Chapter 12

Waking up, anom felt his entire body screaming out in pain. "I’m alive? What happened? The last thing I remember was fighting Belagus, and losing…badly. Ugh, my head is pounding." Looking up, he realized, "I’m in a bone tent. Am I back home? How did I survive?" Straining his body, he sat up, finally relaxing, as he knew, he was home. Pulling his legs to the side, he discovered his legs were now hanging off his bed matt, and touching the floor.

Getting to his feet, he realized had grown much taller. "How long was I asleep for? Could it have been years? What the hell is going on?" Opening the tent flap to his room, his parents were both in the main living area, looking rough, but in one piece. Looking at them, he could see the concern and happiness, on their faces, seeing him awake. Saram, hiding her tears, spoke out. "You are finally awake!" Proud of his son, Argath cut in, showing his worry. "Finally! About time boy! We were starting to think you would never get up. Thank Gaia!"

Still confused, Anom asked. "How long have I been asleep for?" Still Concerned, Argath replied. "You slept for two whole week’s child. Your mother and I were both pretty injured after the war as well, but once we returned to the tribe, it didn’t take too long to get back on our feet. Although some injuries will still take some time to heal, we will be at 100% soon enough. Frostfire and Rorther told us how you were able to chase away that monstrosity of a red dragon. Without you, the whole tribe would likely have been destroyed." Butting in, Saram spoke up. "Thank you is what he trying to say. Especially thank you for saving me and lady."

Distressed, and unsure if he wanted to know the answer, Anom asked. "Lady is alive?" Seeing the concern and worry on his face, Saram told him. "yes, she will be healing for quite a while and she won’t be doing anything big for even longer; but, thanks to you we were able to keep our lives." Cutting in himself, Argath could not longer control himself, asking. "My god though, Look how tall you have grown! What happened to you? We noticed you growing like crazy during your sleep and didn’t know what to do. You are at least 26 feet tall now. How is it possible to grow 7 feet in a couple of weeks?"

Unsure of what to say, Anom replied. "I’m not entirely sure to be honest. Do you remember that crystal ball you bought me from trite when I was first brought in the village? The one you made into a necklace for me?" Confused, but remembering the time, Saram, asked. "Yes what about it?" To which Anom replied. "Well, during the battle it touched my blood and began to absorb it and fuse into me and the red dragon. I felt a massive amount of magic and power being poured into me. However, at the time I was badly injured and at the end of my rope and passed out. Fortunately frostfire must have brought me back home." Looking around the tent and out of the front he could not find frostfire anywhere. Looking towards his parents he asked. "What happened to frostfire? Where is he?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Argath answered. "The dragon brought you back with Rorther and the wounded rocs and slepneirs that couldn’t keep up. Once he saw you were being treated and wouldn’t die, he told us to tell you he would be back and took off. We asked him to stay and even offered to heal him and treat him as an honored guest, but I guess he had other plans."

Defending her husband, Saram spoke up. "Dragons are often very slow to trust others. Especially a wounded dragon. If a severely wounded dragon is willing to fall asleep, and put down its guard for you, then that dragon must consider you a life and death brother. It’s too much to expect him to trust our entire tribe with such a heavy burden. Better to let him go back to his horde and heal. Dragons are very intelligent. They always have back up plans behind back up plans so I’m sure he will be fine and return once he is healed. Speaking about the necklace though, I have never heard of anything like that happening before. I thought it was just a broken crystal ball. The same kind that could be seen in many sorcerers’ collections. I figured the king must have kept it because the amount of magic locked inside of it and the size of the ball was very large. I wouldn’t have even bought it if not for you wanting it. Let me write a few of our elders and distant tribesman and see what they have to say about it. Perhaps they know something I do not."

"On the other hand, let us discuss what to do now that we have our herd back. The elders are pushing to quickly flee to the next camp site early. Your father and I believe that this is a mistake. Whether we like it or not, that red dragon will not stop chasing us down now that his pride has been bruised and it considers us its enemies. Leaving now will only leave the initiative in the dragon’s hands. Giving him time to plan and calculate."

Thinking of what saram said, Argath replied. "You have seen what that dragon can do by itself. Imagine it bringing its entire war band with it along for a sneak attack after years of snatching our young high necks in guerilla warfare, making our food supply scarce. Many things could happen and dragons are known to be extremely patient and can hold grudges for a lifetime." Seeing a good excuse to see more of the world, Anom replied. "Why don’t we go visit the elves that have been fighting with the dragon’s city and ally with them?"

