Chapter 3: Giants Are Not So Dangerous
"Stop, listen." Susurri, who always took his place as the "ranger," tracked a bit ahead of the group to ensure safe travel, suddenly came into sight. His voice always was a whisper, but everyone seemed to be able to hear it--it was unnerving to Eronous. Nevertheless, the group froze - listening intently.
Rustling bushes--birds flying off, to Eronous it sounded like everything was natural. Everyone else seemed to be on edge, however, as they readied their weapons. Finally, Eronous heard it--large, pounding footsteps. He did a sharp inhale as Dalor called out, almost too happily: "Giants!"
The giants approached the treeline next to the trail, knocking down trees in their wake. The tallest trees seemed to only reach their waist, showing just how massive they were. Dalor rushed into them, taking his ax to the Giant's shin, causing the beast to release a loud bellow. The giants seemed to come at them from both edges of the trail, causing the group to split. Eronous drew his short sword, running after the group (Staying close to Rein, for he was most familiar with how Rein fought). As he was about to stab one of the Giant's shins, he suddenly felt weightless as a hand closed over his body, lifting him up. Suddenly he was staring at an eye that was bigger than himself. He would have let out a scream, but it caught in his throat; everyone else was taking on a giant, one to one it seemed, so no one noticed his helplessness, his absence. The other giants were all getting wounded, and two had fallen already--as if conceding defeat, the giant that held Eronous began to step away, turning back the way he came. Being a giant, his large leg span quickly outpaced the group - leaving them behind. Soon enough, Eronous heard the sounds of the battle dying out. Finally, he found his voice, shouting: "Let me go!" to which, he heard a response in a language he did not know come from the mouth of the bellowing giant.
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"Roll call!" Rysdan shouted, back at the group, a group of dead giants lying around them. He counted seven responses, all shouting out "here" - meaning one was missing.
"Where is Eronous?" Susurri's whisper snapped in the ears of the group, almost accusingly. "Who was he fighting next to?"
"He's not here." Rein responded, looking as if he was concentrating to be able to find the boy.
"Two giants got away." Dalor reported, sneering and cussing in what sounded like the Giant's tongue. "He must be dead."
"He doesn't die here. From what I saw, it is years away." Alden piped up, glancing at Dalor. "Strange, I've never known giants to know mercy."
Rysdan reached over, touching the ground, as if connecting to the roots that lay in the soil. "I can confirm that he's not dead." He reported after a minute of silence. "He was taken by a Giant. He has a two-mile lead on us."
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Eronous grew tired of shouting, yelling, so he stopped. He had no idea why he was still alive, after all, the giants had raided their party. The giant didn't seem to care at the noise he had made anyway, just kept on walking. Hours passed. Upon nightfall when he saw large, rolling hills fast approaching. Just as he felt he was nearly to fall asleep, he felt himself being lowered to the ground, the giants soon starting a fire as they watched him.
"What little boy do with dangerous adults?" One said, in the common language. Eronous didn't know they knew how to speak common language.
"Th...They're my friends!" Eronous stammered defensively. "You took me from my friends!" This response made the giant look disgusted, and he seemed to bite back a yell.
"Dangerous adults kill many friends. Don't ask questions, just fight. See giants as dangerous. We only want you to take to chief."
Eronous was taken aback--the giants were looking for him? For a boy who was into a quest way out of his depth? "What does your chief...want with me?"
"Chief see future. Say you valuable. Worth lives of seven giants. Shurgath's friends die because you save Giants."
Shurgath. Eronous thought, confirming the name of the giant who had taken him--though he didn't dwell on the name for long, what he was being told was far too outlandish. Save the giants? Him? This world's seers and revelators must have too much to drink--and often--for them to make mistakes so big as these. Eronous was certain that he was being mistaken for someone else. At the thought of this eventuality, and what had recently happened, he started to snivel, about to burst into tears.
"Why boy cry?" Shurgath asked suddenly, still observing the little boy.
"Destiny is too big for someone like me, someone so small. I'm also sad because your friends died."
"Smart for small boy." Shurgath responded. "Only another day walk. Should not rest--friends catch up soon." He stated, moving to pick Eronous up once more. He did NOT complain about it this time, for he didn't have to do the walking. It was getting dark, and he wanted to rest. Soon he found himself being lulled to sleep in the gentle Giant's hands, with the gentle rocking motion of the giant's walk.
Eronous awoke once more in a bed that was unfamiliar and much larger than he was. He could only assume that this bed was one used for giant children, but it would easily fit both of his parents, and more. If he had more of a family, he was certain the bed could fit every member. He slowly got up, stretching--his rest hadn't been as good as it was when he was with the adventuring group he was assigned to, but it wasn't a bad rest. Almost as soon as he was getting his bearings on the room around him, he heard a sharp rap at the door. The knock didn't sound like a giant's hand. Soon, someone who looked like an adult with a bright face entered.
"Hello Eronous! Welcome to the Giant's community. I hope you find your accommodations acceptable. I told them to get the smallest bed they had; seems that was a good choice!" Closing the distance between them, this person went to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Eronous was taken aback. This person seemed to have the demeanor of a child, but his body showed that he was older than the years his personality displayed. The way he carried himself, the way he ran over to Eronous; everything reminded him of someone slightly younger than he was. "Ummm...Who are you?"
