The shadow grew larger before stepping out, revealing the pale blue skin of a frost giant. It was a man wrapped in heavy chain, as though as blanket of steel, blowing a horn made of bone. One of his eyes seemed to be completely white, a scar cut across it. Behind him another frost giant appeared, a familiar face which caused the panicking Adam to gasp. Heavy chain, tattoos and runes, a large great sword in hand.

“Joti!” Adam exclaimed, his voice carrying with the wind towards the frost giant, whose ears twitched as he turned to look at Adam, being dragged around by several mud giants.

Joti charged forward, his great sword held within hand with a firm grasp. Joti cut across the arm of a mud giant, his arm freezing over and shattering before the frost giant then shoved his blade down his enemy’s chest. The mud giant let out a cry, and Joti whispered something in his language, like a soft prayer, before pulling out his magical great sword and then swung it wildly against another mud giant, freezing them and killing them.

It was not Joti who came to Adam first though, as another frost giant appeared with a great axe in hand, hacking into the mud giant holding onto Adam. The great axe whispered something as it cut into the howling mud giant, a tiny shard of ice beginning to bloom like a flower around them. The great axe cut into his neck, the mud giant’s head landing to Adam’s left, his body to Adam’s right. The frost giant reached down with his huge hand, picking up Adam by his cloak, allowing him onto his feet.

“Gutt?” Adam called out in shock, panting for air. His heart was thundering within his chest as he stared up in surprise at the giant Chief over him. He was equally terrified and in shock.

“We have come, boy,” Gutt said, looking about the battlefield. There he spotted something which caught his attention, and then he pointed. He let out a command in his language and then marched forward, with two frost giants appearing at his side.

Joti stepped forward towards Adam. “You seem to need some assistance.”

“Yes, very much so. Thank you.” Adam reached up to his helmet and saluted the frost giant. Adam grabbed at his die a little tighter and then looked out to the field. He was about to cast another Fireball, when he saw Gutt tear into another mud giant with his great sword, assisting Lotag and Jon, the giant boy was far too close to the fighting for Adam’s liking.

The mud giants looked out to see the seven frost giants marching through their ranks, hacking and slashing the mud giants to pieces. Even they were intelligent enough to realise the severity of the situation, and made to turn, fleeing away as Entalia swooped down to blast the remaining few who chose not to run. Soon they were all beginning to flee, leaving the remains of the villagers and the ruins behind.

Laurient and Maurgrey were missing, though Adam could hear the sounds of fighting further in the forest. Rather than return to the villagers, Adam leapt into action to find the two faefolk. His heavy boots crashed against the fallen branches and leaves, revealing his presence to the two pairs engaged with one another in a heated duel.

Laurient and Maurgrey moved as though they were two halves of the same whole, when one moved aside, the other took their place, and when one would go low, the other would go high. The other creatures were the same however, reacting to the attacks that only the other could see.

The silver and black armour around the pair of fae now held gaps, the liquid moving around swiftly, but losing much of its form. The other creatures, with their purple veins and twitching bubbles within their skin, were no longer as veiny, their bodies pulsing quickly, though they no longer looked quite so innocuously horrifying.

Adam tried to find a moment to come into the battle, but the flow refused to allow him a single instant. His brow sweat with the effort of trying to catch a moment, and instead he spent the moment to amplify himself.

Mana: 16 -> 13

Spell: Haste

Adam clutched at his die, forcing through the magic in his body, and then felt the heat of it flood through him. “Come on!” He growled out, trying to force his body to move swifter than before so he could find a moment to dart in. His heart pumped quicker, to the drumming of an unheard beat, and then the twitching began as he struggled to remain still.

A branch cracked behind him and his head snapped back, seeing Joti appear with his great sword in hand. His eyes fell across the four, his eyes scanning them for a moment.

“Vile beings,” Joti said, charging forward with his blade in hand. He did not allow himself to wait even a moment as he charged forward, with Adam following beside him with blade in hand.

