It was decided that we weren't yet ready to hunt down Leonara.  My sister and Olivia were both in pretty terrible shape.  It turns out that the other slayers had taken some liberties with their custody and as such, they were weak, bruised, and malnourished.  One benefit of being this far north, was that there was one place we could go for shelter and a meal that wasn't made out of a giant metal pot.


We emerged from the trees on the east side onto the 5th and final battle field in the 50 mile stretch of them that were divided by tree rows, and there it was.  The strange looking house built in the center of the field.  After another 30 minutes of walking, we finally neared it.

"Who did you say lives here?" Harken asked, wearily.
"I didn't. . " I replied, ominously.

Just as I did, a flock of birds flew out from the trees before it became dead silent. . . . . A moment later a young, male giant burst out of the trees, sword in hand and charging straight for us.  The party stopped, and Harken went to draw her axe, but I put a hand on her shoulder to show her it was alright, as my brother, sister and I kept casually walking forward.

The giant reached my sister first, sliding to a stop, kicking up dirt and swinging his sword downward on her.  She drew her own sword, blocking him overhead.  Then, implementing the same technique Henny uses, she stabbed his sword, causing it to vibrate extremely harshly and forcing it to drop out of his hand.

Next I made my move, running to Abby and having her launch me by the arm toward the giant.  Her aim was true, and I delivered a devastating punch to his stomach, doubling him over. Jacob followed me, and Abby threw him even higher, and he planted a kick right to his forehead.  He tipped backward, stunned, and Jacob rode him to the ground.
  He landed flat on his back as Jacob stepped off of his face and we all just kept walking.  

"Your form is still horrible, little brother."  Abby said, as she walked around the giant and followed her brothers into the house.

Harken's jaw was on the ground as the whole party casually walked around the giant, who opted to stay down, spread eagle, She walked into the house, to see Ant, Jacob and Abby exchanging hugs with an older slayer woman who looked a lot like Abby.  A man sat in a chair by the fireplace, and shook hands with Ant and Jacob with a smile as they sat down in other chairs beside him.  The rest of the party made themselves at home as if nothing was amiss but Harley couldn't get over the other half of the house.

"Harley, this is our mother, Gwendolyn and him over there is Jarvis, our father." Abby explained to her.

"What is that. . . ?" Harley asked blankly, pointing across the room to the addition to the house.

"That's just James and Magnolia's side of the house. Our little brother and sister." Abby replied, casually.

"That boy outside was your brother?!" She asked, in disbelief.

"Giants?  Yes.  Long story short, my parents found them as babies and decided to raise them.

"Wasn't that boy. . . . Small for his age?" Harley asked, trying not to be rude.

"Yes.  He and his sister are only 50 feet tall. When giants are raised outside of their own, they don't grow anywhere near as big as they would if they were with their kind. "

Harley still had one million questions but the boy, who looked like he was probably 16 in human years, entered the house through the giant sized door.  He sat down in a giant chair with a grin on his face to accompany a welt from where Jacob had dropped him.


"What are you guys doing home?" He asked, a wheeze in his voice from where I had punched him in the stomach.

"We were in the area and needed somewhere to rest." Jacob replied, turning his chair to face both his father and giant brother.

"I heard you beat Juliette!" James exclaimed, leaning down to hear the tale, but nobody felt like talking about it after what had just happened.

"We did, but that story will have to wait.  We've had a long past few days and need rest and a bath." I said, standing up and walking to the back of house to the door that led to the bathhouse, behind the actual house.  It was the one thing I missed about home.  My parents had gone all out on it and it was the one place in the realm where a person could get a hot water bath.

"And just how long do you plan on staying?" Gwendolyn asked Abby, a serious look on her face but keeping her voice down. "We don't exactly have space for this many people."

"Mother, you literally have space enough for two giants!  But if it bothers you that much, we will Be gone in a few days!" Abby spat.  "We lost two in the last battle and we need a minute!"

