Chapter 16

True to his word, Markus was waiting for Aela bright and early the next morning. Looking much better than he had the day before, Markus smiled as she joined him downstairs.

“I don't have much I need to get done until midday, so as long as we don't get too carried away, we should have plenty of time to ourselves. What do you think?” Markus asked.

Aela nodded, “It is good,” she wasn't entirely sure why he had asked or felt he needed to explain himself, but as strange as it had seemed, she strangely appreciated it. It was like Markus was making an effort to include her, or at least she thought so anyway.

They didn't talk much during the next hour, too busy jogging through the quiet streets to allow for robust conversation. With her heightened endurance, the limited exercise did little to tax her stamina, but that was not true for Markus. He had made notable progress since they had first started, but he still had a long way to go.

To his credit, Markus didn't complain, he never did, just gritting his teeth and pushing himself onward. For someone so prone to self-doubt, it was difficult for Aela to rationalize this version of Markus against the other.

Returning home, Markus went upstairs to change before they would go out again.

Aela reluctantly watched him go, darting her tongue and drunkenly revelling in his scent. It was an indulgence that she doubted her mother would approve of and that only served to heighten her guilty pleasure.

Markus didn't take long, having settled for just replacing his shirt, likely believing no one would notice or care. He, of course, had not accounted for Aela’s heightened senses, not that she was complaining or would draw attention to it. “Was there anything, in particular, you wanted to do this morning?” Markus asked.

Aela had to think hard for a moment. With how excited her blood had become, she wanted to hunt but wasn't sure Markus would share her enthusiasm.

Crossing his arms and cocking one eyebrow, Markus could tell she had something in mind, “Well?” He asked, “Do you have something in mind?"

Gnawing at her lip, then releasing a short sigh, Aela tried to think of something else they could do together but couldn't come up with anything. “It has been a while, but Ae-I thought we could go hunting,” Aela expected Markus to object, but he didn't.

“Alright, uhm, don't we need bows or slings or something like that though?” Markus asked.

She smiled and tried hard not to laugh, “Not needed for hunting,” Aela assured him as she lifted the bar from the door. “We can hunt with what we find, I will teach you how."

Markus considered this for a moment before chuckling quietly to himself, “Yeah, If anyone could, it would be you,” he clapped his hands then rubbed them together excitedly, “Alright, this could be fun, lead on hehe."

After waiting for the golem to bar the door, Markus and Aela set off down the street and towards the north gate. The clouds were a little overcast but she did not think it would rain much that morning, but there would almost definitely be a downpour sometime that afternoon.

Although Aela received some wary looks from the guards at the gatehouse, none of them made a point of being anything but professional. It was amazing how well behaved they were in comparison to each of the other times Aela and her mother had wanted to pass through. Her reaction had not been lost on Markus, who had been paying particular attention throughout the brief exchange of his information with the guards.

“Seems like the guildmaster’s orders are working,” Markus said cheerily in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Aela smiled, “They were even more well mannered than after our return from the dungeon,” she agreed.

Markus chuckled “Yeah, I noticed that too. But did you see the picture of me in the guardhouse?” He asked with a mischievous grin.

Aela hadn't, “No,” she shook her head and wondered how Markus had noticed something her superior vision had not.

“There was a portrait of my face in the guardhouse by the gate,” Markus chuckled again, “I’d bet they hadn't expected me to pass through dressed like this,” he gestured to his faded and slightly stained shirt, tattered pants and badly scuffed boots.

That made Aela smile. Markus was in almost every conceivable way and with no absence of effort, as close to the opposite of what someone would expect him to be. She wondered if it would even be possible for any of the southern common folk and nobility to ever truly accept Markus only by description. Aela very much doubted it, since Markus seemed to almost delight in eschewing the rigid social conventions of class and status.

That last thought made Aela feel a little uneasy though. How would Markus's belligerent disregard for status fare when confronted with her siblings? Each seemed as thoroughly obsessed with social hierarchy as Markus was to avoid it. The worst would be Beowulf and she desperately hoped he would not be coming. After all, so far as they had learned before venturing south, Beowulf had managed to secure a dungeon heart for himself, but maybe the information was wrong? They had only learned of it through a neighbour who had been returning on the road to the clan hold as Aela and Svala had been leaving.

It was difficult for Aela to think of her brothers as anything but brutish thugs, but she would be the first to admit it wasn't a fair portrayal of their character. Forever the outsider in their home, Aela had been an easy target for intimidation and insults. These had lessened as she left childhood but never truly disappeared entirely. Aela often wondered if it was the same in other families since they had not limited this practice to her alone, Aela had just been targeted more often than they had each other.