Smiling at his obvious antics, Saram replied. "Yes, that’s a good idea. We should send a messenger to them and see how they respond." Jumping at the opportunity she had given her Anom spoke up. "Why don’t I go? I want to go out and find a great sorcerer to teach me new magic anyways. This last fight has made me realize how weak I am and how I am not using all of my gifts as a titan."

Chief! Captain! Interrupting their conversation, one of the cities guards spoke out to get their attention while standing outside the tent flap. Looking Saram slightly irritated Saram spoke. "You may enter."

Walking inside of the tent, Othar, a 16 foot ripped, male giant, entered the tent. With shoulder length, dirty blonde hair, and a well-proportioned face, he would have been seen as a movie star on earth. However, as giants were constantly swinging, and fighting something, Othar was seen as a weaker giant. This was because he had no fat stores, for continuous fighting on the field. He was prone to being tired out, and pulling muscles, during tough battles.

Every time anom saw him during meal times, he would see multiple giants trying to get him to eat more, until he wanted to vomit. "Poor bastard." If he were born on earth, he would have been seen as an Adonis, with his natural six pack, and chiseled chest, and back. However, here he is just a weak tribe member. There are no weight classes on the battlefield, after all, and if your opponent outweighs you, by a few thousand pounds, and knows how to fight the same as you, then you would be in big trouble. Word around the tribe is that he can’t even get a wife. The giantess he was courting said she wants a giant, "with meat on his bones", "poor bastard." Snapping out of his daydream, anom watched as Othar dropped down on one knee, and began to speak.

"Chief, Captain, the Gerion tribe is back. They went to the center square, and were asking around for the slain tribe members families and friends to preach there, “Immortality” and "Oneness" scriptures to. This was fine, as we have heard their sermons before; however, one of their tribe members began saying the slain would, "forever remain in the black nothingness and suffer until the end of time, unless they became one with their tribe members."

"Many of the tribesmen were angered by this, and began to argue with them. The Gerions would not back down though, and said they did nothing wrong, and their words were true. This caused a recently slain, war guard’s family member, to start a fight with a Gerion, and that fight grew bigger, and bigger, until we almost had a riot, at the village center." Feeling her anger spiking, Saram replied. "Vulturous bastards! How dare they! Where are they now?" Othar Hesitantly replied. "The fight was broken up, the damage is minimal. However, some of the Gerions were injured pretty badly. They are claiming we, “Disfigured them” and that they will not be able to go on in their tribes and are now asking for compensation."

Growing infuriated at the situation, Argath butt in. "HAHAHAHAHA! Let me guess, they want the heads of our fallen tribesmen, in reimbursement, and I bet they even want me and the chief there, for when they awake, to tell them not to resist the transition. For the good of the clan, of course. What a good little scheme! They sniffed out a battle and couldn’t help but drool at the spoils. Bunch of ungrateful, scheming, head growing bastards!

Feeling anom's murderous anger, Saram took the lead, letting her anger pour out. "Calm down argath, since they have gone through all the trouble of planning this little scheme why don’t we go out and play with them a little."

Standing up with a cold glint in her eyes, anom felt a cold shiver running down his back, as they walked towards the group of troublemakers. Following saram and argath, they made their way to the center of the camp, where a group of strange looking giants were sitting, and leaning on different trees and tents. Looking battered, beaten, and covered in dirt.

The most noticeable giant was their largest member, standing in the middle of the group he was much bulkier and taller than the rest of his group. Standing at 19 feet tall, he had three distinct heads, attached to his neck, and right, and left, lateral muscles. His head in the middle was taller, and the other two sat below the top heads height. The top head, and the left head, looked like they could be brothers. Other than age, they looked identical, with brown shaggy hair, and a big nose with small lips. However, the third head was completely different.

The third head resembled a bestial looking giant, with white hair, pale blue skin, and two tusks growing out from the lower jaws of the beast. The head appeared to be in constant anger, and pain. Moreover, the skin looked to be slowly growing into the top head, and as he began to talk, anom noticed fearful looks coming from the second sub head, and even the top head looked as if it were trying to hide its fear, as it was speaking. Looking around, at the other tribe members of the group, anom noticed they were almost all short, and skinny, and resembled a normal human, only taller and thicker. They were not fat, but not skinny either. However, as he was looking around her soon noticed that only the large giant had three heads, and the other, smaller giants, either had one, or two. He could also see that as their heads grew in number, so did their body size, and height .

