012 - Giants by the Sea

The Alchemists were wide eyed as Pa Lund, a wrinkled old man, ran out at them roaring and waving his fists in the air. Lord Tygis was first to react - he drew his sword and gave the command "Men! To the front, block him!"

His seven men, loyal castle guards, had been granted a measure of the gigantism treatment and were all above 8ft tall, towering over Pa Lund. They drew steel, standing between the charging Lund and the Alchemists.

Pa Lund didn't so much as slow, no, his feet slapped against the cobbles and he launched himself at the nearest guard. With a mighty yell, his fist broke the guards sword and slammed into his chest with a sickening crack. The guard, all 8ft of him, flew back rolling on the ground and was still.

"Bloody Alchemists!" Pa Lund snarled, "bloody giants. Bloody Lord bastard Tygis!" The guards looked down nervously holding their swords out, Lord Tygis' face paled. Festus and Septima watched on bemused surrounded by their own guards.

Pa Lund dodged a stab, retreating a step then launching himself forward and chopping with the edge of his hand and the sword arm of a giant guard, knocking the sword from his hand and taking it, stabbing the man in the leg and then in the throat.

Magnus and Willis were behind Pa Lund, jaws agape as Pa fought the five remaining giant guards. The old man moved neither fast nor frantically, seemingly always in the right place at the right time to stab a giant in the leg making him fall, then in the throat. At times he displayed an incredible power, but with every blow they could tell he was slowing down, breathing harder.

This was strength! This was power! The giants were clumsy children before Pa Lund, Magnus' heart thumped and his throat dried. Why had he ever bothered going to the Alchemist? Why had he ever wanted to be a giant? The heroic figure of Pa Lund alone against the giants blazed in his eyes and mind. I never knew . . . Magnus looked at Willis who seemed equally as slack jawed.

"Bastards!" Pa Lund roared, chopping the hand of a giant. "You'll learn to mess with a Lund! You'll know what it is to play with the lives of my family!"

"You know this fellow Festus? He seems to know you!" Septima laughed.

"Lund . . Lund . . nope. Can't seem to place any Lund." Festus looked over and saw Magnus for the first time. "Ah! Wait! Is that Magnus? Ahha! Magnus Lund, of course! So he is alive!" Festus smiled and waved at Magnus and Willis. "Remarkable, truly."

"Who is that then?" Septima yawned.

"Oh, a failed experiment. One of the last batch. Remarkable that he has come all this way." Festus said.

Pa Lund broke his sword against the last giants head, smashing the guards face with the broken shards of metal. Sweat poured from Pa's brow, his left arm had been caught in a glancing blow and hung limp at his side.

Lord Tygis and his son were left alone, separated from the Alchemists and their strange silent guards. Tygis glanced over at Festus, Pa Lund snorted and threw the broken sword at Tygis. "Coward." Pa Lund stumbled forward, Magnus' heart lurched and he and Willis ran to the old man. "I'm fine, just fine, just my bones are a little creaky."

"He must be at Gold Core, no? A little old but really quite powerful." Septima cocked her head examining Pa Lund. "How come you didn't pick the old man up for your tests?"

Festus shook his head saying, "I didn't pick any one up Septima, they all came to me. I didn't have to force a whole town to ruin and make them abominations."

"Well, they'll be in ruins now, hmmph." She crossed her arms. "Send out your pill-dogs, looks like your little lord is a little helpless!"

Pa Lund recovered his breath saying "get back lads, let me deal with what comes. These cocky turds are gonna learn what it means to mess with a Lund." Pa Lund pushed Magnus and Willis away, facing the Alchemists. "You. You treat us like dog shit, you take my grandson and his friend. My Lund's have bled and died fighting those black skinned creatures!" Magnus gritted his teeth, he looked at Festus and tried to place his as the same man that had sat besides him on the cart, his mind reeled, every truth of the last five years flipped on its head.

"Oh dear," Septima tittered. "I think he's going rabid. Quick Festus, your pill-dogs!"

"Alright, ok." Festus drew up the sleeves of his robe pointing at three of the silent guards that were arranged about the two Alchemists. "Alchemical Retainers, Septima, not pill-dogs please. Three-five, vials one through seven only." The three guards moved to the front, ten metres from Pa Lund. Two immediately popped the cork on a purple vial and swallowed the contents, the third took a yellow bulb shaped glass from his belt.

The two guards split, each to either side of Pa Lund. Pa moved back, picking up a sword from a fallen giant and pointing the tip at one guard, nervously glancing at the other. Magnus and Willis were just behind him, Pa looked over his shoulder moving back. The three guards advanced silently, without warning the guard on the left charged, his short sword held low.

Pa Lund turned to face him and in that instant the third guard threw the yellow potion - it sailed up in the air, Pa deflected the incoming blow but couldn't see the potion to react. It had been perfectly timed, the sudden charge and the quick throw - Magnus' mind blanked; his body reacted before a thought could even form - dashing in front of Pa Lund, the yellow potion smashing into his raised arms.