"Fum, look out!"

Fum leaned back just before Dolores' club slammed into his face. He stepped back and away as she continued to swing at him, just barely missing as Fum narrowly avoided contact. Dolors spun around, bringing her club down towards his head, but Fee moved in, raising his blade and blocking it.

"Now! Strike back now!"

Fum gripped his hammer and brought it back, taking aim. Right when he was about to swing however… he hesitated once more. Fee tried to swing his fist towards her, but she sunk into the ground again. Fee and Fum stood back to back as they tried to sense where she was. With how malleable she was making the ground, it was hard to get a real beat on her.

"You're still hesitating, what's wrong?" Fee asked, his eyes still darting around for any signs of his mother. His little brother may not have looked at it sometimes, but he was as hardened a warrior as any of them. For him to hold back like this? Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Fum grit his teeth. "I-I'm fine!"

Fee was about to call him out, since it was very obvious that he was not indeed fine, but suddenly the ground beneath them began to move. Both Fee and Fum leapt away from one another right before the earth beneath them opened up and swallowed them up. When Fum landed, he saw something from the corner of his eyes, and then gasped when he realized it was Dolors.

She was already mid swing with her club, and Fum braced himself to take the hit. But right at the last second, something pulled him back. "Get your head on right, you little dumbass," Fi said as he yanked his younger brother backwards, just out of reach of Dolores' club. He stepped forward and threw a kick towards his mother, who jumped back and out of the way.

She landed and try to sunk into the ground, but quickly felt something was wrong. Fo was nearby, placing his hands on the ground. "I can stop ma from moving through the ground for now! Go for it!" he yelled towards Fee.

The eldest giant brother charged in, raising his broadword again. He shouted as he charged at Dolores, swinging his weapon at her. Dolores quickly countered with her club, and the two twirled their weapons around and continued to attack one another. The clash between club and blade rang through the air, and onlookers wondered how they could move such heavy weapons with such ease and agility.

Fum looked like he was about to run in and join them, but Fi grabbed the back of his armor. "Hey! I saw that shit you did back there! I don't know what kind of dumb thought are going through your head right now, but push em back! Fo isn't gonna be able to hold back Ma's power for long, and when she gets moving we're not gonna be able to stop her without being serious!" he said.

"I know! I'm not-" Fi lunged forward, knocking his forehead against Fum's. "Ow!"

"Don't give me that shit! You hesitated. If you do it again I'm gonna let your ass get clobbered!" he said before turning and running towards Dolores. "This is gonna be your first and last chance to show me what we're made of! So you better not waste it!"

Fum watched his brother for a moment, and then let out a breath. He could do this. He just needed to focus. His brothers needed him right now, and… he had to show something to his mother.

Dolores smiled as she jumped over another one of Fee's sword swipes. She raised her club above her head and then swung down at him, but Fee raised his arm. "Iron Hide!" He blocked the attack, and managed to stay on his feet despite Dolores putting all of her weight into the strike.

"Ha-ha! You're standing so tall now! You really are your father's son!" Dolores said before she leapt back. "But this isn't going to just be a brawl you know!"

She began sinking back into the ground, and Fo cursed. Her magic was almost as strong as Fum's. He was honestly lucky to have cut her off from the ground as long as he had. But at the very least he could still sense her. "She's headed my way!" he yelled, bracing himself.

Fee, Fi, and Fum all rushed to meet up with their brother, but Dolores got to him first. She shot out of the ground and threw a punch at his face. Fo got hit and looked like he was going to stumble back, but instead reached up and pinned her arm with his own. "Sorry ma, but don't want you slipping away again," he said, smirking as a bit of blood trickled from his mouth.

Dolores smirked right back. "Wow, you used to be so worried about taking a punch. You really have toughened up, haven't you?" she asked.

"Kind of had to with those three around," Fo said before stomping his foot down. He could only cut her off from the earth for a few seconds, but that was more than enough time for his brothers to make use of it.

