Chaos God 8, page 13
part #8 of Chaos God Series
“In due time,” Hersir said as we approached the outer edges of a camp.
It was made up of a few dozen tent-like structures built from thick logs and hand-stitched leather in every shade of brown and gray. I wondered what kind of animals had provided the leather. Based on the size of the pieces, the animals were as large as African elephants.
More giants of varying heights milled around the camp doing daily chores like cleaning dishes and adding logs to a massive fire in the middle. A few of the female-looking giants were busy hanging linens up on a thick rope that seemed to act as a clothesline. It made me wonder if the Jötunn trekked all the way out to the lake or if they had a groundwater well like we’d created at Castle Levi.
I also noticed a few Jötunn youths running around, or at least, I assumed they were children. They were all similar heights as the members of my group, but that still left them roughly half the height of the giants we’d met so far.
One Jötunn with a long white braid and large breasts looked up and smiled as she saw us approaching.
“Hersir,” she called, and she waved.
“Geer,” Hersir replied, and he walked over and touched his forehead against the female giant’s. “We have… visitors.”
“I see that,” Geer commented. “Who are these strangers?”
“Asgardians,” Hersir answered, and then he lowered his voice. “They’re hunting Surtr. They say Ragnarok was real, and all the other Aesir are dead.”
“Good riddance,” Geer grumbled, and then she glanced at me without even a hint of shame. “Odin’s ego was as big as his balls.”
A sound somewhere between a snort and a gasp escaped my mouth, and I decided right away that I liked Geer. She was blunt in a way I hadn’t expected.
“I am very little like Odin Allfather,” I said as a way of introducing myself. “I assure you. My name is Levi, and I aim to bring peace and prosperity back to the Nine Realms.”
“Well, we aren’t used to visitors,” Geer said as she dropped the last bit of linen into a roughly woven basket. “But I suppose we will figure it out.”
“We aren’t much trouble,” I assured her. “Mostly we’re seeking information about Surtr’s whereabouts.”
“Do you intend to make peace with him, too?” Geer asked, and she looked suddenly suspicious of us.
“No.” I shook my head. “I intend to kill him.”
“Well,” Geer huffed. “Then you are welcome in my company.”
“Let us sit around the fire,” Hersir suggested. “We can discuss this issue while we eat.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ayen quipped loudly.
Sassa smacked him slightly and shot a nervous look at the big-breasted giant who was at least twice her height.
Hersir made quick introductions to his people about our arrival and intentions, and he assured the other Jötunn there was no apparent danger from us. Most of the giants ignored us, and I figured there was a long-standing distaste or distrust for Aesir among their kind.
I didn’t know all the details about why they seemed to loathe Odin so much, but I had to assume they had a good reason. My memories as Loki proved to me that Odin served his own self-interest at the cost of others on more than one occasion, and I figured the best way to win them over was to prove myself.
Which I could do best by hunting Surtr down and destroying him just like I said I would.
It was a bit tricky to seat ourselves around the fireside seeing as the log benches came up to our chests or shoulders, and the tips of the flames burned well above my head. I’d never felt so short in all my life, and I thought about shifting my size to better match the giants. I decided against it, though, because it could come across as insulting somehow, and I didn’t want to make my companions feel even smaller than I was sure they did.
Geer instructed a few of the younger-looking giants to bring out a boar for the fire, and the cow-sized animal was quickly slaughtered and tossed up on a spit to roast over the massive fire. The pig turned on a six-inch-thick spike twenty feet in the air, and I guessed the large beast would feed the entire tribe.
“Grog?” Hersir offered as an older female giant walked around with a huge wooden pitcher.
“Thank you,” I said.
The old Jötunn handed me a wooden tankard that was probably a gallon, and I couldn’t help but feel like Merry and Pippin when they went to the Prancing Pony in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Once my gallon-sized mug was a third full, I nodded at the old giant and thanked her.