“We will meet again,” the strange creature said, their head turning to meet Adam’s gaze. The stranger smiled wide, revealing their purple and black teeth. Laurient lopped off their head with a single swipe and Maurgrey slammed his own blade through the skull of the other creature, who was near identical to the half-fey Laurient had slain. Laurient roared in triumph and rage, continuing his assault into the creature. Maurgrey pulled back and watched as the corrupted half-elven form splattered across the nearby trees.

Adam skid to a halt, with Joti stopping right behind him. Joti looked down to Adam, waiting a moment to gather himself, before remaining still as ice.

“Are they allies?” Joti asked.

“Something like that,” Adam replied. He was noncommittal because he wasn’t entirely sure if the fae were allies now. “The mud giants are escaping, and so are their souls.”

“Let them go.” Laurient then grabbed raised a hand over the dead body of the stranger. His liquid armour formed a needle, almost invisible as it pressed into heart of the creature. A moment later it disappeared and Laurient turned to look at Maurgrey, who was doing the same to the other dead being. “No,” Laurient said. “It’s useless.”

Maurgrey dropped down a knee and then shoved his hand into the creature. After searching for something within the creature’s gut, the squelching sounds almost causing Adam to dry heave, he pulled out a tiny little gem, which pulsed like a heart. The gem melted into the silver and black armour and Maurgrey gasped, his entire body beginning to twitch, his bones cracking before he finally relaxed.

Adam’s body froze as well as his spell began to end, causing him to cramp up for a few moments before his body relaxed again. He sighed and shook his entire body in order.

“We have what we came for,” Laurient said.

“An amber,” Joti said.

Laurient turned to face the Chief. “Yes,” he said.

Joti stared at Laurient and then bowed his head slowly. Laurient returned the bow and then looked to Adam, eyeing him up. Wordlessly, he turned and then left, leaving Adam and Joti alone.

“Goodbye,” Maurgrey said, with a tone of finality.

“Goodbye,” Adam replied, saluting the fae, who then followed his brother away.

“Old fae,” Joti said. “Most fortunate.”

“Is it?”

“As long as they are not our enemies.”

“I’m not entirely sure what they are to me, but they don’t seem to be a friend.”

“Let us return to the villagers.”

Adam looked to the dead bodies of the strange creatures. They gave up, just like that? There was something about the situation which didn’t sit right with him. What were they doing here? The sounds of rushing air distracted him from his thoughts.

Entalia fell down nearby as she growled. “I smell the same scent,” she said, looking down towards the purple mess of mashed beings. “It stinks.”

“That’s one thing you can call it,” Adam replied. “We’ll need to burn them, just in case.”

“It will be difficult to burn,” Joti said. The Chief looked to the dragon. “We are not known for our ability to burn things effectively.”

Adam looked up to Joti. “Was that a joke?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Adam stared up at him.

“You had been quite dry with your words as well,” the Chief said.

“Yeah, well…” Adam shrugged. “Leave burning it to me. Would you mind stepping back?” Adam asked, grabbing at his die. Joti and Entalia withdrew from him.

Mana: 13 -> 10

Spell: Fireball

“Let’s leave nothing,” Adam said, feeling his magic arc through his body as a bead of fire fell down from the heavens, then expanded across the entire area, burning parts of the body.

Mana: 10 -> 7

Spell: Fireball

Not entirely convinced that the creatures were eradicated, so Adam summoned another Fireball from the skies, the flames expanding out for a moment before fading away. Adam looked across the earth, the charred bodies emanating a heat into the cool air.

Joti looked to Entalia and then back to Adam. There were words at his lips, but they remained there.

“We’ll have to hope that’s enough,” Adam said. “Not much else I can do.”

Joti stepped up towards the pair of charred bodies and then planted his great sword down into the ground. He muttered some words, chanting out in his language, and then ice began to expand across the entire area, emanating from the giant. The frigid air caressed Adam’s face, and forced Adam to pull back. Even the yellow cloak around him was unable to deal with this cold.

Entalia reached for Adam, now in her elven form. “We should leave,” she said, tugging at his arm. Adam decided to listen to her since her voice was firm. He wondered why, but noticed how the ice continued to expand from Joti and his great sword.

