Our heroes soared across the sky, on the giantess's colossal hand. Early afternoon sun poured over everything and gave plenty of light for the group to see clearly. With so much of the world at the immediate whim of the giga, progress in finding anything should have been easy. The way that gargantuan limb cast shadow over so much as it crawled across the sky. It took time to stop, and make directional corrections as needed. The three surveyed so much of the countryside with the aid of their enormous thief. Watching the impossible sight, onlookers could have guessed that things were going smoothly.
However, the reality was...
“God fucking damnnit Astrid! How many times do I got to tell you to move slower! You are so fuck'n big, barely moving at all is so much! I can't concentrate on anything like this!”
“Well I'm sorry, I really am trying to move slow. But every time we stop and Airvin has to walk across my finger, and you guys give me direction again, and then we go back. I... Kindda lose my place. This doesn't look like a map you know! You're seeing what I am, and it's really hard for me to go back to the same spot I was, when everything is looking so similar. It's just all so small!”
The aggravated warrior turned to the smaller giantess, “We are losing too much ground every time you have to walk across her finger, then get lifted back to where she can hear us again. Then, get dropped down, and then, walk across it again. You gotta get over yourself, and just be fine on her fingertip.”
“I will not! That curved edge to a plummet down, that will kill all of us I will remind you, is simply right there! All the time! If she moves too fast, or has a hiccup, we're all doomed. We can't-”
“We have to! Of course I know how dangerous this is. But we're not getting anywhere right now, and may I remind you,” he mocked her tone, “We don't even know if this is going to fucking work! If it takes us too long to give this a try, and it fails, then what?”
“I've been really good at keeping steady...” Astrid added. While those three were tangled in tension, Grom had given up trying to do anything useful. Laying down staring at the sky with legs bent, he simply listened. There was no reason for him to make any interjections and he didn't want that frustration to fall on him.
"All right everybody just fuck'n chill for a second. Have a snack and get a drink. Forget about this for now, we'll come back when we're fresh. Spinning our wheels right now is going to do fuck all.” With plenty of mumbling in agreement, the party grabbed a small snack. Astrid really started to feel how dry her mouth was. The pulling need for something to quench her thirst was getting difficult to ignore. Her head swiveled just a bit to the ocean. She knew that that drink would kill her but still the idea of anything at all was starting to wear her down tremendously.
After the unusually quiet snack time, everybody held their breath as to who would return to the uncomfortable task at hand. But honestly, everyone knew the answer.
“Here's the fucking deal. I can at least sense her pond. That means, more than likely, she's probably within the ridiculous reach of Astrid. There's not enough difference in topography of this forest for her to really pick up on finer details. So we're going to have to carefully, and calmly, have Airvin on her fingertip. That way we can make course corrections from out of earshot. We are simply wasting too much time with the back-and-forth that we are doing. Can we at least agree to that?” The little giantess repeated on the bigger's behalf and those colossal eyes watched expecting a response from the agitated mage.
When nothing happened she offered again, “Airvin, I really know it's not ideal and probably really scary. I will do the absolute best I can, I promise, with you guys. I can even hold my other hand underneath you as a little bit of a safety net...”
“And what happens if you have to reach out too much to the side huh? If you don't keep your weight distributed properly, and start breaking the world again? You are definitely going to drop us.”
A moment of silence passed before she added weakly, “Hopefully it doesn't come to that...?” The mage drew a deep inhale and exhaled loudly through flared nostrils.
"Hey, listen," the warrior called from below in a calm demeanor. "I also don't want to do a thing right now. But am willing to give it a try, if it'll help our situation. How about we be miserable together?"
"I don't know if she can be careful enough. I could fall... We could die.”
"My old flame is probably going to kill me too. We're all going to have to take risks if we want to fix this." Jax put a hand out, ready for any sort of comeback or better idea while he stared up into those brown eyes. She blew one more deep breath.
"Okay... Fine. Can you point out the best area we can try this?" The muscular man made his way back and got ready to sit down to meditate once more. Out of the corner of those keen eyes caught Grom smiling.