Looking at the group, anom's memories were jolted. "I remember mother telling me scary stories about these giants when I was little. These giants were able to grow more than one head. They were descendants of the three headed giant Gerion who was medusas and Poseidon’s grandson. The son of the giant Khrysaor Gerion was known for his ferociousness and fighting ability. He was later killed by the half god Hercules. However, his tribe would live on. Gerions tribe took up his name after his demise and swore vengeance on Hercules and his family. Tribe members were able to grow up to five heads on their bodies. With each new head the giant could grow the giant would grow in strength, weight, and height. However, not all giants were able to grow so big and have so many heads. The weaker giants, in their desperation to grow stronger and avenge their ancestor’s shame soon discovered a new way to grow stronger"

"They found that if they took a fallen giants head and cut it into their flesh that the heads would grow on their bodies and the strength of the fallen giant was soon absorbed by their frame growing taller and stronger. However, along with this new way to power came a terrible curse. If the head rejected their new body it could kill the main body and any heads on it. However, even if the new head were to agree to be taken by them before death, if the temperament and character of the giants is different and clashes with the old heads then it will result in light cases in constant bickering, and arguing, and in bad cases, after continuous arguing and bickering, the gerion may go insane, and kill itself, or anything else in the area. Which brings me to the last hurdle of these skull snatchers. If the head of the giant that they take the skull from is stronger than they are than the main head can become the sub head and the sub head can become the main head."

Looking at the three headed giant in front of them, with it's irritated disposition, it dawned on him that the giant may have bitten off more than he could chew, when he recklessly attached a Yotan head. It is usually easy to spot Yotan giants, as most of them have tusks, and are more animalistic in disposition, and wild in looks. Not all have these characteristics, but enough to make it worthwhile to notice them when dealing with new giants. The gerions seemed to be in two distinct groups. One group seemed to be with the larger three headed giant, and the second group seemed to center around a small, crafty looking, two headed giant. The crafty giant, looked towards Argath and him, while they approached the group. Saluting to Argath, and Saram, the guards stepped back, as they began to converse.

Angrily, Argath spoke. "So, which gerion here wants to tell me what happened?" The smaller, clever looking giant, stepped forward to speak. "Lord’s and ladies, my name is squee, and It would be an honor to discuss this unfortunate situation with you."

Feeling a headache coming on and knowing how squee operates, Saram spoke up, helping her husband. "Squee, do not think you can escape punishment this time with your tricky tongue. You have all taken our hospitality lightly and insulted our people. I told you when your leader first came here with you that you could recruit as long as it was consensual and no fear, force, or other measures were used. Our tribe cares not if they choose to believe in your, immortality. But, we will not be bullied or harassed in our own home. So speak, why shouldn’t we just lock you all up right here and now?"

Knowing Sarams temper, Squee was going to try and backtrack. "Well you see your lordship…" Stepping out from the crowd, the bigger giant came to the front, and began to speak loudly towards us. Looking back at squee, he could see a helpless look of anger, irritation, and pity as the big giant began to speak. "My name is Ogen and I come from a long line of truth tellers! How could you so casually take the side of your people without even looking into what had happened? Look at my injuries! I spoke words, and your people speak with their fists? Why? I demand compensation! Even if we are guilty of some of the crimes you placed on us, so what? So what if we told the truth to your people. What are you trying to hide from them? Are you afraid that they will know the truth and flee your rule? Or are you just scared they will flee from their helpless gods and incompetent rulers?"

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Wham! Crack! Crack! Argath slammed his fist squarely into the jaw of the big three headed giant, followed by two quick elbow strikes, in secession. The giant was completely knocked out, and fell forward, face first. Boom! Walking forward, Argath spoke to the crowd. "We are tolerant giants. We welcomed you into our homes, let you buy meat, provisions for your tribe, and even let you use our blacksmiths. We even allowed your group to preach its scriptures in our tribe’s center. However, we will not allow you to insult or demean our ancestors, leaders, or Gods. We only ask you to treat us as you would like to be treated. This one will be sent to the dungeon for attempting to incite a riot and instigate rebellion. Your leader can come and redeem him himself. Also, pointing to the group of gerions who followed this giant, “Arrest all of his followers.”

