Four children were brought to the waiting room where the guild master, Lindy, Gerald, and a very angry-looking Gona, waited. The children were excited to see Gona alive, asking if anyone else survived, and were happy to hear that a few others survived the attack.

"Hello, children. I am Lord Arthur Cambel, head of the city's adventurer's guild. I wanted to ask about what happened last night."

The eldest of the children spoke up. "I am Annabel. I came to this city to join the church here. I would be happy to tell you about last night, but I have to ask that if you could... could you thoroughly punish the guard captain from last night?" Annabel began to tear up, "Melody saved us, risked everything for us, only to be betrayed!" The young lady stood abruptly while slamming her hands on the table, "I gave her my word that I would do everything I could to get her into the city, but they betrayed her!" She was getting so emotional that Gona and Lindy had to help calm her down, letting her know that he had already decked the man... for now. After calming, she went into what happened the previous night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the bag, the four of them were packed together. Annabel did her best to make sure they would not get hurt. She was thankful to the young female giant, who seemed to be doing her best to not harm them. Annabel hoped what little faith she had placed in the red-haired giant would pay off.

This giant is so different from the others... Please, gods, let this giant be our salvation. Annabel prayed. Don't let my faith be misplaced...

"We return!" The voice of the leader could be heard.

"One missing?" A loud, elderly female voice asked.

"Yug. He weak. He die. Meldy. Put humans in cage there. Seb kill later."

Annabel felt a gentle shift, like the pack they were stuffed in was removed, lifted, and placed down gently. The top opened, and the area was nearly devoid of all light. Annabel could barely see large forms moving about and that they were indeed put inside a cage that they would not be able to escape.

"Elder. Meldy screw up. Hurt Seb. Mistake. You punish." The leader giant ordered.

"Yes Rul. Meldy. Show back." The elderly voice said.

Annabel saw the smaller form turn, and the larger form swung something at her making a loud whipping sound.

No! Don't punish her! Please! Annabel could hear the pained cries of the giant who helped them was stifling.

She is trying to be strong… Tears were rolling down her cheeks as the whipping continued many more times.

"Enough. Meldy. You watch humans. If escape. You pay price." The one named Rul said.

The large forms began to disperse. The large form that whipped the girl seemed to have rubbed something on the girl's back and left the room. The girl crawled over to the cage and laid down on her stomach nearby.

"Um-." Annabel started but was cut off.

"No talk. Dangerous." The girl giant whispered back.

Annabel felt horrible for the girl as her labored breaths could be heard. But the girl's warning of the danger restored a bit of her faith that they may yet escape their fate.

I guess we wait now. The children huddled together until exhaustion took over, and they drifted to sleep.

"NO! LET GO!" A cry startled Annabel awake.

Checking around herself, she found one of the girls was missing.

"Lala!" Annabel screamed as she realized who was missing, "Help!" Annabel rushed over and tried calling out to the giant that helped them.

The girl stirred and dashed forward when she saw something. Colliding with someone.

"NO! You don't get to hurt her, you bastard!" The girl giant cried out with a surprising level of intelligence and rage.

A loud thud could be heard, followed by several more and plenty of obscenities from the girl to whoever took Lala.

Annabel could somehow make out the giant girl wailing on something below her because of a flickering red aura around her body. The girl giant's rage was something Annabel had never seen before. It was like watching someone devolve into a wild, crazy animal of fury.

"Annabel!" A terrified voice called out.

"Here! Here Lala!" The little girl, Lala, followed Annabel's voice back to the cage.

"YOU HEAR ME OLG! NO MORE! YOU DIE TODAY!" The fury was intense in the girl giant's voice until a large form kicked her off. The flickering red aura disappeared.

"WHAT YOU DO?! STUPID GIRL! YOU BREAK RULE!" The leader was back and furious.

Several heavy steps could be heard.

"Meldy. What you do?" A feminine voice asked.

"She break rule! No attack male! She must die now!" Rul cried out.

"What!? No! Rul please! Mercy! Please!" The feminine voice pleaded.

The large forms moved about, but it was too dark for Annabel to determine what was happening.

"No! She break rule!" Rul yelled.

"Elder! Please!" The woman sounded desperate.

The forms turned toward one at the side.

"Suggest. Banish. Mercy granted. Alui happy. Meldy have chance to live. If Meldy die. Rule followed." The elderly voice suggested.

"Hmm. Fine. Meldy banished. If she come back or found. She die. Alui. You give Rul boy."

"Alui. Understand." The woman sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

Annabel watched in horror as a giant form dragged off the girl who helped them.

