<< Chapter 8
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I woke up to silence. The room remained chilly but was deceptively tranquil. As I opened my eyes, the sight of ruffled sheets and empty bunks welcomed me. How long was I out?
I felt none of the ill effects the poison had caused. A few hours of sleep did me good; my body was well enough to repair itself on its own. I felt rejuvenated.
It was light enough outside but the weather wasn’t as scalding as before. The winds that swept through the compound brought the chill in the air.
I stretched my arms above my head, wrapped a blanket over my body and descended the stairs of the fortress. The wooden steps creaked; I took lighter steps so as not to rouse any unwanted attention.
Slipping past the usually guarded corridor, a sight that I was too unfamiliar with stunned me. There were no guards manning the post, not even one giant visible from sight.
The feeling was unnerving, and didn’t at all spark any assurance that everything was alright. The blanket I hung on to fluttered in the wind, as a slight gust pushed against me. The ground pushed steadily upwards, like it was trying to tell me something.
"Hello?" I called out, to no response. I paced around the fortress which seemed to be slowly caving in on me. Everything felt smaller by the minute. The tables, the chairs, the doors — everything.
I scratched my eyes, thinking that this was all an elaborate illusion — most probably an after effect of the poison being drained from my body. Even though everything looked like an increasingly diminutive version of what is familiar, I felt like I was in my natural element.
From a distance, I heard a faint noise coming from the outside. I shuddered to think what the source could be. The sound became louder as I inched toward the doorway.
I flew by the long hallway, even though I walked in a slower pace than usual. My bare feet shivered as it slid across the cold, tiled floor. I slipped my feet on a nearby pair of slippers right before I unhinged the metallic mesh gate.
As I pushed against the gate, the first sight that welcomed me was that of the giants tied up in the middle of the prison grounds. Tiny, unfamiliar creatures, which looked remarkably like my fellow prisoners, surrounded them. Armed with knives and spears, the creatures turned angrily towards me, almost in unison.
"Ledd!" Mamie shouted tersely. “Run!”
In one fell swoop, the creatures broke their formation and charged at me. Rattled, I tried to pull the gate open but it didn’t budge. I grabbed onto the upper frame of the gate and leapt through the tiny opening above it. Tiny screams followed me, climbing the walls and ramming the gate.
I pushed the cushion against the gate and used it as a makeshift barricade. The creatures looked like little goblins, minus the terrifying, inhuman features. Their shrill voices was very discomforting.
I ran inside the fortress and locked the door behind me. The light inside faded as the invaders tried to enter through the windows. I grabbed hold of an elongated, wooden stick and made my way up the fortress.
The sound of their scratching and squeaking echoed throughout the stronghold. It was only a matter of time until they compromised its structural integrity. The four walls wept at its impending destruction.
By the time I arrived on the upper floor, three creatures had already made their way in through an opened window. I swung my weapon wildly, managing to knock out two and incapacitating one.
"What do you want from me?" I angrily queried my captive, pinning its miniscule body to the ground.
The creature fidgeted hysterically, trying to get free of my grasp. It spat out incomprehensible drivel, speaking in a language I was unfamiliar with.
All of a sudden, three similar creatures jumped at me and tried to hold me down. In my haste, I had forgotten to close the window! It took some effort but I eventually powered out of the coordinated offense. I flipped one over my head and slammed it against the one I was holding down before. After that, I tossed another down the stairs and another out the window, closing it behind me.
What kind of mess did I get myself into? I scratched my head, hoping that it would yield to a solution. Panting heavily, I took a few moments to gather myself back up.
I picked up the stick they disarmed from me, and proceeded to examine them. They had no remarkable features, other than the fact that they stood about a third of my height.
How did these tiny creatures defeat those enormous giants? What could have they done differently from what I have already tried?
Their coordination seemed to be the key. They seemed almost relentless, going to great lengths to achieve their goal. It's a shame that I wasn't able to bear witness to when they toppled the giants, as I would've learned a thing or two.
I picked up the bunks and used it to barricade the staircase. The echoes that reverberated throughout the fortress became louder than ever. The lower floor of the fortress might have already been compromised.
I tied up the four creatures I had in custody and slapped them to wake them up. One by one, they began to come to and started to relieve themselves of their harness.
"Let’s talk," I commanded to them. “I come in peace. Those giants — your enemy — is my enemy. Let us work together and—”
They interrupted me with undecipherable chattering. The creatures didn’t seem to understand my call for peace, and I didn’t know how to act it out for them.
The sight of climbing invaders horrified me, as I glimpsed out the window. They were relentless — a different kind of threat from what the giants posed. Not even given proper time to gather my thoughts, my current predicament forced to think of a way out.
"Out of the frying pan and into hellfire," I mumbled to myself.
I wrapped my captives inside of the blanket that I wore and rolled it into a ball. The dire situation that I found myself in warranted a daring escape. As their companions made their way to the upper floor, I opened the window and readied my attack. I tied the blanket around my arm and then swung my makeshift wrecking ball toward my adversaries.
Cornered, I had no other choice but to jump down the roof that shaded Coche. As soon as I landed, I rolled atop the metallic grooves to lessen the impact of my fall. I swatted away the charging creatures as I made my way through the thin roof.