Fee was already behind her and swung his sword down, but Dolores swung his club backward and managed to knock the blade away from her. Fi moved in right after however, spinning around and throwing a kick at her face. A chunk of earth suddenly rose up from the ground, blocking his kick.

Fi grit his teeth. He should have been able to kick through a boulder without a second thought, but she had changed it consistently. It felt like he was kicking a rubber ball right now. His kick bounced off, and he fell back. Dolores then made the ground beneath Fee into mud, and he sank down to her knees.

He scowled as Dolores raised her arm, lifting Fo up into the air. "Ah shit, I forgot how strong she-!" She swung down, slamming him into Fee. The older brother managed to somewhat catch him, but then Dolores lifted her foot and kicked him in the gut, sending both him and Fo flying back.

As they crashed, Dolores felt someone else approaching. She turned to see Fum already next to her, his hammer raised and headed straight for her face. Dolores raised his club, but it was clear she wasn't going to defend herself in time. "You got her! Do it Fum!" Fi yelled.

Fum grit his teeth and yelled out, and Dolores braced herself. But right before his hammer made contact… it suddenly stopped. Dolores looked surprised, as did Free, Fi, and Fo. "What are you doing?!" Fee asked. "Why'd you stop?!"

"I don't do it…" Fum said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Dolores raised her fist, smashing Fum's hammer apart. She then cocked it back as she got ready to swing. "Fum! You have to defend yourself! Now!" she shouted. Fum raised his arms just before his mother's fist crashed into him, but was still sent flying backwards. He hit the ground and slid back.

His brother acted quickly. Fo slammed his hands on the ground and made a wall of earth between his mother and younger brother, then ran after Fee and Fi, who were already moving to check on him. Matrona, who was watching from a distance, frowned. "How disappointing…"

She could sense so much power from the little one. But he had been hesitant. So much so that he'd allowed himself to be struck. Taking a hit wasn't the problem. But giving one away without a fight was just… disgraceful.

Dolores stared at the wall of earth in front of her, and then sighed. "I need control back…" she muttered. Matrona, who still had control over her through Argus' spell, raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. Then you'll have it." She could just tell by the tone of her voice that this was whatever Dolores was up to was something she felt she needed to do. And as a mother herself, she didn't feel it was her place to keep her from doing it.

Fee, Fi, and Fo crowded around Fum as he laid on the ground. "What the hell was that?!" Fi asked angrily. "You had a chance to take her down! Why'd you stop?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I can't do it…"

"What do you mean you can't-?!"

"I can't take her away from you guys again!" Fum yelled. All three of his big brothers looked down at him with a mixture of confusion and shock. Fum looked distraught, and had tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry! But I can't! She already died because of me once! I can't kill her again! I can't!"

He'd had a terrible feeling in his chest ever since he had laid eyes on his mother. And it had only gotten even worse the longer they fought.

Fum had never gotten to know his mother. He was too young to have even a single memory of her. But his father, his brothers, Nalfi, everyone in the whole tribe, they all spoke so highly of her. And even if they tried not to show it, he could see that every now and then, people still missed her. They missed his mom. They missed the person she he'd ripped away from them by being born.

It was easy enough to ignore back when he lived with the rest of the tribe. It was even easier when he had joined the Queenguard. But now that she was standing right here in front of her, alongside his brothers and the members of his tribe, he just couldn't. How was he supposed to commit to killing his mother again?

If his brothers hadn't resented him for it the first time, they surely would now. Not to mention how his mother would have felt. "Fum, it's not like-" Before Fee could finish, something came smashing through the wall Fo had put up. They all turned and saw Dolores charging towards them. "Shit!"

They got ready to defend, but Dolores raised a boulder from the ground and swung at it with her club. She changed it's consistency, and when the club made contact it came zipping at them at an insane speed. It hit Fee first, knocking him off his feet, and then bouncing off of him as if it were made of rubber.