NO! She was helping us! Please. God. Please help us! Annabel prayed silently. An older female giant came slightly into view, picked up Lala, and gently put her back into the cage.

"Olg. You disobey. Lose to weak girl. You no need name. You now nameless giant. If touch humans again. You die. Humans for Seb."

The giant forms moved away and disappeared from sight.

Hours, which felt like days, passed uneventfully. Annabel was praying that the gods would save them when a voice whispered to them.

"Hey." Opening her eyes, Annabel looked straight into the eyes of the girl giant's yellow eyes.

"It's you!" She whispered back.

"Get into the bag. I will get you out of here."

Annabel could see tears in the girl's eyes. She wanted to ask but chose to follow the giant's request. After they got inside, they felt themselves be gently lifted and the pack put on.

"Listen. Be quiet and do not make a sound until I tell you it's safe." The girl giant ordered.

Annabel felt they were moving but noticed that the girl's steps were silent, unlike the other giants.

Annabel would occasionally hear loud snoring fade in and out as the girl giant silently moved by listening through the bag.

Please, gods. Let us escape with the kind giant. Annabelle prayed.

Hours passed, and they felt the pack was taken off and gently set down.

The top opened, "Okay, you can come out now. It's safe here."

Annabel and the three children crawled out of the pack to see they were inside a decently sized cavern. It had an opening to the starry sky above and a pool of water in the middle.

"I am going to rest for a bit. Do you know the way to a town or city?" The girl giant asked.

The moonlight shone down on her sad features, creating a beautiful picture of melancholy as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"Um. I am Annabel. Are you okay?" She put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Melody… my name..." She briefly said, beginning to shake and tear up. "Mom… She. She drank poison…."

"What do you mean, Melody?" Annabel's heart was breaking.

The other children came up, wondering if there was something they could do.

"Elder. She told me… She told mom drank poison because she knew, sniff, she knew I would try to come back for her." Tears began running down her cheeks. "Mom didn't... hick... she didn't want to risk me being caught because of her..."

Annabel hugged the poor girl, the other children followed suit, hugging her as well. Melody quietly cried in their embrace.

Two hours passed, and Melody seemed to be out of tears.

"Please. Rest. We must leave before sunrise. Rul probably knows of this place and will check here in the morning." Melody said, her blue eyes red and puffy.

Annabel refused to leave Melody's side and stayed with her while resting her eyes.

Please, gods. Look after Melody. Please welcome her mother into your kingdom in the divine realm. Annabel prayed once more before sleep took hold.

Annabel felt herself being nudged. "Miss Anna. We need to go now."

She opened her eyes to see Lala. "Lala? Where is Melody?"

Lala pointed to the giant girl who had a small campfire, cooking a small animal with the other two kids watching. Annabel stood and joined them with Lala.

"Melody. Are you okay? Did you rest?" Annabel asked hesitantly, not wanting to hurt the poor girl.

Melody's eyes were still red from crying. "No. I am not okay. I did rest a bit. I never really felt like I needed to sleep most of my life. We'll eat first. The water over there is clean, so it is safe to drink." Melody kept her eyes on the rabbit.

She doesn't look like she wants to talk right now. Annabel thought.

The youngest of the kids, a little girl named Mina, hung onto Melody. I guess Mina is worried about her. I'll leave her be since Melody doesn't seem to mind.

Annabel and the other kids went to the water, drank, and wiped their bodies down. After eating some of the rabbit Melody caught, she had them climb back into the pack, but she left the top open this time. Before, they had to bring their knees to their chests to be entirely inside.

They were now standing while hanging onto Melody's shoulders. Annabelle was in awe of how quietly Melody moved at the pace she was going.

"Melody." Annabel caught Melody's attention.

"Hmm?" She came to a stop.

"Oh, sorry, I meant to ask if you were a hunter of some sort?" Annabel apologized.

Melody looked a bit saddened by the question. "My mother taught me. Along with Elder. They taught me these skills so that I could escape the clan and survive."

She continued running along through the forest.

"Do you know where we are going, Miss Melody?" The young boy, Lucas, asked.

"Somewhat. You told me that you were heading east on that road. The road is to the north of here. So, I figured that if I head to the northeast, we should reach the city Hallfen you guys spoke of." Melody slowed a bit to get around a set of large roots safely and sped back up once there was a clear path.

Wow. Melody is far smarter than I thought. I thought she was just kind, but she speaks so well, has hunter skills, and knows cardinal directions. Just who is this giant? Annabel contemplated.

Hours later, Annabel asked if Melody was tired from running for so long. "Um. Not really. But I do feel like I should take a short break soon."