The giants looked on as I battled against our common adversaries. They howled, in hopes of drawing the attention of some of the little creatures. With no other options, it seemed that they hung their hopes on my rescue. Little did they know, all the while I was trying to strike an agreement to cement their ultimate downfall.
"Kyaah!" I blurted out, as I made a daring leap towards the middle fortress’ roof. From there, I had a clear vantage point of the entire compound. I couldn't help but notice that all the usual exits were teeming with minuscule invaders. In my mind, I should've known that escape wouldn't be that straightforward.
Unfortunately, my heavy steps alerted the invaders of my location. Droves of adversaries scurried to cut off my escape.
I hurtled towards the edge of the fortress and vaulted over a moss-laden, stone wall. It took a moment to catch my breath after I fell particularly hard on the ground beneath. I made it to the other side — that’s all that mattered.
The slipperiness of the stone wall made it difficult for my new adversaries to climb it. I needed to distance myself from them if I ever had any hopes of recuperating.
Sweat trickled down my face and back even though it wasn’t scorching outside. Clouds filled the sky, and the sun looked like it was hiding behind them. It seems as if the might sun was afraid of the merciless, new opponents as well.
I stuck to the walls, unfamiliar of the area I found myself in. If I were to surmise, I supposed that I found myself yet in another prison. The prison compound seemed like it was part of the row of prison compounds I stumbled upon during my escape. If my hypothesis was true, then I would have to deal with both enormous and minuscule threats once again.
As I neared the entrance of the compound, I caught eye of a group of creatures overwhelming a giant. Strange markings filled the giant's arms. Its stomach bulged beyond the normal size. I kept quiet and thought about intervening. Yet, if I was to intervene, I would compromise my location.
I stepped sideways and toppled over a tin pail. The noise alerted the attacking mob, which immediately switched their focus on me. I grabbed the pail and swung it at them to ward them off.
They scratched and clawed, but their size diminished the power of the hits. But, their coordinated attack more than compensated for the lack of power. It wasn’t long until they forced me to the ground. I was getting hit in more parts of my body than I could feel.
It became strenuous to power through against them. I grabbed the tin bucket and pummeled them one by one. Unfortunately, my assault only enraged them.
Soon enough, their appearance morphed, resembling that of goblins. Their backs hunched, and their ears became pointed. The creatures' noses swelled up, and their skin turned green and almost rubbery. Sharpened teeth, reptilian eyes and a pungent odor accompanied the grotesque transformation. The anger that consumed me prevented me from feeling terrified.
I clenched my fists and tried to focus my viento. With the aid of a passing gust of wind, I charged at the goblins with all the energy that I had left in store. There was no mercy or thought of holding back. I had tried to reason with them but, I fear, diplomacy is beyond them.
Every punch I threw propelled them high above in the air. They fought back, scratching and clawing at my skin. I hadn’t noticed that their fingernails had become as sharp as their teeth. For every goblin I hit, three took its place. I was fighting a losing battle; I had to outsmart them while I still had the upper hand.
I concentrated my viento on my feet and catapulted myself into the stratosphere. I spun in place, trying to accumulate the heavy winds that blew high above. Once I had enough stored energy, I redirected a massive blast of wind toward my adversaries.
The devastating flurry managed to scatter most of them but they remained dauntless. I grinned as I levitated, acknowledging the relentlessness of the creatures.
They moved as if they had a hive mind. Their uncanny coordination made their assault all the more impressive. The timing of their transformation couldn’t have been a coincidence.
I waved my hands to the side, pushing myself against the clouds. Once my body was perpendicular to the ground, I steadied my breathing and cleared my mind. I clenched my fist, as I built up enough speed to rocket through the growing number of opponents gathered. This was all very exhilarating!
My viento provided me with enough protection to avoid inflicting injury on myself. The invisible force that had been with me for all my life was now a central part of one of my proudest moments in battle.
Reinforced by my viento, I flipped forward at the very last moment. That action forced my left knee and right fist to make first contact with the ground. The catastrophic attack left the surrounding area in ruin. Lifeless bodies of my newfound adversaries littered the shattered rubble.
I maintained my stance for a moment, relishing in the afterglow of my undeniable triumph. Grinning, I sat in the middle of the crater and waited for the dust to settle.
"That’s how you do it," I whispered to the wind.
Without warning, a goblin jumped from beyond the sediment-filled veil! Caught off-guard, I was able to wrap my hands around its neck and strangle it to submission. It managed to let out a diabolical squawk before it passed out.
I let out a long-drawn sigh and released my grip. As I was standing up, a legion of those pesky creatures charged at me from every conceivable angle. I had let my guard down and was immediately overwhelmed.
"Get off me!" I screamed, as I was trying to punch my way out. Darkness descended, as I fell on my back. The creatures were gnawing at me, sinking their claws into my skin. With my final breath, I charged my *viento *like I've never charged it before. Drawing power from even the winds of creation, I closed my eyes and held my breath. I clenched my fist and let out a desperate howl, as I fired my devastating blast. "Gaaah!"
<< Chapter 8
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