Following the trail of blood felt like walking through the darkest veins of the forest. When we reached the massive, upturned roots of an ancient sycamore, Eliz suddenly lowered her bow, her eyes widening in disbelief. Leaning against the roots wasn't just a man—it was a mountain of flesh and bone.
Before us lay a giant with shoulders as broad as a draft horse, hands calloused and scarred, wearing the heavy leather protective gear of a deep-mine worker. A jagged gash across his thigh had turned the surrounding snow a deep, sickening crimson.
"How... how are we supposed to move this?" I whispered, looking at the sheer mass of him.
Eliz gave the man a sharp nudge with her boot, but he didn't even stir. "We drag him," she panted, already reaching for his harness. "We don't have a choice."
Getting him back to the shelter was pure agony. Eliz gripped his legs while I hooked my arms under his pits. He was so heavy that every step felt like a hammer blow to my chest wound, making it throb with a renewed, searing heat. We grunted, cursed, and hauled him through the slush and brambles, dragging him inch by inch until we finally pulled him into the steam-filled warmth of the shelter.
As we laid him down near the heated pool, Essence (the Green Slime) bounded over from its corner. It was clearly drawn to the scent of blood, but I knew its intent wasn't predatory. Without hesitation, Essence latched itself onto the man's bloody leg.
"Hey! Wait!" I started to shout, but the slime's gelatinous body began to glow with a soft, verdant light. The green radiance filled the wound, and before our eyes, the skin began to knit back together like a closing seam.
At that exact moment, the giant let out a massive, guttering groan and snapped his eyes open. Seeing a glowing green jelly bobbing on his leg, he roared, "MOTHER OF GOD! I'M BEING EATEN!"
He lunged upward with a strength that defied his injuries. He swung a massive fist blindly, hitting a support beam with a crack that shook the entire roof of the hut.
"Calm down! Calm down, big man!" I yelled, thrusting my axe handle between us as a barrier. "We're friends! We saved you!"
The man froze, his breath coming in ragged heaves. His eyes darted to us, then to my axe, and finally landed on the steaming pool of hot water in the center of the room. His jaw literally dropped.
"By the ancestors..." he rumbled, his voice like rolling thunder. "What kind of fugitives are you? Did you build a bathhouse in the middle of the woods? Am I dreaming?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and, still in his heavy mining gear, shouted "CANNONBALL!" before plunging into the hot water. The pool overflowed, soaking the shelter floor as the giant's booming laughter echoed off the timber walls. "Whoa! How did you manage this here? Even kings don't wash like this!"
He scrubbed the grime from his face, splashing water everywhere. "I'm Barun," he said, shaking his head like a wet dog. "I was working the deep mine nearby. But the whole world came down on our heads."
Eliz narrowed her eyes, her professional suspicion returning. "The mine collapsed?"
Barun's mirth vanished instantly, a dark shadow crossing his rugged face. "Yes. The earth shook, and the ceilings tore like parchment. My friends... they're all still inside. I found a gap and crawled out, but I have to go back. I can't move those boulders alone. If we don't go now, they'll all suffocate in the dark!"
Barun climbed out of the water, his clothes dripping and heavy. "I need your help. We have to get to that mine. Now!"
Eliz and I traded a look. We were exhausted, wounded, and tired, but we couldn't ignore the raw desperation in the giant's eyes. Leaving the slimes in the safety and warmth of the shelter, we grabbed our gear and followed Barun back into the shadows of the forest, heading toward the mouth of the mine.
ESSENCE HAVEN
KINGDOM POPULATION: 2