Annabel agreed, and they stopped to rest for a bit. Melody gave out what remained of the rabbit.

"Melody. What will you eat?" Annabel asked.

"Oh. The moss here. It is nutritional, just… It's kind of bitter."

Annabel tried to stop her but was too late as Melody scooped a bunch into her mouth. Oh… She really doesn't like it… She's tearing up! Annabel tried to get her to spit it out, but Melody just swallowed it.

"Ugh. Thanks, but I needed that more than anything. Don't worry, I have a sweet leaf here. I'll suck on this for a bit." Melody said, trying her best to not gag over the bitterness of the moss.

Annabel watched as Melody put the leaf in her mouth and got a pleasant and happy smile.

The children looked on enviously. When Melody noticed, she pulled out a few more to share. After using the restroom, they gathered together.

"Melody, come closer. I am going to cast a spell." Annabel said.

Melody perked up. "Spell! You can use magic?!"

Annabel smiled at Melody's excitement. She focused her magic and created a magic circle below them. "Naelc ydob."

In a light glow of light, any filth on their bodies was removed.

"Wow! That was magic! What does it do!?" Melody was up close in Annabel's face.

"Oh, um, well, it is a simple spell that cleans the body. After running for so long and using the restroom, I felt it would be something good to do." Annabel took a step back while smiling sheepishly.

"Can you tell me how to use magic?!" Melody asked, nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Of course! Once we are in the city, I would gladly teach you once we know your affinities!"

"Affinities?" Melody asked as she got the pack ready for them.

They climbed back into the bag, and Melody continued jogging through the forest.

While they were moving, Annabel explained that people had affinities for magic. The essential elements of the world were: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, and Dark.

"There are also compound elements like Life magic. It combines Light, Water, and Fire. Not too many people can use Life magic." Annabel explained.

"What can Life magic do?" Melody asked.

"It could allow a person to be brought back to life if cast within twenty-four hours. Any longer, and it would fail. It also has powerful healing magic."

"What about Nature magic?" Melody asked.

"Nature? I have never heard of humans using such magic. Though it sounds like something, a forest spirit might use." They continued their conversation until it got to sundown.

"Are we going to stop Melody?" Annabelle asked.

"No. I sensed something dangerous in the area. I will keep going until we are safe. Don't worry, I can see in the dark."

Melody really is fantastic. I really hope we can be friends. Annabel thought with a smile.

Two hours after sundown, they reached the forest edge.

"Melody! There! Over there! A city!" Lala called out, drawing everyone's eyes.

A walled city could be seen. Lights glowed from the other side of the walls and various points along the top. Melody began moving toward the city.

"Wait, Melody!" Annabel called out in a panic, causing Melody to stop and turn her head.

"Please. Let us go first. If the guards don't know you are good, they will attack you! We'll go explain the situation to the guards and call you over." Annabel recommended.

Melody put the pack down and let them out.

"Will you be okay walking there? None of you are injured, right?"

She has such a kind heart. Annabel could not help but smile and assured Melody that they would be okay. Annabel and the children walked toward the city, looking back often to make sure their savior did not disappear.

After thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at the gate.

"HALT! Who goes there?" A guard called out.

"Please. My name is Annabel, and we were a part of a caravan that was attacked by giants a day ago."

"Really? You are by yourselves?" The guard asked in surprise, seeing four young children had successfully escaped a giant attack.

"No, we got help from a young giant who was banished from her clan for going against them. She is with us, by the forest over there. Could I speak to your captain to get permission to bring her inside?" Annabel asked.

The guard was quite surprised and called inside. A few minutes later, an arrogant man in armor appeared.

"What's this I hear about a giant?"

Annabel explained the situation to the guard captain.

"Truly? Very well. Call her over." The guard captain seemed intrigued at the news of the giant.

Annabel asked to borrow a torch and swung it back and forth toward where they left Melody.

After several minutes, Melody came into sight. Annabel and the children smiled, calling out to her. Melody smiled and stepped a bit faster toward them, but a cold chill ran down Annabel's spine.

What is this feeling of dread?! She looked at the guard captain, who had his hand up.

"NO! MELODY, RUN!" Annabel screamed.

Melody froze in place until the captain angrily lowered his arm. Melody jumped from where she was standing just before a ballista bolt buried itself there.

"MELODY, RUN! YOU BASTARD! YOU BETRAYED US!" Annabel began hitting the guard captain, but because of his armor, it was not doing anything. Melody scurried from where she was on the ground as several arrows hit the ground. Melody cried out in pain as she put more distance away from them.

