The return trip went a lot faster with the horses but we still had to camp. The night was uneventful as I didn't really feel like talking. I was happy with a campfire and a bottle. The fact that Cassius drank with me eased the awkwardness a little.
The next morning we made the second half of the trip. It took until that night to get there. Just outside the forest, I made him stop the wagon.
"Ok. . . When we go into camp, I'm going to need you to let me do the talking. My sister can be very. . . Violent. . When dealing with information she doesn't find favorable, so just leave out anything about Emelia, ok?"
He gave me a confused look, but shook his head yes. From there, we continued on to camp.
Luckily, Abby wasn't there. She left a note that said she went to bury her partner and investigate the attack. The date on the note said she would be back today or tomorrow.
"Well. . . I would say unload the wagon, but we likely won't be here more than a day." I said, getting the camp fire going.
"So can you finally tell me what you guys are doing here?" He asked, sitting across from me.
At this point, he was along for the ride so I filled him in.
"I imagine from your. . . "limited scope" of the world, that you haven't heard about the giant king?" I asked.
"What about him?" He replied, taking a swig of his bottle.
"I've been told. . . That he is dead now." I said, gauging his reaction.
"Ha! Did old age finally catch him up?" He said, grinning.
"Not quite. . . He was murdered. . . . By a giant slayer."
His eyes got wide, and the grin disappeared.
"Murdered?! . . . You mean to tell me that a slayer made it all the way to the giant capital, snuck past everyone, including the guards, and killed him?!" He nearly shouted.
"Yes. . . That is what I'm told happened. I haven't seen for myself, but only heard from my sister. She lives in the human capital and works for the hunan king, mind you."
"And what does this travesty have to do with the human king?"
"The slayer that killed him. . . . Reportedly wore the kings colors. . "
The man was silent, his jaw slack.
"I'm glad you understand the severity of our situation. The good news is, the army of the giant king is busy fighting other wars. The bad news is, something worse has supposedly come in their stead.
"What could possibly be worse than the giant army!" Cassius screamed.
"Calm yourself man!" I said harshly. "Again, I'm just telling you what I was told, but my sister said that it's a group of 3 women. The last born daughters of the giant king."
"And what is so special about these women?"
"I don't really know, beyond the fury of a woman scorned, but I have seen the brutality they are capable of, and it left a not so desirable taste in my mouth." I said, taking a sip.
"So what, you thought that Ellenworth was where they were hiding?" Cassius asked, giving me a look of stupidity.
"You think I don't know the reputation of Ellenworth?" I asked, sharply.
"Hey!. . . I'm just asking." He replied, putting his hands up defensively.
"It wasn't my idea. I knew that the legend of Ellenworth extends far beyond the few months since the giant kings death."
"Then why waste the time, or risk your life?"
"Because my sister forced me to." I said, taking yet another sip.
"Are you really THAT afraid of your own sister?" He asked, throwing a loose twig into the fire.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Said a voice from the darkness outside the fire light. "I'm bigger, stronger, faster, and so much smarter than he is, isn't that right baby brother." Abby interjected as she walked through the brush wall, leading her horse.
"And just who might you be?" She asked, tying her horse up and walking up to the fire.
"My name is-
"This is Cassius, he knows of all the little villages around here and is going to help me to navigate and pin point the whereabouts of the three daughters. . . . Isn't that right?" I asked him, knowing he would catch my drift.
"That's right." He concurred.
"So. . . . . You're not a spy?" Abby asked, stepping around the fire and standing in front of him.
"No. . . I'm just a commoner from the coast." Cassius replied, a little nervously.
"Hmm. . . .then. . . It must just be a coincidence that I happened to find a spy, hiding just outside the camp, from the exact same village that you just came from!" Abby said, her voice raising as she grabbed Cassius by his cloak and lifted him off his feet.
She walked effortlessly over to the edge of the brush, and reached down, grabbing another body who was tied up and walking them both in front of me. She tossed them to the ground, and I immediately recognized the grunt that the second man made.
I kicked him over so I could see his face, and my suspicions were confirmed. I just looked down on him but said nothing. Cassius wisely stayed down.
"Like I said. . . . HE is with me." I said, shoving Cassius away with my foot like he weighed nothing. "I don't know this other one." I said with a smirk.
"So he IS a spy then" my sister ascertained as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and held him off the ground.
It looked like she had already beat him up a little bit. As time passed, a slayer kind of just gets the hang of how much pain a human can take, and limits their strength to effectively interact with them.
