Garden Of The Abyss

Chapter 69 - Guardian Of The Peak

Not long into the new day's journey, a pair of gambons intercepted their path, each holding a size greater than the one encountered previously.

"Did they come here seeking revenge for their friend--?!"

"These things have brains the size of a walnut, I doubt they would even remember their own children."

Sirius gestured for Ren to stay back, calling dibs on the two creatures looking for a fight. A few sparks of electricity rattled around the man's body as his mana signature increased.

"Ba'al: Almighty Hammer."

With a single incantation, Sirius did away with two gambons without so much as taking a step from the spot he stood. The mystic arts he used conjured a circular lightning strike resembling a hammer, smacking directly into the two giant frogs, turning them into a charcoal crisp as the roar of thunder rang through the forest.

"That's ten-points right there, eighteen total."

"You handled it that easily...I'm feeling some serious envy right now," Ren muttered to himself, "anyways--that was really loud. Are you trying to attract the other team's attention?"

"I'm not going out of my way to look for a fight, but I'm also not hiding myself. If someone chooses to fight us, then I'll gladly accept."

Sirius smirked as he answered, fixing his black locks on his head as he moved past the burnt corpses of gambons.

"Seriously, aren't we supposed to be laying low? This entire game is kind of...over the top. I wouldn't be surprised if an Argonaut showed up at our doorstep after all of this."

Kicking up fallen leaves, Ren looked up as he began to trek the start of the incline up the mountain they set their sights on.

"Man, you're really clueless sometimes, aren't you? I thought it was pretty obvious that Grandeuve is ways off from Mastorn--technically we're still in "Mastorn'', but this land isn't inhabited by humans. Except us, obviously."

"I know we're far from civilization, but still...this entire thing just feels kind of reckless."

Ren used his sword as a third arm, stabbing it into the ground as he climbed the steep slope, meanwhile Sirius effortlessly traversed it like a mountain goat.

"I get what you mean, trust me--but we need this. Most Outlanders have experienced first hand the atrocities and cruelness of Gaia. And a lot of that time...we're no better than the ones we scorn as the "worst". This game is a nice chance to take our minds off the shitty part of this world, if only just for a moment."

Again, Sirius displayed an ounce of wisdom that counteracted his eccentricities, catching Ren off-guard as he expected nonsensical words from the man.

It made sense, at least the core idea of it--he had been in this world for a short time, yet he already had troubling memories ingrained into him--moments in time that would haunt him for the rest of his being.

"...I get it."

"Good to hear, now pick up the pace!"

Sirius called out to him, somehow putting over ten meters of distance between the two of them. It wasn't any Mt.Everest, but it was a challenging climb nonetheless. After all of the training he had put his body through, he had well surpassed the limits of a normal human, yet, his muscles weren't built with mountain climbing in mind.

The high-altitude winds tugged on him, attempting to free his grip from the small crevasses he held onto dearly.

"--Is this even worth the points?!"

Ren called out, hugging his body against the side of the rigid mountain. Not a single cell in his body wanted to look down, in fear of realizing the horrendous heights he had perched himself onto.

"Stop your complaining, we're almost there!"

Sirius spoke without a hint of exhaustion or troubles in his voice, looking down at his companion as he held his body up with a single hand. The chilly, roaring winds muffled Sirius' voice however, leaving Ren in the dark as to what his partner yelled at him.

--If this is how I die in my otherworld journey, I'm going to have a serious discussion with God. Maybe this time I'll be reincarnated into an actual fantasy, without all of this dark bullshit!

Reaching the summit of the mountain invoked less of a feeling of accomplishment, and more so thankfulness for his body still being intact and not red paste on the ground below.

"See? Not so bad."

Sirius smiled as he grabbed Ren's wrist, helping him up to the top of the flat top of the towering mass of land.

"--I would deck you if you weren't so overpowered."

It was different from the cone-shaped peak he expected, instead housing a large, flat piece of land atop that was more akin to its own miniature valley.

"So what even is the monster we're looking for?"

Ren brushed the dirt off of his gray trousers, fixing his wind-perturbed locks of hair as he stood beside the lightning Outlander.

"An Elder Giant--specifically, a Shaman."