She wondered how Thyra was faring at home. With Svala away and only their brothers for company, it would be doubtful that she was enjoying the experience. Of all her siblings, Thyra had always been the least inclined to violence or insults toward Aela, but then again, she was significantly younger and had been showing signs of heightened animosity when they had left southward.

Clearly noticing something was on her mind Markus gave Aela an expectant but patient look, knowing she would tell him if she wanted to and that if she didn't, then he would understand.

Aela considered telling Markus what was bothering her but decided against it. Aela knew that talking about it would most likely only make her more anxious and probably have the same effect for Markus. So she shook her head slightly and continued walking down the road.

As Aela had expected, Markus didn't seem to mind, just shrugging his shoulders and matching pace with her. “So, where are we going? Anywhere in particular?" Markus asked curiously.

Aela thought about it for a moment before replying, “Maybe that way,” she pointed off the road to the north-west. “There will not be much game close to town, so we will need to leave the road soon."

Markus bobbed his head, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead,"

Leading them off the road, Aela began regularly tasting the air and looking for tracks. It was unlikely they would find anything larger than a game hen or rabbit, but it was important to remain vigilant.

After an hour of hiking through the light woodland, Aela caught the fresh scent of blood. Motioning for Markus to stop, she began scenting the source in earnest. It was familiar and relatively easy enough to place. The source was maybe another hour away, perhaps a little closer but it was hard to tell much more than that because Markus’s scent was proving more distracting than she had anticipated.

It was not unrealistic to expect other hunters to be going about their own business in the woods, but something didn't feel right and she had not seen any tracks, snares or other signs another hunter would have left in their wake. Unsure of how they should proceed and with the memory of the unusual behaviour of the wolf pack still fresh in her memory, Aela thought it would be best to leave the decision up to Markus. “I smell fresh blood up ahead,” she explained, indicating the direction with an outstretched arm. “At our current pace, we would need to hike another hour or so to investigate."

“Should we investigate?” Markus asked, a little surprised by the suggestion, “We aren't all that far from town. It’s probably just one of the trackers or hunters claiming a kill right?" Sensing her unease, Markus asked another question before she had time to answer the first, “There is something else isn't there?"

Aela nodded, her sense of foreboding only and unease slowly growing by the moment, “Something doesn't feel right,” she tasted the air again and was not pleased to find another fresh scent of blood on the wind. It was close in proximity to the first, so it was possible she had missed it, but it was unlikely.

“What is it?” Markus asked while scanning the treeline with an expectant and determined expression as he reached for the knife at his hip.

“More blood,” Aela chewed her lip nervously, “We should go back." Without her armour and weapons save for her own hip knife, Aela did not think it was wise to continue further into the woods.

Markus did not appear to have heard her, seemingly preoccupied with staring at his right hand with his brow firmly knitted in confusion and irritation.

Aela moved towards him to try and see what was wrong. Perhaps Markus’s hand was cramping, he had experienced cramps before while his injuries were healing and it was possible that Svala had missed a deeper injury or perhaps it had healed poorly.

Markus stiffened and his eyes widened in shock, “We need to go,” Markus croaked, “Now!"

Not needing to be told twice, Aela fell into step alongside him.

“I can't explain it, but, this feeling, it’s like when we were in the dungeon,” Markus glanced sidelong towards her, perhaps hoping Aela could provide a better explanation before quickly glancing over his shoulder.

There was a certainty in Markus’s eyes that scared Aela and that only served to make her even more anxious. He was right, the feeling Aela had earlier was similar to what she had felt in the dungeon. But the fact that she could not sense a dungeon now left only one very unpleasant possibility. A monster had managed to escape the confines of a dungeon and had turned Marauder.

Inside the dungeon, monsters were entirely beholden to the unknowable whims and drives of the dungeon, basically nothing more than slaves. They would die and be reborn endlessly as the dungeon recycled the magical energy that gave them form. But when a monster leaves the dungeon, that link is severed.

Monsters turned Marauder would be similar to feral chimaeras, sating their primal desires and indulging their vile appetites in any way they saw fit. The biggest problem with Marauders was the nature of security the guild enforced on dungeons in the first place.

Because almost all dungeons had golems posted to destroy any monsters that tried to escape a dungeon, only the strongest monsters of the most powerful dungeons stood a chance at escape and become Marauders.

The more Aela thought about it, the more certain she became that a Marauder was loose in the woods. It was possible that it was a weak monster that had fled a dungeon before a golem had taken guard, but she doubted it. Amongst incidents of Marauders, it was overwhelmingly more likely to be a powerful and unique monster.

