The dwarven innkeeper sneezed.

Garena arched her brows, "That's weird," she said.

"Must be all the focken' dust, me dear. Don't trouble your beautiful muzzle over it," he said.

"Oh, it's muzzle now, eh? Commodo," she asked, suspicious.

"Com-Commodo? Did I do somethin' wrong, me dear?"

"Commodo, are you hiding something from me? Are you planning on jumping in the hearth? You know you didn't fix the problem with the random location, and last time you jumped in it, you lost half your beard, you know I don't… without your beard," she said, half angry, half pleading.

"No, me dear! No! I was planning no such thing! I have an inn to ron! I would be a fool to leave it all behind just to, just to follow a supposed Herald or a girl whose trost I had misplaced, destroying me hearth… eh?" He tried to convince her, following that by making shushing noises.

"Com. If you really have to go, at least join that gentle-elf. He knows his way around the Expanse. If Olive is really heading back there, she'll need to pass over the Expanse. There's no way she'll cross Vulcan," replied Garena. She was sure her husband was mulling over something.

"Hush, hush, me dear. Tomorrow we open once again, we can't chase ghosts, and ye have a lot of cakes to make. Let's start right awa'. Yerga! Jhir! We need a hand in the kitchen! We start cooking!" He screamed, calling for Garena's nephews.

But Garena knew he was acting weird. Her husband had started acting weird since the night before when he finished building the hearth anew. It might have been something finally ticking into place, or his rediscovery of something left unfinished… but his mind was elsewhere.

***

It was once again night in the Cradle. The hall, which would have usually woken up a sleeping troll, was instead dead silent.

They had rebuilt it exactly as it was, maybe adding some new things here and there.

And among the things they had rebuilt from scratch was the hearth.

Commodo had waited until the end to rebuild it.

He knew the temptation of following the girl responsible for its detonation was too hard to keep in check, and thus he remained it as the last project, adjusting it right before re-opening so that he would be more inclined to start working and would soon forget about vengeance.

But something had changed; he could not hide his curiosity; actually, he could barely maintain himself from screaming.

How had she known? How come she had found the inscription while mounting the last recovered piece of the hearth. There was no way something like this wasn't planned, no way it wasn't real.

The inscription in minuscule handwriting, which again made him ask how and when she had the time to write all that while she was escaping, said,

Dear Commodo,

I'm really sorry to have done this, but I couldn't allow anyone to follow us through; I know you will rebuild it and make it better than before.

But to ask for your forgiveness, I will give you just a little hint… Oh, it is not a product of my genius. I would have in no way any idea how what I'm about to tell you even means, but listen well because you will recognize its use right away.

Peridot, 23 grams, Amethyst Metal Variant, 61 grams. The shielding is the key process.

That was what the bird told me, now… I need your help. You might be tempted to come to get at us as I will soon write down our coordinates, but please, refrain from doing so. The Herald's destiny must be fulfilled. So if you really trust my judgment, just a little, tiny bit! Then open the heart at the following coordinates --- --- --- ---, at exactly - --, and send us the following…

The message ended with kisses and hugs and was signed by Olivia.

Before the time was due, he had already prepared what he needed to send. There was no way in hell all this made sense. But once again, he trusted his guts, Commodo was a man- pardon, a dwarf of intellect which used the scientific methodology for his approach to magiceenering. But as his father used to say, "Without a little gut, you end up like a disemboweled fish, dead and ready for the frying."

He had no idea how or why his father knew the idiom since he had never eaten fish in his life, but rarely something like that mattered. What really mattered was, usually, the meaning.

Commodo sighed, then he did as he was asked.

The gash in the middle of the hearth opened up in the sky, looking down toward a flowing river; he could recognize a person, a person he knew really well.

"Larry?"

***

The arm was being imbued with Energy while, at the same time, Mana flew into the rifle. It was simply scary.

"Drop it, Gabe, drop it!" Shouted Olive from the stream.

She had launched a couple of water blades, but they simply shattered on the giant's barrier.

"I can't! It's stuck!" Shouted back a pleading Gabriel, though Liz simply looked, her gaze fierce yet gentle in the eyes of the giant.

