Soon, they came to a halt just ten meters from the towering enemy.
The big man simply smiled. "What is this? Two children leading an army? Is this the best the Kingdom of Sunhaven has to offer?"
A booming laugh erupted from the man, quickly spreading through the ranks of his soldiers behind him.
Adrian was momentarily confused about which "two kids" the man meant, until he realized the giant was referring to him and Clive, whose noble features made him look particularly youthful. The laughter roared for a few moments before subsiding.
It was then that Nixon scoffed, letting out a dry chuckle.
"Lord Harrow, what do you make of that?" Nixon asked.
Adrian was stunned by the sudden shift in attention. He could feel the heavy gaze of his companions and the mocking stares of the enemy fixed squarely on him. He looked at Nixon, wondering why the knight had put him on the spot, but as he caught the sharp glint in the older man's eyes, he understood.
Adrian nearly groaned. Speaking now would cement his face in the enemy's mind, something he desperately wanted to avoid. But put on the spot, he had no choice but to bite back. He had to respond, and he had to do it quickly.
"You're only insulting yourselves, you know." Adrian said, meeting the large man's eyes. He swept his gaze across the enemy line, his voice rising in volume. "Is this supposed to scare us?"
His voice hardened. If he was going to taunt them, he might as well go all the way. "I am Lord Harrow! At 15, I personally butchered your kin and seized your ship! What grounds do you have for arrogance when your people are slaughtered by someone as young as me?"
A collective gasp rose from the ranks behind him, followed immediately by a wave of cheers and jeers.
Now that he thought about it, probably wasn't a good idea to give out his name. Oh well.
The Sunhaven soldiers began mocking the enemy, their spirits visibly lifting. It brought Adrian a surge of relief to remember he wasn't standing there alone, he had an army at his back that outnumbered the current enemy force.
Sir Nixon and Clive joined in the laughter, with Nixon ringing loudest of all. "Lord Harrow is right! Are we supposed to be trembling?" Nixon shouted.
The big man's amusement vanished instantly. His gaze locked onto Adrian, who suddenly felt like prey trapped by a predator. His back inadvertently straightened as tension crept up his spine.
The large man snorted. "Then why don't you step forward and prove your skill? A fight to the death, 'Lord' Harrow." He spat the title with pure disdain.
Adrian merely scoffed, masking his racing heart. "Why? Are you so eager to kill a boy just so you can brag about it? I expected no less from an islander."
That prompted another roar of laughter from his side. Even Dexton chuckled, and he heard Sir Cordell let out a huff of amusement. The taunt hit its mark, the large man's knuckles whitened as he gripped his weapon, looking as though he wanted to charge then and there. Adrian resisted the urge to swallow hard.
He was skilled, certainly, but he wasn't at a knight's level yet. He couldn't even best his own master-at-arms, and this enemy was massive, possessing superior reach, strength, and years of probably bloody experience.
Adrian knew he stood little chance in a fair fight unless he took a suicidal risk, like baiting a wound to land a surprise blow. And even then, he had to hope his hand won't get chopped off, or his head.
'I wonder if I could even survive a decapitation...'Adrian thought, his mind wandering briefly to the limits of his gift.
Before his dark thoughts could spiral further, Sir Nixon stepped forward, his boots crunching on the dirt.
"Lord Harrow is right." Nixon said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, steady tone. "He is but a young man. I, however, am not. I will fight you."
Adrian and Clive looked at him in surprise. Adrian was about to protest the decision, but Clive reached Nixon first and whispered into the knight's ear. Whatever Clive said, Sir Nixon seemed to shrug it off as he confidently stepped forward to meet the massive enemy.
Despite the knight standing tall, once they were only a couple of meters apart, Adrian could see the enemy was still a head taller than him. The large man now wore a sneer, the flat, speechless expression he'd held after Adrian's taunt was gone.
"You have courage." the giant said. "I am Ulric. What is this knight's name, so that I may remember him as one of the few in this army with true spirit?"
"Nixon. I will accept your challenge, but in return, you will answer a few questions first."
"Oh?" This caught Ulric's attention. He shifted a menacing war axe over his shoulder and cracked his neck. "Ask them, then. I'll allow it, since you have only a few moments left to live."
Adrian stood beside Clive, watching the exchange intently. Sir Nixon drew his sword and shield. After settling his helm and rolling his shoulders, he asked, "Where did the other clans in Maglu go?"
Ulric swung his war axe, the air humming as he casually replied, "A few stayed. Some went to the barbarian kingdoms, some to the Hyde Islands, and most went to the continent of Rohesia."