It slammed into Fi's side, sending him flying off and crashing into the ground. Fo just barely managed to avoid it when it bounced towards him, but by that time Dolores had closed the distance and swung her club. She swatted the boy aside, and then reached down and grabbed Fum by the front of his amor.

"Fum!"

Dolores pulled him up to his feet, a determined look on her face as she threw her head forward. Fum braced himself for a headbutt, but then… felt something warm on his forehead. He opened his eyes, and then saw Dolores had pressed her forehead against his. "What the…?"

She smiled at him. "You really turned out to be a silly one, didn't you?" she asked. "But that's probably my fault. I always tended to get really silly thoughts in my head and just run with them."

Fum looked totally confused. "But I… you died having me. How can you not be upset about that?" he asked. "If I hadn't of been born then-!"

Dolores grabbed his face. "Shush. None of that. I may not have gotten the chance to see you grow up like the others, but you're my son. And I'd die a thousand more times if it meant making sure you got here healthy and strong," she said sternly. "I've never once been angry or upset about bringing you into this world. I might have been upset about not being there, but it was never at you. Knowing that you were okay was what gave me peace in my final moments."

Fum still looked sad. "But they shouldn't have been your final moments. You should have been able to be here with us. With them," he said, referring to his brothers and father. "It's not fair."

Dolores frowned, and then reached up and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "I know. But not everything in life is always fair. Things don't always work out like they should. I wish I could have been there with them, and with you. Seeing how much of a sweet and strong boy you're become makes me wish even harder that I could have. But the fact that I wasn't isn't your fault. Or anybody's. And I don't want you to ever think it is again," she said, giving him a hug.

Fum was stiff for a moment, but then closed his eyes and hugged her back. Was this what a warm hug from a mother felt like? This was amazing. He felt warm, and nice, and… safe. After a few moment, Dolores leg go of him and placed her hands on his shoulder. "I wish I could stay here Fum. But… I'm not supposed to. I have to leave again. Whether you're the one to do it or not," she said.

The young giant looked down sorrowfully, but nodded. "I know." He really wished she didn't have to. His mother… she seemed just as amazing as everyone said. He didn't want to say goodbye to her yet.

"It might be hard, but I would like to see how strong you've become before I go. So why don't you and all of your brothers show me," she said before taking a step back. She raised her club again and got into a fighting stance. "I want to see how amazingly strong all of my children have become! Don't think of it as sending me away! Think of it as a farewell gift!"

Fum stood there for a moment, and then let out a breath. He balled both of his fists up and then raised them. "Alright! I'm gonna go all out!" he shouted. He wasn't gonna let his mother's last impression of him be crying and complaining. It was going to be of a warrior. A strong giant, just like his brothers.

Dolores and Fum began charging at each other, but before they could meet, something came flying towards Dolores head. She stopped and leaned back just before Fo's flail made contact. "I'm glad we got that sorted out, but don't forget that we're here too mama!" he said, smirking.

Fum charged forward again while she was distracted, ramming his shoulder into her. And though Dolores blocked it, she was sent sliding back. A look of shock came across her face. He was strong. Even stronger than Fee even. "We have our own farewell gifts for you!" Dolores felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, and looked over her shoulder to see Fi.

Her son smirked as he lifted her off the ground, throwing her backwards with a suplex. She was slammed into the ground, but Fi could tell something didn't feel right. When he stood back up, he saw that he was already gone. She must have softened the ground to lessen the impact and slip away.

Dolores quickly popped back up, a smile on her face as she twirled her club around and then swung towards him. "Iron Hide!" Fee moved in the way, blocking the blow with his forehead. "If this is really gonna be our last fight, then let's make it one to remember!" he said, smiling as he swung his sword at her.

"That's right!" Dolores said, making a wall of earth between herself and Fee's sword. She turned it rubbery, and the blade couldn't quite cut through it.

Fo placed his hands on the ground however. "Fee, follow through!" He softened it up just enough that his brother should have been able to power through it. Fee did as told, letting out a yell as he gripped his sword and followed through with the slash. Dolores quickly ducked before the blade could hit her, then stepped back when Fi tried to follow up.

