Berserking Giants Ch. 00

Notes: This is a first for me and hopefully not the last. To the best of my knowledge this is original work, nothing is truly original anymore but rather a retelling of old stories with new flavors. There is no sex in this chapter but there will be some in the future, slow burn, it's how I write, if you want a quick fix you'll have to go elsewhere. There will be violence in these, no sexual violence, but rather war like violence. I have no editor so all faults are my own. Any and all comments would be appreciated, I have a thick skin.

Prologue

'The double headed axe bit deep into the roaring shadow beast, cutting through thick skin and unleashing torrents of acidic ichor that splashed across his armor with a hiss. The random spray of blood would etch a pattern that would take hours of buffing to remove. The wielder of the axe roared in frustration as he put the shadow beast to the ground, the head of the axe still deep inside the beasts neck. Putting one of his oversized metal boots to the creatures neck, he pulled it free with a sickening pop and quickly finished the writhing animal with a second blow, completing the decapitation.

It's feline head rolled across the bloody battlefield, leaking more of it's corrosive blood into the already saturated field. The giant sighed in resignation as he looked around the churning field of battle. His clan was deeply embattled against the numerically superior shadow beasts, but his people fought with such ferocity they were driving them back.

"Loro, attend me!" A voice cut through the din of battle and the giant looked for his chief. His ice blue eyes looked for the thickest of the fighting, knowing that Kano, King of the Ice Mountains, Chieftain of the Tala Clan, would never shirk his duty to lead his people into battle. His sharp eyes rewarded him with the sight of the fierce Chief clutching a long spear covered in gore in one hand, and a large dented metal circular shield in the other. His guard fought to keep the beasts back with swords, spear, axe, and even occasionally, armored fists.

Loro moved forward, his long legs carrying him across the field in a few steps as his brethren pushed the beasts back to clear a lane for him. It took only moments to reach the Chief and he stared eye to eye with the black eyed giant, a feat few could accomplish, even amongst the Pure Blood.

Loro dipped his head in acknowledgment to Kano's superior social status and then stared back into the Chief's eyes. "You called for me." Loro stated.

"Yes, I need you to take the berserker's and go and kill the damn mage who opened this damned portal to the shadow realm. Close the portal and bring me the mage's head. Do not damage the brain, I wish to know who our unseen enemy is." Kano issued his orders with a bored air even as the men around him grunted and swore, swinging blades and hewing limbs as they fought desperately to hold the small pocket of calm for their chief to give orders to the Commander of the Berserkers.

Loro nodded simply and walked away from the chief and his body guards to try to find his men and women. They weren't badly scattered, fighting as a small unit to hold a large portion of territory clear of the shadow beasts. Loro looked quickly for a reserve unit to take the berserkers place in the line. It took only a minute to find an auxiliary unit composed of werewolves and vampires standing at the ready. Loro recognized their commander, a she-wolf named Laura.

"Laura, I need my berserkers. Relieve them of their position on the line." Loro barked out. Laura, a six foot ebony beauty dressed in golden armor clutching a sword half as tall as she was and just as wide, nodded and smiled a white toothy grin. She literally barked and her troops formed into position, the larger and stronger wolves forming a vanguard while the faster vampires drew short swords and fell into step behind the physically intimidating wolves. The wolves began to shift, growing into their bulky armor until it was like a second skin. Their faces elongated into half muzzles and they grew taller. Thick hair sprouted across their bodies and muscles bulged as they entered their hybrid state.

Laura had grown by a foot and a half, her golden armor flat against her sexless chest as she lurched into a run, howling as her troops fell in behind her, a charging maelstrom of armor and fur. Loro smiled faintly, he had always enjoyed the wolves exuberance when it came to a fight.

They crashed into the shadow beasts and quickly threw the monstrosities back, creating a space for the berserkers to fall back without being engaged by the creature's claws and fangs. They fell back to Loro without a spoken command, years of fighting together had taught them more about each other than even they realized. They moved in sync without conscious thought.

Loro did a quick head count of the six berserkers coming toward him. The last of the clan's still fighting age and able to enter the battle furor that let them fight as if they were invincible, had the strength of three giants, and the endurance of champion runners.

