Chapter 19: The way of the giants

~Chapter 18:~

~ The way of the giants~

"Calm down!" the giant shouted back.

Eliza and Melody quickly stopped screaming.

He stepped out from behind the door, giving us a better view of him.

Eliza and Melody had composed themselves, standing firm without flinching.

"My name is Hephaestus," the giant said.

He was enormous, dressed in leather gray pants, with a tool harness strapped around his waist. In one hand, he held a hammer and chisel, and on his right eye, he wore a singular magnifying glass. His face was marked with a plump, big nose, scratches, and pimples. He had large brown eyes, big lips, and ears to match.

He didn’t look as intimidating as the other giants we had seen, but he was still massive, so we stayed on guard.

"You should probably come inside," he said, scanning us up and down. "Little people like yourselves aren’t safe out here."

"We—we’re okay," I replied cautiously. "We were just getting our bearings and will be heading back home."

He smiled. "I’m all fe-fi-fo-fumed out today. I promise you no harm," he said.

I let out an unexpected giggle. The reference was from a book I’d read in the library, and I found it amusing.

"I promise you’ll be better off in here. The feeding frenzy is about to start, and there will be far more of them stomping around in a few moments," he said.

For some reason, he seemed genuine—like someone who wasn’t a real threat. Someone you could trust.

"Fine," I said, staring him in the eyes.

"Madoxx?" Melody said, looking at me with concern.

"It’s fine," I reassured her. "We’ll be okay. Trust me."

Inside was a room filled with tools and materials—hammers, grinding stones, books, and furnaces. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary tree, but inside, it was a massive space filled with unimaginable things. It was mind-boggling.

Eliza and Melody followed behind me, just as intrigued.

"I’m sorry I don’t have smaller furniture for you to sit on," he said, placing his hammer and chisel on the huge table in front of him. "May I have your names?"

"I’m Madoxx, and this is Melody and Eliza," I said, pointing to each of them.

"It’s been a while since we’ve had humans like yourselves here," he said, walking closer.

"What do you mean? Where are we?" I asked, confused.

"Well, you’re on Stormspire Plateau," he said, squinting.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I felt disoriented. We hadn’t been outside the dome long enough to know if this place was in hell or somewhere else entirely.

"What’s this feeding frenzy?" Eliza asked.

"It’s the traditional ceremony held every night, where all giants bring a sacrifice to the King Giant," he explained. "Then we face the moon and give offerings."

"What offerings?" Eliza pressed.

"The gods only asked to be praised, so they praise," Hephaestus said.

"You take part in it too?" I asked.

"No, not me," he replied with a smile. "I’m not from here. I’m from up there," he said, pointing upward.

The tree had no windows, so we couldn’t tell what he meant.

"Young lady, what happened to your arms?" Hephaestus asked Melody.

"I got into a fight," she said, glaring at Eliza.

"What a shame," he said, examining her. "Judging by the craftsmanship of your legs, whoever made them must have been extraordinarily gifted."

"You can tell my legs aren’t real?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course. My eyes see all crafts," he replied.

"Well, I’ll be fine. I have my legs and my head," Melody said before lunging at Eliza, headbutting her.

"Melody, I told you to stop that!" Eliza shouted, glaring at her.

"Melody, stop headbutting people," I said dryly, trying to diffuse the tension.

Hephaestus let out a laugh. "You have a strong will, young one. The strongest will I’ve seen in a long time," he said, laughing even louder.

"You’re all very strange," he said after a while. "How did you get here?"

We explained.

"Strange. Very strange. May I see this book you speak of?" he asked.

"Sure," I said cautiously.

I tried opening my dimensional rift, but it wouldn’t budge.

"Madoxx," Eliza said.

"Yeah, I’m trying—it won’t open," I replied.

"That is very strange," Hephaestus said. "Nevertheless, young lady, how would you feel if I crafted new arms worthy of your will?" he asked, standing tall.

"For real?" Melody said, her face lighting up. "Absolutely!" she added with little hesitation.

"Very well," he said. "But in order for me to help you, I’ll need your help too," he added slyly. "I don’t do favors for free," he said, laughing out loud.

"But this can wait," he said, clearing his throat. "First, I must show you."

"Show us what?" Eliza asked, concerned.

"The ways of the giants," he replied.

"Well, jump on," he said quickly.

We found ourselves strapped on the giant’s shoulder, holding on tightly to his hair—all except for Melody, who had to be tied into his hair by her torso. As he ran through the bushes, each of his steps shook the ground—bang, bang—as we bounced along through the forest.

As he sprinted, I immediately felt sick, while Eliza and Melody seemed to be having the time of their lives.

We passed by enormous lakes, towering stone borders, massive trees, and gigantic animals. The animals were ten times our size, which completely messed with my sense of scale.

I looked up at the sky and realized we weren’t in hell anymore. The sky was sparkling with stars and illuminated by a big, round moon. The heaven realm wasn’t visible at all. What had happened? How did we get here?

It felt strange. The moment we landed, we’d found someone who could fix Melody’s hands. It was too convenient, as if the book knew I needed to find Hephaestus.

My thoughts were interrupted by the urge to puke as we kept bouncing through the forest.

We climbed a hill, and from the top, we could see the treetops stretching endlessly below us. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

The trees stretched out as far as the eye could see, and among them roamed animals larger than anything I’d ever seen—even taller than the trees themselves. Animals with long, striped necks, and others with huge, fat bodies and tall legs, roamed through the forest, massive beasts going about their day.

In the center of the forest stood a massive throne that immediately caught my eye. It was humongous, spiked, and covered in skulls and other unrecognizable things. Sitting on it was a fat, two-horned titan who appeared to be sleeping. His snores were so loud they could’ve woken the entire forest.

The giant had two massive canine teeth sticking out of his mouth, gray skin, and long hair tied into a bun. A large wooden stake pierced through his head, going in on one side and coming out the other.

His rough skin was covered in battle scars and stitched wounds.

"That’s him," Hephaestus said, pointing. "King Kang, the giant ruler."

We were far away from him, yet his sheer size still made him look gigantic.

From all sides, other giants emerged, each carrying various offerings—animal meat, fruit, and other items—all heading in his direction. The sheer number of giants was terrifying. Each one carried something, their massive steps stomping closer and closer to Kang, shaking the ground with every stride.