"STOP THEM! PLEASE! SHE SAVED US!" Annabel pleaded with the guard captain, who shoved her over.

"Damn. It escaped. Throw these lot into a cell for assaulting a guard."

"But sir-."

"Do as I say!"

The guard pleaded with the children to come with him. Annabel felt weak, crying, arguing with the guard to help Melody. Once they were away from the guard captain, he whispered to her.

"I promise, I will notify the vice-captain. He will help. Please, just cooperate for now." Annabel looked out into the distance, seeing a shadowed figure disappearing into the northern forest. Annabel swore that she would become strong enough that nothing would stop her from protecting those important to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the meeting room, the guild master and Gerald had a dark light in their eyes. Gona and Lindy looked ready to go back outside and throttle the hell out of the guard captain.

"Thank you for telling me, Miss Annabel. I promise I will put out a notice at the guild to try to find her." The guild master promised.

"And once I recover, you will be sure, I will be out there lookin' fer her. Melody, was it? I owe her a life debt, which I intend to repay." Gona said, which Lindy and Gerald joined in on the promise.

Annabel thanked them. "Can I join in on the search?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not lass. If she is where you said she ran to, it is the North Gaian Forest. That place has plenty of dangerous critters and even forest spirits. I think she might be fine if she is skilled, as ye say. A newbie like you won't survive." Gona explained.

"Then I will join the adventurer's guild," Annabel stated.

The adventurers smiled and welcomed her warmly.

In the days to follow, the guard captain was stripped of his position and blacklisted from government jobs and the adventurer's guild. Though at some point, he was ambushed at night and beaten multiple times until he refused to leave his noble family's home. They tried to get the guard involved, but no leads ever turned up.

The Vice-Captain was promoted to captain. He rearranged the guard quickly to ensure that his people knew about Melody and not attack unless she did so first.

Annabel joined the church and the adventurer's guild along with the orphaned children, Lala, Lucas, and little Mina.

Gona and other adventurers who were saved by Melody's actions tried to find her but to no avail. They could not find any signs of her anywhere.

The guild master sat at his desk in his office, holding his head in his hands.

"Father, are you okay?" A young girl who looked to be fourteen brought a cup of tea for him. Her hair was black like her father's, and she had eyes like amethysts.

"Violet? Haaah." He sighed.

"Is it about the giant?" She asked, which brought a wry smile to his face.

"That easy to see, huh? Yes. We have been searching for weeks and have found no sign of her. She either went deep into the forest, or she left altogether. I have sent word to other guild branches to keep an eye out for her. I hope that we someday find her. She not only saved our people but would have been a massive asset to the city. Just think of it. It takes six iron-rankers to take down a single full-grown giant. Then put her skills on top of that, easily twenty." He sipped the tea she had brought.

"Damn idiot noble brat. He wanted to kill her for bragging rights with his friends." He began brooding over what he should do next to the bastard.

"Just don't take things too far, father," She smiled knowingly, "Her name was Melody, right? I was thinking of helping the group that she saved. I think her name was Annabel."

"Are you now? I am sure they will appreciate the help. That priestess, she had a hell of a drive to find that giant. Thank you, Violet."

They continued their conversation into the search and where to possibly look next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Run. I have to… run. Melody ran through the forest as fast as she could. Anytime she tripped and fell, she was back to her feet quickly and running as fast as she could. Melody was so terrified she didn't even notice the various cuts from branches or the ache of pain from the arrows in her shoulder and leg.

Melody knew her stamina had run out minutes ago, and her body was beginning to get heavy, and she had to stop. The pain from her wounds hit her all at once, causing her to wince.

I must find a safe spot… The haggard Melody looked around and saw a hole in a dead tree that she could fit through.

Using her sense danger skill, she could not pick up on anything that would be a danger to her.

Straining through the pain, she pulled herself up into the hollow. It looked to be some kind of abandoned nest and was barely big enough for her to sit inside but deep enough for her to curl up and lay down. The surface was covered in soft moss.

Taking hold of the arrow in her shoulder, she bit into the strap of her pack and pulled the arrow free. “AAAAH!” She cried and doubled over.

After recovering from the worst of the pain, she applied her healing poultice to the wound. She then took the arrow tip she removed and used it to help remove the other arrow. Melody was thankful that the arrowheads were flat and straight instead of the cross-shaped heads, or else it would take far longer for her wounds to scab over. She applied her poultice to the rest of her injuries and scratches.

She curled up into a ball and began to cry. "Why? Why can't I be happy? Why did they do that? Nova… Please help me…." She continued crying until she fell asleep from emotional exhaustion.