Alac, his second in command was nearly as tall as he was, standing eight feet nine inches. His face could have been carved of granite, sharp lines and dark eyes and hair fell upon a pale face for a startling contrast. His pale jade armor was scratched and dented and the long sword he was clutching was bathed in black blood. He smiled humorlessly showing his missing canine tooth on his right side that he refused to replace.

Moran, was Alac's sister. Where Alac was hard, she was soft, delicate cheekbones and soft blonde hair that fell only to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes burned with intensity that most found intimidating. Her soft womanly curves were hidden by armor, but Loro knew they were there. She was tall and slender, only a few inches shorter than her brother.

Kad and Kor, were twin brothers. Both barely topped eight feet and weren't as physically intimidating as their larger comrades but they made up for that with their speed. Loro wasn't sure but he thought that the wheat haired twins with strange orange eyes were probably just as fast as a vampire. In the heat of battle, their movements were just blurs as they fought together at speeds and intensities none could match.

Nic was the last male in the group and by far the largest. His massive size dwarfed even Loro. The spiked hammer he used in one hand would take lesser giants both hands to use, and any other race would barely be even able to drag it. Raven black hair was bound tightly into a pony tail that fell past his mid back. Silver eyes danced with merriment as the giant amongst giants smiled at his brethren. He had squeezed himself into his blood red armor, which peeked out from underneath the spattered black blood that covered him from head to toe. His red helm covered the majority of his face, leaving only his eyes and mouth visible.

Raven was the last of them. She was of average height for a giantess. Eight feet even, but where the majority were tall and well endowed with generous curves to accentuate their long figures, Raven was slim with small hips and barely noticeable breasts. Her long legs were thin, her ass small and tight but packed with muscle. Cerulean blue eyes sparkled with mischief underneath black eyebrows. Her long black hair was bound into a similar pony tail as Nic.

They gathered around him, staring at him as they awaited their orders. Loro had been their commander for a long time, and knew he couldn't be rushed. Loro looked at the battlefield, judging angles and trying to figure where the enemy mage would be. He immediately discounted the heaviest concentration of shadow beasts as that was the most obvious of places to be. Loro had dealt with mage's before, they were tricky and thought several steps ahead, planning escape routes for their escape routes. Hidden bodyguards on the escape routes, he'd even had one that had brought seven body doubles that doubled as his guards.

"We are to enter our berserker state and find and kill that mage responsible for opening the portal between the shadow realm and ours. Kano has decreed that his brain is to remain intact for examination, Nic that is meant for you. Keep that monstrosity you call a hammer away from the frail mage."

Nic laughed and nodded, knowing that the hammer wasn't for finesse work like relieving a body of it's head.

"I think that mage is by the river, near the edge of the valley." Loro nodded in the general direction.

"Why there?" Alac asked with true curiosity. Alac was a capable second, unmatched soldier, and one of the finest swordsman in the lands. He wasn't skilled at thinking outside the box though.

"Several escape routes, a thick concentration of shadow creature's, and gut instinct." Loro replied honestly. Alac nodded in acceptance, knowing some things were beyond him and being fine with that. He had his sister and commander to help him with these things.

"Let's get this underway then. I want to be home in time for dinner." Moran said. Her very voice was music, entwining themselves in a man's ears. If Loro didn't know better he'd have thought she had a siren in her family tree.

Loro dug under his breastplate and fetched a vial of clear liquid that hung on a lanyard around his neck. The others quickly did the same bringing forth their vials, unstopping them and swilling their contents in a series of quick movements.

Loro felt the burn rushing through his veins as his senses took on a heightened feel. He could see dust motes in the air, hear the grunts of the werewolves as they shoved the shadow beasts back, taste the blood in the air, smell the individual stink of each giant, feel the very pressure of the air. Energy surged and crackled in his chest as the large axe felt light as a feather. He knew in a deep part of his mind that his eyes were dilated, he was breathing fast and his veins were bulging. He held on to this last strip of sanity as he directed his primed body toward the mage. He was vaguely of his team falling in behind him as he started to trot toward the valley.

