Long ago, there was a time when humankind was not alone in its dominance of the world. This First Age of the world lasted for many hundreds of years, but in time humans grew more and more numerous, and their histories were rewritten to make themselves seem more important. People forgot about all the great and terrible things that had happened ages ago, and all the great and terrible races who had shared the world with them. They were of all shapes and sizes, some resembling humans, others completely different. They ranged in size from a mere fraction the size of men, to great races of giants who struck fear into all those who encountered them.

 

The citizens of Ruralia, for instance, had frequent encounters with these other races. For this reason they were less distrustful of nonhuman folk than most of the other city-states. But, for a lengthy time in the seventh century of the First Age, they were at war with one of their neighbours. Apparently, their land was claimed by the giants of Algaron, who sent out groups of soldiers to raid the country of people and resources. But a civil war erupted back in their own kingdom, and the Algarans couldn’t waste any time in ‘frivolous’ matters like attacking human lands any longer. The people of Ruralia and the surrounding regions took a long time to recover, but they now had a period of peace, and, a few centuries later, were one of the most prosperous city-states in the land.

 

As time passed the Ruralians grew more and more relaxed, so when the danger first arrived, they were completely unprepared. Rumours reached the main city of Rurak from the surrounding countryside, rumours that the giants had returned, and that they were laying waste to the small villages and farms. Then, one morning, a large group of haggard-looking people, men, women an children, arrived at the city gates and demanded entrance. The soldiers on guard duty alerted their captain, who, in turn, thought it wise to bring this to the attention of the governor himself. The young governor, Pario considered himself a man of the people, and summoned the leaders of the group to his castle.

 

“There was only one of them, sire,” the eldest of the refugees said, after having told the story of the destruction of his village. “Only one, but she was more terrifying than any army.”

 

“She?” Pario exclaimed in surprise. “The giant was a woman? That cannot be; our records of the Algaran wars mention only men among their soldiers.”

 

“Well, this one was female, no doubts there,” another man said. “All of us saw her face, and heard her words as she insulted and mocked us. We tried to fight back, in truth we did, but we weren’t enough. There were three hundred men who lived in Rallock; less than forty escaped her.”

 

“In Jah’s name, she has to be stopped, then! It’s bad enough having to face repeated invasions by the Separoi; now we have a giant to contend with as well!”

 

The governor turned to his military advisor, who had just entered the hall.

 

“We must send our forces out to meet this foe!” he insisted. “Summon the messengers, and have them deliver this grave news to all neighbouring lands.”

 

“It shall be done, sire,” the elderly advisor replied. “But may I remind you that we have already promised a large contingent of troops to aid in the campaign against the Separoi? It might therefore be unwise…”

 

“Tell me, Baroth,” the governor interrupted, “which is the greater threat: a pitiful band of insurgents who’ve never even penetrated this state’s borders, or a powerful and destructive creature, feared throughout all the lands?”

 

“I see your point, governor. The soldiers shall be assembled by tomorrow morning. But consider this: if anything ill should come of this, history shall remember the man whose decisions were the cause.”

 

 

 

Carinne looked out across the plain and sized up the small army that was facing her. There were at least two thousand of them, she reckoned. Though she’d never encountered this many humans at once before, she felt confident that she was far superior to them in strength.

 

“The little rats won’t know what hit them,” she thought smugly. “Then again…maybe I should take my time in destroying their army. Maybe they’ll beg for the end, just like all the others did.”

 

Her family was one of those who believed that they should never have withdrawn their forces from the human lands. Their people were swiftly declining, becoming less and less every year, now that the so-called pacifists were in charge of the government. Carinne, like many Algarans, didn’t care for humans and other little folk at all; to her, their only reason for existing was to provide her with amusement. Thirty-two years old, she had reached the age where many giants begin to long for more excitement than they could find in their home country.

 

Across the plain, the soldiers of Ruralia, as well as some of the of the neighbouring lands, were not at all confident of victory. Many of them had seen – and fought – fearsome monsters before, but few had seen anything like this. A gigantic figure, eighty-five feet tall, clad from head to toe in steel plate armour, and carrying in her hand a monstrous fifty-foot sword. None of them had ever seen a female giant before, much less one arrayed in the gear of battle. The Ruralian general, Istvan, was at the head of the army, though he began to wish more and more that he was commanding from the rear. He turned to his lieutenant and nodded. There was no other way to avoid battle, and both men could only hope their opponent was a reasonable one.

 

They rode forward cautiously, the lieutenant carrying a fluttering white flag. The closer they came to the giantess, the larger she appeared. She had apparently seen them coming, for she got down on one knee and took off her helmet. When the men saw her face, they gasped in surprise. She had the long golden hair and beautiful looks of a young maiden, definitely not a face they were expecting to see in battle. Istvan approached her as closely as he felt was safe, and dismounted. The men’s horses were clearly afraid of the girl’s enormous presence, and took the first chance to run off. The giantess stuck her sword into the ground and looked down at the men, a mocking smile on her lips.

 

“G-g-greetings, Algaran,” the general stammered. “I am general Istvan, commanding officer of this…er…army. We…uh, we come in peace, offering our…our friendship and…”

 

Carinne pretended to listen to him, all the while resisting the growing urge to crush him and his lieutenant. She knew they were scared to death of her, but she would still have preferred it if they’d tried to fight back.

 

“There’s just no-one around worth challenging anymore,” she thought. “Makes me wonder why I even bothered to prepare myself like this.”

 

“Enough!” she said out loud, and the general stopped speaking at once. “I’m not interested in the babblings of a piece of worm shit like you! Go and fetch your army, let’s see if they last more than two seconds against me!”

 

“How dare you!” the young lieutenant blurted out. “The general came offering his surrender, and you insult him like a…a…no! No, stop! Put me down!”