As if to confirm her suspicions, Aela tasted a new scent on the wind, something strange that she couldn't place intermingled with the blood she had tasted earlier. It was definitely headed in their direction but did not seem to be moving particularly quickly. It was a small consolation however as it began to rain and she lost track of it amongst the sudden abundance of scent’s awakened by the rain.

When they made it back to the road and came back into sight of the town gate, Aela thought they would make it back to relative safety, but she was wrong. Aela felt the Marauder’s approach before she saw it. First, the ground reverberated with the rhythmic impacts of the footfalls of the beast as it drew closer. Next Aela heard the crashing and splintering of trees in the distance. Then, finally, she saw it with her own eyes.

Clad only in a soiled loincloth and dragging a small broken tree behind it in one hand, the giant was headed straight for them, pushing past or battering down any obstacles in its way with brutish force. The large tangled mop of wet greasy hair atop its grotesque and misshapen head obscured most of its face, but Aela could see that the giant had a singular large eye and that it was firmly fixed on Markus.

Markus nearly tripped when he caught sight of it, “No way...” He groaned, “You gotta be kidding me..."

“Run!” Aela shouted as she took hold of his arm, “We need to run!"

As if she had given the signal to the giant, it gave a savage roar and began to charge.

It was obvious to Aela that they would never make it to the gate. It was simply too far, if they tried, the Marauder would run them down. But without weapons and armour, they didn't stand a chance at fighting it either. The best and only chance they had at survival was to split up. If one of them could distract the giant, then the other could run back to town and get help.

But the way the marauder had focused its attention on Markus made it abundantly clear which one of them would need to serve the role of distraction. Aela was ashamed of herself as she entertained the idea. She had no doubts whether Markus would agree to do it, even now Aela could see his brow furrowing and jaw set as he seemed to arrive at a similar conclusion.

Without saying a word, Markus pulled his arm free of her grasp, something he may not have normally been capable of doing, but slick from the rain, Aela’s scales could not find traction and he slipped free. Without looking back, Markus ran off the road and into the woods on the other side of the road.

Shocked and unable to accept what had happened, Aela slipped on the wet flagstones, lost her balance and fell. She could do nothing but watch in horror as the giant slowly altered its course away from her and lumbered after Markus.

Why did it have to turn out like this? Now that she had finally found someone who loved her, that she was finally happy...Why?

Pushing herself to her feet, Aela felt numb. There was no hope, there never had been, to begin with. There wouldn't be an adventurer strong enough to fight the giant in an insignificant town like this. Even the Guild's golems wouldn't be enough, they were too slow and the giant would easily be able to bat them aside and tear them apart at its leisure.

“No hope,” Aela shivered, but not from the rain. She drew the knife from the sheath at her hip and reversed her grip. This would be it, one way or the other, Aela did not expect to survive and she was fine with that. Reason gave way as the well of emotions erupted inside of her. “Better to die fighting...” Aela growled, her breathing now uneven and ragged as the primal rage took hold of her mind. “NO!” Aela howled, charging in a collision course for the rapidly approaching giant, “I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET YOU TOUCH HIM!"

The Marauder was so single-bloody-minded it didn't so much as glance in her direction and this only served to stoke Aela’s rage still further.

Catching the Giant just as it cleared the tree line and began to cross the road, Aela drove her knife into its calf, but before she could pull it free the giant’s meaty fist swatted her aside. Aela was sent tumbling down the road end over end like a rag doll.

The giant hadn't even slowed down and was almost across the road.

Screaming in fury, Aela charged at the monster, her teeth bared and eager to rip into the giant’s foul hide. Dodging around the giant’s backhanded swing, Aela leapt onto its back and tried to sink her claws into its exposed flesh, but the giant’s grimy slippery hide proved too tough and she fell into the mud.

Still, the giant lumbered onward, its hot rancid breath steaming from its mouth excitedly as it pursued its prey.

“DAMN YOU!” Aela howled as she drew her backup knife from her boot and charged the giant for the third time. Only now that Aela was approaching it from behind, the giant didn't seem to make any attempts to ward her off at all. Leaping up between the brute’s legs, Aela buried the small knife to the hilt in the giant’s loincloth.

The giant bellowed in pain, lost its balance and fell. However, before Aela could take advantage of its vulnerable state, one of its thrashing legs caught her in the chest and sent Aela crashing into a tree.

Aela was beyond pain and felt nothing besides a vague sense of impact, quickly jumping to her feet and charging at the giant again. In its current position, there was a chance she could do some real damage to the creature before it could fend her off again.

Mewling and groaning, the giant only just managed to withdraw her knife from its groin in time to find Aela stabbing the broken trunk of a sapling down into its rotund gut. Howling in pain, it tried to swat her off, but Aela was too fast and kept ducking away and stabbing somewhere else.