“I’m sure that’s more than enough for me,” I said with a chuckle. “Thank you.”
The Jötunn children huddled around the fireside with curiosity in their red eyes, and they chattered loudly about us. After a few minutes, Hersir cleared his throat and began to tell us more about the tribes of Jötunnheim.
“Our tribes fight for honor and dominance,” Hersir explained. “Odin called it barbaric. He tried on more than one occasion to show us the error of our ways.”
The giant’s large red eyes rolled hard at that, and I understood why that was a mistake. Odin might have been God King and Allfather, but he didn’t have the right to tell people how to live. So long as the Jötunn weren’t hurting anyone, I didn’t see the problem. Even if they warred amongst themselves, why should Odin or I care?
“I have no intention of telling you how to live,” I assured them. “So long as you don’t bring harm to my people.”
Lyrie smiled warmly, and there was a glint of remembrance in her black eyes. I knew she was thinking back to a similar promise I’d made about the dark elves when I’d learned about the original sources of their magic.
“That is refreshing to hear,” Hersir said. “My heart was icy cold when I saw the rainbow bridge land.”
“Excuse me?” Lyrie spoke up. “May I ask you something?”
“Oh, look, what a darling,” Geer exclaimed. “Yes, child, what is it?”
“How did you know where the rainbow bridge would land?” Lyrie asked.
“We Jötunn have very keen eyesight,” Hersir said. “One of my scouts spied the rainbow bridge that arrived on Valhalla. When another sparked, we suspected it would land here. We had assumed it was Odin finally returning.”
“We expected he was coming to slaughter us all to terminate his truce with us,” Yönn grumbled. “I was looking forward to the fight.”
“Easy, Yönn,” Hersir ordered his tribe member. “Trust must start somewhere. Levi and his party have trusted us by coming to the camp with us. We should return the favor.”
Yönn was very obviously in disagreement with his leader, but apparently he knew well enough not to argue more. The red-eyed giant glowered at Hersir and me as he stood and stalked away from the fire.
“I feel I must apologize for Yönn’s behavior,” Hersir sighed. “He is among our oldest, and he has not forgotten the past, nor does he trust easily.”
“I understand,” I said.
I was surprised by Hersir’s comment about Yönn’s age, though. The giant didn’t look much older than any of the others. The biggest distinction about him was his height. From what I’d seen, he was the largest of all the giants at close to thirty feet.
“We have a long and difficult history with those from the other realms,” Hersir explained.
“We have a long and difficult history with our own kind,” Geer said in a dry tone.
“That is true,” Hersir sighed. “But I have always thought we could move past that. This may be the only and best opportunity I am presented with to bring my people to a place of belonging among the Nine Realms. Long have we been outcasts, and we have suffered for it.”
I nodded empathetically because I knew what that was like. Hersir seemed like a fine leader, and I counted myself lucky to have landed near his camp.
“You said the tribes of Jötunnheim don’t work well together,” I said. “Are there many other tribes?”
“There are at least six other tribes within a day or two journey,” Hersir explained. “Our closest neighbor you may have spotted on our walk to camp.”
The giant leader pointed back toward the pair of mountains where the nearby lake began, and I saw the distant structures of something giant-made.
“Yes, I saw them.” I nodded.
“We Jötunn have always been a solitary people.” Hersir frowned. “For much of our history, we did not even gather in tribes as we do now. We lived alone or in mated pairs. Even our young were pushed out into the world as early as possible.”
“It did not serve our kind well to be so alone,” Geer said with a frown. “Death was rampant from starvation, war, and we survived in very small numbers.”
“Eventually, our forebears began to work together in small groups,” Hersir explained. “Though it was begrudgingly, and not without infighting. Any time a group would become too large, another Jötunn would vie for power, and things would crumble.”
“Is that simply because of your nature?” Ayen wondered.