 

The hapless soldier found himself in Carinne’s ironclad fist, her massive fingers painfully squeezing his body until he screamed in agony. He tried hacking her with his sword, but he could do nothing against her thick armour and titanic strength. She kept tightening her grip, until he passed out from the intense pain. In her hand she felt his body deform like a piece of clay, and blood began spurting out from his head and torso. Istvan, fearing for his life, had already hastened back to his army, on foot. Had he turned and looked behind him, he would have seen the giantess stand up to her full height and begin to advance towards him. The moment he reached his soldiers’ lines, he screamed out the order to fire. Three hundred bowmen stood ready with flaming arrows, and behind them several large trebuchets were ready to fire. Upon hearing the order, they obeyed immediately.

 

Carinne watched with glee as the hundreds of tiny projectiles hit her full-body armour. None hit higher than her chest, and even the largest stones bounced off harmlessly. These humans were truly pathetic little things, she thought. As she came closer she saw the soldiers begin to break formation. They were trying to run away, but she knew she could effortlessly catch up. She began to run forward, and when she was close enough she leapt into the densest part of the formation.

 

Dozens of men died instantly, crushed to a pulp underneath her towering steel boots. She didn’t feel a thing as their swords and spears gave way beneath her. Their screams filled the air, drowning out even her sadistic laughter. She swung her sword low across the battlefield, and many more met their death when the razor-sharp blade hit them and cut them in two. Carinne was now on her knees, grabbing handfuls of men and crushing them against the wall of steel that covered her chest. She felt a few arrows against her exposed neck and cheeks, but didn’t care about them.

 

Ten minutes later, and it was all over. The bodies of hundreds of men were strewn across the plain, many of them unrecognizable. Carinne’s sword and armour were covered in blood, but she loved it; it made her feel even more powerful and in control. Many soldiers had escaped, of course, but she didn’t mind. They could do nothing but spread word of her. In the meantime, she looked forward to having some fun with the ten or so men she’d taken prisoner. As she was busy taking off her armour, she made sure none of them tried to escape.

 

“Don’t look so scared, you little babies!” she scolded the men. “I know you’re going to enjoy what I’m about to do to you. If you’re lucky, you may even survive it!”

 

Eventually they found themselves looking at a completely naked, sexually attractive giantess. She curled her legs around them, trapping them. All the men could do now was stare at her colossal naked body, especially her enormous vagina, from which the most intense, arousing scent was coming. Carinne picked up one of the helpless soldiers and began to undress him like a doll. He offered no resistance, and had clearly decided to accept whatever fate lay ahead. Into her vagina she pushed him, working him back and forth, while the other men watched, completely absorbed. Carinne laughed as she felt that sensation of pleasure she’d had so often before. After she was completely satisfied, she pulled the man out, and saw that he wasn’t breathing. She threw him over her shoulder.

 

 “Now,” she said, eyeing the trembling men with a lustful gaze, “who’s next?”

The Ruralian governor watched in distress as the defeated remnants of his army returned to the city. After learning of general Istvan’s death, he summoned all the remaining captains to his castle for a meeting. All his advisors were summoned as well, even old Baroth, the man who had foreseen this outcome. The captains gave their report of the battle, or massacre, as they preferred to call it.

 

“It seems,” Baroth remarked, “that we have forgotten the true power of these monsters. Our history records that we were victorious in the past, but I believe that was only because the giants chose to leave us alone. And now they are back, to finish what they began all those years ago.”

 

“They?” Pario asked, sounding exasperated. “There was only one of them, you fool, and a woman at that, too! Forgive me, but if our soldiers cannot even defeat her, what chance do we have if more of them should show up?”

 

“None!” exclaimed Gardar, an ambassador who had just returned to Ruralia. “We have to surrender, sire! Yield to her demands! It is better to be ruled by others than to be destroyed by them!”

 

“She made no demands!” one of the captains yelled in reply. “Weren’t you listening earlier? She just attacked us, without ever stating her reasons or motives! We have to leave this place, this city, at once, or we shall all be killed!”

 

It seemed as though a heated argument was about to break out, but at that moment a guard came dashing into the hall. He was out of breath and had trouble beginning his report.

 

“Oh, get on with it!” the governor yelled.

 

“Sorry to bother you, my lords, but…one of the surviving soldiers has returned. He…he says he needs to speak with you…at once!”

 

“Then send him here at once!”

 

Into the hall came a young man wearing the armour of a knight. He looked beaten and exhausted, and, when governor asked him for his report, took a long time to begin with it. The gathering listened in mixed horror and disgust as he told how he and several others were held prisoner by the giantess. He began to describe the part where she sexually assaulted the men, but was asked by the governor to stop.

 

“The…the others?” Pario asked. “Wh-what happened to the others who were with you?”

 

“They’re…dead, sire,” the man, whose name was Erryl, replied. “The giant woman…she killed them all while she was busy, um…while she had her way with them. I was the only one she let go – she wanted me to tell you that her attacks on our people will continue.”

 

“Why…why is she doing this?” the governor choked out.

 

“I don’t know, sire. She…she said she will take anything and anyone she pleases, and that all of this land now belongs to her. However, she said she’ll give us a week to recover our strength, and that she’s looking forward to the next time we face her in battle.”

 

“Jah save us!” Gardar said. “Isn’t there anything we can do? Anything at all we can give her, to make her stop?”

 

“I told you, we have to flee!” the captain responded angrily. “Can’t you get that into your head? There is no other option! She is too great a foe for us!”

 

The argument, which had earlier been averted, now erupted with full force. Across the hall, men were shouting and cursing at each other, some imploring the others to flee, while others were in favour of surrendering, and some even suggesting that another attempt be made to fight the giantess. The young governor seemed more and more uncomfortable with all the men urging him to support their side of the argument. He called a halt to the meeting and asked them all to return tomorrow, when he will have given the situation enough thought.