Fum approached her from behind, and then turned around and swung at him, and Fum swung back with his fist. Dolores looked amazed as he countered the blow. He didn't even use Iron Hide to bolster his defense. "You're strong…" she said, feeling pride well up in her chest.

She pulled the club back and continued to swing at him, and Fum continued to counter with his bare hand. Fum smiled back at her as he ducked and swung back. "You're strong too mom! Just like everyone said!" Between her magic, her close combat skills, and her brute strength, it was almost like he was fighting all of his brothers at once.

They both beamed as they continued to clash. Ducking, dodging, blocking, and colliding with one another over and over again. Dolores could see little signs of both her husband's and three eldest sons' fighting styles in him. Some of which she had taught them herself. And Fum could see them as well. The little tricks and advice his brothers and father showed him, they would flash into his mind when he saw her step or swing a certain way.

Both of them had foriegn yet familiar feeling in their chest. Dolores yelled out as she turned the ground beneath her into mud, sliding forward and maneuvering her body so she dodged Fum's next punch and slipped behind him. She quickly turned around, raising her club and then swinging down at the back of his head.

Fum could see both her shadow, and the shadow of her weapon looming over her. His mind quickly flashed to something Breeze had shown him, and he leaned forward and then kicked his foot back and up into the air. His foot caught her mid swing, hitting her wrist and sending her club flying out of her hand.

Dolores stumbled back, a shocked look on her face. That wasn't one of her moves, and as far as she could remember, it wasn't one of Antero's or her sons' either. "W-who taught you that?!" she asked.

Fum smiled proudly towards her. "A friend from outside of the tribe. I've made a lot of them," he explained. Dolores smiled back at him, but then felt something grab onto her arm. Fi had moved in while she was distracted, grabbing her arm and locking it into a hold. He pulled them both to the ground, keeping it in a death grip.

Dolores quickly tried to shift the ground so she could move through it, but Fo was already pouring all of his effort into keeping it hardened. "Do it now, Fee!"

The eldest giant brother was already charging in with his sword raised, aiming a thrust right towards Dolores chest. She raised her free hand, moving enough of the earth up to get in his way, and changed it into a clay like substance. Fee grit his teeth as he tried to force the edge of the blade through, but he couldn't quite do it. "Damn it, just a little more!" he cursed. He was right there. All he needed was just one more push.

Another pair of hand suddenly grabbed the handle of the sword, and Fee looked down to see his youngest brother next to him. "Let me help!" Fum shouted, planting his feet and pushing the sword forward. A small push had been all Fee had needed, but Fum had given much more than that.

The moment he poured his own strength into the effort, the blade pierced through the clay like wall of earth like a knife through butter. It sank itself into Dolores chest, and the giantess went wide eyed as it went clean through her. For a moment, everyone stopped, and then the wall between them fell and crumbled away.

Dolores let out a breath, dropping her hands, and the boys could feel her magical power begin to drain away. "Wow, that was impressive. You boys really have become so strong. And you worked together so well," she laughed. "I never stood a chance." Fee and Fum both let go of the sword, and then Dolores began sitting up.

The four brothers all knelt around their mother, who they could see was slowly starting to crumble away. "It was fun getting to see and battle you again, mom," Fee said, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Dolores laughed again. "It sure was. You're even sturdier than your father is. I'm so glad you've become such a reliable man. Keep looking after your brother, and take care of Nalfi. That girl deserves the best, and I expect you to give it to her," she said sternly. Fee nodded in response, and Dolores turned towards Fi.

The second eldest was staring back at her with a hardened expression. Seeing her leave again wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd had to do. And it was hard. But he wasn't about to break down. Not now. She giggled as she reached up and cupped his face. "Fi, my grumpy little warrior. Remember that you can rely on the rest of your family. About anything. Even how you're feeling," she said.