"He must be." I said, as I helped Cassius to his feet.
"So should I kill him? Abby asked, leaving the option up to me.
"Makes no difference to me. . " I replied, shrugging.
"Ok then!" She said, holding him up high, and bringing her fist back to likely punch his head clean off.
She went to punch him with normal human speed, and just as he was about to get hit, he cried out.
"Ant!" He screamed, his voice squeaking.
Abby stopped her fist about an inch from his face. "Just as I thought! You do know him."
"Y-yes! I met him in Ellenworth after he li-
"After I conducted my investigation and found nothing!" I said, interrupting him. "But I did find this man, who is master of acquiring information and knows some people further West of here." I lied.
"Is this the truth, human?" My sister asked Julius as he hung nervously in front of her.
Totally missing my lead, Julius began to run his mouth.
"I don't. . . I don't know of any investigation but. . . . Ant saved the city from Emelia!" He said, slightly confused.
"And who is Emelia?" She questioned, and I could tell from her body language that she already had an idea.
"She was the giant that enslaved us all!" Julius answered passionately.
"Well, some of us more than others. . . " Cassius said, bitterly.
I knew what was coming next, and right on cue. . . Abby's scowl was directed at me. She tossed Julius to the ground and stepped to me.
"You. . .slayed a giant?" She asked, clenching her fists.
"I defended myself. " I replied flatly, not looking her in the eye.
"Defended yourself? That would suggest that you did something worthy of attack!" She concluded.
"Why don't you ask Julius here exactly what happened!" I said, staring into the fire.
"I'm asking YOU!" Abigail said, getting irritated now. "YOU are the one blowing our cover and giving away our positions to the giants!"
"You think I don't know that!" I shouted. Finally I had enough of my sister bullying me. "Like I said, I had things under control until he decided to expose me! From there, it became a matter of life or death! I'm sorry I chose living!"
Abby looked to Cassius and Julius for confirmation. They both nodded. For the moment she seemed to calm down and just sat next to me on the log.
"We will have to move camp first thing in the morning. It isn't safe here anymore." She said, to the group.
"What do you mean it isn't safe? Ant is a giant slayer!" Julius interjected.
"We are BOTH giant slayers! And our mission is not to protect two particular humans, or pick fights with every giant we come across!" Abby explained, sternly. "You need to go!" She added, pointing a finger at Julius.
Julius stood and stepped between my sister and I. He looked back and forth between us as he spoke.
"I-I can't go back to Ellenworth! Ant said it isn't safe there either! I. . . Can help you guys! I have many useful skills!" He offered, unsure of himself.
This sparked a laugh in Cassius as he took a swig. "You really think they need you, kid? Or even me for that matter. All they need is that sword of theirs and most human problems become a non-issue." He said, cynically.
"You said you are conducting an investigation, right? Well, no offense to either of you three, but sometimes a scruffy drifter, a totally obvious, tall, female soldier and the village idiot!. . . Are not the best premises for acquiring information! I can get into places that aren't jail cells and pubs. People find me trustworthy."
"People find you a slimy little trenchworm!" Cassius interuppted, rudely.
"There will be no petty squabbling in my camp!" Abby barked.
She stood still, staring into the darkness as she thought over her options. Finally she spoke.
"Fine. . . You can join us, but you do so at your own peril. Neither I, nor my brother are here to protect you. We are on a mission from the crown!" Abby declared.
"I thought Ant is a fugitive from the crown? That is what his wanted poster says." Julius asked, sitting down across from us, but not next to Cassius.
"He is! I captured him, and he is now a representative of the crown until I either release him or he dies." Abby informed him.
Cassius laughed his dry laugh again.
"Do you find something humorous?" Abigail asked, raising an eyebrow at him, challenging him to displease her.
"It just seems like you two have an. . . Interesting. . Relationship." Cassius replied with a grin. He seemed completely impervious to her intimidation which I knew would irritate her.
"Our relationship is. . . . Fine!. . . And normal!. . And Great! Abigail huffed, her voice barely below a shout.
"Right. . ." Cassius said sarcastically, taking another swig.
His swagger and disregard for her immediately pissed her off. She stood up, walked over to him, and snatched the bottle from him before crushing it in her hand.
"Nobody is drinking here! Camp rules!" She snapped, glaring at him.
"Hmm." Was all he replied, as he stood up to face her.
