AN: by Bi-pollar i meant the suddenly switching mannerisms of the giant and couldnt think of any better word so just went with it and if anybody finds it offensive id be happy to change it
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬
𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔
𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕
[Thought]
Speech
["Gotta get away faster!"] Ilianor looked over his shoulder and could see that thing rise as if it hadn't been just been tackled by 800 pounds of horse.
He heard that thing bellow out a guttural horrid roar that no human could ever produce and then a loud whistle growing ever higher until he feels a great gust of wind rush past him and a tree a dozen feet too his left snap in half and Argentum just barley manages toslip under it before the trunk comes crashing down on the trio and they continue to high tail it out of there.
["Okay this should be far enough for now."] The horseman was the only one standing out of the three Argentum lying on its side breathing in as hard as it could and next too a tree the merchant puking his guts out on his knees if it was at the gruesome death of his uncle his near miss at a similar fate or the rough ride he did not know.
While he was the least incapacitated of the group he could feel the muscles in his left arm and side of back burning in pain having pulled, strained and maybe even ripped some muscles lifting that man of the ground and throwing him onto a horse
["What was that thing it was at least 12 ft. Tall and could support the weight of whatever that metal suit was made out of even the American Super soldier proto types were only 9 feet tall and their bones would break under their own weight but that thing certainly was bi-polar enough to be one of them how do you even go from friendly neighbor too head ripping Monotone Monster in less than a sentence."] Ilianor was still in shock and didn't know how long he had until he had a breakdown so decided to use his time for a more useful topic like how he had used a skill or at least he thought it was one.
["I think I used {𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎} while on Argentum to ram the thing but even with that Its legs were fine I just tipped it over but why couldn't I use it while fleeing maybe it has a cooldown or only works now if I'm charging at something."] Using the skill felt like flexing a muscle in a way he knew how to do it on instinct but why couldn't he do it afterwards it's not that he forgot how to do it but It was more like as if he no longer had that muscle.
Seeing that his mount was not getting better he took the water skin out opened it and lowers it to his lips and the horses used it's lips to greedily sip all the water it could get drinking the skin dry which was quite a problem since they were stuck in a forest with the only known source of water being somewhere behind them and very close to that creature.
The rider put the empty skin back in the saddle bag and went over to check on the merchant who seemed to have emptied his stomach's contents
"umm … Are you ok?" Ilianor immediately regretted opening his mouth since the answer to that was obvious.
The man drew in a wavering breath and with his back turned got up to his knees and composed himself the best he could turned around "No need to worry Young lady just a bit high strung from that... Incident" he was clearly faking it talking too stiffly those blond eyebrows all scrunched up brown eyes constantly darting around his hands figeted with his shirt but it was better than being inconsolable and I didn't know how to help him so I ignored it also lady?
["Oh yeah I'm pretty cute here hmm... Score!"]
Our conversation grinds to a halt after that with him seeming fine with the silence and my complete lack of social skills due to never talking to somebody for more than a minute outside of family.
I build up the courage to ask why they were traveling here but stumble on the delivery and end up blurting out "Why were you going this way?"
He seemed confused by the question but answered "We were going to E-Mespel to trade are you not going there?"
I couldn't come up with anything good as a response and there didn't really seem to be a reason to lie so I told him the truth "I'm kinda lost and have no Idea where I am right now." well mostly.
It's pretty obvious that he doesn't fully believe me or thinks I am omitting something crucial but doesn't push it "E-Mespel is a large trading city of the Re-Estize kingdom in the boarder disputed katze plain region near the boarders of the Baharuth Empire, dragon kingdom and Slane theocracy and acts as a Mercants hub between all four countries we should be one days and a half days of travel away since we-..I crossed the imperial border with uncle Cith two days but with whatever that horse is I bet you could be there tomorrow just before day break
["Dragon kingdom so that means this is a fantasy world and I was dropped here pretty close to civilization so that's good"]
My mind was about to turn to imagining all the magical places I could visit here but I was stopped by the merchant continuing his monologue.
"Theres only one major problem though the path break in many directions some trails even leading to dead ends so you might have to go in circles for a while."
["Normally I would be happy to just wander this forest but with the big guy maybe looking for us we should get out of here but sounds like he doesn't know the way either so we'll have to guess"] but my thoughts are immediately contradicted by him.
"Luckily I know the way having travels here with Cith a few times so if you take me with you I'll show you the fastest way."
["Does he?"] "Do you think I was gonna leave you here?" Honestly I feel kind of offended.
