A woman let out a startled scream, grabbing the attention of the giantess. The girl's eyes darted from us, to the open box on her dresser, complete with the key. Her face turned red, and she clenched her fists and hiked her shoulders.
"You guy's need to run! I'll stay here and slow her down." I said, pointing to the wall.
Nobody argued, and they took off running as fast as they could. I was now tasked with keeping this giant busy, without killing her.
She glared down at me, an almost confused look on her face.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked, taking a step toward me.
I heard the thump of footsteps behind her.
"Leave him alone! He is a giant slayer! He'll kill you!" Adam shouted, slipping around his sister and between his sister and myself.
"How do you even know that?" She demanded, her voice a mix of confusion and annoyance. ". . . . Did you talk to him? . . . You helped them escape,didn't you?!" She asked, her voice raising in intensity as she put all the pieces together very quickly.
Adam tried to stammer a response but fear was overwhelming him now. His resolve crumbled as she stepped up to him.
"I'll deal with you next!" She said, distaste in her voice as she grabbed him by his shirt and tossed him out of her room before turning back to me.
Surprisingly, her face read a cool confidence. Not fear like I had grown to know upon giants learning my true identity.
"Is that right? Did the little humans finally send a giant slayer to kill me?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"I just want the humans back and for you to stop capturing them. Nobody has to die." I stated firmly, hoping to intimidate her.
She snorted a laugh.
"What do you even care? Giant slayers have bigger problems right now than a few missing humans every now and then. If they don't want to get captured, they shouldn't wander into the woods at night!" She replied with a chuckle.
Adam only watched from behind her.
I said nothing, just eying her. The longer I stalled, the better chance the humans had to escape.
"See! You can't even come up with a good reason to help them! You just follow orders like an obedient little dog because that is how the gods created you! If they didn't want the humans to suffer, they shouldn't have made them tiny! If anything, humans should be mad at them, not us." She continued.
"Regardless. . I'm taking them and leaving." I said boldly, before turning and walking toward the direction of the humans.
I heard the thump of footsteps behind me, and a moment later, a shadow cast over me. Instinctively I stepped to the right just as her foot stomped the ground where I was just walking.
"Get back here! By giant law, those humans are my property! You owe me compensation!" She said, after seeing she didn't crush me.
"Listen girl, I REALLY don't want to have to hurt you. . . So if you could just leave us be, there will be no trouble." I said, trying to remain calm.
She tried fruitlessly to stomp me again before she spoke.
"A real giant slayer wouldn't think twice about killing me. You are blood thirsty animals who only know how to kill! I think you're a coward, and after I crush you, I'll be going outside and getting my property back." She said, whilst trying to catch me with a kick.
"Don't antagonize him, Seph! He said he doesn't want to kill you. Can you not just count your blessings?" Adam whined from behind her.
"No! He stole from me, and somebody has to pay the price. Each of those humans is worth 20 gold pieces and the merchant will be here in three days!" She exclaimed, attempting another stomp.
"You're never going to catch me Lass!" I said, easily dodging her.
She stopped and thought for a moment. Then without warning she turned and walked out of her bedroom, bowling Adam over in the process. I knew exactly where she was going, and moved to intercept her. Sprinting to the edge of the fur carpet, I grabbed a handful and pulled.
I received the desired effect as bare feet went up in the air and the ground shook as Persephone slammed flat on her back. She let out a long, awkward wail as the air was knocked out of her. Adam's hands covered his mouth as he stifled a laugh.
"Just because I don't want to kill you, doesn't mean I can just let you go after them either." I told her.
It took some time to catch her breath, but when she finally did, she was angry as ever.
"What are you laughing at Adam? You little bog weasel!" She spat as she slowly rose.
Glaring at me, she stood with her hands on her knees breathing heavy.
"I'll. . . I'll make you a deal." She said shakily.
"I'm listening. . ."
"We both know that A: even if I gave those humans a days head start, with the mountains between here and there, and with none of them knowing the path. . . I can just as easily catch them again. And when I do. . . . " She trailed off, insinuating her intent.
"I'm sure you don't want that. If you did, you would have just stayed in the woods. . .or not even went into the woods in the first place. So. . . If you're NOT going to kill me, the only way they go free is for YOU to take their place. One slayer is worth 3 times what all those humans were worth right now. You stay here until the merchant arrives to purchase you." She stated, pointing down at me.
It really wasn't a hard choice. It wasn't even that I. . . "Liked" humans all that much really. I guess in the back of my mind, I just kind of hoped that maybe I could do enough in the time I had left, to make up for the things I did in my past. I don't know.