Abigail stared him down, a good 4 or 5 inches taller than him. I expected him to say something clever, but he just turned and walked to the wagon. He began to unload a tent, and set it up next to mine.
"So. . . What exactly are you guys doing here in the outer rim?" Julius asked, trying to ease the tension. "What is this mission?"
I didn't reply. I chose not to say anything to most people, most of the time.
"We are trying to prevent another great war from happening." My sister said flatly.
"Meaning?" Julius answered.
"Meaning somebody assassinated the giant king, and the giants think it was the crown. Now, the 3 last born daughters of the giant king are here, and they intend to kill every human and giant slayer they come across until they get to the capital." Abigail said, summing everything up in one go.
Julius' eyes got wide as he heard this.
"Can. . . You kill them?" He asked, looking at me hopefully.
"We don't know anything true about them." She replied honestly.
"But Ant. . . Ant killed Emelia with one swing of his sword!" Julius exclaimed.
Myself and my sister were silent, and off to the side, Cassius began to set up a quick lean to for the night. He was also the first one to answer Julius.
"I don't know if you were watching the same fight as I was kid, but Mr. Hero here barely escaped with his life." He said, with almost a chuckle in his voice. "If that last attack had gone any other way, we would still be sweeping his crumbs off the ground. . . Likely ours too." He added, his voice more serious here.
"Say what you will! He still saved us all and did what nobody else could do! Now there are two of them together. No giant could possibly beat them!" Julius exclaimed, clenching his fists.
Cassius rubbed his temples.
"I'm not trying to be ungrateful, really I'm not!" He began, holding his hands up to myself and my sister "But Julius my boy. . . Emelia was a nobody. Think of her as. . . Your mother. . In the way that she is just a normal person. . Albeit a giant one. In her own world, she was just another woman. Here though. . . . Here, she was more than all the men in the city could handle, but that is only because we are the size of mice to her."
Cassius worked as he talked, and soon his lean to was up.
"All I'm saying is. . . If the common village woman almost crushed Ant, I really fear what these "three daughters" who are trained warriors, are capable of." He finished, before climbing under the lean to. "Good night."
Julius hung his head in despair. He knew Cassius was right to some extent, but at the same time. . . Ant had truly lived up to every legend he had been told about giant slayers as a young boy. Deep down, he wanted to believe that they were an unstoppable force for good and justice, but he also knew that was probably a foolish way of thinking.
"My mission is not to kill the three. It is to intercept them, and hopefully find out who the assassin is. It may well be the only way to keep the human world from being demolished. Because. . . If you haven't noticed, giant slayers are in short supply lately." Abby said, as she stood, and entered her tent, saying no more and leaving me alone with Julius.
"You can have that tent there." I said, pointing to my sister's partners tent. "I'm going to stay up and keep watch. I'll sleep during the trip to where ever we are going next."
"You don't know where we are going next?" He replied, a puzzled look on his face.
"This. . Isn't MY mission. Abigail is forcing me to be here." I said, pulling up my cloak to reveal the seal on my chest.
"What is that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tracking prayer. ."
He continued to look confused but said nothing.
"Nevermind. Long story short. . . My sister will kill me if I try to leave." I said flatly.
"What does that even. ." He began.
"That isn't an exaggeration. But, I don't want to talk about that. Go get some rest. I'll be fine here. "
He only nodded, and disappeared inside the tent. I sat and pondered how anyone still had that childlike faith in us anymore. Yes, I did kill Emelia in one blow. . . But back in my prime, I've cut a giant clean in half with that attack. Any less power this time and it may not have done the job.
I thought about it the rest of the night, as nothing else happened. It was what I was used to. Uneventful and easy to keep my head down and live honestly without being commanded to take life. . . It was nice.
The morning came, and soon after, my three traveling companions emerged from their tents. Cassius cooked breakfast while we packed up camp. The wagon became cramped with all of my sister's belongings on board. She didn't exactly travel light.
After eating, we all headed out. Abby decided southwest was our heading and that we were to set up camp at the base of the mountain range. I could tell that nobody else approved of that plan, but there was no vocal arguing. Southwest was not only the mountain range, but also the sea. They formed a geographical corner there.
The problem with that was, the mountain range was the literal border with the giant kingdom and the closest giant city was a minimal 35 miles from the coastal human city of Kleindell. In fact, giant sailing ships could often be seen traveling in the distance, heading to their own appropriately sized ports.
