Sweat and cold were a bad combination, especially when a young teenager was shivering from the cold on the corner of one of the walls of Viddar Castle.
A feast for the eyes, ruined by the weather.
"Fuck, why is he taking so long?" the young man grumbled in annoyance, but even so, he didn't move much from his position, fearing he would get lost.
The castle was enormous, measuring over a hundred and fifty kilometers across within its walls, while around it dozens of small villages and tribes lived right up against the castle itself.
After all, this was the home of the Lords and Kings of Ulheim, since in Ulheim there were no cities, only walls.
"Sorry I'm late, cousin, but your father didn't let me go until just recently." A young man with golden hair suddenly emerged from one of the wall's passageways with a tired expression but bright eyes as he hugged his cousin.
Who was none other than Apocaline, the eldest biological son of Ducanor Kal Arreus and half-brother to the Lord of Ulheim.
The young man looked more like his father than his mother or sister. His hair was almost entirely black, partially flecked with an intense green that made the black hair practically pale in comparison. He wasn't as tall as his father, but he still easily exceeded two meters in height, reaching almost to Elios's forehead.
"It's fine, it's fine," Apocaline said nervously as he looked around with some concern. "Is this it?" he asked doubtfully.
To which Elios, with a shrug and a smile, replied, "Of course it is, little cousin. Now you will become a real man. Let's go."
But before leaving, he pulled out a hood with which he covered most of his own face as well as Apocaline's, before advancing toward the keeps inside the castle.
And suddenly Elios, with a forcedly nonchalant expression, knocked on one of the doors inside the nearby keep.
They waited for a few seconds before it was opened by a middle-aged man. A nauseating, acidic smell—a mix of sweat and alcohol—flooded the room.
"Who are you?" the man grunted irascibly, his eyes—hidden behind a long mane of hair and a beard—two red dots shooting flames in their direction. "Are you lost, boys?"
To which Elios, showing no nervousness, rolled up his sleeve, revealing a tattoo with a strange symbol.
"Relax, we know where we are," Elios replied.
The man looked at him in silence and nodded with a somewhat softer expression as he let them pass, though Apocaline felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest when he walked past him and then saw the inside of the place.
It was practically a tavern, but it was almost entirely in the dark. Every table had small groups of people gathered around; there were almost no light sources, so they camouflaged themselves in an unnatural darkness amidst the fog of incense and bitter smoke.
"Damn, we actually got in," Apocaline said excitedly in a whisper.
To which Elios laughed arrogantly and said, "I told you I knew them. Even though they don't like Feys very much, Giants still have the best alcohol and the women with the biggest tits," he said with the expression of someone sharing wisdom with the needy.
To which Apocaline nodded enthusiastically.
"Let me get something, I'll be right back." He headed to the bar, where he asked in a dry tone, "Hey," pointing to a pipe the bartender was smoking, "how much for that pipe?"
The bartender was washing a glass; he was tall, standing over three meters high and vastly out-sizing Elios in build, but he still answered in a soft voice.
"Ten spirit gems," he replied.
"And filled?" Elios countered.
"Fifteen."
"And without the pipe?" his cousin interrupted, asking.
To which the innkeeper, with a smile just as large, pulled out a box from which he extracted a bunch of herbs in a pouch, handing it to Elios, who paid him.
Apocaline, seeing his cousin return to their table, was curious and asked, "What is that?"
"Nox, little cousin. This will blow your mind and soothe your spirit."
"And wouldn't it have been simpler to just ask him directly, 'Hey, do you have Nox?'"
Elios froze, somewhat embarrassed, and coughed. Ignoring the question, he pulled out his pipe and began filling it with those ground leaves.
"You don't understand, Apocaline. It's the taste for mystery; there's much more fun in this game of secrets and codes than the direct truth."
Apocaline nodded when suddenly a girl who didn't look much older than him, modestly dressed with a timid expression, appeared, serving him a barrel of alcohol.
"Thank you."
To which the girl nodded silently as he handed her a couple of gems, brushing the back of her hand.
"Focus, you lovesick brat, remember what we came here for," Elios said with a stern expression.
At which he felt a bit confused: "Didn't we come to drink and look at women?"
His cousin froze slightly, then smiled mockingly. "Relax, brat, I am someone with a lot of experience in these things. Women will always be there to be looked at and enjoyed; brothers and friends to drink with are what's scarce."
That answer didn't thrill Apocaline much, who felt somewhat scammed as he sipped some of the bitter ale. Feeling his throat fill with that cold liquid, he felt a numbing fire rise in his chest.
"What do you think of the place? Great, isn't it?" Elios said with his cup of alcohol already half empty on the table.
"Yeah, great," Apocaline said, somewhat amused, glancing around out of the corner of his eye: low light, figures drinking in solitude, and not a sign of music or laughter aside from the murmur of the diners' rumbling voices.
Most had thick, deep voices; after all, they were Giants.
"I didn't think I'd see so many Giants in Viddar."
"Giants were the ancient lords of Viddar. It's not strange that they would still inhabit it even ten thousand years from now."
"Really?" Apocaline asked, somewhat surprised as he looked around with curiosity. "And what happened?"