They returned to the ruins and the villagers, with the few people remaining grabbing at their dead allies, pulling them within the centre of the ruins. Adam walked over towards the pair who had tried to drag him away to the mud giants. He lifted them both up and carried them out towards the ruins. He dropped them down, looking out to the rest of the villagers. There were only a dozen adults, a few more children, and the Iyrmen.

He sat down onto a ruined wall, his entire body filled with a low ache. He looked around to watch all the villagers dropping down to mourn for their friends and family. Jon was sat, his face covered by tears. He was looking out to Rikta and the twins, whose bodies were twisted as though they were a branch that had formed in a queer way.

“Oh damn,” Adam whispered, shaking his head. He placed his head into his hands, surrounded by the death of so many others.

Entalia walked over to the crying frost giant child and placed a hand on his shoulder. He remained still, looking out to his dead siblings.

Though they had won the battle, they had lost the war. The number of people had gone down to a handful, and those who had ran away may be gone forever. Fifty mud giants had been far too much for a village with so few people. They couldn’t have done much better either, this was the best outcome with what little they had.

Adam removed his helmet so he could breathe in the fresh air. The smell of death had yet to really take to the area as of yet.

Joti returned, covered in a thin layer of snow and frost. He looked out to the pile of dead and then placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. He bowed his head, a question within his eyes.

Adam stood up, and the villagers stepped away from the ruins. He looked out to the dead, then the villagers, and then the still bodies again.

Mana: 7 -> 4

Spell: Fireball

He called forth the flames, which covered them in a sea of red heat. The charred bodies remained on fire for some time, the smell quickly flooding through the air. They moved away from the bodies, not wanting to inhale the terrible fumes.

Gutt spoke to his brother with the tone of an older brother who was not happy. Adam knew of the tone personally, so he picked it up instantly. Joti replied with a very respectful tone, and Adam knew that it was going to annoy Gutt more than if Joti replied back rudely. The pair stopped and Gutt continued to berate his younger brother, all the while Joti took it to the chin. Then Gutt turned to Jon, saying something in giant.

“We will be leaving now,” Joti said. “We must return to our home.”

“Why did you come?” Adam asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“The Prince accepted the request of the boy’s parents to bring him under their edict.”

Adam raised his brows in surprise. “You can do that?”

“Yes,” Joti replied back, nodding his head.

“Will you bring the rest of the villagers under the same edict?”

“No,” Gutt said. “I, as Chief, refuse.”

“No offence,” Adam said, turning to face the giant Chief, “but I wasn’t talking to you.” His eyes fell back to Joti, who stared down with a stone cold face.

“We have our pact with the Yspeks,” Gutt said, “and so we will assist the boy. These villagers are not of our people.”

“They’ll die out here.”

“That is not our responsibility.”

“They need help, and you have the strength to help them. There’s only thirty of them! That isn’t even a drop in a bucket for your people!”

“They are not our people.” Gutt shook his head. “If you want to look after them, you may.”

“I will!” Adam held out a finger. “I was here from the beginning, and I’ll be there until they’re safe. I thank you for helping them, I’ll give you that much at least, but I won’t pretend you’re any less cowardly than you behave.”

Gutt growled, clutching at his great axe. “We have done our duty. We have come and assisted in protecting the boy, and now we will leave.”

“I, as Chief, accept.” Joti’s voice was clear, cutting through the air.

Gutt glared at Joti. “You are a fool.”

“This is not the first time I will disagree with you, and it will not be the last.”

“When I am Prince, I-”

“You will what?” Another frost giant stepped forward. It was the same giant who blew the horn. “You will be Prince, and the Chief will be a Helm. You should remember your place in comparison to his.”

Gutt turned to look at the older giant, his eyes a deep glare again. “I will not forget my place.”

“Good,” the giant said. “Then we will return now. Come, man and woman, please get ready to step through the gate.” He inhaled deeply and blew his horn. Ice gathered around them, slamming together to form a gate. It was white, like a snow storm appearing within the gate.