4775th Year of Awakening

“Should we not split up to hit each encampment simultaneously?”

Lord Dathan Tadrianus turned to consider the leader of the Warrior Guild contingent. “Never attack a giant encampment with less than full force. That has been our guiding strategy for hundreds of years. I would have thought your predecessor would have made sure to point that out to you.”

The Varren warrior frowned, though it was hard to tell, given the muzzle shape. It was the lifting of the fur on his neck that was the true give away. “There are only three encampments, according to the scout reports. Hardly a large division of force.”

Dathan shifted slightly on his war mount, the magically enhanced horse seemingly sensing his annoyance and stamping a steel shod hoof. “Korin, when fighting giants, you want as much force as you can bring to bear. While I respect your fighting ability, it is apparent you have ignored your responsibility to familiarize yourself with your duties here.”

A growl rumbled in Korin’s throat and his lips curled back, revealing his fangs. “How dare you, human!” The warrior made to grab for his sword, only to find a blade at his throat.

“I see you’ve endeared yourself to our new colleague. Do you think we’ll need another new one?”

Dathan smiled at the blade holder, then shook his head. “No, my Lady, I don’t believe that will be necessary. Korin merely needs an education.”

Lady Dreama Tadrianus tsked and withdrew her blade, sheathing it at her side. “Pity. None of the other warriors will spar with me. It could have been a good fight.” She tossed her head, long red curls bouncing over her shoulder, then headed back to her own war mount.

“That is because you don’t know how to hold back in a spar, my love” Dathan chuckled at her indignant huff, then turned back to the equally indignant Varren.

“Korin. Giant hunts are the true purpose of the Jeweled Gate. It is why the Knights and the Guilds exist. Therefore, it is in the interest of all to be well educated on the practices that have worked for centuries to protect the world from those giants. Your ignorance can be excused somewhat, but not your trying to endanger others.”

Another growl escaped the Varren before he shook his head, then lowered it slightly, his ears laying flat. “You are correct. I let my eagerness for the hunt overcome my responsibilities. It will not happen again. I will follow your lead on this hunt.”

Dathan offered Korin a smile and reached down to clasp forearms. Turning away, he guided his mount alongside his wife as the expedition shook itself out at the gates. “Well, my Lady, shall we make a wager on who will have the most kills on this trip?”

Dreama rested her gauntlets on her pommel and leveled an even gaze his way. “Since when has that ever worked out in your favor?”

A wide smile graced his lips, his dark brown eyes smiling just as brightly. “It always works out in my favor! You enjoy the competition and win or lose, it gets you worked up. That is my true reward.”

The blush that blossomed on her cheeks was really fetching with her crimson curls. Giving her leg a nudge with his own, he then reached over to take her gauntlet with his own. Fortunately, their new gauntlets were thin enough that they could hold hands.

Hand in hand, they headed towards the front of the Knight contingent as the gates slowly opened. Several of the Knights called out greetings to the pair, who nodded acknowledgement. Soonthey were riding through the gates and between the defenses of the valley, snaking along the path outlined in sunken spikes and magical traps. It took a while to make their way through. Dathan frowned as he noticed areas that hadn't been repaired properly from the last giant rampage. He made a mental note to talk to the magic engineers upon return from the hunt.

Once clear of the valley, the expedition turned west toward where the scouts had identified the closest encampment. The report indicated half a dozen giants at the camp, a curious number as most giants didn’t get along without a warlord to knock some sense into them. Normal encampments were family groups pushed out of their homes and looking to attack the Jeweled Gate as a last resort.

“What do you make of things, Dathan?”

Turning to smile at Dreama, he shrugged one armored shoulder. “It is a mystery. Three encampments, each with strange compositions. Not quite the herald for a horde but not anything I can recall from the archives. Anything sounding familiar to you?”

Dreama pursed her full lips in thought, then shook her head, sending her hair bouncing distractingly. “Nothing like this has been seen in my time with the Knights, nor have any of the veterans anything to say about it when I asked.”

A frown crossed Dathan’s face. “I wish the veterans were more willing to talk to me.”