Boom! The guards rushed forward and placed all of ogen’s group in handcuffs and began taking them to prison. Clap, clap, clap, clap, the sounds of resounding applause was soon resounding around the area. After all, this was the busiest place, in the entire camp. The other mountain giants were all watching them, like a play in the theatre. Anom could see many giants smiling, and shouting at the defeated villains. Something about this whole thing seemed off to him though. It makes no sense for this group to become hostile to us. There was nothing to gain from it. No one would put up with an outsider directly disparaging their leaders and gods. Looking around the groups for clues, he was soon drawn back to squee, walking closer to our group.

Trying to keep up with the larger giants, Squee spoke up, afraid of not being heard. "Your lordships, if possible, could I please have an audience. I deeply apologize for the rudeness of my clansmen, and only seek an audience to attempt an explanation, of today’s events, for mutual understanding between our tribes" Still irritated and defensive, Saram replied. "I’m sure your leader is coming soon. You may have an audience when he arrives."

Being discovered, squee weakly nodded his heads, and walked towards the east side of the camp, waiting for the arrival of their leader. They had sent an emergency bird the moment that madmen began fighting in the tribe. Looking at the sun, he should be here by sundown. "This had gone beyond badly. Ogen had finally lost his reasoning. We can only wait for our leader now, and hope that the goodwill of the mountain giants can see over the slight. If not, life may be getting harder again for us soon. Most giant camps and gatherings usually see us as boogeymen or worse, vultures. Very few are open towards our kind and treat us kindly, as equals. I actually admire this group of giants, for their ideals, and generosity. I truly hope we can continue being friends with them. Perhaps some of their values will rub off on our people with enough time.

Standing by the side of the village squee and his group waited for more than 4 hours. Until a group of 8 giants, riding massive elephants, rode into the city. Quickly being informed on what happened, the gerions leader began to walk towards our Bone tent. Being introduced by the guards, the leader soon walked into our tent. An 20 foot tall, three headed giant walked into their tent.

Looking beefier than the other three headed giant, the three heads all looked like they could have been relatives. Looking at the giant, anom thought, "I wonder if this means he grew these heads by himself." Looking at this gerion, he had dull red hair that rested on his shoulders with high cheekbones and a round nose. His heads all looked to be in their middle ages with had similar hair, and even some of there defining features were the same. Looking at saram, he kneeled, and waited for saram to speak. "Still ever the gentleman I see. I’m sure you know why I had you come here. I already know about 90% of what is going on, but in that 10% is one of my questions. Why would you let your maddening tribe member out, and if you did let him out, why the hell would you let him come to our camp and stir up trouble!"

Embarrassed, Prax replied. "This is my fault. I did not keep as good of an eye on him as I thought I did. He has fused that yotan head onto his body for 4 years now and he has never shown any signs of the head rebelling. I told him when he begged to be allowed to fuse with the strong head that the yotan that head came from was extremely animalistic and aggressive. If your strength ever becomes weaker and the head believes it has a shot, it will not hesitate to take over."

Trying Saram to understand, Saram asked. "So why did he want one of our soldiers heads so bad that he was willing to anger the whole tribe and spurn the leaders?" Feeling inadequate, Prax replied. "In recent years Ogen has been seen going to the human cities and talking to their sorcerers and alchemists. It is my belief that they had tried to come up with a way to suppress the yokai head. Seeing as how he was willing to do so much for your peoples head I believe that they are attempting to fight fire with fire. Your tribe is far stronger than most other giant tribes that we have encountered. I believe he was planning on implanting your tribes head on him and allowing his sub heads to fight it out and hopefully if one attempted to fight him for to head the rival head wouldn’t allow its rival to succeed and pull them down. He is a fool. A poor mad fool."

Confused, Saram asked. "Why is he a fool? Would this not work?" Sadly Prax answered. "No, even if what they were hoping for happened, the fighting between the two strong heads that are even stronger than the original head would kill the giant’s body. Actually, I suspect that the alchemists are the ones who have been pushing this on ogen. I’m sure they told him to wait to implant it on him until he was in their laboratory. After the heads kill the body he will still have grown much bigger and his body would contain much more magic. Along with three big magic cores to collect and tons of body material for alchemy and sorcery as well as materials for a blacksmith. They would gain a literal mountain of wealth and have very little too loose."

With her heart growing cold at the mention of humans, Saram replied. "So, that is what’s been going on. Sounds about right with the humans. Still we should send people to check and make sure everything is right and not just conjecture."

Feeling belittled, Prax replied, slightly sad. "Of course I was going to do that anyways. It’s a terrible thing what is going on with Ogen. He has been an elder in our tribe for quite some time. It is always sad to have to either trap them underground for them to go fully insane, or be killed in mercy. Inquisitively, Saram asked. "Tell me, does the Yotan resist because it can sense another giant different than it controlling it? Or does it have intelligence and understands what’s going on and is resisting because it wants to be the main head?