 

“That will be all!” he ordered, and they began to leave through the doors of the great hall. Pario went to head upstairs to his chamber, when he noticed that someone was still loitering about in a shadowy section of the hall. It was the young, dark-haired warrior, Erryl.

 

“Did you not hear me, soldier?” Pario shouted. “Guards, remove this man!”

 

“Wait!” Erryl exclaimed. “Governor, please, I only need a moment! I…I have an idea, sire! An idea how to defeat the giant warrior.”

 

“Really? You? What makes you so certain your ‘idea’ will work?”

 

Erryl took a moment to compose himself, before he began to explain.

 

“My father, governor, was a merchant, and he…he did a lot of travelling. Well, during one of his visits to the northern mountains, in the land of Himbelund, he came across a curious legend among the inhabitants. Apparently, there dwell beyond the northern mountains a race of giants, the Sky-Giants, who are friendly to men. It is said that long ago, the Sky-Giants came over the mountains and…”

 

“Enough!” Pario interrupted. “I’m sorry, but do you expect me to believe this so-called ‘legend’…this load of nonsense? The northern mountains are an impenetrable barrier! Impenetrable, do you understand? The last inhabitants of that despicable region died during the Battle of Himbel, and only wolves and trolls live there now.”

 

“Yes, I understand, but…”

 

“I said enough! Get some rest, soldier: I’ll decide your fate tomorrow.”

 

“Very well, sire. Sorry to have wasted your time.”

 

Erryl headed out into the cold night air, images from the day’s events still hovering before his eyes. He shuddered as he remembered how Carinne had raped and killed all those men, without even a hint of compassion in her eyes. Now, it seems they have but one week before she unleashes herself again on the innocent people of this region.

 

“Damn this!” he said to himself. “I’m not going to sit here and wait to be killed! And I know what my father said was no lie. If there is but a small chance the Sky-Giants still exist…”

 

With that thought planted firmly in his mind, he planned his next move. Under cover of darkness, he stole one of the horses from the stable next to the barracks – one of many whose riders had perished in today’s massacre. He took enough food and water to last a few days, knowing he’ll have to rely on the wilderness for supplies eventually. As he hastily rode out of the northern gate, he could only hope that the town would still be here when, and if, he returned.

 

Though he had no map, he was never in doubt as to which direction he should go. The mountains of Himbelund truly were an impenetrable barrier, in the sense that they stretch on for hundreds of miles, and are impossible to miss if you just head north. Erryl rode north as fast as he could, barely stopping during the day, and taking only short rests during the night. Despite this, it took him ten days before he caught his first glimpse of his destination. Three days after that, he found himself among the barren, desolate foothills of the mountains. Ahead of him the nearest peaks rose up steeply, and he was forced to let his horse go back, for the terrain was too difficult.

 

Climbing amongst the crags and boulders, he came across many caves, all of which were dead ends. He had already given up trying to scale the cliffs and finding a route over the mountains: the only option was to find a tunnel that leads through them. Searching for such a tunnel took up all of his time, and he was unaware that he was being watched. Though the natives who had once dwelt here were gone, these hills were still home to bandits and thieves, preying on lost travellers and merchants. A band of them was watching Erryl heading into a particularly large cave, and they decided to wait for him in ambush. When he failed to return after several hours, their leader, Maruk, decided to go in to investigate.

 

“Are you out of your mind?” one of his minions insisted. “Who knows what’s lurking inside these caves? That poor fool’s probably in a troll’s belly by now!”

 

“Huh! Trolls!” Maruk sneered. “Old wives’ tales, that’s all they are! The dumb bastard’s probably gotten himself stuck in a crack or something. I’m going in. If you morons are too scared to follow me, that’s your own fucking problem. Just don’t expect me to share the loot with you.”

 

 His fellow thieves gave him a queer look, and one by one they slunk back into the hills. None of them liked Maruk, the way he treated them like slaves, and always got them to do things his way. They may be lowly thieves, but they still respected each other. Maruk shouted a few insults after them, then headed into the dark cave. He wrapped a piece of cloth around a stick and lit it. The cave was long and narrow, and looked like it went quite a distance into the mountain. Maruk laughed and headed forward, hoping to be rich when he got out.

Erryl watched with horror as his torch slowly went out. He knew he should have turned back long ago, and when he finally did turn around, he was no longer certain of the way. There were just too many tunnels, caves and passages for him to keep track off, and he was now completely lost. He didn’t know how many hours had passed since he foolishly ventured into the tunnel, believing it to be a quick route to the other side of the mountains. Now, as he stumbled over fallen rocks and slimy stones, he wondered if he would ever see daylight again. He still had sufficient water and food, but they wouldn’t last very long. Putting his left hand against the wall next to him, he decided to keep following it. It might not be the shortest route out, but at least he won’t be going in circles. Less than an hour passed before he saw a glimmer of light ahead, to his great relief. Erryl emptied his water bottle and hurried towards the light source.

 

At first the light blinded his vision, but his eyes adjusted and he could see what lay before him. And it was definitely not a sight he’d seen before. Instead of the jagged rocks and boulders he remembered, there now stretched in front of him a vast plain of smooth stone. Around him rose equally vast walls of the same stone, and there were several other objects whose great size made them impossible for Erryl to identify. He looked straight up and saw no sky, but a roof made of stone, several thousand feet above his head. The sight completely shocked and disorientated him, and he wandered if he was having some kind of nightmare.

 

“What kind of place could this be?” he wondered, as he took a few steps forward into this great, unknown room. Ahead of him loomed a truly gigantic structure that appeared to be made out of wood. It took Erryl a long time to figure out what it was, and when he did, he gasped loudly. It was nothing else but a table – a table larger than the largest temple.