"What else would have happened? They were defeated. Isauro Leonis, one of the greatest generals of the Consulate, is what happened. The campaign was brutal, but he finally managed to expel the Giants from Ulster to the Frozen Mountain Range. In Viddar alone, a million giants died; Ulheim's population went from being a giant majority to a Fey majority, and so the last Giant King was taken to Lemuria and executed. As Jochi used to say: 'The Lemurians leave a wasteland and call it peace.'"
Apocaline remained silent. He understood Elios's sentiment, but even so, looking at the current Hegemony, it wasn't hard to be grateful for the Celestial Monarch's peace.
"At least peace has settled in Tara now," Apocaline murmured.
But suddenly a silence descended upon the place. From one of the tables, a tower-like figure stood up and looked coldly at Apocaline.
"Tell me, boy, are you from the Hegemony?" the giant growled coldly.
Apocaline was paralyzed, while Elios was dazed, so when he turned his head, he couldn't react fast enough before a fist sent him crashing to the floor.
"You... what..." But before he could act, the man's hand closed around his shoulder, lifting him off the floor and smashing him into the table amidst shouts and the sound of yielding wood.
Apocaline felt the world spin for the first time, and even all the martial training in the world was of no use when caught by surprise.
"Blood covers the hands of those bastards," the giant roared in anger. "Innocent blood of women and children. Was the last Queen Maxmu not raped and murdered alongside her sons and daughters, destroying the last hope of the giant race? You, slaves of the Hegemony, think you are like them, but you are worse. You forgot the noble faces of your ancestors, but soon you will remember them forever."
The shouts and insults echoed in the distance as the giant revealed his face for the first time: it was a face covered in dark red mottled hair and beard, and his skin was reddish like copper and fire.
He was a Fire Giant, and in an instant, flames covered his hands as they went straight for his face.
"You will know the kiss of fire, brat."
But he would never know the kiss of fire, at least not today.
A figure, slender and shadowy as a ghost, held a blade to the giant's neck.
"One more move and your head will kiss the floor." His attacker, like a shadow covered in feathers, stood behind him, his expression completely hidden in the shadows.
Darkness covered every feature, but even so, Apocaline was able to discern his identity at a single glance despite the pain and confusion.
"Mun Han."
"The very same, my lord. I hope you'll forgive my interruption of your enjoyment, but it seemed you were in trouble," Mun Han's shadowy, soft voice said as he hurled the giant into the air in a spiral with great ease, crashing him heavily onto the floor.
"I hope I didn't interrupt your little game too much."
....
Prophecies. Ducanor had heard many, each professing something more ridiculous than the last, but curiously, the most ridiculous ones were the most likely to be fulfilled. After all, the unexpected tends to happen more often than the planned.
From "the last Hegemon will be the first," to "salvation will come through the death of the last god."
Or that he would die with a spear and a woman in hand.
He liked that last prophecy best.
"Quick, come here," Tess said in an urgent tone as she lay on the bed.
She wasn't naked, but her beauty was more than admirable on every level. Her large chest was exposed, as the neckline of her dress had already been unbuttoned.
Her skirt had fallen to the floor, leaving only her stockings covering her long, beautiful legs, while her face shone with a dignity and arrogance that only a queen would possess.
And that made him desire her even more.
"I'm coming now," Ducanor replied as he knelt in front of her on the bed. His hands caressed her legs, then he lifted them with one hand onto his shoulders and tore the fabric hiding her cleft.
"Join me," Tess murmured warmly, causing Ducanor to strip in an instant. His already erect manhood came into contact with his wife's wet, fleshy entrance, and with a gentle thrust, he penetrated her.
The heat of both their bodies made their mutual pleasure explode as he felt Tess's body tremble beneath him. Her dignified face had its mouth open as she bit her lips.
"Mmmh..."
And then he began to pump inside her gently as he admired her body, and she smiled.
"Faster," she murmured in a thirsty tone, tilting her large, stocking-clad buttocks further upward, increasing the depth of the act they were performing.
"Ah, ah, ah..." In a short time, they had both sunk into an absurd pleasure, and when the first round was already over, leaving his seed in her womb, she smiled warmly, rolling over on the bed to prepare for the second round.
"Master, my lord, forgive the interruption."
Suddenly Ducanor, who was about to tear to shreds what remained of Tess's stockings to free her white buttocks, was stunned when he saw the open door behind him.
The person who entered was an armored woman with hair in two braids falling down her shoulders, a dark lavender hue almost reaching purple, sporting long bangs as well as glasses.
She was none other than Ducanor's personal bodyguard and disciple.
Kirish.
She remained silent for a few moments upon seeing the aftermath of the brief but fierce battle Ducanor and Tess had waged. Her face was flushed, and her voice trembled despite her fierce demeanor.
"What is it, Kirish?" asked Tess first, who was the quicker of the two to react, straightening her appearance. While only moments ago she had been moaning beneath him, she was now completely composed without a single sign of agitation.
Unlike Ducanor, who remained naked and quite... rigid.
In response to Tess, Kirish declared:
"Master, young master Apocaline and Elios have been found in a fight. They have now been escorted to the castle."
But Kirish wasn't finished, for she concluded with the sentence:
"They engaged a member of the Magister Elektryum, my lord. He demands a trial."