He burst into a run and leapt, his powerful legs slamming against the ground and propelling himself straight into the air. A scream ripped from his lungs as he cleared the battle lines and flew straight at a thick knot of the shadow beasts forty feet from where he had started his jump.

His axe fell with him in a perfectly executed swing that completely cut a tree looking beast in half. His boots hit the ground hard enough to make it tremble as he stood and started swinging the axe. Every movement executed with perfect precision as he hacked through the ranks of the monstrosities. Hewed limbs lay behind him as he cut a bloody swath through the thickly packed beasts. Their screams mingled with his own, the screech of their talons on his armor forming a strange harmony. His berserkers were around him he knew in the back of his mind, but the majority of his mind was completely blank. He moved with instinct and experience, his body in complete control for once as they cut their way towards the valley.

It took only ten minutes to travel nearly two and half miles. Loro sprinted, never slowing, his axe a blur around him as he fought without hesitation, beginning engagements twenty feet away from his opponent. It looked like the blade would fall into empty air his momentum carried him to the creature so the blade hacked through the beast.

The valley looked untouched by the brief war, verdant green grass, crystal blue water of a mountain fed river that fed the narrow valley. Trees grew in clusters, small oasis of shade scattered throughout the sun soaked valley. If it wasn't for the seven shadow beasts that towered above the frail little man it would've been perfect. Loro slowed to a trot and looked around for his subordinates who fell in behind him.

The seven beasts were larger than any he had ever seen before, They looked like boulders lumped together, their mouths filled with rows of yellowed conical teeth, and light purple eyes glowing out from their pale black forms. Long gray claws fell from their hand like a half a dozen scythe blades, each glistening with what Loro assumed was poison of some sort.

"They're as big as I am." Nic stated breathlessly. It wasn't that the run had exhausted him, it was the potion they had drank which took their bodies to extreme places.

"We each get one." Loro told them. His chest was heaving his blood screaming in it's veins and he was ready to fight. He leapt from a standing position and crossed across the plain his axe whistling through the air to deliver a crippling blow. The crushing blow to his ribs surprised him as he was tossed through the air like a rag doll. The ground rushed up to him and Loro winced inwardly knowing the pain that he would feel in the morning.

Landing in a crushing rattle of armor and limbs he rolled as quickly as possible to avoid a second blow. He was wise as the beast had followed through, it's long claws digging deep into the ground, furrowing it with six long rows.

Loro rolled to his feet and looked at the towering pale black figure that was staring at him with pale purple eyes. It roared and charged, crossing the distance between them in a moment and Loro was quickly in the fiercest fight of his life. The beast was as fast as he was, had longer reach, and was probably stronger. Loro had his nearly impenetrable armor and his war axe.

He used both as he pushed back against the creature, refusing to back away against the beast. It's long nails were leaving shallow scars in his armor, his axe leaving thick wounds in the beast. It was roaring in pain as it kept fighting against him, each blow rattling him in his armor, but he was still alive. He picked up his pace as his rage began to pulse with every heartbeat. Sweat dripped into his eyes as a roar that rattled the air shook the entirety of his body.

It a quick burst of motion he quickly slipped under the beasts outstretched arms and buried the blade in an underhand strike into the beasts belly. It screamed, a shrill ear bleeding sound that raised the small hairs on the back of his neck. Loro tightened his grip and ripped hard, spilling the creatures intestines upon the ground as he gutted it in one quick motion.

He kneed it with his left knee with enough power to shove it out of his way. It collapsed onto the ground, dead already. Loro looked around for his comrades and saw them still engaged to their own beasts. Nic was beating his into submission, the massive hammer obliterating bones with powerful strikes. The twins were fighting side by side, moving and distracting their beasts as they switched targets, slowly bleeding their enemies to death. Raven had just lobbed off the left arm of her beast and ducked under it's right arm. Alac's beast was bleeding from dozens of wounds, barely standing on its feet as the creature still fought valiantly. Moran's beast was staggering around, trying to get it's oversized hands on her as she continued to cut it into a dozen pieces.

