NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: The Capybara's Charge
[…An hour later.]
Despite Blythe's claims of a city just some hike away, it was decided to take a rest within the forest. A small clearing amidst the foliage was decided as Florentine hoisted over firewood with an excited smile.
"I've returned with a great bounty of wood!" The dark-haired warrior claimed as she dropped the material down.
He sat with his back against the trunk of a tree, right across from Blythe who was fiddling with what looked like a bronze compass.
"Nice. Good work," Gael complimented while patting the capybara that laid beside his legs.
Taking a break was a nice feeling after the chaotic time he had, able to finally just sit there and breathe. As the campfire was started by Florentine, who also brought back a bounty of berries along with a captured rabbit, the preparations for dinner were started.
He sat there, finding it a bit surreal as he watched the armored warrior turn the stick that held the slain critter, taking in the fact he was in a world boundlessly detached from his own.
"I know you said we're near this Galios place, but are we far enough away from the Venator?" Gael asked, looking across the crackling campfire at the silver-haired girl.
Blythe tossed a berry into her mouth, chewing it and swallowing before granting him an answer with a slight laugh, "Sorry…It's just that it's a bit funny seeing somebody so unfamiliar with the geography of Gaia. From Mastorn to the outskirts of Galios, we crossed multiple seas in that warp."
"Really? We went that far?" Gael asked in surprise. "How big is this world, anyway?"
"From the records written here by other Outlanders, it's estimated that Gaia is over five times larger than your world. Though, much of Gaia is still left unexplored," Blythe answered.
It left him with a mixture of excitement and awe, realizing just how vast the place he found himself in was–a feeling that had left him for years. After indulging himself on freshly-cooked rabbit and some berries, he somehow managed to fall asleep against the rough bark of the tree.
THUMP.
—His eyes shot open as what felt like a tremor shook him awake. It seemed he wasn't the only one, as Florentine and Blythe were already on their feet and on guard.
"What's up—?" He asked, hopping up with a surprising amount of athleticism.
As he posed the question, another impact rumbled through the forest. Each of the trees rattled as leaves disembarked from their branches, fluttering like snowflakes.
Even Pucha was up and alert, not so much as nibbling on a blade of grass.
RUMBLE.
—Again, that daunting, heavy sound, closer than ever as birds scattered from the cedar.
"Giant!" Blythe shouted.
As the information was desperately relayed, the trees behind Florentine were parted as the source of the rumbling stomped out.
It roughly resembled a man, only as tall as the trees with legs as thick as oaken trunks. Unwashed, unkempt hair that draped over its scar-laden face, the hulking colossus let out a wind-shaking roar.
'That's…a real giant?!' Gael witnessed, raising his arms as gusts pushed against his body from the giant's war cry.
More than his shock, he focused on shouting as he watched the savage giant raise its massive sword above its head, "Florentine! Move!"
The warning came just in time as the warrior threw herself to the side as the colossal hunk of steel crashed down. Just the impact alone caused a split to stretch through yards of soil like a small earthquake.
The first thing he did was grip his scythe, provoking the singular spell he had—"Invisibility", merging into the unseen. Still, the problem laid in the muscle-bound brute stomping its feet, wildly swinging as it was surrounded.
'Don't get mad when you're the one who randomly attacked us!' Gael thought, maneuvering around the giant unseen, though having to jump back as its sword wildly crashed near him.
Blythe slid herself back a safe distance from the giant, holding her hand out with a shout, "Eis Chainfrost!"
A cold air pulsated, twisting azure particles into physical frost in the form of chain links. The mystical, freezing bindings wrapped around the giant's body, attempting to restrict its enormous physique.
"Ruuuuaaah!—" The massive savage grumbled, struggling against the frost.
The bindings shattered into flakes of ice, though it was enough for Gael. He moved behind the giant while invisible, just long enough before he exhaled, swiping the scythe in one motion—SQUELCH.
It was sharp; more than he thought as it easily cut away at the towering brute's Achilles heel. Perhaps it was attributed to his own increased physical prowess, though nonetheless, it was an effective slash.
"Gruuuuaghhh—!" A pained cry emitted from the giant's mouth as it fell to a knee, shaking the ground.
Watching the colossus drop, he quickly moved back as one of its hands wildly reached back for him.
"Nice one, Master!" Florentine shouted, rushing in with her hammer ready.
As the warrior swung her hammer for the giant's lowered head, it was intercepted by a thick trunk of flesh—its wrist. The sound of it made Gael shudder, hearing the echo of the steel smacking against the bone.
It had to hurt, even for the oversized savage, though it was clear from the shout of pain from it.
Gael sprinted around, trying to get in for another strike as he quickly hopped over a log. His sights were set on its lowered neck, though the giant thrashed around wildly.
'Shit…!' He thought, having to steer himself out of the way of the unpredictable swings.
Blythe was positioned in the fallen giant's path, attempting to invoke more magic, it seemed, though to no avail, "I'm out of mana…!"
"Blythe!" Gael shouted.
He reached out, though just a few steps too shy as he watched the shaggy-haired savage raise its blade towards the girl.
It was large enough of a sword to sever trees, a death sentence for any normal person yet—
What charged forward perplexed everyone who witnessed it; the brown-furred rodent. Once the size of a dog was now the scale of an elephant, sprinting with its oversized form as it collided directly, head-to-head, with the giant.
"Pucha?!" Gael watched in surprise.
The impact of the capybara's charging headbutt knocked the giant back, crushing the trees behind it. It didn't seem to have any recoil on the rodent, who simply stood there with the same, relaxed expression.
"Woah… Good going, Pucha! Didn't know you had it in ya!" Florentine complimented the oversized capybara, patting its fur.
[EXP: +50] [60/100]