Elincia pushed me to the ground just as the tree flew over our heads. The smell of rot that filled my nose when my face hit the forest bed quickly faded into the background. Behind us, the Stone Giant let out a mighty howl that sounded like earth cracking down.

Something on Elincia’s face told me Stone Giants weren’t supposed to wander so close to Farcrest. She was pale as a corpse and her eyes were wide open. I didn't have time to ask about Stone Giant’s habits because the woman grabbed my jacket and yanked me to my feet.

The creature let out a second enraged howl and I thought the ground was going to crack open under my feet. My chest felt like it was about to burst from the sound when Elincia pushed me behind a tree. A giant boulder crossed the sky, landing a few meters ahead of us and turning a tree into splinters.

[Awareness]: Humans are weak against boulders thrown at high speeds.

‘Thanks for the reminder.’

“Follow me.” Elincia muttered as she started to run away from the Stone Giant.

We ran a frantic race, only interrupted from time to time by the deep rumble of the Giant’s growling. Brambles got tangled around my ankles and low branches flailed against my face but I ignored the pain. My brain could only focus on keeping Elincia’s pace and getting away from the monster.

The daily workout had improved my condition because I felt more agile than my last time in the Farlands. As much as I had improved, Elincia still had the edge in the speed department. I held back the urge of turning around to identify the Stone Giant and focused on the path ahead. Escaping was always the best option for non-combatant classes.

The sound of shattering trees behind us became weaker.

“Rocks can’t rival human endurance!” I laughed fueled by adrenaline.

My victory song was cut short when the ground around me was suddenly lit by a surge of ocre mana. The Stone Giant was casting an area spell. I jumped forward but instead of finding solid ground, my feet buried to the knee into the forest bed. When I tried to break free, my other leg got stuck in the foaming surface.

The Stone Giant roared and the floor rippled around me like a raging sea.

Elincia turned around and came to my rescue.

“Elincia no!” I yelled, but the spell didn’t seem to affect her.

“Blessed be my elven blood.” The white haired woman muttered as she grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the trap. However, by the time I was dragged to solid ground, the Stone Giant was upon us.

I expected to see an ugly man with deformed features but what stood in front of us was a humanoid clump of rocks with the texture of sandstone. The creature was a four meter tall juggernaut with a rough shell on its back and two sets of arms protruding from the orifices.

[Awareness]: Stone Giants can retract their arms and legs and hide under their shell to disguise themselves from predators.

“This thing has predators?” I whined as I looked over my shoulder.

Elincia shushed me and dragged me behind a fallen tree. It was little consolation to know how the golem had snuck up on us. It had been there all along, disguised as a rock.

“Shouldn’t we be running right now?” I whispered.

“The Stone Giant won’t let us get away, spirits don’t get tired nor run out of mana.” Elincia replied.

The sound of the Stone Giant shredding trees in its wake sent a shiver down my spine. Elincia was right, we had to be sneaky. We crawled under the line of ferns as the Giant swung its arms, wiping out everything in its path. Awareness told me each of the monster’s hands weighed several hundred kilos.

A single hit was enough to turn me into a mosquito splattered against a windshield.

The Giant bellowed in anger as it thrashed at a clump of ferns.

I looked over my shoulder and identified the creature.

Stone Giant Lv.21. Corrupted Spirit. [Identify] An angered elemental spirit animated by the uncontrolled mana currents of the Farlands. Weakness: Water, Ice.

There was no way the Stone Giant was a mere level 21. The ease with which it uprooted trees made me think it was stronger than the Elder Black Wolf and the Wendigo combined. The damned System needed a damned update.

“We need a plan like right now.” I tugged Elincia’s ankle to catch her attention.

The Stone Giant was clearing the area faster than we could stealthily move away.

Every problem has a solution, my motto echoed inside my head.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Elincia’s mischievous expression was enough to erase all the fear from my mind. If she thought we were going to be alright, I was going to believe in her. At the count of three, we stood and ran towards the steep slope hidden behind the fern clump. Gravity pulled me down the slope like a sack of potatoes while Elincia gracefully slid down.

“Scatter!” Elincia yelled as we reached the bottom.

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I obeyed without question.

The Stone Giant fell off the slope’s edge at full speed. The ground trembled as the creature stumbled down, destroying everything in its path. Elincia and I were already far from the landing zone when the Giant crashed hard against the bottom of the slope.

“Run!” Elincia yelled from the other side of the clearing.

I didn't need to hear it twice.

Not even two seconds passed when the Stone Giant roared behind me. I looked over my shoulder expecting to see the creature still lying on its back. The picture froze my blood. The Giant buried its hand in the ground, grabbing a handful of dirt and small stones.

“Down!” I yelled.

The Giant looked at me with gleeful eyes, as if it knew I wasn’t stone-proof. I turned around and dove behind the nearest tree. A deadly rain of stones whistled across the forest, shredding branches, bark and brambles without distinction. Pain exploded on my left shoulder as a stone grazed me.

Only when the artillery attack subsided, I dared to peek over the bruised tree trunk.

A wave of relief washed over me when I saw Elincia curled up behind a tree, more than fifty paces from my hideout. I looked around for a feature of the terrain that could help me. The creature tried to stand but its leg faltered with a satisfying crunch.

We needed to find a way to leave the Stone Giant behind now that it was wounded.