 

“It can’t be…the Sky-Giants?” He hadn’t thought about it before, that they could be this tremendous in size. Next to one of them, even an Algaran would look like an insect. He had now reached one of the table’s feet, and could only gaze up in mingled fear and wonder. He looked across the room, and saw that it contained many other giant objects and furniture. And a door. A door that was busy opening.

 

Erryl had been trying to picture what one of these giants might look like, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw then. When she entered, he could only see the bottom part of her long green gown as it swept across the floor. He bent his neck backwards, as his gaze travelled up, up, up, until it reached her waist far above him. She was wearing a green and blue corset of some sort, which pushed up her breasts, making it difficult for Erryl to see her face. All he could tell was that she had long, dark hair and pale skin.

 

“Unbelievable!” he thought to himself. “She must be a thousand feet tall! How will I ever get her to notice me?”

 

She was now standing so close that all he could see was sheer cliff of her dress rising in front of him. She was busy arranging something on the table. He drew his sword and crept closer cautiously, praying she wouldn’t suddenly shift her feet and wipe him out of existence. When he reached the base of her gown, he found its fabric too thick for him to move. He stuck his sword into this fabric and managed to haul himself up a few feet. But one glance at the hundreds of feet that remained to climb convinced him this was a stupid idea. He removed his sword and dropped to the floor.

 

“Heeeeeyyyyy!” he screamed at the top of his voice. “Down heeere! Help! Heeelp!”

 

He kept on screaming like this for over a minute, when the giantess suddenly moved backwards. The rush of air created knocked him off his feet and he landed on his back. He was struggling to get up when he saw her bending down. The gargantuan young woman simply licked the tip of her finger and brought it down to him, and soon he found himself stuck to her saliva and being whisked up hundreds of yards at a tremendous speed. One slight nudge later, and Erryl found himself rolling down the slopes of her fingers into her palm. He was petrified with fear: the thought that the Sky-Giants might be just as evil as Carinne had never entered his mind before. He stared up at her face, as she smiled back with a mouth the size of a large cave. Even though he was scared stiff, her face was still a beautiful one – but then, so was Carinne’s.

 

“Well, well,” she said, in a voice as loud as thunder, though it didn’t hurt his ears as much. “A puny little human, lost and scared. You’re lucky I noticed you, little one; you could have been crushed. Haven’t you heard these mountains are dangerous?”

 

Gailina regarded the speck of a man lying in her hand with interest. She was already used to humans showing up, accidentally or not, in her house. Usually she would only discover their remains after they’ve been stepped on or otherwise crushed in some way, so this was quite a surprise for her. Even though they were only the size of her fingernails, she knew they were no different from her in appearance. That didn’t mean she thought of them as equals, though. Her people had always believed that they were far above any other forms of life, and, so far, everything they saw reinforced that belief.

 

The tiny human was now trying to stand up straight and face her, but his legs just wouldn’t carry him. Gailina asked him a few questions, but got no answer.

 

“So you don’t want to answer me, hmm? I guess I’ll just have to persuade you somehow.”

 

She brought him a little closer to her face, and Erryl noticed that he wasn’t even as tall as one of her lips. He had tried to answer her question, but, warrior and knight though he was, could only give a few frightened squeaks. The mega-giantess gave him a little smile, and turned her hand upside-down. Erryl fell down into empty space, screaming and praying that he’ll survive somehow. He landed on the upper slope of her colossal right breast and bounced once or twice, before beginning to slide even farther down this massive obstacle. Soon he slipped in underneath the edge of her corset, where he tried to grab something for support. He lost his grip and fell onto a thick, fleshy object about six feet wide.

 

Erryl nearly fainted when he saw he was sitting right on top of her nipple. He grabbed at her skin, trying to find a way out of his humiliating predicament. All the while, her godlike face watched him from above, laughing and mocking him. She lowered a few strands of her hair downwards and he held on fast as she dragged him upwards. Once he was back in her hand, he collapsed on his knees and begged her to let him go.

 

“Ah, so you can talk,” she replied. “Well, I suppose I’d better introduce myself. I’m Gailina, a Zygonian, in case you didn’t know that yet. For some reason you little guys call us Sky-Giants; I guess it’s because we’re so much taller than you. But I’m not going to kill you, so you can rest easy. However, if you don’t tell me what you’re doing here, in my house, right now, you can look forward to spending a long time as a resident in various uncomfortable areas of my body.”

 

“I’m Erryl,” the tiny prisoner blurted out. “I…I’m sorry to offend you, or…or b-bother you, but…”

 

“Are you going to explain yourself soon, or would you like to rest inside me a little while first?”

 

 Erryl was startled out of his bewilderment, and began telling his story as quickly as possible, while outside the sun was setting behind the impenetrable mountains surrounding them.

In the dim light of Gailina’s bedchamber, Erryl began undressing himself. Not completely, of course – he was much too modest for that. If it had been the bedroom of a human girl, he would definitely have been less shy. He was currently inside a fifty-foot high, slender glass bottle, which had once held some sort of medicine, and which his host had given him to sleep in. He would have preferred something more open and comfortable, but he knew he was in no position to demand anything. From the way Gailina had spoken to him, he could tell she didn’t think much of him, but he had tried to convince her to help anyway.

 

He heard a noise and pressed his face against the glass to see. His captor – for that was how he thought of her – entered through the doorway. She slipped off her robe, revealing her white underwear to him, and climbed into bed. Suddenly, all went dark around him as her enormous fingers curled around the bottle. Without a second thought, she tipped the bottle upside-down. Once again, Erryl fell screaming through the air and landed on top of her chest. His clothes and other equipment fell out with him, and hit him on the head as he tried to stand up. He wasn’t hurt badly, but he still wished she had warned him. He scrambled to collect all his belongings.

