will learn the hard way if I must. I only ask for the strength to protect these people,” he pointed to Crisis and Subeta, “who have called me “friend.”
The spirit looked up at Crisis and then at Subeta again. He again grew to the height he started out as and looked Crisis in the eye. “Tis true, oh scaled one? Hast thou called Guar friend?” Crisis looked down at Guar and smiled, “Yes, I do.” The spirit then looked down to Subeta. “And thou?” Subeta nodded. Pleased, the spirit looked back down to Guar. “Thou hast found friends amongst people that thou trust. I sense they have the will and the strength to teach thee what thou needest to be taught… to help thee use the power of thy people. By thy friends and by thy word, I grant thee the power of our people. I deem thee the Knight Protector. Protect thy friends, oh Defender. And bring justice to our fallen people.”
The spirit began to glow brightly. It started off as a low glow, but burned brighter and brighter until none in the room could see. There was a flash and the room grew still. When Crisis could see again, the spirit was gone and so was the chest. Guar stood in its place, breathing heavy. His clothing had changed, clad in the same outfit as was the Taur’Draug on the lid of the chest. In each hand was a golden tonfa. Crisis leaned down to get a closer look at him. “Guar, are you ok?” Guar said nothing, he just panted for a bit, his eyes tightly shut. Subeta approached him as well. “Guar?” He took a deep breath and raised his head. His eyes snapped open and they realized he was no longer the same.
His fur had a silver lining to it, making him almost look exactly like the figure on the chest. His eyes were of particular notice. They sparkled a bit with a strange reflective light. Like someone had removed his old eyes and replaced them with eyeball sized pearls. What Crisis noted mostly was that she was no longer disturbed by them. Instead of feeling like she was being invaded in her soul, the eyes were comforting her. Assuring her that all would be well, no matter what might happen.
Guar held the tonfas up and looked at them. “I… I am different. I feel different.” He lowered the tonfas to his side. “I feel…” He suddenly snapped into action. He leaped into the air about 50 feet and did a bicycle kick, landing on his feet perfectly. He began to swing the tonfas around his body. It looked like several fireworks were going off all around him. He punched forward at the air, which resulted in a big “BOOM.” He stopped in the middle of this dance of his and took a deep breath. “I am the Knight Protector of Felarya. And on this day, I swear to protect all who live here. Whether human, naga, fairy, or neko, I will protect all from those from another world who would want to hurt… any… here.”
He then fell to his knees with a grunt, exhausted. Subeta helped him to his feet and he smiled at her. “It’s ok, I knew it would happen. I just need to rest a bit. Like I said, it feeds off my aura. So doing that was probably not a good idea.” Subeta playfully smacked him in the back of the head. “Yeah, dummy. You might have killed yourself on the first day of being the Knight Protector. How would that have helped anything?” They all laughed.
“Well,” Crisis said, rubbing her growling stomach, “I haven’t eaten anything all day, so I’m going hunting.” Guar nodded. “Don’t worry about me, Crisis. I’ll be fine.” Then, to Subeta, “Let’s go meet Alvar.”
Giantess World