Aela was doing her best to inflict as much damage as possible, but the thickness of the giant’s hide was making it nearly impossible to do any real harm. Even the blades of her knives, which were honed to a razor’s edge and fortified by enchantments, were not long enough to penetrate deep enough to do any real lasting damage to the monster.

Slowed by the ever-growing expanse of churned earth and mud created by the giant’s thrashing, Aela was bodily swatted aside again and couldn't regain her feet fast enough to prevent the giant from standing back up.

It growled something unintelligible at Aela, turned and stared blankly into the woods briefly before returning its attention to her again. Snatching up its club with its right hand, the giant absently scratched at its bloody groin with its left. It growled another string of syllables just as incomprehensible as the last, then began lumbering towards her with a wicked grin.

As bad as the situation was, Aela was happy. For at least a little while longer, Markus would live. With this thought in mind, Aela readied herself for the gruelling battle of attrition ahead. Making as if to charge the giant, Aela dove under its makeshift club and snatched up her knife. If this was how she was going to die, then so be it.

Playing defence would buy Markus the most time to escape, so that is what she planned to do. Each time the one-eyed giant reached for her or swung its club in her direction, Aela would leap or tumble out of its reach. Aela only managed this because she had thus far managed to maneuver the giant in such a way that there had always been a solid tree to impede the progress of its club. But the trees were rapidly dwindling in number and the giant showed no signs of tiring.

The Giant had driven Aela back to the road again. While there were no longer any trees to slow the giant’s club, Aela still felt confident she could avoid it for a while longer. However, Aela had not expected the giant to claim a second club. As if revelling in her shock and surprise, the giant roared with laughter and with unprecedented speed launched itself at her with reckless abandon.

Aela barely had time to come to grips with what was happening, let alone react. The giant’s clubs came whistling round from her left as the giant spun like a children’s toy. Leaping backwards, she managed to avoid the first, but misjudged the distance and was caught by the second, smacking hard into Aela’s left hip and sending her flying.

Sent skidding across the paved road, it was all Aela could manage to keep hold of her knife. Trying to get to her feet, Aela did not feel pain but a pervading numbness in her leg that threatened to send her toppling to the ground. Forced to shift as much of her weight onto her right side as possible just to stay standing, Aela knew she would not have the reaction speed necessary to try dodging the giant’s next attacks.

Aela could feel her body doing what it could to repair the damage, diverting her ever flagging reserves of energy to the site of the impact. It was ultimately pointless, Aela knew that her energy was already dangerously low and if she had not passed over the threshold of no return already, she would very soon. Aela knew she was already dead, her body just hadn't realized it yet.

The giant was taking it’s time now, the pupil of its bloodshot eye lingering on Aela’s injured leg. It smiled wickedly, clearly confident it no longer needed them, the giant tossed aside the splintering remains of its improvised weapons. The giant licked its lips hungrily and rubbed absently at its gut.

Unable to help herself, Aela found her mouth twisted in a rictus grin. The thought of being eaten alive horrified her, but it gave Aela more opportunities to delay the giant further and inflict some harm on it in the process. So while it was not ideal, she would face it all the same.

Aela reached for her brooch, it was Markus’s gift to her and in what was proving to be her final moments, Aela took what comfort she could in the reminder that she had managed to find someone who had cared so deeply for her that he had been willing to die for her sake.

Feeling the heat of the enchantment emanating from the brooch, Aela hoped Markus would forgive her for this. She had cast his final gift aside to offer one of her own. With that in mind, Aela wanted to unclasp the brooch from her undershirt, unwilling to consider the thought of it being destroyed in the giant’s stomach.

Unlike humans, anything a monster ingested would be irrevocably destroyed. So Aela unclasped the brooch in preparation to cast it away, only now she found she couldn't let it go.

Aela imagined she could feel the essence of Markus's soul inside the tiny gemstones, which she supposed was actually true in a way. It gave her a small measure of comfort knowing that they would be together to the end.

As the giant reached for her, Aela swiped at its groping fingers and was satisfied to see a trail of blood seep from the cut as she attempted to dodge to the side but awkwardly fell instead. Enraged by her continued defiance, the giant struck Aela with a backhanded blow that sent her tumbling off the road and into the ditch.

Dazed, Aela struggled to push herself off the ground but only managed to fall down into the mud again. Half deafened by the blow, she felt the vibrations of the giant’s footsteps growing closer but couldn't hear them. Pushing herself up for the second time, Aela had only just managed to get her good leg beneath her when her tail was yanked backwards and she was dragged bodily through the mud and lifted into the air.

