799 Land Of Giants [Pt 1]
All of the giants, in their magnitude, were in submission.
This absurd sight sparked wide eyes and gaping mouths from both Justin and Belle, as the two couldn't believe their eyes at the moment. They cast their gaze at the man who had the full respect of the Giants, and he was simply smiling casually.
… Almost as if the whole thing was nothing.
"H-how? When…?"
"When?" Ater said, turning to Justin, whose mutterings managed to reach his ears. "What kind of question is that?"
Both Belle and Justin fell into further confusion, but thankfully Ater clarified what he meant with his next statement.
"While the two of you were in the Dungeon, I figured I could simply conquer them to kill time."
"Y-you already conquered all of them?!"
"Yeah. You look so surprised." Ater gave Justin a smirk, then turned to Belle, whose face was already red as a tomato.
"It wasn't that difficult."
Only Ater could say something like that. Once the two teenagers realized this, they swallowed any other question and doubts that they had and simply nodded.
"So…" Ater turned towards the Giants, particularly the one that stood at the forefront of the rest of his brethren. "... Have you prepared what I asked for?"
In response, the Giant grunted and nodded his head very slowly.
According to the culture of Giants, it was disrespectful to speak back to superiors—at least, not until explicit permission was given. As a result, most Giants could only speak to their leaders with grunts and signs.
Ater found this to be a little distasteful at first, but it didn't bother him any longer.
"I suppose it's grown on me." Whispering to himself, while nodding his head at the Giant's words, he turned to Justin and Belle.
"Both of you will have to follow these Giants. They'll take you to the quarters that I asked them to prepare for you."
"E-eh? What about you?" Belle quickly let out a protest, and she was joined by Justin's rapidly bobbing head.
"Haha! I have something else to do. I'll meet up with you two later."
The duo looked at each other and sighed deflated. They knew better than to question Ater or challenge his authority.
Instead, they simply agreed and walked towards the Giants.
"Now then…" As he watched them from behind, Ater's smile broadened, and darkness began to surround him.
The space around him seemed to distort and bend, with flashes of black and red energy dancing around him—all of which were encapsulated in a single second.
Then—
~VWUSH!~
—He completely vanished from the place that he stood.
************
"So… where exactly are we going?" Out of the two, Justin was able to work up the courage to talk to the Giants.
Both he and Belle sat on the shoulders of the tallest Giant of the bunch—one that stood at about nine meters. His skin was a tad darker than the rest, and he had far more elaborate tattoos on his body than everyone else.
He was clearly different—perhaps the strongest of their group.
"I don't think they can speak. See how they didn't say anything to Ater?" Belle said, almost with a sigh.
Both of them didn't know about the culture of the Giants—particularly the reason why the Giants couldn't just have a conversation with them.
And so, they had to endure the deathly silence while watching the brave new world they were in unravel before their eyes. ****************
The Giant Chief's Residence.
It stood at the very center of the Giant Civilization, boasting of a massive compound that could contain thousands of Giants with ease.
The entire race dwelled in a single city, though calling it that was a compliment that their primitive settlement did not deserve. It was more akin to a village than anything else—albeit a very large one.
The Giants were about fifty thousand in population—with half of them being women and children. The rest were the men—strong, hefty Giant Men.
As a result of their relatively small numbers, they could dwell in the same place, led by a single entity known as the Giant Chief.
His power and prestige were beyond what a single person should have, making him more akin to a deity in the eyes of his people.
—A supreme god, perhaps.
His residence boasted the most advanced architecture, but even that was unimpressive by any modern standard.
Giants lived in stone houses—designed similar to small mountains. The Giant Chief had numerous mountain-like peaks converging together to form his grand palace. To every Giant, this was magnificent in the most amazing way, but it wasn't very impressive.
Still, since the Giant Race was quite primitive, they had no issues with their architecture, clothing, and other essential aspects of their culture.
Most importantly, their Chief never desired for it to change.
And so, it remained.
As long as their Chief—the strongest of Giants—was pleased with their work, they were pleased with it as well.
"Well, Chief… what do you think about my story?"
Deep within the cluster of mountain-like buildings, at the grand throne-room where the Giant Chief's throne stood erect, Ater's voice echoed very ominously.
The stone carvings, and primitive drawings that littered the hall were still intact, and the several massive statues were ever so present. Everything about the structure was unimpaired, as it had always been, yet… something was off.
Perhaps it was the fact that, rather than the Giant Chief, the tiny figure of Ater, sat on the great throne. He made himself at home in the colossal chair, staring above him as he smiled in amusement.
And then, hovering above the polished stone floor of the hall—hundreds of feet in the air—was the terribly massive body of the Chief.
He was wrapped in black chains that tied every part of his body.
His hands, legs, neck… and even his crotch; everything was tightly bound by the giant constraints that ominously leaked out malevolent energy.
The same god-like figure that ruled the Giants now powerlessly stood still in the air… completely at the mercy of their new deity.
"I think it's quite amusing."