“There is still a great deal of jealousy and resentment among the ranks. Your youth and rapid advancement had some crying about favoritism even as they mouth praises for your efforts. Having achieved your Knighthood in record time and the youngest in history is still hard for some to accept.”

Dathan’s frown melted away at the sound of frustration in Dreama’s voice. He leaned over in his saddle to gently kiss her cheek. “I did have some powerful motivations.”

Dreama chuckled. “Aye, that you did, you old letch.”

“Yes, but you like me this way, lady wife.”

Shaking her head in apparent amusement, Dreama rode on in silence. Dathan contented himself in admiring her profile for a time before turning his attention back to the expedition.

Snow crunched beneath hooves and boots, though it wasn’t more than surface snow this time of year. That could swiftly change this side of the mounts boarding the Frozen Wastes, but they shouldn’t be out on campaign long enough for weather to be a factor.

Further into the wastes the ground was permanently frozen, home to a variety of massive wyrms and a variety of rabbit that was the primary food of everything else. There were also a plethora of magical ice and snow creatures that wandered the lands, fallout from whatever originally created the wastes.

That didn’t count the giant races that had been brought through a portal all those centuries ago. It was one of the worst invasions in history. The various giants, under the War Leader, had waited until they had amassed a huge horde then rampaged through the continent of Dantala, even reaching Central, the connecting continent that tied the world together. It was one of only two attacks to ever reach the cradle of civilization.

The campaign to drive the giants back to the frozen north had taken years and countless lives and in the end had only been possible with the aid of the Treefolk. Even now, two Treefolk lumbered at the back of the column, one of the only races large enough to go face to face with the giants.

Once the horde had been driven through the valley, it had been walled off and patrolled to seal the giants away. Over the decades and amid constant assaults, the wall turned into the Jeweled Gate, an entire city dedicated to protecting the world from the giants.

It had taken years, even centuries, to figure out the best ways to deal with the giants, to keep them from attacking the city, or amassing a horde to attempt smashing through the gate. That experience was what led to the current trip upon the snow. Any time an encampment was found within fifty miles of the city it had to be eradicated.

Dathan frowned in thought for a moment before telling Dreama he was going to check in with the other leaders. Turning his mount around, he headed first to the Warrior guild, conferring quickly with Korin. The Varren listened intently, ears focused, nodding in agreement, then was shouting orders before Dathan was heading further down the life.

Pulling up near the mages, Dathan took a brief moment to marvel at the various conveyances the mages employed to get around, from flying carpets to elementals to fantastical mounts from other worlds. The leader of the mages, Archmage Tanisan, stood imperiously on a flying carpet, arms folded across his chest, black and scarlet cape flowing in the wind. It was more impressive if one didn’t know the effect was magically embedded in the cape itself.

“Archmarge. I fear we may be heading into an ambush.”

The mage frowned, a truly impressive expression, given the man’s elaborate mustache. “While you are young for your rank, Lord Tadrianus, you have shown uncanny skill and insight. What has tipped you off?”

Dathan reached up to caress his own goatee. “The timing of the encampments. We’ve never had more than two before. On finding three we would have had to respond immediately. I think we’re looking at a new War Leader testing how we fight and trying to whittle down our forces.”

Tanisan continued to frown even as he nodded. “What you say has merit, young Knight. I shall have my mages be extra vigilant and conserve their strength.”

Dathan saluted the mage with fist to chest before heading for the last group of the expedition. The two massive Treefolk walked a slow, measured pace that ate distance with their long strides. Among their branches perched a number of Thornlings, smaller humanoid creatures of the Treefolk, formed from their bodies and designed to be quicker and more mobile than their giant-sized fathers. The Thornlings were able to more easily navigate the city and interact with others of the smaller races.

Drawing near, Dathan bowed in the saddle. “Greetings, Greyash and Tenderbark.”

The nearer of the two turned his head, branches swaying with the motion. “Greetings, Lord Knight. What brings you to our side of the line?” That voice was deep and resonated with a wisdom as firm as the mountains.

“I fear we may be walking into a trap.”