"Alright. . . I'll stay." I said immediately.
Adam looked crushed. I knew how he felt. To see somebody you assumed to be this unstoppable force is just as powerless against your problems as you are.
"Good. I want no attitude or tricks either! If you fight or struggle or disobey, I'll go into the mountains and catch them again. You do as I say until the merchant arrives." Persephone said in a bossy tone.
"Yes ma'am." I said flatly.
Of course. . . . I didn't really have any plan of staying here. I was just biding my time. Waiting until the humans could get far enough away before I made my escape.
Huh. . .
That is probably why my sister felt the need to place this prayer on me. . .
Oh well. . .
With that, I was plucked from the floor, and roughly shoved into the very box I had just freed everyone from. Being imprisoned was becoming an all too familiar feeling as of late. As before, I really had nothing to do but wait.
I'm not sure what the brother and sister did after she locked me away, but when I was finally released again, it was day time and they were wearing different clothes. Adam didn't stay long, as Persephone ordered him to do chores outside in the garden. Meanwhile, she took the opportunity to test my strength and resistance.
All morning, I was forced to pull and push items of increasing weight around the floor. Other times, she would apply pressure to my bones and see if she could break them. She never did succeed, which is lucky, because I "wasn't allowed" to fight back.
Eventually she had to go do chores of her own and locked me back in the box. At this point, I didn't really have a escape plan but I knew I had to stay at least another day. I was made to sit in the dark for an undetermined amount of time before I was disturbed again.
"So you honestly traded all your humans for one slayer?" The girl from yesterday asked in disbelief.
"Yeah! He is worth 3 times more than them!" Persephone exclaimed.
"Well why didn't you just lock him up, then go get the humans too?" The girl inquired with a smirk aimed in my direction as I stood between them as they sat on the floor in front of the fire. The humans that this girl possessed stood off to the side in a huddled crowd. They all shook with fear.
"Too much work! I didn't see where they went anyway. Plus, with that storm up in the mountains. . I don't think they will last through today with no supplies." Persephone said, taking a spoonful of stew from a bowl to her right. "On top of that. . .ADAM. . .would probably try to help him escape if I left them alone together!" She said loudly in her brothers direction.
He only stuck his nose deeper into his book.
"You're lucky she didn't kick your little ass for that! If you were my brother, I'd have beaten the stuffing out of you!" The friend spat, glaring at him. " Seph goes too easy on you, and so do your parents! That is why you are the weakest boy in town!" She finished with a sneer.
. . . This girl was starting to piss me off.
"Hey! Leave him alone." I said, surprising the three giants in the room.
"What did you just say to me?" She replied, bringing her face in close to mine, her hair dangling right by me.
I entertained the thought of grabbing it and giving her something to remember me by but ultimately held off.
"I said. . . Leave him al-
I was interuppted as the girl decided to throw a punch to shut me up. I was unphased and casually caught her fist with one hand, stopping it dead in it's tracks. The look on everyone's face was worth at least 1500 gold by itself.
With a flick of my wrist, I redirected her fist backward and it awkwardly bounced off her forehead and sent her sprawling back comically. Both Adam and Persephone burst out laughing at this.
The girl sat up and glared at me. I think she knew I was not to be messed with, so she took the easiest target in the room, aside from her humans. She stood up and began to rain slaps down on Adam as he tried to block her with his book.
"You think that's funny, you little twerp?!" She shouted as she released her barrage.
"Leave him alone, Meegan. It WAS pretty funny!" Persephone intervened, wiping a tear from her eye.
"You better remember your place, brat!" The girl "Meegan" shot at him as she returned to her sitting position. "And this little bastard better remember his! He is lucky I don't send word to the capital that we captured the assassin! Then we could watch the royal guards tear him apart!" She added, staring daggers through me.
"He isn't the assassin!" Adam pipped up.
"Really? How do you know? Did you even bother to ask him? Do you even know his name? He could be here to slaughter the whole village for fun and here we are, eating stew with him!" Meegan ranted.
The brother and sister were silent as they thought about that possibility.
"Yes, but the assassin wears the colors of the human king." Persephone said, trying to rationalize.
"Because he couldn't just change his clothes!" Her friend replied sarcastically.
Adam snickered from the table.
"Why don't you just shut up Adam! You are the one who found him and you didn't think to ask him who he was!" Persephone yelled at him.
"I DID ask him! He isn't the assassin!" Adam assured them.
"What's his name?. . . . What's your name, slayer?" Meegan asked, looking first to Adam, then to me.
"Alexander Monte." I replied without hesitation.