"--A giant? A giant shaman? How big are we talking here? Depending on your answer, I may or may not jump off that ledge."

Going silent for a moment to ponder his answer to Ren's question, Sirius placed his hand on his chin before his eyes lit up--pointing his hand in front of him as Ren watched him intently.

"Ah! How about you check for yourself? It seems our guy heard us coming."

"--Eh?"

Taking a moment to realize what his companion was saying, he turned to face where Sirius was pointing--seeing a towering figure in the distance, lumbering towards them slowly but surely. Each step the giant took sent a vibration through the gravel below their boots, further insinuating the being's outlandish size.

It was hard to tell exactly from the distance they were at, but the elder giant dwarfed the gambons by a mile, standing at least six-meters tall.

"Uh...we're fighting that thing?"

Ren asked with a trembling smile, fighting with his own shaking fingers as he attempted to grip the navy handle of his blade.

"Obviously! I'll give you support from the back--give it hell!"

Clapping his hands together, a flow of electricity surged between Sirius' hands as he wore an overjoyed smile.

--What's wrong with everyone summoned into this world? How can you be so happy to see that monster?!

For a mere thirty-points, the idea of fighting the lumbering giant was not appetizing to Ren. As it grew closer, letting out periodic grunts and growls, its appearance became clearer. It was shrouded with a tattered black cloth, littered with dirt and blood. From what he could see of its skin, it seemed almost to be covered with gray scales, layered with a multitude of scars to tell of its experience with battle.

--In summary, my pants are one second from being soiled.

"--If we win this thing, I'm going to demand a kiss on the cheek from the angel of a girl!"

Pumping himself up in an attempt to blur out his fear with a layer of blind courage, he unsheathed his sword and activated his reinforcement, coiling his body in a layer of amplification magic.

"Raa--!"

As the giant roared out in response to his shaky yelling, it seemed the boarish monster had accepted the duel. Racing across the flat field of gravel, the winds of the peak pushed Ren forward as he approached the colossal creature, watching as it raised its arm above its head.

--Its slow! I can cut it first!

Swinging his arms back to prepare for a heavy slash, using his entire body weight behind the swing--he realized in that moment of encumbered time--the giant wasn't going for a hammerfist as he thought.

In that split second before he committed to the slash, a magical pressure unleashed from the giant's raised hand as it focused its mana.

Pivoting on his left foot, he leapt back just in time as a wave of violet flames unleashed from his opponent's hand, colliding against the gravel below in a roar of inferno.

From a sizable distance, Sirius assisted Ren with a simple incarnation, "Blitz: Bolt!"

A bolt of purple lightning traveled across the space between the caster and the giant, colliding with the towering warrior. It seemed to only serve in causing the aggressive barbarian to stumble backwards before shaking off the hit.

"—Hey, can you use something a little stronger?!"

"Like I said—I'm just here for support."

Sirius responded with a smirk, staying back as he watched the battle unfold.

Engaging in battle with an entity of the giant's size was a harrowing endeavor—forcing himself to step towards the giant as it towered over him. The shadow it cast over him, each step echoing the size of itself, he had to fight every bone in his body which yelled at him to run.

Training his swordplay against Sora all this time, he was not prepared to handle a humanoid of this size. The only option available to him consistently was to slash at the giant's exposed ankles in an attempt to bring it down to his level. However--the viscous being was vigilant, hardly giving him any windows of opportunity to strike.

--So it uses some sort of variation of fire magic. I don't know what those purple flames will do to me if they hit but...I'm not going to find out. Everytime I get within reach with my sword, he just uses his flames before I can connect--I'll need to turn this into a battle of magic.

If there was one advantage he had here, it was the elder giant's absence of speed, moving like a tavern drunkard.

"Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

Using his opponent's encumbered body to his advantage, Ren called upon the magical drill--revving it up as it began to spin rapidly.

--This will do--...

"--Eh?"

Before the drill could launch, the giant displayed a sudden burst of agility, sidestepping from his spell's range as he rushed to Ren directly from his left now. Hearing the rapid, thundering footsteps as the scale-covered colossus ran towards him sent a primal fear through his body as he froze, releasing his spell.

--It was pretending to be slow to make me lower my guard?! Crap, crap, crap--this is how I die, isn't it?