There was even stories of a giant ship that ran aground, completely destroying an entire human port city. The tale got twisted from generation to generation, but a giant ship was one of, if not the biggest moving thing in creation, so it seemed possible.
The sea was a solid 4 day's journey, and as a newly formed band of misfits, we took the time to "get to know each other". It turned out, Cassius was actually from the coast. . . Not that it would help us now. He had been travelling for some rare materials for his ship, some 13 years ago, which had led him to Ellenworth. The rest is history I guess.
Julius on the other hand, was born in Ellenworth, and so had never been far beyond what the privilege of being Emelia's advisor granted him. As the terrain changed, his jaw dropped further and further. He had used his "brilliant mind" to get in close with Emelia until he was eventually her right hand man in charge of all her day to day operations. A fact that most of the city resented.
The days passed as we continued on through sun, rain, and storms, stopping only to let the horses rest. The time moved slowly as my loving sister wouldn't allow me to drink and I didn't feel like talking to any one of them.
On the last day as we approached the area that would become the new camp, my sister began to lay out the plan.
"Ok. First, myself and Ant will go into Kleindell and see what we can find out. You two stay back and set up the camp out of view from anyone traveling on or near the road, and And any giants traveling down the mountain."
"Actually. . . .I think myself and Cassius should go to the city. Less conspicuous. We will make sure the coast is clear and see what information we can dig up. Then, after we find out we can, you two go next, posing as a couple and do the same. " I said, speaking for the first time in two days.
Abby looked like she was about to object, but to my surprise, she didn't.
". . Fine. Be back in two days time, then we will switch off." She said,calmly.
Both Cassius and Julius looked surprised as well.
"What?!" Abby snapped, glaring at them.
"Nothing. . ." Cassius said with a sly smirk.
"Its just. . .we didn't think you two ever agreed on anything. ." Julius remarked cautiously.
"Hey! I trust Ant's judgement! He didn't survive this long by being stupid. I just hate his laziness and his attitude toward most everything! If he has a good idea, I'll go with it! " she snapped, barely below a yell.
Cassius kept his smirk and waved her off. Julius cowered in fear as he turned back around on the driver's seat.
We rode on in silence until we reached what Abby decided was camp. We all helped unload the wagon, but ultimately we left Abby and Julius to set it up as we walked the 5 miles into the city.
What we found when we got there was surprising to say the least.
Most times when you got to a city and there was major construction, it was because a giant had payed a visit. But here. . . .crews of 4 to 5 men each were. . . . . Deconstructing the buildings.
Everywhere we looked, there were stacks of lumber and brick, taken from half torn down houses. Other men were loading the materials onto wagons and the wagons seemed to be heading to the port. Although both of us thought it strange, we didn't stop to ask questions.
Instead, we headed straight to the port to see for ourselves. What we gathered on the way there, is that there were mostly men I. The city. Very few women walked the streets and no children to be seen.
Strange.
As we got to the port, we arrived just in time to see a ship leaving the port, full to the brim with materials. We stood and watched as it headed south, to which there was only the fire reef, and whatever lay beyond. No one really knew, because sailing through the fire reef was deemed impossible and so it sort of became the edge of the known world as far as going south was concerned.
There was a man leaning up against a post on the dock and writing on a piece of paper, and Cassius decided to make contact.
"Excuse me friend, but. . . What's going on here? The city looks like chaos!" He said, smoothly. Cassius had a sort of way with people. I guess that is what kept him alive, even though he disrespected a giantess on many occasions.
"We are moving the city." The man said, without looking up.
"Moving it. . . Where?" Cassius asked, a bit puzzled.
"Only citizens of the city can know that. We don't need outsiders running their mouths about it!" He said, harshly before turning and walking away.
"What was his problem?" He asked me, as we continued into the port.
"I'm not sure. In all my years I have never seen this before, but it reminds me of the stories I was told from when I was a kid. Stories about how whole cities were uprooted and moved when the giants invaded the main land all those years ago."
"Do you think this has to do with the three daughters? I mean, for the most part, coastal humans and giants work together and get along because the sea is equally plentiful and deadly to both of them." Cassius remarked, taking out a hand rolled cigarette and lighting in on a torch along the path.
"It's possible. But why move the entire city unless you planned on being gone forever?" I questioned.
We continued to ask around, but everyone's lips were sealed about where the ships were going. The town seemed on edge about something, and by now we were determined to find out what. .
Giantess World