 

Gailina felt like playing with her captive a little, but decided to leave him alone. He was just too small for her to have fun with. Besides, if what he’d told her was true, she would soon have a much larger person to keep as a pet. She sighed contentedly.

 

“Ah, Erryl,” she said, smiling as he scurried about on the silk fabric of her bra. “You’ve been a real highlight of the week, you know that? Here I am, bored to death, and suddenly you show up and give me this wonderful ‘quest’! I’m looking forward to tomorrow, I can tell you!”

 

“Tomorrow? I…I beg your pardon, Miss Gailina, but…it took me two weeks to get here!”

 

“Oh, that’s nothing to me! Three, maybe four hours at most!”

 

She gave him the tiniest nudge, which sent him sliding down her breast towards her shoulder. He was used to this treatment by now and, in some strange way, he rather enjoyed being toyed with like this. For years he had been responsible for looking after his family, his land – now, it was his turn to be looked after. He began to climb up the rising and falling hill that was her left breast.

 

“May I ask you something?” he said timidly. He still didn’t know if she was really his friend, or just pretending to like him for now.

 

“Of course, Erryl! Don’t be shy, ask away!”

 

“Where, uh, where are the other Sky…I mean, the other Zygonians? I haven’t seen anyone else except you.”

 

“Oh, they’ve decided to move back. Back home, I mean, to our own land up north. About one day’s journey for me, so it’s quite a long distance for you. We like the cold, crisp weather of our homeland, and lately, it’s been missing from these regions here.”

 

“But, you’re still staying here?”

 

“That’s right, little human. I’m staying here, where there’s still a chance to go out and explore your lands. Most Zygonians don’t consider you to be of any importance at all, but me, well, I’m just a bit too curious, as my friends used to say. Plus, if I move back home, I won’t be able to hunt trolls and cyclopes any more. I love to go out and collect them, you know, for fun.”

 

“Fun? I always thought cyclopes were horrible monsters, larger than houses, who could swallow a man with one gulp!”

 

Gailina didn’t answer, but began giggling uncontrollably. Erryl had to clutch on to the fabric beneath him to avoid being shaken off. He’d been so absorbed by the discussion that he hadn’t realized how silly his statement really was. Of course, Gailina was a thousand feet tall: she would be no more threatened by a cyclops than he would be by a mouse.

 

“All right, time for bed,” she said, in between giggles. “In you go, you funny little thing!”

 

She held the glass bottle against her breast, low enough for him to climb in. Erryl gathered up all his things, said ‘good night’ in a demure voice, and climbed in. She turned the bottle upright and he slid down to the bottom, landing heavily on the hard glass. The two giant candles that towered over the bottle were blown out, and the only light remaining came from the full moon. He sighed and turned around until he found a comfortable position.

 

“Well, I hope all this will be worth it in the end,” he thought. “I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out.”

 

As Gailina slept, she was unaware that there was a third person in the room. Just as she turned over onto her back, inadvertently letting the blanket fall to the floor, a tiny figure clambered onto the edge of the bed. He loosened his hook from the bed sheet and began rolling up his rope. After what had felt like an eternity, the thief Maruk was glad to be out of those cramped, pitch-black tunnels. He sat down and decided to rest a while before making his next move.

 

Like Erryl, his first reaction had been one of utmost amazement mingled with deep fear. During his years as a bandit in the mountains, he had heard lots of stories about the Sky-Giants, and had even once found a massive bronze coin discarded by one of them. But to actually see one in person, that was an indescribable experience. Unnoticed by the giant woman, he had slipped into her bedroom, easily fitting underneath the door. He had watched as she chatted with her prisoner, the man he had been searching for. And, after he was certain she’d fallen asleep, he decided to take his chance.

 

Of course, if this trip was to be worth anything to him, he had to find something of value to take back with him. He had searched around, but soon realized that he was too small to be able to just make off with something. The only things light enough for him to carry would be the giantess’s jewellery, if she was wearing any. He had risked his life to climb up the side of her bed. Now that he actually saw what awaited him up here, he had different intentions.

 

“Just look at those legs!” he thought, eyeing her as if she belonged to him. “They must stretch on forever! But, I wonder – what lies at the end of them?”

 

If there was one thing Maruk was even more notorious for than robbery, it was his appetite for women. Whenever his band ambushed unwary travellers, he would always take the women, or girls, for himself, calling them his ‘reward’. Maruk had lost count of how many he’d raped or defiled over the years, and even other bandits would sometimes think of him only with disgust. Most thieves were once simple men, whose fortunes had worsened and driven them to crime, but Maruk had always loved the lawless and sinful things in life.

 

He walked quickly in the shadow of her cathedral-like legs, keeping his eyes straight ahead, his sword unsheathed. After several minutes he reached her groin, and before him was the largest piece of underwear he had ever seen. He tried to think of something to compare it with, but his mind kept jumping back to what was in front of him. Overcome with feelings of desire, he dropped his sword and tugged at the edge of her panties. Failing to accomplish anything, he grabbed hold of the fabric and began to climb. Beneath him he was aware of the ridges and valleys of her colossal vagina.

 

“The biggest pussy in the world, and it’s all mine!”

 

Only after he’d climbed several dozen feet did he regret not taking his sword with him. He would have been able to cut through this fabric easily and gain access. Unfortunately for Maruk, he never got that chance. The sleeping giantess groaned softly in her sleep, though it sounded more like a roar to his ears. He held on tightly to her underwear and buried his face against it, and never saw the enormous hand reaching down to scratch the itchy region where he found himself.

 

The next morning, after Gailina had woken up and begun dressing, she noticed something strange. A tiny red stain on the front of her panties and, sticking to it, several microscopic pieces of cloth. Strange though this was, she wasn’t exactly new to this sight. She sighed.