Thinking of the many deaths, Prax replied. "From what I could tell it should be because it can sense another being controlling it. Why?" Thinking of a plan, Saram replied. "I have something from many years ago when we were fighting the jotnar. During the course of our years of war we began to learn and understand a few things about their tribe. If what you said is true then I am fairly confident in helping and perhaps even curing your tribesman." Looking shocked, the bulky giants hands, began to shake, and his eyes narrowed, showing his immense shock, and hopefulness.

Pushing down his feelings of hopefulness, Prax replied. "If what you say is true then you will be the benefactor of our tribe. We will follow you through fire and spears and would gladly join your tribe if you allowed us to." Not wasting time, Saram continued. "ok, calm down, calm down. Guards! Bring me the prisoner ogen." "Yes madam." Replied the guard. Shortly after giving the guards the command, an big, angry, three headed giant, was dragged forward in chains, as he roared, and screamed, at the guards, and anyone else, caught in his sight.

Feeling saddened, and humiliated, Prax shouted. "Ogen! Calm down! Talk to me. I know why you came here, but your thinking is wrong child. Even if you could have gotten your hands on a head of one of their soldiers, it would not have done you any good. The human alchemists and sorcerers were using you! They wanted to get the rare ingredients from you, and your corpse.You would not have survived two dominate heads fighting. You would have died, and they would get pristine ingredients brought straight to their doorsteps."

Ogen roared in his anger. "Impossible! Boom! Swinging his fists he hit the floor leaving a deep pit in the ground shouting in anger. They assured me it would work! They were even willing to sign an oath." Sighing in resignation, Prax continued speaking. "you are still too green when dealing with the smaller races, especially humans. They have tricks on top of tricks, on top of tricks. How do you know the oath paper was real? Even if it was real did you read the whole thing? They often leave in loopholes and things like not helping you does not count as betraying you and in case of your death all belonging would be forfeit onto them. I have seen these tricks before and judging from your paling face I can see I hit the mark."

Resigning himself to his fate, Ogen almost whispered. "But, if that won’t work, then…. Chief, I request a mercy kill. I refuse to go mad. Even now it’s hard to keep it under control I can feel him pushing on me grinding me away over and over, every day for the last 4 years. I can’t take it anymore. I should have listened to you and not overreached."

Seeing he had gotten through to him, Prax replied. "It is good that you can see that now. This will be a good lesson for you to teach other over enthusiastic gerions." Broken, Ogen replied. "didn’t you hear me? Please don’t make this harder than it already is." Smiling, Prax told him. "Well alright, but chief Saram was hoping to give you a gift that might be able to cure your torture and allow you to return to normal." Stunned, Ogen asked. "Is this true? No, how can this be possible?"

Not holding anything back, Saram replied. "I do not know for sure if this will work or what will happen. With that knowledge given to you it is your choice on what to do. Would you like to try it out?"

Jumping at his last chance, Ogen shouted. "Please! please allow me a chance, even if it's one in a million. At least I'll go down fighting. Saram almost found herself admiring the man at that moment, responding. "Very well."

Looking at prax, who quickly nodded, saram went into the back of the tent and pulled out a strange, clay jar, and a tray. Putting the jar on top of a stone table she grabbed a wooden ladle and cracked open the waxen seal. Inside of the jar looked like ashes. She grabbed the ladle and extracted a cup of the ash from the jar. Walking towards ogen, she took the ladle and crafted two piles of ash on the tray.

Explaining. "Your natural heads must both eat a pile. I do not know if it will hurt, but I do know you will feel different after."

Ogen: Will I still be myself after I eat this?

Saram: I do not know for certain. Your instincts will be stronger. Your senses will be much higher than they are now as well. It will take time to adapt but it can be done. However, whether it is still the same you as now is not up to me to decide. The choice is yours

Prax: What is it?

Saram looked at prax and began to explain. "Many years ago, before the tribe became nomadic and began to follow the high necks we had a border dispute with the surrounding jotnar. These disputes soon turned into fighting and we found ourselves killing and taking casualties.

During the cleanup of one of our battles we were setting alight our fallen comrades to return to the all father, Uranus. However, the jotnar never seemed to come and collect their dead. It wasn’t until much later that we discovered that to a jotnar or yotan, death on the battlefield was the highest honor one could ask for, and to take them from their fallen place was robbing them of their chance to be chosen by Ymir. Returning their souls to him, and healing his body. However, at the time we did not know of any of this and some of our sisters felt sorry for the fallen enemy left to the elements and nature.