"What? What the fuck do you want?" Jax's face wore aggravated confusion.
"I didn't say anything," the healer replied still full of pride at the group's conflict resolution. Over the next few minutes, they went over the revised plan. The mage pointed out where Jax thought the best place to start was. The party went over new rules about the massive giantess moving her hand, while Airvin was carefully standing on the fingertip. Astrid carefully glided the group over the rich forest, hunching her back a little, as indeed she kept her free hand just below the other. Such a small gap to the giga... Hopefully it would be enough of a safety net should an accident occur.
Jax sat with legs crossed and eyes closed. His hands rested gently on his knees, palm up loosely open in acceptance. The wind lovingly caressed his skin. So many secrets and mysteries reveled in being revealed, reaching out for the hunter's spirit. But his conscious focused on the one most familiar. A ripple in the weave as playful as problematic, marvelously majestic, and mischievous. His head tilted toward her call, and he shuddered remembering how she said his nickname. The way that graceful voice almost beckoned... He swore he could hear her voice in his mind for a moment.
His steady hand traveled up and gestured in the direction. Noticing the arrow, Airvin tapped with her foot. The little giantess nervously awaited the movement from so far away or rather right under her feet. The breeze grew stronger all around them, as the massive column of pink slowly crept. The mage fell into a habit of looking to the tinies, the incredible ridges of the fingerprint below, and then to the landscape which they soared so high above. She simply couldn't get over this vantage point.
The other hand below didn't stop plenty of scenery from displaying itself. Even with subtle movements, they moved so quickly that it was impossible to tell which parts of the Ironvale forest they were in or even if they had entered other regions. The vast differences of green as sometimes trees broke into rolling hills and meadows. Meandering creeks and rivers rolled through the landscape, vanishing in thicker canopies. So this is what it's like to be a bird Airvin thought whimsically. Catching a slight difference of direction from the seeker, she signaled with little taps to the giga.
Grom sat patiently, bestowed with a smile and good feeling at the progress the group now made. Everything went so steady, he even relaxed not feeling any danger of some incoming perilous fall. He stroked his beard a few times looking across the world like a map, letting his kind eyes reach the horizon and then look up towards the brilliant blue above. Suddenly, the hairs on the cleric's neck stood up and a chill went through him... A familiar hiss returned to his mind.
I know you are curiousss... Ssshe can hold sssuch fire believe me. The healer did his best to look unaffected. Grom didn't want his party to know the magic item woke up again. He tried to make a slow movement to the cursed object in his pack. I know how youuu intend to deal withhh me. If sssuch a baptisssm worksss... Then there ssshould be no problem withhh declining to sssilence me until thennn.
The cleric hated having to hear this while he moved so painfully slow to reach the idol. I can tell you ssssso many of... Her sssecretsss. Oopsss... I almossst usssed her real name. Wouldn't that be ssso fun to know? What motivatesss her? Ssshe found all of you by complete accsssident... Yet ssshe sstaysss? What do you all provide her withhh? What isss ssshe running from... That ssshe would choossse to hang with thisss group of misssfitsss? I know Grom... And am ssssssso eager to tell~ I jussst need a sssimple arrangement from youuu.
His fingers found the cold gold of the obnoxious item. Taking several moments to let those words really sink in... The unsure man took a deep breath, "I am... Ready," Grom murmured.
Finally lissstening to reassson? Then letsssss make a deal~ Every syllable laced with sickening satisfaction.
"I am ready... To never hear from you ever again," he said quietly. A flash blasted out and blew his hair and garb in the wind. Airvin adjusted her eyes just a smidgen to peer down upon the unexpected illumination.
"Grom? What was that? Is everything all right?"
"Oh... What? That? Oh... Just... I made a little bit of light... It's nothing really... Just kind of silly... Never mind." The tiny giantess's eyebrow raised inquisitively. The mage simply shrugged, accidentally lifting the ground beneath the men uncomfortably fast. She winced apologetically, then returned to the task at hand. The holy man sat there in the new silence that seemed uncomfortable. He really did not appreciate how much sense those questions about motivation made. Thoughts about why the group still remained simmered as the search continued.