Alexander Monte was one of the many aliases I used in my travels. Because my wanted poster had my real name, it was necessary to be able to move around unrestrained.
Meegan narrowed her eyes at me.
"I don't believe him! Why even talk to Adam in the first place? What does he really want?" She questioned, looking to Persephone.
I caught Adam looking at me, and I shook my head, telling him not to tell them.
"It doesn't matter what he wants! He's mine now and I'm handing him over to Zahra when she comes to town.
My heart dropped.
That was a name I was never really happy to hear.
Zahra was the infamous leader of an all female bandit gang. Together they traveled the country side, terrorizing passers by, robbing them, dealing in loans, gambling and just about anything else that was profitable.
What was different about them was that these giants dealt with not only their own kind, but humans as well. Which is to say that not only did they kidnap and traffic in them, but they would also loan to them and trade with them. But. . . As well as all that goes, they still had a deplorable reputation.
Enter giant slayers.
Unlike the average giant that slayers came across, Zahra and her gang were well trained in combat and as such, both giant bounty hunters and giant slayers were unsuccessful at killing or capturing any of her group. Zahra herself accounted for many slayer deaths and was known for being particularly ruthless with them.
I say all that. . . Because I owe her a debt. Both myself and my brother. Different debts and times, but we both owed her. . . And. . . I hadn't exactly gotten her the payment on time. I had been avoiding her for months now, and had just narrowly escaped her the last time we met. I heard later that she was willing to triple the price on my bounty poster to anyone who brought me to her.
Hearing that was all the motivation I needed. I would escape tonight and deal with whatever consequences it brought.
The rest of the day was uneventful. The girls continued to bully me and the humans as they saw fit. Finally, after being squished underfoot for the hundredth time, Meegan decided to take her lot of humans and go. To my surprise, I wasn't immediately shoved back into the box, and was allowed to stay on the table with Adam as Persephone made them both dinner.
This time it was fish that she had bought from a fisherman passing through. It smelled really great, but Persephone forbid Adam from giving me any. She said I didn't deserve any after what I did to Meegan, even though I was repayed tenfold with squeezes and squashes throughout the day.
Some time later, I was stuck back in the box. I listened closely, waiting what felt like hours before making my move. I pulled out my dagger, which was made of a lesser metal than my sword and not capable of piercing giant skin. I used it instead to carve and weaken the floor of the box. By the morning, it was ready.
According to plan, Persephone came rushing into her room and the box was jostled roughly as she fiddled with the lock. A moment later the lid was raised and I was met with her giant, beaming face.
"Time to go! Zahra's wagon train is here!" She exclaimed, before slamming the lid back down without giving me a chance to reply.
Luckily, she hadn't noticed my "modifications" to her box.
She picked me up and I was thrown about as she no doubt ran to meet the merchant. It was now or never, as she was moving far too fast for me to waste any time. If she made it to the line of villagers waiting to trade and sell with Zahra, the chances of escaping clean would be practically zero. . . . And fighting my way out of a village full of giants would be certain death.
I took a deep breath, and in between jostles I managed to get my hands into the crack I had carved. With some effort, I peeled back the wood, and slipped through, narrowly avoiding being trampled by Persephone as she ran toward the center of the village.
I glanced around to make sure I hadn't been seen, before making my way south. The mountains weren't the only way back to the human realm, and if and when Persephone noticed I was gone, she would surely take the mountains to try and find me. With that reason, I decided to take the coast.
"I. . . I don't understand it! He was just here a minute ago!" Persephone cried as she gazed into the empty box with a hole in the bottom.
"That is why you always completely disarm a slayer! And I usually use a special cell for keeping them. They are crafty little things!" Zahra commented to the teenaged girl before her.
"I'm. . . So stupid!" Persephone wailed, with tears in her eyes. "I traded ALL of my humans for him!"
Zahra felt pity for her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Did you happen to catch his name?" She asked, gently.
"Alexander. . . Alexander Monte. . . " she managed between sniffles.
Zahra's hands involuntarily clenched into fists at the mention of that name, and she scanned the ground around them.
"I tell you what. . . . If I happen to come across him in the next few days, I'll still pay you half. It's the least I can do for the information." Zahra offered, gently.
"Wow! Seriously?" Persephone shouted.
"Yes. . . You have my word." Zahra promised, before giving the signal to the couple of subordinates she had with her to pack up the wagon.
The southern most coast was an impassable hell. Jagged rocks and steep cliffs composed most of it. Giants were too big to be able to find foot holds to use it and humans were too weak to climb the distances required. Only slayers could really travel it by land, so I moved at a steady pace without expecting to see anyone else.