She looked like a little dragon, an extremely, unfathomably, absurdly small dragon pup, so small that the giant couldn't help but reciprocate the staredown.

Mana kept concentrating for a little bit longer as the two exchanged glances.

"Come on; you can't look at me like that, tiny dragon. It's unfair."

The giant's tone of voice was somehow detached but expressive enough to simulate his intentions.

"Listen, oh, mighty giant bei-" started Gabriel, before being interrupted with a shake.

"Shut it. I want to talk with your cute lizard, make her speak, and if she's-"

DONG!

Something fell from the sky, landing right on the giant's head; he wavered for a second but managed to get a hold of the object before it bounced and ended in the river. Doing so, he whipped the lizard and his human above, thrusting them on land.

The thing that had just fallen from the sky was a big white round sort of stone. Larry could see it was something packed in a cover of paper; he tore it away to read it; gaping. Then he marveled at the piece of machinery hidden inside of it; it was some sort of complex metal structure.

"You are Commodo's friends? How did- oh… the hearth, of course. He's finally made it," he asserted to himself, mostly.

"Yes- how would you-"

"Shut it. The paper here says it all," said the giant waving the paper in the air.

"The paper-"

"Shut it, human, you are not welcome. Make your lizard talk, or shut up."

"Well, I would but I-"

The giant raised his rifle again, "What did I say?" His tone was still aseptic.

Gabriel raised his hand in the air, figuratively zipping his mouth and throwing away the key.

Ahead Olive out of the water.

The giant pointed his rifle at her.

"Other human, you look cuter," his eyes went to the salamander, "your little dragon is cute too; does he speak?"

Olive, having listened to the orders of the giant, shook her head.

"That is a problem then; the cuter human may speak."

Gabriel opened his mouth, taking a breath and preparing to speak, then swiftly closed it shut when both people and lizards launched a weird look at him.

"Thank you, Mr. giant," Commenced Oli. As the giant signaled her with a nod, his rifle once again resting on the shoulder.

Olive continued as Gabriel made his way to her, "We are passing through. We just wanted a clean route toward the Deep, so we'll leave your territory right away. We can do a binding if necessary."

"No, bindings. So, you are the runaways, are you not?" He said, a grin appearing on his face.

"Runaways? Not at all. We just don't have the means to-"

"Lies, lies, lies, I don't like lies, cute human. That is why I wanted your Spirits to talk; they don't lie." Rifle back in his hands.

"You think that just because you are Com's friends, I will let you trespass on my territory? Should I teach you a lesson?"

Gabriel got in front of him, shielding Olive.

The giant arched his brow, then he noticed the lizard jumping up and down to get his attention.

"Yes, little dragon?"

She started mimicking, her little arms opening wide and moving about in a simulation of a plane, then a mountain, then looked around, then again she started running in place, and finally, she squatted, walking around while looking left and right.

"So, your wings have grown, but you lost them, and now you are looking for them. I think I understand, little dragon," said the giant, smiling.

The lizard gaped, her tiny arms falling to the side, defeated. She slapped her face, then saying no, she started anew.

Gabriel couldn't hold in his laughter; a snort escaped his mouth. Olive paled, and without even looking, the giant shot him, the projectile passing inches from his left ear.

The young man's knees gave out as he kowtowed on the ground.

"Your human doesn't respect you, little dragon. Do you want me to end him? Though I guess you might disappear, alas, such is the nature of a noble Bond Spirit," he said, sighing.

Lizzy gave him a look as if saying, tough life, eh?

The giant nodded, once again studying her mimicking abilities.

"So, let me get this straight, you thought you lost your wings but found instead, a... a comrade?"

Liz threw her arms in the air, in defeat, then kicked a pebble away, sitting down with a little "thud," and looked the other way.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, little dragon, but maybe you need to work on your mimicking abilities."

"Now," he said, standing up, "what should I do with you? Give you to your pursuers? And you miserable existences myself, or-"

"Larry!" Came a voice from above.

