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Oola

A second giant swung at her, his club harmlessly swatting the air to her left as she danced away. They were so slow this was almost easy. The giant roared as he brought his hands together, and the club arced through the air. She leapt backwards as the wood smashed into the ground, buried a foot deep in the soft earth. Grinning, she ran up the shaft towards his face

Now! Focusing her energy, she yelled out in fury and slammed her spear forwards with all of her strength, burying the sharp tip deep in his chest.

The giant stumbled backwards, face ashen, eyes bright with panic. Oola jumped away, ripping the spear from the wound, spurting blood fountaining across his skins as she turned to find another club whistling for her chest. Jerking madly, she felt the tip brush against her clothes as she fell backwards herself, tripping over the outstretched legs of her previous foe, the back of her head smacking the ground. The air erupted in whirling stars, dazzling her.

A massive hand scooped her up, fingers wrapping themselves around her chest, squeezing hard against her ribs. The giant leaned in close, baring his teeth and barking strange words at her, the criss-crossing web of scars on his face twitching and pulsing.

Wrenching her hand from his grasp, she punched her thumb into his eye, drenching her fist in goop. The giant jerked his head away, squeezing hard. Before he could recover she doubled over, driving her teeth into the soft, fleshy skin under his thumb, biting and tearing as best she could, her mouth quickly filling with blood.

The giant howled and squeezed even tighter with his one-handed grip, his other hand pressed against his damaged eye. The air turned red as she felt the blood and air being pressed from her middle, and then agonizing pop as her ribs cracked under his formidable strength. With the last of her energy, she took another bite, worrying and gnawing at the fatty flesh, trying to cause as much pain as-

Howling with rage, he flung her away, her teeth snatching away a shred of skin as she hurtles through the air, the ground everywhere around her. Before she can find her bearings, she lands chest-first against the earth, rolling uncontrollably across the hillside, until she flung out her arm, bringing herself to a jarring halt.

Ow.

Her lungs burned, thick and wet, and she coughed helplessly, her chest exploding in pain. Dizzily, she gasped, spikes of pain assaulting her ribs, her shoulder, her leg.

Forcing herself back up to her feet, Oola stumbled up an embankment back into the battlefield. Three giants were wrestling with the stone beast, entangling its arms, forcing it backwards. Already, the stone monster had lost its head, but it fought on, arms and legs fumbling for its foes. Lam and Mika worked together, dancing and spinning around the brown-haired one, painting the air with his blood. Barak sparred with black-hair, unscathed but unable to land a strike against his nimble opponent.

Where is Shara?

But before she can find her, she sees Pak stumbling backwards, his face red with blood, and her heart leaps into her chest. Din howls in fury, stabbing his spear forwards, burying it in the thigh of their enemy, the smallest of the giants. Roaring, it turned and smacked Din across the face, sending him tumbling across the ground, a smear of red in his wake. Grimacing, Oola stumbled forwards, pain forgotten. The boys are brave, but they are over-matched. I need a spear. She searched the ground, finding only churned earth and puddles of blood. Grimly, she pulled her skinning knife from the pouch around her neck, absurdedly small against the foe towering before her. Shrieking with rage, she attacked anyways, anything to distract the monster away from the boys. The giant whirled at her approach, swinging its club at her face, and she rolled sideways, the wood brushing against her hair, ripping strands from her scalp.

Gasping for air, Oola kept rolling and the giant came after her, its long hair flying across its eyes. Din leapt forwards from behind, stabbing the monster’s right leg with a cry of rage. Roaring the giant dropped its club, snatching the boy and hurling him at her. Wincing, Oola opened her arms, letting him smash into her chest, driving her back through the air to slam into the ground, the boy’s weight like a mountain on her battered ribcage.

Be safe, little one. Rolling him off, she choked back a cough, rising wearily to her feet, every breath a rattling lesson in pain. Pak came up beside her, spear in trembling hands. “Are you ok, Oola?”

And she had to laugh, as much as it hurt. “Get him.” She wheezed, holding the knife before her, fighting to keep her arms from shaking. Pak came up beside her, his spear dripping with gore. As they advanced, the giant stumbled backwards, tripping on the broken ground, driving Din’s spear through the flesh, until the point appeared just above the knee in a bubble of blood. Shrieking in a high, thin voice, the giant clutched at the wound, scrambling madly back to its feet, ripping the spear out, stumbling in agony.

“Now.” Oola said, grimly, choking back another cough, her mouth thick with the taste of blood. The giant snarled, its weaponless hands twitching and grasping at them. Oola shrieked as she charged, raising the small knife above her head.

But the giant had enough. Turning, it ran from them, shambling as it fled the battle, drips and splatters of blood marking its trail.

“Yes!” Pak and Oola shouted together.

A strange groaning sound comes from behind and Oola turned. Three giants were piling on the stone man, pushing and shoving and it fell to the ground. Roaring in anger, they slammed their fists at the stone warrior, as if to smash it to pieces. This isn’t over.

“Help your brother.” She yelled at Pak as she turned and raced to help their ally. The giants were all focused on their stone foe, pulling and yanking on the arms and legs. Trembling, she ran forward and leapt towards the exposed back of the closest one, ignoring the wave of dizziness assaulting her, the screaming pain in her lungs. She slammed into its back, the knife biting deeply into its spine. Shrieking in pain, the giant stumbled away, flailing its arms helplessly as it sought to pull her away, but the massive muscles get in the way. Still, Oola pushed off, landing on the ground, her arm drenched in blood.

She tried to suck in a breath, but nothing came. Panicked, Oola stumbled backwards, blood filling her lungs. The monster’s back eclipsed the sky, and silently toppled across her, burying her beneath its fetid weight. She felt her chest give way, the rest of the ribs popping as one. One indescribable instant of agony, her flesh turned to fire, and then the pain started to fade away.

The giant struggled back to its feet, its hands still grasping helplessly for the knife buried deep in its back. My knife.

A stone fist appears where the knife used to be, a strange sight indeed, until Oola realized that the stone man had just punched the giant through the chest. It jerked once, and then slid off of the sharp arm, falling to the ground next to her, unmoving, staring sightlessly at the sky.

One of the other two giants ran past her, eyes shining with terror, racing from the battlefield.

Fleeing. We won.

Oola contemplated attacking it, but she had no weapons, nor, really could she even move. Oh well. Besides, it is well known that the spirits frown on attacking those who flee battle.

The stone man awkwardly rose to its feet. Headless, and with one arm partially smashed, it would be funny if it weren’t drenched in blood. Turning, it chased after the broken foe, the ground quaking as it charged towards her.

Uh oh

Far away in the distance, she could hear someone screaming her name. So sleepy. Must rest.

She closed her eyes, and the last shreds of pain melted away.

Next Chapter

Sunday, July 16th, 2006 at 8:55 am.
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