"Your father and I feel for you, but we also don't need you to bring the war with you.  You and your brother. . . . Antony's bounty. . . " her mother replied, struggling to be sympathetic.  "The village has been spared so far, being so remote, and we would like to keep it that way.

Abigail didn't respond.  There wasn't much she could say to that. Turning, she left and went outside to get air.  Meanwhile the rest of the party went into the trees to hunt for food for supper.  They talked as they walked.

"So what's the plan here?  We need action!" Julius said, as he stepped around trees and brush.

"Easy to say when you aren't the one fighting. . ." Jacob said, quietly.

"Hey!  Cassius and myself are in the danger just as much as you guys!  Our role just isn't fighting!" Julius defended.

"We need to be careful!  This isn't some big dumb villager we are dealing with here! You saw that! She is the smartest foe we have ever fought!  Maybe the smartest person in the world! And I know it goes without saying,but we were barely able to beat her younger, smaller, less strategic sister.  And now we are without Malakai. . ." Jacob ranted.

"Enough, Jacob!  We all get it!" Henrietta shouted.  "I miss him. . . . That idiot. . . With his stupid laugh. . . And that dumb grin!  That bitch needs to pay, there's no question about that.  And there's nobody better for the job than us!  As soon as Darius gets his ass up here, we're gonna put her in the ground!

"And how do you plan to deal with the fact that she can stop our prayers?  She could have easily stomped us all if she wanted to! She was playing with us and She crushed your friend in one step!" Olivia chimed in, as she threw a knife, curving it around a tree and sticking a deer.  

"You should wanna get revenge as much as anyone!" Henny replied, pushing a branch out of her way.  "You saw what she did to your man."

"Two of our men. . . And yeah I want revenge, but I also don't want to die in vain!" Olivia said, pulling the knife out and throwing the deer over her shoulders.  "I just can't. . . "

They all remained silent at the sentiment.  None of them feared death, but it seemed their current path would likely lead there unless they increased their power.

"What about your brother?  The giant?" Harley asked, jumping and catching another deer. 

"What about him?" Jacob asked, stopping to pick some berries off of a bush. 

"Is he going to fight?" She asked, humanely killing the deer, and throwing it over her own shoulders. 

Jacob chuckled.  "He wants to, but you saw him.  Too big to be a slayer, too small to be a giant.  Awkward as all get out."

"Does anyone really have a choice at this point?  We don't even know how many slayers are left at this point!" Harley said,  making a valid point.

"At least out here on the front lines anyway!  I'm sure all you kingdom slayers are safe and sound, barricaded behind that 300 foot wall.  As far away from any giants as you can be!" Henrietta interrupted, motioning to both Harley and Olivia. 

Neither girl had a response for her.  They knew she was right.  Olivia for sure, as she had been personally handed over to die by the king.  The truth about the kingdom was all too apparent, but Harley had been raised from birth to believe in it, and Olivia had joined, thinking she could better serve the realm.

"Lay off of them, Henny!  We all make mistakes." Jacob said, stepping in.

"Don't even get me started on you, Jakey-boy" Henrietta spat, bumping shoulders with him as she passed, on her way back to the house.  "You and that black-haired whore! The way you two were gettin' along back there!  I thought you were gonna fuck right there on the battlefield!"

"I was just doing my part of the plan!" Jacob said, throwing his hands up.

"Yeah, whatever.  The smell of that trademark Lockwood bullshit is real heavy around here!" Henrietta replied, before she was gone.

They all followed suit, having enough food for a few days and that's when they saw her.  A giant girl in a blue dress with white flowers, walking up the road, pulling a wagon of the same proportion behind her.

"That must be your "sister". . .?" Olivia asked, skeptical of the whole family situation they had going on.

"Yes.  That's Magnolia.  Maggy." Jacob said, looking happy to see her.

