It didn't take long for us to eventually reach the giant village, we listened to Bertolt singing to pass the time. Although it wasn't that good, we pretended to like it. Bertolt had always been one on the sensitive side.
A massive wooden gate surrounded by huge log walls peered off in front of us. The gallant structure built atop of a mammoth-like hill, it's height alone enshrouding mountains. Surveying the forest floor. Fiercesome and tall, towers stuck out on top, stationed to glare at the ground below. Bertolt had told me many a time that I should not let the wooden exterior fool me. That the special ether oak they used, with its thickness, could rival that of steel. That the wood feared no flames, fighting fire back with equal ferocity.
We had arrived. The immense structure getting larger and larger as we got close. Soon we started walking on an etched out stone pathway. When we finally reached the gates, even Bertolt looked slightly small compared to it. The whole place was massive. Bertolt stopped just before it and with a heavy hand slammed down on the gates, knocking. A voice then called out,
"Who comes here?" It asked deeply.
"Bertolt, Son of Gunnar! And I've brought Aurora with me," he answered.
There was a momentary silence then a rattle of chains as the gate slowly opened. Inside were two armoured giants even bigger than Bertolt, well over 20 metres tall. They were letting us in by pulling a chain attached to each side of the gate. Bertolt took us inside, and they pushed the gates shut behind us.
Within was a village bustling with Giants at work everywhere. Some holding large buckets of water, others with planks and even with bundles of wheat. Huts made from straw and clay were littered throughout the place. Most dressed in simple clothed clothing. Here adult giants taller than Bertolt were plentiful, some reaching heights of 40 metres tall. I felt so minuscule in comparison, it wasn't my first time visiting. Yet, I never failed to shake that feeling every time. Giant children ran about chasing each other, giggling and laughing as we walked past. The different villagers greeted Bertolt and me as we entered deep into the village. Richard lived in a small, human-sized, detached hut on top of a gigantic pillar. Two Giant men stood guarding it, holding iron-tipped wood spears. Long straggly beards hung from both, with tied beads at the ends and hair that drooped just below their shoulders. They were muscly, topless brutes with animal furs tied around their waist, over long pants and leather ankle boots.
"Aye Bertolt laddy," the smaller of the two happily shouted, seeing us.
He slammed Bertolt on the back, almost knocking me off.
"Whats gotcha?"
Bertolt winced but forced a smile.
"Nothing's got me Thoren, but my friend here needs to see the doctor" he answered, tilting his neck towards us.
The other giant gave him a curious gaze while stroking his beard, saying nothing. Thoren pouted his lips nodding then looked at the hut and reeled back his fist. He sent his knuckle aiming for the little home when an invisible barrier suddenly erected in its path. The shockwave from the collision blew everything back and sent a loud resounding bang through the air. There was a silence then,
"Let them in" Richard's voice broke the quiet. Thoren grinned at that command and pulled out a pouch.
"Hehe, me favourite part," Thoren said giddily, the serious giant rolled his eyes.
Thoren pinched out of the pouch, some powder and sprinkled it over Bertolt. He quickly began shrinking afterwards with even his clothes. I jumped off him carrying Sabre, while Bertolt held the elf in tow. He continued to shrink until finally stopping at 6'11. He looked himself up and down, adjusting to the new size.
"Look I'm your size now haha," he laughed, turning to me.
I gave him a glare and scoffed, my arms folded. To think even when shrunk, he was still taller than me.
"Ho, ho, ho, that always gets me" Thoren chuckled as he bent down and placed out his hand for us to climb on.
Bertolt hauled the elf, throwing him over his shoulder and climbed onto Thoren's palm. Not forgetting me, he reached out a hand. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up. Thoren lifted us to top of the pillar. Bertolt jumped off first, I followed behind, and we were greeted by an old man. He dressed in a navy blue trench coat with a white shirt and black trousers, holding a book to his side. His shoes were curved at the ends, but that wasn't the goofiest thing about him. He had a long white beard running from his chin, with a full pointy moustache on top of it. A moustache he twizzled with as he beckoned us forward, the most annoying smile plastered on his face. I recognised this childish old man right away and ran to hug him. It was Richard, he laughed and rubbed my head gently,
"It's been a while, my girl," he said with a grin.
I nodded, releasing him, "I have a friend whose-".
Richard suddenly turned around and clicked his fingers.
The door of the hut fling open, "I already see you have a patient, now bring him in".
He walked into the hut first and seemed to disappear behind the entrance. We followed behind, stepping through the doorway.
"Watch your step," Richard warned as I felt a ripple when we entered. A book suddenly flew past my face.
"Oh sorry coming through," it apologised. 'Wait it apologised?!' my head was blown back.
But that book wasn't the only, dozens of them flew about the room transferring from bookshelf to bookshelf. They all mumbled and talked incoherently with each other.
"Out of the way,"
"Move, cooking recipes here, tryna make my way through,"
"Hey, I'm flying here!"
Inside the hut was an endlessly large room, much bigger than the outside. A workroom, in fact, shelves of books littered the sides. To back was a wall shelf filled with potions and all manner of enchanted items and tools. Two stone gargoyles hung on a corner of the wall. Stared down at a table in the middle of the room. Scribbled work notes and books scrapped all over it. There was also an assortment of rare herbs and plants. I could tell he must have been documenting and researching them.
Richard ignored everything happening around him, walking straight up to the table. We slowly came after, trying to manoeuvre around the flying books. Our eyes lay in wonder at the magicalness of the room. I looked at Richard, watching him reached the table and the books on it suddenly becoming alive. Some yawned as if waking up; but all started opening themselves up, flipping through their pages and returning to the shelves they were from. A plant encased in glass began to wake from the disturbance, the creature resembling a sort of giant broccoli suddenly started talking.
"Hey, come on wizard man, you gotta let me outta here. Please man, I'm begging y-," Richard tapped the glass three times, and the plant dropped asleep.
"Place him here" Richard gesturing us forward.
He clicked his fingers and all the books, papers and plants started floating up, returning to different places in the room. It didn't take long for the table to be cleared. What lay underneath all of it, was an engraved enchantment on the table. It was marked by a series of runes in an oval shape. Bertolt dropped the elf onto the table and walked away.
"Hmm," Richard observed the elf, then blue bolts flashed through his right fingers, and he slid them across the bottom of the table. Then like a catalyst, it lit up the engraved runes of the table. The elf began to levitate up in the air. Richard circled the floating body,
"I see," he said, looking over all over the elf making sure to take everything in,
"Interesting."
We all silently looked at him, not wanting to utter a single word in case it broke his concentration. When he finally set the elf down, he sucked back all the blue bolts. Absorbing them through his fingers and causing the glowing runes to dim out.
"I've finally come to a consensus," he said with a seriousness written all over his face.
"How bad is it?" I asked, expecting the worst. Gloom hung over all our faces, we awaited the answer.
"Your friend is....."