Jax may have interjected about the interruption from those two. But the truth was, he was lost in this locating. The way he moved through space like never before during this ritual, captured all of his attention. The seeker could almost hear her song... Feel that all enveloping warmth. Simply because he drew closer to his destination effortlessly. His posture still relaxed but had an incredible lean towards the target.
Unfortunately, this grand distance that they had covered was reaching a tipping point for the sitting colossal woman. The microscopic guide called for more reach and to deliver, she would have to adjust her position... And lose that secondary safety net below. Airvin took note of the receding hand, now stationed on a fingertip awfully exposed. Nervously, she pivoted her head to see that the massive thief brought her free hand down for stability. The giga started to lean in the direction Jax kept calling for.
The smaller woman felt the first tremor. Astrid reached out so far trying to be careful that her stability was faltering. In an effort to produce small smooth motions... Started to create the opposite effect. She almost let out a stern reminder to the massive giantess before realizing how far away those humongous ears actually were. To feel so isolated from someone... While still being on the person's body. And still the seeker pointed and still Astrid reached. Much stronger, a second tremor found the mage's feet. She threw her other hand out for stability but even Grom made a slight exclamation as he almost toppled. The bearded man and dark-haired woman shared a look of concern.
"Jax... Anytime now... Astrid is getting a little bit too shaky," she spoke with trembling voice. The healer threw a glance at the giga's face. Sweat drops were beginning to form and she unconsciously bit her lip as she still continued her stretch towards this unknown location. His anxiety also grew, almost about to say something. "Jax... Jax!" the mage repeated.
She took a deep breath, ready to shout but the hunter happily exclaimed, "I've done it! I found her!" Sensing a more intense tremor building, Airvin quickly cupped her hand and swooped down to kneel and ground herself. The tremendous earthquake shook the three immensely.
"Not a moment too soon! I'll signal for her to slowly set down," the tiny giantess exclaimed. Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, being able to lower her hand with new momentum. It was getting embarrassingly hard to carefully keep that trek. The thief honestly had no idea if trying to resituate her position could have been done steadily enough not to lose the tinies.
All three kept watch of the descent, being extra sure that this monumental hand wasn't going to crush anything important. From what they could tell, only a significant chunk of old wood forest would fall victim to the crushing skin. The canopy tickled as she carefully flattened a vast stand of woods. At least as carefully as one can be when it comes to unfathomable geographic alterations. All of them looked around, marveling at the height they still stood. Even the tallest of trees... Didn't come up to half as tall as the width of Astrid's finger.
"Airvin, can you keep us two in your hand as you slide down? I think the short fall might be a little bit too risky for us to be in the... Ahem, other place," the cleric asked.
"Wait a second, what are you talking about?" Jax inquired.
"Uhhh... I will tell you later."
“How did I miss so fucking much?! You better. I feel like you've got a whole bunch of bullshit you got to clue me in on." The large mage did listen but was more focused on finding an acceptable means to the ground. She couldn't just fall onto a tree, even if she was substantially bigger than normal. Scoping out a pretty decent gap, the small giantess could attempt to touch down beside the humongous finger there.
"Okay nice and easy, we're going to slide down and land if you all are ready," she told the tinies.
"Break a leg big stuff. Hold us tight so we don't get fuck'n tossed as you land. Grom, you prepared to do some quick shielding if this gets dicey?"
"Yeah... I'm ready." With tremendous trepidation, Airvin gently squeezed her teammates for security and glided toward the edge. Squatting down and sitting upon the rounded pink cliff she prepared to make the maneuver. The mage heavily discounted how much she had grown, and felt an ample amount of ease that the drop wouldn't be too intense.
"All right... Here we go. Are you two ready?"
"Would you just go already?!" She dangled her feet and let gravity grip her. Letting more of her body hug that subtly rough surface, Airvin held her breath as she finally fell. With a tiny whoosh of wind blowing her hair up, all three became weightless. Much easier than expected, she stuck the landing, bending her knees to cushion the passengers. How much those large feet sunk into the soft earth caught her by surprise. Followed by how loud the impact seemed in the quiet forest.