"Are you going to kick her in the forehead or. . . . ?" Cassius asked with a chuckle.

"Decidedly not!" Jacob laughed. "But she might take it better than her brother!"

The girl had slowed down and looked at them nervously, until she realized that it was Jacob, where she dropped the wagon handle and ran over, covering the distance in about 5 seconds.


"Jacob!" She squealed in delight as she crashed to her knees and scooped the man off of his feet and held him like a doll in front of her, looking him over before hugging him to her chest.

"He-hello Maggy!" He said, struggling to breathe in her tight grip.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked, her voice still shrill with joy as she held him at arms length.  "Is Ant with you?!"

"Yes, Ant is inside.  We thought it might be nice to stop by for a visit.  It's been a few years since we'd seen all of you!" Jacob said, squirming in her hands until she got the message and placed him back on the ground.

"Oh I can't wait to see him, she exclaimed, clapping her hands as she stood up and ran around to the big side of the house.

"Hey!" Jacob shouted, stopping her in her tracks. "Abby is in there too!" Jacob informed her with a grin.

The girl wrinkled her nose cutely in disgust before her smile returned and she continued back to the house.

"She's. . . Actually pretty normal. . ." Cassius commented as they began walking again.  "I expected blood stains on her dress or something else fucked up.  Typical Lockwood shit." He finished with a grin.

"Unfortunately not.  She isn't in the family business of slaughtering poor bastards like the rest of us." Jacob replied,  laughing.  "After raising 3 blood-thirsty monsters, my parents decided to try to raise her and her brother differently.  James still wants to fight, although his size makes it difficult train him.  Maggy has grown up about as normal as someone in her unique position can anyway." Jacob explained as they neared the house.

"Where was she coming from?  Where does the road lead?" Olivia asked, looking down the path that disappeared into the trees to the east.

"The city is down that way."

"What city is it?  Towns seem more few and far between this far north." Cassius observed, as he began gutting Olivia's deer.

"Lockwood." Jacob answered, as he started in on the other.

"Pshh!  I still can't believe there is a village named after you!" Henrietta huffed, folding her arms.  

"You're jealous, I know!" Jacob replied with a grin.

"Yeah right!  Come say that to me when you've cracked 6'5, little one!" Henrietta fired back, hitting him with the low blow about his height.  "You might wake up tomorrow and the girl will be taller than you!" She finished, nodding in Harley's direction before also walking inside.

"Pfff!" Jacob replied, trying to put on an air of arrogance, but glancing nervously at Harley, sizing her up.


When the food was done, they all gathered around the table, while the giants sat at their own table on the big side.  I would have liked to keep conversation to a minimum, but James kept asking questions.

"Can I hear the Juliette story now or what?!" He said, stuffing food in his mouth.

I looked around the table to the others.

"Cassius. . . Tell him the tale." I said, keeping my head down and my face stuffed with food.

He never really needed to be told twice to tell a story.

"Well. . . It began when young Antony here was hired by a town to slay her." He began and continued to tell the tale of how Juliette crushed me in that town, sparing no detail.

"Can we just skip this part please?" I asked, annoyed as my deficiencies were layed bare. 

"Oh no!  I'm telling the entire tale!" Cassius said with a grin.

"I mean. . . You weren't even there for that part." I argued.

"Yeah well, It was described to me in great detail and from every angle by the kind villagers!" Cassius laughed.

"We can vouch for that" Abby chimed in as she ate at the opposite end of the table.  "We saw the crater she made out of him, 5 feet deep."

"One more foot and that's a dirt nap!" My charming father added, and everyone but me laughed about as hard as they could.

"Yuck it up you bastards!  I'm the only one in the world who's faced her 3 times and survived!" I shouted, barely over the laughter.

"Back in my day, we didn't need three times to get the job done, son." My father replied, challenging me.  