The rough approximation of a face on the trunk of the Treefolk barely changed expressions, but one learned to read the subtle differences. There was surprise there.

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“It is as Tenderbark and I surmised. Three encampments is too many. It is good that you saw this for yourself. We were not sure how to approach your groups with our fears. It has been my experience that the People are often ignored for our slow thoughts.”

Dathan hid a wince, having heard much the same thing. Most ignored the slow thinking Treefolk, feeling them disconnected from the real world. “I cannot speak for others, but I promise to always listen to the People. Anyway, I’m glad to hear you are already ready. I’ve alerted the others.”

That huge head nodded slightly before turning away. Taking the move for the dismissal it was, Dathan turned his mount one last time and headed back to the front of the line. Dreama greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and a smile, her eyes dancing in excitement. He wasn’t the only one looking forward to the fight.

They rode on in companionable silence, their focus on their surroundings. It wasn’t long before the first encampment came into view. Rough walls made from mammoth skin or wyrm skin, reinforced with bones. Huge lean-tos of the same materials. Even in the frozen air, the stench was powerful, curling the senses, from refuse and bodily wastes.

At the first sign of the encampment the column slowed and began to form itself into combat lines. The mounted Knights lined up in the front, with the warriors right behind. Mages brought up the rear, with the Treefolk splitting up to cover the flanks.

Dathan glanced down the lines before nodding to himself. “Knights! Lances!” He reached down to a pouch attached to his saddle, whispering the unlocking phrase. Spellwork lit up the pouch, which flipped open and began to disgorge his lance. Along the line the other Knights were doing the same, their lances birthed from the storage pouches.

The Knights took a moment to check over their weapons. Dathan admired the magically reinforced, lightened steel lance before setting it in his stirrup. Once he was sure everyone was set, he ordered them forward in a slow advance.

As they neared the encampment they could finally make out the giants, crouched together around the carcass of some large beast. Only five were present. Dathan frowned, wondering where the sixth was located.

The giants stirred, lunging to their feet and reaching for weapons. A hodge podge of tree trunks and a crude blade. Screams of rage echoed across the snow as the giants shouted their defiance, slamming their makeshift clubs on the ground hard enough to be felt.

Dathan frowned as he considered the giants arrayed before them. These were smaller than usual, a mere twenty-five feet tall. They also seemed to bear a resemblance to each other, suggesting a family group, only without any of the bigger females.

Shaking off the observation, he ordered the lances lowered and a staggered attack pattern. Dathan and Dreama lined up the center most giant, while the Knights on their flank dropped back. Mounts were kicked into a gallop.

The giants started lumbering forward, their weapons swinging wildly. Distance vanished quickly between the groups.

Motion from one of the lean-tos caught Dathan’s attention for a moment as something breached the ground. It didn’t stop him from charging.

Locking in his lance, he aimed for the giant's chest, ducking the swinging club and driving the steel point into hard flesh. Letting go of the lance he rode past, drawing his twin blades.

After gaining some space, he whirled his mount around, looking for the newcomer Instead he found a bunch.

“Ice Hounds!” The shout was from several of the warriors, who shifted from the giants to the new menace. The ice hounds were elementals, resembling dogs standing over six feet at the shoulders. There were over a dozen of the beasts clawing free from the ground, two right behind the line of fighters.

Fireballs smashed into the two ice hounds behind the lines, flinging the bodies aside partially melted. From the same emergence came the missing giant. As it climbed free the two Treefolk moved to intercept it.

Dathan kicked his mount towards the hounds, trusting in the Knights to handle the five giants. “Dreama! Take a hound!”

Spellwork burst to life on the warmount’s armor, mirrored by those Dathan wore. The two shoulder charged one of the ice hounds, knocking it aside from savaging a pair of warriors.

Dathan hacked down with both blades, smashing chunks of ice from the beast, earning him a scream of rage, especially as his mount kicked out with massive hooves, sending the hound staggering again.

With a moment of space he checked on his wife. Dreama had dismounted and faced off with a hound. The beast charged her. Dreama’s blades flared with arcane light as she brought them both down on the head of the ice hound, driving it into the dirt. With a twist and a twirl, she brought blades slicing back in, decapitating the hound, the rest of the body crumbling away.