The giant leered at Aela, a deep phlegmy laugh erupting from its mouth of putrid yellowed teeth. Even as she lunged and tried to swipe at its eye, the giant lifted Aela higher and then suddenly whipped her down into the road, the force of the impact breaking the flagstones. Aela felt her bones shudder from the impact and it drove the knife from her grip as her jangled nerves caused uncontrollable spasms. The giant smashed Aela into the road twice more before releasing her tail and snatching her up by the waist. Too stunned to resist, she could do nothing but struggle feebly against its vice-like grip.

Lifting her above its head, the giant opened its mouth wide, tongue undulating and drool running over its lips in anticipation of its meal.

Aela stared down into its fetid maw and did her best to suppress the terror welling up inside of her. Surprised she had managed to keep hold of the brooch, Aela took what comfort she could in knowing that Markus had gotten away.

“HEY!” Markus cried from a surprisingly short distance away.

The giant turned away and stared slack-jawed into the treeline.

Aela couldn't help but look as well, “Nooo...” She groaned in horror.

Dishevelled, spattered with mud and plastered with detritus, there was no mistaking his voice. Markus had come back for her “YOU WANT ME?! THEN COME AND GET ME!” He roared while gesturing rudely at the giant.

With its prey so close, the giant lost interest in Aela and dropped her to the ground as it lumbered towards Markus instead. It bellowed unintelligible curses of its own, emphasising its intent by gnashing its teeth and rubbing its belly as it laughed.

Breathing hard, Markus stood his ground, “You are dead and you don't even know it!” He growled, jabbing a thumb at his own throat and running it across his jugular.

Clearly used to its prey showing some form of fear or readying weapons of some kind, Markus’s behaviour appeared to give the giant pause.

Aela slowly pushed herself up with her arms and began dragging herself toward her knife. If she could get hold of it, perhaps there was a chance that she could save him. Why had Markus come back?! Didn't he understand that now they were both going to die?

A pitched whistling sound whipped by overhead and the giant cried out in pain and surprise.

Had adventurers from the town come to help them? Aela looked desperately down the road and her fleeting hopes died. There was help coming, but it was only one man. She knew the strength of the giant better than anyone now, and short of every adventurer in town attacking in one concerted effort, it would accomplish nothing besides feeding themselves to the giant piecemeal. But he had somehow managed to hurt it, which was more than Aela had expected.

“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!” Markus roared in righteous anger.

Aela blinked, her brain trying to make sense of what was happening. It was Markus's voice, but it was the rapidly approaching adventurer who had spoken. Turning to the giant, Aela saw the familiar stave of a pollaxe buried in the giant’s shoulder. Somehow the adventurer coming to their aid had thrown the polearm over a hundred feet and not only hit the target but managed to maintain enough force on impact to penetrate the giant’s thick hide.

The giant was prodding the shaft with a look of confusion on its face, dumbly looking from the stave to the oncoming adventurer. As if finally putting the two together, the giant ripped the polearm from its shoulder and cast it aside, bellowing a challenge to its new opponent and lumbering down the road towards him and away from Aela.

Markus broke from the treeline and came straight for Aela, skidding to a halt by her side, he knelt down and tried to help Aela to her feet. “Can you walk?” Markus asked, his expression fearful and concerned.

Aela tried to push Markus away, “You-have-to-run,” she gasped, her mind too addled to translate and hoping he could understand, “Run-now.”

Markus pursed his lips and shook his head, “No,” he pointed to her and then to himself, “You, with-me,” his expression was determined.

The giant roared again, this time in outrage. Whoever had come to their rescue was putting up a better fight than she had done, but Aela knew that it likely wouldn't last. Too weak to push Markus away she had to try to convince him instead, “You have to go,” Aela pointed to Markus then to the woods, “You can't help, im...it’s...too late."

“With-me,” Markus repeated, shaking his head, “Late?” He clearly didn't understand.

Aela could feel herself slipping, the last dregs of the energy that had lent her berserker strength ebbing away. When the last of it was gone, she would die, her body would literally become incapable of holding itself together and fall apart. “Nothing...left,” Aela tried to think of a way to explain it, but it didn't matter, it had already begun.

Collapsing to the ground, Aela began to convulse as if in the grips of a seizure.

“SAVE HER!” Markus bellowed.

Markus rolled Aela onto her back and straddled her body, pressing her arms to her sides with his thighs to stop her hurting herself and gently cradling her face with his hands. Markus hurriedly looked away from Aela for a moment and down the road, “I don't know how!” He shouted.

Aela felt the pain as each of her nerve endings began tearing themselves apart, her body ablaze in agony. She tried to push through the pain to say goodbye, but her lungs were shredded and pooling with blood, so Aela could only gasp as Markus thumbed the tears from her cheeks.

“What do I do?!” Markus's voice cracked.

