A week passed with Melody learning from Elder and her mother with no interference or harassment from Olg and his crew. The adult males mostly left her alone with the occasional demand of Whirly Shrooms.
At the end of the week, Rul had called all the male giants, Elder, Melody, and a couple of young female giants. They were the two Melody had seen before in the cave opposite of the 'fun pit.' The two females' expressions were dark and looked… broken, which Melody had often seen on her mother. Melody probably had her mother to thank that she never got sent to the room with the other females.
"Welcome! Today is Bloodening! All childs join!" Rul announced. The other males and Rul seemed excited.
Elder knew that the day was coming and explained it to Melody before Rul's announcement.
The Bloodening was a rite of passage for all young giants. During an annual moon event, the two moons overlapped, creating a red-colored eclipse. The event was to take children of an old enough age out on a raid where they attack a human settlement or caravan. They wanted the children to get the experience of killing humans. Elder had explained that it was also to show the benefits of raiding humans as they typically had good things.
Melody asked why it was only done once a year. Elder informed her that it became that way after the previous clan leader over-attacked the humans, drawing a significant force that nearly wiped out the whole clan. Rul was young around that time and learned that attacking the humans too much only led to death. Thus he created the annual event.
Melody did not want to kill humans, but Elder said she had no choice in it. If she tried to turn it down, Rul would kill her.
"We leave now! Pick weapon!" Rul walked toward the exit excitedly while the others followed, picking up a club from the pile. Melody reluctantly picked up a club and followed along.
Rul led them quite far from the clan cave, through the forest surrounding it, until they came upon an open area with a dirt road. Melody was not happy that her first time seeing humans was only to see them die.
"If no humans come. We attack village." Rul said.
Melody hated that even more! If they attacked a village, that would definitely mean children! She didn't want to see children die, or even adults for that matter!
Please, no one comes. Please… Melody had been praying for the last few hours they had waited.
"There!" Rul whispered.
Melody's heart sank at his words and peaked out, seeing four covered wagons approaching. They were moving slowly as multiple armed people in different armor and weapons were walking alongside the wagons.
Melody was happy to see there were guards. She really hoped they would be strong enough to kill the males, especially Rul and Olg.
"Adults target armed people. Kids make sure no one escape." Rul ordered.
Once they were close enough, Rul ordered the attack while roaring a battle cry and charged out toward the caravan. Two of the six adults split off toward the back and front of the procession, leaving four to attack from the side.
The human guards shouted out, "GIANTS!" "Protect the people!"
Most of the guards rushed forward to meet the giants. Melody followed along to not look suspicious, to try to help some get away if she could. The two adult males at the front and back cut off wagon drivers from leaving, especially after the giants killed the front and back horse. The merchants and other occupants jumped from the wagons and ran toward the forest to the north to try and escape the giants. But they were pursued by the younger giants, all but Melody, who approached one of the carriages in the middle.
I'm sorry, horsey! She hit a horse as hard as she could with the club, crushing, killing it instantly. That was… too easy… I don't like this! Why do we have to attack innocent people!? Melody screamed in her head.
The giants with Rul fought against the guards, taking them out slowly.
The club in her hand felt so heavy in her hands. Melody was on the verge of tears. She wanted to cry, she wanted to run away, she wanted to hit the giants!
While her mind was in conflict, it focused on a quiet whimper from underneath one of the wagons. She peaked underneath, seeing four human children of various ages, one of them looked to be fourteen. Melody had to help them escape somehow, but she was running out of time. Once the chaos of the unforgivable slaughter ended, she would not be able to get them out unnoticed. Before she could whisper for them to be quiet, a loud voice bellowed.
"Oh! Humans! I need kill!" One of Olg's cronies approached happily to crush the children.
No! I have to do something! Melody closed her eyes and swung her club, hoping to hit him in the stomach, but she forgot she was shorter than him and hit lower.
"GUH!" She opened her eyes to see her club hit him square in the crotch.
The crony crumpled to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
"You hurt Seb! I hurt you!" Olg cried angrily, though his face showed he cared nothing for the fallen giant and only cared he now had an excuse to hurt her.
"What happen?" Since the battle with the humans had ended, Rul stepped out from the cart's other side and saw Seb collapse on the ground. Before Melody could say something, Olg spoke first.
"Girl hit Seb! Humans under wagon! I punish Meldy!" Olg argued.
Rul's face twisted in anger, and he stared down at her. He then flipped the wagon revealing the humans. He raised his club to kill the humans. She desperately looked around for something to help her convince him not to kill them and saw her opportunity in Seb's club.
"Wait!" Melody cried, dropping her club and holding her hand out.
"You order Rul?!" His face turned murderous. Melody trembled under his gaze but pressed her fear down enough to say what she needed.