Behind me, the terrain was rockier and the forest less dense. There was no place to hide in that direction. My best bet was to run towards Elincia, but the nearest tree thick enough to protect me was more than twelve paces away. I cursed under my breath. Twelve paces without cover was a lot of distance during a grapeshot attack.

‘Every problem has a solution.’ I repeated my motto.

[Awareness]: The Stone Giant throws with a vertical movement.

Then I noticed it. The pattern of destruction was a meter wide straight line.

Elincia’s words echoed in my mind but I ignored them, I was about to act like a maniac once again. I let [Awareness] feed on my knowledge about launches and trajectories. If I was right, I could predict the path of the grapeshot.

I took a deep breath and ran towards the next tree ignoring all the alarms on my mind. [Awareness] warned me the Stone Giant was aiming at me but I continued running. The Giant roared. Only in the last instant, just before the Giant released the rain of stones, I stopped.

With no cover between me and the creature, I expected the worst.

The vegetation in front of me was shredded by the rain of projectiles but none hit me. Barely. I jumped behind the tree before the Stone Giant could grab another load of stones. One step closer to Elincia, a few more to go.

The elven woman glanced at me from her hideout with her mouth open.

‘What the hell was that?!’ I read her lips.

‘Monkey brain special skill; pattern recognition.’ I silently replied.

I peeked over the tree. The Stone Giant had its four arms raised into the air. Luckily, even the lower set of arms were arranged to launch vertically. Four throws to predict. If I wanted to get alive to the next tree I needed an edge over the Giant.

There wasn't much difference between our levels. Stunning it might work. Taking a deep breath, I cast [Stun Gaze] but the spell bounced off the Giant’s skin.

Spirits are immune to Stun.

The System prompt appeared in front of my face just as the creature unleashed a rain of projectiles over my hideout. I pressed my back against the old tree until the impacts ceased.

“I can do this.” I muttered as I surveyed the terrain for the next cover. Almost twenty paces. Despite Elincia’s frantic gesturing, I stood and lunged through the forest. With [Awareness] telling me the exact moment when the Giant threw the stones, I was able to predict the trajectory.

The Giant roared in anger just as I reached the safety of the next tree. The closer I got to Elincia, the denser the forest became. Next cover was less than a few paces away.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Elincia yelled from behind her tree.

We were close enough to hear each other over the Giant’s rumbling sounds.

“The attack has a pattern!” I yelled back.

My plan had a big problem. Elincia was quicker than me but she lacked the [Awareness] skill to help her predict the trajectory of the stones. I massaged my temples in a vain attempt to come up with something. The solution was obvious. I had to be the bait.

“Elincia, run when I tell you!” I yelled.

Behind us, the Stone Giant made efforts to stand up.

Elincia gave me the thumbs up and got ready to run. Only a few more trees and we will be safe in the dense part of the forest. I raised a silent prayer for everything to go well and run towards the next tree.

The Stone Giant raised its arm and [Awareness] notified me the creature was about to throw.

“Now!” I yelled.

An instant later, the fern clump in front of me was reduced to shreds. I ignored the shiver going down my spine and continued my race for safety. A quick glance revealed that Elincia had safely reached the next cover. With the help of [Awareness] I dodged the penultimate barrage.

The whistling sound of the stones flying mere centimeters from my face was unnerving. I only had to endure one more and I’ll be safe.

[Awareness]: The Stone Giant is getting ready to throw.

I waited until the last second before stopping.

“Now!” I yelled and Elincia lunged through the forest like a green and white blur.

The small trees in front of me were unscathed. There was no barrage, no whistling sound, and no destruction. I turned around to see the Giant’s arm still up in the air.

“Crap.” I muttered.

The Giant’s brain didn’t seem to be as polished as mine. The fact I had just announced the moment when I was going to stop by yelling at Elincia settled in my mind.

The Stone Giant smiled with a thousand teeth like shards of glass. I wasn’t going to gain enough speed to fool him again. I prepared my [Intimidation] skill in a desperate last attempt to survive but I didn’t get to cast the spell.

A sudden explosion hit the Giant’s head.

I raised my head to see Elincia drawing an arrow. The mana on her body was transferred to the bow and then accumulated at the tip of the arrow.

“Run!” Elincia said as she aimed.

The Stone Giant roared.

“Elincia! No!” I yelled.

Ignoring my pleas, the elven woman shot another flare. This time it completely caught the Stone Giant’s attention. The creature howled with anger as it turned around, ready to discharge the barrage of stones over Elincia.

“Run!”

Elincia jumped back with cat-like agility and rushed through the forest with inhuman speed. I couldn’t look away. The Stone Giant threw a massive volley of stones and gravel.

She wasn’t going to make it.

Elincia was struck and fell behind a tattered clump of ferns. Air escaped from my lungs. A nauseous feeling crept up my stomach. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t call her name.

The whistling sound of high speed projectiles brought me back to the present.

I covered my head and dove behind a young tree.

“Elincia!” I called but I got no answer.

Panic.

“Elincia, please!” I called as loud as I could, disregarding the fact I could draw the Giant’s attention. But again, there was no answer.

An electrifying sensation covered my body as the mana poured out of my skin. Anger, fear, and despair battled inside my chest. I wanted to call Elincia’s name, but no words came out of my mouth.

I faced the Stone Giant and let my mana run wild.