“BE WHAT SHE NEEDS YOU TO BE!” Came the reply, accompanied by a painful howl from the giant.

“Be what she needs me to be?” Markus repeated before angrily muttering, “What is that supposed to m-” Suddenly inspired, Markus’s eyes bled into darkness, the silver of his iris locking onto Aela’s face with a sudden intensity that defied her comprehension.

Almost immediately, Aela felt the unravelling of her body slow, stall and then halt. Vision blurred by the damage already done to her eyes, Aela struggled to understand what was happening. She could feel her energy slowly replenishing itself, but didn't understand how. Once depleted to dangerous levels, there was meant to be no way of stopping let alone reversing the degeneration.

Aela felt Markus's hands trembling, and as her vision slowly came back into focus, she could see the pained look on his face and hear the ragged catch in his breathing. Somehow, Markus was dragging her back from the brink and his efforts were exacting a unique toll of their own.

With each passing moment, Aela could feel the strength returning to her limbs, her body repairing the most life-threatening injuries she had sustained in delaying the giant. But at the same time, each second seemed to bring Markus a fresh wave of agony, his body tense and shaking. Markus’s iris’s were expanding and contracting erratically as he struggled to maintain focus, his pained face making it abundantly clear that he was suffering.

Now strong enough to move, Aela shoved Markus to knock him off of her. Surprisingly, it did not take much to knock Markus away. The moment she shoved him, Markus’s eyes had flickered, the blackness vanishing in under a heartbeat, and Markus fell away like a puppet that had its strings cut. Afraid she had hurt him, Aela awkwardly scrambled to her knees and pulled Markus into a sitting position.

Markus's eyes were wild and darting about like he didn't understand where he was. His body shivering violently under her touch. What had Markus done? And what price had he paid for it?

Having difficulty raising his head, Markus tried to speak but his slurring speech made it hard to tell what he was saying “I-I don’t feel we-BLEURG!” Thick foul black vomit erupted from Markus’s mouth and spattered onto the street. Somehow, Markus had managed to avoid getting much of it on himself, the majority violently erupting out of his mouth and onto the flagstones instead.

In the wake of expelling whatever the pitch-like substance was, Markus grew limp and would have cracked his head against the ground if Aela hadn't quickly taken hold of him again.

What had Markus done?

The giant howled in pain.

Her attention drawn away from Markus for a moment, Aela watched in disbelief as their rescuer slid between the giant’s legs and hacked a longsword into the giant’s shin and rolled away. The giant was covered in cuts, blood oozing and pooling beneath its feet. The adventurer spoke again, his voice rich with anger, “Furious: You think this is pain?!” He dodged deftly away from the giant’s retaliatory swipe and severed two of its fingers, “This is nothing!” The adventurer leapt back inside the giant’s reach again with an overhead swing and cleaved his sword into its right kneecap, “Let me teach you what real pain is!” There was no denying it, the adventurer sounded almost exactly like Markus.

With Markus now slung over her shoulder, Aela struggled to understand how that was possible, then she saw the adventurer’s eyes beneath their helmet. They were a deep blue that seemed to emanate their own light and she had seen them before. It was not an adventurer that had come to the rescue at all, it was the larger of Markus’s two golems, Hector.

Suddenly Markus's intentions became clear. He had not run off into the woods to die, only to buy time, drawing the giant away until his golem could bring them weapons to fight it with. Likely, Markus had not even intended to fight it himself, ordering the golem to draw its attention while Aela exploited the openings it provided.

Aela winced considering all the pain and anguish that could have been avoided if she had put a little more trust into his judgement. Markus had once again proven himself capable of pulling such a plan together in desperate circumstances. Aela resolved to put more faith in Markus in the future, provided they survived long enough to do so.

Golems were powered by mana much in the same way as she ran on the dungeon energy and she had no idea how long the golem could continue fighting at its current pace before falling inanimate to the ground.

Almost as if reading her mind, the golem shifted tactics, now harrying the crippled monster from its right side and driving it back towards the woods before retreating back up the road towards Aela and Markus.

“Enraged: Adjusting strategy, changing armament,” the golem stated and it handed the longsword to Aela hilt first.

More than happy to take the weapon, Aela gratefully took the sword in her right hand and was not surprised to find that the longsword bore the sigils of Markus enchantments on the hilt and blade.

Expecting the golem to retrieve the pollaxe, Aela was nearly scared witless as one of the splintered trees the giant had been using as a club flew over her head and hurtled down the road at great speed.

The giant seemed just as surprised as she had been, its mouth agape as the airborne tree crashed into its right thigh with a deafening crash. The log exploded on impact, splinters the size of Aela’s arm flying in all directions. Howling in pain, the giant had been knocked off its feet and fallen on its face. It was only as the giant tried to get to its feet that Aela saw the true extent of the damage.

