Chapter 1 - The Giants Wall
Standing at the black pearly gates, adornished with a red dragon, a couple hundred stand by, waiting for the command, eagerly awaiting the order to move ahead on their horses. A bustle of shouts can be heard over the crowd, the soldiers still waiting and the civilians shouting 'good luck' and 'come back safe' to the brave men and women. Children pushing through the side crowds for a better view of the army.
In front of the gates are three girls, sitting patiently on their large horses. Dressed in black cloaks adornished in the same red dragon as the gates, they wait behind the steel gates and in front of the bustling army, dressed in the same black cloaks as the three girls. All three waiting for the gates to be lifted so they can make their way through to the lands ahead.
"They are taking their time aren't they?" Says one of the three girls, hands shaking with anticipation, leg bouncing on the side of her large brown and white horse. "When are we leaving?" She cries in exasperation, her head falling back to look at the blue sky, lined with white clouds.
"Patience, Lowri. Wait a few seconds, the gate will be up in a minute. Then we can kill all the giants we want." States another of the three girls, slightly ahead of the other two. Looking calmly at the gates and around at her fellow soldiers, she holds her reins in her hands, her black fingerless gloves clutching the brown worn leather.
"Patience? We all know I have no patience. That's a fact of life." The girl, Lowri says, her blue eyes glistening with excitement.
"I second that." The third girl says, looking over at the two with a smirk.
"Exactly. So why don't they open the gates?" Lowri screams, looking towards the top of the large wall surrounding them from every direction. "Come on Carwen. Help me out here." She asks the third girl before the two start shouting.
"Open the damn gates will you?" The two scream at faceless people, high at the top of the 150m tall rock.
"The two of you hush. Every time we leave for an expedition, the first few minutes are you two shouting at the Diffoddwyr to hurry up. And every time your shouts don't do fuck all. Just wait." The girl in front says, smiling slightly at the expected attitudes of her two friends, Lowri and Carwen.
"Yeah and every time you tell us the exact same thing Jackie. But guess what..."
"It doesn't stop us." The two shout with glee, all three laughing at each other.
The three girls, still laughing, all turn to look through the gate, at the wide green expanse ahead. The hills around them rolling in the distance. At the front of the around 500 men and women, the three stand tall on each of their horses, their black cloaks around their shoulders. Both Lowri and Carwen have the red symbol of the land on their backs, signalling their rank as the Commander's seconds-in-command. In front was Jackie, the commander herself, her black cloak adorned with the Ddraig Goch on her shoulder, like all soldiers in the regiment, but also with the white symbol of the land on the back.
The symbol of the land, a triple spiral within a circle, also called a Triskelion, symbolizing the three realms of the land, earth, water and air as well as the life cycle, birth, life, and death. The land is called Gwlad Yr Addewid by the people.
After a few moments, the three start to hear the tell tale creak of the gates being lifted up by giant chains, allowing the soldiers passage through to the land outside.
"Finally." Lowri mutters under her breath, just loud enough for Carwen and Jackie to hear. The three laugh quickly before Jackie raises her long sword, the metal glinting in the sun. The crowd behind her all quieten down immediately, soldiers and civilians both.
"Soldiers of the Dovahkiin. The 396th expedition outside the walls is about to start. I want everyone in their respected units once we pass the oak tree. Today's aim is simple. Clear any area worthy of new settlement of giants before charting the area on the maps. Any titan activity that is unexpected should be acknowledged and reported to each units leader." She shouts over the thick crowd behind, her voice booming all around. "All units will take their courses. The Aer up ahead, warning us of any titan activity we want to avoid while Tir and Dŵr scout the east and west sides of the formation. Tân in front of Tir and Dŵr, attacking any titans they take down. Ysbryd in the center of the formation, relaying information back and forth and the Sanct in front taking down all giants ahead."
A cry of shouts is heard, her soldiers way of saying they understand. "Good." She says holding her sword up higher, "Now, let's make sure we all come back. Both us and the dragons." Jackie shouts, giving her soldiers an extra amount of hope and confidence.
The soldiers screaming their battle cry, the dragons roaring in agreement. The large gates lift slowly, now high enough to pass through. The soldiers start riding through the gates on their horses, lead by Commander Jackie Hutchinson and her two Corporals Carwen and Lowri Hughes. The large dragons flying through the gap above. A parade of hooves pound the dirt, quickly making distance between themselves and the wall behind.
Quickly passing by the oak tree, the army quickly moves into formation. The Aer jump into the air on their dragons while the rest stay on the ground, moving like a well oiled engine. Rapidly, the formation spreads out, covering as much ground as they can before they are two far from each other.
In front of the formation are the Sanct, consisting of a few individuals called the Sanct by the people of the wall. These are the rare people who can control all 5 elements; Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Spirit.
Within the walls of Wal Bendigeidfran, are a number of highly skilled people. The walls were built by these people along with a number of dragons. They were built to protect them from the giants outside. Around 100 years ago, these monsters appeated out of thin air. No-one truly knows why they came or how. All we know is that they are responsible for nearly killing humanity. Many people died. Most of the population decimated. The technology of the time was wiped and destroyed and humans were pushed back all the way into the dark ages again.
