Chapter 67: North
Hiro stretched and felt her back pop as she sat.
"Oww... I think I hate this part of camping..."
Emi was still sleeping.
She heard the fire going, and saw a shadow of a person from her tent.
She smiled.
"Eiji. Of course he's up."
She crawled out of her tent, and went to greet him.
She sat next to him on the log.
"Good morning." She said pleasantly.
He looked at her.
He looked down.
"Um... Sorry about last night."
She was confused.
"Sorry about what?" She asked
He sighed. "You know... I always mess up on stuff with blood threads and everything. I wanted to help you... The way he was slamming you against the tree... I lost my temper, and forgot that he could drain me with my own threads. If it weren't for Emi? We'd all be dead."
She hugged him. "Don't think like that... It really does get you nowhere. I'm just glad you're okay."
He gave a happy sigh.
"So am I... I mean!... I'm glad you're okay! Yeah..."
He hung his head in awkward defeat.
Hiro laughed. "You're such a nerd!"
She smiled. "But that's okay... You're my nerd."
He smiled softly. "Glad to hear it..."
He pressed soft kisses on her lips. His arms were wrapped around her, and she leaned into him.
His lips held a warm smile.
"I love you..." He whispered.
He gave her another soft kiss.
She blushed softly, and she smiled.
"I love you too Eiji."
She leaned into him, and nearly fell asleep again just cuddling.
"Awww... Ya kids are so just... That's fuckin' adorable!"
They both jumped as they saw Emi sitting on the log across from them.
"When did you get here!?" Eiji exclaimed.
She laughed. "What? Are ya afraid I saw ya tounging? Well I did... But anyhow, I dunno... I don't care. Ya kids are adorable."
Hiro went red.
"Umm... Okay then. Good morning Em, how did you sleep?"
She lifted her feet up on the stump she had placed near the fire... Probably as a foot rest.
"Ah, it was great!" She exclaimed.
"Nice'n warm, and pretty comfy! Ya guys sure know how to camp!"
Hiro smiled. "Well, I'm glad you were warm."
She nodded. "Me too! Where d'ya get such cozy blankets!?"
Her look became more serious.
"Um... Sorry 'bout last night. Kinda set ya guys up for that..."
Eiji shook his head.
"No, we don't blame you, or dislike you."
Hiro nodded. "Right. You saved our lives back there... We would have probably died if you hadn't stalled Kaihn long enough for the Leviathan's to get to us... I heard you beat him too."
She shook her head.
"Nah... He's not dead."
Eiji sighed. "I believe that much... That guy is like a cockroach."
Emi laughed. "Tell me about it! Apparently Max swallowed him twice!"
Eiji blinked. "Max? Is he alive?"
On hearing of his name, Max stepped away from the other sleeping Leviathan's, and approached the fire.
He nodded. "Sorry Eiji... I hope you don't hate me."
Eiji sighed. "No... I don't hate you. Why would I hate you? I knew you swallowed something bad... I didn't know it was that bad... And twice... God."
Max grimaced. "He gives you very bad indigestion... I wouldn't recommend it."
Eiji looked at him curiously.
"You sound different, what happened?"
"I think the more souls he eats, the more coherent he becomes." Said Hiro.
"He apparently made a good meal out of heavenly guards."
Eiji shook his head. "Of course he did."
He stopped.
"Wait... How did you breach the heavens?"
Max sighed. "I was pulled into the afterlife in a state of half death... So I used a portal."
"Which portal!?" Hiro gaped.
He grinned. "The Bermuda Triangle... Published my book on earth too. I wonder how long it will take for Haku to realize that teenage girls are pursuing him? He he..."
Eiji gave a heavy sigh.
"I guess he'll find out sooner or later... Watch out Dad..."
Emi laughed. "That's awesome! Yer quite a writer, ya know that?"
He blushed softly.
"Well... I've had years of practice... Thanks."
Fred ran up to Emi.