A dozen broken shards of wood were embedded in the giant's thigh, and hundreds of smaller splinters bristled its front, including its bulbous eye.

Gibbering and wailing in pain, blinded by the blood welling from the cuts on its face and eye, the erstwhile Marauder did not see the golem approaching with the second improvised club.

“Enraged: No one threatens my family!” The golem growled. It was carrying the tree as effortlessly as if it weighed nothing, right up until it raised the improvised weapon above its head then brought the length of the club crashing down across the giant’s back with a deafening crash that shook the ground.

The giant gasped and tried to crawl to the safety of the woods. Unable to see, it crashed face-first into a tree and cried out in anguish. If it had been able to see the cause for its expedient retreat, those cries would doubtless have been louder. The golem had shorn the giant in two, the ruptured remains of its stomach separated from its body by the shattered remains of the log now occupying a deep crater in the road.

Uprooting a small tree, the golem slowly approached the gibbering giant from behind. It’s latest improvised club crashing down five times in rapid succession, the final blow exploding the tree in a hail of splinters like the first had done.

What remained of the giant’s top half was rapidly disintegrating, it had become nothing more than a mangled pile of shattered bone and torn flesh.

Aela could only watch in stunned silence as the golem came back towards her again.

“Satisfied: Threat eliminated, mana reserves holding steady at thirteen per hundred-” The golem reached out and took hold of Markus's hand, “-twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven.” To Aela’s surprise, Markus began to stir and the golem promptly released him, “Relieved: Mana exhaustion alleviated, standing by.”

Groaning, Markus slowly came to his senses, “What? Ugh! My head...”

Aela lowered him to his feet, but when it became clear Markus couldn't stand on his own, she helped prop him up.

Markus did not look well, his face was drained of colour and he was hunched like he was going to throw up again. Blinking against the rain, Markus glanced about apprehensively, “Is it dead?” He asked quietly.

Aela nodded but realized Markus probably hadn't noticed so she answered more directly “It is,” she replied.

Markus nearly crumpled on the spot, “Ugh,” he clung feebly to her arm to keep himself upright, “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to walk back,” Markus commented weakly.

Even as the golem moved to pick Markus up, Aela shoved it back and handed it the sword instead. “I will carry Markus on my back,” she said pointedly to the golem.

Hearing no order from Markus to the contrary, the golem accepted the sword and resheathed it, “Obedient: Hector will retrieve property then provide escort.”

“You don't have to,” Markus protested half-heartedly, “I just need a minute or two, five at the most until I’ll be good to walk again.”

Aela wasn't having any of it. Still holding his arm, Aela squatted down and positioned Markus behind her, then released Markus’s arm and took hold of his legs. Proving his claims hollow, Markus all but collapsed onto Aela’s back.

“Fine,” Markus grumbled quietly, “You can carry me, but just until I feel up to walking again,” he draped his arms over her shoulders and loosely clasped his arms, “Just...until...” Markus's head slumped forward and he passed out again.

After making sure Markus was balanced securely on her back, Aela stood up and slowly began limping back towards town. She awkwardly repinned the brooch to her undershirt and was thankful for her scales when she missed the clasp twice and poked her fingers.

With the brooch firmly secured again, the enchantments combined with Markus's own body heat soon had Aela warmed up and would ensure she would make time back on the way to town. Eyeing the town walls and picturing their home, Aela glanced at the golem dutifully following a dozen paces behind.

It had retrieved Aela’s pollaxe and slotted her missing knives into its sword belt. She now understood why she had mistaken the golem for an adventurer, it was outfitted in Markus’s armour. Had Markus told the golem to equip itself? Or had it done so of its own accord? Loosely donning the armour would not have taken much time, but the straps of the breastplate and pauldrons were fitted near perfectly.

Growling, Aela was about to curse the golem for its unnecessary delay which was almost certainly responsible for Markus current condition, then a far more disturbing realization came to mind.

Roughly determining the distance the golem had to travel to come to their aid, Aela estimated that it would have taken her at least four times longer than it had taken the golem to do the same, and it had managed to arm and armour itself in that time as well. Aela had known Markus had talent, that he was special, but this was something else.

Drawing closer to town, Aela slowed and roughly rolled her right shoulder to try and wake Markus up. They were now only a short distance from the gate and the dozen guardsmen as well as a trio of adventurers blocking the road ahead made her nervous.

One of the guards broke from formation, his plumed helmet and minor decoration on his otherwise unadorned armour identified him as the captain or sergeant of the formation, “Halt!” He barked, pointing but not bracing his spear in their direction.