The Hyde Islands were a large archipelago north of Maglu. Because they were located near the borders of the Breakstone and Sunhaven kingdoms, they were often a playground for skirmishes and pirates from both nations, constantly fighting and looting one another. It was also a hub for travelers from Maplenor. another continent that was said to be perpetually frozen.
Rohesia, meanwhile, was the landmass across from the Edrean continent where Adrian currently lived.
To get there, one had to cross the South Sea. Adrian knew little about it, save for rumors of its dense jungles filled with exotic creatures.
As Adrian was lost in thought, Sir Nixon asked his next question: "What did you see deep in the South Sea?"
Ulric's arrogant smile diminished slightly. "Horror." he said simply.
Without another word, he charged the knight, and the fight began!
Adrian hissed as Ulric's axe clove through the knight's shield. Sir Nixon reacted just in time, twisting his body and discarding the ruined wood before lunging with his sword, intent on driving the enemy back.
Ulric simply slapped the flat of the blade away with his armored forearm and drove an elbow toward the knight's face. Nixon backpedaled, narrowly dodging the blow before unleashing a flurry of stabs.
Adrian watched with bated breath. Each time Ulric swung his axe, the air whistled with terrifying force, and his men erupted in cheers.
"Could he have the blood of a giant?" Clive asked, having moved closer to Adrian's side.
"A giant?" Adrian briefly glanced at him before snapping his eyes back to the duel. Sir Nixon was holding his own surprisingly well despite being monstrously outmatched in strength.
"Yes. Have you ever been to the North? Seen the conflict with the Breakstone Kingdom?"
"No." Adrian replied, his voice tight. "I was too young when the war began."
'Also was just a simple wood worker commoner then.' He thought.
"Well, they have the blood of giants, as large as this man and just as strong. Even their common soldiers stand a head taller than Sir Nixon."
"How did the Kingdom resist them then?" Adrian asked hesitantly. He had always heard the stories of the Breakstone people possessing giant blood, but he'd dismissed it as an exaggeration. Looking at Ulric now, and the things he heard, it was probably somewhat true.
Clive snorted, his gaze never leaving the fight. "They may be strong and revel in being great warriors, but they aren't exactly known for having great minds."
"Hooh!"
"Ohhh!"
The tide seemed to turn as Sir Nixon caught Ulric by surprise, managing to score a shallow wound on the man's thigh. A small streak of blood stained the giant's leg.
"Sir Nixon should have fought in the North before, he should know how to deal with-" Clive's confident words were cut off as the battle took a turn for the worse.
Adrian watched in shock as Sir Nixon stumbled back. His helm was dented and stained with fresh blood after Ulric managed to seize his wrist and deliver a staggering headbutt. As Nixon tried to reorient himself, Ulric smiled sinisterly, stalking him before bringing the war axe down in a massive overhead swing.
Nixon didn't dare block it, he continued to backpedal, but Ulric caught him off guard with a powerful kick to the chest. The knight hit the dirt hard. Adrian's heart leaped into his throat as the enemy soldiers' cheers reached a fever pitch.
Ulric boomed with laughter, mockingly allowing Sir Nixon to scramble back to his feet. Adrian prayed this arrogance would be the giant's undoing, but his hope was short-lived.
In a desperate final attempt to block a follow-up strike, Nixon raised his blade. The force of the axe-blow split the sword in two, and the heavy steel buried itself deep into the knight's shoulder.
Ulric's laughter turned jagged. "This is all a knight of the Kingdom can bring?!" he taunted, practically roaring.
In one last act of defiance, Nixon drew a dagger with his free hand, but Ulric caught his wrist mid-air.
With a grunt of effort, the giant pried the knife away and plunged it into the knight's neck.
Adrian closed his eyes and lowered his head, a breath escaping his lungs. The deafening cheers of the enemy shattered the tranquility of the night.
When he forced himself to look again, he watched with a stomach-turning disgust as Ulric finished the job, sawing through the neck with Nixon's own dagger until the head came free. The knight's headless body slumped into the dirt.
Ulric hoisted the trophy high, earning a roar from his men that shook the night. If Adrian hadn't already seen the horrors of the battlefield, intestines spilled and throats opened, he would have vomited what he just ate that moment.
They had lost a knight, the man leading Lord Cenroy's forces in this camp. Now that force has no leader and they needed to deal with it quick. Adrian looked for a calm way to retreat, but the men behind him had other plans.
Suddenly, a volley of arrows hissed through the air from their ranks, arching toward the celebrating enemy. Prompted by no lord or knights.
'Lord Cenroy's men?!' Adrian could only think before the night exploded into chaos.