"No! No order Rul! Beg Rul! Meldy make mistake! Accident hit Seb! See Seb club? No blood! He need kill!" Melody was desperate, taking a chance that would either kill her with the humans or save them.
Rul's face calmed to annoyance. "Speak."
Joy sprang up in Melody's heart. She just had to get Rul on board. "Meldy make mistake. Swing club wrong! Hit Seb. Accident! Seb need kill. Seb hurt. Can't kill. Meldy offer idea." Melody felt her mind screaming, 'What the hell are we doing!?'
Rul rested his club on his shoulder and relaxed a bit more. Melody's trembling began to slow, all she needed to do was convince the cruel Rul to accept her plan, and she should be in the clear.
"Meldy offers, carry humans back for Seb. Seb recover. Seb kill humans. Seb complete Bloodening!" Melody was giving the idea of taking the humans back to the cave in the guise of helping Seb, hoping she might be able to find a way to help them.
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Rul looked at Seb's club, seeing no blood on it, then saw Melody's had blood. Rul snorted his phlegm and hocked it on the ground nearby. Internally Melody wanted to vomit over how disgusting it was.
"Hmph. Fine. You carry humans. Olg. You carry Seb. Meldy. If humans escape. You die."
"Meldy understand. Meldy thanks Rul." Melody bowed her head to Rul, her heart thumping loudly in her head.
Melody fell to her knees in relief. She had succeeded in convincing Rul and bought them more time. But the situation put her in a position that she had only two choices now. One was to let the humans die and stay with the clan. The other was to escape with the humans. Melody felt that the latter would be better. If she could save the humans and get them back to a human city, perhaps she could convince them to help her defeat Rul and the other males. If Melody could not escape with her mother tonight, she would return with human assistance. Melody prayed her plan would succeed.
Olg tried to protest but was threatened with violence if he did not follow orders.
"I'm sorry…." Melody whispered to them.
The humans did not put up a fight against her and let her handle them. Melody used her backpack and put the humans into it gently, and put it back on.
Melody could no longer hold back her tears, and they began to roll down her cheeks.
Rul ordered Melody to check on a fallen giant on the other side of the wagons while the rest of the giants worked toward looting the carts of any valuable goods.
The two other female giants were shoved forward and told to fill their packs with the items from the carts. The male giants had the two carry the heaviest items, only to laugh as they struggled to walk with their overloaded packs. Olg kicked out one of the female's legs, causing her to yelp as she hit the ground. The other males laughed without concern. The burning feeling of rage began to boil back up in Melody's stomach. She wanted to see the horrible males dead!
"What?" Melody blinked in confusion. She was beginning to become worried about the fury that kept bubbling within her. She hoped that she could keep it under control until she escaped with the humans. Melody took several breaths as she walked over to the fallen giant to cool the burning hatred within.
"What doing?" A giant near the body asked.
"Rul order Meldy. Check giant." She replied flatly to hide her anger. The giant gave her no further trouble.
The giant's body was covered in wounds and burn marks, and there was a melting shard of ice sticking out of his chest.
Let's check the pulse at the neck and wrist… No heartbeat. Melody checked to see if he was breathing, feeling nothing.
"How Yug?" The giant asked.
"No heartbeat. No breathing. Yug is dead." Melody reported, the fury calming down more at the knowledge of a dead giant.
The giant called out to Rul, who said to loot Yug and they would move on.
Melody looked at the giant and felt a bit of pity as she realized which one it was.
This is the giant that helped me escape Olg when they took me to… that place. Yug. I know you have done bad things, but thank you for helping me back then. Melody prayed for the giant, hoping that he would be a good person in his next life.
Her rage had calmed enough for her to tamp it out thoroughly. She hoped nothing would inflame it again.
Melody looked around at some of the guards and noticed a short, stocky man with a beard on the ground.
Is he a dwarf? He looks to be half the size of a human. Right, the horses… sorry horsey… Horses back in my old world were somewhere between 4.7 to 6 feet. So, if I assume those horses were five feet tall, that would make my height around six feet. I think my physical age is around twelve or thirteen. So, I am-. Melody's thoughts were interrupted.
"GIRL! FOLLOW NOW!" Rul's ordered.
She looked at the dwarf one last time, dropped a small pouch next to him, and followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the city of Hallfen, in a large building with a bar, tables, counters, and seating areas. Multiple people sat around having a good time chatting, drinking, and eating food. A grizzled-looking man with jet black hair rushed up to a small stage in the drinking hall.
"Listen up, everyone!" He called out.
The people quieted down.
"We have a problem! As all of you know, yesterday was a moon eclipse! Some of you know that means that giants would have had their ritual hunt! We have gotten reports from all the local villages and incoming caravans that they were okay… Except for one."