Fi grit his teeth, and then grunted. "Damn it ma, why'd you have to… I'm gonna miss you," he said, unable to hold back the single tear he'd been fighting away this whole time.

"I'll miss you too. And Fo…" She turned towards the third youngest, who was barely holding back a flood of tears himself. "Your earth magic has grown so much more impressive. I think you might be even better than me. You make sure you never let anyone look down on you. Not even your brothers. You're amazing. You make everyone see it."

Fo sniffled. "I promise I won't ma!" he said. Even when he was a kid, hearing her encourage him made him feel like he could do anything. Getting to hear it one more time after all these years was almost too much for him.

Dolores finally turned to Fum. Before she could speak, he reached forward and grabbed her hand. "I-I'm sorry for breaking down earlier! It's not gonna happen again!" he said quickly. "I promise that I'll never think like that again! And I'll keep growing big, and being healthy, and... I'm gonna be the strongest giant ever! I'll make you so proud!"

Dolores looked at him surprised, but then gave him a calm smile. She reached up and patted him on the head. "Oh Fum, you really are silly. I'm already proud of you. You're my son. I already love you," she said sweetly.

The words felt like they had poked Fum in all of his hearts, and he grew teary eyes as he watched Dolores completely crumble away, a smile on her face. The four brothers all stayed frozen for a bit, and then Fum stood back up. "Mom… was amazing. Like the most amazing person ever," he said.

Fee wiped his face and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she was," he agreed. "The most awesome mom ever." He then reached out and then placed his hand on top of Fum's head. "And she gave us one hell of a last parting gift before she died."

Fo managed to chuckled as he patted Fum on the shoulder, and Fi jabbed him in his side. "Little dumbass. How could you think we blamed you over mom? You were one of the only reasons we got through it," he said, annoyed.

"S-sorry," Fum said nervously.

Fee reached down and picked his sword back up. "Well, we can apologize and sort all that out later. We still have a battle to finish. And I don't think it's gong to get any easier since we still have to deal with-!"

"Excellent!"

Everyone whipped their heads around towards the sound of the booming voice. It echoed across the entire battlefield. "A truly wonderful battle! I'd expect nothing less from my descendants!" From the distance, they could see a massive figure making its way towards the battlefield. Matrona smiled as she slung her hammer over her shoulder.

Fum and the others all got on guard. Even from here, her magical power was downright scary. "Here she comes, guys. This is gonna be the make or break battle here…" Fee said. It didn't matter what the tide of the fight was. If they couldn't take down Matrona, it was all over for them.

Matrona crouched down, and then suddenly began running. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards her, her every step shaking the ground. Once she got a bit closer, she jumped up into the air. She cut across half of the battlefield, landing right in the middle of it, and then standing back up to her full height.

From a distance, she had already looked terrifyingly large. But now that she was here and up close? It was even more intimidating. Some knights just dropped their weapons there and then, dazed by the sheer size of the enemy they were expected to fight against.

She pointed toward the brothers.

"Now that all of the major players have been cleared, it's time for our battle! Me vs the four of your! This will truly be a battle for the ages!" she said excitedly. "That being said, it's a little crowded here! So would all the tiny people and giants not related to me please clear out!"

Many of the rebel and enemy monster forces didn't need to be told twice, and quickly began to flee. Most of the knights however held their ground. They looked afraid, but didn't want to just turn tail and run. Fum called out. "Get out of here! She's not going to hold back! If you're still here you might get buried!" he shouted.

Fee yelled out as well. "All giants, to the kingdom! Make sure to protect it as best you can!" They knew they weren't going to be able to afford to hold back either, and the less collateral damage to the kingdom, the better.

Everyone began to flee to opposite sides of the battlefield, and Matrona cracked her neck. "I hope you're all ready! I'm looking forward to another bout! Especially since all four of you are here now!" she said, looking at Fum in particular. "I get the feeling that this time I won't even half to hold back!"