The area of where the wall was built was in an area that used to be called the valleys, in a country called Wales. Most of the wall's inhabitants are all of Welsh blood or Irish, Scottish, and English.
When the end of the world as we knew it came, the dragons appeared before us with humans who could control the elements. Powerful beings who were merely human but oh so much more at the same time. This was how we survived...
There are 5 types of element benders. The air benders known as the Aer, the water benders known as the Dŵr, the earth benders known as the Tir, the fire benders known as the Tân, the spirit users known as the Ysbryd and the ones with all 5 elements, The Sanct.
"Carwen. Giant up ahead. Go for it." Jackie calls to the brunette behind her, eyes flitting around the open expanse for any threats.
"Will do boss." Carwen shouts before pushing her horse forward even further, grabbing onto her two long silver blades, once she's close enough she pushes herself into the air, using the element to propel herself towards the target. Just a few metres away stands a 20m giant. It's humanoid features and large stomach, making it look like a monster from a nightmare. Quickly, without blinking almost, Carwen spins in the air to get the final momentum before coming down onto the nape of the giant, slicing through it's skin effortlessly with the two swords.
Landing back onto her horse, she grabs the leather reins and rides back to the formation. With the whole event being over with within a minute or two, she comes back to the group of 30 or so, the only Sanct in the walls.
"Nice one Caz." Jackie says, her long curly hair flowing in the wind. "Lowri, you and your squad have the next one, 'kay?" She shouts to her other second, her tone sounding over the pounding hoofs of the army.
"Sure thing. We headed to the forest right?" Lowri asks, tone sounding hopeful. Jackie nods. "Nice." Lowri answers.
Within an hour, the army reaches the large green forest, situated to the west of the wall after taking down numerous amounts of giants. This was the furthest they'd gone west. The large trees towering over them, the woods going for at least a mile.
"What's the plan Commander?" A soldier asks from behind the three.
"Usual drill. Aer in the air above, Tir in the trees, Dŵr and Tân on the ground and the Sanct will be split up with each squadron." She calls, effortlessly manoeuvring her soldiers to their positions. "Lowri, take your squad to the Tir, Caz, you go to the Dŵr and the Tân. The rest of you are with the Aer. The Ysbryd ranks will spilt into each squadron also. Keep the whole army up to date with the information." She shouts before all enter the forest.
...
Carwen and her squad followed the Dŵr and Tân on the ground, their horses running into the mass of trees. Lowri went to the Tir, following them up the trees after tying up her horse. Jackie followed Carwen, staying in the back of the group.
At the front of the Dŵr and Tân, Carwen and her squad were riding through the forest. Bringing down any titan they saw. Every now and then, they'd stop for a minute to check progress or to take note of their surroundings on the map.
She pulled her swords back into her hands, watching the giant blood evaporate instantly from the metal. She'd been riding through the forest for half an hour now, slaying titans when she could. But out of nowhere she felt a tremor in the ground, one that shook her bones. Tilting her head in confusion she waited for the tremors to stop but they just kept increasing, adding to her confusion even more.
Within moments her entire squad started noticing the change, shouting to their captain about the sudden change.
"Corporal! What is that?" One of her soldiers shout, eyes glinting with fear.
"I don't know." She whispers quietly to herself. "What the hell is that?" She asks herself.
"Corporal! You need to turn now." Exclaims an Ysbryd soldier, sending a telepathic message with the use of Spirit. Spirit is what is known as the mental element, sometimes seen as psychic. It allows the user to have the ability of telepathy, telekinesis as well as others. "There's a large group of giants heading this way. You need to turn back now."
"Okay. I'll relay the information back." Carwen says, before the soldier leaves her mind and she turns back to her squadron. "Turn around, we're retreating. There are giants up ahead." She shouts to the others when all of a sudden they hear a large crash and find themselves merely meters away from a large hoard of giants. A group so thick that they can't see past them.
"Crap." Carwen says in shock before turning her black steed around. "Run!" She screams at the top of her lungs, pushing her horse fast through the trees. Barely staying ahead of the horde of monsters...
...
In the trees, Lowri goes jumping from one branch to another, hopping between the canopy and the ground to take out some giants. Her dark brown hair covering her face, hands gripping the swords tightly. For the past hour she'd been running on adrenaline and lucky for her, she hadn't run out just yet.
"Damn, these trees are annoying." She thought, pushing leaves out of her face at the same time. It hadn't been long till she also felt the tremors, even up in the trees. She could see the trees shaking slightly. More and more with each passing second. "Oh. What the fuck now?" She says before receiving the message from an Ysbryd soldier.
"Corporal Lowri, there are titans up ahead. Many of them. We've been given the order to retreat immediately." The soldier says telepathically before leaving her mind to inform the other squads.
"Alright bitches. Move back. We've been given the order to retreat." She shouts to her squad, the group immediately turning back and running back the way they came. After a few minutes though, they notice the threat that caused the retreat. One that was quickly catching up to the group.