"Guild master!" A woman burst into the room and rushed the stage.
"Gona! Gona did not arrive last night! He was coming back with a caravan from visiting his brother. Elena was with him!"
Upon the stage, the guild master grimaced. "That is what I am getting into, Lindy. I am calling for volunteers! Must be iron ranked or higher! Pay will be a large silver per person! Limit of ten!"
"I'm going!" Lindy cried.
"You are a copper class."
"I don't care! Rescind my badge for all I care! I'm going!" She snapped back with defiance in her eyes.
A person with a golden tag hanging from their neck approached. "Guild master, let her come. I will look after her." The man requested.
"If you are going too, Gerald… very well, you can go, Lindy. I know how much of a mentor the old dwarf is to you." The guild master said.
Several others stood up and volunteered.
The guild rented ten horses and had the people mount up.
The guild master stood before them to give out his orders, "Listen up, adventurers! Your mission is to find the missing caravan! Their path would have been on the western road! Search for survivors! Save who you can! Come back alive! Got it?!" The adventurers replied with a battle cry and rode off down the road.
They road hard for a little over a day before one of their scouts called out that they saw something ahead. As they approached, they saw multiple scavenger-type monsters picking away at a large body while hearing a surly voice yelling at them.
"Come at me ya sods! A giant couldn't kill me! What makes ye think ye can?!" An exhausted dwarf in dark-colored armor stood ready to cut down any of them that approached him or the bodies behind him.
"GONA!" Lindy cried out.
The dwarf turned and saw the girl, smiled, and collapsed. She cried out and pulled up her bow, firing at the monsters. The monsters quickly scattered back into the forest as they all arrived.
"Gona!" Lindy jumped down and ran over to the dwarf.
"I'm glad ta see ya girl. I'm fine. Need a little healin'. Ellen needs more than I." Out of strength, Gona pointed toward a fair-skinned elven woman with brown hair nearby. Some of the adventurers moved over to her.
"Her breathing is weak. Healers! Here now!" Three healers rushed over and began casting their most potent healing spells.
"Gona, the others?" Gerald asked.
"Three others should survive. They were worse than Ellen. Had to use all da potions and that poultice that lass gave me." Gona replied after he was fed a potion of healing.
"Lass?" Gerald asked while standing guard with his broadsword drawn and shield up.
"Aye. A strange giant lass. She fought to save the children." Gona said as Lindy began using a minor healing spell on him to help along with the potion.
"A giant lass? Are you saying there was a giant that tried to save you?" Lindy asked.
"Aye. She was an odd one. Not like the others. There were smarts and kindness in doze eyes. I betcha a large gold, that lass is going to help those kids." Gona had a sad look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Gerald asked.
Gona went into describing how the other giants treated her and the other two female giants. How it was clear they were being abused. Lindy and the others were disgusted with what they heard.
They took time to repair two of the wagons, loaded one with the injured, and the other with the fallen. It took them nearly three days to get back to the city behind the two riders they sent ahead to inform the guild master and city.
Their party was met at the gates of the city.
"Gona! I am glad to see some of you made it, though I wish not so many had died." The guild master said with heavy shoulders.
"Aye. I would not have survived if not for help from a giant angel." Gona said with a pained chuckle.
"Giant angel?"
"Aye. I need to ask, captain, did a group of children come to the city? Escorted by a young girl giant?" Gona asked an armored man.
"Yes, we took the children in and drove the giant away." The guard captain said. Gona reached up and pulled him down to his level.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" He roared in the man's face, the guild master tried to calm him, but Lindy and Gerald signaled him to wait.
"How dare you!" The guard captain struggled against the enraged dwarf's grip.
"NO! How dare you! Tell me! The girl giant, did she have fiery red hair and blue eyes?" Gona was so angry his spittle was hitting the guard captain in the face.
"Maybe, it was dark! What does it matter? A giant is a monster!" The guard captain continued his desperate attempt to free himself to no avail.
"YOU DAMN FOOL!" Gona roared, "That lass is the reason we're alive! The reason those kids made it here! And you drove her off?! How?!" Gona yanked the man down to his knees.
The guard captain clammed up until his subordinate near him spoke up.
"He commanded that we fire upon her." The captain tried to get him to shut up, but the guild master stepped in.
"I am Lord Arthur Cambel. Please continue, and what is your name?" The guard captain could say nothing more since the guild master was a higher rank than him in the city.
"Vice-Captain Michael Brumdal, sir. I was not on watch last night but heard about what happened. It may be better if you hear the story from the children, sir. They are inside." Michael saluted the guild master and led them inside.
Gona was so furious he decked the guard captain in the face, knocking him out.