At the time those sisters went and made them a pyre next to our fallen and burnt their bodies as well. This was a mistake. Soon after we began to see boars and deer many times larger than natural with bulging muscles and violent tempers.

After the boars and deer we soon discovered massive bears nearly 15 feet tall coming into our camps to hunt our women and children. These bears even had tusks! They were hairless, with bulging muscles and tusks growing from their lower jaws. They had grown deformed with long sharp spikes growing out of their spines and their claws grew long and sharp like scythes. They had changed into jotnar.

We found that all the animals who mutated had been rooting though the pyre pit looking for any bits not fully burned. However, the ash from the jutnar had changed them. The animals all acted the same as they did before they were changed.

However, whatever instincts they had before the change were amplified after. For instance, the bear’s instinct to hunt and the boar’s instinct to scavenge and territorial aggression. They were still their base selves just stripped down and wilder. Knowing all of this, it is now your choice.

After all, I have never seen what might happen if this is ingested by another giant. However, if the Yotans head is struggling against you because it can sense you are not its kind then this will fix that. The choice is yours."

Looking up, still on his knees, ogen looked at the two piles of ash on the tray in front of him. Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath, and pushed his heads to the tray, devouring the ash. Minutes went by in total silence, as they watched the giant in chains.

Suddenly, he began to scratch his chins. As the time went on, he began to itch harder, and harder, as his skin became red from the constant irritation. His side jaws began to bleed, but, as they were about to hold him back from scratching, saram had them stop, and pointed to his side jaw, where a smaller tusk was jutting through the skin.

Looking at the other side, there was likewise, a small tusk, just beginning to break through the skin. Ogen’s skin also turned a pale red, unlike the pale blue of the yotans head. It began to look very odd, one side red, and the other blue. The middle was even turning purple, "how strange." Anom noted.

Waiting and watching for a few more hours, ogen eventually went to sleep. However, not much changed on him, except his color, and his new tusks. Eventually waking up a few hours later, ogen began to speak. "I feel strange. I can smell and hear much better than before. But, my eyesight is much worse than it was. I can see everyone here fine as you are so close, but the guards standing by the exit is much harder to see.

I also feel stronger. I’m sure I’m stronger than before. But, I’m still me. Thank you Chief Saram! I no longer feel my third head rejecting its position. It feels at ease, as do I finally. We should tell the others of this! We can search for more jotun and grow the tribe’s strength finally!"

Smiling with celebration, prax tried to temper his expectations. "Ogen, we will tell them, but all in time. We do not know the risks of this new substance. We do not even know if this is something that just happens when jotnar burn into ash or if it was a certain individual who caused the ash to be produced.

We do not know what effects it has on us long term either. All of this will take time. But, I assure you, once everything is done and we have done our due diligence if it is as miraculous as it appears, we will reclaim our lost honor."

Looking back at saram, prax kneeled on one knee and recited an oath of loyalty to saram and her whole tribe. He pledged to forever follow her and her family for the gift given to them. Reaching into his side pouch, he pulled out an obsidian coin, covered in fur and down feathers.

Looking at the way he was handling it, he valued the coin very much. "This coin was given to me by a Cyclops our tribe had once helped. We found him wounded, and dying. His eye had been stabbed with a spear, and his side had been cut open by a sword or some other blade. He had been wandering the mountains for days looking for help or any way to survive.

Once we found him we nursed him back to health and fortunately his eye even healed. Months later the Cyclops left our village. However, before leaving he gave us this coin and told us that if we ever needed anything to come to the Hephaestus guild and give them this coin.

It wasn’t until later that we realized that the Cyclops we had helped was one of the three Cyclopes blacksmiths of the Hephaestus guild. This is the most valuable item in my possession. Please, take it."

Looking at the coin placed into her hand, Saram began to examine it thoroughly. Looking back at prax, she took his hand, and embraced the startled giant. “There is no need to be jumpy, we are family now.” Prax looked blankly, but then began to smile and laugh, accepting the good tidings from saram.

“Yes, we are family now!” Ha-ha! A joyous occasion! The two began to laugh and smile, the room seemed to have a joyous atmosphere. However, anom was still watching the former prisoner, ogen. Kneeling on the ground, he too was smiling, but something about his smile seemed wrong. It seemed..... almost sinister.