“Man, I love that woman!” Dathan refocused on his hound, charging up his own blades and wading back into the fight. Two more warriors stepped into help, the three keeping the hound off balance as they chipped away. Finally they caused enough damage to destabilize the elemental’s matrix, ice crumbling away.

After checking on the two wounded warriors, the trio moved to help one of the other fights.

The next few moments were a blur of weapons, spells, cries of the injured, and the screams of monsters. Dathan panted as he rested against the pommel of one blade, still embedded in the crumbling remains of an ice hound. Behind him, one giant stubbornly clung to life, impaled by half a dozen lances, pinned to the ground by spears. Finally, one of the knights decapitated the giant and the fighting was over.

Taking time to recover and regroup, they made an inventory of loses. Dathan moved over to Dreama, who was checking over their mounts and feeding them some rabbits.

“What were our loses among the Knights?”

Dreama gave her mount a pat on the neck before turning to her husband, emerald eyes dark with anger. “We have half a dozen too injured to fight, another dozen with minor wounds.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “We lost Knight Avery. An ice hound dismounted him and one of the giants finished him off.”

Dathan echoed her sigh, then reached up to tuck one of her matted curls away before resting his forehead against hers. “He will be remembered.”

“He will be remembered.” Dreama wrapped her arms around him, armor creaking slightly at the strength of the embrace. “We’ll make them pay for this, won’t we, Dathan?”

Returning the embrace, he kissed the top of her head. “Yes we will. They’ve changed their tactics. We shall adjust accordingly.”

The two held each other for another few moments before one of the other Knights drew near and cleared her throat. “They’re ready for you.”

Dathan and Dreama separated, though they held hands as they headed to the gathering of leaders. Archmage Tanisan was on his flying carpet, which he most likely never left. Korin had one arm in a sling and some of his fur was missing, most likely from an ice attack. A pair of Thornlings stood nearby, no doubt to relay information to the Treefolk.

“Alright gentlemen, we have seven knights out of the fight, one of them dead. How are we looking for the warriors?”

Korin growled. “I’ve got three dead and another dozen out of commission. Those ice hounds were tenacious and the giants were wild with their weapons, somehow hitting people who weren’t involved in their fights.”

Tanisan scoffed. “We mages are uninjured.”

Dathan resisted the urge to scowl, merely nodding at the Archmage. He turned to the Thornlings.

“Two of the Kin were injured. They will remain with the People. More of the Kin will move to reinforce the line.”

Dathan saluted the Thornlings then turned back to the other two leaders. “We have a decision to make, on whether we continue to clear the other two encampments, knowing they are most likely ambushes, or we return to the Jeweled Gate for reinforcements, potentially allowing the giants to do the same.”

Korin’s response was instant. “We continue. We charge our tactics to have the mages bombard the area to draw out the ambush, then we wipe them out in teams.”

Tanisan nodded. “The mages agree. We look forward to being able to truly let loose without possible collateral damage.”

Dathan grinned and clapped Korin on the uninjured shoulder. “The Knights agree. We will send a small detail to escort the worst injured home, then head for the next encampment. We need more information on how these giants are organized and how they were able to command ice hounds.”

The mage grunted. “We may have figured out the elementals. A pair of my mages found totems.”

Dreama frowned. “Totems? Giants don’t use magic. How did they get totems, let alone use them?”

Tanisan reached up to tug at his mustache. “That is an important question. It points to an unsettling conclusion, that one of the magical races is helping the giants. Perhaps even preparing a new horde. These encampments may even be just to test new concepts.”

Dathan shivered. “Now there is a terrifying thought. Giants assisted with magic. Imagine them with proper weapons and armor as well.”

A large Raja stepped up to the group, the Majestix limping slightly. “The main council in Central will want to know about this. They will send reinforcements.”

“Which will take over a year to get here. We’ll still tell them but we need to be prepared to weather this storm ourselves.” Dathan looked around the group. “Which includes learning as much about our new foes as possible. Let’s get everyone organized and sent home. We have more giants to hunt.”