Book 6: Chapter 31: Fire Giants

Book 6: Chapter 31: Fire Giants

Despite being more than a mile from the nearest giant, Elijah found himself instinctively crouching in place as he tried to make himself smaller and less noticeable. He would have been embarrassed, but the fact was that the creatures down below warranted such an act. Each one was more than thirty-five feet tall and at least half as wide, with blackened skin similar to what Elijah had seen with the char goblins. Just like the goblins, the giants had mostly humanoid features – meaning that they had all the right parts – but they were all out of proportion. Bulbous noses, broad and prominent brows, and heads that looked a bit too large for even their gargantuan bodies gave the creatures a brutish appearance that reminded Elijah of renderings of cavemen he’d seen during college.

At first, Elijah thought the creatures were on fire, but upon looking closer with Eyes of the Eagle, he realized that the flames he saw were what constituted the creatures’ hair and beards. It gave them a wholly alien appearance that completely nullified any similarities to humanity he might’ve otherwise latched onto. They clearly were not native to Ka’arath.

Throughout the huge cavern, Elijah saw groups of the monsters congregated around the latticed intersections of the onyx bridges. Miles below, a sea of lava roiled as something swam within.

“Can you use Hex of Scrying on them?” Elijah whispered. The creatures were so far away that there was no chance they could hear him, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances. He was not easily frightened, but the sheer size of the giants certainly put him on edge.

“Too far,” Dat said. “But I’ve got a bad feeling about them.”

“Me too,” Elijah said. In a way, the giants reminded him of the skeletons they’d fought in the previous challenge. Not in a cosmetic sense. They were completely different in every way but size. Rather, it was the feeling he got when he looked at them, that they were alien creatures who’d invaded somewhere they didn’t belong. They weren’t natural denizens of this world – of that, Elijah was absolutely certain – but instinctively, he knew that something like Nature’s Rebuke wouldn’t prove effective against them. They were simultaneously natural and natural, which left Elijah feeling both confused and frustrated at his own ignorance.

As Elijah watched the giants, he caught a flicker of movement in the distance. Instantly, he focused on that location, but at first, he saw nothing. Then, he noticed a swirl of ashes before a winged creature came into view. It looked a bit like a pterodactyl, though with a blunter face and wings glowing with fire. Upon its back was a char goblin.

“That bad feeling just got a lot worse,” Elijah said, backing away. Thankfully, he hadn’t been seen, but he knew that wouldn’t last if they remained at their current location. So, without further hesitation, the group returned to the hall and shut the heavy stone door behind them. For a while, no one said anything, but a couple of minutes after they were out of sight, Elijah shattered the silence. “This is going to be really difficult. No flight. Those giants are probably at least as strong as the skeletons in the last challenge, and we’ll be completely exposed on those bridges. Any ideas on how to go about this?”

Now that the silence had been broken, everyone tried to speak at once. But after only a second or two of them trying to speak over one another, they ceded the floor to Sadie. She said, “I don’t see that there’s much choice here. We’re probably going to have to go straight in. We’ll clear the giants out, then try to focus on those flying creatures. After that...we need to find Cinderrath and beat it.”

“Can we even kill those giants? They look like they’re made of volcanic rock,” Ron pointed out.

“I think they’re like the char goblins,” Elijah said. “But before we charge in, it’s probably best if Dat and I scout things out. The more information we have, the better. For all we know, we won’t even need to face the giants. There might be another way to the boss.”

While it wasn’t a complex plan, it was a pattern they’d developed over the course of four other challenges and months spent traveling from one corner of the continent to the other. So, once everyone agreed that it represented the best course of action, Elijah and Dat set off on their task. After he’d transformed into the Shape of Venom and adopted Guise of the Unseen, Elijah went back to the door and stepped onto the onyx bridge. It was warm beneath his feet, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Still, Elijah couldn’t deny the ominous feeling that swept over him the moment he stepped foot onto the bridge. It was with that anxiety settling over his Mind that he proceeded forward. Dat followed, using his less powerful stealth ability to remain unseen. On a whim, Elijah slipped over the elaborate handrail, then climbed onto the bottom of the bridge. Only then did he feel the unease dissipate.

That was when he realized what the problem was.

Throwing caution to the wind, Elijah shouted, “Dat! Something’s watching –”

That’s when it struck. A slate-gray entity of vaguely humanoid shape burst into being directly in front of Dat. It reached out to grab him, but the Witch Hunter’s reflexes were well-honed. He leaped backward in a back handspring that belied his size, narrowly avoiding the thing’s outstretched hand.

Dat came up firing his crossbow, and soon enough, blue-wreathed bolts filled the air. They hit the creature, and for a moment, the thing burst into localized puffs of ash, revealing a black silhouette that looked like the ashen shadow of slenderman. It let out a hoarse and crackling screech as it lumbered forward.

Elijah knew better than to let the opening go to waste. He skittered atop the bridge, then leaped into battle. After using his full suite of abilities, he landed on the creature’s back and sank his fangs into its shoulders. The taste of ash – powerful and acrid – filled his mouth as venom flooded into the monster. Elijah wasted no time before biting again. And again after that. With his high attributes and advanced Body cultivation, he could strike with incredible quickness, and he leveraged that ability to great effect as he filled the monster with potent toxins.

“Those people we saw in the compound above,” the Witch Hunter said with a shiver. “That’s what an ash assassin can do. I don’t know if they’d be effective against us, but...”

He let the thought hang in the air. The idea of a creature being capable of turning people to ash was horrifying, especially considering that Elijah had seen the aftermath with his own two eyes. Of course, with his cultivation and attributes, he hoped he could withstand such an attack, but there were no guarantees. One little touch, and his path could be cut short.

“I think they’re shackled just like the natives of this world,” he said. “You know, levels reduced by the system. Maybe that will keep them in check.”

Dat said, “I hope so.”

It was a slim hope, and they both knew it. Despite the effects of the shackles, the creatures populating the challenges were incredibly powerful. Elijah and the others had barely managed to survive so far, and they weren’t foolish enough to believe their journey would become any easier.

With that, the pair returned the way they’d come. However, once Dat was safe, Elijah convinced everyone that he could manage to remain undetected while continuing their mission to scout the situation. His plan was simple – all he had to do was stay on the underside of the bridges, and he’d be fine. So, that was what he did, using the Shape of Venom’s ability to stick to any surface to his advantage.

It went precisely as expected, and he avoided detection all the way to the first intersection. When he peeked his head above the railing, he was first struck by the fact that the giants seemed even larger than they had from afar. Even the smallest was more than thirty feet tall, and the others were even bigger.

They sat around a device that looked curiously like a hookah, which meant that it was a cylindrical piece from which snaked a half-dozen tubes, each one held by a giant.

“Too cold,” one growled. “Need home.”

“No go home. Too dangerous.”

The smallest said, “We fight. We win. We go home.”

“Stupid runt. You first die.”

On and on they went until, once he’d gotten an idea of what was going on, Elijah retreated. It seemed that the giants weren’t there by choice. But was there a way he could use that to his advantage? Fighting them in a straight battle was a mistake. He was certain of that. But he wasn’t sure what other choice there was.

Returning to the group, Elijah laid things out, but no one had any bright ideas for how to attack the situation. Finally, Elijah decided to give voice to what he’d been thinking from the very beginning. “Guys, I think I have an idea, but I’m pretty sure you’ll all call me an idiot for even suggesting it.”

“We won’t judge you, bro.”

Elijah took a deep breath, then told them what he was thinking.

“You’re suicidal,” Sadie said.