Airvin breathed a sigh of relief. Without a second thought, the mage quickly lowered her hand, tilting it and let the men experience solid ground as well. Grom also expressed waves of relief while the warrior looked a tad miffed.
"What? You're not going to carry us the rest of the way?" Jax asked with a shrug.
"Oh... I thought I would... Just kinda let you guys-"
"Whatever. Don't worry about it, we're close.” The three started walking. Upon seeing the woman slide off of her finger, Astrid withdrew her hand creating small quakes as it retreated. The colossal giantess had instruction to watch the clearing she just made, should the mage show up again. Much easier than anticipated, because she could still see the big, tiny woman standing above the forest. The healer looked over his shoulder at the expanse of peach color rising up and away. Where there was plenty of canopy, really blocked any vision of the ridiculous-sized thief. With a clear destination in mind, Jax pressed forward with charge.
Airvin softly called out, "I'll be right behind you guys, I'm just going to take things easy." Her vision slowly scanned the area, marveling at the sense of scale. For the first time, she truly grasped how much size she had been bestowed. She swallowed hard at the baffling surroundings. More than twice as tall of the largest tree, she had an appreciation of Astrid's comment, 'Everything is so far away and yet so close.'
Even as the men made haste their movement was a crawling snail's pace. Occasionally lush green trees caused her to lose sight of the two. Oh gods... I got to be careful I don't simply step on them... After she noted a considerable distance they had moved forward, she followed suit. Snapping branches and falling timber rang out even as she attempted to be careful. The truth of the matter was, that her movement would be a bulldozer of deforestation no matter what she did. Would be so nice if I could just levitate right now...
The seeker pressed on through the undergrowth, her presence becoming as pungent as potpourri. The forest plenty dark, keeping shorter vegetation at bay. For the men, the path was pretty easy to pass through, and they both ignored the crashing of falling trees behind them.
"We're close. She can't be that far away now," Jax paused. "Why do I sound excited about this? It's gunna suck."
"Cuz you're ready to be done with our big problems?" Grom offered out of breath, barely managing to keep up. Finally rounding a mighty oak tree trunk, the two found a tiny meadow really out of place. A flat stretch of perfect lime green grass rested peacefully with no other plants creating a clearing. In the center of that, an oval-shaped, mirror-smooth pond stuck out with an otherworldly nature. Incredibly faint motes of multicolored light lazily floated above the water's surface. Occasionally one of the bubbles of light drifted down and into the mystical water, creating one tiny ripple on the surface.
The men looked toward each other and back towards the scene. Jax made the first step forward. The whole pond began to glow brighter with a teal opacity, concealing anything below the water's surface. He cautiously made several steps towards the edge, already knowing she could see him. As prepared as he could ever be, the hunter took a deep breath in and exhaled loudly out of his mouth.
Something churned the water from below. The surface became a rolling boil. The water continued to swell up in the center, just as two fish fins emerged. Rising up higher, the flipper-like features were revealed to be the ears of a feminine, amphibious creature. Little waves rippled out and reached the pond's edge, never splashing onto the grass though. Grom took a step back unintentionally. The healer looked to Jax, then back to the emerging creature. Steadfast, the stern man rolled his shoulders, ready for anything.
Brilliant wet silver hair flowed down her back, over sky-blue skin as she continued to rise. Her big sparkling eyes opened and widened at her guests. And the mouth under no nose, smiled revealing rows of sharp teeth. Still emerging from the mysterious waters, revealed gills along her neck. The fey creature stopped moving up out of the water at the midsection of her pale slick tummy, right where a bellybutton should be. She lifted and outstretched her webbed arms, nude form ready to embrace her found company excitedly.
"Jaxie! My sweet, treat, Jaxie~ You have returned to me!" the creature's voice tender and soothing, with an ethereal reverberance. However, that nickname was nails on a chalkboard to the man standing there.
"Uhghhh... Hey... Hey Natasha."