Fire-Redhead

The North Woods a week later… Shortly after arriving back home, Twillow noticed a flickering inside the chamber of their home. She knew instantly it was a message parchment from her brother. She flew from Kendrick’s shoulder and found it hovering near her bed. Kendrick entered behind her carrying Marci and Kimimeyla in his hand. “Hm. Looks like we’ve got some cleaning to do.” He grumbled when he saw cobwebs and smelled the dusty state of their home. Their month long absence had put it into a state of neglect. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had some unwanted pests now. Twillow’s magic barriers kept the pantry safe from vermin but his bed might have “guests”. “You’ve been gone for a month, I’m not surprised.” Marci commented, taking in the vast room that could easily engulf the Birchwood Estate. It was sparsely furnished and the flowers that Twillow used to decorate had long since died. There were a few carvings in the stone walls but nothing like the opulence and

Gillam paced the rooftop bordering the bay. He was ready to fly across after the giant and confront his actions of kidnapping. However, he distantly heard Lachlan shouting his name somewhere a few blocks away. He flew over the rooftops, keeping out of sight until he found Lachlan stopped in the streets with a brown skinned man wearing a green shirt and a red sash. He was reaching up, clenching at Lachlan's clothes, and was pleading with him. "Please! Please! That monster took my sister, Lavinia! You're the Red Slayer...you can save her?" he begged. Though the older slayer knew his request was earnest and hearing his old moniker was surprising, he also knew this was not a situation he was equipped to deal with...even in his younger days. "I can't guarantee anything." He responded with a curtness. "I'll try to find her." "Thank you! Thank you!" the young man bowed his head. Lachlan urged his horse and he rode on. "Lachlan!" Gillam called from the rooftop when he was out

Tegath two days after the crew left... After the four giants left Tegath on their journey, the city was reeling from the encounter. Though it could've been much worse and very little of the city was actually damaged overall, there was still a bit of recovery to deal with: wrecked ships, damaged roofs, huge footprints in the streets, and so on. No one knew where the group of giants went but they were relieved to see them go. However, the enormous ship remained, looming ominously across the bay, beached on the outer sandbar. The leading heads of Tegath convened to discuss what could be done if the giants returned or to prevent further damage to their city. There was talk of retaliation: setting fire to the massive ship and pillaging it for unknown riches. However, that talk was squashed when the realization that the giants would most likely return for their ship and if it was damaged or raided, their retaliation would be...devasting. And on top of that, there was word

Back in the Lower Realm… Helia couldn’t believe the progress the giants had made just in one day of walking. One day’s travel was equivalent to two days on horseback. Even when night fell, the four Jotunns kept on marching. It was unbelievable how long their strides were and how tireless they seemed. Nothing seemed to phase them. However, their march was affecting everything around them. Wagons or groups of travelers miles away would veer off and disappear from the road when they saw the towering beings coming their way. Any small post or road sign was crushed like grass beneath unconcerned boots and several areas of the dirt and stone path were marred with sole shaped craters. Their giant cat followed at a distance, disappearing from sight and reappearing whilst her masters walked. Helia tried to keep an eye on the huge fluffy beast but it was difficult. Helia knew there were many smaller settlements on this journey but she made sure to direct the Jotunn down roads that avoided

The next day... After the second day of dance class, Kimimeyla and her new mermaid friend Sansko were a tittering bundle of young excitement for their play date. From the moment they arrived at the Birchwood Estate, Kimimeyla and Sansko were ready to play. But not before Marci showed up with a tray of baked goodies and fruits for them to snack on. After their snack, Twillow asked the girls, "What are you girls going to do first?" Kimimeyla and Sansko looked at one another. During dance class they had talked about swimming. "Can we go swimming in the pond?" Gelilah made a face, "The pond? Sweetie, that's not what the pond is for. It's just too dirty..." But Twillow shook her head in disagreement, "It will be fine, Mother. The water is so clear you can see the rocks in the bottom." Though her mother looked disagreeable about the idea she finally conceded. With excitement Kimimeyla led the way running outside onto the veranda, down the steps, and ran across the lawn

For longer than she wished to be, Helia was trapped inside the Captain's leather belt pouch amongst his belongings. It was dark and his movements made standing inside the bag impossible, much less offering her a chance to escape. Cutting through the leather with her daggers could be an option but even if she slashed through, then she'd have to contend with a more than thirty foot drop to the ground from his waist. Not survivable. He might also get pissed if she escaped right away after agreeing to guide them. The woman slayer would just have to suffer this indignity a bit longer...hopefully not the entire journey. On the bright side, though they looked barbaric, they didn't try to eat her. Yet. Now she was hoping Gillam nor her dad wouldn't try anything stupidly heroic. Not that she liked being stowed in a bag like a compass, but she also didn't need to worry about anything more than herself for now. Though she knew Gillam would be driven mad not being able to go with

Helia finally made herself known once she got to the roof of a nearby building with Gillam’s help. She was closest to the elder-looking Jotunn with the one eye and bald head. Upon hearing him speak it was evident that he was the leader, their captain. At first, she planned to be a little more tactful but when one of the Jotunn ripped the roof off of a restaurant she frequented, tact went out the door. “HEY! STOP WRECKING SHIT!” she yelled angrily. All five sets of amber-colored eyes directed at her when she yelled. She felt her stomach knot with the same terrified regret when she first encountered Kendrick. Hearing a couple of them state they were hungry was certainly reviving old, traumatic memories. It didn’t get better when the leader turned to reveal he was carrying an absolutely massive harpoon. He casually planted his harpoon tip into the ground just in front of her perch. The blade alone was taller than most houses and probably weighed just as much as one and the metal staff

"Holy...shit." Helia whispered, "They're..." "Jotunn." Gillam finished, almost sounding reverential by the sight of the five towering beings wading through the bay as if it were nothing more than a shallow river. "You mean Northern Greys?" Lachlan confirmed, bearing witness to his first Jotunn sighting...which was awe inspiring. Helia nodded, "Same as Kendrick. I ...I thought he and his dad were the last ones..." Lachlan had only heard of Northern Greys in old stories and of course from Helia's account of the one who nearly killed her. Seeing one and hearing about them were two wholly different experiences. He'd slain "giants" in and around Tegath in his younger days, (as had Helia) but these made those twenty- footers look like children by comparison. Already he could feel the vibrations of their march as they drew closer to the Tegathan shore. The water was rolling forward in large waves with their every stride. It appeared to be four males and one female. All were