"Call me Riri. That's what my friends call me. Or at least, that's what people tell me my friends call me. I'm not certain why people shorten my full name, Riritsu, but I guess it's easier for people." Riritsu responded, after the hand shake tucking his hands behind his back, a gleeful smile showing.
Eronous nodded, then shook his head. People did much the same to him, but he understood that it was because the names were easier. Shortening a name also showed familiarity with a person, a sign that they were willing to be more casual with you. "I guess people call me Eron, which I prefer...it reminds me of my mother when I'm in trouble when people call me Eronous." He said uneasily, but let out a laugh anyway. The character in front of him was quite comical.
"I'll call you Eron, then, because you prefer it. Anyway, let someone know if there is anything you need! You meet with the Chief of the Giants before noon. Afterwards, there will be a feast. Believe me, there will be waaaay more food than you can even eat!" Riritsu said as he rushed out the door, as if he was late for some sort of appointment.
Eronous, again alone, used this time to make sure his hair was sufficiently un-messed, and that he looked...presentable?
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The group had been tracking the Giant for a day now, though they felt they had little hope of catching up with his gigantic strides. Most remained intent on the trail, though there was a bit of complaining from Ember, stating that they should have horses for this trek. It took them until dawn to reach the place where the Giant had made camp, where Susurri stopped the group, and Rysdan agreed.
"We need to rest. We don't stand a chance if we ignore our exhaustion." Susurri's whisper seemed to snap at the group's ears in a commanding manner.
"The giant's camp shan't be far." Dalor commented, watching the horizon as if he could see them. "Another day's trek. But I tell ye, the boy will be dead 'fore sunrise."
Rein shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. If they wanted him dead, they would have killed him rather than carrying him off. It's not as if he has anything very valuable on him, except that dagger."
"Then they want him as a hostage." Dalor spat, almost like he was cursing. "Te' kill the rest of us."
"I don't think you know this tribe of giants, then, Dalor. There is a tribe of hill giants in this area that have been getting better relations with the other settlements. They attribute it to their Chieftain's foresight, saying that he can see into the future. Kind of like one of our seers in the capital." Rysdan responded, planting a fire flower in the center of the encampment, which instantly grew, heat flowing from them. "I think there is more to this than meets the eye. We should approach their encampment with caution."
"Plus, none of your deaths come this soon. For most of us, they're years off." Alden responded, chancing a small glance towards Rein, as his death had particularly spooked Alden.
"I dun' see how their relations make a difference." Dalor responded irritably.
"It means they are not simply attacking random travelers and are making an effort to be civilized." Rysdan countered, his voice evenly measured to avoid the issue escalating any further. "All I'm saying is, as we go, do not attack unless they attack us. Self defense is acceptable, killing because you don't like something is most certainly not." Standing up, he looked off to the horizon. "one day's trek, I hope we aren't too late."
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Eronous was fetched, and he followed the giant to a larger, more magnificent chamber than any he had been in so far (And larger was saying something!). Oddly, when he approached the throne, he noted that it was only a little bigger than he. "Umm...do giants shrink when they get older?" He asked nervously. The giant in front of him chuckled, shaking his head.
As Eronous was brought to a stop, the giant bowed--he did the same, out of respect and because he didn't want to mess up the meeting.
"Rise." Said a voice that was familiar to Eronous. If he didn't know better, he would think it was...looking up, his eyes widened. "Riritsu?" The childish man that visited his chambers earlier. He stood up, as if this was some sort of joke.
"Surprised? I've only been chief for about a year now, though I can't really say how I got the giant's respect." He walked forward, touching Eronous' shoulder, telling him to rise, and leading him to a room behind the throne that was a bit smaller (or normal sized, for the two of them). "We have a big problem, you see, Eronous. I was an advocate for the universe. I've fulfilled my purpose, so I am free to do as I wish. But there are still dark things brewing, and you are the only one who would be able to prevent the universe from destroying this planet. Even I, who have the powers of the universe at my command, can only judge the world fairly; which is odd, because I was only born a few short years ago. I still have a hard time with understanding some things."
Eronous listened as Riritsu babbled. Once he came to an end, Eronous stayed silent for a moment. "Why me? I have no special talents."
"You have no special talents yet. That will be fixed soon enough." Riritsu responded, slyly.
"I think you have the wrong person. I'm just a farm boy. I can't do anything special." Eronous sounded defeated.
"You can't do anything special that you know of." Riritsu corrected. "I guarantee you that you have some amazing talents. Some that even surpass the greatest heroes of the land. Some that surpass my own. You must discover them yourself, though that doesn't mean we can't help...speed the process along?" His voice sounded with no malice, but much mischievousness. Suddenly, Eronous found himself being pushed forward; something snagged his leg and he tripped, landing chest-first on the floor. He had expected a huge impact, but the floor had turned to something less solid for just a moment before his impact--sand?
"What did you do that for!?" Eronous said angrily, getting to his feet, dusting off his clothing. Not that he wasn't used to dust.
"Well, you see, Eronous...I'm your opponent." Riritsu's smile hadn't faded, and he rushed once again at Eronous.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ExtraWhiteRice
ExtraWhiteRice A bit more action in these pages. Stay tuned to learn what it is that Eronous can do.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone