Fear struck Pacha like a wall, she wanted to run but the fear was so overwhelming that she froze. The Giant raised his arm and picked her up by her feet, her head just missing the stone floor as she was lifted into the air. He inspected her before speaking in the voice that shook Pacha's bones.

“It's a human,” He said, glancing at the other Giants before turning his attention back to Pacha. “I have seen your kind before from afar. You're not much bigger up close are you?” The Giant paused but Pacha didn't reply. The Giant lowered his arm and in this position, Pacha could hear the Giants talking but she couldn't make out the words.

“Put her down,” Pacha heard the female Giant say as she neared the Giants camp. The Giant who was holding Pacha put her gently down onto the ground. Pacha scrabbled to her feet unsure and stared up at the circle of Giants around her. She was about a quarter of their size, making them around 24ft tall. All the Giants had their eyes fixed on her and a feeling of sick came to her throat. She was so small, nothing compared to these creatures.

“What's your name?” The female Giant asked and Pacha paused.

“Pacha,” Pacha said loudly after a moment. The awe of the Giants had dissipated and now Pacha was just frightened. One of the male Giants laughed,

“No need to shout,” he said jokily. His voice was very deep, so much so that it was hard to make out what he was saying.

“Calm yourself. There's nothing to be afraid of,” The second brown haired Giant said reaching out a hand towards Pacha. Pacha's heart was in her mouth and she couldn't stand it any longer, she turned and ran. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, aware of the Giants watching her. She hid behind a cliff wanting to disappear. Focusing on calming her breathing, she failed to notice the female Giant who came over and slowly appeared around the edge of the cliff. Pacha gasped when she saw the Giant and her heart beat raised.

“Shhhh. Hey, it's alright,” the Giant reassured her making eye contact. “We have never met any humans either. We won't hurt you, you have my word,” The Giant smiled at Pacha and Pacha smiled back.

“My name is Pacha. It's lovely to meet you,” Pacha said, swallowing her fear.

“I'm Asil. It's lovely to meet you Pacha,” Asil replied reaching out her hand and they wrapped their hands around each other’s wrists. It was at this moment that Pacha felt her heart begin to relax and her anxiety levels lower. This Giant, Asil, clearly didn't mean any harm and so Pacha walked slowly back towards the camp with her.

The other Giants were sat quietly together talking about the mountains around the Orvik fortress. Pacha sat next to Asil and she gathered that the blonde Giant with the Norwegian accent, who the others were referring to as Torbjørn, came from the land just the other side of the Rhern mountains from Seu. The other two came from the southern-most mountains in Jordfald and from the east in Swodame. She listened quietly as they talked about the differences between their homelands and of the struggles they were all facing there. The lack of food, due to the dragons heading North, was affecting all of them and so they were travelling Northwards to drive them back south once more. The Giants who came from the Rhern mountain range that skirted the southern coast of the Sea of Notwen were Asil, Torbjørn and Twulai. Whereas Ilioc came from the southern-most mountains in Jordfald.

As it grew dark, Pacha walked out to where the fire was not as hot and she lay down to sleep. She was still wary of the Giants and didn’t quite trust them. An hour after Pacha began to drift off to sleep and night had truly fallen, a Giant gently shook her awake.

“You can’t sleep out here,” Torbjørn said softly. “If you do the dragons will have you,” Much as Pacha didn’t want to listen to Torbjørn she knew that he spoke the truth so she followed him back to where the other Giants had laid down to sleep. She slept close to them but far enough away so that she was able to actually fall asleep.

Morning came around and Pacha awoke as the Giants were getting ready to leave.

“We’re heading North,” Asil called to her, “Are you going to come with us? It would be nice to get to know you however, the road may be dangerous,” Asil said and Pacha paused. Unsure, she glanced back towards the direction of Seu,

Not all the way, she promised herself.

“I’ll come” Pacha said abruptly. “I’ll come,” she repeated in a calmer tone.

They all set off, and Pacha ignored the feeling that told her that this was a bad idea.

“Pacha is an unusual name,” Torbjørn said after a while, “where does it come from?”

“I don't know,” Pacha replied, not knowing herself. “My mother liked it. It means small or humble, or so I am told. What about Torbjørn? Where does that name come from?”

“My name?” Torbjørn asked before giving an answer. “It means thunder or bear. It's a variation of Thor.”

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“I know someone else called Tor, skinny little thing. Must have been the runt of the family.” Twulai chipped in before laughing at his own words.

“You’re a bit lacking in muscle then Torbjørn the bear?” Ilioc added before he flexed his muscles to demonstrate his point and Pacha laughed.

“Are you making fun of me?” Torbjørn asked the all abruptly.

“Tell us about where you come from Pacha,” Asil said and Pacha paused before she answered,

“I come from a small village between the mountains called Seu. It is in the North-western part of Jordfald. My grandparents moved there from Sioan, a city surrounded by marshland in Sil Noab. Seu is up the valley from a river and it stands on stilts above a lake.”