They looked up; another giant, dressed in a much more sober manner, descended from the sky, an umbrella on her feminine body.

She was smaller, though, much smaller than "Larry". A floral gown and a yellow corset, she had an intense red bob cut.

Why the hell does a giant in fucked-up land calls himself Larry? Thought Gabriel, amazingly so, more surprised about the naming sense than a giant Mary Poppins descending from the sky.

Then he gaped, asking himself how he didn't notice them before.

Paving in front of him, all over the horizon and in no particular manner were dozens of… not other ways to define them, sky islands.

Some of them were higher up, breaching the clouds, some closer, some had roads of sort connecting them to the grounds or mountains, or had floating rocks staircases connecting them to the mountains.

Am I sure I didn't die, and this isn't the afterlife? I mean… come on…

"Grace," he said. Once again, a tone that did not betray any emotions, and yet it felt so weird. But Gabriel's focus fell on other pettier things.

Larry and Grace? Really?

"Are you mistreating humans again? You know they are our neighbors. Why do you keep being mean to them?"

Is that a child? Liz, you are the expert on giants. Is that a child?

Liz turned toward him with a look that said, what the fuck are you talking about?

"Nana heard your shooting from up there. What were you doing to the humans, eh? Meanie!" She said, dropping down with a soft sound of heels on rocks. Her puffy face betrayed her age if one did not take her ten feet height and build. She looked like a giant doll while talking to him, and yet Larry's body movements were of consternation.

Once he started babbling nonsense, she turned around toward them, "Hello, human!"

She got closer, "I'm really sorry if my stupid father is bullying you. He's so obsessed with his territory and other stupid things; he thinks he's become a dragon since the accident."

"Grace. Come on. Don't go saying those things about your father…" he said, emotionless.

Although his stance had definitely become one of meekness.

This is his daughter… and she practically owns him… oh, Gods, females have power over the males in every damn culture…

Liz, offended, bit his pinkie.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Screamed Gabriel.

The newcomer drew in a breath; Olivia brought her hands to her mouth, widening her eyes. And everything froze.

The little giant grew immobile. Her eyes watering, then she started sniffing.

"No, no, no! Don't cry! I wasn't saying to you; I was saying it to-"

She burst into tears.

A massive amount of recognizable killing intent washed over them.

Daddy was angry, and the shooting started anew.

Fuck!

Gabriel took Liz and bolted; thankfully, the giant was focused only on him, entirely forgetting about Olive.

Gabriel couldn't help but run away, using instances on top of instances of Burst Attack to dash, evading bullets by a hairbreadth.

Then the giant stopped and started charging an attack.

"Dragon hunt…" He said among his teeth!

Gabriel paled, the circle of magic forming around the rifle-brella looking ominous.

"Daddyyyyy!!!" Shouted the girl just in time, "He didn't say it to me!" She said, hurrying toward him.

A deflating Oli was at her side; she had explained the misunderstanding to her.

"What? Oh, is that it? Though I had specially ordered him not to talk," he justified his actions.

A pale Gabriel had no idea what was happening anymore; he left his buckling knees to fall to the ground.

What is happening, Liz?

"So, who was he referring to?" Asked the giant.

"Oh, his lizard just bit him, so…" she said.

"D-daddy!" She called for her mad dad once again.

The giant turned toward the young man, Energy, and Mana once again blooming inside the rifle.

"Dragon hu-"

A squeaky yap resounded in the air.

Liz, with a serious-looking face, was standing in front of Gabriel. She looked seriously angry.

"Little dragon… your human Bond doesn't deserve you, just let me get rid of him; you'll surely be bestowed with a better one, one that respects you," said the giant.

She let out another yap, her tail and hind leg slamming on the ground as if wanting to make a point.

"Oh… have it your way," said the giant, his rifle back again on his shoulder.

This is the most fucked up thing happening to me since I've got here… images of his hellish "training," appearing, well, the second most…

"Alright! "Said the girl jumping up and down. "Who wants to come to dinner?"

Gabriel and Oli looked at each other; they hadn't eaten the previous day. But the decision was already taken by a happy looking lizard's yapping.