Markus groaned as Aela came to a stop. He yawned and she could feel his body briefly undulating against her as he woke up and tried to stretch his stiff muscles. “Wha-that’s a weapon,” Markus stiffened at the sight of the spear, all sluggishness banished in a heartbeat. “Set me down,” he muttered grumpily, but it was clear Aela was not the intended recipient of his ire so she carefully set Markus down and held him until she was sure he could stand on his own. Markus spared a thankful glance her way, then as his attention turned back towards the officer, his features hardened again.

“On what grounds do you unlawfully delay my return home?” Markus growled.

The officer looked Markus up and down and sneered, “Look peasant, you had best arrest your tone or-” The blood leached from his face as Markus withdrew his identification from inside his shirt and lifted it for all to see. “Ah, my Lord,” The officer's tone immediately rose a few octaves in panic, “A rogue monster was detected in the vicinity we are under order not to allow anyone through the gates until it has been eliminated, it is just a prec-"

“It’s dead,” Markus growled. “If you want to confirm it, just go further down the road,” he crossed his arms and scowled, daring the officer to question him.

As expected, the officer shied from the obvious bait, “Ah, of course, if my lord says it is true, then it must be,” turning to his men, the officer's tone changed immediately, “Clear a path for the Lord!” He barked angrily, no doubt taking out his frustrations on them to compensate for the battering his ego took in the brief confrontation with Markus. Once they had formed up on either side of the road so Markus, Aela and the golem could pass the officer bowed deeply, “I apologize sincerely for this misunderstanding my Lord, please forgive me!"

Markus scowled, “It is forgiven, just don't do it again!” He growled. Markus's expression softened again and he motioned for Aela and the golem to follow, “Come on, let’s head home."

“Obedient: As you command Creator,” the golem answered as it fell into step behind and off to Markus's right side. The golem growled intimidatingly at the guards as it passed them.

Flanking Markus from his left, Aela made a point of staring back at the trio of adventurers who were scowling at Markus and muttering to each other.

Once they had passed into the town proper, Markus detoured into one of the side streets and leaned heavily against a nearby wall. Despite the strong front he had put on for guards, it was clear he was still quite weak. “I don’t suppose that the offer for a ride back home is still good?” Markus joked while grinning tiredly.

Aela smiled, “That depends, when are you taking me out courting again?"

Markus looked surprised for a moment, then grinned again and started laughing, “I don't know,” he said once he had calmed down a little, “But we are definitely taking weapons next time that's for certain."

She knew he had said it to make her laugh, but Aela was grateful for the admission that this disaster had not changed his mind, so she smiled and pressed Markus further, “That was not what Ae-I asked."

“I’ll think of something before the week is up,” Markus offered, “But right now I can't think of anything but going to sleep for a couple of days,” he was still grinning, but Markus was looking more tired by the moment.

“Alright,” Aela agreed and she squatted down so she could carry him on her back again.

Markus collapsed gratefully onto her shoulders. He looked beyond exhausted, but Markus still made the effort to smile and try and mask his pain. “Ugh, I just remembered,” Markus moaned regretfully, “I was going to pick up Arlee’s present from the tinker at midday," He slumped dejectedly, no doubt imagining the young girl’s disappointed face in stark contrast to how excited she had been the day before.

“Tinker’s workshop is on the way,” Aela reminded Markus. It wasn't exactly true, but she knew he would appreciate the gesture.

Markus smiled tiredly and yawned quietly before replying, “I won't be able to keep my eyes open at this rate,” he blinked blearily as if to accentuate the point and yawned more loudly this time, “But, um, the package from tinker might be enough until I can-” He yawned again and his head tipped forward “-might-until-finish-it,” Markus slurred as his eyes closed and he fell asleep again.

After making sure Markus wouldn't fall off and was as comfortable as she could manage, Aela lifted him up again. “Golem?” She asked.

“Obedient: What is your command?” It rumbled the reply not only with Markus's voice but in the northern tongue.

Aela had forgotten Markus had enchanted the golems to speak her language, even if they pronounced some words a little strangely. “We will visit the tinker’s workshop to accept Markus's package on his behalf."

“Obedient: As you command,” the golem replied.

Aela didn't know what she had expected from the golem, but its slavish obedience was somehow disappointing. Maybe it was because she associated Markus and by extension his voice, with willful and deliberate acts of belligerence. So to witness its absence was unsettling. But it was hard to maintain that train of thought with so many more pressing matters on her mind.

With the feeling of Markus’s hot breath on her neck and his body so close to her own, it was hard to think of much else. She could not get enough of it and was content to enjoy this closeness while it lasted. At this exact moment, Aela was not entirely sure the hunting trip had been such a complete failure after all.