“That's amazing,” Asil proclaimed, amazed at the idea of a village on stilts.

“That does sound spectacular,” Twulai added.

“But what of Giants and your homelands?” Pacha asked as she began to relax around the Giants.

“What is there to tell?” Torbjørn began. “I would think that we live much as you do except on a larger scale.”

“I doubt that Pacha catches dragons to eat,” Ilioc pointed out.

“Very true,” Torbjørn agreed. “Much like you Pacha, our lifestyle changes depending on where we live. In my home, we live in homes carved out from the cliffs whereas to the east Giants build huts and proper structures.”

“Where the mountains meet the hills in Jordfald. Which is where I live,” Ilioc began. “The huts we live in have many of the same structures as those of men, but they have to be camouflaged in order to survive the mountain weather and deter predators.”

“What predators?” Pacha asked. “What hunts Giants?”

“Nothing specifically,” Ilioc replied, “but flights of dragons can easily overwhelm a Giant.”

“Is it quite dangerous to hunt dragons in the night for you then?” Pacha continued.

“It can be but each situation is different,” Asil answered. “And we don't hunt them in the night, we hunt them in the day.”

“The day? But dragons are asleep in the day.” Pacha asked, confused.

“No, dragons hunt during the day and move around at night. We hunt them as they hunt their prey.” “Oh...” Pacha said unsure how to answer, “we always thought it was the opposite,” She said before she paused. The Giants waited for Pacha to continue and Pacha also waiting for herself to continue. “You capture dragons before they eat us?” Pacha said after a long silence.

“Yes,” Ilioc replied.

“So how do you capture and eat dragons?”

“Well,” Ilioc began, “dragons are about 18ft tall and we tend to wait until they're grounded before we attack them.”

“So you just take them down with your bare hands?” Pacha asked.

“We try to crush and cripple their wings so that they can't fly away. Then we kill them quickly. You don't drag it out because their claws and teeth are deadly,” Ilioc answered.

“Lovely. I’m glad I asked,” Pacha replied, shifting the weight of her rucksack.

“Dragon meat is really good, especially if you get a young, male one,” Torbjørn added.

“I prefer female meat personally,” Twulai disagreed, “but they are two very distinct flavours.”

“Dragon hides though guys, I think we know who is right here,” Ilioc said. The male Giants had an argument about which gender had the better hide while Asil explained to Pacha what they were on about,

“Before we eat dragons, we skin them to get their hides and use them to make the clothes.”

“Oh,” Pacha replied, taking notice for the first time, of what Asil was wearing. Around Asil’s torso was a brown material, which was covered in fine scales and hung like a toga down to her waist. Below that she was wearing a skirt, it was rigid yet wide enough to allow good movement. The noise the male Giants were making drew Pacha's attention and she saw what they were wearing. A mixture of grey, dark green and deep red colours met her gaze, all being worn in a similar fashion to Asil’s clothing. Scales on them were of different sizes and shapes, and attached to the back of Twulai's torso hide was a large horn, a trophy of one of his kills.

//

Night drew in after hours of walking, the conversation had lasted much of the way but Pacha had missed some of it when Asil had lifted Pacha onto her shoulder, where Pacha had fallen asleep. Around the fire that night the Giants were still bickering about dragon hides.

“This skin was able to withstand the Grucu, one of which I had to take down,” Ilioc exclaimed loudly. “They are brutal. They are not just deadly warriors, they can harness and control storms along with their sharp claws.”

“Enough of this for today I'm going to bed,” Twulai announced and they all soon followed, including Pacha. The next day they crossed the border into Regad and by midday they were able to clearly make out the large city of Koas in the far distance.

“Is the North dangerous?” Pacha asked the giants.

“It is very dangerous. The Dikira who inhabit it are ruthless, unforgiving and violent. Many giants and Paya have been sold as slaves in Cirrom, Dasa and Durkan. The lands themselves are home to many dark creatures that only inhabit dark, empty and horrifying places,”

“You can see the Land of Daer from here,” Twulai announced pointing out to sea, where a distant land could be seen.

“The Northern Territories. Haeul, Daer, the Staig Islands and the Gulf of Oeth. It is said that a huge Kraken patrols it’s waters and protects the lands from naval invasions,” Asil finished and Pacha slept, thinking of the harsh lands of the North.

Another day dawned and they were still a day and a half, to two days walk from their intended destination at the Northern tip of the Rhern mountain range in Regad. The environment around them grew colder and they descended down into the trees to avoid the high mountain passes that were filled with snow. The calm air and gentle surroundings filled Pacha with a peaceful feeling which she only found in the mountains. The gentle crunching of snow beneath the Giant's feet created the perfect soundtrack to the setting.