41. Talking to Titans is Difficult
The thing about titans was that, unless you were another titan or could fly, you couldn’t really talk to them, at least not face to face. The most you could do was yell very loudly and hope they were one of the ones who had super hearing, otherwise you were fucked. You also had to hope that the titan had decent control over their speaking volume, or you were also fucked.
Thankfully, Minerva, the most powerful titan in the realm and the official ruler of the Old Lands, was well accustomed to speaking to beings who were significantly smaller than her.
The titan’s head was partially obscured by the clouds, and Isaac had to crane his neck to attempt to maintain eye contact. He’d never actually seen her face fully unobstructed before, now that he thought about it.
“Isaac. How have you been?”
The ground around them seemed to tremble slightly as the woman spoke, her voice echoing across the mountain and easily carrying far off into the distant plains. She had a deeper voice, though it might have only sounded lower because of the echoes. Unlike Casimir, who just didn’t act at all like one would expect for someone of his level, or Lucius, who deliberately downplayed his own power and remained approachable, Minerva’s every word and movement had a certain intensity to it that made her decidedly intimidating to speak to, even before her literal titan stature was factored in.
Isaac cleared his throat, unconsciously straightening his back a little. It wasn’t exactly effective, seeing as Isaac’s posture was probably permanently ruined at this point, but the fact that an attempt was made at all spoke volumes. But then, Minerva often had that effect on people.
“I’ve been fine. Uh, how are you?” It felt odd to speak at his normal volume, but the titan seemingly had no trouble hearing him, so he wasn’t going to raise his voice.
“I have been well, thank you. Now, I believe you are here to discuss the event that Lilith has been planning?”
Isaac appreciated the woman’s tendency to cut to the chase. He nodded. “Yeah, Lilith asked me to check if we’re still okay to use the Old Lands as the venue. I think Fable talked to you about it?”
It was difficult to tell because of the distance and the clouds, but Minerva definitely scowled. Understandable.
“Fable did mention it when they visited, yes.” She shook her head, then raised an arm to gesture towards the plains. The movement kicked up a gust of wind despite the fact that she was deliberately moving slowly.
“You are free to host this… event on the plains. There should be ample amounts of space, as we of the Old Lands prefer the upper skies. I will leave any necessary adjustments to you.”
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Isaac’s eyes drifted over to the area in question. It was mostly flat, free of visible safety hazards (if you ignored the stuff going on above it), and more than large enough. He frowned, considering. The wind might be a problem, he thought, especially for all the creatures from the other realms that weren’t used to the weather. They’d probably have to add some sort of barrier around the area, but it would have to be a fairly large one in addition to being sturdy enough to hold for the entire duration of the tournament-sports-festival.
“You seem to already have some ideas, Traveler,” Minerva observed. Isaac blinked and looked back up, realizing he’d gone silent.
“I was thinking about getting some kind of barrier around the place, for the winds.” He gestured vaguely.
“That would seem wise. Most Underside creatures are unaccustomed to our realm’s climate.” The titan hummed thoughtfully, and the sound rumbled like thunder. “If I recall correctly, I believe that one angel has a strong barrier skill.”
“Casimir?” Isaac frowned. It was true, he did have an extremely high level barrier skill, one that he evidently also used to attack things with, if his last encounter with the man was any indication. Still, he’d been silently hoping that the angel would never get wind of the tournament’s existence. Casimir would probably have way too much fun with it.
“You seem displeased with this suggestion.” Minerva’s voice sounded amused. “Is it not a suitable solution?”
Isaac shook his head. “No, it’s a good idea. I’ll talk to him later, he’s just…a little hard to deal with sometimes. He’s no Fable though, that’s for sure.” And thank god for that.
“Yes, I imagine no one can quite compare to Fable,” Minerva said with visible distaste. Isaac felt oddly vindicated to have a fellow Fable sufferer around. The titan hummed in thought. “Well, I haven’t spoken much with the angel—Casimir—so I will leave the final call to you. Though I find it difficult to think of someone so pitiful as agitating.”
Isaac furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t be aware. Well, it isn’t my place to tell.” She shook her head. “Returning to the topic at hand, I will leave the rest of the venue arrangements to you. I have no wish to be part of this farce.”
“I’m guessing no one from the Old Lands is participating?”
Minerva laughed, and this time Isaac was sure he saw the mountains shake. He could feel the ground beneath his feet tremble.
“Certainly not. Too many have lost their dignity in the wake of Lilith’s rulings, but we of the Old Lands have kept our pride intact.”
Isaac wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he simply nodded. From the corner of his eye, he could see the soaring silhouettes of distant dragons weaving between the flames of the fiery section of the sky. They seemed to be flying closer, Isaac noted. From the way Minerva shifted her head slightly to look in that direction as well, he knew that the titan must have noticed too.
He cleared his throat. “Well, you’re probably busy, so I’ll get going now. Thanks again for everything.”
“It was of no inconvenience to me. I wish you well, young Traveler.”
Isaac nodded, and with a final glance up at the swirling skies, he turned away and began his trek out the mountains, through the plains, and back to the orange line subway station.