"FANGIRL! DID YOU PACK THE CAKE!?... Can I have some? And Winston? Winston sounds tasty."
Max sighed. "The others need to eat too. We've all been starving for almost an entire eternity... It causes our seemingly delusional madness... We have to be careful what we swallow though. Normally we wouldn't need to eat souls, but our powers were stripped from us, because the heavens feared what they did not understand."
Eiji nodded. "That seems to be a trend with these guys... He said cake? Did he really mean cake?"
Emi laughed. "Yea! I packed a whole ton a the stuff!"
He laughed. "I guess!"
Max sighed. "Again Fred?"
Fred looked down. "Well... Yeah..."
Max shook his head. "What kind of cake..."
"CHOCOLATE CAKE!" He beamed.
Max smiled. "Chocolate does sound good."
Hiro smiled. "Well, we should all have some cake before we head to Deadmarch."
They all ate cake, and enjoyed their time around the fire.
When they were finished, they packed up their tents, and prepared to head out.
"Deadmarch is north." Said Emi.
"Straight north really. Ya head north from this side 'n you'll run into Deadmarch guaranteed."
Hiro nodded. "Good... Well, I'm not sure if I'd want to run into Deadmarch, but that's what we're looking for."
Emi sighed. "Yea... Not a place yer wantin' to run into on a stroll, that's for sure."
Eiji looked over at the Leviathan's.
"Well, if it comes down to it, we have these guys..."
Emi grimaced. "If it go's that far south... It's gonna be a shit storm."
...
Boh was headed north.
He was curious about what his mother had told him, and he didn't want to stick around at the Warrior's right now.
He continued northward and saw that there was a large amount of trash building up the way he was headed.
"Well... This is kind of dingy." He commented.
He sighed. "I'm not seeing anything or anyone that interesting..."
He felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Anyone at all... Hmm..."
He felt a rope or two attach as arrows pierced his arm.
He saw two shaking guys with meager crossbows.
He pulled the arrows out.
"Well, that's no way to greet someone..." Said Boh, rubbing his arm.
"G-Giant!" They yelled.
"It's huge! Look a'the size've it!?"
Boh gave an annoyed sigh.
"I'm a dude. And no, we don't grind bones for bread... And we don't eat people, that's disgusting."
They were still shaking.
"Ya mean ya won't steal our kids?" Said one.
"And ya won't turn'em into ghouls?"
Boh laughed. "No way! Where did you hear such stupid myths!?"
They looked down.
"Well..." Said one. "Ya seem like a right side fellow... Um, sorry about that."
"But what d'we do!?" Said the other one frantically. "They coined us they did! Good coin too!"
"Ey! Pipe down!" Yelled his friend.
"D'ya want to piss'im off!?"
Boh rolled his eyes.
"You're not going to piss me off... It's actually kind of funny."
They stared at him.
"Ey... Ya don't sound like a angry giant..."
"Yea..." The other agreed.
"There ain't smoke comin' out yer ears, or fire out yer nose... Why's that?"
Boh was practically rolling around on the ground laughing.
"God damn you two! You should have a comedy show at the Warrior's! I'd just show you half of our staff and customers... Damn..."
They gaped at him.
"That there's flush central! Are ya really a flush!?"
"Nah! Yer tellin' a tall one!" The other yelled.
"A giant can't be a flush!"
"Ah, shaddup buzz brain! I'm sayin' he's a flush!" His friend argued.
"Who are you guys anyway?" Asked Boh.
The friendly one stepped up.
"I'm Kenta, and this here's my lil' brother Kenji... Ya might not wanna go this way."
"Yea..." Said Kenji.
"They'll string ya up they will! Yer lucky it weren't the watcher's or yer a dead man... Them watcher's don't care nothin' fer nobody!"
Boh sighed. "So I've heard... Are you guys from Deadmarch? I met a girl who's from Deadmarch... My friends are going to help her with her sister."
They looked at each other.
"That'd be Em." Said Kenta.
