Both Toular and the monster guide quickly looked up, staring over the field. Toular’s glance was fast, returning to look at the guard’s line to help defend against beasts. The monster guide took a bit longer, but both shook their head.
“I sense nothing, Joe,” Toular stated quickly.
“I apologize. My perceptions are too weak and too short to catch anything, eccentric,” the monster guide added.
Joe fired off a couple more shots then looked up and around really quick, the tingle in the back of his mind hinting something was off. He shook his head, but the feeling only grew. He growled in anger and returned to firing his arrows.
“I don’t know. I can’t see anything… but something is wrong… something is happening! But… I can’t see anything at all!”
Toular said nothing, but suddenly, Joe sensed his mana swirling up before his lips again, the small pixie or fairy forming before racing off. Joe noticed it took off behind them and Joe grimaced.
“I don’t know if you should have sent that message, Toular. I don’t know what is going on… maybe I’m just being paranoid. I didn’t want to spook the wall. I might just be freaking out!”
Toular quickly shook his head, “Your perception is much stronger than mine. It is wiser to be prepared and find nothing than be unprepared.”
Joe laughed at that, smiling, “My people have a similar saying, although it escapes me now. I’ll continue defending the line but let me know if you see anything.”
They continued there tense defense, Toular once again taking over a portion of the line but so distracted by Joe’s jitters that Joe had to step in a bit more often to help keep Toular’s defense firm. This continued for almost another thirty minutes. By this time, a group of people had joined in behind Joe, standing firm but unmoving. Joe never looked back, but the agitated swishing of clothing and soft mutters of a half a dozen people let Joe know that some form of backup had shown up. He was a bit embarrassed that the call had been made without him being certain, but he let it go, too concerned by the ever growing certainty that something was coming.
They’d just started another cycle with Toular once again taking his line when the muttering behind him took on a decidedly unhappy overtone before there was silence. Joe sighed, glancing back really quickly now that Toular was once again helping defend and found the people behind him gone. Whelp… couple pissed off guys, but… what can you do. There is definitely something going on, though… I just… don’t see it. Joe took the time to carefully look over the line but found nothing. The fight continued for another five minutes before he smiled grimly, vindicated. Well… that’s really something!
* * *
Telnia had returned to the wall, watching the eccentric so easily hold against the ravenous tide. She watched on, off to the side from Joe’s women, the two conversing with easy comfort. Her focus turned between the two, her thoughts deeply twisted. Joe’s depth of strength only grew more obvious even as her thoughts, and her teeth, ground against one another, one in despair, and the other in bitter soft anger. Through it all, her pride eroded away under the pressure of it all. It did not take long, the two images powerful in grinding away her will. When the eccentrics call for a new powerful monster appearing proved erroneous, she’d felt relieved and vindicated in keeping herself withdrawn. It was only a few moments later when, instead of her own vindication being supported, the eccentric proved himself, revealing a terror that did send her fleeing in dread.
The clanners around her all acted the same, despair coming to the wall even as several of the more powerful clanners of Galgandar swept out their Presence to maintain the line and guard against any fleeing cowards. The Galgandar clan, of course, was polite enough to refrain from bringing their Presence to bear against her. That did not stop her from retreating quickly, turning back to entourage, intent on fleeing immediately. The Gate was expensive, but she would not be a fool and measure her life against wealth. The despair on the wall had fallen to silence, the Galgandar clan wisely choosing silence rather than to allow the fear to continue to spread, the Presences of many leaders pressing down on the defenders.
She’d almost made it back to her entourage when a soft chuckle echoed out from the wall. The silence that had been on the wall rooted in fear evaporated and was replaced by shock. She whipped her head around and stared back, seeing the eccentric still firing without fear upon the wave even as he laughed, staring at the city killer emerging from the tree line. He… laughs!
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Telnia stared on even as the eccentric’s simple laugh brought all courage in a single moment. Shock shuddered across her features, and the last of her pride evaporated. She watched on, observing the eccentric for a time as he quickly began taking charge, developing plans and meeting with various clan members. This…
* * *
The line of trees began wavering again, pressed aside and destroyed by some great beast of a thing. A shout went up across the wall, and Joe stewed in a milieu of happiness for being right and grim upset for what was coming. Please don’t be another giant slime! Please! Really! That wasn’t fun at all!
The thing, whatever it was, proved to be about as tall as the previous slime he fought, it’s top portion barely visible through the tops of the trees. Seems… a lot faster than the slime… but a lot more bothered by the trees!
The trees seemed to hinder it a bit as it pressed through, having to bash through tree after tree. Whereas the slime was a rustling movement through the foliage of trees, this was more like a bulldozer, nearby trees pressed to the side and only a very few returning upright with most in the direct path being crushed to the ground. A vast majority seemed to fall over under the strength of the incoming beast.