 

 “Another would-be rapist,” she thought, putting on a clean pair of underwear. “When will they learn that I’m just not the right kind of girl for them?”

Gailina packed a few hours’ worth of supplies into her satchel. If all went well, she would be back home by the end of the day. She’d put on a blue tunic and attached a small dagger to her belt, just in case the ‘foe’ proved a bit more difficult than she’d expected. When she was ready to leave, she picked up the tiny Erryl and placed him on her shoulder. He grabbed firmly onto the collar of her tunic; luckily her shoulder was so large that he was in little danger of falling. He looked up at her magnificent face. Her long hair, brushed behind her ears, was like an unfathomable curtain to him. She turned her head to look at him, and smiled.

 

“Shall we go?” she asked.

 

“All…all right!” he called up to her. “Just keep heading south, and I’ll direct you when we get to my country!”

 

She stepped out of the door and into the cool morning air. Erryl suddenly found himself holding on with all his strength; her speed was so great that he felt as if he were in a hurricane. After a few minutes he felt as if he were about to faint, and he cried up at her to stop.

 

“Oh dear,” Gailina said contritely. “It seems neither of us took my speed into account, huh? I’m sorry, Erryl, but it looks like I’ll have to stash you somewhere safely for now. I’ll take you out whenever I’m uncertain of the way.”

 

“Good idea!” he said, out of breath.

 

Out of her satchel she took a little velvet bag, which she emptied. Then she put her miniscule passenger into the bag and closed it securely. Inside the bag, all Erryl could see around him was darkness. He didn’t know that Gailina had stashed him deep into her cleavage, and would probably have been quite a bit humiliated if he did. She laughed a little at the absurdity of the whole thing: a modest girl having to take care of a noble knight by tucking him in between her breasts. She promised herself that she would spend more time with humans from now on. They were just too much fun to live without.

 

 

 

Over the crumbling ruins of the city of Rurak, Carinne strode victoriously. At her feet, survivors were running frantically, desperate to escape being crushed like insects. Carinne was tempted to just exterminate all of them at that moment, but she let most of them escape. Crushing ordinary villagers was only fun for a while, then it became stale. She made her way to the castle, whose walls she had already begun to demolish. Somewhere inside was the man she was looking for, the man who had only narrowly escaped her during the previous battle. The governor of Ruralia himself.

 

“I can’t wait to tear that little shit’s arms off,” she said to herself. “How dare he call himself my superior? And to laugh at my demands like that…well, he won’t be laughing today, that’s for sure!”

 

The handful of soldiers still remaining on the castle walls scattered as soon as she came near. Several of them leapt to their deaths, a fate preferable to being captured by her. Every time she took prisoners, she would always let one of them go, to tell other of the horrific things she’d done. Her vast armoured form easily strode over the forty-foot walls and into the courtyard. A group of refugees were hiding there, and Carinne grinned evilly. She reached down and grabbed the nearest one of them, a peasant woman, who screamed loudly until Carinne told her to shut up.

 

“Now listen to me, you filth!” she said, and the people listened, frozen with fear. “I’m growing tired of easily beating you day after day, so I’ll make you an offer. Hand over your coward of a governor, and I’ll leave you alone from now on.”

 

She paused a moment for her message to sink in.

 

“Otherwise,” she continued, “I’ll make sure no-one, no single human of the entire region, survives this day. All of you will be exterminated, and your cities crushed. If I do not have the governor as my prisoner in twenty minutes, I’ll begin killing every human I see!”

 

In the refugee group women, children, and even some men, began to cry. There were no soldiers around, no nobles, no-one who had access to the castle. The governor hasn’t shown himself for some time now, and they didn’t even know where he was. Carinne knew she could destroy the castle itself if she wished, but it would take a lot of effort, and she was already pretty worn out after laying waste to the city. She looked at the sobbing woman in her hand. Absentmindedly, she began to tear the woman’s clothes off, until she was completely naked. Carinne pressed her fingers down on the woman’s breasts, and she began to scream in pain. Just at that moment, however, a voice from below cried out.

 

“Stop! I know where the governor is! I can take you to him!”

 

Carinne put down the woman, who was quickly enveloped by her frightened husband. All the refugees now retreated as Carinne turned to face the man who had spoken. He seemed to be in good condition, but that was probably to be expected if he’d been with the governor all the time. She grabbed him harshly in her steel-clad hands.

 

“About time, too!” she said. “Take me to him now, do you understand? And don’t try to trick me, or you’ll regret it!”

 

Erryl managed to nod, even though his body was convulsed with pain. Luring Carinne out of the city was his idea, and it had never occurred to him that it might be dangerous to him as well. His captor saw that she was hurting him a bit too much, and she relaxed her grip. Erryl gasped and groaned.

 

“The governor…he’s at…a secret camp in the… the forest,” he sputtered out, “directly…north of here.”

 

“All right, then let’s go and see. I’ve got nothing to lose, and if you’re lying, well…” She left her sentence unfinished, leaving Erryl to wonder what horrible fate would befall him if something went wrong. The forest to the north was very thick, and most of the trees were taller than Carinne. She shouldn’t be able to detect a trap, but he knew there was always the possibility of failure. She headed off towards the north, her mighty arms and legs flattening any unfortunate trees that stood in her way. Erryl didn’t move as she held him tightly in her fist. He could only stare in awe at her powerful and presumably well-muscled body, at her beautiful, yet arrogant, face. She was a living colossus, and he prayed that no more Algarans should ever decide to invade this land again.

 

After ten minutes or so, they reached an especially thick section of the forest. Carinne once again asked the whereabouts of the governor, and Erryl assured her that he was just ahead, no more than a hundred yards from her. She ducked underneath a giant oak tree’s thick branches, and bumped straight into something. To her it looked like a blue curtain of some kind of thick, soft fabric, stretching off into the forest on either side of her. Above her head it rose towards the sky, and Carinne had to tilt her head fully backwards to see where it went.