"That poor little'un's had it rotten since th'day she was born... Kinda odd she is, but all in, she's a sweety. She ain't done nothin' to Niku that he ain't done to her, I say!"
Kenji glared at the path toward Deadmarch.
"I ain't liked giants, and I ain't liked flush's neither... I like ya, but them other flush's gotta pay!"
"Yea? Freya then, what 'bout her? She ain't nothin' bad, she's Em's kin, and ya best remember."
Kenta seemed more reasonable than his brother.
"She's a different'un! Ya know that Kenta! Just like Em's a sweety, she'd be a sweety fer likin' Em... Em ain't got no friends 'sides Freya, and that's truer than dirt it is!"
"You don't seem to mind her." Said Boh.
"Then why aren't you trying to help her?"
They looked down.
"None've us mind Em..." Said Kenta.
"None a the Mudlarks anyhow... Nobody's stuck with'er cause they say she's cursed."
"Cursed?" Boh asked.
Kenji nodded. "That's right, cursed. I dunno how much I givit... But I ain't takin' chances! She's a sweet'un, and it ain't'er fault or nothin'..."
Boh sighed. "How is she cursed? If she's even cursed..."
"She's luckless, even fer a mudlark." Said Kenta.
"That, 'n everybody she'd named kin or pal's died. Deader than hell each one of'em... Her sis's next... Poor damned saint that one."
Boh saw another giant walk quietly behind the two men.
She was a little shorter than him, and had long light red hair and light brown eyes. She wore a suit of light armor, and dual wielded two greatsword's like shortsword's.
"You're stupid." She said, looking down at the men.
They jumped, and turned around.
"They told you to find me... Do I look like a guy to you? I was just going to pass by, but I want to ask you..."
She looked down.
"Do I really look that manly? Maybe I should make a better hairbrush... Put on a dress? I don't know... Can you not tell that I'm a girl? I mean... Is it that hard?"
She blushed. "Now I'm all nervous and kind of sad... You're such jerks."
Boh had never met another giant, let alone a pretty girl giant.
"No way!" Boh exclaimed.
"You're totally awesome! And definitely a girl..."
His eyes lingered on her chest for a moment...
Damn... What is that on giants? A D cup? No... Bigger.
"A really pretty girl... Really pretty..."
She rolled her eyes.
"The first guy I meet, and all he can do is stare at my boobs."
"I-I didn't mean it like that!" He stuttered.
She scoffed. "Right, okay... What's next, I have pretty... Eyes?"
Kenta and Kenji looked at each other, at the giants, and at each other again.
"I think they're alright." Said Kenta.
"Sound's like the normal pesky wench t'me..." Kenji agreed.
"She's not a wench!" Boh exclaimed.
He looked at her.
"You're not a wench... Sorry about that. Sorry about what I did too..."
She shook her head. "It's fine... What's your name? Sorry, I've just never met another giant!"
He shrugged. "Don't be sorry, I haven't either. I'm Boh, and you?"
She blushed, and fiddled with a strand of her hair.
"I'm Onna... Nice to meet you."
"And she's standin' like the average harlot!" Kenji mused.
"Say Kenta, ya think there not so different from us?"
Kenta sighed. "Ah, just shaddup ya dudwit! No shit."
Onna glared at them, a fire in her eyes.
"What did he just CALL ME!?"
Boh put a hand on her shoulder.
"He said your hair is a pretty scarlet."
She blushed and smiled.
"Why thank you! You have no idea how much product I had to steal to get it this shiny!"
She looked down. "They don't usually sell in bulk to giants..."
Boh sighed. "Maybe I should take you back to where I live... The people are definitely friendlier."
"Do that." Said Kenta.
"Cause then we can say she's under a flush's protection... They'll let up, them guys who coined us..."
"I tell ya Kenta, I'm never takin' a job like this'un again!" Said Kenji.
"Yea..." Said Kenta.
"After meetin' these folks... It just dices wrong."
They walked away, and allowed Boh and Onna to walk back to the Warrior's.