Fee scowled and looked over his shoulder towards where their forces were fleeing. He would have liked to by more time for everyone to get to the kingdom and inside it's gates so they could defend it properly. "Matrona! Let's take this away from here! There's still a lot of people close by, and this isn't a proper battlefield!" he said.

Matrona scoffed. "Now that's where you're wrong. A giant's battlefield is whenever there's earth beneath our feet!" she shouted before raising both of her fists. "Let me show you!" She swung both of her fists to her side, and the brothers all heard a loud crack. They all went wide eyes when they saw that there were… cracks. Crack in the air it looked like. As if she had hit a mirror or something.

Everything suddenly began shaking. The ground, the air, everything. It felt like tremors were running through it all. They all stumbled, but quickly managed to regain their footing. "She's making an earthquake, Fo, try and-!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! This isn't just an earthquake! What the hell?!"

Fee looked up and saw that ground all around them was shifting wildly. Part of the earth was sticking up insanely high, while others had sunken down beyond his field of vision.

"Fuck…" Fi muttered, looking more than a little shaken.

Fo was absolutely floored. He thought maybe he could at least slow down her earth magic, but this? This was beyond him. "Shit! The legends weren't exaggerating! She really is a god!" he said. "What do we do?!"

Fee grit his teeth. She really had been holding back against them before. This was going to be an even tougher battle than he thought. He was about to speak, but then he noticed something. "Where did…?"

Matrona laughed as she continued sending tremors through everything around her. This was what she had been waiting for ever since Python had declared war. When she thought it would just be against the mewmans, she'd been disappointed. They were weak creatures who provided no real sport.

But her descendants? They were all strong. Not nearly as strong as her, but together they would provide her with a chance to really cut loose and-!

"Stop that!"

Something slammed into the side of Matrona's head, sending her stumbling to the side. She looked surprised, but quickly regained her footing to look over and see Fum glaring at her. He held onto Dolores club, which he had grabbed on the way over towards her.

Matrona hummed. "Huh, I didn't notice you coming. I guess I was a little too into shaking things up. Still, for you to just charge straight at me like that, it was rather brave. Or hardheaded. Not that I won't claim to be either," she said laughing.

Fum glared at her angrily. "Stop laughing! Stop enjoying this!" he said. "You're going to get someone hurt! Or killed! This isn't fun!"

Matrona raised an eyebrow. "Really? I disagree. I think a splendid battle lies ahead of us. Isn't that something to be excited about?" she asked.

Fum gripped the club and got ready to charge. "It would be. But since you're helping Python I can't afford to have fun. If I lose you're gonna kill a bunch of my friends, and some of my family. So I'm not gonna let you do what you want. I'll take you down, and then him," he said.

Matrona smirked, and looked down at him challengingly. "Defeat me? Well, you're welcome to try, little one. But I'm not hailed as the strongest of all giants for now reason. And as for Python, your sites may be set a little too high. Even I gave up trying to best him and Typhon years ago," she admitted.

Fum snorted. "Well I haven't. I just promised my mama I'd be the strongest giant ever. I can't afford to be afraid of you, or him," he said.

Matrona's smile only grew. "I like you…" She began moving towards Fum, tightening her grip on her hammer. Fum did the same, a determined look in his eyes.

A/N: Fum and his brothers manage to take down Dolores, but even with the threat of their mother down, the Mother of the Earth still stands in their way! Is Fum's new resolve gonna be enough to carry him through this?!

So originally I wasn't going to have Dolores and Matrona's battles in the same chapter, but as I kept writing I realized that wasn't going to happen. With all the action and emotional weight behind her fight, I thought Dolores deserved her own chapter. I was going for a pretty touching/emotional beat here and I hope it came across. Fum being the youngest and not being the one who got to know his mother would definitely weigh on him, especially if he came face to face with her. But Dolores wouldn't even care or think twice about it lol.

I also thought about adding Antero and Nalfi in the fight (If Coral and throw hands while pregnant than Nalfi sure as hell could too!) But things would have gotten way to complicated to keep track off. They will show up in the next chapter though.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and are looking forward to the next one!