 

When she saw what it was, she froze. Her hands fell to her sides, and Erryl found himself being dropped absentmindedly. He fell almost forty feet and landed in the thick undergrowth beneath him. He recovered just in time to see enormous fingers curling around the helpless giantess’s body, lifting her entire bulk up effortlessly. No sound came from her lips: the shock of seeing someone so much larger and stronger than herself seemed to have brought her mind to a standstill.

 

Gailina looked at the six-inch tall warrior whom she now held in her hand, and smiled. The smaller giantess’s face was a mixture of fear and disbelief, and she almost looked like she was about to cry. Gailina nonchalantly tore Carinne’s sword off her belt and threw it away. Now Carinne began to realize that she was in possible danger, and she began to squirm and struggle, and tried to hurt Gailina with her fists. But the Sky-Giantess wasn’t bothered at all, and she tightened her grip on the unfortunate Carinne.

 

“The fun’s over for you, you little bitch,” she said. “You’ll apologize to all those whose lives you made miserable, and then you’ll come along with me, to your new home. Oh, and it won’t be a nice home, either, not at all!”

 

 Far, far below her, Erryl looked up, trying to see what was going on. He couldn’t see past the canopy of the trees, which only rose halfway to Gailina’s knees. But he did hear her godlike voice descending from the sky. For a moment he was tempted to go to her, to climb triumphantly onto the tip of her boot, but he knew that the slightest movement from her would mean certain death for him. He decided to head back to the city and warn the people of her arrival, lest they should think that she was a new and even greater foe, and not an ally. He vaguely wondered where the governor really was, before deciding that he didn’t really care. All was well again, at least for now.

Governor Pario emerged from within his castle, having been told by his sentries that the Algaran giantess had left. After foolishly insulting Carinne during their last confrontation, he had fled from the battle, and had remained hidden in the castle since then. With him were most of his surviving advisors, noblemen, and various other high-ranking people. They ventured out into the courtyard of the castle, where a large crowd of survivors and refugees had gathered. There was an excited commotion running through the crowd, and Pario noticed that it seemed to be centred on one man. He recognized him as the soldier who had told those laughable tales about the Sky-Giants, and who had later that night been observed stealing a horse and riding off into the forest. Pario turned aside to his guards and ordered them to seize that man.

 

Erryl didn’t struggle, and when he was brought before the governor he seemed calm and at ease. Governor Pario noticed this, and asked him where he had been off to.

 

“Oh, I’ve merely gone and fetched someone to help us against the Algaran,” he answered. “A good thing I did, too, or else there wouldn’t have been anything left in this country.”

 

“Are you mocking me?” the governor accused him. “I must warn you, soldier, that this is a time of war, and that insolence such as yours will not go unpunished!”

 

“War?” Erryl asked rhetorically. “But Governor, the war is over! The Algaran has been captured by…”

 

“Yes? By whom? Tell me!”

 

“Oh, well, you might want to look up at the sky, Governor. Behind you.”

 

Pario did as he was told. He looked behind him, at his castle, and what he saw nearly caused him to faint. Above the castle, larger even than that magnificent building, was an enormous torso, from which two mountainous breasts rose beneath a blue tunic. He looked up at the titanic face of a young woman, over a hundred feet from top to chin, and his legs couldn’t carry him anymore. All those who’d exited the castle with him fell to their knees in a similar fashion, some crying out in fear or terror.

 

Gailina smiled at the sight on the ground. About an hour ago, when Erryl had brought her to Rurak, the villagers and refugees had had a similar reaction. It took immense effort on both their parts to assure the people that she meant them no harm. She was kneeling at the foot of the hill on which the castle stood, but its highest tower nevertheless only reached her waist. By bending forward she could bring her face directly above the courtyard, to the great awe of all those beneath her.

 

She reached inside her tunic and drew out her prisoner. Carinne had been firmly tied up with a large piece of cloth, and was therefore incapable of moving or speaking. Gailina placed he smaller giantess in the centre of the courtyard, and the crowd backed away as far as they could. Only Erryl approached the now helpless Algaran girl, and he climbed triumphantly onto her chest and sat on top of her left breast.

 

“Oh, that’s so cute!” Gailina said, her voice like that of a god, descending from the sky. “You can rest easy, people of Ruralia: your foe has been defeated.”

 

“You…you’re…” Pario stammered, slowly standing up again.

 

“Yes, I’m a ‘Sky-Giant’, if you have to use that term, and no, I’m not here to destroy you like she’s been doing. I’m Gailina, and I wish to be nothing but your friend and ally. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m prepared to help you rebuild your towns and cities, and to stay on as your protector. You see, I’ve grown rather fond of you little humans recently, and seeing your lives destroyed like this just breaks my heart.”

 

“What?” Pario screamed, his mind refusing to accept the situation. “You…you’re a monster! Guards, do…something! Get…get rid of her, n-now!”

 

In the courtyard, nobody moved a muscle. The guards, as well as the peasants, stood motionless. All eyes were raised to the sky, to the face of the all-powerful giantess who was offering to be their friend. The governor continued to rant hysterically, even as gigantic fingers took hold of his cloak and lifted him far above the ground.

 

“You know what?” Gailina said, watching the tiny man’s futile struggles between her fingernails. “I don’t think you’re a very good governor. I saved your city, and your country, and you order your guards to kill me. That’s just not very nice, if you ask me. I think Erryl should be governor from now on. What do you say?”

 

A faint cheer rose from the crowd, but the governor merely yelled something incomprehensible at her. She looked at him, almost tempted to just pop him into her mouth and swallow him. In the end she put him back down, where he was promptly seized by a large group of villagers chanting Erryl’s name. The guards and nobles kept standing where they were, looking uncertain of what they should do. After a while Erryl tried to silence the crowd, and, to his surprise, they listened to him.