“Well… I think… it’s coming now. Donno what it is, but it’s here now!”
Toular looked up in surprise, “You are certain?”
Joe smiled, “Wished you had waited. But anyway, can you see it. It’s pushing through the trees now. See them falling and waving?”
Joe pointed it out, but Toular seemed much more uncertain.
Joe smiled, “Just wait. It’ll be here very soon, then you can send your message again.”
This time, Toular took his advice to heart, cautiously waiting. He focused on his line of defense but every once in a while taking the time to look up where Joe had pointed. It didn’t take much longer for cries from the scouts to be raised. This caused Toular to tense. His eyes automatically flickered towards where Joe had pointed out the incoming beast and this time, Toular saw something in the trees. His curiosity didn’t have enough time to form for the last trees hiding the beast fell before it, slamming into the ground of the field surrounding the city. The trees had been shouldered aside by what Joe could only count as the epitome of a giant. The thing stood almost forty meters tall, just about ten meters shy of the top of the walls. It wasn’t as tall as the walls, but it was more than tall enough to reach the top of the city walls with its … OK… that’s not an it! Joe goggled, the trees now cleared, it stepped fully into the field. Most definitely a he! And… I’ve never seen… that’s… that’s big!
The male giant stepped fully into the field, in all his glory, utterly nude. It was, in every way reasonable, a generic human male scaled up to utterly ridiculous levels. The giant towered over the beasts around it, stomping into the open without any concern what he crushed beneath his feet, dozens of creatures smashed into soupy blood and ground into the muddy swamp. And between the legs of the giant, moving slowly because of the insane mass, swayed its maleness, some twenty times larger than a normal average man. That… can’t… that’s… gotta be … bigger? Joe blinked in surprised when realization hit. Or… the extra mass is obvious, adding heft and weight, so it dangles much further… as well as the testicles! They’re… what… two… maybe even three feet… a freakin’ meter in diameter?
The giant seemed to walk a bit more splayed than usual, from what Joe could see… which makes complete sense! Joe couldn’t keep the smirk off his face. He tore his eyes away from the massive set of balls. The chuckle still found its way out, bursting out for all to hear. OK… still a bit juvenile, I guess. Joe grimaced, hiding his blush behind a continued rapid fire of arrows at the monsters, although he did speak to Toular.
“So. Giant genitalia… guess that makes sense.”
Toular looked up at him but the look of utter terror on his face sobered Joe quickly.
“Bad?” Joe asked.
“City killer!” Toular gasped.
Joe looked back at the giant, but then turned back to his line, now ragged as he’d paused for a second or two to take in the giant. His arrows started flying across the line, keeping the beasts back.
“Hold your line, but conserve your mana. I’ll probably need your help to take out the giant.”
Toular didn’t respond and Joe looked over, realizing that Toular was sending some kind of report, his mana swirling around in front of his wisp. Toular didn’t keep his report silent though, and shakily spoke.
“Giant. Size, city killer. On the eccentric’s wall. Send … send… everything!”
OK. A bit more… terrifying than I thought? Joe waited politely until Toular finished his report before beginning his interrogation. Joe made sure to include the monster guide as well.
“Right. Explain about the thing. Quick. Anything I need to know?”
Toular remained silent for a bit before replying, “It’s a city killer.”
“I understand that. What else?”
“It’s… large?”
Joe grimaced, “Strengths? Speed? Agility? Any weaknesses? Fears? Where is its brain? Heart?”
Toular fell silent at that and stared at Joe with some surprise, “I… don’t know. I’m no butcher!”
Joe frowned at that, looking to the monster guide, “Do you know?”
The man maintained his emotions a bit better and bowed, “I apologize. As master Toular said, I know little of such things.”
“What are they most known for?”
“They are very strong, easily destroying city walls and buildings.”
“And their speed?”
The guide paused, then shrugged, “I have not heard that they are particularly fast.”
“Then why are they feared?”
“Few can kill them.”
“Why?”
“Their health is… extreme! Few can strike so hard as to harm it and kill it.”
Joe looked back at the giant, then back to his line of monsters, still firing arrows, “Its skin is strong… like steel or metal?”
“I am… uncertain.”
Joe frowned, “Right. Time for some tests.”
This whole time, the giant had stayed at the edge of the forest, not coming closer, but staring around. It took Joe a moment to realize that it was assessing the battle. Right… that’s even worse… intelligent! Joe watched a moment longer, but the line of beasts before the wall called his attention again and he cleared the line once more before pulling an arrow out and aiming carefully. So… testing time.