Being a 40 mile journey back to the village, I knew without distraction, I could make it back in one day without having to move at human pace. Eventually, I saw the city in the distance, and strolled casually into town. In the days that I had been gone, the villagers had made a lot of progress. A few more blocks had been cleared of all the buildings now.
Immediately, I went straight to the tavern. Not to collect my reward, but to get something more valuable.
"Ahh, hello again stranger! It's good to see you! When the others came home without, we were worried you might have perished!" The bartender said, greeting me.
The tavern was empty except for him and his red headed bar maiden. She had a drink in hand, and a pissed off look on her face, directed at me.
"Your colleague already collected the reward I'm afraid. . ." The bartender explained, unsure of why I was there.
"I expected as much. . . . That isn't why I'm here. . "
"What can I do for you?" The bartender asked, leaning on the counter.
"Information. . . . The truth. Tell me. . . .why is the city being torn down and taken to the docks?"
The man and the maiden exchanged glances. After a moment, he spoke.
"I suppose you have earned the right to know. . . You did the village a huge service." He began.
"Ha!" The maiden huffed, but said no more.
"Please excuse her sir. . . Her husband. . . Wasn't among those who returned. ." The man told me, patting her on the shoulder. "The truth is. . . . We discovered a route through the sea wall."
My eyes got wide. The sea wall was a natural barrier set up by the gods, and was widely believedto be the very edge of the world. It was thought impossible for either human or giant ships to pass through due to it's jagged rock faces.
"Beyond the wall, we found an island with food and fresh water. . . . In the midst of the three daughters rampaging the human kingdom, we voted and decided that uprooting and rebuilding off the map is our best hope for survival." The man explained.
There it was again. . . . This notion that nobody anywhere could possibly beat the three daughters. The thought that tearing down and rebuilding an entire city would be easier than fighting. I was taken aback by it.
"What do you know of the three daughters? " I asked, trying not to sound too demanding.
The man was about to respond, when the woman stopped him.
"What's it worth to you?" She asked, a greasy smile on her face.
"Well, seeing as how I am apparently the only one trying to stop the end of human kind. . I'd say everyone would benefit from you telling me what you know."
"And what do you plan to do about it? Besides get squashed flat along with anyone else who tries to oppose them?" She sneered at me.
"They will crush us all, regardless of whether or not we oppose them!" The man interuppted.
"Think about it. . . Did I not just return from giant country unscathed, and with your hunters in tow?" I questioned, appealing to their reason.
The man mulled it over, before speaking.
"All we know is what travelers tell us. . . Travelers who immediately board ships going anywhere but here. . . " he began. " from what I understand, they split up when they crossed the border. The oldest took the northern most route. The middle down the middle, and the youngest went south. Their plan is just to destroy everything in their path until there is nothing left. Of course it's all rumor, but we're told Florence has wiped out nearly all of the northern mountain tribes. . " he said, solemnly.
I just took in the information, unsure of what to think. The northern mountain tribes were known for being deeply entrenched into the mountains. Giants often ventured there, but they were never successful at conquering them due to traps and weather.
"No. . . Slayers tried to stop her?" I questioned, not trying to seem to interested.
"From what I gather, she has killed at least 10 so far. . .including Mathias."
My eyes got wide.
"That's right! She squashed Mathias flat as a pancake!" The girl declared, pounding her fist in the bar counter.
Mathias. . .
One of the most well known giant slayers of all time. One of the originals created. One of the only slayers to wield 2 swords. I wouldn't say we were friends, but we had fought together on a few occasions. He was sort of a mentor to young slayers before everyone either went to the capital or on the run.
While Mathias WAS on the run, it was just widely accepted that slayers at least, didn't try to kill or capture him.
Now he was gone.
I was careful not to show emotion, as both humans studied me.
"The youngest. . . Juliette. . . . Have you seen or heard about her?" I asked, trying not to sound too interested.
"There are rumors of a blonde giantess further down the coast. She has been taking humans from 4 different cities but nobody knows why." The man informed me.
"Thank you." I said, and decided it was time to leave.
I was just about to the door, when the man called out.
"HEY!" He shouted, before hurling a larger knife at my head.
Instincually, I lifted my hand, and caught the knife by the handle just before it caught the tip of my nose.
The man looked unsurprised but the woman shrieked in shock.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" He asked, a knowing look on his face.
I said nothing, but just threw the knife back, sticking it into the side of the bar at least 4 inches deep, before walking out and heading back toward camp.
Giantess World