 

“I’m…grateful for your support,” he said. “But I don’t see myself as the right type of man for this task. I’m a soldier, and I’m really much better at following orders than issuing them.”

 

The peasants began talking amongst themselves. They hadn’t anticipated this, and they didn’t know what to do now; all they knew was that they no longer wanted Pario ruling over them. Eventually, several of the young noblemen spoke up, and nominated Baroth, military advisor to the former governor, to be their new leader. The old man, who had been against the use of force against Carinne from the beginning, decided to accept, if only to bring a measure of order to the country until someone could be found who was willing to replace him.

 

“Release that man!” he said to the people who were holding Pario. “He may have been a poor governor, but it was not his fault that monster nearly destroyed our city. We’ll need the services of every last man and woman if we are to rebuild our land and reclaim our former lives.”

 

Then he turned to Erryl and said:

 

“Please accept our thanks, Erryl, and tell your, uh, companion, that we are thankful to her as well, and that we accept any help she is willing to offer gratefully.”

 

“I can hear you, you know,” Gailina’s powerful voice announced, startling everyone. “Our ears are much more sensitive than yours, relatively speaking. But I’m glad to see you’ve all accepted me as your friend. I’m prepared to help in any way I can, unless it involves me fighting your wars on your behalf. You can take care of yourself, I’m sure.”

 

She laid her finger on the ground, in front of Erryl, and waited for him to climb on. He planted his feet on the rim of her fingernail and held on to her fingertip tightly as she lifted him slowly up. She rose to her full height, towering far, far taller than anything else in sight, natural or manmade. She deposited Erryl in the centre of her hand and he sat down, quite at ease.

 

“So, what happens to her now?” he asked, referring to Carinne. “Are you going to kill her?”

 

Gailina snorted.

 

“What do you think I am?” she asked. “A cruel monster like her? I don’t kill people, Erryl; at least, not deliberately. If I had been forced to kill her in order to stop her, I would have, but now I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ll make sure Carinne is properly punished, that’s all you need to know. Now, how about giving me a proper goodbye kiss, hmm?”

 

“I’m not…” he began, before the soft, wet flesh of her puckered lips smothered out the rest of his words. He was completely powerless against the force with which she held his body against her. When she broke the kiss, his miniscule body still clung to her lower lip, and she gently pried him off with her fingernail.

 

“We’re definitely spending more time together when I return,” she said, giving him a wink. She put him back down on the ground, his face still red from the awkwardness of what had just happened. Then she picked up Carinne, still tied up and unable to move, and tucked her into her tunic. Gailina looked down one last time at the tiny people, blew them a kiss, and set off back to her home. The people Ruralia watched their saviour walk off, flattening tall trees that were like blades of grass to her. She remained visible even from a great distance, but at last the day began to darken, and she vanished gradually over the horizon.

 

Stripped of her armour and clothing, a naked and very frightened Carinne found herself on Gailina’s dining table, trapped in a large, steep-sided bowl. She was breathing extremely fast, panicking, and repeatedly tried to escape from her prison. All the time the larger giantess watched with a gleam in her eyes, and eventually Carrine’s will to escape left her, and she began to sob and plead for her life. Gailina stood up, fetched a large kettle from the hearth, and held it directly above the now petrified Carinne.

 

“Here’s how it’s going to work,” Gailina announced. “From now on, until the day your life ends, you will be nothing more than my slave. You will obey, without question, every single thing I order you to do. If you fail to obey even the smallest command, I will turn your life into such a hell that you will beg me to kill you.”

 

“I don’t believe you!” Carinne shouted defiantly. “You’ll never hurt me! You don’t have the balls for it!”

 

“Suit yourself,” Gailina replied, and she tipped the kettle forward. Out of the spout came a stream of boiling water, which began to fill the bowl. Carinne ran around frantically, but there was no escape. As the boiling liquid rose above her feet she squealed and cursed and screamed. Though Gailina knew that her captive had done terrible things, she still felt a tiny amount of pity for her, and after a few seconds she took her out of the bowl. She went to her bedroom and threw the still screaming Carinne down on the bed. Then she took off her shoes and lay down on the bed herself. She placed one bare foot on top of Carinne, squeezing her down against the bed.

 

“Alright, slave,” she said, “begin rubbing my feet. Don’t stop until I order you to stop, understand? Do a good job, and you’ll be rewarded. Otherwise…you know what happens…”

 

Like an obedient child, Carinne did as she was told. She hated every moment of it, stuck beneath Gailina’s foot, a foot which had been inside a smelly boot all day. She waited for the order to stop, but it never came. Every time her strength faltered, Gailina pushed downwards, squeezing her until she began to rub again. Hours passed, and eventually Carinne couldn’t do it anymore. She collapsed, completely worn out. Gailina pressed her foot down, harder than before, but still got no response. She took her foot off and picked up Carinne’s inert body. She appeared to be dead, but Gailina listened closely, and she could just make out a faint heartbeat.

 

“I guess that’s all for today,” she said to herself. “Poor thing, I almost feel sorry for her. But after all she has done…she’s still a mass-murderer, a rapist…”

 

It took her a long while to make up her mind.

 

“I have to take care of her,” she told herself. “She’s still very young by Algaran standards – most of her life still lies in front of her. It will be difficult, but maybe I can turn her back to being a good person. That is, if she was ever a good person to begin with…”

 

 She sighed. These difficult decisions always made her tired; add to that the weariness caused by a whole day of travelling on foot, and Gailina was beginning to feel exactly how she imagined Carinne was feeling. She laid her little prisoner carefully in one of her tall boots, a secure location from which there would be no escape. Then she blew out the candles, and drifted off into a deep and, by her reckoning, well-earned sleep.