“I believe so,” Hersir said. “But then the Aesir came. Odin began to breed with our females, and his children decided they wished to as well. It changed us. Some ways for the better, others for worse.”
I nodded as I thought about how Loki had even mated with a giant, and the product of that pairing had been Hel. I knew it wasn’t the only occurrence of Aesir blood mixing with Jötunn.
“The addition of Aesir blood softened us,” Geer said.
“Yes, but it came at great cost,” Hersir added. “Odin thought he owned us and could do with this realm as he pleased. He began to change the way we do things, but he was met with resistance.”
“The Jötunn fought back,” Ayen assumed.
“No.” Hersir shook his large head. “But we did not go willingly. It was clear we would be difficult to mold to his will. Odin was smart, though, and he saw it would not work to change us by brute force. So he tried to bribe us with protection against the horrors of the other realms.”
“Oh,” Lyrie breathed with astonishment.
“He threatened us under the cover of offering protection,” Hersir explained. “And then he disappeared. We lived in fear for many years, expecting him to return and follow through with his threats until we bent to his will.”
“But Ragnarok came instead,” I said.
“It would seem so.” Hersir nodded. “Yönn was certain Odin had finally come to destroy us and enslave the survivors when we saw the rainbow bridge.”
“I’m amazed he didn’t chop our heads clean off,” I said in a wry tone.
“I saw that you were not Odin,” Hersir said. “Yönn knows he would be cast out if he were to disobey my direct orders. He is far too old to survive on his own.”
“He looks the same age as you,” Elion remarked with interest, and then he turned white as all the blood drained from his face. “I mean no offense–”
“There is none to be had,” Hersir said with a half-grin. “Jötunn age differently than those of your kind, elf. We grow in size, not in wrinkles.”
“So the largest of you are the oldest?” I asked.
“Yes,” Hersir confirmed.
“That is fascinating,” Freesia breathed, and her green eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Hersir!” a voice filled with terror roared through the camp.
The Jötunn leader’s face shifted from friendly to stern in a flash, and I felt my guard rise up as a small blue-skinned giant of about eleven feet raced forward.
“What is it, Lert?” Hersir asked in a serious tone.
“Progt’s tribe,” Lert gasped as he clutched at his side. “He is moving to attack!”
Chapter 10
The giant leader’s expression became so hard he looked like his face had turned to stone.
“Defensive positiooooons!” Hersir roared as he stood from his long bench.
The camp churned into motion in a flash as Hersir shouted orders.
“Lert, get the children inside,” the leader commanded. “Drag them by the balls if you have to! Yönn! Quit sulking and form your lines!”
“Levi?” Freesia’s voice was filled with uncertainty as her hand moved to cover the growing life in her lower abdomen.
I turned to see all my companions watching me for my orders. My warriors were clearly ready to jump into battle alongside the Jötunn if I commanded them to, but they looked unsure if we should interfere with the giants’ constant battles.
“What do we do?” Ayen asked.
“Can we help fight, Hersir?” I asked the giant leader.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Shalanna tug Milo from the wrap around her torso and hand him to Sassa.
“If you desire,” Hersir said, and he looked at Sylmarie, Sassa, Freesia, and Astrid. “You have some among you who cannot fight.”
“We do,” I confirmed. “Can they wait with your children?”
“Yes.” Hersir nodded before he shouted again. “Lert! Bring the humans and elves with you!”
“Yes, Hersir,” Lert replied in a rush, and he waved frantically for my people to follow him.
Lert was among the younger giants, and I guessed he was somewhere in his later adolescence based on his height and level of responsibility in the camp.
I rushed to kiss Sylmarie and Freesia before they hurried to follow Lert, and in my haste, I almost leaned in to kiss Innay, too. Luckily, I caught myself before I looked the fool, but it did make me realize how badly I longed to touch her.
“You should hide with the others,” I said as a way of covering why I moved closer to her.
“I will fight,” Innay insisted with an eager sort of grin. “The soil here is rich and will provide great strength for my plants.”