"Holy motherfucking shit. That's a lot of giants." She thought to herself. "Right, let's leg it. Now!" She screams quickly before using every thing she had to get as far away as possible from the giants. Damn giants can't leave me alone for a second can they?, she thought to herself.
...
At the back of the ground squad, Commander Jackie was travelling with her own squad, picking up any giants that were left off. Pushing their horses forward, the group was unaware of the dangers they were about to meet.
The commander had her reins in one hand, a sword in the other, it's long blade gripped tightly. She had been riding non stop, giants falling from their efforts. That's when she noticed the vibrations in the ground. She could feel it making it's way up her body, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Commander, can you...?" One of her soldiers exclaimed, before Jackie cut them off.
"I feel it. I don't know." She replied, before being stopped abruptly by a tree almost toppling over them, it's branches splayed around them. "What the...?" She says before immediately finding herself in the middle of a group of giants, seemingly appearing from nowhere.
"Where did they come from?" Jackie hears being screamed from around her.
"The trees. They covered them before we noticed." She shouts back quickly. "Everyone retreat." She utters before starting to fight her way through the giant horde.
Sending a telepathic message to the closest Spirit users and Ysbryd she gives the order to retreat, realising the danger she unknowingly sent her troops into. Everyone retreat now. This is a direct order from your commander. There are a large group of giants heading our way. Larger than we've ever seen and their running fast. Retreat back to the Wall.
Grabbing onto her swords, she starts wielding all the elements she can to get herself and her soldiers out of the maze of creatures. Using air to push herself into the air, getting close enough to slash the giants napes, fire to burn her way through them, earth to bring down rocks and push them away, creating temporary barriers, water battering the giants away from them, giving them a chance. Her soldiers start doing the same, but the group all get overwhelmed by the sheer volume they were dealing with.
Now changing their focus on escape rather than attacking, the team nearly make their way through before a titan falls on them all but Commander, crushing her squad in seconds.
"No." She whispers, her heart breaking at the sight of her dead friends. Their red blood pooling on the forest floor, mixing with the green leaves and dirt.
Her horse who had somehow survived runs up beside her, throwing herself onto the white and grey dappled mare, it's black mane falling by her neck. The horse runs rapidly away, just missing the onslaught of giants behind.
Wiping a tear away from her cheek, the Commander steels herself, locking her emotions away. She could mourn later. Right now, her priority was getting the rest of her soldiers back home alive.
"Come on girl." She says to the mare, kicking it's sides lightly to urge it onwards. Finally at the front of the giants, she notices how they were coming at them from all sides. Noticing a few soldiers up ahead, in the same position as her, running from the horde. She pushes her horse even further, wanting to leave the forest as fast as she could.
...
An hour had passed and the remaining soldiers had finally arrived at the outside of the woods. The commander and her corporals had finally met up and had all survived miraculously. The same could not be said for the soldiers who's lives were lost in the attack.
Most of the army were in the air, flying on the army's dragons as most of the horses were lost in the attack. Commander Jackie, Corporal Carwen and Corporal Lowri were on the ground, frantically riding their horses as fast as they could along with a few other soldiers, trying to keep ahead of the giants. They were moving too fast for any of their liking. They'd never attacked them in such a magnitude. Something was wrong. Everyone knew it. Something was happening. Something bad.
"Something isn't right. I don't know what. But something is happening. This whole thing doesn't make sense." Carwen exclaims, looking backwards at the giants behind, rapidly making headway towards them.
"Holy shit. Don't these guys take a break!?" Lowri asks, huffing from tiredness after using her strength so long in the forest without a horse.
"I know. The bastards won't stop. They just keep running." Jackie answers, growing tired from the hours of running and riding. The majority of the Dovakhiin had been decimated, something no-one expected from todays expedition. And all three couldn't help but feel responsible as the leaders of the regiment.
"We need to get back to the wall." Carwen said before the three carried on in silence towards their home while being chased by the humanoid creatures.
...
An hour or so later, and the wall had come into view.
Send some squads to go tell them we're back and get the Diffoddwyr ready. We need to kill these titans quickly before they attract more. The Commander ordered, sending some squads to go warn the other regiments at the wall.
The plan was the soldiers would get back to the wall and the soldiers who could still fight, the ones who weren't wounded in the attack, would help with wiping out the rest of the giants.
Or that was the plan anyway...
The squads who were sent to warn the others could be seen flying on their dragons, hurrying towards the wall. The wings of the dragons beating rapidly. That was before they were covered from view. Out of nowhere, a giant cloud of steam, similar to titan steam, had amassed near the entrance to the wall. The entire view was covered, hiding whatever had caused it.
Neither of the three knew what was happening but knew the two must be connected. And that's when a large crash was heard...
Thanks for reading this. It was an idea me and my friends had in Biology. All the words that you may not understand are all welsh.
Aer - Air
Tân - Fire
Dŵr - Water
Tir - Earth
Ysbryd - Spirit
Diffoddwyr - Protector
Sanct - Holy ones
Wal Bendigeidfran - Bendigeidfran Wall (Bendigeidfran was a giant in welsh folklore/mythology)
Ddraig Goch - Red Dragon
Gwlad Yr Addewid - Promised Land