The mage was still standing by his circle. The conscious part of Loro's mind recognized the arcane symbols that allowed the mage to direct the creatures and channel the massive amounts of energy that the mage was using to keep the portal open and basic control of the shadow beasts. Loro strode toward the mage whose identity was cloaked by the stereotypical oversized cloak that hid the identity and sex of the mage. Breaking into a quick sprint, he covered the distance and struck out to behead the mage.

His arms were jarred as the axe hit an invisible barrier, rattling his arms painfully as he stared at the cloaked mage. It's head snapped up and looked directly at Loro. He stared into the masked face that looked at him.

There were no words as the mage stared at him. Loro felt magic pulsing through the barrier via his axe as the mage redirected their energy away from the portal into strengthening their shield. Loro increased the pressure and far away the chaos of battle took on a new scale as the mage lost control of their beasts. They fell upon each other as much as the Ice Mountain forces which they had previously been battling. Loro continued to push, feeling muscles bulging, blood pushing into his face as his heart accelerated to previously unheard heights.

A cry to his right and Nic was slamming his hammer against the magic shield with a tremendous crash that reverberated through the valley. The mage instantly dropped to their knees, cradling their head as it began to hiss arcane words. Loro felt the barrier began to give away. Smiling savagely he redoubled his efforts, breathing in massive bellowing bursts. The mage looked up at him again and vanished. The shield disappeared instantly and Loro's blade arced through the air where the mage's neck had been.

"Damn the frozen wastes of Kestel!" Loro roared as he stared at where the mage had been. The mage had redirected the energy they had been using to transport themselves away from the battle.

Loro whipped around, anxious to disperse the growing rage that threatened to consume him into glorious combat. The twins still were fighting and were the closest. Loro leapt and buried the axe into the back of the beast, riding it to the ground. The blade was so deeply buried he couldn't free it with ease, so he leapt free as it crashed into the ground. Falling into a roll he sprang to his free, pulling free a fighting knife from a scabbard on his left thigh. To a normal person the fighting knife would have been a short sword. He jumped and engaged the last remaining shadow beast, using his rage to make him faster, leaping inside of the beasts reach to stab deep into it's chest again and again and again.

It collapsed with a groan and Loro stood panting over the beast as the berserker potion fell away from him. Exhaustion washed over him, causing his knees to nearly buckle as he walked away from the beast. He looked at his subordinates and all six of them were fine and alive. He pulled his own helm off and looked at his fellows as they followed suit. They gathered around and fell into exhausted heaps in a circle, their backs to each other. They had a three hundred and sixty degree view of their surroundings and the comfort and support of their brethren.

"What do you thick Marsh is cooking tonight?" Moran inquired in a daze.

"Why is it always food for you sister? Couldn't it be books, or wine, or men, or women, or hell anything other than food for once. You talk more about food than growing boys do." Alac said in a bit of a huff.

"Food is essential to everything. It gives me strength to fight, read, drink, fuck, and not always in that order, and sometimes at the same time." Moran countered.

"I think it's some type of lamb?" Raven piped in.

"Lamb?"

"Yeah, the Earth food. From the second dimension."

"I know what it is, I'm just surprised that Marsh would risk it again. Last time he forgot to take the wool off of it before he cooked it." Moran reminded them all.

"We had wool in our teeth for weeks." Kad said.

"Our gums bled for a week with all the involuntary flossing we did." Kor piped in.

"Your teeth looked better though." Nic spoke up for the first time. Both twins were working to support his massive size.

"Aye, they did didn't they." The twins spoke in unison.

"What about you Loro, what are you doing when we get back to the hall. Moran is going to eat, Alac will get his customary river bath, the twins will clean up and take their mother to dinner, Nic will go to the library to read love poetry, and I will find the first man who is willing." Raven said, a small seductive smile on her face, invisible to all except Loro who sat next to her.

"I get to go to Kano and explain why we failed to bring back the mage's head. Then I will bathe, eat, and sleep , in that order." Loro explained quietly. His eyes were beginning to grow heavy as his body began to shut down. The tramp of armored boots on the ground had his head snapping around. He was relieved to see a small troop of mountain giants moving towards them, weapons out and wary as they approached the once idyllic valley. Their brief fights had left the valley a scarred mess, shattered trees and torn up ground had left the peaceful valley a mess.