“Alright,” I said with a shrug.
By this point. Hersir, Yönn, Geer, and most of the others had moved to the edge of the camp that faced the pair of mountains, the lake, and the distant camp. I hurried forward to join them, and between one step and the next, I shifted my body to match that of the mid-sized giants.
“Odin’s one good eye,” Hersir gasped with surprise. “That is impressive.”
I scanned the rolling hills between Hersir’s camp and the enemy camp, and I spotted a fast-moving group of giants racing across the foothills. As they ran up and down over the hills, they came in and out of sight.
It was an odd sight to behold as they seemed to jump a few hundred yards forward each time they disappeared. I drew my sword and prepared to kill some giants.
“Is there anything we should know before they arrive?” I asked quickly as the attacking tribe raced toward us.
I was mostly asking about weak points or tips about how to effectively kill the Jötunn, but Hersir’s reply caught me off guard.
“This is not true war,” Hersir explained. “Try not to kill any of them. We defend our land and our pride. Bloodshed is not the goal.”
My eyebrows raised with interest, but then I thought about how male elk would butt heads and fight brutally over hunting ground or females, and it painted a clearer picture of the Jötunn for me.
“Like kings defending their borders,” I said with a nod.
“Yes, exactly,” Hersir confirmed.
The approaching tribe’s battle cries were audible now, and I guessed they would be upon us in a matter of seconds. I quickly assessed the weapons I had at my disposal, and I tucked my sword back into its sheath. There was no good way to fight with my bladed weapons unless I was going for the kill, so I decided to shift my hands into bludgeoning weapons instead. I wanted something I could knock some giants unconscious with or even punch out a few teeth.
I urged the skin of my hands to thicken and harden into heavy armored scales to protect the bones of my hands, and I pushed the muscles of my arms and shoulders to grow denser for added strength. I considered some wings, but I quickly discarded the idea.
From what Hersir had told me about the Jötunn, I suspected they wouldn’t be too happy about outsiders helping the tribe. It was probably best to keep things as even as possible, and besides, if I saw we were losing, I could adjust my shift to our advantage mid-battle.
I glanced around and noticed many of the Jötunn had made similar choices about weapons. Many of them had belted their simple swords at their waists, and they’d grabbed short logs that reminded me of caveman clubs. Several of them held up tight fists as their only weapons, and I smirked as I thought about how much this would be like my prize-fighting days.
“Well, not too much like that,” I chuckled under my breath.
By the time I had myself sorted, the opposing tribe was just yards away from us, and I got a good look at them. They looked basically the same as Hersir’s tribe, though their war paint had an entirely different design to it. The war paint was a slightly more gray color, and it consisted of sharper lines compared to Hersir’s rounded designs.
“Yaaaah!” the opposing tribe’s leader roared as he raced directly at Hersir.
Hersir caught the other tribe leader by the shoulders and gave him a brutal headbutt, and I had to assume that was Progt.
That was all I saw before I found myself face to face with my own opponent.
A female Jötunn with a short ponytail that flopped around at the top of her ridged head snarled at me with a mixture of irritation and confusion as she swung her fist at my head.
I ducked under her right hook and came up with a left jab to her thick rib cage.
“Uh!” the female giant grunted.
She snatched at my head in what looked like an attempt to grab ahold of my hair, and I was glad I had started to wear it pulled back into a low ponytail. Her thick fingers tried to gain purchase on my hair, but I pivoted out of the way before she could get a good hold on me.
I slid my feet across the rough ground, and I felt the scrape and grind of small pebbles under the soles of my feet. With a quick adjustment of my momentum, I swung my right fist back around to strike the female giant in the left shoulder.
The impact would have broken my normal hand, but with the added armored skin and denser bones I’d shifted, all I felt was a mild throbbing. I ignored the slight pain and followed the strike with a rough uppercut to her jaw.