"Back in your day, the average giant was 75 feet tall, old man." I shot back, knowing it would cut deep.  "Leonara is literally twice that. . . . And besides that, I don't see you rushing to the front lines, now!" 

Jarvis stared me down, but I didn't take my eyes off of him.

"We are too old to be jumping in on every fight.  Peace is something we've lived without, so forgive us for not being in a hurry to throw it away!" My mother added, breaking the tension between us.  "If the city is attacked, we will defend it with our lives, but we aren't going to chase these giants down."

Everyone was quiet for a moment as we soaked in the sentiment.

"We need to get in the fight!" James exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. "I can't take anymore sitting around doing farm work all day!"

"You wouldn't last 5 minutes out there baby brother." Abby said, just being truthful. 

"Ask dad!  I took down 2 75 footers in the last 2 years!" James retorted, like a bratty child.

"I'm not even going to begin to try to explain the difference here!  You think we would have this many slayers with us for some common villager stirring up trouble!?" Abby shouted at him.  "We aren't having this conversation right now!"

"It's not your party to decide, Abby!" James shouted back, shaking the house and causing Maggie to flinch as she sipped soup from a bowl.  She had become used to these conversations since the time James could hold a sword.

"Besides, you turned your back on all of us anyway! What do you care?!  Go back to the kingdom and get fucked by the king!" James exclaimed without thinking it through.

In a heartbeat, Abby was on her feet and walking toward him.

"What did you just say to me, you little shit?!" She demanded.

Though he was much bigger than all but his twin sister,  Abby still had a way of making him feel tiny and now was no exception as the 50 foot tall teenager bailed, wide eyed from the table in fear and tripped over himself, scrambling for the giant sized door.

Everyone at the table laughed at his display of cowardice and rooted Abby on as she kicked open the massive door after him, screaming at him.  He didn't wait to let her get her hands on him, knowing full well that she would kick his ass, and used his superior size and speed to escape into the trees on the far side of the field.

"I'm going to kill that little brat!" Abby shouted as she walked back in from outside.  "It's obviously been way too long since he's had his ass kicked!" 

"Can we never just have a decent meal without somebody "getting their ass kicked!"?" Our mother asked, her voice just below a shout as she stood up and carried her plate over to the wash bin, and loudly threw it in, before walking to the back of the house to her room.


"Now you upset Gwen!" My father added, as he too stood up and went back to comfort her.


"Ahh yes!  Now I remember why I decided I was never coming back here!" I said, loud enough for everyone in the house to hear me, before making my own exit outside.

The rest of them sat in awkward silence except for Maggie, who had also left her table and had went to her bed and begun to cry into her pillow.  I came back in a few hours later and the rest of the night was spent tiptoeing around each others emotions until we finally went to sleep.  James still hadn't returned, which worried Maggie, but we assured her that if he wasn't back by morning, we would go looking for him.










"Why not just let him fight? We all know there is no shortage of people who won't.  He doesn't need to end up like your associate, afraid to live and beaten to death." Peter observed.

"He doesn't need to end up like YOUR associate, either!" Olivia spat at peter.  She didn't elaborate on that, but he got the message.

A great conversation for the first thing in the morning as we looked for james.  His footprints went at a sprint to the western trees and then became harder to track as he headed north.  Somehow myself, Peter, and Olivia had got roped into searching.


"That is just how Malakai was.  We didn't question how he lived and we never will." Peter replied, honestly.  "And it's unfortunate what happened to your friend.  I myself have dealt with the daughters. . . . They have a way of breaking you down.  Taking a part of you. . . . . Sometimes even most of you, on their way to getting what they want from you."


We all observed the truth in that as we rode north, but stopped when we noticed something.  Jame's footprints became mixed with giant hoof prints.  Two sets and it seemed like James was following them.

"I don't like this. . ." Peter said, putting to words what we were all thinking. 

"He wouldn't challenge her alone, would he?" Olivia asked, looking to me.

"I would hope not." Was all I offered.