He pulled a confused facial expression and said "With me on that horse it would be slowed down and tired out and you would have to spend the night here with that murdering giant who is probably trying to find us before we can bring news to the city of a bandit gang lead by a Full pleated half-giant raiding Merchants from the Baharuth Empire and by extension Dragon Kingdom bringing down the wrath of three kingdoms on him, So I would understand if you decided to ditch me now that I'm not in immediate danger."
["I don't like how he is kinda making a little sense but I can't just leave him here."]
"Nope no way I'm not leaving you here with him lurking around here, your stuck with me for the time being uhh.. You?"I just realized that I haven't even asked his name yet.
"Vern, names Vern and you are?"
"Ilianor."
After that awkward name exchange resulting in a lull of our conversation I am saved once again by Argentum as he seemed to have recovered surprisingly quickly and hoisted myself into the saddle and helped Vern up.
Vern was taught like all good merchants to always look a gift horse in the mouth and boy did he want to do that.
This "Ilianor" if that even is her real name just being lost in the middle of the Katze Forests and judging by the look of noncomprehension she gave me as I listed the surrounding states actually not knowing where those places are meant that she had to have come from far off land maybe from under the great desert and the fact that she also just happens to be here on the finest horse he had ever seen she must have been from some well off family maybe nobility but doesn't act like those haughty noble ladies I had the displeasure of meeting and even seemed to care for the life of a commoner she never met before enough to risk life and limb for.
She Is actually unlike most of the fairer sex considering her white hair that reached halfway to her chin which usually was a mark of age yet still graced her scalp and made her only look more youthful and those white irises with silver pattern and their glow from within are all rather unusual traits.
But what he found most confusing was that while riding through the forest every time she saw something mildly Eye-catching she seemed to be in awe of it any small forest critter that scurried along was a majestic beast of legend to her any flower with the slightest amount of pigment was worthy of being placed in a museum as a great masterpiece of art which only made him feel more correct in his suspicions of her being from the desert if only her skin wasn't so light it would make perfect sense but she might have lived under the flying city for all he knew there was never much information on the state of the wastelands not with the theocracy's blocking anything going in or out of the desert seeming to despise the very grains of sand for housing the once home of the 8 Kings of greed.
He could only speculate on the story of his savior feeling too indebted to her to ask all the questions that plagued his mind.
The only thing he knew right now was that the sun was setting and the Silver mount was too tired to go any further and they dismounted lying down to sleep behind a set of large bushes not daring to light a campfire in fear that the giant would somehow slip out of the shadows and finish what he had started.
Deep in the woods there was a cottage surrounded by make-shift tents with a crowd of people covered in dirt and dressed in torn clothing moving crates and barrels from a cart breaking the seals checking the contents and bringing them into separate tents.
Currently, there was a group of five men trying to break a lock on a chest a leg in length and arm in width with alternating strikes until it finally broke and they opened it to reveal gleaming sliver, hundreds and hundreds of gleaming silver coins.
Each of their eyes was filled with greed when they saw it but dared not take a single coin the first one who tried was still hanging on that branch. They instead closed it again and four of them lifted it onto their shoulder letting out grunts of pain at the weight and started to move towards the cottage the one not sharing the loud opened the door to let them in and lead them upstairs to the mistress's room and knocked on the door. They waited in silence not daring to make any noise that her guard would find disrespectful until they heard a soft and sweet voice beckon them in.
The one in the lead steeled his nerves and slowly opened the door and saw a woman sitting on the side of the bed cradling the head of a man in her lap and stroking his hair ever so gently in front of a fireplace.
The scene would have been a picturesque quiet moment of intimacy were it not for the fact that the man was so giant he had to lay most of himself on the floor to rest his head on her lap and was wearing dark plate from head to neck and wore a smile so wide it should have torn his cheeks in half as his eyes which seemed devoid of any semblance of feeling or life stared into the flame.
His attention was torn from the knight by the voice of his mistress "What do you need?" She queried in her usual sing-song tone.
As he turned his gaze to her he was filled with unease and disgust just at the sight of her she was too perfect adorned in a dark gothic dress every angle of the face exactly and even her face was perfectly mirrored the pattern of her eyes were even and steady and her complexion and skin were that of smooth porcelain she was like a doll perfect in every way yet hauntingly not human but this time the doll was alive.
He tried his hardest not to let his emotions show on his face and kept his voice steady "My mistress, we have come to you with an offering." And stepped aside to let the other men lay down their tribute.
Her face split into a smile while she waved her hand to dismiss them out of the room and when the door was closed she sighed to herself in satisfaction.